CHAPTER 10: HIS WEIRD BEHAVIOUR

Mark was feeling uneasy in his room. He kept marching back and forth receiving a weird glance from his secretary.

“Boss, are you okay?” Kate asked caringly. She came in the room to inform about the meetings he will have to go to today but seeing the problematic face of her boss, she stopped from doing so. She also felt weird because Mark didn’t give her his infamous smile or greeted her like he always does before going into his room.

Suddenly, Mark felt nauseous and went to throw up in the sink inside the bathroom. Kate rushed over to her employer and patted his back a few times. When he finished throwing up, he asked his secretary to bring some food from the cafeteria and went outside to the sofa with weak steps. He lied down with one arm on his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling haggard.

10 minutes later, Kate came back up in her boss’ room with a lunchbox and a medium-sized cup of iced Americano (it’s his favorite. #MarkTuanfacts), like the one her boss always like. She put in front of Mark and stepped back a bit, following the etiquette in front of her boss.

“You don’t look well. Do you want me to cancel all meetings for today?” Kate asked with a planner in her left hand and a pen in the other which she picked up just now. Mark sat up from his lying position and started eating some French toast with bacons from the lunchbox.

“No, I will be okay after this. Tell me the schedule for today.’’ He gestured and continued chewing on his toast. Kate explained her employer’s schedule exactly from the one written in the planner. After receiving a few side notes, she exited the room. Mark tried to pry off Sae Mi’s image with James in his head with typing furiously on his keyboard but failed to do so.

He can’t even concentrate on the meetings with important clients but luckily he brought along his most trustworthy worker with him who settled everything like pros while Mark was zoning out.

“Yo man, I hope you know that jealous was written all over your face.” A guy slightly taller than him with a fair skin approached him. “We could lose a client with that face of yours but thanks to me I got it all settled.” He continued, self-praising himself on the way.

“Yeah I know. Thank you so much, Alex. You’re the best man.” Mark put his arm around Alex’s shoulder as they walk out of the meeting room to head out to the cafeteria since it’s already lunch time with Kate behind them.

“Hey, I heard that your wife came in to work.” Alex leaned in to his friend’s left side and whispered. Mark invited limited number of people from the Tuan Co.’s staff to avoid them knowing about his status and Alex was one of the invited ones and he also knew the behind story of the wedding. Mark nodded swiftly.

“Where’s she at? She’s not in our department right?” Mark turned his head from the left to the right a few times while they stepped into the left and Mark pressed on the 2nd floor for the cafeteria.

“She’s in the Marketing Department.” Mark answered ignorantly but his heart almost burst remembering James’ flirty face and extreme skinship towards his wife this morning. Alex acknowledged the fact and stopped asking questions seeing Mark’s mood suddenly changes. The elevator dinged and stopped at the 12th floor. The door opened revealing the face that always been stuck to his mind all morning with a staff he didn’t quite recognized. They got inside the elevator and suddenly the atmosphere seemed awkward. “WAIT!!” The elevator door opened again before it closed tightly revealing Mark’s new rival. He stepped inside and stood next to Sae Mi, hovering her with her muscular and tall visual, without realizing Mark who’s grumbling to himself behind.

Sae Mi kept puffing her cheeks out of nowhere and James turned to her to cup her cheeks making her startled. Her eyes went round and so does Jill’s and Mark behind them too.

“Stop puffing your cheeks.” James said jokingly but Sae Mi took it seriously and scratched her chin out of embarrassment and confusion.

“Oh- okay.” Mark felt like giving free punch to James as he was feeling veeerryyy good, no, veeeerrryyy jealous as how he saw Sae Mi just let him touch her. Mark took in a big deep breath and breathes out rather loudly gaining attention from his employees. Mark just grin sheepishly in response to cover his embarrassment.

They all had a peaceful lunch until Mark spotted James sitting next to Sae Mi two tables away from him and they were chatting way too friendly in Mark’s eyes. He stood up but was pulled back to the chair by Alex who was shaking his head. Mark sat down quietly and holds in all his anger and jealousy for the moment.

Sae Mi experienced a busy week since she started working and she felt exhausted and tired. Weekends have arrived and Sae Mi got the opportunity to take a rest but Mark kept disturbing her from doing so.

“Let’s go shopping.” Mark asked her out and Sae Mi stared at him like he has lost his mind.

“Shopping? What? Are you a girl? And we did one last week.” Sae Mi questioned him.

“No and why would you marry me if I’m a girl? I just need new clothes. And you need some too. Remember the ‘honeymoon’ Papa and Mama gifted us? It’s the day after tomorrow.” Mark stated emphasizing the word honeymoon and rolled his eyes.

“Can we not go??” Sae Mi whined and pouted cutely. Mark felt weird since it’s the first time Sae Mi had been reacting like this to him. Mark felt his heart flutters and he put his hand over his chest, hoping it would go back to its normal rate, but is still beating fast.

“Don’t act like I’m the one who insisted on going, but it will be a waste and Papa put a lot of effort on this and we already got our leaves for four days approved so can you be a good daughter in-law for once?”

“Alright, alright I get it. Stop nagging. You nag like grandmas. Go wait downstairs and give me time to change.” Sae Mi shushed him outside the room and changed into more comfortable clothes before they went out to a shopping mall.

“Go on. Pick anything you want.” Mark pushed Sae Mi inside a woman’s clothes store.

“You are not going to leave me with everything I choose and asked me to pay right? Because I have no money right now.” She eyed him suspiciously.

“Don’t you ever have any trust in me?!” Mark raised his eyebrows, receiving a no from her. He waited and waited and after an hour later, Mark’s hands were filled with various colours of shopping bags and Sae Mi skipping happily in front of him.

“Sae Mi!!!” He shouted gaining attention from other people inside the mall and dropped all the bags right beside him. Sae Mi turned back and walk to him with an innocent face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can’t you see I need help here? And most of these are yours. Mine was only two or three.” He huffed and puffed cutely. People’s attention was still on them so Sae Mi had no choice but to take some of her bags and walk first,