Chapter 4 I keep meeting handsome men

Emily worked part-time at five different places: a cafe, a restaurant, a drive-in, a diner, and a bistro.

One of the places she worked at in the morning was Hot 'n' Chilly, a cafe where she served as a server. As she slipped open the glass door and entered the restaurant, a smile spread across her face. "Annyeonghaseyo!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Annyeon Emily!" Madam Ma, the restauranteur, replied without looking up, recognizing Emily's voice.

Madam Ma gasped as soon as she looked up at Emily. "Aigoo! What happened?" she exclaimed.

Emily pressed her lips together. "Ah, this?" She smiled sheepishly. "I got hit..."

"Aigoo!" Madam Ma exclaimed. "I've always told you to be careful. You're too clumsy," she scrunched up her face.

Emily scratched the back of her head. "I... I was a bit careless."

"So, the driver was blind?" Madam Ma frowned.

Emily gulped, thinking to herself, 'If that driver were here right now, you wouldn't have said what you just said.'

"Um... I came to ask for a few weeks off," Emily said.

Madam Ma smiled at her motherly. "Aishh! You shouldn't have troubled yourself coming here to say that. Spend as much time as you want at home, okay?" She patted Emily on the back.

"Nde." Emily smiled in appreciation. "Kamsahamnida." She bowed her head, bid her goodbye, and left the cafe.

After leaving Hot 'n' Chilly, Emily went to the four other places she worked at-Xi's Snack Bar, Forks 'n' Fingers (a diner), Smiley Drive-in, and B-exclusive (a bistro)-to request a few weeks off. She didn't have time to dwell on her heartbreak.

"Kamsahamnida!" Emily grinned as she stepped out of B-exclusive, her last workplace.

Deciding she wasn't ready to return to her apartment just yet, she walked a bit on her crutch and then stopped. With a sigh, she kicked the air with her right foot. Crossing the road, she headed to a cocktail bar to drown her sorrows. It was already noon, and one of her employers had given her some money.

Finding a quiet spot in the bar, Emily settled in. A man in his fifties, who had been eyeing her since she entered, approached her with a mischievous grin. "Hey, pretty girl."

"Annyeon," Emily stole a glance at him and looked away.

"Err... you look really pretty, and I'm sure you'll be very good..." the man winked. "Let's spend the night together," he smirked.

"I'm not a slut!" Emily snapped. "Besides, as you can see, I'm injured." She added, giving him a stern look.

The man smiled drunkenly. "Come on... I'll pay you. Just one night."

"Stop playing hard to get," he laughed hysterically.

As the man staggered closer, he reached out to touch Emily's hair. She yelled furiously, trying to remove his hand with her injured right hand. He tightened his grip on her hair, but suddenly, someone intervened and broke his hand.

"Ahhhhhh!" he screamed as his bones snapped. He looked up and saw a terrifying sight.

"Ahhh... please spare my life... pleaseee..." he pleaded, already on the verge of tears. "I won't do it again... I swear on my life. I didn't know she was your...." His voice trailed off as he started to sob uncontrollably, his hands trembling.

He was pushed away by the hand that gripped him. He scampered on his feet and ran out of the bar at full speed.

"Miss, are you alright?" a concerned voice asked.

Emily looked up at the person that had just saved her. It was her savior again, the stunningly handsome man who had rescued her from some guys the previous night.

"Neo!" Emily stuttered, recognizing him.

"We meet again," he smiled, taking the seat next to hers.

"Uwa.." Emily grinned, surprised to see him.

"Have you been well?" his voice trailed off as he took a peek at her leg and the crutch. "You are injured."

"It was an accident," Emily pouted, staring at her bandaged arm.

"Ayah, sorry," he frowned.

He raised one of his brows and pressed lightly on his earbud.

He smiled at Emily and stood up. "I have to get going now."

"Ah, nde," Emily nodded her head.

"Err, I didn't get your name last night..." he said, smiling again.

Emily twitched up her lips. "Emily."

He nodded his head. "Hmn.. my name is Vincent."

"Bye, I'm leaving first." He waved at her and turned to leave.

"Ahh.." Something flashed through his eyes, and he turned back to face Emily.

He reached into his pocket and brought out a business card.

"Here's my card. If you need anything, contact me," he stated, handing the card over to Emily.

"Annyeon. You should leave soon too," he smiled at her and walked out of the bar.

Emily smiled and dropped the card on the counter. She cupped her chin with her right hand and smiled again.

"I keep meeting handsome men," her lips curled up in a cute smile.

She took the glass of cocktail shake and gulped it down her throat.

"Ah..." She grimaced and dropped the cup on the counter.

She stood up on her right foot and reached for her crutch. She supported herself with it and leaped out of the bar after paying for her drink.

She huffed and rubbed her palms as the cold breeze hit her face. She hadn't taken ten steps when an oncoming car's headlights shone brightly on her face. Immediately, she stopped in her tracks and squinted-she might fall if she didn't, and she wasn't ready to complicate things further.

The car screeched, coming to an abrupt stop beside her. She stared at the driver's side as the tinted window wound down.

'Huh?... It's the handsome god,' Emily opened her mouth as soon as she got a glimpse of the person in the car.

Joel's cold gaze swept over her. "Get in."

"Huh?.." Emily stuttered dumbly.

He looked away from her and pressed on the accelerator.

"Ahhh... wait!" She screamed as soon as she regained her senses.

The cocktail shake she had definitely blurred her brain.

Quickly, she grabbed tightly onto the crutch and leaped towards the car, but she was already too late. She couldn't catch up with the car. Joel had left. She let out a sigh and fell to the ground.

She sobbed silently, hitting her fist on her chest. "Everyone hates me... Why is this world so cruel? Why!?"

She was still crying when a few minutes later, she felt a car's headlights shining brightly behind her. She sniffed, grabbed her crutch, and le

aped up on her foot. She turned towards the car...

'...he came back,' she cried happily.

She hiccuped and sniffed as she kept staring at Joel.

"Just a second," Joel fluttered his eyelashes.

Emily got a hold of herself and leaped towards the passenger's side of the car hastily. She wasn't going to let her chance slide past her this time around.

She stood still when she got to the door and looked down at her hands-one was injured, and the other was holding a crutch.

She bit her lower lip and looked at Joel through the door window, her eyes motioning him to help her with the door. But it seemed as though the man was staring at everything but her.

Joel huffed out a sigh and, without looking her way, he pressed a button on his door side, and the passenger's side door flung open and hit Emily on her forehead.

"Ahhhhahhhhn!" She screamed.

Joel snickered as he watched her. Emily quickly looked up at him, but he was staring at her with his usual cold gaze. She bit her lip as she could have sworn he smiled just now.

Grudgingly, she stepped into the car and shut the door.

Joel pressed lightly on the accelerator and drove off in an unknown direction to the lady sitting beside him.

"Kumawo," Emily stared at him gratefully. (A/N: Kumawo is an informal way of saying thank you.)

"When you've healed, leave," Joel's cold voice pierced through her skin, and she shuddered.

'Can't he be less... as in really really less harsh on me...' she sneered puffily.

In no time, Emily drifted off to sleep, her head dangling from left to right and front to back as the car moved.

As Joel drove straight into the villa, he stole a glance at the girl beside him-she was fast asleep.

'Fuck, she's even drooling in my car,' he clenched his teeth.

He bit his lower lip mischievously and pressed on the accelerator. The car moved speedily, but then, he suddenly pressed on the brake.

Emily's body lurched forward, and she hit her forehead on the dashboard.

She woke up and clasped her hand on her forehead. "Ahhhhahhhhn.."

"Yahhh!!!" She yelled furiously.

"Can't you..." Her voice trailed off immediately as she turned to face Joel, but was met by his cold glare.

She gulped. Her expression quickly changed from annoyance to complete sobriety.

"Ermm, I didn't know it was you... Sir," she stated meekly.