9:30 Meeting with the Devil

"Tomorrow is a free day." And I didn't want to waste my chance to explore the city by attending to some stupid, self-centred errand from Park Daisuke.

"And?" He closed the book and stared at me as if my asking for some personal time was a thing of mere fiction.

"Yes, sir." I mentally elbowed myself for being so stupid. I was going to use the opportunity to buy Eiichi something for his birthday, which was in two days.

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"You're late." I stared at my watch; the time was thirty minutes after ten. "You had insisted on 9:30, and yet you came an hour late." Park Daisuke cocked his head to the side like a kitten, and pretended he didn't make a slip up with the times.

"I was getting ready." He shoved his hands into his blazer pocket. "One of us had to look like we put effort into getting ready." He murmured loud enough for me to hear.

"I do put in effort." I wore a nice loose dress and my shiny nude sandals. I thought I looked cute, dare I say fucking cute. As if Park Daisuke had read my thoughts, he turned around and gave me a once over before scoffing and walking out the exit. "Damn you giraffe-legged asshole," I whispered.

"Where is the taxi?" He adorned his black shades and peered around for the mystical taxi. He did know they didn't just appear per his beck and call? You needed to literally beckon and call them. I held back the urge to facepalm myself.

"I'll call one sir." I dialled the number on my phone.

"You should have done that before I arrived." He hissed and turned back into the hotel. I did call them, I had called them six times, but each time they came, you weren't here. Don't act like I'm the insubordinate one.

The taxi arrived surprisingly. I was positive they would have blocked my number after all the calls I made. "Where are we going?" I peered out the car window and looked longingly at the fascinating city I wouldn't get to see, the restaurants I wouldn't get to eat at, the food-stand vendors I wouldn't get to haggle prices with. "So. Sir, where are we going?" I repeated, almost tempted to jump out of the moving car.

"Just shut up and see." He flipped through a magazine and bit his bottom lip. Probably craving some chocolate, fatty-boy. I sneered to myself, excited at the prospect of telling Eiichi all about his chocolate obsession. But then again, maybe Eiichi already knew; they had been friends for a long time, and he did mention Park Daisuke not being able to survive without him. I turned to look at his hair blowing gently in the wind, not held in place like prisoners to the hair gel. "What?" He shut the magazine and shifted away from him like I was creepy. I shifted away from him too.

"The mall!" I turned around to look at him, disappointed. We were just going to the mall. "Why couldn't you just say that," I muttered.

"I don't have to explain myself to a subordinate." He marched forward, leaving me to face the embarrassing stares of passersby.

"I meant. What do you need me for?" I stared at the sparkling stores. No doubt, we were in the bougie part of the mall. I felt out of place, now I regretted wearing my current attire. The women all had sky-high heels and cute mini skirts, I looked like Park Daisukes mum. "What is the 'help' you need me for." I stuttered, mixing up my words. "Did you need fashion advice from me?" I looked up at him hopeful, but he stopped in his track and repressed his giggle while his shoulders shook.

"What is this?" He pointed at a mannequin in a garment that touched her knees.

"A dress," I responded.

"Exactly, I'll have better luck asking a nun for fashion advice." He pulled my arms up and smiled wickedly at me. "I just need your arms." Then he let them fall to my side and pranced off.

"My arms?" I looked down at my hands. He needed my arms to… Then like a silent fart, it struck me. "You need me to carry all your shopping bags!" I raced after him as he proceeded to pretend like he didn't know me.

"Don't walk so close to me. You look like some grandma's 50-year-old table cloth." Park Daisuke quickened his speed.

"That didn't hurt at all" I held the faux tears back. My outfit was cute, the lady at the shop told me so. Why would I listen to Park-spit-on-everything-you-love Daisuke? "And, I am not carrying around your shopping bags for you." He paused, then looked at me.

"Then who will?" He stared at me, undoubtedly and genuinely lost. Was he born with a silver spoon shoved up his ass? I reached for his arms and pulled them up.

"You will. With these." You have hands, mister, carry your damn shit or get your butler to do it. I felt bad for Eiichi; he had known this man for years, so he had been putting up with all of this.

"I see. I guess you have no interest in the new shoes. I was going to buy you." He turned around to walk off, but I raced after him.

"Did you say new shoes?" I admit it was shallow of me. But who in their right mind would say 'no' to 'new' shoes, especially when the person offering to pay for them was the debonair and very rich Park Daisuke.

"I did say I would, but you have no interest. Right-" He froze and stared at the title of the shop front, eyes widened, but then, he turned away and walked off.

What? Not expensive enough for your majesty? Relax, Mizuki, he could buy you ten new shoes if you play your nice cards right.

"Nonsense. Where would you like to shop first?" I beamed in my sweetest tone. "We can start at ties, then shoes. Or we can start at women's shoes." But Park Daisuke had turned around and gone back into the store. I raced to follow behind him, only to be stopped by a lady clad in silver. She looked me up and down, clearly making gest at my supposed fashion inferiority. If I was a regular person, I would definitely feel mocked, but I had become immune to this treatment thanks to Park Daisuke.

"Park Daisuke Sir, would you like your maid to wait outside?" She turned to smile at Park Daisuke.

"I'm not his maid." I responded back at her rude statement, but what struck me as odd was how she already knew his name? He turned to look back at us, his expression stern and cross.

"Leave her, she works under me." He looked around at the store, almost bewildered.

"What would you like today Mr. Park?" The lady walked to the suits in the back. "We have our latest launched designs all in your size. Which design would you like for us to package for you?" She beamed as she spoke. The life of the wealthy was a tantalizing fantasy. I imagined walking into a store and being asked 'which dress Miss Ho, would you like to take hom'-

"All of them." Everyone in the store turned to gawk at Park Daisuke, who was staring holes into the clothes. He waved at the lady as if to imply she was deaf. "I thought I told you to pack up all of them."

"As you wish sir." She quickly turned to look at another employee who was busy with another client. "Please wrap up all the suits for Park Daisuke."

"Did I stutter?" He slammed his hand on the desk. While the ladies peeped in fear. "I said all of them, I'll take everything in the damn store." He tossed his black card on the table. The woman in silver turned to look at me. What did she expect me to do or say? I was just as confused with the entire ordeal.

Maybe, "he wants all the styles in his size... I presume" I chimed in only to receive a nasty look from Park Daisuke.

"Pack up everything, the shoes, ties, pens, papers. If it has this logo on it. I want it." He turned to look at the people in the store. "The rest of you pack your shitty wallets and get the fuck out." The customers all zoomed passed me to leave the store.

"Park Daisuke, we can't do that." The lady approached him slowly, obviously trying to reason with him.

"You wouldn't want me to 'make' you do it now would you." She gulped and hurried to the back to do as she was told. As they packed up everything in the store, Park Daisuke's shoulders slowly rose and lowered.