9 Her Once Again

KJ's face betrayed no emotion. He kept himself stoic as he saw Mirae standing in front of him. She was smiling brightly, a smile he had seen numerous times in the past. The smile, he thought would remain only in memories. Yet, there she was, standing in front of him with her eternal optimism.

Ash did not express any hint of recognition either. He merely nodded at her, put on his earphones and leaned backwards, showing no interest in the conversation.

Jinhyun and Dasom, on the other hand, were very welcoming.

"Welcome to the team, Ms. Mirae!" Dasom exclaimed as he shook her hand.

"Hope we'll work well together," Jinhyun smiled as he too shook her hand.

"I will try my best to support you all!" Mirae said with an optimistic determination. "Please take care of me."

"Don't mess up," Jiwon said coolly. "I don't like carelessness."

"Yes sir!" Mirae reaffirmed her stance. "I will not disappoint you, sir!"

KJ merely nodded at her before excusing himself from the room. As soon as he was out of sight, he dashed to the washroom. He felt suffocated as his breaths shortened and he felt his heart pounding into his chest as if it will burst open any moment. His temperature was rising rapidly and beads of sweat dripping from his body. As he felt his entire body getting clammy, he struggled to reach his pocket. Finally, he managed to pull out a small bottle of pills. He hastily opened the bottle and popped two pills into his mouth, draining them in with tap water from the sink.

After a few moments, he was finally able to catch his breath. His body was cooling down and his heart beat slowed down to a normal pace. He looked into the mirror, to see his pale face staring back at him.

"Why?" he asked himself. "Why is she here?"

Was Mirae really the mysterious CEO of Abyss? That would explain why she was able to easily apply for this position. Was she here to directly face off against the Cartel? Why risk exposing herself?

"I have to know," KJ decided. "I have to protect her."

KJ returned to the room after a few minutes.

"Are you alright?" Ash raised his eyebrows. All of them looked up, including Mirae. Unbeknownst to the others, Ash knew that KJ suffered from panic attacks under strenuous situations. Judging by his somewhat pale expression, KJ probably suffered another attack. Ash could not figure out what might have caused it. Did he recognize the CEO of Abyss? Ash wondered.

"I'm fine," KJ replied in a hoarse voice. "We have to continue on our song. And you-"

He turned towards Mirae, who gave him a hopeful smile. "Go and arrange the music notes at singing studio number two. Arrange them in alphabetical order."

"Yes, sir!" Mirae bowed down and quickly left the room.

"We'll start with Jinhyun's part," Jiwon ordered the others.

Suddenly Ash stood up. "I need to make a call," he stated. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

KJ nodded and turned his attention to Jinhyun who had taken his place at the recording room. "Sing it at high pitch," KJ ordered.

Ash walked down the long corridor, till he reached studio room number 2. The other artists on that floor were at their own schedules, so the hallway was deserted for the day. He found Mirae in the room, busily arranging the files.

He quietly entered the room and shut the door behind him.

"You're late," Mirae stated, not looking at him as she sorted the notes. "I believe you have some information for me?"

"Madam Lim will be receiving a consignment on Saturday," Ash said quietly. "A ship will arrive and deck at Incheon Port. The person in charge of delivering the goods is Ziko. He's one of the inner members of the Cartel."

"Zico, huh?" Mirae was lost in thought. "Have you ever seen this Ziko?"

"No," Ash admitted. "And even if he is in charge of delivering the goods, he won't arrive at the port himself. He'll send one of his trusted cronies. Capture the deliveryman and he'll lead you to Ziko."

"No, the delivery men are mere pawns," Mirae pointed out, facing him. "They probably haven't even met Ziko. Our best bet is to steal those goods ourselves and lure Ziko out."

"How will you do that?" Ash frowned.

"I'll figure something out," Mirae said indifferently. "Anyways, I wanted to tell you something."

Ash raised his brows. "I have arranged for your sister to be admitted at a private school in Los Angeles. They have an amazing education program along with top notch extracurricular activities. Their security is also the best among all the US schools. She'll also have my guards watching over her constantly. So rest assured, she'll be safe there."

Listening to her words made Ash feel relieved. "When will she be leaving?" he asked.

"This Friday," Mirae replied. "I have arranged for her Visa and student permit as well. She will live at one of the hostels inside the school. The Cartel won't even touch her there."

He nodded as words would not come out of his mouth. It was hard to express the gratitude he felt. He watched as she turned back to rearrange the files. For a few minutes, he watched her working in silence. Feeling his intense gaze on her, made Mirae feel giddy and nervous.

"I am curious though," Ash broke the silence. "Why did you decide to show your real face to me? And why are you here without any disguise?"

"I'm here, to openly confront the Cartel," she answered, stapling some of the papers in her hand. "It's high time, I confront the Cartel head on."

That part however, was not completely true. She was more curious as to how KJ knew her real name.

"And why did you show your real face to me?" Ash repeated.

Mirae turned to face him again. Ash noticed her face went a little red.

"To recruit you, of course," she snapped, her face getting flushed. Ash smirked and walked towards her until they were only inches apart. She did not back away from his gaze.

"Really?" he asked, leaning forward. Mirae felt a little dazed.

"Was it really to recruit me?" Ash teased. "Or was it because of something else?"

"What will you do if it was because of something else?" Mirae shot back.

"And what is the reason?" he leaned closer. Mirae was backed into a corner of the wall.

She let out a sharp breath. His lips looked delectable to her and she had the urge to bite them.

"Ms. Jung, I'm waiting for an answer," Ash provoked her.

"This is my answer," Mirae said before pulling him into a kiss. Ash, surprised by her boldness, scooped her face into his hands and pulled her closer. Her hands were running through his hair and she played with his lips, tasting his mouth with her might. Her fierce kisses were driving him crazy and he used his tongue to explore her.

Ash broke off the kiss, but Mirae's hands were pulling him back, urging to continue. He instead picked her up and led her to a couch nearby.

"Don't stop," Mirae demanded in a seductive tone.

"Dear, we can go all the way some other day," Ash said breathlessly. "But I don't have a condom today. However, I can show you a little bit of gratitude in some other way."

Mirae gave him a confused look as he pulled her closer. He smiled and slid his fingers in front of her trousers, unbuckling them. He then proceeded to take off her panties and gently tossed them to the floor. He sat on the couch and motioned her to sit on his lap.

Mirae obliged, wrapping her legs around his waist. She could feel his hardness throbbing through his jeans.

Ash leaned in closer to her. Mirae, thinking he was coming in for a kiss, leaned forward as well but his lips instead moved to her neck. She felt him nibbling her through the turtleneck sweater she was wearing.

"This needs to go," Ash ordered and in a flash pulled off her sweater. Mirae was now bare in front of him, wearing only her bra.

Ash looked at her in wonder.

"May I touch you?" he whispered. Mirae smiled and pecked him on his lips.

"Of course," she smiled against his lips. Getting her consent, he began to explore her. He slid his hands under her bra, feeling her nubs getting harder. He gently rubbed them, sending Mirae to a delicious ecstasy. She felt his member getting harder against her naked clit. It was sending shivers down her spine. She held his hands, guiding them to her soft spots.

Ash sucked on one of her breasts. Even though the bra was still in the way, Mirae moaned and pulled him closer, longing for him to go on. Feeling her eagerness, Ash used one of his hands to support her waist while the other one slowly trailed down her navel till it reached the opening between her legs. He continued to suck on her breasts, while his hand toyed with her opening.

Mirae was letting out soft moans. She could not contain her frustration anymore as she felt her clit getting wetter. She pulled his face closer to her chest, as he switched to suck on her other breast.

"God damn it Ash!" she cursed. "Just do it already."

Ash slowly inserted his finger into her opening and began to thrust into it. Mirae, wild with pleasure, wiggled on his lap as his fingers moved inside her. He slowly laid her on the couch, still fingering every inch inside her. Mirae held on to the foam for dear life. Ash spread her legs apart and took out his finger from her hole.

Mirae let out an angry snarl. "Is that all the gratitude you felt?" she growled in annoyance.

Ash smirked. "Darling, I've just started," he replied. He was mildly pleased to see that he left a hickey on her the other night. He lightly bit on her right nipple and licked it. He bit into her navel leaving another hickey. Slowly, he made his way to her opening. He positioned his mouth in front of her clit.

"I'm going to enjoy tasting you very thoroughly," he echoed her words from last time.

"Who's stopping you?" she dared him. Taking it as a challenge, Ash began to lick her clit. He masterfully slid his tongue into her opening, feeling her juices flowing out. Mirae felt her body jerk in pleasure and she arched in pleasure. His tongue skillfully moved inside her, licking her thoroughly as she writhed. Mirae felt her orgasm build up.

"Ash...ughh...I think I'm going to…" she moaned. Suddenly he pulled out his tongue and placed her on top of his hardened member. She felt it, rock solid under his clothes, poking her opening.

"Relax," he cooed her as he rubbed her clit against his waist. Feeling his dick teasing her was making her feel ecstatic as her orgasm reached its height. 

"Let it out," he ordered seductively. Hypnotized by his voice, Mirae's body jerked one last time before she released her orgasm.

Panting heavily, she laid on top of him and his hand was stroking her back. There were some visible hickeys on her neck and chest areas.

"These will be hard to hide," she laughed. Ash smiled.

"Oh well, I'll just have to make sure you'll have to wear turtlenecks for a long time," he said naughtily, making her blush.