TANGLED

CHAPTER TWELVE

ON MONDAY MORNING, i'm in the conference room waiting for the staff meeting to start. everyone's here. everyone, that is, except irene. my father glances at his watch. he's got any early tee-off this morning, and i know he's eager to get there. i scratch behind my ear.

where the hell is she?

finally, joohyun comes bareling in with her coat still on and a bunch of folders falling out of her hands, she looks...terrible. i mean, she's beautiful, she's always beautiful. but take it from someone who's watched her closely— joohyun is having a bad day. see how pale she is? and when the hell did those dark circles crawl under her eyes. her hair's thrown up in a messy bun, which would be sexy as hell if she didn't look so...ill.

she smiles nervously at my father. "sorry, mr. kang. it's been a morning."

"no problem, irene. we're just getting started."

as my father rattles off his announcements, i don't take my eyes off her. she doesn't look at me once.

"irene, do you have those projections for pharamatab?"

it's the deal my father was talking to the ass-muncher about at the office party. the one joohyun closed last week. she looks up, her big brown eyes making her look all the more like a deer caught in headlights.

she doesn't have them.

"ahh...they're...um..."

i lean forward and announce, "i have them. irene gave them to me last week to look over. but i left it on my desk at home. i'll get it to you asap, dad." my father nods, and she closes her eyes in relief.

after the meeting is over, everyone slowly files out, and i walk up beside joohyun. "hey."

she looks down at the folders in her hands and adjusts the coat on her arm. "thank you for what you did in there, seulgi. it was really decent of you."

i know what i said the other day—that i was finished with her. i didn't mean it. i was talking out of my ass, blowing off some steam. you know that. think joohyun knows? think she gives a damn?

"i have to do the decent thing once in a while. just to keep you on your toes." i give her a small smile she doesn't return.

and she still hasn't fucking looked at me. what's wrong with her? my heart begins to hammer in my chest as i run through all the possibilities. is she sick? did something happen to her mother? was she mugged on the frigging subway?

jesus.

irene walks into her office and closes the door, leaving me standing on the outside. this is where o got the shitty end of the stick, people. when god gave eve that extra rib? he should have given us something extra too. like mental telepathy.

i once heard my mother tell my father that she shouldn't have to explain why she was pissed. that if he didn't already know what he'd done wrong, then he wasn't really sorry for it. what the fuck does that mean? newsflash, ladies: we can't read your thoughts. and frankly, i'm not entirely sure i'd want to. the female mind is a scary place.

i don't leave a lot of room for doubt: you're a dick. you fucked my girlfriend. you killed my dog. i hate you. direct. clear. unambiguous, you girls should try it sometime. it would bring us all one step closer to world peace.

i back away from joohyun's door. looks like i won't be finding out what her deal is any time soon.

later that day, i sit in a cafe across from seungwan, not eating my sandwich.

"so, jennie get to you yet?"

she's referring to the thanksgiving day massacre—in case you've forgotten. i nod. "i got the call yesterday. apparently i've committed myself to volunteer next month at the geriatric society of manhattan."