Episode 5: Operation: Win Nari

Before Kai could ask another question, Ryú disconnected the call.

Because honestly?

He needed information.

And Kai was his best source.

Kai arrived at exactly one o’clock the next afternoon.

Punctual as always.

As he drove slowly up the winding private drive, his eyes widened slightly.

“Wow…”

A low whistle escaped him.

The property itself was massive.

Elegant landscaping curved around the expansive two-story estate, the black-and-gray brick and dark wood exterior somehow managing to radiate understated wealth instead of obnoxious excess.

Which, honestly, felt very Ryú.

Sophisticated.

Controlled.

Intentional.

Kai parked and climbed out slowly, still looking around as Ryú opened the front door before he even reached it.

“You know,” Kai muttered while walking inside, “you could probably fit my entire apartment inside your garage.”

Ryú ignored that.

Mostly because it was probably true.

Once they settled into the living room, Ryú got directly to the point.

“What’s her favorite food?” Kai blinked.

“…What?”

Ryú leaned forward slightly.

“What does she like? Favorite restaurants. Favorite movies. Music. Things she does when she’s stressed. Hobbies.”

Kai stared at him for several long seconds.

“Whoa. Wait a minute.”

Ryú frowned impatiently.

“What?”

“Why are you asking all this?”

Ryú looked almost offended by the question.

“Because I want to get to know her.” Kai’s expression shifted cautiously.

Ryú continued anyway.

“What she are her likes? What does she dislike. Favorite foods. Things she enjoys doing…”

“Ryú.”

The older man stopped talking immediately at the tone in Kai’s voice.

For the first time since arriving, Kai looked completely serious.

No theatrics.

No joking.

No dramatics.

Just genuine concern.

“Look,” Kai said quietly, “I’m all for you getting to know her. That’s why I wanted you two to meet in the first place.” He exhaled slowly.

“But after all this…” His voice tightened slightly. “If you aren’t serious about her, then leave her alone.”

Ryú went still.

“I mean it,” Kai continued. “I don’t want her hurt anymore.” A pause.

“I just want my sister back.”

That landed harder than Ryú expected.

Because suddenly he realized something important:

Kai wasn’t upset because his matchmaking plan failed.

He was hurting because his sister was hurting.

She had virtually shut him out as well.

And somehow…

that made Ryú respect him even more.

Slowly, Ryú leaned back against the couch, sighed.

“I don’t know where this is going, Kai,” he admitted honestly. “But I have to try.” Kai remained silent.

Ryú rubbed a hand slowly across his jaw.

“I genuinely like her,” he said quietly. “And I want to make this right.” His expression darkened slightly.

“I don’t like seeing her in pain either.”

“And knowing I’m the cause….”

Silence stretched between them.

What Ryú couldn’t explain—even to himself—why seeing her in pain bothered him so much.

He liked her. He admitted as much.

But this felt like something different.

Something he wasn’t quite ready to examine too closely.

Then Kai stood and walked toward the massive windows overlooking the backyard.

For several minutes he simply stood there staring outside.

Thinking.

Finally, he turned back around.

“Okay,” he said quietly.

Ryú looked up.

“But if you hurt her…” Kai’s gaze sharpened warningly. “Boss or not, I’m coming after you.”

For the first time, Ryú stopped seeing Kai as an employee, a junior executive, or an overly dramatic marketing genius.

And instead, saw him for exactly what he was in that moment:

A man protecting someone he loved.

The same way Ryú would protect Ling Lou.

The same way he once warned Zhiang that if he ever hurt his sister, there would be consequences. And somehow…

that understanding settled something between them.

Ryú nodded once.

“I understand.”

Kai studied him for a long moment.
Then suddenly—

for the first time in weeks—

he grinned.

Relief washed visibly across his face.

He was going to get his sister back.

Things were going to get better.

And Ryú realized Kai had been carrying the guilt of causing her pain alone this entire time.

“Alright,” Kai said, dropping back onto the couch. “You need a LOT of help.”

Ryú narrowed his eyes slightly.

“That bad?”

“Oh, catastrophic.” Kai shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I mean, I’ve seen you with women. You’ve got the charm part down like some sleazy auto salesman trying to sell a lemon as if it were a Lexus. But the actual feelings part?” He waved a hand vaguely in Ryú’s direction and cringed. “You’re a sewage system ready to blow.”

Ryú stared at him.

His sister’s assessment of him being emotionally constipated suddenly came to mind.

Despite himself, Ryú laughed softly.

And for the rest of the afternoon, Kai told him everything he could think of.

The fairies.

The mermaids.

The dragons.

Her love of science fiction.

Her obsession with K-dramas.

How fiercely independent she was.

How she took care of everyone else but rarely let anyone take care of her.

How she pretended not to be a romantic while secretly being one of the biggest romantics he’d ever met.

“She acts cynical,” Kai explained, “but she absolutely believes in soulmates.”

Ryú tried very hard not to look too interested in that particular tidbit.

Soulmates.

The word made his heart flutter.

He tried to ignore it.

Failed.

Miserably.

They talked for hours.

Strategized.

Planned.

Argued.

Rejected terrible ideas.

Created slightly less terrible ideas. And by the time dinner approached…

both men sat back looking strangely satisfied.

For the first time since Nari walked away from him… Ryú finally felt like he had direction.

Now he just had to figure out how to convince one angry nurse practitioner to give him another chance.

Ryú sat back, looking strangely satisfied.

“Monday morning, ‘Operation Win Nari’ officially begins.”

Kai stared at him.

“You do realize you’re approaching this like a hostile corporate takeover, right?”

Ryú considered that for a moment.

“I prefer strategic acquisition of forgiveness.”

Kai groaned.

Which, honestly, told Ryú everything he needed to know.

“Now, since the first day is flowers, I’ll make sure it’s waiting for her when she comes out in the morning.”

Ryú raised an eyebrow.

“You?”

“Of course, me.” Kai grinned. “Somebody has to be there to see if it works.”

Monday morning, Nari stepped out of her townhouse, adjusting the strap of her laptop bag as she mentally prepared herself for another long clinic day.

Then she stopped short.

A single yellow rose rested beneath the windshield wiper of her SUV.

Nothing else.

No card.

No note.

No explanation.

Just one perfect yellow rose.

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her mouth before she could stop it.

Hidden two rows away behind a dark SUV, Kai pumped his fist violently.

“Yes!”

The elderly woman loading groceries into the car beside him jumped.

Kai immediately pretended to be looking for something under the dashboard.

That evening, after work, another flower waited for her.

A single lavender calla lily.

Elegant.

Soft.

Beautiful.

Nari picked it up carefully, unable to stop the smile slowly spreading across her face.

“Kai…” she murmured fondly. “What are you doing?” Tuesday morning brought two yellow roses.

By lunchtime, things escalated.

Nari returned to her office to discover a delicate glass fairy with shimmering blue wings sitting beside her computer monitor.

She blinked in surprise.

“Oh my God…”

Carefully lifting it into her hands, she turned toward the nurses’ station.

“Okay, who put this here?”

Every single staff member immediately looked suspiciously innocent.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” one nurse lied horribly.

“Me either,” another chimed in while refusing to make eye contact.

Nari narrowed her eyes.

“Uh huh.”

No card had been included.

Which somehow made the entire thing feel even sweeter.

That evening, another package waited on her doorstep.

Curious now, Nari carried it inside and carefully opened it.

Then froze.

“…No way.”

Nestled carefully inside the tissue paper was a Bob Mackie Moon Goddess Barbie, dressed in a shimmering midnight-blue sheath covered in silver stars and sequins, with a dramatic silver crescent moon sweeping around her.  Nari stared at it in complete disbelief.

“Oh Kai…”

A soft laugh escaped her.

How in the world had he even found one of these? And more importantly—

how much money had he spent?!

Because she knew exactly how rare these dolls were.

She’d priced them before.

Once.

Longingly.

Very carefully, she lifted the doll from the box, smiling like a child while admiring the intricate detailing on the gown.

Her little brother was going all out trying to earn forgiveness.

And honestly?

It was working.

Wednesday morning brought three yellow roses tucked beneath her windshield wiper.

This time, she brought them inside the office with her.

The entire clinic noticed the change immediately.

Her laughter sounded warmer.

Her smiles lasted longer.

The heaviness she’d carried for the past month seemed lighter somehow.

Not gone. Just…

easing.

Around lunchtime, an anonymous catered Thai lunch arrived for the entire office staff.

The nurses nearly rioted with joy.

“Nari,” one of them gasped dramatically around a mouthful of drunken noodles, “whoever this man is, KEEP HIM.”

Nari nearly choked.

“What man?”

The nurse waved her fork toward Nari’s office. “Flowers. Fairies. Now lunch? Please.”

Nari laughed and shook her head.

“It’s not a man. It’s my brother.”

Several people looked at her skeptically.

When she returned to her office afterward, another delicate glass figurine waited on her desk. This time:

a mermaid with shimmering blue fins.

Nari smiled all afternoon.

That evening, another package appeared outside her door.

Inside was the animated movie Strange Magic.

Nari blinked.

Then laughed softly.

“Oh no…”

She curled up on the couch and watched it anyway.

And by the end?

She was laughing.

Crying.

And emotionally invested in fairy romance against her will.

Which was honestly rude.

Thursday morning brought four yellow roses.

At this point, Nari was openly smiling before she even reached her vehicle.

The office staff had started taking bets.

Kai—the little brother Nari had barely spoken to in weeks?

Or the ridiculously handsome businessman she’d unceremoniously, but politely, kicked out of the office the week before?

Opinions were divided.

Nari, of course, remained convinced it was Kai.

Right after lunch, an excited squeal suddenly echoed through the clinic.

Every nurse in the hallway froze.

Then immediately migrated toward Nari’s office like emotionally nosy homing pigeons.

Sitting on her desk in a beautiful silver frame was an autographed photo of Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook.

Her two favorite K-drama actors.

Nari stared at it with both hands covering her mouth.

“Oh my GOD.”

At that exact moment, she was fully prepared to call Kai and forgive him.

Then again…

maybe she’d let him suffer just a little longer.

Just enough to learn his lesson.

That same afternoon, Ryú instructed his secretary to schedule an appointment at the clinic for the very last slot on Friday afternoon.

Under the fake name:

Mr. Abbott.

According to Kai—and Kai’s increasingly invested office informants—Nari had been happier lately.

More herself again.

If everything went according to plan…

by tomorrow evening:

Kai would finally be fully forgiven.

And hopefully…

Ryú would be too.

Oddly enough, Ryú had never enjoyed buying gifts for someone this much before.

Usually he simply transferred money to his assistant and let them handle it.

Efficient.

Practical.

Done.

But this?

This felt different.

Searching for things that would make her smile somehow made him ridiculously happy in return.

Who knew choosing something personal for another human being would make one feel this good?

Leaving another boutique gift shop with Friday’s surprise tucked carefully beneath one arm, Ryú found himself actually looking forward to tomorrow.

Which was a dangerous level of emotional investment.

One that had not gone unnoticed by Arjun.

Waiting for Nari that evening was another package.

Inside rested an elegant blue-gray leather laptop tote.

Nari gasped softly.

“Oh, this is BEAUTIFUL.” The leather was buttery soft.

The craftsmanship exquisite.

The color, sophisticated without being glaringly bright or flat and dull.

She loved it instantly.

At this point, she was officially determined to call Kai. Because while she absolutely adored the gifts…

there was NO way her little brother should be spending this much money on her.

Even if, the gifts equaled the crime.

After getting settled at home that evening, Nari sat on the couch, phone in hand and TV on, with every intention of calling her brother.

She’d call him in just a minute.

Then promptly fell asleep.

She woke up two hours later with a crick in her neck.

“I really have to stop doing this,” she muttered sleepily before getting up and going to bed.

Friday morning brought a dozen red roses.

Nari stopped dead beside her SUV.

The smile that spread across her face could have lit an entire city block.

Parked several cars away, Ryú watched quietly from inside his vehicle. And for one breathtaking moment…

he forgot how to breathe. Because that smile—

that warm, radiant, completely unguarded smile—

hit him straight in the chest.

His heart stumbled so hard it actually startled him.

Right then and there, Ryú made himself a silent promise:

He would spend the rest of his life trying to make her smile like that.

Nari carefully gathered the roses into her arms and headed on to work glowing. She was slightly disappointed when no gift appeared after lunch…

but she remained in an unusually good mood anyway.

Unfortunately, the afternoon clinic schedule was brutal.

Every patient slot was filled, including the double-booked slots.

 Every patient showed up.

Every room stayed full.

And not one patient seemed to have just one simple problem.

Every chart seemed endless.

By late afternoon, the entire office buzzed with suspicious excitement that Nari was far too busy to notice.

This was her last patient of the day.

And she was exhausted.

All she wanted was her couch, comfortable pajamas, and uninterrupted silence.

Opening the exam room door while glancing down at the chart in her hand, she smiled professionally.

“Mr. Abbott? Hi, my name is Nari St. Claire, I’m the nurse practi—” Her voice died instantly.

Sitting casually on the exam table—

looking entirely too handsome for any man to legally be allowed to look—

was Ryú Wei Lóng Alexander.

He watched every emotion cross her face in real time.

Surprise.

Recognition.

Attraction. Then finally…

professional composure.

God, even her restraint was beautiful.

“Since you wouldn’t see me,” Ryú said softly, “or talk to your brother…” His deep voice slid directly down her spine.

“I figured this was the best way to reach you.”

Nari stared at him in complete disbelief.

Then her eyes shifted downward.

And landed on what rested carefully in his hands.

A golden glass dragon.

Everything suddenly clicked into place all at once.

The flowers.

The gifts.

The fairy.

The mermaid.

The movie.

The tote.

The autographs.

Him.

HE had been the one behind all of it.

Slowly…

very slowly…

Nari reached behind her and closed the exam room door.