After work, Williams went to Secretary Kim's office to meet his father. His father had left him few minutes ago with the excuse of asking Secretary Kim some important questions.
He found the two men chatting happily, like two best friends. The moment they noticed him, they stopped talking and their expressions turned formal, as if they had been discussing business.
A knowing smile tugged at Williams' lips.
He could tell he had been the topic of their conversation.
"Dad, I'll be coming home late," Williams said. "I want to see Ha Yun for something very important before coming home."
"Alright," Mr. Adam replied. "Just don't stay out too long."
With that, Williams left the office, got into his car, and sped off to his friend's place.
When he arrived, he rang the doorbell.
A few moments later, Ha Yun opened the door, wearing a loose singlet and boxer. He was holding a bag of cheese.
Williams stepped inside and dropped heavily onto a chair, exhaustion written all over him.
"You look exhausted," Ha Yun said staring at Williams.
"Have you eaten?" He asked as he closed the door. "I made something delicious."
"No, thanks. I ate not long ago," Williams replied. Then his tone sharpened.
"You said you got information about her."
"Oh, yes."
Ha Yun picked up his laptop from the side table and placed it in front of Williams. He then pressed a few keys.
Then Linda's face appeared on the screen.
There were pictures of her in school uniform, others with her friends ___Ha Rin and Alex.
"Her name is Linda. Linda Lee," Ha Yun explained. "She attends Handul High School, Grade 11, Business Department.
She's eighteen years old, she will be nineteen few months from now.
After school she usually goes straight home or hangs out with those two friends." He continue.
"On weekends, she sometimes stays over at Ha Rin's place. She's stubborn… and fierce. I really realized why she dared slap you after I investigated her"
Williams stared at the screen. And a bitter laugh escape his lips.
"A high school girl. Just eighteen, slapped me, and almost broke my.....", he pause staring at Ha Yun.
Ha Yun, straighting up , his eyes sparkling, obviously in the mood for gossip.
"And almost broke your what…?" He asked, his gaze sliding suspiciously between Williams' legs.
Williams immediately snapped his legs together, covering the space.
Ha Yun bursted out laughing, particles of cheese spilling out of his mouth.
"This girl is really something," He said between laughs.
Williams shot him an irritated look.
"Must you spill the cheese? Do you even cook reasonable food? Always having snacks." He said shifting his head backwards to avoid cheese spilling on him.
"I cooked something." Ha Yun said in defense as he clunged to the bag of cheese.
"By the way, I deserve a night snack, don't I?" He added.
Williams ignored him and turned away, without saying anything more.
"Hey! Don't try to change the topic." Ha Yun snapped. "We were talking about a beautiful black lady who almost broke your balls." He said and Williams shot him an annoyed glance.
"Fuck off!" He cursed pushing Ha Yun's head away.
Suddenly, Williams' mood became serious.
"Can you take me to her house?" He asked.
"What?" Ha Yun exclaimed chocking on his cheese.
"At this hour? Do you want to die?"
"I'm not going inside," Williams said rolling his eyes.
"I just want to see where she lives."
Ha Yun paused scratching his head. After a brief pause, he said.
"Give me a minute. Let me change."
A few minutes later, he returned wearing a pair of jeans and a simple shirt.
They took Williams' car and drove off.
Less than an hour later, they parked not far from Linda's house. Williams stepped out of the car and studied the quiet building from a distance.
"She must be sleeping now," he murmured.
"Linda, right?" he asked, turning to his friend.
Ha Yun nodded.
He stared at the house a moment longer, then said softly,
"Let's see how Seoul will contain us both."
And with that, they got back into the car and drove away Into the night.
---
When classes ended and the final bell echoed through the corridors, Linda, Alex, and Ha Rin lingered on the school grounds, reluctant to let the day slip away too quickly. It had been long and demanding, and none of them was eager to go straight home.
They crossed the courtyard at an easy pace, the noise of departing students fading around them.
Ha Rin paused and then said, "Why don't we invite Jae-min to join us?"
Before any of them could answer, her attention was drawn toward the far side of the yard. Jae-min was there, alone, slipping books into his bag.
"There he is." she said happily, staring at him.
Before the others could respond again, she had already turned.
"Jae-min," she called, approaching him with a relaxed smile. Alex and Linda exchanged a knowing smile and followed her.
"We're going out for something to eat. There's a place nearby, you should come with us." Ha Rin said as she got close to him.
Jae min looked up, surprised. "Oh… hi."
"We won't keep you long," Ha Rin added with a smile. "It's a good spot."
Jae-min hesitated, his fingers tightening briefly around his bag strap.
Then Alex came to stand beside Ha Rin.
"You should," he said lightly. "No pressure, just food and fun."
After a brief moment, Jae-min gave a small nod. "Alright."
The four of them left the school together.
The restaurant was quiet and comfortable, the scent of spices heavy in the warm air.
They ordered without much thought, conversation flowing easily as dishes filled the table. When Jae-min tasted the tofu stew, he paused, surprised.
"I've never eaten Korean food like this before."
Linda glanced at him. "I thought you were Korean."
"I am," he said after a moment. "My mother's Chinese. I grew up there."
Ha Rin smiled nodding. "That explains a few things."
The comment made Alex and Linda giggle. Jae-min looked down, unaccustomed to this kind of attention, but the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
By the time they stepped outside, the sky had softened into evening. The streetlights were just beginning to glow.
"Will you spend more time with us?" Linda asked as they reached a corner.
Jae-min paused, searching for the right words.
"I'm not very good with people. I usually keep to myself."
Alex nodded. "That's fine."
"Whenever you feel like joining," Ha Rin added, "you know where to find us."
Jae-min inclined his head, something guarded easing in his expression.
"Thanks for the time." He said with a small smile that was barely shown.
"It's fine!" Alex said with a smile. And with that, they parted.
----
By the time Jae-min reached home, the street had gone quiet.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside his apartment, which was completely dark and then closed the door softly behind him.
Then his voice broke the silence, not the careful, restrained tone he uses at school, but lower, natural… unmistakably feminine.
"Lights" he said softly.
At the sound of it, the room responded.
Warm light slid across the walls, revealing the space around him.
He exhaled slowly, the tension of the day loosening from his shoulders.