The lunch went pretty well. Ms Kim put in some good words for her boss. She just said if anything arises don’t hesitate to ask her or her boss. She also said I would be fine in handling Mr Wu. I hoped so. I didn’t want to create more problems even before it’s started. Mr Park was friendly with everyone. He even got Mrs Li to laugh at his jokes. Even Hui was impressed because Mrs Li was one of the strict seniors that rarely showcase her playful side. I guess when one was held responsible for a lot of creative decision in many projects, you tend to look at things in a big picture. You might lose out some fun in life. But Mrs Li was straight an awesome senior art designer. Arguably the best in the company.  At the office, Mr Wang asked me to stop by his office to discuss my involvement for this project.

“Please sit Sara. I know you must be shocked of this.” I just nodded and bowed a little at Mr Wang before I took a sit opposite him.  

“I assure you, this project is the top priority now. Since most copywriters are busy with their currents tasks, you are the only one available to handle this. You need to gather all the information from copywriters, designers and maybe from the media too. Anything that is needed for Mr Wu.”

“Anything that he’s required is probably a bit vague, don’t you think Sir. It’s quite hard to handle it by myself, if I am to be honest”. I tried to find a loophole out of this.

“Nonsense. You did a lot of researches in your previous job, right Sara. Broadcasting was a hell lot messier than an advertising company. This will be a breeze. You are perfect for this. Don’t worry. Besides you are compiling the information. Mrs Li will still lead the team” He waved his hand indicating this discussion was over. 

I stood up and bowed to him out of habit. I walked out and went to the pantry to get some light snack. I went to my desk and slumped on my chair thinking of ways to cope with the sudden pressure of the project. Hui placed a mug of ice green tea on my table to cheer me up. I needed more than just a cup of ice green tea to cheer me up.

“Look, it’s not so bad. I’ll help you. It’s not the end of the world Sara. Besides, Mr Wu is gorgeous. Worse comes to worst, the view wouldn’t be so bad.” Hui smirked at me as she fixed her hair bun. The roots of her hair can be seen and the blue hair was two shades lighter.  

“Are you kidding me? He has a stoic face. He’s a workaholic. He has temper issues. You heard what Mr Park said. I’m doomed.” I hissed at Hui while clasping my head in my hands. I sensed a headache coming my way.

“We both need to relax. You look like you need a massage and some hair t. Your hair looks greasy too.” I just stared at Hui disbelieving at her suggestion. This was not the time for self-grooming. I had three days before I met with the notorious Mr McHottie. Okay, I admit he was attractive but Hui didn’t need to know that.

“We are meeting them in three days. Are you sure everything will be prepared by then? I don’t want to get yell at in a meeting room with people I barely met.” Even to my ears, I sounded so resigned with my fate.

“I’m serious. Let’s go out tonight. I need to go to the salon too. I want to dye my hair brown. Let loose tonight. Live a little.” Damn that phrase. Hui managed to convince me that maybe I do need a breather. Especially now.

After clocking out, we both went to have a dinner at a nearby fusion restaurant. It was a sort-of-go-to place for us. The dishes were great with multiple cocktails and mocktails. Live jazz band would perform there on certain nights.

To think about it, I was not unfamiliar with bands and pubs. I used to socialize quite frequent back in Cambridge. Food & drink party with the boat club. Hanging out at the park with the otakus with great reading materials (aka mangas) but one thing I learned, I had low alcohol tolerance. That was why I preferred sweet fruity cocktails.

Life took on a different path by third year. I went to Paris as an exchange student. I felt more alive than I was back in Cambridge. Well, that was probably due to a bad breakup. I could not believe a year of relationship went down the drain just like that. Living in Paris reminded me, the world was waiting to be explored, why hang up on a broken relationship with a cheater. I guessed no matter the outcome, it affected me in some way.

 In Japan, I dedicated myself to my work. I was willing to absorb any knowledge and new working experiences. Along with the odd working hours, I spent most of my off days with Lily. Earlier years in the country, we travelled a lot. Even some of my colleagues joined our trips. The bullet train made it much easier although it was a bit expansive. Public transports were so efficient that we did not buy any car throughout our stay in Tokyo.     

Being in China for almost six months, the only places that I went were the main tourists spots in Beijing. Living on my own was surprisingly empty. I thought I could meet more new friends and spent more time travelling even by myself. But it turned out otherwise. Sure, sometimes Hui and I went out to the movies or any late night eating food spree. But most of the times, I spent my nights either revising or watching television. It felt like something was missing. It could not be just the absence of Lily. Maybe I was lacking in human emotional connection aka a companion. Maybe Hui was right, I was too young not to let loose.

After dinner, we went to the salon that Hui frequented. She dyed her hair brown while I got a hair t. My long hair was nearly at my waist even though I bun it up at work. I didn’t realize my hair has grown so long. Hui styled a shoulder length hair and I trimmed my hair length to just under my bosom. The hairdresser even gave me a light head and neck massage. I literally let my hair down for the night.   

“This is the club that’s in rave right now.” Hui’e eyes practically sparkled upon entry. The short hallway into the club was dark with two lines of sporadic colourful led lights along the floor. I could hear the thumping of music already. Hui dragged me inside as I was feeling a bit stuffy after the huge dinner I had. I was stressed