Choose me, Secretary Marsh [Ninizz vs Husseyzz vs Daerin]

05 | Surprise!

| Lee-Marsh Apartment |

The morning was a little more hectic than her usual routine. Hyein took longer in the bathroom, apparently she had thrown up and of course Danielle, being a good big sister, was worried about her. She still took care of her and made sure Hyein was okay, but it caused some chaos in her own schedule. Of course, it wasn't something she couldn't handle either, but she didn't like the thought of being late at all. "Get some rest and if anything comes up, don't hesitate to call me ok?" Danielle leaned down to her sister and gave her a kiss on the forehead before getting up and getting ready for work.

Out the front door, she looked into the face of Haerin, who had apparently been waiting patiently for Danielle. A minimal smile graced her face and without a word, the younger girl walked forward in the direction of the elevator. Shouldn't she have left by now? Haerin is usually out at the same time, so why was she still here so late? The thoughts circled around in Danielle's head until a voice pulled her out of them: "...we're going to be late, do you want to get in or not?" Haerin stood in the elevator, just waiting for her to follow. "Oh, of course," a short reply ensured that Danielle also got in and so the two women made their way out of the apartment complex.

On the street outside the building, Danielle waved goodbye to the other and was about to make her way to the bus stop when Haerin stopped her. Her gaze fell on the hand at her joint, followed the arm and then landed on Haerin's face, questioning. "...like I said, we're going to be late. Get in." She let go of Danielle again and indicated with a nod of her head that Haerin would drive her, which of course suited her perfectly. A smile of thanks spread across Danielle's lips and she naturally accepted the offer as she climbed into the passenger seat and drove against the clock with her neighbor.

| Workplace |

Danielle was immensely grateful for the ride to work and of course she showed her appreciation by pressing a small kiss on Haerin's cheek before getting out of the car. Haerin herself was completely surprised by this and didn't know how to react at the moment, but she just waved after her: "See you later." The words were stuck in Danielle's head, what exactly did she mean by that? She didn't want to waste much more thought on it though, after all she was friends with Hyein, maybe she just wanted to check on her later and already knew that she had fallen ill. Danielle then made her way into the building, after all, she really didn't want to waste any time.

In the lobby, of course, she was met by all the familiar faces. Danielle greeted everyone in a friendly manner and gave them her typical smile, and many of her colleagues were also in the elevator to get to her floor. It looked like she had just managed not to arrive completely late, so it could only be a matter of a few minutes. And the way her boss had been behaving lately, Danielle didn't really seem to be afraid of being reprimanded. The sound of the elevator and the pleasant voice told her that she had arrived on her floor and Danielle stepped out happily, only to walk purposefully towards her desk. But the closer she got to it, the more she recognized a very familiar face.

"Hanni? ...what are you doing here? Don't you have to work today?" Danielle was now really overly confused and the broad grin on Hanni's face didn't make it any better. "Of course, you're right, I have to work, but first I can say hello to you, can't I?" Hanni spread her arms and immediately pulled Danielle into a big hug. She rubbed her hand over Danielle's back, patted it twice and immediately pulled away from her again. "All well and good, but aren't you late? What would your boss think of that?" Right now, a throat-clearing noise could be heard, which was probably a little louder on purpose to really attract attention. Minji was suddenly standing nearby and glanced back and forth between Danielle and Hanni: "I wouldn't like it if you were late."

Wait, what did Minji just say? Danielle was now completely speechless and her gaze shifted from her boss to Hanni, who gestured briefly with her hands: "Surprise!" Then Danielle realized: Hanni had changed jobs and was now working here too! But why? She had such a well-paid job and loved her work there, so why the hell would she change? Minji also seemed to look between them a little questioningly now: "You already know each other?" Danielle nodded at her question, immediately followed by Hanni, who threw her arm around her friend's shoulder, which made Minji tense up low key. "Yep, she and I are practically inseparable. Best friends since elementary school!" She spoke casually to her new boss and Hanni immediately earned an disapproving expression from Minji.

Danielle didn't know what hit her. Before she could even react or defuse the situation, Minji spoke up again: "Back to your desk, Ms. Pham. And as for you, Ms. Marsh, to my office." Her boss sounded much colder than usual when she was around. Was she disappointed that Danielle was a few minutes late after all? Minji turned away from them with her statement and turned her back on them. Hanni let go of Danielle and shrugged her shoulders, she didn't know what had suddenly happened either, but she too made her way to her new desk. Danielle swallowed hard and her attention fell back from her friend to her boss, who was already waiting outside the door and just gave her a stern look . . . hopefully she wouldn't get into trouble now.

It wasn't long before Danielle was standing inside the office. Minji closed the door behind them and stepped towards her secretary, not a single word coming out of her. Out of reflex and because she was nervous as hell, Danielle stepped further and further back until she felt the huge window at her back. Minji didn't stop in her stride, she raised her hand and placed it right next to her head, leaning against the window and looking deep into Danielle's eyes. The secretary didn't know where to look and this position made her heart race like crazy, which Minji noticed this time and she now raised her other hand and grabbed the woman's chin firmly. "Is there more going on between you?" Without wasting any more time, this question shot out of her boss and she raised a brow questioningly.

Almost forced to look her in the eye, she looked at Minji. Did she hear jealousy? Danielle could literally feel how important the question was to her and that she shouldn't answer it incorrectly. The 26-year-old shook her head hesitantly: "N-no... but she confessed to me." There was a pause between them, Minji let go of her and also took her hand back. "So that means it's not mutual?" Her boss turned away from Danielle with the question and began to gnaw on the nail of her thumb and mumble to herself, "Alright, alright... that means I still have a chance" Without waiting for Danielle to answer, she wandered over to her desk and ordered her employee to please sit down.

The day really couldn't get any crazier for Danielle. She sat down in the chair in front of her boss's desk, her heart still racing wildly in her chest. She couldn't hide the flush on her cheeks, which was also Minji's fault. "We'll be getting another employee," the 28-year-old began to speak up again and clicked the mouse on her computer, looking for one file or another, "I thought we might need some help with all the paperwork, which is why my mother recommended someone." Minji pressed a button on her phone, "Mr. Kim? You can have her come up."

It wasn't long before there was a knock on the office door and Minji calmly mentioned that it was okay to enter. The door opened and Danielle leaned her upper body back to see what the new person looked like, only to drop her jaw to the floor immediately. The woman in front of them bowed slightly and put a warm smile on her face, "Good afternoon, my name is Kang Haerin, pleased to make your acquaintance." Minji immediately stood up and walked around her desk to shake Haerin's hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Kang. I've only heard good things about you so far," then the boss gestured with her free hand over to Danielle, who was still quite flabbergasted, "May I introduce you to my secretary: Danielle Marsh. The best in her field." 

Haerin's and Danielle's eyes met in the middle and the former certainly didn't fall out of character, but she couldn't resist her next remark: "I'll take your word for it. I hope I can learn a lot from her." Haerin came over to her and held out her hand to Danielle, which she accepted with a delay and shook. It was all too much for her little brain, why the hell was everyone at work now? And how did Haerin know her boss's mother, what the hell? The secretary looked over at the other in disbelief, but Haerin only gave her a flirtatious wink.

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Author: Let the games begin! :D