Capsule 8: The empty thin air

[Flashback]

“It’s so anxious...I don’t know what I’m afraid of..

..I’m afraid of people, they seemed like they would misjudge me for who I am.

..Perhaps I’m afraid of everything, from happiness to cancer.

..I wish I wouldn’t have it

..I mean cancer

And happiness

...”

[Present]

“Wanna join me to my office?” Yonghwa decided to turn back and ask Juhyun in last minute when she accompanied him to the car, bid him good bye and somehow he felt like her face looked wistful.

Or it’s him who felt uneasy to leave her behind, since she just moved in yesterday and he didn’t know what his aunt wants with Juhyun.

“Can I?” She doubted while looked straight to him with her round eyes, she knew it might trouble him.

She knew the office was a work place which wasn’t for her to walk around like the mall or the zoo.

“Yepe, you can if you promise not to bother when I’m working”

“I won’t bother you, samchoen. I will bring my book to read and today I’m gonna act as an empty thin air” She spoke so fast to convince him.

Yonghwa smiled; act as an empty thin air?

SeoJuhyun sure was a box full of surprise to him.

“Then, go grab your book and any stuff” He told her.

“Just books, I have nothing else” She replied and hurried back to her room.

Moment later she was back with two books in her hand, and got on the car at back seat with Yonghwa and never forgot to fasten the seatbelt.

“Yonghwa samchoen, your seatbelt” She reminded him innocently but firmly as she meant it.

Yonghwa looked up from his Smartphone “Ahrahseo” Couldn’t help but fasten his seatbelt, too.

One lesson to have SeoJuhyun as your niece, you needed to fasten your seatbelt every time. Yonghwa reminded himself again.

………

The appearance of the president with a mysterious girl would be such a chaos in many levels. Everyone tried to catch up on what happened and the sound of gossipy would spread like the wildfire in hot summer.

But Yonghwa was never be bothered by that, while Juhyun could only be amazed by everything around her. Never before in her books would write anything about this, she couldn’t help but stared at that and this while hugged her books tightly in her arms, walked closed to the man in front of her but then stop staring at the spinning door curiously.

And so Yonghwa grabbed her wrist to pull her and made her kept going instead of was left behind here.

He took her to the grass elevator preserved for only senior executive directors, vice presidents, board members, and of course president.

Juhyun felt astonished by grass elevator which she could looked through and saw the scope of town spreading into her eyes together with the size of everything became smaller and smaller when elevator kept going up.

“..D…daebak, samchoen” She said while kept her eyes fixed on the road below and the cars looked just like kid toys.

“Look at this rural girl…if you are being like this, to tell anyone you are my niece would only embarrass myself HAHAHA” Yonghwa .

But Juhyun said to him with straight face “Then you tell everyone that I’m adopt niece, tell them I’m from island, at my island there is nothing like this”

“It’s that so, the island girl” He smiled to her adoringly.

“If anyone asks you what the name of island is, then tell them it is the island of the blue dolphins, it’s located in pacific sea, outside American western coast, south-west of Los Angeles, but recent carbon-14 tests show that it might come from the shore of Alaska” She said like she really meant it.

“Wow…sounds interesting! Okay then I will tell anyone like that” Yonghwa replied, didn’t take it seriously but just couldn’t hurt her intent.

“Nehh, samchoen” She smiled to him.

At this point, Juhyun knew he didn’t read that book yet, the book she picked for him or maybe he was never gonna read it…never ever after.

She didn’t get mad or hurt, she didn’t feel anything but she knew he would never understand something...something about her and never gonna get close, there would always be some distance between them.

But perhaps, distance was something must have and to understand is nothing.

People didn’t bother trying to understand each other, but they expect others to understand themselves. Only Juhyun knows to get is to give.

Yonghwa walked the girl to his office room, and there standing a lady waited for her boss as always.

“Good morning, hwejang-nim” The lady bowed low to her boss.

“Good morning, Shinhye-ssi” Yonghwa replied and pulled Juhyun’s hand to the inside.

Juhyun prepared herself to greet the lady when Yonghwa introduce her, but it didn’t happen, she could only bow her head to that lady in brief before she was pulled into his room and then the door shut closed, left Shinhye lady blink at the door curiously.

No any explanation which everyone in this building hoped they would hear.

Yonghwa never bother to explain himself that much, never with personal stuff except for his work.

Standing in the middle of the most luxury office, Juhyun could only look around and the first thing caught her attention was the glass wall.

She run to cling onto it and looked at the outside view mesmerizingly.

Yonghwa just let her be but he got his workload on him.

After awhile, Juhyun turned back and notice that Yonghwa was work-mode on, so she walked to sit on the couch and started reading her book silently.

And everything went peacefully, Yonghwa would doing his work, reading, signing, dialing phone, talking to someone, and drinking his favorite coffee which his secretary brought to him, while Juhyun would reading and reading and kept reading, be careful not to made a loud noise when she turned the page…because she didn’t want to bother him, yeah she was empty-thin-air-mode on.

Until late in the morning, his secretary informed him that LeeJonghyun-ssi came to visit.

Seemed like Jonghyun rushed from his law division to president room just to check on something, something that bothered him now.

Yonghwa might have a clue what his friend got to, so he just let him in.              

And when Jonghyun got inside, first thing he did was stared at SeoJuhyun with widened eyes while Yonghwa was still busy with his paperwork.

Jonghyun opened his mouth to say something to Juhyun but she made him stop by putting forefinger on her lips as the sigh of ‘no sound please’.

Then Juhyun looked at Yonghwa carefully, she was relieved when she found Yonghwa was still working on the paperwork, and then she looked back to Jonghyun.

While Jonghyun followed Juhyun’s gaze to Yonghwa and back to her, honestly he was dumbfounded what the girl tried to do.

And here Juhyun tried to say something without a sound to Jonghyun, she said ‘Jonghyun-ssi, you can’t see me; I’m an empty thin air now.’

But how could Jonghyun understand that? He could only raise his eyebrows.

Juhyun tried again ‘I-am-an-emp-ty-thin-air’ she moved slowly in each syllable.

At this moment, Yonghwa looked up to see why there was no sound come up at all and then he would smile to the scene. Really? You two are playing any mute drama, huh?

“What you want?” Yonghwa asked but kept his eyes fixed on paperwork.

Jonghyun turned to look at Yonghwa “Me?.. err.. Nothing, just..I happen to pass by so I come to ask if you want..errr…anything, I’m going to cafeteria.”

This was such a lame accuse from Jonghyun.

And Yonghwa knew it

“Never before you would ask me anything like that” He looked up to Jonghyun, tried to keep his poker face.

“I’m asking you now, tsk what’s your problem?” Jonghyun was annoyed.

In his head, he wanted to shout…Never before you bring anyone or any GIRL even GIRLFRIEND to office! Why now? How’s this?

Or that person had to be your relatives such as your DAUGHTER, your SON, you GRANDCHILDREN but you didn’t have one except an adopted niece, huh, HWEJANG-NIM!?

But Jonghyun kept that in his mind, he was not gonna say it here…not when the girl was here.

Yonghwa felt as if he heard what inside Jonghyun’s head like they communicated through telepathy but he had enough with Jonghyun, so he just only buy to the excuse.

“I’m good, try asking Juhyun” Yonghwa waved it off

Whatever she wanted with this pabo it would do. Yonghwa thought

Jonghyun who expected Yonghwa to save him from his lame accuse could only murmured cursing his friend.

He couldn’t help but turned to ask Juhyun “And so anything you want, Juhyun?”

He expect she would said ‘Nothing, thanks Jonghyun-ssi’

But the reality was..

Juhyun nodded vividly “I guess, now I can stop acting as an empty thin air” She said while looked at Yonghwa before back to smile to Jonghyun and said ever innocently “If it’s not trouble you so much, I want Ma shake or banana shake will do. Oh and streamed Goguma, and maybe caramel apple toast, too, Jonghyun-ssi”

Yonghwa wanted to laugh but he knew he shouldn’t.

Jonghyun was speechless.

He turned to Yonghwa. And Yonghwa could only make face, like, ‘Your fault, who asked you to come with this lame accuse ever, so deal with it.’

“Seriously?!” Jonghyun asked but more like screamed to himself.

Juhyun looked guilty “Is that too much?..err I was used to have those a lot at hospital so-“

“No! It’s fine BUT.. how’s about you join me to cafeteria then?” Jonghyun cut Juhyun’s line and decided to deal with it another way.

“Can I, samchon?” Juhyun asked Yonghwa.

“Sure, why not” Yonghwa said and he meant it, not just only his prank for Jonghyun.

“Kamsahamnida, I promise I won’t be troublesome to you and Jonghyun-ssi” She said.

And then Juhyun and Jonghyun walked out of the room and closed the door behind.

Yonghwa stared at the closed door a second and got back to his work.

……………………..

You don’t expect the cafeteria of J-group sky-high to be plain and simple like in the commonplace, do you? Of course it’s modern and luxurious even it’s designed to serve the purpose for those employees in lower classes. That explained the scene why so many people were hanging around here, but everyone’s really wearing the nice cloths, and all women wore impressive makeup. It was something mesmerizing to Juhyun too – the place itself and people here.

And vice versa, Juhyun seemed to be a person of interest for them according to the scene in this morning when people witnessed the girl’s tagging along with the president of J-group and now she’s with the head attorney from law division who is the president’s best friend.  Those people just couldn’t help themselves for prying on chaebol’s business.

Juhyun felt the gazes on her from every direction but as long as those people won’t come attack her, she thought this would be one of the real world experiences. While Jonghyun never quite bother with the crowd.

Judging from Jonghyun’s  position, he would better go to those luxuries restaurants on any floors in this sky-high to avoid mingling, but he always preferred cafeteria and didn’t mind the facts that there are any differences in here. He considered himself, as well, the employee – no higher, middle, lower classes because when you deal with law, you must strive for the equality and fairness.

So that Jonghyun leaded the girl straight to his usual corner after they got everything she wanted except there was no goguma selling in here.

“How can this place have everything but no goguma stream? I don’t understand” Juhyun asked much more to herself.

“Of course there is none.” Jonghyun said “Must because no one wanted to peal such things. You know, people here are familiar with utensil more than their hands on food, I guess”

“Ahh that seems to make sense” Juhyun uttered “I see Jonghyun-ssi is really good in making sense” She praised.

“Yah don’t flatter me too much and stop calling me Jonghyun-ssi. If Yonghwa’s your samchon then I’m, too, your samchon”

“Do you mean I can call you samchon? So you don’t dislike me anymore?”Juhyun asked curiously.

“Yes, you can. And I already told you I don’t dislike you, just not…er familiar. Must because of my work, I have to keep my guard up and defend for my point. But now I’m fine, see?” He shrugged and wiggled his eyebrows, even showed his trustworthy smile.

“Ahgesseumnida Jonghyun samchon. You know what; I think you are so cool”

“Me? Cool? Hey, young miss, you are very big in compliment but I’m not so fond with flattery. Or at least, not as much as your Yonghwa samchon”

“So you say Yonghwa samchon is very fond with flattery?”

“Definitely what I mean. But you gotta get real close to see trough it, and you already got to that point now”

“But I said you are so cool because I really think that way. At the court, when you helped with my case I haven’t got a chance to express my gratitude. Jinjja I really think you are cool and I want to thank you so much.”

“All right, that will be enough. Now just try to call me samchon and I’ll be one, good one”

“Neh Jonghyun samchon. Well, samchon, earlier I got a glimpse on the photo of a little girl in your purse, is that your daughter?”

Jonghyun took out his purse to show that photo “This? Yes, my precious, 4 year-old Lee Chaeyeon. Our princess who happens to be the art just like her omma. They are the arts themselves who wants artists in my household” He smiled with deeper dimple on, like he is really proud of that.

“She is so cute. Must get the look from omma but has dimples like samchon’s.  Is she hard to handle?” Juhyun asked, curious as always.

“Wanna know?”

And after that, they chatted more freely to their heart contents and they seemed to get along just fine. Now Jonghyun already saw the point how the girl got people to adore her so dearly.  She’s so sweet, so pure, so kind, easy to talk and to be open with, but sometimes she looked helplessly lost and so lonely. You almost saw the loneliness bored the hole inside her eyes even when she tried to distract it with her smile.

It squeezed your heart.

That lonely Juhyun.

………………………………

“…well, don’t you have time period to get back or something?” Jonghyun asked when he noticed how much the time passed by.

“I guess I’m in no rush, samchon. Because I’m no good in being the empty thin air.

“Ahhh that’s what you tried to tell me earlier. You were putting on the role of empty thin are, right?”

Juhyun laughed “Yes, that’s the deal between me and Yonghwa samchon, so I wouldn’t be left to stumble and lost, back in the Dragon Empire”

Jonghyun was now throwing on the big laughter “Dragon Empire? You sure have the sense of humor. Yes, his house is way too big, more like an empire. And the name Yong means dragon, so that make the great impression of the dragon empire hahahaha! This is killing me when it comes from you”

Juhyun watched Jonghyun shed the tear because of so much laughter. “Err…And I’m not wasting your time on work, am I? Or you need to-“

Jonghyun cut in “It’s fine. Your samchon pays me to walk and sit around because he has too much money beyond he could waste on his own. And he may think he does me mercy but in facts, I keep him all the fun because the rich man is poor on the matter. You know, he has no fun.”

…………………………………………..

“”

Yonghwa was now sneezing hardly for the nth time.

Some said when you sneezed so much that meant you were on the topic of gossipy but there was no scientific proof. However it already crossed Yonghwa’s mind that his friend,Lee Jonghyun might verbally attacked him or told on him to the girl.

And since it’s been hours they went out, no sign they would return soon.

Until almost noon, when his secretary knocked on the door and fetched the folders to his table that was when Seo Juhyun slipped in without sound, then she would sit silently on the coach, picked up her book, opened it.

The secretary collected the empty cup of coffee, and then went back. The door shut closed and Seo Juhyun was putting on the role of the empty thin air again.

Actually she was back for awhile, stood sternly in front of the room, and had no idea how to get inside without disturbing the room’s owner. That would be what expected from the empty thin air, right? You wouldn’t hear when it has come inside or when it has gone, this was what Juhyun thought.

So she could only smile gingerly to the secretary lady who looked up and asked what she can help the girl with, but Juhyun said it was okay and thank you.

Until when the secretary got up to her feet and entered the president’s room for her duties that was when Juhyun found her best chance. She thought she really did it right this way.

Look? She didn’t disturb the man at all, but that might not be the case for Yonghwa.

“How is your snack? Is it good?” Asked, Yonghwa. But he still fixed his eyes on the folder in his hands, to make it seem like he asked but not really ask.

Seo Juhyun looked up from her book, she thought that was the cue for her to speak “Yes, it was really good. Everything here looks amazing, samchon”

“Had a good time with Jonghyun, had you?” Yonghwa continued asking  but still couldn’t allow himself to look like he care since he didn’t know what he cared in this sort of situation – how his friend told on him or how she thought of him now and/or else.

“Yes, I never expect Jonghyun samchon to be this funny. We talked a lot and laugh so much my stomach hurt” Her voice became richer as her excitement revealed.

At this point, Yonghwa shifted the gaze to the girl’s face who is smiling ear to ear.

…already Jonghyun samchon? Seemed like the real development, kiddo. Be this funny, talk a lot and laugh so much… these words sounded echoic in his ears but he barely bothered with them.

“That’s good” He commented

…………………………………….

To have lunch, Yonghwa brought the girl to one of those luxurious restaurants in the building; it was Chinese restaurant which Juhyun didn’t quite familiar with. But she seemed to like it and now she’s back on talking after he let her.

“How do you think of this buiding?” Asked Yonghwa when the conversation seemed to ease.

“I already told you everthing here was amazing except there is no goguma” She said while busying with the hot Timsan on her plate.

“Goguma? So you want to eat goguma that much?”

“Actually it doesn’t make this place bad for not having such a goguma. But for me, Goguma is the most precious thing. The nurses always know I love goguma, so they bought it for me if I was a good girl around time”

“And if you are a bad girl…?”

“Would go down to hamburgers.” She said and made face like she just experience the nightmare of her life.

That definitely cracked Yonghwa up, he laughed real hard – people around would turn their faces to look.

“It’s not funny, samchone. Hamberger could kill you. The nurses know I hate hamburger, so they bought it to annoy me but I wouldn’t touch it. Never!” Juhyun pouted.

It made Yonghwa laugh even harder and lost control of his manner “Haha if…if it is true to what you said,Juhyun,  I would definitely dead by now because I ate the big chuck my whole life hahaha. Where did you get the idea from? Hahaha so funny”

But Juhyun didn’t seem to share the same fun “Though you are decently alive but if you don’t stop eating it, you won’t live long, samchon”

“Really? Soe Juhyun…haha I cannot, you are so funny”

Juhyun could only frown to Yonghwa’s react.

“What is it that seems so much fun, hwejannim? Couldn’t I know it, too?” Asked, the voice of someone who just walked close to their table.

He is a guy, a 21 year-old, good looking guy who is the heir of important executive board member Choi. His name is Choi Minho.

He smiled charmingly and looked straight to the girl.

The empty thin air

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P.S. I never decide for each chapter to be equal in length, so bear with my randomness.

I guess you could see trought it already that I'm so random

And please bear with my English. I wish I will do better soon.

ENJOY