Fatal Miscalculations •Jaeyong•

Chapter 8

“You called for me?” Taeyong asked, entering Larson’s lounge.

“Yes, come in,” she said with a stoic face.

Taeyong’s heart started to race as he took his seat on the couch beside her. Larson almost never summoned him to her room during his shift unless it was something serious. Like getting fired sort of serious. The last time she had called him in was to warn him about his lack of focus.

“I’m not getting fired, am I?” he asked in a low voice and bit his lip.

Larson laughed. “No. Not by me, at least.”

Taeyong arched an eyebrow. “What do you… mean?”

Larson held a breath for a moment. “Are you close friends with that young man that’s been showing up here, looking for you every night?”

Taeyong tensed up. “Uh… It’s complicated. But we’re not close friends. We’re not even friends. Is he causing you any trouble?”

“I wanted to ask you that,” she snickered. “You see, earlier today, he popped in and demanded to meet me.”

Swallowing, Taeyong asked, “What did he say?”

“He wanted me to let you go. He didn’t tell me I couldn’t tell you about his orders, but he sounded very assertive. I almost thought he was threatening me.”

Taeyong’s eyebrows pulled down in a scowl. “He… wanted me fired? But why?”

“I was hoping you could riddle me that,” she snorted.

He curled his hands into fists on his knees and ground his teeth. “I’m… sorry. I honestly have no clue why he’d do something like that.”

“He even offered to pay me in order to sack you.”

“But you… didn’t accept, did you?”

Larson chuckled. “Of course, not. Why would I ever give in to the insistence of a condescending brat with an attitude problem? But I thought you should know his intentions if you’re planning to be friends with him.”

Oh, Taeyong most certainly was not. He rose to his feet and bowed his head in gratitude. “Thanks for telling me, Larson.”

He exited the room with his jaw and fists clenched. Why would Jaehyun do that? Why would he want to ruin Taeyong’s livelihood? For his own entertainment? God, Taeyong had miscalculated Jaehyun’s kindness.

He kept glancing to the clock while entertaining the customers. He wondered if Jaehyun would go looking for him at the apartment tonight.

But at 1:55 a.m., the doorbell chimed and Jaehyun walked in, bearing an envelope in his hand.  Taeyong greeted his smile with a glum scowl.

“I went to your apartment,” Jaehyun said, taking his seat on the barstool. “You weren’t there.”

Taeyong kept mum as he stared at the man.

“I have something for you,” he said with a smile and slid the envelope across the counter. Taeyong scanned the logo at the corner of the envelope. State University of Raisel. He glanced up at Jaehyun with a confused look. “I had a talk with the Dean and got you a spot in their Arts programme. He’d like to meet you and take a look at your portfolio, and if everything goes well, which it will, you can start this summer. A great opportunity to sharpen that artistic amateur skill of yours.”

Taeyong gaped at Jaehyun. “I… didn’t even graduate from high school,” he said, as if that was what mattered right now.

“I figured,” Jaehyun said. “It’s just a course. And don’t worry, he won’t be asking for certificates which you don’t have.”