THE BITCH CEO (Im Nayeon)

62

NO ONE'S POV

After lunch, the house seemed quieter, almost peaceful.

Haven, full of energy from the meal, had been ushered into Nayeon's private bedroom with Mrs. Jeong, who promised to help her nap for a while.

Nayeon sat in the living room, her mind still muddled with lingering thoughts about the day.

Hans had been leaving her in a state of confusion, her teasing only adding to the tension that seemed to hang in the air between them.

She tried to distract herself with the tablet again, though it was almost impossible to focus.

She knew Hans was still in the room, and despite her efforts to ignore her presence, Nayeon couldn't help but steal occasional glances at her.

Hans was lounging on the opposite side of the couch, her legs stretched out comfortably, her eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint as she noticed Nayeon's discomfort.

Hans broke the silence first, her voice smooth and light.

"So, how's the water going?" She teased, her tone filled with that same playfulness from earlier.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nayeon said and rolled her eyes, not looking up from her tablet.

"Really? Because the last time I checked, you were avoiding me like I had some kind of contagious disease." Hans said and chuckled softly.

"Or maybe you were avoiding something else..." She added with her mischievous grin.

Nayeon could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, even though she tried to mask it with a forced shrug.

"Stop it, Hans. You're being ridiculous." Nayeon snorted.

"Oh, am I?" Hans leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand, eyes locking onto Nayeon.

"I just think it's funny how you get all flustered every time I'm around. I mean, just this morning, you were looking at Tüba's picture and now, here we are. Just the two of us. Alone." She added, a teasing lilt in her voice.

Nayeon could feel her pulse quicken at Hans' comment. She glanced up briefly, only to find Hans staring back at her with that same knowing look in her eyes.

"I wasn't—" Nayeon began, but Hans interrupted with a small, victorious laugh.

"Oh, come on, Nayeon. You were looking at Tüba's picture, and now you're acting like you don't care. That's fine. But we both know that's not true." Hans tilted her head, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

Nayeon's face flushed deep red.

"I'm not. And I don't want to talk about this."

"Oh, but we are talking about it. Because let's be honest, you're not exactly the best at hiding how you feel. And I can tell when you're flustered. You know, just like when you blushed this morning, and when you pretended you didn't want me to stay for lunch." Hans continued, her tone lowering just a touch, almost teasingly sensual.

"Hans, stop making a big deal out of this. It's nothing." Nayeon mumbled and then exhaled, exasperated, and tried to shift the conversation.

"Nothing? Oh, it's something, alright. And we both know it. But hey, I didn't say it was a bad thing." Hans repeated, her voice dripping with amusement.

Nayeon stared at her, wondering if she was ever going to be able to escape the tension between them.

Her heart raced in her chest, and she tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the armrest of the couch as if it would somehow distract her from the situation.