4/17/2015

*

On Monday morning Jiyong went into the office early. He had an early morning meeting with the V.P. of Finance and wanted to make sure he had a chance to review all of the numbers once more. Satisfied he had everything he grabbed his attache and headed off to the conference room. He arrived just as his boss was about to enter the room. Jiyong bowed respectfully.

“Good morning, Mr. Kwon.” Kiko Mizuhara was the niece of the owner of the hotel. She was young, well educated, and highly respected, and known for her shrewdness when it came to money making opportunities. She paused as she met Jiyong’s eyes and smiled at him. “Congratulations on your promotion. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”

“Thank you,” Jiyong answered. He’d seen Miss Mizuhara around but always from a distance. Now as Head of the Finance department he would be reporting directly to her.

“Shall we go in?” Kiko asked.

“Yes, of course,” Jiyong answered, smiling at her as he stood to the side and allowed her to enter first.

*

Another Saturday night and Dara was at home. Jiyong was working late again. For the past three weeks she’d barely been able to see him because he’s been so busy with his new job. She was happy for him but at the same time she pitied him the long hours he seemed to have to be working. Apart from working at the office he’d gone on overnight business trips twice and was having to attend a lot more work related dinners.

“I’m sorry,” Jiyong told her, sounding regretful after having to cancel another date with her. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Dara sighed, not at all happy. But this was his job and he was moving up in the company. She should be happy for him and support him in any way she could. The VP of Finance seemed to have taken a liking to Jiyong a lot and requested his presence in many of the meetings and dinners. Dara consoled herself with the knowledge that Jiyong was making a name for himself in his career and she just needed to be patient.

“Why don’t you come with us?” Bom asked her. She and Seunghyun and some of their friends were going out to dinner and then dancing.

“No, it’s alright. You guys go ahead and have fun. I’m going to stay home and read.”

“Oh my god, how boring. How old are you, ninety-three? Just because Jiyong is working doesn’t mean you have to stay at home. Come with us, you haven’t gone out in weeks!”

Bom kept prodding at her until Dara finally agreed. Seunghyun picked them up and the three headed over to Hongdae where they were meeting up with their friends. The group went to dinner and then enjoyed drinks. Seungri recommended they stop over at a jazz club located nearby. It was new and he’d heard a lot of good things about it from some of his co-workers.

Dara was walking along with Bom and Chaerin when she spotted a white Bentley that looked a lot like Jiyong’s car. It was parked outside one of the restaurants across the street.

“Are you coming?” Chaerin asked her.

“Go on in. I’ll be there in just a minute,” Dara answered. She pulled out her phone to text Jiyong to find out if that was him. She knew he had a work dinner that he had to attend tonight. If that was his car and he was nearby then maybe he would want to join them at the jazz club afterwards.

Dara was in the process of texting when she suddenly saw Jiyong coming out of the restaurant. A smile lit up her face. She raised her hands up to try and call to him but she halted, the smile on her face fading when she saw the beautiful girl he was with.

Who was that? A fellow employee? Her heart started pounding as she saw Jiyong and the girl laughing. She was exquisitely dressed. Dara didn’t know much about fashion but she could tell that the girl’s outfit, purse and shoes were all expensive. Jiyong walked her to his car and opened the passenger door for her, escorting her in before he ran around to the other side and got in behind the steering wheel. Dara stood staring, her phone still in her hand as she watched them drive off.

*

Bom frowned as she stared at her phone. Their group had gone into the club and taken seats when she noticed that Dara wasn’t there. A few minutes later she received a text from Dara saying that she wasn’t feeling well and was going home on a cab. Bom had called her and she thought Dara sounded upset – but she had been fine just a short while ago when they were at dinner. Something didn’t seem right.

“What’s wrong?” Seunghyun asked, leaning over to whisper to her.

“Dara took a cab home. She said she wasn’t feeling well.” She turned worried eyes to Seunghyun. “She was fine just a little while ago…”

Seunghyun shrugged. “Maybe she’s just tired. Call her back in a little while to make certain she got home okay.”

Bom nodded and settled into her seat, her mind still on Dara and why she had suddenly left. After enough time had passed she called Dara again but there was no answer. Instead she received a text from Dara: “At home now… going to sleep. Night.”

Bom leaned over to Seunghyun. “Babe, do you mind if we leave? I’d like to go home.”

They said their goodbyes to their friends and headed out. “Is this about Dara?” Seunghyun asked as the two walked to where they had parked the car.

“It’s not like Dara to cut out like that. And when I spoke to her earlier, I don’t know, but it sounded to me like she was upset, like she was crying.”

“Maybe she got sick?”

“Maybe,” Bom said. “Still I want to go home and check on her.”

*

Dara was sitting on her bed, her back against the headboard. The room was dark except for the little light that came through the window and that of her cellphone that she held in her hands.

Dara had come home and taken a shower and prepared for bed. She had checked her phone to see if there was any missed call or text from Jiyong. There was none.

The memory of Jiyong and the girl coming out of the restaurant played over in her mind and she tried not to think too much of it. There had to be an explanation and she shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Tomorrow she would call Jiyong and ask him about the girl. Until then she wouldn’t let her suspicions get the better of her and she would trust in Jiyong. Dara put her phone away and snuggled down into her bed. Trust in Jiyong, she whispered to herself, her eyes closing.

When Bom arrived home shortly after and checked she found Dara fast asleep.

*