S W I T C H B L A D E | v.cassano

F I V E

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🗝️soojin's pov:

"wait a second, let me get this straight, just to make sure i understood everything correctly. you want me to work with this guy—" i pointed accusingly at the italian in front of me.

"SOO-JIN!" mr. hong shouted angrily.

"sorry, right, i forgot. anyway, you want me to interview the clients with mr. cassano?" i asked, outraged, directing my question at mr. hong, who was sitting at the head of the table. vincenzo sat directly across from me, while chae-young had taken the seat next to me.

mr. nam was sitting beside the italian, listening to us curiously while sipping on his instant coffee. i was also sipping on one since he kindly offered me one, knowing damn well i could never reject something from him.

for the past 27 minutes, mr. hong had been trying in vain to resolve the personal issues that i had recently developed with vincenzo, but we couldn't quite reach a conclusion. my ego simply wouldn't allow me to just befriend him, ignoring the fact that he was an arrogant jerk. vincenzo wasn't making much of an effort either when it came to improving our non existing relationship. he hadn't even attempted to apologize, so i didn't either. the mere thought that i might have to manipulate him somehow made me feel sick, and i was considering every possible alternative to avoid going through with the plan. maybe i could somehow convince my father to hire someone else, or even better, he could—

"soo-jin, are you even listening to us?"

hearing my name snapped me out of my thoughts, and i looked to the side. mr. hong had his hands clasped tightly together and was looking at me a bit impatiently.

"yes—yes, of course, i'm listening!" i tried to justify myself, forcing a nervous smile. my fingers started digging into my hand under the table as i tried to discreetly distract myself to prevent my palms from bleeding.

"really? well, if that's the case, you should be able to repeat what he just mentioned, right?" vincenzo's grin was provocative as he said this, and i could tell he was trying to get under my skin.

well no.

he knew perfectly well that i had been lost in my thoughts and he was enjoying the moment.

that damn bastard.

"i—" i stammered, trying to come up with an excuse, my eyes darting to the face of the italian, who was grinning at me with amusement. meanwhile i was struggling, trying to somehow come up with an excuse that would be somewhat plausible.

oh, how much i hated him.

"i'm sorry, i wasn't paying attention just now," i admitted sheepishly, lowering my head in embarrassment , but not before giving vincenzo a quick, angry stomp on his foot under the table with my high heels.

when i heard him hiss in pain, i couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. he just sucked in a sharp breath and pulled his foot back.

he totally deserved that.

chae-young, who had witnessed our little battle, coughed loudly to suppress her giggle and gave me a discreet high-five under the table.

feeling a bit better, i leaned back in my chair, took another small sip from my coffee, turning my attention back to mr. hong, determined to focus fully on the conversation from now on. i got what i wanted afterall , which was seeing vincenzo suffer.

"if you two are quite finished with your childish bickering, i'd appreciate it if you'd listen to me. here's the plan—" he continued, clearly annoyed.

-

"we're taking my car," the italian said firmly as we left the plaza and headed toward the parking lot. i was just adjusting the small bow in my hair when i registered what he had said and stopped in my tracks.

"i wouldn't ride with you in that car for all the money in the world," i replied, disgusted, once i was done with my hair, turning to face cassano, who was now looking at me. it was true. i was always skeptical about other people's driving skills until I had a look for myself on how they drove.

"why do you always have to be so difficult?" he asked, sounding annoyed as he checked his watch impatiently. here's the thing with vincenzo cassano: this man looked unbelievably handsome from afar, but the second he opened his mouth, all the attraction i might have felt disappeared, replaced only by an intense dislike. every time he started speaking, i felt like tearing my ears off.

"difficult because i don't want to get into a car with a stranger i've known for—let's see—" i glanced dramatically at my watch on my right wrist. "—roughly five hours?" i concluded my little performance. i couldn't help it; i loved drama a bit too much, and when I saw cassano's impatient gaze fixed on my watch, i had to suppress a smirk. to strengthen my point, i crossed my arms over my chest.

"whatever, we don't have time for this nonsense. then drive your car behind me, and we'll meet there," he said, starting to walk away from me.

finally. for some reason, i could barely stand being near him.

"that's the first smart thing i've heard come out of your mouth, i must admit. keep it up, mr. cassano, and with a bit of luck, i won't have to listen to your nonsense anymore," i said proudly, lightly patting his right shoulder. The grin on my face was sweet, as i looked him into his eyes. i knew i was being unbearable, but i didn't care. i wasn't in the mood to pretend today. that day had yet to come.

i knew i'd overstepped my bounds a little, but i didn't care. it felt good to give him back a taste of what i'd been putting up with all day. if you can dish it out, you should be able to take it too!

mr. cassano started to grin and looked down at my hand, which was still on his shoulder. shocked, i quickly pulled it back and mumbled something unintelligible before turning on my heels and heading to my car. my heels clicked loudly on the pavement, calming my suddenly racing heart.

just before i got into my car, i heard his voice calling after me:

"oh, before i forget, shin soo-jin?"

i rolled my eyes before turning around, waiting to hear what he had to say now. what could it possibly be this time? i clutched my handbag closer and looked at him, curious.

he was already in his car, pulling up right next to me. as he stopped, he leaned casually out of the window, now wearing sunglasses he must have just put on, and said to me:

"high heels with socks look pretty ridiculous," he said and drove off without another word. i stood frozen in front of my car, watching him leave, speechless. i couldn't believe what i had just heard. with my mouth open, i stared after his car and swore to myself that i'd get back at him for that.

i silently cursed myself for ever thinking he wouldn't have a comeback. how foolish and naive i was, as usual. just thinking about the italian made me angry again, and without saying a word, i got into my car, taking out my frustration on the steering wheel before turning on some music.

i had to calm down before i accidentally ran someone over. as the familiar melody of sour candy started filling my ears, i started to relax.

"i'm super psycho, make you crazy when i turn the lights low," i sang along loudly. the italian was already forgotten.

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a/n sorry for the short chapter but school is beating my ass🥲 hope you still enjoyed the chapter and hopefully i won't take too long to update again🌷