I couldn't wait to get back to C&R. I can't believe I was ever worried about it. Mr. Han was a perfectly lovely man and I don't know what Jaehee was so stressed about. I mean, I'm sure Mr. Han has his moments where he's downright insufferable, but don't we all? We're all entitled to an off day once in a while. That's what makes us human. And he wasn't feeling well yesterday. Hopefully, today will be a little better for him.
When I got to the C&R building, I bypassed the bitchy receptionist and headed straight for the top floor. I could do a little something with my desk before Jaehee got here. Something to make the house a home. I brought a couple of knickknacks and a pen cup and my laptop. Maybe tomorrow, I'll bring a desk blotter to tie it all together. For now, I think it's really starting to take shape.
"Good morning, MC," Jaehee came in with a giant travel cup full of coffee.
"Good morning, Ms. Kang," I greeted her politely, "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she blushed a bit, "But there's no need to be so formal with me. You can just call me Jaehee."
"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked, taking a seat at my nicely decorated desk.
"Not quite yet," Jaehee settled in, "Mr. Han isn't even here yet. If you'd like, you could get his coffee pot started."
"On it," I chimed, walking into Mr. Han's office. Now, if I were the can of coffee grounds, where would I be? The cabinet under the coffee pot would be the logical place. I put four scoops into the filter and waited for it to start bubbling. While I'm waiting, I could see what else Jaehee needed me doing, "All done, boss. What's next?"
"Well..." she thought on it for a minute.
"Good morning, Assistant Kang," Mr. Han's commanding presence took control of the room.
"Good morning, sir," she bowed.
"Good morning, Mr. Han," I smiled sweetly.
"MC," Mr. Han lit up, his temperament turning gentle, "Good morning."
"There's a fresh pot of coffee in your office, sir," I told him.
"Thank you," he smiled, "Assistant Kang, I should trust your judgment more often."
Mr. Han went into his office and shut the door behind him. Jaehee sat back in complete disbelief, "Am I running a fever?"
"You look fine," I checked her over, "Why do you ask?"
"I've never seen Mr. Han come in here in such high spirits," her skepticism only grew, "Usually, he's a tad bitter. If I see him like this, it's because someone tripped in the parking lot."
"Is Mr. Han that much of a sadist?" I wondered, getting my small electric kettle going.
"Big time," Jaehee confirmed, nodding vigorously, "It's like when he gives his assistant a massive project on a whim that's more involved than he realizes."
"It's a good thing said assistant has me then," I put things into perspective, "What's the project?"
"A hotel specifically for cats," she groaned, "There's so much to do to even get the ball rolling on something like that. Finding a location, finding investors crazy enough to fund the project, whether or not we'd have more locations in the future. Ugh..."
Poor Jaehee. Mr. Han must have some insane amount of foresight. However, I couldn't help but worry about his assistant, "Jaehee, are you ok?"
"Yes," she mumbled into her desktop. It's strange. Even though she's not exactly Mr. Han's biggest fan, she subconsciously emulates him. It may be strange, but it's also kind of sweet, "I'm fine. I'm just whining. There's no need for it. You know, there once was a time where I didn't have a problem with cats."
"What happened?" I wondered.
"She did," Jaehee growled with pure hatred in her eyes.
"She who...?"
"Elizabeth III," she let out a heavy sigh, her voice dripping with disdain, "Mr. Han's cat is the bane of my existence. I shouldn't have to take care of her. That wasn't in my job description. That cat is an absolute demon."
"Oh, come on," I brushed her off, "I'm sure she's not that bad."
"I'm constantly finding her hair on my suits," Jaehee vented, "It's been all over my house. And that's not all she covers me with. Bites, scratches...I detest the little monster. I should be careful how loud I make such declarations. Elizabeth III may be the actual spawn of Satan, but she's Mr. Han's entire world. He loves her more than most people."
"MC..." Mr. Han stuck his head out of his office, making Jaehee go completely pale.
"Yes, sir?" I perked up, hoping he didn't hear Jaehee. If she gets fired, I'll probably get fired, too.
"Could you come here please?" he motioned for me.
"Of course," I nodded, getting up from my desk.
"I'll pray for you," Jaehee sent me into the belly of the beast. Her prayers were appreciated, but I'm sure they were also unnecessary. Mr. Han was in a good mood and I think he liked me. We had a moment yesterday. I should be alright.
I pushed the door open to find him on the other side, sitting at his desk, "You call for me, Mr. Han?"
"As you know," Mr. Han began, "Elizabeth III is my everything. You understand. We had a moment about that yesterday."
See? I knew it resonated with him, "Yes, we did, sir. What of it?"
"I was wondering if you'd go check on her," he requested, "You know what it's like to be away from your baby all day. I worry."
"Sure," I agreed, "I'll go check on Elizabeth for you."
"Just..." Mr. Han handed me his house key, a bit hesitant, "Check on her. You may pet her once with her consent. She will stare at you, then blink twice. One pet from head to the base of her tail. Do not pet her tail."
"Yes, sir." I guess this guy was nuts about his cat. I have visions of Apollo being pissed when I get home and I smell like cat. But he'll get over it. A quick scratch of his belly and all is forgiven and forgotten.
"My driver is waiting for you outside," he sent me off, "Be sure to tell her I love her and that I'll be home as soon as I can."
"Yes, sir." I can make fun of Mr. Han all I wanted to, but I had to admire his affection for his cat. If I could, I'd have someone to check on Apollo throughout the day, too. He gets into mischief. And sometimes, it scares the shit out of me. Once, he got into my trash can and my apartment was covered in chocolate wrappers. Apollo was laying at the foot of my bed, looking like a beached whale. Fortunately, he didn't get into anything.
I left the C&R building and headed to Mr. Han's house. A penthouse atop the world. Why should I expect anything different? His office had beautiful views of the city. Why wouldn't his penthouse? It must be nice to have something like this all the time. The doorman let me into his private elevator with the flash of his house key and brought me to the door.
This place was huge! And gorgeously decorated. Mr. Han's decorator deserved some kind of award for this. Now, all I had to do was find Elizabeth III. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. I didn't even know what this cat looked like. It's safe to assume she looks like a cat. Good one, MC. Then, from around the corner, a small, white cloud of pure attitude made its way across the floor.
You must be Elizabeth III. She was a very pretty cat. I'll give her that. I could see why Jumin would be obsessed with her. Hi, kitty, kitty. At first, she was a bit leery of me. Probably because she smells big, mean pit bull on me. I got down to her level and waited for her to give me the go ahead to pet her. She stared me down, but then, just as Mr. Han said, she blinked twice. I sat on the floor and waited for her to approach me. Slowly, but surely, Elizabeth climbed into my lap. I've been chosen.
I know Mr. Han said I could only pet her once, but once she started kneading her paws in my thigh, I'm sure she'd be cool with me petting her a little more. Alright. I get it. I love her already. Cats never were my thing, but she can be the exception. She's stolen my heart. And I think it's safe to say she likes me, too. I cuddled her gently against my chest. She nuzzled her face on mine and I melted. Ok. I might want to steal this cat now. But something tells me that would cost me my job. Even though I've only been there for a day and a half, I liked C&R.
Knock, knock.
Mr. Han never said anything about company. That's weird. I put Elizabeth down and answered the door. On the other side stood a red headed man in glasses and a lab coat, "Hi. Can I help you?"
"Hello, ma'am!" he greeted me, "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Ell...Elizabeth III's weekly doctor and I'm here to check on her."
"Hold on," I looked him over skeptically, "Mr. Han never said her doctor would be coming."
"Teehee," the man chuckled, "You sound just like Jaehee."
"I'll need to call Mr. Han first," I took my phone out of my pocket. He did trust me with the care of his prized cat. I can't screw this up, "If that's alright with you."
"He already knows," he shoved my arm down, keeping me from calling him, "There's no need to bring Jumin into this. Now, where is Elizabeth III?"
Elizabeth had caught sight of the man and already bolted halfway across the penthouse. She was hiding. Maybe this guy was an actual vet. Or just someone she didn't like, "She went that way. Now, let me call Mr. Han and clear this."
"Hold on!" he stopped me, "Jumin never said someone would be here when I take care of Elly. How do I know you're even supposed to be here?"
"I'm Jaehee's assistant," I clarified, "Mr. Han sent me here personally."
"Luciel, get the hell out of my house," a voice boomed from the loudspeaker. Wait a second. That's Mr. Han.
"Come on, Jumin!" he whined, "I just want to pet her! And love her! Why won't you let me love her?"
"Because she's not yours to love," Mr. Han explained, "And you don't love her. You abuse her. Now, go home. MC, come back to the office please. Your job is done there."
"Yes, sir," I looked around for the source of his voice, but no such luck.
"MC, huh?" Elizabeth's fake doctor looked me over, "What in God's green Earth are you doing working for Jumin?"
"I'm just an intern," I told him.
"Well, MC," he smiled, "You can call me Seven. Or 707. Or God Seven. Or great defender of justice. Whichever you prefer."
"Mr. Han called you Luciel."
"Only a select few can get away with that," he pointed out, "He basically said Bruce Wayne instead of Batman. You can call me Seven."
"Alright," I looked around for Elizabeth to give her one last pet, but she was nowhere to be found, "I really should be going."
"Hold on," Seven stopped me, "I will pay you double whatever it is Jumin pays you and pay off any of your student loans if you let me play with Elly."
"I'm sorry," I stood my ground, shutting Mr. Han's door behind me, "But no. I need to be getting back to the office."
"You're just like a baby Jaehee," he awed, "It's only a matter of time before Jumin sucks the life out of you, too."
"Excuse me?" I scoffed, "No. Mr. Han isn't sucking the life out of me. I enjoy what I do and he just let me play with his cat for a while. Where is he sucking the life out of me there?"
"I guess it's one less thing Jaehee has to do," Seven got in the elevator with me, "Maybe once your internship with C&R is over, I can hire you to be my assistant."
"I don't know about that," I settled him. Does this guy realize how strong he comes on? I'm guessing no.
"Well, MC," he held the door for me, "It truly was a pleasure. I hope this isn't the last we see of each other."
"Only in this context," I hoped, "You're not going to do something stupid like go back up and find Elizabeth, are you?"
"No," Seven pouted, "I don't have Jumin's house key and you locked the door. Not that I wouldn't be able to pick the lock."
"How do they not have your picture up at the front desk?"
"They do. I just pay off the elevator attendant."
I had a feeling I'd be seeing more of Seven. But in all honesty, I wouldn't have a problem with it. He's kind of cute. He's kind of funny. He's not bad. But I couldn't help but be curious. Why would Mr. Han flat out call him a cat abuser? This man seemed like the type that wouldn't hurt a fly. What did he do to Elizabeth? A story for another day. For now, I needed to get back to the office.
A/N: Hi, friends. Do you know how wonderful it is to be completely wired on a Sunday and get your Monday update done already? It's fantastic. I might be able to get my whole week done! The world may never know. But! More importantly…Ahem…
Coming to you live from a bunker in an undisclosed location, here's Lumi Olivier, discussing the monumental excitement from this week's chapter. Lumi? Thank you, Lumi. I'm coming to you live from my bunker to bring you this breaking news. *takes cover from fangirl explosions* WE INTRODUCED SEVEN THIS WEEK! HE'S TRYING TO BREAK INTO JUMIN'S HOUSE FOR THE LOVE THAT DARE NOT SPEAK ITS NAME around Jumin AND LOVE HIS FAVORITE KITTY! I think it's safe to say that I adore Seven with all my heart. And he's usually my main with Jumin trailing shortly behind. I can't write a Mystic Messenger story and leave my baby out. See you next chapter! xx