“Good morning Mr. Nichkhun, this is your work schedule for today. There’ll be a general meeting with the department heads in the conference room in another hour.” Nichkhun’s secretary reported.

“Alright, Sunye, take down all my phone calls and messages when I’m in the meeting later. Meanwhile, please help me to charge my cell phone. The battery’s flat.” Nichkhun said, before settling down for work.

“I’ll get it done now, Mr. Nichkhun,” Sunye replied, before adding on, “Oh yes, someone contacted you before you came into the office, Mr. Nichkhun. She left her name as Jessica. She asked for you to call her back.”

Nichkhun nodded his head to acknowledge that he received her message, and Sunye left the office. Tapping on his desk for a few seconds, Nichkhun finally picked up the telephone and dialed Jessica’s number. It took five rings before the call was picked up.

“Hello?” Nichkhun recognized it as Jessica’s voice.

“You broke a rule in our contract.” Nichkhun said.

“What did I do wrong?” She demanded, before realizing, “You…you mean missing our breakfast meeting this morning?”

“Ha, how should I punish you? Hmm…” Nichkhun could not help but smile at the thought of it.

“I…well, no matter what, I still think I owe you an apology. Sorry for missing our appointment this morning.” Jessica said in a serious tone.

Nichkhun was caught dumbstruck at her apology, since he expected her to argue with him instead. He had not thought that she would give in so easily.

“Are you there, Nichkhun?” Jessica asked when he did not respond, “Don’t tell me you’re still angry? I’ve already apologized.”

“I got a meeting now. Call you again later.” With that, he quickly hung up.

Nichkhun was puzzled by his reaction, “Is there something wrong with her? Or is it me?” He scratched his head, as he got up and made his way to the conference room.
__________________________

Donghae stood aside, as Jessica made her phone call. It was pretty evident that she was feeling guilty over missing the breakfast appointment with Nichkhun.

“He’s still in the meeting?” She asked.

“Yes, Miss. I’ll inform Mr. Nichkhun that you called when the meeting ends.” Sunye said.

“Alright, thanks.” Jessica answered before hanging up.

She signaled for Donghae to come over, “Let’s have lunch together.”

“Alright, Lets go.” Donghae suggested.

Jessica nodded her head, before drifting off to her own world. Did Nichkhun sound angry in the morning when she called him? What should she do to compensate for her mistake?

“What are you thinking about?” Donghae asked out of curiosity.

“Oh,” Jessica snapped out from her thoughts, “Hmm, Nichkhun.” She smiled brightly at his name.

Donghae also gave a weak smile, “It seems like both of you are getting along pretty well. That’s good to see.”

“How about oppa? When are oppa going to get yourself a girlfriend? Do you need some recommendations from me?” Jessica chuckled mischievously.

Dongahe blushed a little, and started to stutter, “I…I’ve…a girlfriend.”

Jessica’s eyes opened wide in shock, “Gosh, are you serious? Who’s she? Do I know her? Tell me, oppa!” She tugged at his sleeve eagerly.

“Ah, no…I mean, I got someone whom I like. But she isn’t my girlfriend.” Donghae clarified.

Jessica’s expression turned disappointed and let out a loud sigh, “That means it’s a one-sided love then? Well, that sounds more like you, oppa, being secretly in love with a girl.” With that, she started giggling to herself.

“Don’t laugh, it’s not funny.” Donghae said seriously.

“Woah, this girl must be really special for you to be so serious. It’s fine even if it’s just a one-sided love. How is she like?” Jessica asked.

Donghae stared at her for a few minutes, before smiling widely, “Hmm, she’s…she’s so different from other women. How do I say? Her personality is nothing like her appearance. If you say something nasty to her, even though she might look like she isn’t bothered with it, in actual fact she’s unhappy over it. She doesn’t like people to think that she’s a weak person, so she often put up a strong front. What else is there to say? Hmm…”

Jessica gave a subtle laugh as she watched Donghae reply to her question. He looked so contented and happy even though it was merely a one-sided love. She guessed that he really did love and admire this lady very much. This made her wonder about the identity of the lady. Was the lady someone she knew? But it was highly unlikely since she was the only female whom often hung around Donghae during working hours.

“Who is she?” Jessica could not help but ask.

Donghae shook his head. He refused to divulge her identity, but Jessica refused to give up and continue pestering him. In the end, they reached an agreement that Donghae could provide her with a clue.

Donghae stopped and looked deeply into Jessica’s eyes. He answered with a tinge of sadness in his voice, “She’s…she’s so near…yet so far.”