“Of course. If you want to keep her around, then you have to get things straight. You should clean up your private life and start on a blank page.”
Hyung was pretty sure those were Talia’s thoughts too. She’d pretended not to know him from the very first minute. He wondered if she hated him, if his face disgusted her. In her eyes, he was probably equal to the bastard that cheated on her.
“I hate it when you’re right,” Hyung sighed.
“I know you do.” Damon chuckled as he sank deeper into his seat. “That’s why I love it. Anyway, I came to invite you over. Alec is coming to my place tonight. I thought we could have a boy’s night. But I heard you have a date,” Damon said as he pointed towards the spot where Kristel had been standing.
“That, I do.” Hyung sighed.
“I can’t say I envy you. I bet my jokes are better than gossip.” Damon fought a smirk. He knew the hell through which Hyung was obliged to go.
“Just get out!” Hyung said as he stood up. “I have work to do.”
Damon chuckled and stood up.
“Okay, okay. I’ll leave you to your messed up life.” Hyung was aware of how much his friend was enjoying the situation in which he found himself. He guessed it was payback for all the times Hyung had made fun of him. “Call me if you need help!”
Chapter 4
Four months later
“As I was saying, I looked into the things that were proposed in our last meeting. They don’t really look in our favor. All the ideas have been tried, either abroad or here, and none of them had a positive feedback from the crowd,” Hyung spoke. He was sitting at the head of the table, his eyes grazing over every member of his marketing team. “All your ideas failed, at one point in time,” Hyung continued, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t make them work. Every idea is a good one. You just have to know how to use it. I added some notes to your ideas, some of the notes contain ideas for how to improve your concept and others are just bullet points of what you need to revise. Ms. Williams is passing out copies. I want you all to work on them today and give me the updated version by the end of the day.” Hyung could read the disapproval on their faces. None of them were ready to finish updating the project in a day. It was a challenge, Hyung had to admit. But it was a necessity too. He needed to launch the project by the end of the week. The holiday season was only days away, and if it caught up to them while they still had work, Hyung knew it would mean a delay in everything.
From the corner of his eyes he saw Talia. She’s finished handing out the printed material and had resumed her place behind him. She earned being in that room more than anyone. She’d spent two full days with him, researching and contemplating. She’d even created a bulletin board to help him visualize the project better. Half of the added ideas had been hers. They were all strategic ones. They were good ones. She was smart. Hyung had known it from the very start, but he was proven right again and again. He was lucky to have her by his side, a good secretary was always the most important thing when it came to a successful businessman. A secretary wasn't just someone that forwarded calls and printed out documents. She was the right hand, the filter that knew everything way before it even happened.
Talia was that to him. In just a few months she’d made him addicted to her. He didn’t know how to function without her around. He was attached to her when it came to work. Every day she made sure to have him eat at a specific time, she’d learned his favorite restaurants and his favorite coffee brand. She’d gone to such personal depths. She also knew every deal he’d ever made and all the potential partners. She’d found out about them alone, while she was researching. She fascinated him. Talia, however, wasn’t her usual self anymore. She didn’t joke or smile around him. She did her work and disappeared without as much as a single word. It had been like that since day one.
They hadn’t talked about what had happened in Korea. Hyung meant to talk to her so many times, but he stopped himself every time. She didn’t seem like she spared their time there much thought. And if she did, she clearly wanted to forget all about it. And she had the right to. There was no point in bringing up the past; what happened there probably had no meaning.
What good would it do if she knew his reasons for leaving? Would she even care? It was probably better they were that cold and professional. It kept him sane. He’d been attracted to her, to the way she made him talk without thinking. If that were to happen again things would get complicated. She was now a major part of his life, not someone he could forget once he returned from his vacation.
“I’ll review the files tonight. I’ll host another meeting tomorrow.” Everyone nodded and agreed but there was clearly denial and disapproval among them. Hyung smiled and thanked everyone before taking his leave.
Talia walked behind him, the sound of her footsteps was loud, echoing through the empty hallway of his floor. She never walked with him, always a foot behind. She kept her distance at all times. She called it personal space, but he’d named it running away. He knew that the space she constantly placed between them was filled with the hate and unresolved issues they had.
“Do you think they’ll be able to finish it by tonight?” Hyung asked as they entered his office.
“They will,” Talia answered. “Their vacation is coming up. They’ll use that thought as motivation and work harder.” She shrugged. There was no emotion in her voice. It was empty and cold. “I’ll go send those emails. Do you need anything?”
“No. I’m fine.” Hyung sighed. “Go send them now so you can have your lunch on time.” Talia nodded then took her leave.
As much as he told himself otherwise, Hyung was bothered by her coolness. Hyung was living in a constant dilemma of caring and not caring. One second he thought it was for the best, and the other he wanted to just let it all out and make her understand once and for all. He knew she wasn’t this cold statuette, and it bothered him to know she was keeping up the facade just because of him.
Hyung sighed and slipped into his chair. He needed to work, it was the only way he was going to banish those thoughts out of his head. He needed to call Damon too. His father’s condition had worsened; the doctors weren’t giving him much hope. He’d been present as much as possible, but they’d recently hospitalized him in France and Hyung hadn’t been able to do anything but support his friend over the phone.
Indeed, everyone he knew was living a mess. Everyone but Alec. The guy finally found some peace. His new baby girl was enough to brighten up his world. Hyung couldn’t wait for the day when he’d have a family too. A place to call home. He couldn’t wait to finally belong somewhere, beside some people that didn't see his traditions as strange, beside someone that got his attachment to his home country. He knew that he could never find that attachment with an American girl. Or at least that was what he believed. Hyung shook his head and grabbed the fountain pen. He needed to focus. Although he wasn’t sure how he was going to achieve that.
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Talia threw another glance at the door to her right. She pursed her lips and wondered if he was okay. He barely ate that day or drank. He continued his research for their newest launch. He'd prepared a full team to work on it, yet he still conducted research on his own. Talia knew why he was so successful, why the company had increased sales since he’d taken over. Hyung was fascinating when it came to business. And it wasn’t only because of the incredible amount of talent, but because of how much work he put into it. He never left things unsupervised, he was always present no
matter how important or insignificant the job was. And it showed. The results were numbers and numbers never lied. She still held a grudge but she couldn’t let that grudge mask the respect and awe she had for him and his work. At least not when she was alone.
It was already past her working hours. Night had fallen over the lively and constantly busy city. Everyone had retired to their lovely homes. Everyone but Hyung and Talia. She’d been told to leave hours before, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Not with all the work that needed to be done. Hyung had so many presentations and meetings that week. It was her duty to make sure that everything went according to plan.
Talia stood up to stretch her limbs. Her back hurt and her eyes were heavy with sleep, but she planned to solve the last problem with a bit of coffee and maybe something filled with sugar. Talia kicked her heels off and slipped into the pair of slippers she had in the office. She used them on days like that, when she worked way past her hours. She threw a glance at the door and wondered how he was doing. She saw his shadow through the blurred glass on the edges of the door. He was still at his desk, but she couldn’t tell anything past that. Talia bit her lip and walked towards his office. Not too long ago she would be so anxious and nervous about seeing his face again. But those days were long gone. While she still remembered the Korea incident every time she saw him, it didn’t have an impact on her anymore. She’d learn to suppress those disappointing emotions. He hadn’t opened the subject and she wouldn’t either. They’d started their relationship from point zero. Of course, Talia also took a few extra precautions, like never being too close to him. She didn’t like the way her body behaved when she was.
“Come in!” The response to her knock came.
“I was wondering if you’d like some coffee? Or dinner? You didn’t have any yet,” she asked as she came to stand in front of his desk.
“Can you come and take a look at this?” Hyung said. Talia frowned and walked to stand behind him, her previous question forgotten. She threw a glance at his computer and frowned. He was working on the marketing project, and he was still on the first page, he had a few more good hours to go. “What do you think of this?” he asked as he pointed to one of the sections.
“I don’t think it will work. Our clients are mostly women in their late thirties-early forties.” Talia shook her head.
“That’s what I thought too.” Hyung sighed. “Too bad my marketing team didn’t. Anyway, would you like to take a look over them with me? I don’t think I’ll be able to finish them alone.”
Talia wasn’t surprised by his request anymore. Hyung often asked her to do things above her role as secretary. She liked it though, it meant he trusted her judgment. “Nice slippers, by the way. What happened to the pink ones?” He fought a smile. Talia looked at her feet and then back at Hyung, feeling the tinniest bit of embarrassment.
“I lost a slipper,” Talia shyly said.
“These ones suit you better, the pineapples bring out the color of your eyes.” Hyung was teasing her. Talia smiled and shook her head. He didn’t often make those jokes. He held back as much as she did, but sometimes they were both too worn out by the day to have the energy to filter their behavior.
“Try walking in heels for a whole day, we’ll see how funny those are.” Talia tried to look scary, but she was almost certain she failed.
“I wouldn’t dare. They are torture machines,” he said over-dramatically. “Anyway, how about we order dinner before we start? You didn’t eat anything, either. Did you?”
Talia shook her head.
“Should we order some noodles?” Talia almost chocked on plain air. Did he even notice what he said? She doubted it, he was way too calm. She wondered if she was the only one who felt like that whenever a reference to their time in Korea was brought up. Had he really forgotten everything? Was it no longer a lie on his behalf?
“Sure,” Talia eventually said. If he was going to forget so was she. “Black bean ones.” She didn’t look at him as she answered. Instead, she walked out of his office to place the order.
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Talia removed the stash of papers off of the small coffee table on which she'd been working while Hyung waited impatiently with the food-bag in hand. The smell of the delicious dishes was strong. It was tempting, luring in her senses.
“Ugh, finally. It smells like home.” To Hyung, the food smelled like home. But to her, it smelled like disappointment. She was suddenly thrown back in time to a foreign land. She was reminded of every single thing she swore to forget, or at least ignore.
“So, shall we dig in?” Hyung asked in excitement as he handed her the chopsticks.
Hyung was the first one to dig in. Unlike her, he didn’t struggle with the chopsticks at first, he didn’t need to get accustomed to them either.
For the next couple of minutes the two ate in silence. Talia focused on her food. The place was good, almost as good as the dish she’d tasted so many months before. Even so, she could tell something was missing. She felt Hyung’s gaze on her every now and again. But she didn’t dare look at him. There was something different about that night. It screamed of danger and tension. She felt something in the horizon, promising her that the night would not go by as smoothly as the others.
“Nothing really tastes exactly as back home.” Hyung sighed as he leaned back. His chopsticks were abandoned in the empty box. She’d finished eating too, but her food was only halfway gone. She tried, but she couldn’t eat properly, the food brought back way too many memories. Talia didn’t answer to Hyung, instead, she went on to clean the table. She wanted to go back to work as soon as possible.
Hyung didn’t return to his desk, however. He remained sitting in the armchair. His gaze followed her around the room, she felt it on her. It made a chill run down her spine.
“Are you okay?” Hyung suddenly asked.
Talia wondered if her face was really giving it all away. Was it really betraying her to those extents? She hoped not. She really didn’t want to make a fool of herself
“I’m just tired. Let’s finish working.” She tried to fake a smile. She sat back in her original spot and started ruffling through the pages again. But she wasn’t actually paying attention to the written words.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Hyung! I’m just trying to finish this.”
“I know, for a fact, that you aren’t.”
“Really? And what makes you so sure about it?” She raised a brow.
“You’re reading the first page again.” Hyung pointed to the paper in her hand. “You already talked to me about it an hour ago.”
Talia sighed and placed the paper on the table. She felt stupid.
“Did I do something wrong?” Hyung asked.
“No, why would you ever do something wrong?” What was wrong with her? Talia was alarmed by her edgy voice and by the shade she was trowing. But, at the same time, she couldn’t stop herself. The sudden wave of memories and the realization that she might be the only one stuck in the past pushed buttons she wasn’t ready to push.
“I’m sorry. I’m just a bit tired. I’ll finish these in my office.” She stood up, but she didn’t get to take a single step towards that door. Hyung’s hand suddenly caught her by the wrist. She was frozen in place by the sudden surge of electrifying energy that emerged from his touch.
“Just talk to me, Talia! That’s what you do; you always run away from problems. But acting all cool and pretending nothing is up won’t help.”
&nb
sp; “I’m the one that’s running away?”
“Yes! You are! We are grown ups, Talia. We know we have unresolved business. Adding more to it won’t help.”
“Is that my fault?” Talia asked as she removed her wrist from his grasp. Hyung was silent for a moment, leaving her enough time to compose herself. “Anyway, there’s nothing up, Mr. Harrison. I just want to finish this and go home. Sorry for being rude.” She was back to her cold tone. To the empty one she only used around Hyung.
“There you go again. Just talk to me, Talia!” That had been the first time he'd called her by her first name. Just like her, he hid their past behind respectful tones and distant words. But, that night seemed to have an impact on them. It magically brought down all the walls they’d built.
“What do you want me to say, Hyung?”
“Tell me what’s bothering you! You keep this distance from me, you use it as a shield, but it can’t go on forever. Sooner or later we have to face the problem!”
Their voices were loud. Luckily, there was no one around to witness their heated exchange. However, it was better that his voice was loud. It applied enough pressure on Talia. It forced her to say it all, once and for all.
“You bother me! How you moved on faster than I did. I bother myself, too. It bothers me that I still think of what happened in Korea. It bothers me that you standing me up bothers me. I know that nothing was going on between us, but I deserved an explanation. You are supposed to explain yourself to a person that waited a whole day for you. Even if it was just for a day.” Talia didn’t know how she had the nerve to say it all. The words flew out of her mouth without as much as a thought. “I am not running away. I’m just protecting myself. I like this job. I need it, too. I didn’t want Korea to be the reason I missed an opportunity. Besides, it didn’t seem like you cared. So opening the subject was a bit out of place.” Talia ran a hand through her hair and looked away. She felt the consequence of her words looming around her, but she didn’t focus on them. For the moment, she was just happy she was free from those burdening feelings. Hyung was silent for a few moments—so silent that Talia thought he would never speak again. But then he spoke. His voice was low this time. It was a mere whisper.
The Asian One: BWAM, Asian Man, Billionaire Romance (Relatives From Money Book 5) Page 4
