What's Wrong With Assistant Kang?

27. A Little More

"May I inquire what we're doing here, Assistant Kang?" Jumin crossed his arms nonchalantly while standing next to a equally laid-back Jaehee (which was quite a sight for an usually overstressed person). Jaehee turned at him with slightly parted lips, a smile stretching over her soft features.

"We're waiting for the bus." Was her simple, straightforward answer before her head shifted ahead again.

"Why?"

"I've always wanted to take a tour around the town..." Jaehee muttered wistfully, her eyes not meeting with Jumin's. "But since I was much too busy to be able to do so... I decided perhaps today that I'm free would be a perfect day to complete that task, no?" She smiled brightly at him again, which never failed to make his heart leap.

"I... I suppose," he cleared his throat and looked away with a nearly indistinguishable blush, just as the interesting-looking vehicle reached its stop. The wheels halted elegantly, and Jaehee nudged Jumin's arm, indicating him to follow her. Jumin didn't move, merely inspecting the bus with squinted eyes.

"Mr. Han, is there an issue?" Jaehee feigned complete surprise over Jumin's reclutance. There was no way Mr. Corporate Director was about to ride a public bus through this city full of commoners, was there? "I mean, you do not have to accompany me if it makes you in uncomfortable-"

Jaehee saw Jumin's grey eyes shift one way to the other quickly before he firmly shook his head with determination. "No," he said shortly, clearly resolved to do this strange task his assistant convinced him of.

And once Jumin Han was determined to do something, he would do it.

Jaehee's brown eyes nearly popped out of their sockets with astonishment and she gawked at him in a quite unladylike manner for her. "W-w-wait, you're actually coming?"

"Of course, though normally I wouldn't be inclined to do activities such as this, I did give you my word to follow you, Assistant Kang," he said with this unwavering sense of loyalty, getting inside the bus. Jaehee stood on her spot for a while, flustered, before nervously stepping after him.

Once inside the bus, seeing himself surrounded by a brand new, strange scenery for him, the C&R Director was suddenly paralyzed like a deer caught in headlights. "Hm, Mr. Han? Are you okay?" Jaehee asked confusedly, now trapped behind him.

"Ahem, I'm fine, it's just... huh..." He attempted to convince her he wasn't nervous at all.

And failed. Jaehee shook her head with a small chuckle. "It's fine, Mr. Han, just follow me," she reassured him before walking in front of him, calmly passing her bus card on the scanner.

"Beep! This bus card is empty! Beep!" The machine immediately spoke up in response, freezing Jaehee like a block of ice.

"Well... this machine gives away quite humiliating information, Assistant Kang," Jumin looked sympathetically at Jaehee. "Let me try-"

"No, no!" Jaehee stopped him with a frantic wave of her hand. "Don't worry, this is on me! I'll pay..." She felt bad that everytime they went out, Jumin would always be the one paying. Jumin couldn't help but smile amusedly when he noticed this.

Thankfully she had another card, which also thankfully was full. She smiled at Jumin and the two proceeded to find a place to stand inside the pretty crowded vehicle. Jumin still felt extremely awkward, though. Imagine, an extremely wealthy corporate heir, who grew up with all marvelous luxuries, always donning a custom-made three piece suit, constantly on business trips, flying on his private jet plane...

...Riding the public bus.

Yes, it was quite an odd sight; and everyone in the bus was staring at him weird. But the fact that Jaehee made him feel more normal... more human, made all these oddities unimportant. Their eyes were locked together, since thanks to all the other people surrounding them, they were standing extremely close to each other; but neither of them minded.