Picking up a trouble-maker

Aria finds clothes neatly arranged on the bed when they emerge from the bathroom, she blinks, looks up at Hanjun, down at the clothes, then Aria slaps both hands across her face. Well, that's another person privy to her sexual escapades...and the fact that a creep is out there with those kind of videos leaves an engulfing pit in her stomach, for all that she acts like she's ten steps ahead from everyone Aria is as much flying in the dark as a bat might in daylight. This world isn't her home turf, where she had time and resources to build her power to something worth a dime.

"Your assistant does not understand the basics of fucking privacy?"

The man has the audacity to laugh, bending over the bundle to inspect the clothing; a dark green floral dress, a nude lingerie set, and a pair of low heels, he picks up the lacy lingerie, nodding approvingly, Aria slaps the back of his head on principle; he grins wolfishly in response.

"He has been with me for a long time, you could say that privacy has become a dream." Hanjun says wistfully.

Smiling ravishingly, he leans over her to drop a feathery kiss on the corner of her mouth, Aria sighs and shakes her head, there's a witty comeback on the tip of her tongue but the way his touch lingers makes her pause, his eyes are moist, focused as if he is memorising her, a fleeting moment he hopes to carry for a bit of comfort.

"If you want me in your bed again you had better fix that." Aria mutters, scrunching her nose at the clothes.

She's not exactly paying attention to her words, meant to probe, to prove her the doubts still lingering in the back of her head whispering that she can still make this work (it wouldn't, even if his divorce hadn't been an obstacle because a relationship started on such a motive would only lead to self-destruction on both ends), she turns around, waving him behind her to close the clasp of her bra, but his fingers still on her skin, a heavy silence drops over them like a mourning veil might. Aria knows what is about to come, has expected it from the moment she woke up. He rests his head on her shoulder, breath warm on the juncture there, his hands trail down to her hips, squeeze once before he lets go, stepping away altogether.

"I have to go."

He walks to the door, his back a resolute wall as he speaks, but she does not find that bubble of rightful anger or condemnation, Aria understands better now that she's not running high on fear and adrenaline, half-wondering if this world is merely a figment of her imagination - the way she dealt with the situation hadn't been exactly healthy, given that she'd chosen to repress her feelings as deep as the magma from a sleeping volcano.

"Go win your war, general." She replies softly.

Hanjun nods sharply, back muscles rigid with tension; as far as goodbyes go, Aria will think fondly on this one, the memory of this chivalrous man will stay with her even in the recess of the void, a bright star who will stay with her fundamentally for the rest of her life. He won't remember her in 20 years' time, or he might, he might remember her as his what if, his regret, the one who got away. To think so fondly of a man who's barely an acquaintance much less a lover - perhaps it is the possibility of what they could have had.

Aria shakes her head, there are two brats she needs to bail from prison, and no time to muse over silly matters over man's fallibility to want what it cannot have.

*

Hanjun had mindfully sent his assistant to drive her to the police station, Aria sent him away, preferring a taxi over the convenient ride, she did not bluff when she assured Hanjun of helping him get rid of his harpy of a wife, her involvement with him could easily be dug out if she's seen with his right-hand.

Picking up the brats goes as well as she expects, they're held at opposites ends of an open barred cell by two officers, thrashing and hurling insults at one another, seemingly unaware of the people around them suffering their unbearable hormone driven idiocy. Aria thought a night in an enclosed space would give the teenagers a chance to, if not resolve the sexual tension, improve their relationship; not that there's much progress in that arena, it seems they regressed somehow. She crosses her arms, leans on the wall, contemplating if it's worth the noise to watch their fight play out.

Aria takes pity on the officers, the slight woman keeping her new brother in place is very nearly bowled over as he makes a fiery attempt to lunge at the now calmer teenager at the opposite end, taller than even the middle-aged man standing in his way. Wang Chen, he'd introduced himself to the officers as Wang Chen, squares his shoulders in such a condescending way that you would be hard pressed not to react, and Kang Jimin follows through, getting past the woman and lunging at the other boy, the taller teen pushes past his own guard and they meet in the middle; Kang Jimin growls, Aria blinks rapidly, the sound unexpected from such a doe eyed kid, he jumps over the other boy until one hand is firmly clenched around a handful of hair and the other curled over the collar; Wang Chen takes it in stride, his hand starkly large around Kang Jimin's delicate jaw, his free hand sharply tilts the shorter teen's head back.

Aria is not sure what they are about to do, they look like they are either about to devour each other passionately or attempt bloody murder.

"Oi, do you want to stay here another night?"

Her voice is a quiet, firm whip that pauses the teenagers like a still frame, comically, their heads snap in her direction at the same time, eyes wide as saucers, lips parted as they forcefully swallow their insults.

"Well?"

Awkwardly, their limbs untangle, arms falling by their sides but feet unmoving, stuck in place by invisible glue, Aria steps closer to the bars, taps a manicured nail on the metal in an upbeat rhythm. Kang Jimin glares heatedly from beneath the fringe of his fluffy hair, the taller teen meets his gaze with a poker expression only subtly hinting at irritation, a muscle ticking on his clenched jaw. Aria sighs.

"Officers, I'm here to pay their bail. Please let them out before they further attempt murder." Aria mutters tiredly.

Their antics had been cute, and Aria took their animosity in fondly the other night, even seconds ago, but now it wears on her psyche. They aren't children, it is obvious for the naked eye their attraction manifests in their need to clash constantly. She won't begrudge them that. But at the very least, they should have enough sense not to infringe on other people with their insensibility too much.

Aria clears her throat pointedly as soon as they step outside the station, the brats gearing up for another confrontation. Turning around sharply, Aria stabs a finger in her brother's chest as she addresses the other brat.

"If you want to fuck him, don't be a bother to everyone around you. Now, I would like to go home, have a shower, then sleep, all of which do not include you two getting all up in each other's face. Get the sexual tension out of your system on Monday."

Aria grabs the short brat by the ear, dragging him to her car, he mutters and whines, a shocked barked laugh following their footsteps, which only makes Kang Jimin draws his shoulders in, eyes resolutely on the ground.

Aria sighs, she twists around.

"Oi, next time don't bully this brat just because you are sexually confused, I know he is too pretty for his own good, but at least attempt to keep your dick out of your thought process."

Wang Chen sputters, words unintelligible over her bratty brother's giggling. She is sure this is not entirely the end of their story, could bet a limb and organ that come tomorrow she will find them locked in battle again, or, hopefully, fucking each other.

The car door slams behind them, Jimin's softer, tentatively he slides into the passenger seat, eyeing Aria with a nervous kind of gaze that keeps flittering to anything that isn't her but ultimately returns to stare at her shoulders.

"You should ask him out." Aria says twenty minutes into their drive.

Kang Jimin startles, in the window his reflection's eyes nearly bug out of their sockets, his mouth opens but closes soundlessly, he shakes himself, pretends to not have heard. Aria wants to ask, wants to discover what truly lays behind the foundation that made Kang Jimin, she's only met him but the startling similarity to her own brother makes her doubt, he may be her little brother, truly, but she has no idea what his personality may be, if he's any different from her real brother or if his merely a fake placed here to make her comply, it becomes hard to distinguish the longer she looks at his pretty face.

At the house they part silently, Aria watches him climb up another set of stairs, guesses they might have a floor to themselves, she picks a relatively normal guest room and crashes on the bed, it's past 10 am but she's feeling exhausted.

She can deal with the system later.