He stood up abruptly, pulling her up with him thanks to the handcuffs, and pinned her against the wall. His grip on her wrist tightened.
Ni-ki leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. "You're playing with fire, angel. Don't think for a second tha...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
RHAINE LET OUT A TIRED SIGH AS SHE WIPED DOWN the tables at her father's chicken restaurant. After the exhausting practice date at Ni-ki's mansion the day before, being back at work felt like a strange sort of relief.
The familiar hum of customers chatting, the smell of fried chicken, and the simple, repetitive tasks grounded her. She could forget about magical handcuffs, arrogant kumihos, and the chaos that came with them—at least for a little while.
The lunchtime crowd had just cleared out, and Rhaine finally had a moment to herself. She leaned against the counter, taking a deep breath, but her mind refused to fully let go of yesterday's mess. Ni-ki's smug face, the strange tension between them, and then that guy, Jungwon, showing up—it was all too much.
"Still thinking about that date?" her dad's voice broke her thoughts. He appeared behind her, drying his hands with a towel. His face held that knowing expression.
"I can't help it. He's a bitch," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "I don't know how I'm supposed to get through weeks of this."
Her dad chuckled. "You signed up for this. Tough as it is, you've never backed down from anything. I'm sure you'll figure him out."
She huffed. "It's not even about figuring him out. He's just—useless. Lazy, smug, and rude. I have no idea why Mr. Jin thinks this whole plan will work."
Her father's brows raised. "Maybe that's exactly why. Maybe you're supposed to change him, or push him enough so that he starts caring."
"I'm I'm supposed to be the one to turn a spoiled kumiho into a decent human being? Sounds easy," she said sarcastically.
The bell above the door jingled, and Rhaine turned to greet the new customer—only to freeze. Speak of the devil.
There, standing with that irritating confidence, was Ni-ki. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, eyes scanning the room, before they landed on her.
"You've got to be kidding me," Rhaine muttered. She tossed the rag down and walked over, already feeling her frustration bubble up. "What are you doing here?"
Ni-ki didn't bother answering right away. His gaze drifted lazily around the restaurant, his lips twitching up in that familiar smirk. "Mr. Jin thought it'd be 'cute' if I visited you at work. You know, since I insulted this dump years ago."
Rhaine's jaw clenched. "Oh, how sweet of him," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But you really didn't have to."
"Trust me," Ni-ki said, his smirk widening, "I didn't want to."
She crossed her arms, not bothering to hide her irritation. "So what's the real reason you're here? Mr. Jin told you to play nice, or you're just here to ruin my day?"
Ni-ki gave a careless shrug. "He wants us to spend more time together. Thought it'd help with the 'believability' or whatever." His eyes gleamed with amusement. "Besides, I wanted to see the place again."
