o2

Once he was done checking the staff’s work, he leant against the chair to reduce the stiffness on his neck for awhile before looked at the clock placed on the side of the computer. His eyebrows unpurposely raised in surprise, finding out that it was already a quarter to twelve and it hit him that he hadn’t call Jieun for a day.

With a quick smooth move, he reached for his phone on the desk and passed a security code before scrolling down the contact list to find her number. Yet when he’s about to press the green button—a sudden question came across his mind.

Maybe, she’s already asleep. Or not, trapped in a bunch of work like him. It was possible that she was on an important interview as well.

But more than wanting to know which one was the right one, he’s more likely wondering why did he have that kind of worry.

The truth that he still couldn’t fully believed her feelings might be the biggest reason out of all. He was always questioning whether she was truly accepted him because of love or it was rather a sympathy. He could tell it from her eyes that she hadn’t give all of her heart for him. There’s still something on her gaze that showed devious no matter how hard she tried to cover it—and he wasn’t going to buy it either.

Perhaps he was afraid if he asked her about that, they might end up with separation. Or probably he was just waiting for her to learn to only look at him, although a little part of him knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. But on the top of everything—he just wanted her to stay. With or without love.

“Choi Junhong-ssi,”

He turned his chair to the opened door, looking at the staff that was awkwardly standing there.

“I was knocking the door but there’s no answer,” she tried to explain.

“What happened?” Junhong cut off her unnecessary excuse.

“This just arrived twenty minutes ago. They said that they tried to send this to your apartment but you’re not home yet,” she slowly walked towards his desk, carefully put an invitation on the edge side.

It was a cream-coloured card, wrapped by a thin white ribbon around its half and placed inside a transparant cover where he could read the sender’s name.

Shin High School, class of 2005 first reunion.

“Thank you,” Junhong muttered just to chase the staff away.

As soon as he was alone back, he took out the card and unfolded it to read that it was a reunion invitation that would be held next month, in the beginning of Autumn. But the thing that caught his attention more was the last line printed there—something that he was really afraid of. Something that was keep surrounding his mind all this time.

It would be attend by all classes.

“Thank you so much for your time. It was a very nice talk,” Jieun smiled, collecting back all of the papers into her bag.

“You’re welcome,” the middle-aged guy showed off a business smile. “But remember to emphasize on my opinion about these day’s morality.”

Seeking for respect, Jieun thought.

But she couldn’t do anything than just smiled.

“Alright. I understand,” she nodded, getting ready to leave. “I’ll contact you when the print-out is finished.”

And after some formal farewell exchanged, Jieun finally walked out of his room with vexed up face. She knew she had to work hard on editing the interview since those candidate for governor must expected a smart, brilliant and convincing article about himself no matter what his true answer was. It was such a symbiotic mutualism though, where he would take advantage from the positive article about him while their company would earn profit for writing it.

Yet sometimes, she got bored of these kind of routine.

She quickly took out her phone from inside her bag when it suddenly rang right after a moment she entered the lift. Didn’t want to interrupt the others, she picked up the call without reading the caller’s name, only hoping that it wasn’t a prank call.

“Hello?” she muttered, putting down all her stuffs on the floor.

“Are you busy?”

And her smile raised up as soon as she heard those voice.

“I’m just done with the interview,” she glanced at her watch, “are you still at the office?”

“Yes,” he shortly replied.

Jieun raised her eyebrows when there’s no reply from Junhong anymore. It took some seconds for her to wonder whether he’s still there or not or it was just a bad connection but right when she was about to ask, his voice came through the speaker back.

“Do you have time for this 25?” he asked.

She quickly asked why due to reflex, yet little did she know that he must have a plan for both of them.

“I want to take you out for dinner,” he replied, without needing any pause to think.

Jieun knew there must be something important that he wanted to tell her, since it was a rare occasion for him to ask her out like that. And what made her feel so sure about it more was because he would prefer to eat at home than a fancy restaurant—everytime, including his own birthday.

“Alright,” she replied, didn’t really care if she would have a tight schedule on that day or not.

“Then, see you tomorrow,” he said.

Jieun’s eyes widened a little to hear that.

“You will come home tomorrow?” she made sure.

“Yeah, what about you?” he wondered, just realized that she might not coming home.

“I have to go to Busan tomorrow morning,” she sighed, quickly taking her stuffs back when the door lift opened.

“Busan?” he frowned, confused of that sudden news.

“I just know it this afternoon,” she walked out of the lift in a large step. “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you.”

“No, it’s okay,” he denied. “Just have a safe trip.”

“I know,” she pressed her lips together, looking for a taxi once she arrived at the sidewalk. “But I promise you about this 25.”

He chuckled. “I’ll remember it.”

“I’ll go back to office now,” she informed him while entering the taxi. “Don’t forget to have your dinner.”

“I will. Bye Jieunnie,” he softly answered.

And that was enough to make Jieun smiled. “Bye.”

She sighed, leaning against the seat and looking out the window to have a short repose there. She didn’t know why but her mind was clouded by a bunch of questions of what was Junhong going to talk about on 25, and why did he sound so stiff on the phone call before. She was afraid. Really afraid. She wasn’t ready for anything like that. She was indeed still didn’t know what would happen but for the appointment itself—it was something that she had never face before.

Yet deep inside her heart, she knew that she was never really set into this relationship.

But she promised she would try.

No matter how.