Book 2 : BTS 👀, Skz🥰, Ateez✨

University 1.2 (Ateez)

I was now 25 years old. It had been 4 years since everything happened. I had tried to contact Han's mother, but to no avail. She told me that Han didn't want to talk to me. Eventually I gave up, it was no use to fight for something one-sidedly.

"Are you ready?" San asked.

I glanced at San. He was my coworker as well as my boss. I had started working for a small start-up right after finishing my PhD and now we were searching for sponsors to develop a new area of research. During the last year, the company had drastically grown. Hongjoong the big boss of the company had apparently enough trust in me to send me to an annual banquet reception with San who had been in the company since the beginning.

"As ready as I can be." I whispered looking at my heels "I just don't want to break my ankle." I whispered adjusting my dress.

"Lean on me." He offered me his arm "You need to get the big fishes. You know how to sell the project." He said.

"I know." I answered as we stepped inside the big hall. "Too many people."

"Melody!" I heard Lena's voice and smiled.

I let San go and embraced my friend. She had also started to work for a company. We could work together on projects and that was part way our companies teamed up to fight against the big ones. New methods were the source of renewability: that was our main interest. For this, we needed even more money than we had now. I adjusted my expression and offered a business smile to the men that looked at me. One of the biggest advantages was that women would be sponsored way easier than men. I was at the head of the R&D of the company with San. An intelligent and not so bad to look at woman was always interesting than a random man.

"Did you hear?" Lena whispered "Han is here."

I registered the information in my head before understanding it. I almost lost my smile.

"Is he?" I wondered.

"Who?" San asked.

"Han Jisung." Lena said with a smile "Melody's childhood friend. Or ex-friend." She looked at me who had stiffened dramatically.

"He is at the R&D of one of the biggest pharmaceutical company." San answered "He works in the shadows, but he is really famous within the leaders. Hongjoong has a lot of respect for Bang Chan and Changbin who founded the company at only 24 years old. They are trendy." He adds at the end "If you could-"He looks at me, but I interrupt him.

"I'll go talk with the older ones. I will not interact with their company. Go with Lena." I said as I noticed a group of men beckoning me over. R&D? Founder of a company? Leader? Trendy? I was only a toxic friend anyway. I concealed the emotions warring in my head and began business talk as I handed over my card.

After hours of discussion with more than a dozen men and women of all ages, I had secured four signed agreement of sponsorship and twice as much of oral ones. The later had little chance of happening, but that was already something. I was completely tired and excused myself to the rooftop in need of fresh air.

As I arrived there, I didn't see anyone and took of my heels. My feet were killing me. I had to avoid lost hands of elder ones and remarks of their wives.

"I'm so dead." I whispered stretching as I sat on a bench with a view of the illuminated city.

I looked at the starry sky trying to think about all the different mails that I still had to sort out tonight. I should have brought my laptop. I sigh as I lean back on my hands and close my eyes.

"Melody."

I momentarily thought that it was a dream...or even a nightmare. This voice. This betrayer's voice. I raised my head and looked to my left to see Han and Hyunjin. They were staring at me emotionlessly. I sighed and put my heels back on. Closing the straps, I stood up.