Temptation || Jumin Han

12| Territory

The next morning.

Eva took a long sip of her coffee as she stared at the computer screen.

JUMIN HAN'S SECRETARY CAUGHT SNEAKING OUT THE BACK ALLEY, RUMORS OF THEM DATING MAY BE TRUE

She exhaled bitterly into the mug, wincing as the hot air blew back on her face.

"For fucks sake..." She grumbled under her breath, almost slamming the glass back on the desk.

It was only 7:30am and she was already pissed. Eva used to love her job, but the past couple of days had made her somewhat grumpy. Being stuck in the office was a constant reminder of the double life she was living.

The woman rested her head in her hand and sighed, her chin felt sharp against her palm from the permanent scowl that had engraved in her expression. The article's headline was not sitting well in her gut.

"Whats wrong babe?" Si Yeon peaked her head over the cubicle, snapping Eva out of her daydream.

Eva didn't have the energy to answer. Instead, she gave her friend the 'Im going to kill myself' look, making Si Yeon jump up from her seat and rush to her side.

Si Yeon leaned over her friend's shoulder and scrolled through the article, soaking up the falsified information.  "This happened yesterday?" She narrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah." Eva grumbled. She felt terrible lying to her friend like this. Very similar to the sick feeling she received from looking at the headline.

The stress was weighing down on her, eating away at her sense of purpose. The morning energy Eva had grown accustomed to had seemed to vanish when she needed it the most.

Maybe she should tell her friend the truth.

Eva thought harder about it. Soon. She had to talk to Jumin first. But for now, she knew she had to lie.

"—Jumin asked me to pick up the schedule because he was going in late that day. That's all it was. It was my day off so that's why I was wearing sweats. He insisted I go out the back because the paparazzi were at the front like they always are."

"That's insane!" Si Yeon ridiculed, giving the article a thumbs down. They both laughed through their noses. Justice, if anything, had been served. Eva felt somewhat better.

"People will do anything to twist the truth. They obviously know nothing." Her friend reassured.

"You're right." Eva said through gritted teeth. In reality, she was just as guilty as the journalists. This time they were actually right and they didn't even know it. "This is the only instance they've caught me remotely close to him outside of the workplace. There aren't any rumors. I haven't seen one until today!"

"I'm sorry this is happening Eva." Si Yeon set her hand on the woman's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm always here for you if you want to talk. But right now isn't the best time, I have quite a load on my back right now."

"Thank you Si, it's okay." Eva chuckled. "I was meaning to ask you for a girls night soon anyways."

Her friend clapped her hands. "When are you free?"