Contracts, Pt. 6
Title: Contracts
Summary: Chanmi was happy with her life, until her boss threw a wrench in it: Lee SungMin. JungShin came along for the ride.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Chanmi waited in the lobby of her apartment building, clutching her small black purse. She'd spent some time - okay, a lot of time - on her hair and makeup, and agonized over what to wear. She brushed her free hand down her best skirt suit, her grey one, and wondered just how badly she'd stick out in that.
A limo stopped outside the door, and Chanmi left the lobby, pausing in the open door as the chauffeur got out. "Heo Chanmi-puin?" he asked.
"Yes," Chanmi said, thankful her voice didn't tremble.
He opened the back door of the limo, and she got in. As soon as she was settled, he closed the door and got in the driver's seat.
Busy with her seatbelt, she didn't realize SungMin sat across from her until she'd buckled herself in. He looked amazing in a dark suit and a blue tie, until she got to the scowl on his face. "You're wearing that?" he asked.
Chanmi straightened, that rage that had her clenching her teeth to keep from striking her boss every time she saw him filling her chest again. "I am not a party girl," she said, trying for some semblance of respect. "I don't have anything frilly."
He watched her a moment, and she wondered if he'd actually heard her rage. "That's the best you can do."
She couldn't tell. "I'm a secretary," she said. "I dress professionally, because that allows me to keep my job. This is the best dress I have."
SungMin nodded. "I think I can do something about that."
He pulled out a cell phone, and Chanmi immediately tuned him out. She'd learned to do that with HeeChul (especially after overhearing something about meeting some guy somewhere), and had become very good at it. She heard him hang up, and turned to look at him. He touched a button. "Change of plans. Take us to the warehouse first."
"Yes, sir."
Chanmi looked out the window again. So she was just... another employee to him. She could work with that. Hopefully.
Neither of them spoke again until the limo stopped, then the chauffeur opened the door. SungMin got out, and then turned and held out a hand to help her out. Chanmi hesitated, then took his hand and got out. He let her hand go and led the way into the building. Chanmi tightened her grip on her purse, glad that she'd left her blackberry home.
Inside, she nearly stopped in surprise. The room he led her into was filled with racks of clothes, male and female. Some matched, some looked so disparate as to surprise her. Confused, she followed him through the racks toward the back, but she refused to ask him what was going on. "Bekah?" he called.
A tall blonde woman appeared between the racks."You'd better have a good reason for this, SungMin."
SungMin turned around and took Chanmi's wrist, pulling her forward. "She needs... an appropriate dress."
Bekah looked at her and smiled. "Where'd he find you?" she asked. "He's right, you'll stick out a lot in that. Come with me, we'll find something." She turned to SungMin. "There's tea in the break room. We shouldn't be too long."
SungMin sketched a bow and left. Bekah smiled at Chanmi. "I'm Bekah. Let's see what we can find for you."
It seemed to take forever. Chanmi kept looking at Bekah to check to see if she were impatient or frustrated, but if she felt either of those, she didn't show it. Finally, she sent Chanmi into the dressing room with a nice dark blue cocktail dress, something that looked good with her shoes and the diamond stud earrings she'd finally decided on when she dressed that evening.
Chanmi changed, carefully hanging up her own clothes as Bekah had instructed her. She stepped back out and smiled tremulously at Bekah.
"There," Bekah said, and adjusted the waist. "I like that. It looks good on you. And your heels are perfect."
"Thanks," Chanmi said. "It's not too much?"
"No," Bekah said, and grinned at her. "It's fine." She beckoned for Chanmi to follow her, and led the way to another room, obviously a break room. SungMin sat at the table, sipping from a mug and reading a magazine, but he looked up when they came in. "You did it again, Bekah. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Bekah said with a smirk. "She was a pleasure to work with. She didn't ask one question about what you were like in bed."
Chanmi went bright red and stared at her. "His dates actually ask that?" she asked. She didn't know if it surprised her more that the girls thought he'd tried to sleep with Bekah, or that they took it for granted that he'd sleep with them and they thought she could give them tips. Granted, Bekah was beautiful....
SungMin got to his feet so quickly he nearly knocked his chair over backwards. "We're already late," he said. "We'll be back later. Thanks again, Bekah."
"Call me and tell me when," Bekah said. "Good night. Have fun," she added to Chanmi, and Chanmi nodded her thanks before following SungMin back out to the limo.
SungMin looked much more relaxed, leaning back in his seat. Chanmi clutched her purse just as tightly as she had when she'd waited for him.
"You should relax," SungMin told her. "You look good. No one will say anything to you anyway."
"I don't know if that's good or bad," Chanmi muttered under her breath. Then she looked up. "SungMin-sshi, what if...."
"That's too formal," he said, interrupting her. "You can't talk to your boyfriend so formally. I'm older than you, yeah? Call me oppa."
Oh, that made her feel so much better. She cleared her throat and tried again. "SungMin-oppa, will they expect anything?"
"Expect anything like what?"
Chanmi felt her face heat up. "Like... a kiss?"
SungMin shook his head. "They can expect it all they want. I don't want you to take it the wrong way and give Hoya a reason to kick me out of the group."
Chanmi nodded and after a minute sat back, relieved. She caught SungMin's rolled eyes but didn't comment on it.
Chanmi didn't gape at everything around her only because she'd been to some of these insane parties with HeeChul. The room was huge, lavishly decorated, and the dresses... well, as things went, hers was pretty tame.
Thankfully. She had to remember to thank Bekah for that.
SungMin got her a drink and promptly ignored her. He kept her close, but he didn't say anything to her and didn't try to include her in the conversation. Chanmi didn't mind; what she heard of it she couldn't follow anyway. It was a bit odd that none of the others in the groups he joined seemed to even care that she just stood there, but considering what Bekah had said, maybe they thought they knew why she was there.
"I'm going to die of boredom," she muttered to herself two hours later. She still held her original glass, refilled once. She would not get drunk. No.
SungMin looked at her and smiled. Chanmi managed to smile back, and he ignored her again.
Back to her game, then; finding someone interesting and trying to determine who they might be. She knew some of the models both male and female, but not by name or well enough to talk to. Usually she wouldn't want to talk to them, many of them were so vacant, but it would be better than this.
She looked further, trying to find someone she hadn't seen yet, and found someone. She stared. He was... tall. Tall, yes. With this hair, and a kind face (after looking at SungMin, that was important). And then he caught her eye and smiled. She smiled back, reflexively, and then someone one touched her arm. She turned to look at SungMin, disoriented.
"Do you want something to eat?"
He sounded like he'd repeated it at least once, and the soft laughter around her enforced that.
"Oh. Yes, please."
She glanced back behind her, but the man she'd seen had disappeared.
On the way over to the buffet, she leaned closer to SungMin. "I need to get home pretty soon."
SungMin stopped and stared at her. "What?"
"I have to go to work in the morning."
Chanmi refused to back down over this, even though he stared at her like she'd grown a second head or something.
"You can't go in late?" he asked after a moment.
"My work with Chul Designs takes precedence over whatever you want me to do. That means I have to get some sleep. Enough sleep."
SungMin sighed.
"You don't have to take me. I can go by myself," Chanmi added before he could say anything.
He brightened. "You don't mind?"
"I don't mind at all," Chanmi said. If he only knew how badly she wanted to get out of there, he'd never ask.
SungMin regarded her a moment, and then offered her his arm. She took it and he walked her toward the door. She waited while he called the chauffeur, glancing back over the party.
And saw him again. He looked over the crowd, maybe as bored as she and playing a game like she had, but then SungMin touched her arm to get her attention. "Thank you for coming," he said.
Chanmi bowed to him. "You're welcome," she said, and when she glanced back - just one more time - he was gone.
SungMin opened the door just as the limo pulled up, and she climbed in without him when the chauffeur opened the door. Then she sighed in relief when the car started forward again.
Summary: Chanmi was happy with her life, until her boss threw a wrench in it: Lee SungMin. JungShin came along for the ride.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true.
Chanmi waited in the lobby of her apartment building, clutching her small black purse. She'd spent some time - okay, a lot of time - on her hair and makeup, and agonized over what to wear. She brushed her free hand down her best skirt suit, her grey one, and wondered just how badly she'd stick out in that.
A limo stopped outside the door, and Chanmi left the lobby, pausing in the open door as the chauffeur got out. "Heo Chanmi-puin?" he asked.
"Yes," Chanmi said, thankful her voice didn't tremble.
He opened the back door of the limo, and she got in. As soon as she was settled, he closed the door and got in the driver's seat.
Busy with her seatbelt, she didn't realize SungMin sat across from her until she'd buckled herself in. He looked amazing in a dark suit and a blue tie, until she got to the scowl on his face. "You're wearing that?" he asked.
Chanmi straightened, that rage that had her clenching her teeth to keep from striking her boss every time she saw him filling her chest again. "I am not a party girl," she said, trying for some semblance of respect. "I don't have anything frilly."
He watched her a moment, and she wondered if he'd actually heard her rage. "That's the best you can do."
She couldn't tell. "I'm a secretary," she said. "I dress professionally, because that allows me to keep my job. This is the best dress I have."
SungMin nodded. "I think I can do something about that."
He pulled out a cell phone, and Chanmi immediately tuned him out. She'd learned to do that with HeeChul (especially after overhearing something about meeting some guy somewhere), and had become very good at it. She heard him hang up, and turned to look at him. He touched a button. "Change of plans. Take us to the warehouse first."
"Yes, sir."
Chanmi looked out the window again. So she was just... another employee to him. She could work with that. Hopefully.
Neither of them spoke again until the limo stopped, then the chauffeur opened the door. SungMin got out, and then turned and held out a hand to help her out. Chanmi hesitated, then took his hand and got out. He let her hand go and led the way into the building. Chanmi tightened her grip on her purse, glad that she'd left her blackberry home.
Inside, she nearly stopped in surprise. The room he led her into was filled with racks of clothes, male and female. Some matched, some looked so disparate as to surprise her. Confused, she followed him through the racks toward the back, but she refused to ask him what was going on. "Bekah?" he called.
A tall blonde woman appeared between the racks."You'd better have a good reason for this, SungMin."
SungMin turned around and took Chanmi's wrist, pulling her forward. "She needs... an appropriate dress."
Bekah looked at her and smiled. "Where'd he find you?" she asked. "He's right, you'll stick out a lot in that. Come with me, we'll find something." She turned to SungMin. "There's tea in the break room. We shouldn't be too long."
SungMin sketched a bow and left. Bekah smiled at Chanmi. "I'm Bekah. Let's see what we can find for you."
It seemed to take forever. Chanmi kept looking at Bekah to check to see if she were impatient or frustrated, but if she felt either of those, she didn't show it. Finally, she sent Chanmi into the dressing room with a nice dark blue cocktail dress, something that looked good with her shoes and the diamond stud earrings she'd finally decided on when she dressed that evening.
Chanmi changed, carefully hanging up her own clothes as Bekah had instructed her. She stepped back out and smiled tremulously at Bekah.
"There," Bekah said, and adjusted the waist. "I like that. It looks good on you. And your heels are perfect."
"Thanks," Chanmi said. "It's not too much?"
"No," Bekah said, and grinned at her. "It's fine." She beckoned for Chanmi to follow her, and led the way to another room, obviously a break room. SungMin sat at the table, sipping from a mug and reading a magazine, but he looked up when they came in. "You did it again, Bekah. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Bekah said with a smirk. "She was a pleasure to work with. She didn't ask one question about what you were like in bed."
Chanmi went bright red and stared at her. "His dates actually ask that?" she asked. She didn't know if it surprised her more that the girls thought he'd tried to sleep with Bekah, or that they took it for granted that he'd sleep with them and they thought she could give them tips. Granted, Bekah was beautiful....
SungMin got to his feet so quickly he nearly knocked his chair over backwards. "We're already late," he said. "We'll be back later. Thanks again, Bekah."
"Call me and tell me when," Bekah said. "Good night. Have fun," she added to Chanmi, and Chanmi nodded her thanks before following SungMin back out to the limo.
SungMin looked much more relaxed, leaning back in his seat. Chanmi clutched her purse just as tightly as she had when she'd waited for him.
"You should relax," SungMin told her. "You look good. No one will say anything to you anyway."
"I don't know if that's good or bad," Chanmi muttered under her breath. Then she looked up. "SungMin-sshi, what if...."
"That's too formal," he said, interrupting her. "You can't talk to your boyfriend so formally. I'm older than you, yeah? Call me oppa."
Oh, that made her feel so much better. She cleared her throat and tried again. "SungMin-oppa, will they expect anything?"
"Expect anything like what?"
Chanmi felt her face heat up. "Like... a kiss?"
SungMin shook his head. "They can expect it all they want. I don't want you to take it the wrong way and give Hoya a reason to kick me out of the group."
Chanmi nodded and after a minute sat back, relieved. She caught SungMin's rolled eyes but didn't comment on it.
Chanmi didn't gape at everything around her only because she'd been to some of these insane parties with HeeChul. The room was huge, lavishly decorated, and the dresses... well, as things went, hers was pretty tame.
Thankfully. She had to remember to thank Bekah for that.
SungMin got her a drink and promptly ignored her. He kept her close, but he didn't say anything to her and didn't try to include her in the conversation. Chanmi didn't mind; what she heard of it she couldn't follow anyway. It was a bit odd that none of the others in the groups he joined seemed to even care that she just stood there, but considering what Bekah had said, maybe they thought they knew why she was there.
"I'm going to die of boredom," she muttered to herself two hours later. She still held her original glass, refilled once. She would not get drunk. No.
SungMin looked at her and smiled. Chanmi managed to smile back, and he ignored her again.
Back to her game, then; finding someone interesting and trying to determine who they might be. She knew some of the models both male and female, but not by name or well enough to talk to. Usually she wouldn't want to talk to them, many of them were so vacant, but it would be better than this.
She looked further, trying to find someone she hadn't seen yet, and found someone. She stared. He was... tall. Tall, yes. With this hair, and a kind face (after looking at SungMin, that was important). And then he caught her eye and smiled. She smiled back, reflexively, and then someone one touched her arm. She turned to look at SungMin, disoriented.
"Do you want something to eat?"
He sounded like he'd repeated it at least once, and the soft laughter around her enforced that.
"Oh. Yes, please."
She glanced back behind her, but the man she'd seen had disappeared.
On the way over to the buffet, she leaned closer to SungMin. "I need to get home pretty soon."
SungMin stopped and stared at her. "What?"
"I have to go to work in the morning."
Chanmi refused to back down over this, even though he stared at her like she'd grown a second head or something.
"You can't go in late?" he asked after a moment.
"My work with Chul Designs takes precedence over whatever you want me to do. That means I have to get some sleep. Enough sleep."
SungMin sighed.
"You don't have to take me. I can go by myself," Chanmi added before he could say anything.
He brightened. "You don't mind?"
"I don't mind at all," Chanmi said. If he only knew how badly she wanted to get out of there, he'd never ask.
SungMin regarded her a moment, and then offered her his arm. She took it and he walked her toward the door. She waited while he called the chauffeur, glancing back over the party.
And saw him again. He looked over the crowd, maybe as bored as she and playing a game like she had, but then SungMin touched her arm to get her attention. "Thank you for coming," he said.
Chanmi bowed to him. "You're welcome," she said, and when she glanced back - just one more time - he was gone.
SungMin opened the door just as the limo pulled up, and she climbed in without him when the chauffeur opened the door. Then she sighed in relief when the car started forward again.