A/N: Hi, guys! Since we did Zen's route last week (and I didn't hear ANYONE say who they wanted this week. I'm mildly disappointed), I figured it'd be really nice if this week…The QUEEN of Mystic Messenger. Actual babysitter of Jumin Han. Most underappreciated goddess to ever walk this earth. I now pronounce you gal and pal. This week, we're going with JAEHEE! Yay! In case you're new here or you haven't been paying attention, we're kicking things off with the bad route and I'm feeling kind of bad about this one. Because we all know Jaehee deserves better. I didn't want to put her through anything bad, yet here we are. I'm going to jump down to the bottom and I'll see you there, won't I?
It must have been the fourth time Jaehee and I have watched the Promiscuous Jalapeño Topping since we started living together. I didn't mind, though. My best friend, our beautiful friend on a small screen. Life was fantastic. Just like Zen in this musical. Ever since I moved in and Jaehee quit working for Jumin, the world seemed to fall into place. I never saw her so happy. Then again, Jaehee's new boss was a delight. Or was I being biased?
"That never gets old, does it?" Jaehee took our popcorn bowl into the kitchen.
"The writing might be terrible," I agreed, "But Zen makes up for it. He's perfect."
"He's far from perfect," she chuckled a bit, "But he's definitely talented. That's for sure."
"You know, Jaehee," I thought for a moment or two, "You've been hanging around Zen a lot lately."
"Since I'm not working for Mr. Han anymore," Jaehee got a bit flustered, "I had to occupy myself somehow. Not that helping you plan RFA parties hasn't been fun."
"You're welcome," I smiled. Since Jaehee started working for me, we've been able to host parties so much more often and the organization can only do that much more good for the world.
"I suppose I have been spending a lot of time with Zen," she blushed.
"So?" I pried like any good roommate would do, "What's going on with you two?"
"What do you mean?" the red in Jaehee's cheeks only deepened, "There's nothing going on!"
"Uh-huh..." I smirked, "Why do I not believe you?"
"Because you have trust issues?"
"Jaehee," I sat her down, "You're my best friend and my roommate. I know when you're hiding something. Lest we forget your voodoo doll of Elizabeth 3rd."
"Well..." she bit her lip, "Zen has always been so kind to me...And he's so beautiful. My god!"
Immediately, Jaehee caught herself, pursing her lips together. While I sat back with an evil grin on my face, "And there's nothing going on?"
"Excuse me," Jaehee cleared her throat, "I'm sorry. I got a little carried away. You know how he is, though. Zen makes it impossible not to fall for him. So, yes. To answer your question, MC, I am a little interested. Don't tell anyone. I'm a bit embarrassed."
"Why?"
"It's not appropriate," she whined, "He's an RFA member. He's a celebrity. He doesn't need me holding him back. The press would use me as a poison to Zen's career and I can't do that to him."
Jaehee was right. There was no denying that Zen was a gorgeous creature. Zen would be the first to tell anyone that. And a lot of women projected their fantasies on him. I couldn't blame them. Would the press use Jaehee to get to Zen if they were in a relationship, though? And I wouldn't want my best friend getting hurt like that. Either one of them. So, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands.
I'm sorry, Jaehee, but there's no way in hell I'm letting you get to Zen.
The following morning, I started getting ready to go over to Rika's apartment to get some work done. However, I looked into the other bedroom and saw Jaehee buried in her closet, looking for something she wouldn't have worn while she was working for Jumin. Naturally, it got me curious.
"Hey," I stuck my head in her door, "What are you doing?"
"I got a text from Zen," she skimmed, "He asked me if I was busy and if I'd go to brunch with him."
"Because," I said, "I got a massive flood of emails last night of people asking about the upcoming RFA party and my inbox is overflowing. There's no way I'm going to be able to get through them all myself. I'm going to need your help."
"Oh," Jaehee stopped, "But I have a date with..."
"Please, Jaehee," I begged, "You're the only other person with that kind of access. It's either that or I have to deal with Seven again and you remember how that went last time."
"Oh, God," she recalled in sheer horror, "Every cat from every internet meme was there. Zen wanted to die, but Mr. Han wouldn't stop taking pictures and laughing hysterically. I've never seen him so sadistically happy."
"Please?" I threw myself on her bed, "Please come help me?"
"Ok..." Jaehee could never turn down work. No matter how hard she tried, this woman was married to her profession, "But what about my plans with Zen?"
"You'll see him at the next RFA party," I assured her, "And you can always reschedule, right?"
"I guess so..." she shot Zen a text, canceling their brunch plans, "Let's go. We shouldn't be wasting anymore time."
I loved having Jaehee as my assistant. Everything got done so quickly and so efficiently. Working for Jumin pounded that into her. And she couldn't say no. Even if it meant canceling plans with Zen. The two of us sat in Rika's apartment going through all the emails of people wanting in on the upcoming RFA party. As Jaehee was wrist deep in all of them, I managed to sneak out of the apartment under the guise of a coffee run.
"Hey, MC!" And guess who I just happen to run into?
"Hi, Zen," I beamed, throwing myself into his embrace.
"What brings you here?" he asked, "I thought you and Jaehee were sorting out your emails."
"I was," I nodded, "But she said she'd do everything herself. Jaehee gets a system and may God have mercy on whoever ruins it. I thought I'd just get out of her hair."
"That was nice of her," Zen smiled, lighting my world up, "You know, I really thought Jaehee was starting to lighten up and becoming more mellowed out since she split from Jumin."
"I know," I empathized emptily, "Such a shame. Still such the workaholic."
"I'm worried about her," he let out a little sigh, "There can only be one extreme workaholic in our relationship, if that's what this leads to."
"Zen," I wondered, "Are you interested in Jaehee?"
"I don't want to see her miserable," Zen confessed, "You think we could talk more?"
"Sure," I took his hand, "If you need to vent, I'll be more than happy to listen."
"Why don't you get us a table?" he insisted, "Dirty chai latte, right?"
"Yeah," I can't believe he remembered my order. We've only done this a couple times.
I grabbed a table in the upper level of the cafe and waited for Zen to come back. This was going more perfect than I anticipated. Although, the texts from Jaehee were to be expected. She could handle a heavy work load by herself. I mean, she did when she worked for Jumin on a regular basis. I don't see why she couldn't now. Zen came upstairs and put my latte in front of me. Bless him.
"Thanks, MC," Zen sat down, "It'll be nice to have a friendly ear to vent to."
"Anytime," I let my hot latte burn the inside of my mouth and down to my toes.
"I don't know, though," he stared into his cup, "I want to be able to work enough for the both of us. After she had to deal with Jumin for so long, Jaehee more than deserves a break."
"I couldn't agree more." Little did he know, her new boss was working her harder than her old one. Jaehee thought Jumin was bad? At least Jumin didn't have a bit of a jealousy complex. He knew who he loved and no one (other than Seven) was trying to take her away from him. Jaehee hated her, Zen was allergic, and Yoosung was a neutral party.
"You've lived with her for a while, MC," Zen pointed out, "I would've thought she'd pick up some of your traits, too. Sometimes, I wish Jaehee was more like you."
"Aww," I gushed, "Zen, I'm flattered."
"Really, though," he went on, "You can balance party planning for the RFA and still manage to have a social life. It seems like nothing ever stresses you out."
"I get stressed, too," I giggled, "But the key is to know when to let shit go. Most of the time, it can get dropped immediately."
"See?" Zen popped me in the shoulder, "That's what I wish Jaehee would wrap her head around. It'd take so much off her mind and she could drop some of the weight of the world on her shoulders. She's not working for Jumin anymore. She can lose that mentality."
"I guess she's just set in her ways." Or there's a new Jumin in town.
"Kind of sad, really." Seeing Zen depressed wasn't exactly one of my favorite things, but his frown didn't last very long, "We really should do this more often, MC."
"We should," I beamed.
And we did. A few times a week for the next month was nothing but Zen and me talking, hanging out, late nights, earlier mornings. I could see why Jaehee would be into him. She was too buried in work to even think about going out with Zen. They'd still text once in a great while, but not as often as what they used to. Gee. I wonder why that was. Maybe Zen found someone else.
When I got home one night after spending a day with Zen, I found Jaehee passed out on the couch in front of her laptop. I still had twenty emails that had gone unresponsive. I really thought she was better than that. Early the next morning, I woke up to my roommate scrambling to pull herself together, spewing angry obscenities.
"Morning," I came out in my jammies, fist in my eye, "What's got you all spastic?"
"I've been planning the next RFA party practically by myself," Jaehee panicked, "And you, party coordinator, have been nowhere to be found."
"I'm sorry, Jaehee," I apologized, "Why don't I go get us some coffee and we'll go to Rika's?"
"Thanks, MC," a smile returned to her face, "I'm stretching myself a bit too thin. Sleep helped. I wasn't thinking straight."
"No problem."
I got dressed and looked down at my phone. And a text from Zen lit up my screen:
Meet me at the café?
-Z
Awesome.
Definitely. Be there soon.
-MC
Coffee for my best friend and my assistant AND I get to see Zen? It's going to be a good day. I slipped a pair of flats on my feet and headed out. Cold brew? Cold brew sounds like a really good idea. It'll be a nice break from my usual latte. And finding Zen there once I got there only made it all the better. Although, I might be the only person crazy enough to drink cold brew after walking in the rain.
"Hi there," he sat with me.
"Hi," I lit up, "I'm starting to think you're stalking me, Zen."
"I'm not stalking you," Zen promised, giggling to himself, "What are you doing, going out in the rain? We wouldn't want you getting sick, would we?"
"I'm fine," I promised, "I'll live. You seem off, Zen. Are you ok?"
"I'm worried," he confessed, "I haven't heard from Jaehee much. I'm worried about her. What if she works herself too hard? She could collapse, MC! I don't want that to happen!"
"I understand," I settled him, "But she's fine. I just saw her twenty minutes ago, Zen. I live with her. Jaehee is fine. She's just super swamped."
"Thanks, MC," Zen let out a heavy sigh, "You get me better than anyone I know. I like you."
"I like you, too," I took his hand. Was this a confession? Zen and I have been spending quite a bit of time together. And we were getting a lot closer with every passing day. And he tends to blush a lot around me. And me around him. Maybe Zen and I were meant to be. It's not like Jaehee took the time to worry about Zen. So, why was he so concerned with her?
As I was walking home, my head swam with thoughts of Zen and me. We would make a cute couple. I must admit that. Not to mention, he wouldn't hesitate to share his spotlight with me. There'd be a lot of perks coming along with being his girlfriend. That's a life I wouldn't mind living. However, one thing managed to get me out of my head for half a second.
A soft mew coming from a soaking wet box in an alleyway. A sweet, gray bundle of joy shook, cold from the rain. Oh, baby…I can't leave you here, can I? I don't care how much my roommate detests your kind. You're coming home with me. And I shall call you Mr. Wickham. He's stolen my heart already. What could I say? I'm a sucker for a stray. I held Mr. Wickham in my pocket, giving him a warm, dry place to nap until we got back.
"Jaehee," I pushed the door open, taking Mr. Wickham out, "I'm home."
"MC," Jaehee froze, getting an eyeful of our newest addition, "What the hell is that?"
"This," I held the kitten up, "is Mr. Wickham. I found him in a box in the alley. I couldn't leave him there. He was cold and probably hungry. Aren't you, Mr. Wickham?"
"Mr. Wickham?" she gave me a look, alternating between me and the little ball of fluff in my hands, "Reading Pride and Prejudice lately?"
"Nope," I snuggled him tight, "He's going to stay here for now."
"But…" Jaehee wanted to protest. I could see it in her eyes. She already hated him. But he was so damn cute. No one could hate him for long, "Ok…"
"Is the work I gave you done yet?" I asked, "The party's next week."
"I'm sorry, MC," she sighed, taking her espresso from me, "But I'm working on it!"
"Awesome!" I beamed, snuggling my new, fluffy baby, "Thank you, Jaehee! You're the best! Love you!"
For the next few days, Jaehee and I divvied up the duties. She took care of the venue and the caterer and the DJ while I finished up the emails she had yet to touch. I thought she had gotten a decent start on these. Oh well. It's not like we had a party coming up soon or anything. This is fine. I can take care of it myself. It's not like I hired Jaehee out of the goodness of my heart after what happened with Jumin to help me or anything. Honest to God…
The day before the party, I was completely wiped out. It'd be nice if I had an assistant or something like that. Oh, wait…I do. At least I thought I did. Regardless, I snuck out for coffee with Zen yet again (but I made sure I took a lint roller to my shirt, so Mr. Wickham's fur wouldn't trigger his allergy) because I deserved it! I earned my latte today. All I wanted was a day of calm before I got to see everyone again and make sure my party went off without a hitch. And who better to mellow me out?
"Hey, MC," Zen played shy today. Huh…That's not my Zen, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," I allowed, "What's wrong, sweetie?"
"Sweetie?" he turned bright red, "That was so cute!"
"Settle down, Zen," I smiled, "What did you want to ask me?"
"I was wondering," Zen regained his composure, "Since we've been spending a whole lot of time together lately...Do you think I could be your escort to the party tomorrow?"
"Me?" Like I didn't see that one coming, "I don't know."
"I was going to ask Jaehee," he went on, "But it looks like she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore."
"Of course I will," I steadied his shaky hands, "I wasn't lying when I said I liked you, Zen. You and I are kindred spirits. And I'd be more than happy to let you be the workaholic between us. Just make sure you make a little bit of time for us, ok?"
"Ok!" Zen grinned, "How did I get so lucky to be close with you, MC?"
"I don't know," I giggled, "Maybe it's not just luck. Maybe it's a little bit of fate, too. Destiny wanted us to be together, Zen. That's why destiny led me to the RFA in the first place. It knew that we were meant to be."
"MC," he clutched his chest, "That was beautiful."
"What can I say?" I shrugged, "If I wasn't a party planner, I would've been a writer."
The party was going to sneak up on all of us, though. Jaehee and I pulled an all-nighter trying to get everything in order. But we got there. And now, it was time for us to get to the venue. Some high-class hotel Jaehee would book for if and when Jumin ever decided to host parties on his own. Because if it didn't scream pretentious, it wasn't good enough for Jumin.
"Finally," Jaehee heaved a heavy sigh of relief, "We finally get a day off."
"Amen, sister," I tipped my drink to her.
"And I get to see Zen again," a little smile graced her face, "I missed him."
"Hey!" Speak of the devil.
"Zen!" Jaehee got a little more excited. However, her joy was very short lived.
"Hey, MC," Zen threw his arms around me, kissing my cheek, "I missed you! It feels like I haven't seen you in ages, but I know we just saw each other yesterday."
"What…?" Jaehee's heart shattered in her eyes, "MC, can I see you for a minute?"
"Sure," I followed her outside, "What is it?"
"What are you doing?" she glared a hole through me, "And with Zen, no less!"
"What do you mean?" I played innocent.
"You knew I wanted to be with him!" Jaehee snapped, "Yet, here you two are, flirting right in front of me, being all cute and couple-y? What the hell?!"
"Hey," I brushed her off, heading back inside, "You snooze, you lose, sister. Zen's made his choice. You're just pissed it wasn't you. Shouldn't have worried so much about working, Jaehee. He only wanted to spend a little time with you, but you were always too busy."
And there I left her. Outside to weep in my dust.
A/N: I always feel bad about being a dick to Jaehee. She deserves better. So I'm going to give her better next week instead of MC being Mr. Steal Yo Girl about Zen. I knew a bad ending was either going to involve Jumin or Zen and I thought a little bit of a love triangle would be perfect. And here we are. Also, did you catch why Mr. Wickham's name is Mr. Wickham? A little bit of clever foreshadowing on my part. I'll explain to you because I don't want to be the only one in on the joke. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Wickham was trying to get with Mr. Darcy's sister and trying to seduce some of the Bennet girls as well, if I remember correctly. It's a smart joke and I liked it! Anyway, see you next chapter! xx
