It was another splendid cherry morning in Seoul, but Soo-ji wasn't exactly in the mood to appreciate it. For days, something that never even made it to her problem list had crawled under her skin and set up camp, refusing to leave.
But at least finally, she was getting a Taehyun-free moment.
Leaning back in the cab, she closed her eyes and let herself breathe.
And then—
SCREEEECH!
The driver slammed the brakes so hard that Soo-ji flew off her seat, smashing her elbow against the door.
"What the—?!" she yelped, eyes snapping open.
"Sorry, ma'am. I'll check what the issue is," the driver stammered before jumping out.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Nothing.
Her eye twitched.
"Oh, hell no."
She swung the door open and stormed out.
And there it was: the driver on his knees, shaking like a leaf, and a tall man in a sleek black suit standing in front of him like a K-drama villain in the middle of a filler episode.
"HEY!" Soo-ji yelled, marching closer, her eyes blazing. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Ma'am, please—let it be," the driver begged, voice trembling. "It's our fault."
"I don't care who's at fault! You don't get to terrorize people just because you're tall and wear a suit!"
"Please, ma'am, you'll just get us in more trouble," the driver whimpered.
"Oh, for God's sake!"
From behind, the car door clicked open, and a deep, annoyingly confident voice cut through the tension.
"What's the ruckus about? I'm running late."
And there he was.
The bane of her existence.
Soo-ji's face dropped. "Oh, of course. Why wouldn't it be you?"
Tae-hyun, in all his insufferable glory, smirked, brushing a hand through his annoyingly perfect hair.
"I don't have time for this," he sighed, adjusting his cufflinks.
Soo-ji clenched her fists, taking a deep breath. "Before you strut away—HEY, HEE TAE-HYUN!" she screamed, loud enough to silence the street.
People turned.
Drivers peeked out.
Even Tae-hyun's smirk faltered for a split second.
"I don't know what your deal is, and frankly, I don't care," she shouted. "But if you don't stop popping up everywhere like a bad ad on a shady website, I swear, I'll file a restraining order!"
Tae-hyun tilted his head, an amused spark in his eyes. "We both know that's pointless. Plus you're at fault here and I was about to letting you off so why am I suddenly the villain, Why do you hate me so much anyway?"
"EVERYTHING!" Soo-ji snapped. "From your pretentious cologne to your smug existence. Stop haunting me, and while you're at it, stop bullying people just because you're rich! Learn from Grandpa!"
She spun around dramatically and stormed off, leaving Tae-hyun blinking before a chuckle slipped out "that was so out of context, what was all that about?"
"Sir!" the driver stammered.
Tae-hyun sighed. "Mr. Jun, give him a check for the repairs and a new car."
"THANK YOU! Thank you so much, sir!" the driver wept, clutching the check like his life depended on it.
Mr. Jun leaned closer, whispering, "You can stand now. And why are you crying like this?"
"I thought I was gonna die," the driver sobbed louder.
---
Meanwhile, Soo-ji stormed into the hospital, her fury now vibrating beneath her skin. After a whirlwind of patients and orders, she headed straight to Professor Jung's office, mentally daring him to try her patience.
She shoved the door open, ready to unleash—
"Ms. Kim."
Her eyes snapped to Do-yoon, comfortably seated at Professor Jung's desk like he owned the place.
"You've got to be kidding me," she groaned, rolling her eyes so hard it almost hurt. "I've told your brother a thousand times—I'm not working for you people. Stop stalking me!"
Do-yoon raised a calm hand. "Please, sit. We need to talk."
"Why? Did your brother lose another bet with himself?" she snarked but dropped into the chair anyway, arms crossed.
Do-yoon's expression turned grave. "The night you came to the hotel, did you notice anything strange?"
"I went straight to the roof," she replied, frowning. "Why?"
"While you were there, did you feel like you weren't alone?"
"No. What's all this about?"
"Nothing's confirmed," Do-yoon said, voice even, "but it would be wise for you to avoid secluded areas for a while."
"Why?" Soo-ji snapped.
"Let's just say things might get… messy." He stood. "Also, it would save you a lot of trouble if you just worked for us."
She scoffed. "You told me to stay away, and now you're here telling me this? What the hell did I ever do to you people?"
Do-yoon looked tired for a split second. "You may have… triggered something connected to an ongoing issue of ours."
"WHAT?!" Soo-ji exploded, jumping from her seat.
"Have a nice day, Ms. Kim," Do-yoon said calmly before disappearing out the door.
Soo-ji stared after him, her jaw dropping. "A nice day? My life is at risk, and they're talking about nice days?"
"You're always attracting chaos," Professor Jung remarked from the door.
She forced a plastic smile. "Professor Jung."
"Get out."
"You should get out, jerk!!!" she grumbled, storming off.
---
Soo-ji, now thoroughly drained, was headed to the restroom when Ms. Jay stopped her.
"Ms. Kim, Professor Jung's been looking for you everywhere."
"Me? Why? I just left his office."
"Something about the new boss," Ms. Jay said, her voice tinged with excitement.
"New boss?" Soo-ji's eyebrows shot up. "Since when?"
"The hospital was sold this morning. Didn't you hear?"
Soo-ji's mind raced. "No rumors, no announcements—how?"
"Maybe it was a hush-hush deal," Ms. Jay offered with a shrug.
"Or maybe that lunatic has something to do with this," Soo-ji muttered under her breath, storming toward the boss's office.
On her way she thought about how she should react perfectly, then she made a stop at the doctors lounge to discuss with her personal advice man.
Seo-jun was seated comfortably on the table when she arrived, a knowing smile blossomed on his face as he step down from the table.
"Who do you think it is?" He asked more knownly and curiously.
"Definitely that dick head of course" soo-ji cursed and relaxed her muscles.
"What do you think I should do?" She further questioned.
"You might remain jobless for the rest of your life, but you would surely have peace" Seo-jun said.
"What are trying to imply" soo-ji questioned her curiosity piqued.
"It's all up to you" Seo-jun replied.
"All depends on me" Soo-ji said nodding her head like she just got the perfect motivation and before she could lose it she stormed out of the lounge.
---
She pushed the door open with enough force to rattle the hinges. The scent of expensive cologne hit her before she even saw him.
"HEY!" she barked.
The figure standing at the window turned slowly towards her and it was at that moment she knew she fucked up.
"no way…" she whispered, her eyes widening.
It wasn't Tae-hyun, not even Do-yoon.
"I'm dead," she muttered, frozen in place.