Chapter 2

“I’m terribly sorry sir.” I was already trying to think of ways to slap the living day lights out of myself for being so stupid.

The man in front of me just shrugged. “That’s okay, please just don’t do that again.” He cleared his throat. “Now that you woke my son up, maybe you can meet him now because I want to see how you can handle working with him.”

Wow! This man really is blaming me for waking his son up. Well technically I did but still. I remained in my seat as I was thinking of one hundred and one ways to adjust my attitude.

“Aren’t you coming?”

I snapped out of my reverie and saw Siwon already by the door. I stood up aggressively. “Yes sir!”

Seriously, this guy reminds me of the army officer I worked with. He’s giving me the hibby jibbies.

He led me to a room and once he opened the door towards a powder blue wall papered room filled with stuffed animals. Then I saw a little boy, not more than three years old, he had been crying for a few minutes now and my initial instinct was to come up to the baby and carry him. His big eyes staring at me in awe as I smiled at him. He made a mewing sound and nuzzle his face on my sweater. I chuckled a little.

I turned around to face Siwon and was surprised to see a smile on his face as well.

“I think your son likes me already.”

He nodded. “That’s a first.”

I looked at him with a perplexed expression. “What do you mean, sir?”

“You’re the first person to carry him that didn’t suffer from my sons endless crying.” He said it with much conviction and it made me happy because that must mean that I’ll be in his good graces.

I placed the little boy back in his bed and looked at my new boss. “Uh, sir, can I ask you for a favor?” I know, it’s still too early but I really had no choice. “I need a month’s advance for my pay.”

He looked at me as if I were an alien. “Why?” He asked.

I fidgeted from where I was standing, contemplating on how I should answer him. I must’ve taken too much of his time so he spoke up.

“Can you make it quick? I have a meeting with my client in an hour.” He seemed really irritated already. Gosh, and here I thought that we got off on the right foot already considering that he smiled when I held his child earlier but I guess that was just a ruse.

I cleared my throat. “Well, sir, I, uh, need the money because two days from now, the deadline for my tuition fee is up and I need to find a small studio apartment because like I told you, I am homeless. So, I really need this cash advance.”

He looked incredulous, did I just dig myself in a very deep hole? Was I wrong to even come here? .

But somehow, his answer was the least of what I was expecting, not by a long shot at all.

“Okay, I’ll pay you in advance, and since I have a spare room here, why don’t you move in here? I’m always meeting clients so I really need someone who’ll be here whenever I’m not around.”

My mind was reeling already. I get to live here in this very posh apartment, I get my pay in advance, what’s not to love? But it seems too good to be true.

“Are you sure sir?”

“Yes, I am.”

So, after a few days, I moved into that spare room—well if you call an ampler sized room with a huge closet, flat screen television and a gaming console a spare room, then, there you have it—and decided to put my stuff into a the closet. As soon as I zipped up my suitcases, the door creaked open and a tiny head poked in.

A huge grin slowly crept to my face as I recognized the cute little boy whom I carried just two days ago. He went up to me and tugged at my pants. I knelt down so I can be within a few levels with him. “Hi, Shi Hoo, how are you?”

The little boy just smiled and took my hand in his and led towards his room. When those little hands took mine I felt somewhat good because it’s been awhile since I’ve baby sat. I remember how I took care of my nephew when my older sister is at work and her husband is away.

“Do you want to play?” I asked him. It seems that he hadn’t heard me so I spoke again. “Hey, Ji Hoo, do you want to play?”

Still, there was no answer.

I carried him and he smiled at me. He pinched my cheeks and let out a soundless laugh.  

“He can’t understand you.”

I turned to look and saw my boss, Attorney Choi Siwon infront of me in a very y looking suit that made him look like a million bucks. “What do you mean sir?”

He bit his bottom lip and grabbed his brief case. “I honestly don’t know.” He walked toward s me and Ji Hoo and gave his son a kiss on the top of the head and smiled at the little boy. Part of me wanted to cry when I saw this because I remembered how my dad used to do this to me too. “We shouldn’t talk about that anymore, do you understand?”

I wanted to press on the issue but I didn’t really have a right to do so, right?

That evening I was putting Ji Hoo to sleep when I got a call from one of my group mates for a class project called me just to inform me that he won’t be able to submit his part of the project because he had another important matter to tend to. I told him that I’ll do his part but part of me wanted to find him and shave his head because right after I finished talking to him, he posted a picture of him and his girlfriend at an amusement park.

How stupid does he think I am?

So here I was, doing the whole project by myself at the crack of dawn and because it’s due tomorrow, story of my life.

As I was typing away, I hadn’t realized that my boss just got home. Wow, he sure does work a lot. It’s a good thing that it’s my day off tomorrow because I really have to get this done. “Well aren’t you working too hard?”

I looked up and was surprised to see him sitting across from me. “Uh, sorry sir, I’ll clean up Ji Hoo’s toys after I finish this paper. It’s due tomorrow.”

Siwon nodded. “That’s alright.” He paused, looking at his son’s room. “How did he do today?”

I smiled as I remembered all the fun things Ji Hoo and I did the whole day.” He did very well sir, he always smiled.” I really don‘t want to bring up as to why the child did not speak for fear that Siwon would get mad at me and fire my right then and there.

“Well, good luck to you then.” He flashed me a smile before he retired to his room. I found myself smiling as well. I went back to what I was doing and didn’t bother with my surroundings when Siwon went back and placed a glass of water on the table.

I looked at him dumbfounded as he smiled as he padded back into his room.

End of Chapter