The Devil's Pact | BBANGSAZ

S E V E N

Minji was in a corner, sipping her drink and trying her best to pay attention to some men talking around her. Mostly, they discussed business, which was the usual purpose for these parties. But tonight, Minji wasn't feeling it. Earlier, Seokmin had told her Hanni had arrived, yet as she scanned the room, she didn't see her. She wanted to know how Hanni looked in her dress; she'd even dreamed about it. Ugh, she needed to get herself together.

"Oh, shit," Jake whispered. Minji looked at him, following his gaze. Sullyoon was walking toward them, looking every bit like a model on a catwalk, her long red hair bouncing as she made her way straight to Minji.

"Hi, Minji," she said, faking a smile as she reached the group.

"Sullyoon," Minji replied, doing her best to be cordial with her ex-girlfriend. But she didn't trust Sullyoon's smile; she was never happy unless she was being mean.

"Funny how you forgot to invite your own girlfriend to your party," Sullyoon said, staring at her.

"I didn't forget," Minji said, taking another sip of whiskey. "...and you are not my girlfriend." The comment hit Sullyoon hard; her eyes narrowed at Minji.

"Hey Jake, how are you?" Sullyoon asked, resting her arm around his neck while she scanned the ballroom.

Jake disliked Sullyoon. She had always been manipulative, insulting, and intrusive.

"Well, I'm—" Jake began, but she cut him off.

"Who's that?" Sullyoon asked, staring toward the food table.

They all turned to see who she meant, but no one spoke.

"Who did she come with?" Sullyoon pressed, turning back to face them.

"She came with me," Jake and Seokmin blurted out at the same time. Shit.

Jake didn't want Sullyoon causing a scene, and though it would have been easy for Minji to put her in her place, any drama at a party like this could mean bad business.

Sullyoon looked from Jake to Seokmin, and finally to Minji, who hadn't yet claimed the woman in red but was still watching her. When Minji finally met Sullyoon's gaze, Sullyoon gave her a smug smile, flicked her hair, and walked away.

Hanni stepped out onto the patio and looked over the backyard. It was a beautiful night, and the lights illuminating the landscape were breathtaking. She would have preferred staying out here to returning to the stuffy party. As soon as Kazuha had excused herself to get back to work, Hanni missed her easy presence.

"Lovely night," a voice said behind her, interrupting her thoughts. She turned quickly to see a handsome man with neatly swept-back black hair walking toward her. He stopped and leaned against the patio railing.

"Yes, it is," Hanni replied, staring up at the sky.

"I'm An Jaemin," he said, extending his hand.

"Hanni," she replied, meeting his kind gaze. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

"Pleasure to meet you," Jaemin added as he released her hand.

Hanni tried to hide a smile. No one had ever done that for her before. She was so unfamiliar with this high-society culture and its etiquette. She looked at Jaemin, who was immaculately dressed, making her wonder if he had just stepped out of a photo shoot. He held a seafood appetizer platter and seemed to be inspecting an oyster.

"You know, that's neither the correct way to hold it nor to eat it," Hanni chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you show me the right way?" Jaemin handed the oyster to Hanni, watching as she meticulously uncovered the succulent meat.