by Nia Arthurs
They discussed other matters for the next hour.
Eventually, Sun Gi rose. “Call me if you need me.”
“That call will come sooner than you think. This place needs its own manager.” Eun Jung grasped his hand and shook it. “I was thinking of hiring Jo.”
“Didn’t she just start a couple weeks ago?”
“She’s more than capable.”
“You sound very confident. Do you know her personally?”
“Since she was this high.” Eun Jung pointed to the hem of her pencil skirt. “She worked at her Halmoni’s store for years. I think she studied business in college as well.”
“What about the other employees? Will they be okay with that?”
“Does it matter?” Eun Jung frowned, causing deep wrinkles to bracket her lips. “Isn’t the question supposed to be whether or not she’s capable of handling the job?”
“I don’t think we should rush it. Even if she’s equipped to handle more responsibility, we shouldn’t bypass the workers with more experience for someone who just started a month ago.”
Eun Jung surveyed him with a small smile.
He tilted his head. “Did I say something funny?”
“You sounded like your father,” she said. “More concerned about the workplace environment than the profit.”
“I didn’t say anything about losing profits.”
“Neither did I.” Eun Jung winked. “Fine, I’ll talk to Rhia. She’s been here the longest after Brighton and she seems eager for more leadership. I’ll groom her for the position and get back to you.”
“Great.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“It’s fine. I’ll see myself out.” Sun Gi ambled toward the stairs. He could see every inch of the store from this height. Brighton was sitting around the counter, reading something on his phone.
Sun Gi narrowed his eyes. The irritation in his chest was back. He took a breath and tried to pinpoint the cause. Was he annoyed with this guy because he was a possible thief or because he’d been breathing all over Jo’s face?
“Brighton,” Eun Jung’s voice echoed through the store, “can I see you for a minute?”
Sun Gi paused and glanced behind him. Eun Jung stood at the door of her office. Her expression was cold, demanding. She crooked a finger at Brighton.
Is she going to confront him already?
Sun Gi decided not to intervene. Eun Jung knew what she was doing and if she thought she had enough evidence to convict Brighton, he was all for it.
Brighton gave him a friendly grin as he headed up the stairs.
Good luck. You’re gonna need it.
Sun Gi moved down the steps and headed for the exits, but on the way, he saw a familiar head of dark brown curls standing in the middle of an aisle. Despite his better senses, Sun Gi changed directions and headed over to where Jo was working.
From this angle, he could only see the side of her face. Sun Gi leaned against the shelf and admired her without notice. Her light brown skin, curly hair, the slope of her slender nose, dark pink lips—he was a fool for not recognizing her as Nightingale from the first night.
Jo glanced up then.
Their eyes collided.
His heart bucked.
Sun Gi cleared his throat. Since he’d been caught staring, he might as well walk over.
Jo watched him, expressionless. He couldn’t read her dark eyes and that threw him off his game. Was she happy to see him? Sad? Angry?
The last time they’d met, he’d unveiled her secret identity. Maybe she was still pissed about that.
“Hey.”
She turned away from him and finished stacking the shelves.
Stunned by the cold-shoulder, Sun Gi strode closer to her. “Jo?”
“Oh, that’s weird. Can you see me now?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s just that you didn’t notice me earlier.” She slammed the packets of drills into the bin. “So I thought there must be something wrong with your eyes. Or maybe I was so short that you missed me.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have ignored you.”
“It’s fine. I don’t care.”
Sun Gi cocked his head. “It feels like you care.”
“I don’t.” Jo slammed her empty box down and whirled toward him. Planting her hands on her hips, she glared. “Why are you here? Do you know Eun Jung-shi? Are you investing in her store or something?”
Her store?
Before he could clarify, a stampede of footsteps roared toward him. Sun Gi spun and saw a trio of women. He recognized the one with braids and dark brown skin. They’d met when he’d visited before.
Her name was… Rhia.
“Mr. Kim!” Rhia bowed low at the waist—a custom the past manager had insisted on passing down to the workers. Sun Gi found it awkward and a little outdated, but Rhia had continued.
“Hi, Rhia. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You should have warned us you were coming.” Rhia looked left and right, her braids sailing behind her. “We would have cleaned up.”
“It’s fine. Apart from one little incident, there was nothing to complain about.”
Jo coughed.
He bit his lips to hide his smile.
Rhia spoke sternly. “I’m sorry about Joana’s mess. She’s still learning the ropes. I’ve been trying to teach her how to meet our standards.”
Jo’s glare intensified.
“I’m sure you’re doing your best.” Sun Gi slid in front of Jo. From the way the women were evil-eyeing each other, intervention was necessary.
“You know kids these days,” Rhia said breezily, forcing a polite smile for his sake. “They think they know everything. The world is doomed if we don’t teach others to have humility. Don’t you think?”
He heard growling and knew this conversation had to end.
Sun Gi tugged on his ear. “I think some customers just walked in.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of them.” Rhia and her friends hurried off.
Sun Gi turned to Jo and saw her harried expression. “I’m guessing you two aren’t painting each other’s toenails on the weekends.”
“She’s so annoying.” Jo’s face was bright red beneath her mocha brown skin.
Sun Gi opened his mouth to find out more when he heard a door slam and Eun Jung screaming, “Brighton! Brighton, come back!”
He looked over his shoulder and found Brighton stomping down the stairs. The tall man leaped over the last two steps, snarling and trembling like a rabid animal let out of its cage.
Jo stepped in front of him. “Brighton?”
The kid headed their way, nostrils flaring like air pumps.
Brighton tossed Jo aside and stormed at him. “So you’re just gonna fire me like that? Huh? You think you’re so bad?”
Jo wiggled her way in front Brighton and pushed him back. “What? Who fired you?”
“Him!” Brighton pointed. Tears crystalized in his eyes.
Eun Jung must have been harsh.
It didn’t matter. He’d stand behind his manager’s position and defend himself if necessary. As Brighton continued to huff and puff, Sun Gi calmly rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
“How could Sun Gi fire you?” Jo yelled. “He doesn’t even work here.”
Brighton’s eyes widened with rage. “Didn’t you know, Jo?”
“Know what?”
Brighton’s angry eyes locked on him. “He’s the boss.”
20
Jo heard the words that escaped Brighton’s mouth, but it got lost in translation. Somewhere in her brain, nerves were firing but the meaning just didn’t compute.
Or maybe she didn’t want it to.
Sun Gi stood calmly, as if they were having a polite conversation about the weather. A lock of his black hair feathered his forehead as he undid a button and folded his shirtsleeve back.
She could hear Brighton breathing hard behind
her. Could feel his rage, singeing the air like a million jolts of energy.
“Step aside, Jo,” Brighton growled. His eyes held a crazed gleam. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Jo’s eyes dipped to Sun Gi’s fisted fingers. His knuckles pulled tight. Suddenly, his rolled-up sleeves made sense. He hadn’t been ignoring Brighton’s threat. He’d been preparing for a fight.
“Wait, this is crazy.” Jo shook her head and remained in place.
“What’s crazy is this chini thinks he can mess with me just because he has some money.”
“Brighton!” Eun Jung sprinted down the stairs and wielded her cell phone. “Leave now before I call the police.”
Brighton spewed a string of obscenities while pacing back and forth. Eun Jung’s tightening lips warned she was seconds away from calling the police.
Desperate to get through to Brighton, she grabbed his hand. “Hey, let’s talk about this outside.”
“You’re all going to pay!” Brighton hissed, allowing her to tug him forward. “All of you!”
“Brighton! Do you want to go to jail?”
He quieted.
Sun Gi was watching her with his sharp eyes, but she didn’t care. Right now, Brighton needed her to save him from making a bad decision. He’d been her only friend at the store. What kind of person would she be if she didn’t help him out?
Brighton stumbled beside her as she weaved and dipped around the aisles.
Rhia stood behind the counter, her jaw on the floor. Thankfully, she said nothing.
Jo and Brighton burst through the exits and stumbled down the three steps to the sidewalk. Jo squinted against the sunlight and searched for somewhere semi-private to talk.
The store had been built on the corner of a busy street. Traffic lights directing a three-way lane allowed traffic to block up for miles. Residential houses huddled close by. There were no alleys or nooks for privacy.
Jo gave up and dragged Brighton along. “This way.”
“Where are we going?” Brighton asked. He looked calmer. Less like a potential mass-murderer and more like her jovial and charming co-worker.
“My car.”
Brighton snapped his wrist out of her grip. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Let’s talk more somewhere quiet,” she insisted.
Brighton didn’t argue and followed her to where she’d parked a few blocks away. She dove into the driver’s side and waited for Brighton to climb in too.
His long legs pressed against the glove compartment. She wanted to suggest he scoot his chair back but decided against it. After his erratic behavior in the store, Jo didn’t think he deserved such pampering.
“Tell me what happened.”
Brighton reddened. “That guy—!”
“Don’t you dare blame it all on Sun Gi. I want the facts.”
Jo saw the muscles in his jaw bunching. She was doubly glad now that she’d whisked him away from the store. Sun Gi could handle himself, but she didn’t want to see him getting hurt again.
“Ms. Jung called me to her office and showed me some inventory sheets. There were some problems with the numbers. Items from a bunch of shipments were unaccounted for.”
“She accused you of stealing.” Jo gasped.
“I told her that I wasn’t responsible for taking those big products. Maybe I stole a few batteries and some lighters, but nothing worth hundreds of dollars.”
Jo blinked rapidly. “If you told her the truth, why did she fire you?”
“She said it was ‘on principle.” A corner of his lips curled in disgust. “She said that even if I wasn’t the one stealing from the containers, that I shouldn’t have taken anything at all from the store.”
Jo shook her head. “But it was Eun Jung who fired you, so why come after Sun Gi?”
“Why do you think Ms. Jung suddenly decided to let me go? It didn’t matter if I was the one who stole from the inventory. She was given an instruction from the top.”
Jo bit on a fingernail. Was Brighton right? She knew that Sun Gi could be cold and heartless, especially when it came to business, but what did he have against Brighton?
As if he read her mind, Brighton answered. “He’s racist.”
She cringed.
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“It’s just… I know Sun Gi. It doesn’t sound like him.”
“I can’t believe this! I can’t believe your defending that scum.” He pummeled his fist into her dashboard.
Jo jumped, skittering against the door to get away from him before his anger spilled over on her.
“These Asian guys move to Belize and take everything, Jo. Everything. What do black people own? Huh? You see us opening shops? Owning Land? Taking buildings? No. Most of my friends can’t find a good job. We have to hustle twice as hard to have half of what they got.”
“I understand how frustrated you must feel right now—”
“No, you don’t.” He scoffed angrily. “You don’t and that’s okay. I don’t need you to understand. I’ll fix this myself.”
She really didn’t like the sound of that. “Brighton, you could have gotten into so much trouble back there. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Brighton took her hand in his. Jo’s first instinct was to pull away, but she let him hold her. At least he was calming down.
The sunlight glinted in Brighton’s soft brown eyes, turning them to gold. He pressed the back of her hand to his chest. “I know you think he’s nice and rich, Jo, but I need you to take my side. You believe me when I say I didn’t steal those things, right?”
“Of course. We’re friends.”
“Just friends?”
“And co-workers.”
He chuckled darkly and glanced away. “Yeah, I guess not that last one. Not anymore.”
Rushing to distract him, Jo slipped her hand from his and started the car. “Do you want to go somewhere? I’ll take an early lunch.”
“It’s fine. You should go back in. I don’t want them to fire you because of me. That’ll piss me off even more.” He eyed her gently. “You’re a good person, Joana Lee Gregory.”
“Uh, thanks.”
Brighton popped the handle of her door and climbed out. He leaned in so he could look at her, angling his lips into a confident smile. “I’ll get a new job soon and then I’ll ask you out.”
“Brighton…”
He slammed the door and trotted off, disappearing around a bend.
Jo remained in the car. In the quiet, she mentally reviewed everything that had happened.
“He’s the boss.”
Jo tossed her head back as the bomb Brighton had dropped on her finally exploded.
Sun Gi Kim was the store’s owner. The Head Honcho. The Big Boss.
She’d had no idea and had torn into him for ignoring her. Like he owed her anything. Jo flailed her arms in utter embarrassment.
A few minutes later, she slinked back inside.
Sun Gi was gone.
Rhia was there instead, a scowl on her face. “How do you manage to make a fool of yourself in front of everyone and still not get fired?”
“Not right now, Rhia.”
“Where did Brighton go?”
“I don’t know.” Jo crossed her arms over her chest. “Probably home.”
“Joana,” Eun Jung’s voice echoed against the wall, “can I see you in my office?”
Jo froze.
“Maybe you’re getting the ax too.” Rhia preened. “Finally.”
Jo squeezed her eyes shut and shuffled forward. What if Rhia was right? What if they wanted to fire her because she’d chased after Brighton?
Jo hid her nerves behind a stoic expression as she headed to Eun Jung’s office and softly locked the door behind her.
“Have a seat, Joana.” Eun Jung gestured to the whicker chairs in front of her small desk.
Jo perched on the edge of the chair. “If this is about Brighton, I’d just like you to know that—”
&n
bsp; “This isn’t about Brighton.” Eun Jung folded her fingers together. “It’s about you, Jo.”
“Me?”
“The man I met with today is Kim Sun Gi, the owner of this store and several others in the city.”
Her head swam. Why hadn’t someone mentioned Sun Gi until now?
Eun Jung continued. “I boasted to him about you and how much you’ve done for this business. It was my intention to push you as manager…”
“Manager?” Jo’s mouth parted.
“But,” Eun Jung tilted her head, “he shot that idea down.”
Her excitement petered out. “Oh.”
“Still, I believe you deserve a promotion. You’re meant for great things, Joana, and you could contribute a lot to the company. Which is why…” Eun Jung grinned. “I nominated you for a position.”
“As what?”
“Mr. Kim’s personal secretary.”
“What?” Jo screeched.
“I already spoke to him.” Eun Jung laughed happily. “And he agreed.”
21
A mess of clothes littered his bed and cluttered the floor. Sun Gi tossed the shirt he’d been considering and glared at the mirror. He slapped his chest and berated himself. “You’re not a girl. Just grab a shirt and put it on.”
His day hadn’t even started and it was already stressing him out. Nothing looked good and he only had—he checked his watch—twenty minutes to head out before traffic became an impenetrable gridlock.
He palmed his forehead and bit his bottom lip in frustration. He’d never had this problem before.
Nineteen minutes.
His mental countdown grated his already raw nerves. Sun Gi was the boss. He could walk in at four in the afternoon and no one—not even Bo Young—could tell him anything.
Why was he freaking out today?
Sun Gi knew the answer to that question, but refused to consider it.
His phone rang.
He plodded over to the bed and tossed a bunch of shirts aside until he uncovered the device. Scooping it up in his palm, he sank to the edge of the mattress and groused, “What?”
Luis’s chirpy voice scraped against his ear. “Hello to you too.”
“I’m busy.”
“You’re always busy,” his friend said. “But I think you’ll want to make time for this.”