"Hei-Ryung, Mr. Kang- you know, your publisher- would like to take you and I out to lunch tomorrow afternoon to discuss how your work is coming along. This isn't optional. Get out of your pajamas, unlock your door, and make sure you are at the restaurant at noon! I won't take any excuses from you, and he won't either!"

     She felt like crying. Or, as it turned out, she was crying. Wiping at her eyes, she tried to fight back the tears pooling in her eyes. It was a silly reaction, but she couldn't help the agonizing feeling of panic that started boiling in her gut after listening to that message. This wasn't a matter of being hurt by her editor's words- Hei-Ryung was used to the woman's abrasive nature when she was put under pressure. This was a matter of life or death:

     Hei-Ryung had to leave the apartment.

     "Oh dear," she thought, sagging against the wall. Her knees went weak at the thought of going to the meeting, and she slowly began sinking towards the floor- snagging a few paint chips in the fabric of her sweater on the way down- until she was sitting with her arms wrapped securely around her knees. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," she continued repeating, casting her eyes fervently around the one bedroom apartment she rented- well, technically it was the publishing company who paid the rent- for an excuse to not attend this lunch. Going into public, where people stared and judged behind her back, was bad enough, but eating out in public was just... Hei-Ryung shuddered.

     She took a deep breath, wiped away the tears, and swallowed. Hard. After repeating this process a few times, she was eventually able to take in a breath without the threat of tears spilling over, and when she swallowed there was no struggle to overcome the now-gone lump in . Officially calmed down, Hei-Ryung focused on the dilemma at hand and tried to approach it with a firm hand and logical mind. Lunch. Tomorrow. With the publisher- who she hadn't met before- and her editor- who she sometimes wished she hadn't met.

     Hei-Ryung pressed her lips together, hid her face in her knees, and took another deep breath.

A/N: And the story has been resurrected from the dead! Thank you to all who bore with me during my period of laziness, and hopefully I'm able to bring the story back to its former glory and not disappoint.

Trailer: Hei-Ryung Version

Chapters 1 ~ 11 Reviewed by Taeyeon417: [Score: B]

Chapters 1~5 Reviewed by prisjones [Score: 56/60]

Chapters 1~5 & 32 Reviewed by ss501exolover [Score: 77/85]