Chapter One
Waking up was not as much of a struggle as I thought it was going to be on the morning after my first charity party with Rika's Fundraising Association. I could feel the stiffness in the muscles of my legs, the result of parading around the ballroom in high heels all night. The dry feeling my of mouth and the pulsing headache was no doubt caused by the champagne I had unintentionally challenged Zen with, and I could not even imagine where the bruise on my right arm came from. I checked my phone once I sat up, flinching at the sudden illumination in the dim light of the early morning, and was not surprised to see a text from Seven. He had changed his profile picture from a black screen to a photo of a steaming cup of ramen, which only served as a reminder of how hungry I was.
707: Gooooooood Morning M.C.! How is our Party princess today?
Despite the kindness of his words, and the cute aspect of calling me princess, I couldn't help but find the condescending undertones in his message. (I'll bet he remembers more about last night than you do, lightweight.) My bitter subconscious teased. I opened the keyboard, a comeback already in mind.
M.C.: Hey God Seven, how about hacking around to find me a hangover cure.
So there… I thought. I nodded my head at the petty response as I set a pot to boil on the stove. Tea would help a bit, and the salt in a bowl of miso soup sounded perfect.
My soup was a powder from a packet sold in the nearby convenience store, the tea had been in the cabinet over the sink when I arrived, an unintended gift left behind the previous tenant, both quick and easy, only requiring water from the same boiling kettle, so as I waited for it, I entered the chat room that had just popped up before Seven could text me back. The chat room was opened by Zen, who had hopped in just to say good morning. I could imagine him now, either glistening in the morning sun after a run around his street or just barely managing to pull himself out of bed, just as hungover as I was. I shook my head, trying to imagine the latter, but I smiled when I realized that even if no one was around him. Zen the Knight could never let himself be unattractive.
~M.C. has entered the chat~
ZEN: M.C.!
M.C.: Hey Zenny~
ZEN: Man I'm starving...
ZEN: Did you have breakfast this morning?
M.C.: Not yet, I just woke up. What about you?
ZEN: No;;
I shook my head, opening up the keyboard to scold him as he would to me if I skipped a meal. I used to do it often, usually only eating one meal a day, while snacking every few hours. But ever since I developed an entourage of people to remind me how important each meal was, I was better about it. I also knew how careful Zen was about his calories and making sure to eat at set hours of the day, regardless of what he was doing. Before I could send my message, however, he had sent up one of his emojis, with his teary little eyes downcast and looking to the side, a sigh escaped the animation.
ZEN: I was out for a run this morning, and managed to get lost…
ZEN: Now I only have time for a quick shower or a quick bite.
M.C.: You got lost?
ZEN: It's a long story…
~Jaehee Kang has entered the chat~
ZEN: Jaehee! Hi
Jaehee Kang: Hello Zen, M.C.…
M.C.: Is everything okay, Jaehee?"
Jaehee Kang: I'm not sure, to be honest…
Jaehee Kang: I just left Mr. Han's office, and he's asked me to cease all projects he'd assigned me this year.
ZEN: That's weird. What's gotten into him?
Jaehee Kang: I'm afraid I may have gotten too comfortable in the chat rooms…
Jaehee Kang: He hasn't said the words yet, but I'm worried he might fire me.
Her next message was one of her emojis, the one with tears falling down her face. The one she normally reserved for venting her frustrations about a new useless cat project, but now it means more than just frustration, she's actually upset. My heart wrenched for her as flashes of chat rooms entered my mind. Jaehee had been very comfortable talking about her work and about Jumin with me and Yoosung, and agreeing with Zen when he called him a jerk. It was obvious to see the toll Jumin had put on her over the years, and even when she dissed him in the chat rooms and he saw it, he never reacted badly to it, but maybe now he was taking it all to heart…
M.C.: No way!
~Jumin Han has entered the chat~
ZEN: There he is!
Jumin Han: Hello.
ZEN: Don't 'hello' us!
ZEN: It's bad enough to assign all those stupid projects in the first place
ZEN: But don't pull the rug out and leave it all for Jaehee to clean up!
M.C.: Jumin, why are you ending so many projects?
Jumin Han: Thank you, M.C., for being rational…
Jumin Han: Assistant Kang,
Jumin Han: I want you to know that I'm canceling these projects because they will not see any profit.
ZEN: So you're admitting it…
Jumin Han: I will be taking an extended vacation, and I'd rather not manage anything remotely. When I come back, C&R will be taking a new route.
M.C.: A new route?
Jumin Han: It is something my father and I discussed a while back.
Jaehee Kang: What should I do in the meantime, Mr. Han?
Jumin Han: Without the work I had assigned you, the schedule will be fairly light. I'll be placing you in charge of my correspondences while in the office, and I'd like you to watch over Elizabeth 3rd while I'm gone.
Jaehee Kang: Of course, Mr. Han.
Jumin Han: Since I will be leaving tomorrow evening, I would like you to be at my home right after we leave the office. Please be prepared to stay in my penthouse until I return.
Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han…
Jaehee Kang: With all due respect sir,
ZEN: You can't make Jaehee stay in your house while you go on vacation, with all the work she already has to do!
Jaehee Kang: Zen…
ZEN: Mr. Trust Fund jerk, you're really crossing a line here.
Jaehee Kang: Zen...thank you, but…
Jumin Han: Zen, it would do you well to stay out of this.
The fight that was unraveling before me was quickly becoming dark. Right about now was when Zen would send up his annoyed emoji, but he didn't. He instead called Jumin overbearing, a monster, even. Saying he had no soul, and asking Jumin where he got off acting like Jaehee was just another piece of office supplies. Jaehee sent up an array of dots in response, unsure of what to say, but Jumin remained cool. It was more intimidating than if he just exploded. His answers were curt, dull, and I noticed they were a bit melancholy. He didn't want to argue, and it was obvious this little spat with Zen was taking a lot out of him. I wondered if something bad had happened between him and his father, or even with him and V.
I knew if we were all talking face to face, he wouldn't raise his voice even one notch, while Zen would be red-faced and shouting. It was awkward just reading their argument, and I could tell Jaehee felt just as strange. I opened up my keyboard while they went at each other, typing up a quick message and sending it up, eager to see the outcome.
M.C.: What if I watched Elizabeth 3rd for you, Jumin?
The messages stopped, the argument paused for a moment as he considered it. Miles away from me in the metropolitan district of Seoul, Jumin Han probably sat in his office chair, reading my message from the sleek phone in his hand, and probably shutting his lips into a tight line, that same cold and indifferent pout he wore when we first met at the party last night.
Jumin Han: You would do that for me?
M.C.: Sure!
M.C.: It gets pretty lonely in this apartment by myself
M.C.: And no one is allowed to know the address.
M.C.: And...without a party to plan for, what else am I still here for?
ZEN: What are you talking about, M.C.?
ZEN: Even if you can't see it, you do so much for us here~
He sent up his lovely emoji, the one with the wink and the recording of him calling me jagiya, it was the one he used most often when I was in the chatroom, and my personal favorite of his. This time it did not make my heart flutter. Instead, I kept my ground, eager to actually help out someone in need.
Jaehee Kang: I'm not surprised that you get lonely in that apartment…
ZEN: I never even thought about that M.C., why don't we go out for dinner sometime?
Jaehee Kang: I've been meaning to try the new cafe by the office, would you like to join me M.C.?
M.C.: Thanks guys I really appreciate it ^^ But I want to actually do something for you all.
M.C.: This way Jaehee has more time to focus on her work, and she can avoid getting fur all over her clothes, and Jumin has someone to watch Elizabeth.
Jaehee Kang: I really appreciate that, M.C.^^
Jumin Han: Thank you, M.C.. I will have you settled in the penthouse by Friday evening.
Jaehee Kang: You can't just expect M.C. to uproot her life and stay in your home while you're on vacation.
Jumin Han: There are security guards on every level, so she will be perfectly safe, and everything she could need is inside the building.
M.C.: I'll do it.
Zen: Really…?
M.C.: Yes.
M.C.: The big party just ended, there's no way I can start working on another one today, and even if V does have a date set before Jumin returns…
M.C.: I can do all the same work from Jumin's house that I can do from mine.
Jaehee Kang: M.C.… Are you sure you're okay with this?
M.C.: I already did it once before, what's one more adventure?
When Zen started typing, I realized that what I said may have sounded harsh. I didn't want them worrying, and I knew that the topic of my unexpected arrival was still taboo, and of all my newfound friends, it was Zen who was bothered the most by it. Before he could shoot up an emoji, I did, sending up a regular smiling face with a colon and a parenthesis. I didn't have any special emojis yet, but Seven mentioned it at the party, he wanted my input, but we hadn't gotten to it yet.
M.C.: Jumin, is there anything I will need when I arrive?
Jumin Han: Pack a suitcase with enough clothes to last you a week
Jumin Han: There will be laundry service every Saturday, and I will provide you with a credit card so you can make purchases in the first and second-floor shops.
Jaehee Kang: M.C., If you ever need company while you're alone there, call me. I have a key to Mr. Han's home.
Jumin Han: God idea. Assistant Kang, You can also train M.C. on Elizabeth 3rd's daily and nightly routine while I have dinner with my father tomorrow evening.
Jaehee Kang: Of course, Mr. Han.
Jumin Han: I'd like to thank you M.C., I was beginning to think I would never find someone to help me here.
M.C.: It's no problem, Jumin. I hope you enjoy your vacation.
~Jumin Han has left the chat~
Jaehee Kang: That's odd.
ZEN: The jerk left without saying goodbye.
ZEN: M.C.…
ZEN: Are you sure about this?
M.C.: Of course.
M.C.: I haven't even met Elizabeth yet, and at least this way I can be of some help.
ZEN: I don't like that jerk using us as free pet sitting
M.C.: I don't think he'll make me work for free…
Jaehee Kang: Of course not, Mr. Han is giving M.C. his own credit card, and I am sure he'll pay her once he returns.
ZEN: I still don't like it.
Zen sent up his little annoyed emoji, which sighed and mumbled something with dismay, and I smiled at his worry. It wasn't hard to see that he wasn't fond of Jumin, especially when he found himself in a chat room with the two of us, he often dominated the conversation, keeping Jumin out of his statements, and focusing his words on me. I knew there wasn't any real animosity between them, and I often tried to ignore it. Now was no different.
Jaehee Kang: I should get going and call the chairman, I'm sure Mr. Han won't bother to do so.
Jaehee Kang: M.C., Do you know where the C&R building is?
Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han and I will meet you in the lobby tomorrow evening and you can ride with us to his penthouse, from there I'll explain everything.
~Jaehee Kang has left the chat~
ZEN: M.C.…
I stared at my phone, not knowing what was about to come. Usually Zen would flirt with me shamelessly when we were in the group chat alone, but I knew that Jumin had riled him up, and I didn't help matters with my input and my little pity party. I braced myself for whatever he might throw at me.
ZEN: Do you feel that way often?
M.C.: That I have nothing to offer you guys…?
M.C.: I don't know, it just hit me harder than usual this morning, maybe because I had too much to drink last night.
ZEN: Really? You seemed fine when we drank together last night;;
ZEN: I don't want to offer you some half-baked assurances, but we really do appreciate you being here. Not just because you accepted everything we threw at you,
ZEN: You are our friend, remember that, okay? ^^
He sent up his emoji that was all smiles and sparkles. I appreciated his attitudes, the bright and bubbly stage actor who could flip a one-eighty on my low moods.
M.C.: Thanks Zen, that means a lot.
I sent up a smiling face, the least I could possibly do.
ZEN: I'm about to get on the train, I'll call you when I take a break today.
M.C.: Good luck today, lovely Zen! ^^
~ZEN has left the chat~
I was alone once again, no emails from party guests, no texts from anyone, and nothing to do but sip my tea. I swirled my spoon around the bowl of tofu and broth, finding new purpose in my morning now that I could do something other than sitting on standby in this borrowed apartment. Jumin said to pack enough clothes for a week, and I could do laundry while I was there, it wasn't like I had a lot to begin with. As I ran a mental checklist of the clothes in the closet and the shoes by the door, I figured I could just pack everything. It was enough for seven days, eight if I stayed in pajamas once. I had the pair of sneakers I'd been wearing when I showed up, and a pair of inexpensive high heels I'd bought the morning of the spring party. I'd hoped to put off doing the laundry for another day, but I counted my quarters and grabbed the wicker basket, feeling the buzz of my phone in my back pocket. Yoosung's bright face lit up my screen and I smiled, setting the basket at my feet and answering.
"MC! You answered right away!"
"Hey, Yoosung!" I replied. "Aren't you in class right now?"
"It's a break in between classes, I just read the chat with you and the others and uhm…" He trailed off, and I listened to the squeaks and choked sounds he let out as he tried to formulate his next thought. I realized now that I shouldn't have complained about my situation. I wanted to keep everything light, and when I was over-justifying why I wanted to help Jumin, I laid it on a bit too thick.
"Yoosung…" I said.
"Well first off, it was really nice of you to help Jumin like that, I know no one else really wanted to do it," he laughed into the phone, with the heaviness of his breath, I knew he was walking around, perhaps to his next class. "But also, I never knew you felt that way, MC." He said.
"Like I told Zen, it's not like I always feel it, but today it hit me. I had no texts or emails, and I just started feeling like...I don't know."
"Well, like Zen said then," he added brightly. "We're all friends, MC, Please don't forget it, okay? Even Jumin! he may seem cold, but even he appreciates you, and not just because you volunteered to watch his cat."
"Thanks, Yoosung," I replied. "Do good today, okay?"
"I wanted to talk to you more," he whined. "But I do have to get back. Class is going to start in a minute."
"Bye." I said. I listened to his response but hung up before he could get more than two words out. I knew he would keep talking if I stayed on. Once my phone was back in my pocket, I picked up the basket and headed down the elevator to the basement laundry room. Why Rika had to live on the fourteenth floor, I couldn't fathom.
We're all friends here.
You are our friend, jagi.
I couldn't deny the closeness between me and the other members. They barely knew me, then again, according to their comments at the party, they barely knew each other too. Seven told me that they only gathered at parties. It had been an idea to meet at least once a month, but with Jumin and Jaehee's schedules, and Seven's work habits, it never happened.
In the very short time I knew them, I'd given everyone a nickname, I used some of them, but the others I kept secret. Lovely Zen, God Seven, Superman Yoosung, Cat Mom Jumin, and Queen Jaehee make each day more exciting. The more I thought about it, the better my mood became. Tomorrow evening I'd be at the C&R building a few minutes before Jumin and Jaehee would leave. According to Jaehee, I would ride in his car with both of them to his penthouse where Jaehee would introduce me to Elizabeth while Jumin prepared for dinner with his father, and she would teach me all I needed to know about the fluffy little aristocat.
Despite the absolute tedium of sitting on the counter as my clothes spun inside the washing machine while my phone sat as dead as a paperweight next to me, I couldn't help but think that things were about to become very interesting.
Just to place a disclaimer, this story does not follow any canon route.