TO COAL MOUNTAIN

Hana was glaring daggers at him but Liam just winked at her playfully. She didn't want him to tell Jacob that she called him a cold robotic man. He would be upset for sure. "Go away! Why do you have to keep butting in?"

"Because it is useless talking to him about this?"

"Then, should I talk to you about it? Do you even know what love is? I am pretty sure you know how to play with women but not love them."

"Hey! Why do you have a very sharp tongue? You are hurting me." Liam clutched his chest as if he was in deep pain but Hana just rolled her eyes at him. "Just so you know, little flower, I also know how to love but there were women who prefer to play with me."

"Don't listen to his nonsense." Jacob reached out his hands and covered Hana's ears. "He will pollute your mind."

Hana was staring at him from shock. He was very close to him and she can already smell her natural sweet scent. His face was inches away while he covered her ears for her. Not only her, Liam and her colleagues were surprised too. It was the first time that they saw their boss holding someone close to him.

"Fine. I'll stop talking." Liam went back to his seat and wiggled his eyebrows towards Lily. "I wonder if our little flower will bloom under the care of a cold robot." He whispered towards Lily who chose to ignore him.

None of them had any idea as to what Jacob was thinking and all they could think of was how lucky Hana to be so close to him. It wasn't a secret to everyone that they like their boss, be it a like for an employer, a like for a friend or a like for a crush. However, they never got the courage to tell him or even get close to him. They were contented from just watching him.

Hana was different. She was really bold and brave. She expressed her opinions to him, be it positive or negative. She would tell him how she exactly feels about certain matter. The only thing that they didn't know or wasn't sure of was her feeling towards their boss. She openly told him that she likes him but it was always in a joking manner. They weren't sure if she was being serious or not.

"Boss?'' Hana called to him since he was still holding her. "You can take your hands off now."

Jacob removed his hands from her ears and acted like nothing happened. He was the only one who knew how fast his heartbeat was. He thought he would suffocate himself from the hyperventilation! He looked away from her and looked to the other side of the van.

"Boss, your ears are really red. Are you alright?" Jacob touched his earlobe and felt the warmth on his fingertips. "Or, are you blushing?" Hana whispered to him with a huge grin hanging on her lips.

"I am not blushing." He retorted back to her. "I just realized that I was being rude to you for holding you close without your permission. I am ashamed for my untoward actions."

Hana held herself together to make sure that she won't burst into a fit of laughter. Another personality that he couldn't change was his honesty. He just didn't know how to lie. If he would lie, it would be very obvious because he would avert his eyes from looking at you. Hana didn't say anything anymore. She just let him be and sat quietly beside him.

Since it wasn't traffic when they left, the ride only took three hours to arrive at the city of Agao. "Sir, I can drop you off here so that you can take a hike. I will drive your things to the resort's parking space and wait for you there."

"Alright. Drive safely." They all went out with their bags and walked to the others who also got off from the other van. "It will take us two hours to hike from here to the camp site near the resort of the Coal Mountain. If you want to buy some snacks, drinks, or go on bathroom breaks, you can do it now before we set off. I will give you fifteen minutes."

Everyone went to do their own thing within the give time. Hana and Lily just chatted since they bought their things earlier. "I am pretty sure they have arrived at the place already." Hana mumbled as she checked her watch for the time. It was almost eight in the morning.

"Who will arrive where?" Lily asked her since she didn't understand what she meant.

"My family. They should be at the resort already."

"Resort? You mean the resort in Coal Mountain?"

"Hn. The only reason why they allowed me to come is because they will be staying the hotel. I told you that they won't just let me go that easily."

"Sorry if this would come off rude but, do they have trust issues?" Lily spoke bluntly. It was either they didn't trust Hana or they didn't trust the people that Hana came with, which was why they had to follow her.

"I understand your point. It's not about trust issues, there are just some things that my parents need to monitor. You know how clumsy I am right?"

This made sense to Lily knowing how clumsy Hana was. "You are right. They needed to make sure that you are alright. There princess needs to be safe all the time." Hana and Lily laughed at this remark which was partly true. "Let me guess whose ideas this was."

"Who?"

"Who else but your dear brother."

Hana sighed at this thought. "I should really find a good wife for my brother before I leave."

"Leave? Where are you going?"

"Ha?" Hana panic when she made a slip of the tongue. "Uh..I will leave..I'll leave someday, you know. I might get..get married and live somewhere far. My brother needs to get married, too."

Lily nodded her head in agreement without any idea that the 'leave' Hana meant was entirely a different thing.