“Everything’s going to be ok,” I tell my cousin softly. It is more for my state of mind than for hers.
“You know whatever it is, I’m here,” Lina replies. She changes the topic, offering a lighter topic of conversation. “What are you doing today?”
“I’m doing laundry. I’m also having lunch with Eunhye and Mr. Im this afternoon.” I am glad for the change in subject.
“Mr. Im? Haven’t seen him for a while. Are you doing anything afterwards? Maybe we can meet at the park for a run. I know you don’t like exercise, but we can catch up and get some sun.”
“A run actually sounds good right now.”
“You serious? You’d run with me?”
“Why not?”
Little does Lina know I am delighted with her offer. They always say keeping busy is the best remedy for unwanted thoughts, painful heartache, and errant emotions. As we continue talking, Lina fills me in with the details of her life. She’s set to quit Sansachun in a week and already has a job interview lined up with an accounting company. It is a receptionist position, but according to Lina it is a much needed graduation from working at a convenience store. Aunt Yuna and uncle Dom are particularly happy about her decision to move on to better things. Lina surprises me with the contemplation that she might return to school in the fall. My cousin doesn’t let me absorb the news before she tells me that Spyder is bothering her again, adamant about a reconciliation. In just a few days, my cousin’s life has drastically changed. I feel guilty for being so neglectful lately.
After finalizing our park plans, I am in better spirits when I hang up with Lina. I even play a couple of games in the arcade room, hoping to ease my boredom and keep my thoughts of Choi Sangwoo at bay. By the time I fold the last pair of clothes, my cell phone rings. It’s Eunhye sounding anxious and happy.
“Are you done?” My mother has her I-am-cooking voice on.
“Just finished.”
“Lunch is ready.”
“Ok. I’ll come right up.”
I DRAG THE LAUNDRY BASKET up to our apartment. When I reach the door, the delicious and mouth-watering smell of lunch permeates my senses. I set the laundry basket in the living room and enter the kitchen. Eunhye is bustling about, setting up last minute dishes. Mr. Im is sitting at the kitchen table immersed in conversation with another male. They really did invite Mr. Im’s nephew over. He was just a topic of conversation moments ago; now, he is sitting at my kitchen table. The elders really do make things happen.
“May. Come sit with us.” Eunhye places the final dish on the table. She’s gone all out. There are grilled vegetable wraps with hummus, spicy beef stir-fry noodles, and salad with burnt almonds.
“Looks really good mom.” My stomach rumbles at the sight of food. Eunhye beams at the compliment. She motions for me to sit down again. I round the kitchen table just as Mr. Im faces me. I catch his kind smile before my eyes land on his nephew.
“May, this is my nephew. Yoon Jaewon. Jaewon, this is May. Eunhye’s daughter,” Mr. Im introduces us.
Before I even make eye contact with Mr. Im’s relative, his presence marks my senses. Oh no. This cannot be happening. Only in the movies, only in the books, only in the romantic fantasies. This cannot happen in real life. In fact, this cannot happen in my life. Oh shit! My intuition springs to her feet with her undivided attention on him; her jaw hits the floor with a deafening ping.
Yoon Jaewon.
He really does look like a Yoon Jaewon–rich, aloof, dark, and handsome. How did he go from Mayhem to Yoon Jaewon? It’s a night-and-day, black-and-white contrast.
I am screwed. I find myself locked in the eyes of none other than Mayhem. The dark, smoldering man sitting in my bland kitchen table paralyzes me. The contrast is striking. His per usual arresting, handsome features are extraordinary. He is lighter skin than I remember in the afternoon sunlight. Thick lashes surround his dark, intense brown eyes. The strong nose and accented lips, framed by a chiseled facial structure, reminds me of just how attractive Mayhem truly is. He wears a black t-shirt, black jeans, and black rugged outdoor boots. As dark and dangerous as they can make them. Something resembling sparks, along with surprise and butterflies, course through my system. I am the prey locked in the red gaze of the snake’s glare.
Say something. I am gaping at Mayhem, or Yoon Jaewon, as Mr. Im’s eyebrows twist in question. Little does Mr. Im know his looks-could-kill nephew not only mesmerizes me, but I am actually petrified to my very last bone. Does Mr. Im know that his dear nephew is the leader of a dangerous and violent gang? One look into those kind eyes and I know Mr. Im is clueless. Another glance at Yoon Jaewon’s eyes and I know he will have my throat in his hands if I tell his uncle about his true profession.
“Nice to meet you.” A stretch of that signature smile crosses his lips. He notices my shock. Mayhem doesn’t allow surprise or amusement to color his feigned facial expression. He’s calm and cool, reserved and reticent. Mayhem could almost pass as a normal male.
“May.” Eunhye places a small hand on my back. I am like a child again, scared and frightened of strangers. The desire to run and hide behind Eunhye’s back is like a siren calling to me.
“Hi,” is all I manage to squeak. My voice sounds like I accidentally hit my big toe on the side of the bed. Keep calm, I mentally tell myself. This is going to be quite the difficult task, my intuition mumbles.
Mayhem. The notorious Mayhem is sitting at my dingy kitchen table. But his name is not Mayhem now. It is Yoon Jaewon. The stunning and striking Yoon Jaewon has that signature smirk on his face as if he secretly enjoys the word shock and dead surprise tattooed on my forehead.
Breathe May. Breathe. Keep cool. I sit down next to Eunhye, feeling her intense gaze against my cheek.
“Are you ok?” Eunhye is in my ear. This is the first time she has ever seen me this way.
“I-I am hungry.” I blink several times, trying to drive away the amazement. My thoughts are screaming at me to hold it together.
Yoon Jaewon is the picture of peace and content.
“Let’s eat.” Eunhye beams at Mr. Im as though they are sharing some telekinetic thoughts. She hands me a vegetable wrap. Then, she gestures towards Mayhem. “Make yourself at home Jaewon.”
“Thank you so much for your kindness Eunhye.” Mayhem’s voice is passionately smooth. He is all hands and fingers on Eunhye’s food; Mayhem picks up two vegetable wraps and a handful of the stir-fry noodles. His mannerisms, including his uninhibited demeanor in serving himself, are a clear indication of his underground tendencies. There is confidence exuding in the way he serves himself, the way he chews his food, and even in the way he sits in the chair. I don’t miss the fact that Mayhem calls my mother Eunhye instead of the proper greeting of Mrs. Lee.
I quickly note that Mayhem believes he owns the ground he walks on. Oh my. The gang lord complex might be even more severe in his case than Choi Sangwoo’s. Shit. Sangwoo. How would he react if he knows Mayhem is sitting in my kitchen right now? For some reason I cannot explain, I know Choi Sangwoo and Yoon Jaewon are on a different playing field. Mayhem intimidates me more–maybe because I am sure this gang lord parades the lower levels of the underground world frequently. There is something about Mayhem that’s the concoction of danger, darkness, and obscurity.
“Jaewon is from the United States, but divides his time between Busan and Seoul. He owns his own business and is quite the entrepreneur.” I snap out of my reverie to realize Eunhye’s talking to me. The look in her eyes lets me know that Eunhye is too far gone for me to save her. She’s already succumbed to his gang lord’s charms.
“Own business?” My cheeky tongue gets the best of me. I am sure Mayhem didn’t divulge what his true business dealings are.
“Yes. I do financial consulting for big companies. My firm works with clients from both private and public sectors,” is Mayhem’s cool response. His voice is a milky tenor. His dark eyes are just as penetrating as ever. I feel the bottom of my stomach dropping
slowly. Holy moly. He is even more intimidating than Choi Sangwoo. How is it possible that he can stop me in my tracks with just one stare?
Of all the people he can be related to, why does it have to be Eunhye’s childhood friend? Fate? Destiny? Freak coincidence? My intuition starts counting them off.
“He owns several firms actually.” Mr. Im places a hand on Mayhem’s shoulders. Mr. Im looks at his nephew with a proud facial expression. There is a profound amount of emotions emanating from him.
“You’re so young and handsome too. Are you dating anyone?” Eunhye flashes Mayhem an endearing smile. She has a fork stabbed into her forgotten salad.
Oh no. I hope this is not a setup. Shit. Is this a setup? Panic ripples through every cell in my body. There is no way Eunhye and Mr. Im could have cooked this idea up within the couple of hours I was doing laundry. Damn it. Why didn’t I pay more attention this morning? Mentally, I kick myself for being a victim yet again.
“No.” Mayhem’s confirmation is strong. There’s a wicked gleam in his eyes.
I feel the blush sweeping my entire face. Mayhem’s eyes are unwavering and concentrating. The butterflies inside my stomach catch flight and flutter. I am almost dizzy from the amount of thoughts and feelings bursting inside of me. Choi Sangwoo doesn’t come close to making me feel this way. I lower my gaze from Mayhem and bite into my vegetable wrap. I can’t even taste it. I am all mind and no physical feelings.
“He’s an eligible bachelor, but extremely picky.” Mr. Im grins. He takes a bite into his own vegetable wrap. “The only girl I can think that might meet his standards is May.”
Shit. This is a setup! The horror grips my throat. I casually dip the remaining vegetable wrap into the marinated sauce. “I don’t think I’m Jaewon’s type.” Did I just really say that aloud?
“How so?” Mr. Im is surprised by my answer.
Because he probably like leggy brunettes who ride shotgun in his many cars and can keep up with his volatile lifestyle. If only thoughts can be heard without judgment and censorship. But all that comes out of my mouth is, “Um.” This is an epic fail on my part.
Mayhem watches with the same passionate and haughty stare. It is electrifying. I have his absolute attention with my answer. Even Eunhye and Mr. Im appear to be completely oblivious to Mayhem’s attention on me.
“Uncle, she’s still in school and painfully shy. Let’s not put any more pressure on the kettle. We just met.” Mayhem steps in just like a knight in shining armor wouldn’t. His eyes are twinkling with humor. He finds this hilarious.
Still in school and painfully shy? Yep. That would describe you. My intuition has no shame in shaking her pom-poms for Team Mayhem.
“Right.” Mr. Im gives me an apologetic look.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t be friends,” Eunhye offers. She is trying to salvage my awkwardness.
“Of course,” Mayhem adds quickly out of courtesy.
Eunhye laughs at his smart comment. She’s finally eating her salad. “You’ve managed to make my May speechless.”
Because he’s a powerful gang lord mother, I want to tell her. I suffocate a sigh in my throat. Annoyance and frustration slowly replace the shock. This is wrong. This isn’t right. Mayhem has no right to invade my life and involve the people who care about me in his game. She’s still in school and painfully shy? He is trying to add more wood to the already burning fire of emotions I have for him. I cannot let him get to me like this. One gang leader is enough to deal with, but now I have a gang lord at my kitchen table. What do they want with me?
I watch Mayhem pick up a pair of chopsticks and start his eradication of the stir-fry noodles. Gosh. How can someone look so attractive just eating? Every single frame Mayhem moves in can be a picture.
“Eat May.” Eunhye places more grilled vegetable wraps on my plate.
I mumble thanks to my mother and nibble on my food. She gives me a fishy look. Eunhye knows that I am not normally shy. Perhaps my behavior signals to her that this blind date plan is not working out.
“So, what are your plans now that you are in Seoul?” Eunhye turns back to Mayhem with renewed interest.
He is chewing his food casually, holding his fingers around the chopsticks like an expert. I don’t miss the fact that he has gold knuckle braces on. I wonder briefly what they are for, but I know I am better off not knowing. I also ponder if Eunhye’s too blinded by Mayhem’s charm to see the knuckle braces. I want to ask more questions, but I force myself to focus on Mayhem’s business answers.
“I am working with a couple of businesses at the moment. They are both mergers and acquisitions. I draw up a financial plan first and then help them execute it when they are ready.” Again, his tenor is cool and confident.
I also kill them if they don’t pay back my ridiculous interest rates, the thought percolates in my mind. I peek at Mayhem to see his eyes are set on me again. The corners of his lips lift into a smile as though he can hear my thoughts. That’s right, I know who you are.
I lower my eyes back to my plate. My cheeks are probably tomato status. I don’t know how much I have eaten. I’ve lost my gauge.
“You must be quite an asset to the companies,” Eunhye remarks in awe. “Have you always been in finance?”
I want to roll my eyes so badly.
“Yes. I have always had an affinity for numbers,” Mayhem replies casually. “This is quite a remarkable meal, by the way. Thank you for not only cooking lunch, but inviting me over. I haven’t had a home cooked meal in a long time.”
I can see Eunhye falling in love with Jaewon right then and there. While he is eating her food, Eunhye is eating up his words. She beams and her cheeks flush. Even Mr. Im is impressed with his nephew. What is up with these gang lords not having home cooked meals? I am sure with the amount of money he has, Jaewon can easily hire someone to cook for his convenience.
“Believe me, it is my pleasure,” Eunhye gushes at Mayhem’s response. She playfully pushes at Mr. Im’s shoulder. “Dongwan, I am so impressed with your nephew. Where has he been all this time?”
“In America,” Mr. Im answers truthfully. “Someone with his talent belongs in a society where he can benefit from all the opportunities.”
Eunhye and Mr. Im’s chatter fade into the background. I bravely glance at Mayhem again. He has a piece of chicken between his chopsticks. Mayhem pops it into his mouth and casually chews. His eyes never deviate from our eye contact. I swallow hard, feeling my palms moistening. I am officially out of my element here. I want to be that pair of chopsticks! My intuition swoons over him. I quickly slap her down. She has no shame.
“I am sure I am not the only one with ambition.” True to the gang lord style, Mayhem chimes in the conversation that Eunhye and Mr. Im are having.
Eunhye glances at me. The motherly instinct in her activates. “Well, my May is certainly making her path in life. She’s a junior in college, and she works two jobs.”
Please mom. I want to remain as anonymous as I can. But I am sure Mayhem probably has information about me in a file somewhere. I have been around Choi Sangwoo long enough to know that these gang lords have access to information that presidents struggle to obtain.
“College and two jobs?” Mayhem asks as though this is news to him. “What do you plan to do after college?”
Join your rival gang, my intuition snickers. “I don’t know yet,” is the boring answer I come up with.
Mayhem doesn’t look disappointed with my boring answer. “You can work for me.” He staggers us all.
“Oh!” Eunhye gasps with delight. She drops the fork in her hand. “That would be wonderful. May!” My mother slaps my shoulder as though we hit the jackpot. She is beside herself at the prospect.
What the hell am I going to do at his financial company? This has to be a joke. I already have one gang leader who is trying to recruit me. I mentally and physically cannot handle another one. I quickly come up with a bevy of excuses. “I don’t think my psychology degree will be b
eneficial to Jaewon’s company. My field of study focuses on human development and perception, not finance and loans.”
“We give our clients a psychological assessment when it comes to the larger loans. I usually employ in-house psychologists. You never know what kind of people you’re going to get when it comes to money.” Mayhem’s tone clips at the end of his sentence. The look in his eyes smolder at the prospect as if he’s really entertaining the idea.
I feel an extraordinary sense of self-consciousness. This is worse than sitting in front of a mirror or looking at a photograph. Being put under the microscope by such an attractive and powerful man is nerve-wracking in every sense of the word. I am tongue-tied and a nervous wreck.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Mr. Im chimes in. His eyes sparkle with eagerness. “Why wait until graduation. I’m sure Jaewon has an internship program right now.”
“I do,” Mayhem replies shortly. The glint in his eyes deepens.
Oh hell no. I am not doing this. This is worse than peer pressure. This is gang and elder pressure. “I don’t think–” is my feeble attempt to speak my mind.
“Don’t be shy May,” Eunhye admonishes me. “This is the perfect opportunity.” My mother faces Mr. Im and does me the embarrassing favor of explaining my employment history and situation. I am helpless. I want to stop her from going on about it, but Eunhye is like a speeding train when she talks. In the grand scheme of things, this is a great opportunity for me if Mayhem wasn’t a gang lord. But Mr. Im and Eunhye don’t know the truth.
“May, this is a great opportunity to get your foot into the workforce. Jaewon’s companies are some of the most reputable in the world.” Mr. Im burns me with his stare.
How can someone so young own several companies? Not that I remotely entertain the idea of working for him. I simply recall Sangwoo’s words that Mayhem is one of the wealthiest gang lords the world has ever seen.
He’s probably a billionaire, my intuition sighs. I glance at Mayhem who has a guarded facial expression on. His mouth presses into a hard line. He’s done eating. From the hooded look in his eyes, I know Mayhem is assessing me. I am not going to play into the palm of his hands. I will not do anything in front of Eunhye and Mr. Im without careful calculation.
April Loves Black Coffee: First Impressions Page 34