House of Cards || Daerin

7. Pity From A Stranger

DANIELLE

"Dani, aren’t you going to join us for dinner?" Hanni’s voice broke through my focus as I scrolled through the files Chaewon had sent me.

"I'll be down in five," I replied without looking up. Hanni nodded and closed the door softly behind her.

My phone vibrated in my lap, and I picked it up without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Going through her social media, the most I could find was that she has two exes—one was a girl, and the other, a guy," Chaewon’s voice came through clearly, pulling me from my documents.

I recalled snippets of the conversation between Minji and Haerin about Haerin being blackmailed. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the culprit might be—her ex, obviously.

"Tell me everything you could dig up about the guy," I demanded, eyes scanning the photos Chaewon had sent.

The pictures displayed a brown-haired man with dark, almost soulless black eyes and a fashion sense that could only be described as atrocious. A cheetah-print button-up, brown leather pants, and a beach hat—how on earth did Haerin end up with this guy?

"The boy is her most recent ex, Adam Hastings. I found his name in some old highlights Haerin posted on her social media, though she’s deleted most of the posts featuring him. Interestingly, he still follows her," Chaewon continued, her tone mirroring my own distaste.

Adam Hastings.

"What are highlights?" I asked, scrutinizing every detail of the images like they were evidence in a criminal case, which they might be.

Chaewon sighed audibly. "Do you even have social media, Danielle?"

I leaned back in my chair, clearing my throat. "Why does that matter?"

"What twenty-eight-year-old doesn’t have social media?" Chaewon asked, clearly baffled.

"Me. I don't have time for insignificant stuff like that."

"If you’re trying to get close to this Haerin girl, you’re going to need to up your social media game. She’s quite the online personality," Chaewon said, her tone now both amused and slightly exasperated.

That caught my attention. I straightened in my seat. "Alright then, teach me."

There was a pause on the other end. "Teach you what?"

"How to make and use social media accounts. I’m serious."

Chaewon laughed. "I never thought I’d hear that from you. Creating an account is easy, but keeping it active—that’s where the real effort comes in."

"Just show me the basics," I insisted, pulling up my laptop. "I need to understand Haerin’s world. If Adam Hastings is a threat to her, I need to know everything."

Chaewon’s tone softened. "Alright, fine. I’ll walk you through it. But promise me you won’t do anything rash."

"Just start with the basics," I said, fingers hovering over the keyboard.

As Chaewon began explaining Instagram, Twitter, and whatever else people used nowadays, I quickly created a profile, feigning interest while she walked me through hashtags and filters.

"Upload a picture now," she instructed.

I scanned my phone for something presentable and settled on a neutral photo from a company event. "Done."

"Perfect," Chaewon commented dryly. "Now, follow people and interact with them. It’s not that hard."

But this wasn’t about social media per se; it was about understanding Haerin’s world and gathering intel on Adam. If this bastard thought he could interfere in her life, he was gravely mistaken.