It was awkward.

Really awkward. Almost four weeks had passed since I haven’t been this close with Jaejoong. We haven’t talked much either. We talk, yes. But it’s always about the mission. Right now, though, there’s no mission.

“You seem silent,” he started.

I jumped. I stared at him with startled expression clear on my face.

He draped his arm on my shoulder while we were still walking.

“I missed you,” he said.

“Eh?”

“Do you want to talk over a coffee?” he asked.

I wasn’t able to respond at once as I was still surprised.

We were sitting on one of the table in his café.

“Hmmm…” Jaejoong said after sipping on his cup. “These workers are improving day by day.”

 I just stared at him, totally aught off guard with the change of his personality. Well, since that incident with Jiyong at Gyeongju, we never really talked and spent time together like this. He had been giving me the cold shoulders when we meet at the apartment building or at the headquarters except if we were working.

“Are you mad at me?” I asked him, causing him to choke on the coffee he had just been drinking.

He wiped on his lips.

“So… are you?” I asked again.

“Why would I be?”

“Because of Jiyong?” I filled in for him.

His face turned grim then the smile came back. “It was my fault anyway.”

I remained silent.

“It’s all good,” he said, reaching for me to ruffle my hair.

“What do you mean?”

“It was me who set the two of you up so I don’t have the right to get mad, right?”

I furrowed my brows. “Why did you act like that then?”

“I was jealous of course. I still love you and seeing you with another guy aches my heart. It’s normal, you know.”

“I thought you’ve moved on,” I said, accusingly.

He stared at me deeply. “Let’s not talk about it.”

“And as you said, you were the one who set me up with Jiyong. You acting like that, it’s just not you. There must be something else.”

He stared back at me with a surprised look in his eyes then he closed them and shook his head. “There’s nothing else. I was just too jealous. That’s all.”

“Welcome back, baby girl,” Jiyong’s voice entered my ears. I looked sideways as I met his stare.

“Don’t scare me like that,” I said, slapping his shoulder.

He smiled and stole a kiss on my lips.

“Ya! Don’t do that!”

He giggled as he took the seat on his desk. “I have a mission today.”

I flinched. What mission? Is he an agent?

“You are going to follow what I say okay?”

“Eh?” I asked clueless.

“You are going to learn to trust the people around you. I’ll make sure of that. And that is my mission,” he explained.

Oh! He was talking metaphorically.

“What are you talking about? I already trust you,” I said.

“You have to trust others too. What will you do if I’m not already around?”

“Why? Are you going to be fired so soon?” I teased.

“Of course not,” he said. “Anyway, bring these documents to the photocopy machine which was paper jammed and ask help from someone who‘s there.”

“I can do it myself. Why ask help from someone else?” I asked.

He exhaled sharply. “The point here is to help you trust the people around you, okay?”

“I’m not going to do it,” I said, crossing my arms.

“You are,” he said as he pulled me up.

“No,” I said as I struggled.

He pushed me a bit roughly towards the photocopy machine. When I arrived there, I was alone. I checked the machine and it was really paper jammed. I could fix it right away since I was taught how to but Jiyong clearly told me to ask help. But I didn’t want to ask help from anyone. It’s my pride we’re talking about here.

I was about to turn back to get some tools to use to fix the machine when I bumped onto someone. Expecting it was Jiyong, I was about to shout at him but it was another teacher by the name of Choi Dongwook.

“Oh, Miss Park, I’m sorry,” he said.

I stared behind him and saw Jiyong observing. He motioned something that says that I shall go for it.

“It’s... it’s okay,” I said.

It was evident on his face that he was shocked. You see, I don’t really talk to anyone here except to Jiyong and the principal.

He gained his composure then. “Excuse me I’m going to use the photocopy machine.”

“Oh, it’s actually paper jammed.”

“Oh, it is,” he said. “Are you supposed to use it too?”

I nodded. “Can you…” I started and looked behind me towards Jiyong. He nodded and gave me thumbs up. “…help me with it?”

“Oh, sure, sure.”

“Where are you going with this?” I asked Jiyong as he continuously put stacks of books on my arms.

“This is Phase 2 of my Trust Mission,” he said as he winked at me.

“I don’t get it,” I said.

“Okay, now go,” he said as he lightly pushed me.

I was walking on the hallway with the books covering my face. I know, anytime, I’ll bump into someone and I’ll humiliate myself. Ugh! Jiyong….

“Oh, Miss Park, do you need help?” someone said behind the books I’m carrying.

I peeked from the side and saw another teacher named Choi Hweesung who was already grabbing half of the books I was carrying.

“Oh…um… yes please… thank you…”

“No problem,” he said, smiling.

“Phase three,” Jiyong said flashing me his three fingers. “You’ll have to ask help from the school janitor.”

“Why would I do that?” I asked him.

“Because you spilled coffee all over the floor,” he said.

“What? I did not,” I said as I gripped on the cup of coffee on my hands.

He lightly pushed my hands causing the coffee to spill on the floor.

“And now you did,” he said winking.

I stood up and went towards the janitor’s place. I knocked hesitantly.

The janitor peered his head out. “Yes?”

“I… I spilled coffee on the floor. I was wondering if you could…”

“Yes?” he urged a stupid grin on his face.

“…if you could help me with it,” I said.

He immediately went out and grabbed a mop with the stupid grin still on his face.

Goodbye pride! I’m going to miss you.

The next day, I carefully stepped inside the faculty room as if every step I make will wake the whole building up. I’m planning to avoid Jiyong today, because who knows what he’ll plan today. Ugh! Every thought I have makes me shudder.

“Good morning baby girl,” Jiyong’s voice boomed across the four walls.

“Ya! Stop doing that!” I said.

“Level two of the Trust Mission is going to start today,” he said.

“Level two?”

“Yes. Yesterday was level one.”

“Okay,” I said. Wow. I’m into this now?

“So, all you have to do is this…”

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poster credits to anjellie_ka