2

"Please Mr. Kim, don't joke around about such matters," I scolded backtracking my hand from his lips and huffing out with crossed arms.

"I-I, u-uh, okay," he pursed his lips together with a red face which I assumed must be from his previous anger. "Right, you're right."

"Of course, I am. You're just twenty-four right now, we have eleven years till retirement," I stated in a matter-of-factly tone and he just nodded in response quietly.

"We're here," the driver announced as soon as the car came to a halt and Nathan quickly opened the door rushing out, probably exhausted. I rolled my eyes, shoved the ball back into the bag, and jumped down waddling behind him. He looked over his shoulders again but kept walking straight ahead. A bunch of his servants greeted us at the main door and I bowed to all of them one by one while Mr. Boxer here walked ahead without sparing them a glance.

"Sir? I think you should eat something now, you didn't even have lunch properly," I said placing the bag on the couch and tying my hair up. He hummed and beckoned me to come to him with a movement of his left hand. I smiled comfortingly, knowing that he was more than just tired physically and emotionally. At this point, he was at a burnout. I mean, I knew he looked unbothered but a failed engagement, cheating partner, and a lost fight was sure too much for anybody.

"Can you give me a massage?", he asked politely while rubbing his shoulders himself. Humming, I walked around to the back of the couch and placed my cold hands on the broad expanse of his shoulders causing him to jump up slightly but he relaxed as soon as I applied pressure.

"What would you like to eat? Takeout or homecooked food?", I asked in a soft tone softly pushing his head down to apply pressure on the middle of his neck. He groaned out of satisfaction followed by a soft sigh.

"Make me ramen," I scrunched my nose up and whined. He turned his head to look back at me sideways and cocked an eyebrow to question my bratty behavior. I turned my head sideways and scowled to no one in particular.

"Come on, Just for today?", he asked in his deep husky voice which was hoarser due to his bad throat. I cleared my own throat to shoo away the thoughts I should definitely not have of my boss.

"Only for today, you know it's not good for you."

"Only for today, you know it's not good for you," he mimicked my tone with his head cocking side to side. I giggled slightly, happy to know that he was okay enough to mock me today too.

Quickly removing my hands from his neck and shoulders I walked to the kitchen while he rested on the couch with his eyes trained on all my movements like usual.

"You should stay here today."

I frowned and looked back up at him from the packet I was opening in confusion but he just shrugged. What did he mean I should stay here today? Was he that sure he's gonna cause chaos?

"It's late and Choi went home already, it's not like I'm gonna cause trouble or something," he exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. I glared at him when he had his eyes closed and scoffed to myself. Neither of us was conversation makers or starters so the expressions on our faces were enough to know what we wanted to say.

"Here," I said placing the bowl of noodles in front of him and wiped my hands down on my jeans. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again repeating the same thing over and over irritating me so I raised my brows at him.

"It'll be rude for me to eat alone, you can eat if you want to," he said nonchalantly, completely opposite of what his previous expressions said so I mumbled a quick 'okay' and turned on my heels to serve myself a bowl too. Honestly, I did feel a lot hungry.

"About sleeping here, you can-", he began but I quickly shook my head and hand already knowing what he was about to say. He smiled gracefully, heavy dimples popping out at the sides, and got back to slurping his noodles up.

"Yes, I know. I'll sleep on the couch."

Kim Nathan and his infamous boundaries with me.

-

I twisted the doorknob but refused to pull it open. He was asleep upstairs and being a heavy sleeper I'm not too sure if he heard the bell ring. It was four in the morning and after somehow falling asleep on the couch in the most uncomfortable pair of jeans, someone just had to show up this early. Someone being none other than Miss Fiance. 

"I can hear you sigh behind this door, just open it damn it," I could tell from her voice that she was exhausted so I opened the door the very next second only for her to push me to the side and run in a beeline to his bedroom. I groaned and quickly turned around letting my fingers dig into the skin of her fragile arm and pulled her back not too harshly. 

"Please. Don't pester him now, he's had enough of you and given you enough chances. The least you can do is let him have a good night's sleep," I begged in a hushed tone. Even though my pride was a bit too much to do so, I had to do it for him because she hasn't seen him the way I have. He's not very good at expressing so it all ends up suffocating him and those around him in the form of his anger. Her jaw clenched and I could even hear the deep breaths she took in through her nose. 

"Look Sophie, I know you must've been with him through thick and thin but you can never have what I have with him. He's never gonna love you as he loved me. He doesn't look at you like that," I chuckled under my breath at the softness in her tone and nodded mockingly with my bottom lip jutted out. 

"Teressa, Sweetheart I wish I could tell you how dumb you sound right now but I'm too sleepy for that. Please leave. I definitely won't tolerate it if you bother him now. He's got practice in the morning," I smiled and softly led her out the door even though she was protesting but it was no use since I was much stronger than her. 

"Ah yes, one last thing. I don't think he'll ever forgive you for the stunt you pulled with Mr. Min. All he ever asked you to do was to be loyal to him. You just had to keep it in your pants, nothing else," she smiled sarcastically and blew air to her face with her hands. 

"You're saying that now but once you get to know him, you'll understand how problematic he is but who am I to complain? Anyway, have a good night!", that being said she turned on her heel and walked out into the walkway of the house to the main door. I closed the door behind my back and leaned against it with my head tilted upwards and my head blaring with a headache. 

The two of us made quite a ruckus so maybe it woke Nathan up. I ran a hand through my hair and walked up a dozen stairs that led to his bedroom on the floor above this. I pressed my ear against the door of his bedroom which was closed shut but probably not locked as always. I slowly opened it enough to peek in and let my head enter the room. He was still asleep, fortunately so I closed the door back again after a few seconds till I was sure that the slow rising and falling of his chest was even. 

I walked back downstairs and dumped my body on the couch deciding it was best to go back to sleep since there were still three hours till Mr. Kim's practice and it would be an absolute horror to go for practice with half a night's sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, I could feel the light burn in my eyes fade and my body relaxed into the couch. 

~

"Sophie? Soph, your boss is up and about, I think you should wake up too," the hushed whisper of a familiar voice pulled me out of the very vivid dream I was having about a nice vacation to the beach. With a cringing face and furrowed brows, I sat up straight on the couch and heaved out tiredly. All my previous signs of sleep were now replaced with a huge smile. 

"Mr. Min? Good morning!", I exclaimed immediately scrambling to my feet and bowing to greet him. He just chuckled patting my head once and nodded in acknowledgment. 

"Now if you don't mind me asking, did Teressa come here by any chance?", I frowned deeply to myself and slowly nodded. Why was he concerned about her whereabouts? 

"She riled up a scene at my workplace, demanding to see me but when I denied doing so she fled on her feet. It wouldn't take a genius to know where she must be gone off to," he said casually strolling around the coffee table and settling on one of the chairs with his hands buried into the pockets of his black trousers and looking up at me through his parted bangs.

"I see. Well, she came here to cause one too but I didn't want his sleep to be disturbed so I," I pursed my lips together trying to refrain myself from saying something that might offend him. 

"Go on, what'd you then? Did you perhaps throw her out?", he asked softly and I nodded again, believing in the way his eyes bore into mine so warmly. 

"Very well then, you did god's work. I'm hoping she doesn't show up anytime soon, you and I need sleep while your boss needs a little break from all of this drama," I smiled at him and nodded curtly to let him know that I agreed with his statement. With a soft exhale I turned around and folded my comforter neatly placing it on the corner of the couch where it mostly stays. 

"I'll be back in a minute," I mumbled more to myself than to him since he was pretty entertained by the texture of the couch's leather. As soon as I was about to turn around, I caught the whiff of expensive cologne. I breathed in as Nathan passed by my side only to stop just one step ahead of me, almost hiding me behind himself if I wasn't a bit to the side. He looked absolutely breathtaking in that sleeveless top. I've seen him shirtless multiple times since I've been managing and assisting him since the start of his career but this? This was another level of gorgeous. 

He glanced at me over his shoulder and I myself could see it in his eyes that he could see the look in mine. Yoongi cleared his throat and I looked away from the back of his, again almost forgetting that he was my boss. His jaw clenched as he too slid his hands into the pockets of his workout shorts. My guess that his hands were tightened into fists beneath that fabric since the veins protruding from his arms spoke the same. 

"Young-Jae."