Ji-hoon cackles at the gesture, "Morning to you, Miller. Please drop the formalities. It is not necessary right now, especially in my present state. Besides, it's just the two of us here, save them when we get to the office."
He continues after adjusting the towel that appears to be slipping, "Hope my security didn't give you any trouble? They know that I have a new secretary but I haven't really given them important details like your name yet."
Mikaela raised his head and nodded. "No trouble at all. Also, I'd like to apologise for that day, sir. Should have read the situation more properly first before barging in like that."
Ji-hoon shakes his head with a welcoming grin on his face, "Oh please, if anyone should apologise, it should be me. This is our second meeting, and you have already seen me in a compromising position twice already. In other companies, that would count as a violation of some sort."
Other companies, he says. What a sleazebag this guy is.
Mikaela's irritation doesn't appear visibly on his face as he listens, "I should have known better than to open the Conference Room door that day, sir."
"Or maybe you wanted to look." Ji-hoon smiles smugly.
Mikaela eyes widen, that claim nearly pushes him over the edge.
Ji-hoon grips the side of his towel that wrapped around his waistline, almost teasingly, "I should get dressed. Make yourself comfortable while you wait."
Ji-hoon excuses himself to a nearby room.
Now that Ji-hoon is out of sight, Mikaela decides that now is the perfect time search the place. The question now is, where can he even start in a house like this?
Now...if I was incriminating evidence that could prove a CEO's ties to a gang that operates a sex trafficking ring, where would I be?
Mikaela thinks on it for a bit, and then it hits him. The study.
Mikaela is determined not to call Darcy for help. Finding clues wasn't new to him. It was right up his alley.
So he moves hastily, checking all the available rooms downstairs first. He proceeds to move upstairs quietly without making a single sound once he realises the study wasn't down here.
After searching for the first two rooms, he sighes off relief after seeing that the third room matched a typical home office look.
He gets inside and closes the door, but not all the way so he can hear any incoming footsteps. As he makes his way to the desk, he eyes the files that appear to be scattered on the desk. He starts to meticulously go through them, one after the other. Financial Reports, Portfolios, Proposals, Bank Statements— the usual files CEOs typically hold on to. Nothing incriminating.
He opens the desks drawers and grabs the files there. A USB slips out from one of the folders. Mikaela picks it up to examine it before hearing a slight creak of a door opening.
Mikaela reprimands himself mentally for not being time conscious enough as he grabs the USB and slips it in his suit pocket, rushing out of the room as quietly as he possibly can be.
He walks speedily down the stairs without causing a ruckus, just in time for Ji-hoon to exit the room he entered earlier before now fully dressed and with his hair groomed.
"Sweat." Ji-hoon states blankly.
"What?" Mikaela tries to keep his laboured breathing under control.
"You're sweating." He points his finger at the little beads of sweat moving down Mikaela's forehead.
"Right…so it's the side effects of the drug I took for the fever."
Ji-hoon's eyes peak with interest, "Oh really? What drugs are they?"
"Ibuprofen, acetaminophen…the likes."
"Really? Are you fine, though, Miller? Capable of driving right now?"
"Of course." Mikaela flashes a convincing smile.
— • —
The ride back to Jang's Towers was a bumpy one. Mikaela didn't get why cars had to have such complicated sterling wheels. This is why he prefers bikes.
To his surprise, despite his shitty driving, Ji-hoon didn't complain all throughout. He even offered to buy some food for Mikaela.
As they exit the car, Ji-hoon walking in front, Mikaela wonders.
What is this guy's deal?
Approaching the building's sliding doors, Ji-hoon's bodyguards at the entrance follow them from behind. Mikaela turns around, and he sees one of the guards giving him the stink eye. He recognises him as the guard who was with him back at Marino Towers. He simply faces forward and ignores the itch to glare straight back at him.
Suddenly, Ji-hoon stops at the receptionist's desk. Mikaela sees how Mira becomes a fidgety mess instantly, her hands shaking, knocking her senses. She places a folder on her desk, her head down.
"Good morning, Sir." She greets.
"Morning to you too, Mira." Ji-hoon returns her greeting, nodding. At least that all it seems to be from Mikaela's point of view at first as he stands behind him. From Mira's perspective, she doesn't even need to raise her head to tell that Ji-hoon's eyes are fixed on her desk, scanning the mess.
"You've gained weight." Ji-hoon comments disapprovally.
Looking at the frail woman, Mikaela can't understand the disappointment in Ji-hoon's voice. For a lady as small as Mira, her gaining a pound or two should be a good thing.
Mira starts breaking down, tears streaming on cue, her hands searching for something on her desk to wipe them. Mikaela bites down a curse he intended to throw at Ji-hoon and rushes to her aid.
Her tears cloud her vision, but her handkerchief catches Mikaela's eye, and he gives it to her.
Mikaela faces Ji-hoon, "How could you say such a thing to her?"
A stupid move, and Mikaela knew it. He didn't understand why he would act unusually nice to him, but treat Mira like that.
He glares at Ji-hoon, even as he panics internally, that he might have just blown his cover.