The Devil's Pact | BBANGSAZ

T W E N T Y T W O

Over the next two days, Hanni quickly recovered thanks to the doctor's visits and medication. She tried to stay out of Jaemin's way so she wouldn't be more of a bother than she already felt, even though Jaemin insisted that she wasn't. Jaemin offered to let her borrow one of his cars, but she politely declined and took the bus to work. At first, Jaemin had refused to let her work since she was recovering, but Hanni was desperate. She needed to keep herself busy and make money, so eventually, after nagging and following him all over the house, he agreed to let her pick up some work if she would just shut up.

But it was her third day in the house when Yujin showed up. She walked straight to Hanni's bedroom.

"Damn!" Yujin said.

Hanni's body immediately tensed up. Something about Yujin didn't sit well with her. Ever.

"Don't you knock?" she asked.

"In my own home?" Yujin shot back at her, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought this was your brother's house."

"Yeah, but when he bites the dust, it will be mine. So... how are you feeling? Jaemin told me you were really sick," Yujin said, leaning against the doorframe.

"I'm much better, thanks to your brother," Hanni answered, looking uneasily at Yujin. She just didn't trust her.

"Good. Glad to hear it. By the way, dinner's ready," Yujin stated, and then walked out.

Downstairs, Hanni sat at the dinner table with Jaemin and Yujin. She noticed that neither of the siblings really talked to each other. They more or less talked to her. Jaemin said he wasn't feeling well, but insisted not to worry, he was just tired. Hanni asked if he was sure, and he said he was, then excused himself early, asking her to finish her meal. But this also left Hanni alone with Yujin. The unreliable An.

She noticed Yujin, out of the corner of her eye, staring. She tried to ignore her as she picked over her salad.

"Pham... I want to apologize to you," Yujin said, taking a sip of her drink. Hanni could sense the sincerity in Yujin's voice and was truly surprised.

Hanni looked up at her. "What?"

"I want to apologize for the prior two times that I met you. You know, for the pool game and Minji's party. For what I said. And if it's okay with you, I'd like to start over." Yujin looked down, and Hanni felt like she was meeting a new woman altogether.

Hanni didn't know what to think. What did Yujin want? Yujin had this friendly way about her, but it was almost that look she would give right before she would stab you in the back. Hanni just didn't trust her.

"I mean it. So... this is corny, but I'd like to reintroduce myself. I'm An Yujin," Yujin said while reaching for Hanni's hand.

Hanni did think the whole thing was rather silly, but she would play along.

"Apology accepted, and I'm Hanni Pham."

"Nice to meet you, Hanni," Yujin said, while kissing the back of her hand. A gesture she learned from her brother, no doubt. Hanni wondered why none of Jaemin's other wonderful traits had rubbed off on her.

The next few days went by in a whirlwind. Jaemin picked out a nice location on the 45th Street corner to open the seafood restaurant. The place used to be a non-profit, two-story library with the Ans, but with declining book readers, the place was gathering dust. Hanni decided the entire menu and the décor. Since it was on the corner of a busy four-way street, Hanni suggested they keep the glass walls of the library as they were to give diners a nice view of the bustling streets outside. It was her idea to keep the books and library shelves on the second floor, along the walls, with an intimate dining area in the middle for couples and people looking for privacy. The renovation work was almost done, and Hanni was beaming with pride and joy for their grand opening tomorrow.