Always Running

What she found in the locked drawers was an abundance of sex toys of all sizes and shapes: chains, leather and metal cuffs, whips, nipple clips, vibrators, stimulators... Se Ah felt like standing in front of a sex shop counter. There was a subtle sense of sadness though, the fire made her lose all of her toys, and using Da Hye's items did not exactly feel right.

'I mean... I guess the toy loses its value and meaning once its owner changes, right?'

Se Ah was about to close the last drawer when she noticed a transparent rectangular box jammed all the way to the back. She fished it out with a bit of effort and smirked - it was a new, sealed bondage set.

'Come to think of it... When was the last time I tried to tie somebody up? I wonder if Lee Min Hyun will be up to it.'

She put the bondage set on the top of the dresser, then spent another ten minutes looking for a proper outfit, got ready, and left the room in surprisingly high spirits.

When she arrived at the office, however, she found Team Leader Shin already behind his desk, deeply immersed in work, and it took her a good couple of minutes to finally get his attention.

"Oh, Miss Yoon, you're here. How is everything with your apartment?"

"Everything was destroyed but I've found a solution for now. I've never seen you coming to work so early, did something happen?"

Mr. Shin picked up his phone, waved it in front of his face, and replied in an almost devastated manner,

"The general manager texted me first thing in the morning, Lee Min Hyun had to take a day off due to some kind of personal issue. What is going on with our department, Miss Yoon?"

He wiped his exhausted face with both hands and continued,

"Miss Lee left without prior notice and got us buried in work, then your apartment burnt down, and now Min Hyun takes days off in the middle of this madness... Woe is me, Miss Yoon, woe is me!"

Seeing Mr. Shin in such distress was nothing new, he was known to be slightly dramatic despite his rather stoic appearance, however, this time she understood where all that drama was coming from, and therefore, Se Ah could not help but feel sympathetic. She sat down behind her desk and turned on her computer.

"Don't worry, Mr. Shin, I'll take Min Hyun's tasks for today so everything will be alright."

The Team Leader repeated his desire for Miss Yoon to be born an Empress in her next life and went downstairs to get her a cup of refreshingly strong coffee. Se Ah tapped her right index finger on the white surface of her desk and looked at the screen of her phone. It has not been that long ago since he last took sick leave and now he even managed to take a day off for personal reasons, and the general manager was so quick to approve it whereas for others it usually took some ferocious back and forth, especially if the department was overloaded.

'I wonder what happened to him... Death in the family, perhaps?'

She wanted to text Min Hyun and ask him directly but decided to focus on work instead.

'I'll text him in the evening, nothing will change anyway.'

Somehow, despite Se Ah's expectations, the day went by rather fast and without many hindrances; it appeared that Min Hyun finished most of his tasks a day earlier, which did not add much work on top of Miss Yoon's load. It almost felt like he knew that Miss Yoon would end up taking his tasks over and made sure to help her as best as he could.

When the day was finally over, Se Ah returned to her hotel room and fell onto the perfectly made bed, feeling the weight of her tired body sinking into the soft white sheets. When she was about to doze off, she suddenly recalled that she wanted to text Min Hyun, so she swiftly got up, took her phone out of her purse, and started tapping on its screen.

"Lee Min Hyun, what happened? Why did not you come to work? It's a shame, actually, I wanted to invite you over."

She pressed "send" without reading it over and instantly regretted it. What if something serious indeed happened to him and she just sent him such a selfish text? It was true that Min Hyun was okay with whatever treatment he could get from her but she still could not help feeling ashamed.

'My greed took over me... I should probably apologize.'

Just when she decided to send him another text, her phone vibrated with a new message notification from Min Hyun.

"Which room are you staying in?"

'What the hell? Does that mean he's going to come anyway?'

Se Ah smirked and sent the number of the room.

"I'm coming" was his only reply. The woman could not help but start laughing at the intern's brazen nature, and when she finally calmed down, she brought the red bondage rope to the bedroom, changed into a short silk robe she found in Da Hye's bathroom closet, and poured herself a glass of wine, waiting for her toy to arrive.

Lee Min Hyun almost jumped out of the car when it stopped in the hotel's underground parking. He was about to get into the elevator when Ji Seon grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Hyung, you can't go like this, your shirt is dirty!"

The intern looked down at his white shirt and noticed a dark-red, already dry smear on the otherwise pristine fabric, let out an annoyed exhale, and rustled his hand through his sleek black hair.

"Give me my jacket, and drop me off at the nearest clothes store."

Ji Seon bowed like a loyal servant, got back into the car together with Min Hyun, and left the parking again. Min Hyun almost ran into the first expensive store he saw, bought a new pair of jeans and a T-Shirt, put them on in the dressing room, and threw away the clothes he was wearing before. Not willing to wait any longer, he ordered Ji Seon to return the car himself and ran towards the hotel which was teasing him from right across the street.

An impatient knocking sound brought Se Ah to the door, behind it was Lee Min Hyun with both his hair and clothes in a rather disheveled state, leaning on the door frame and gasping for air.

"Lee Min Hyun, did you run here?"

The guy put on his usual cunning smile and replied in a low, hoarse whisper,

"Of course, Miss Yoon. Always."