It was barely my second day of work. Considering what the interview went like, I had little to no doubts I got the job because of Jongin. Despite my expectations, I saw him around quite often, as if he tried to make time for me. He’d drop things in the midst of work just for the sake of seeing and talking to me. Once again, I could notice the look in his eyes I was so familiar with, from back then, and it enveloped me in warmth.

I knew I became the center of his attention again and several times, I found myself wondering if anything had truly changed at all. Jumping into things wasn’t a wise move, but could we really not go back to the way things were? Before, I had to focus all my energy on studying and moving on. But now, with him so close-by, I was starting to realize I never stopped missing him and did a really bad job at getting over him. A rushed conversation wasn’t merely enough to compensate.

“I want to see you... and talk properly. There are things you need to know...”

I blinked surprised, at first being under the impression that he could read my mind. But the truth was he felt the same way. I nodded, “Alright.”

“Saturday night? Tell me where you’re staying and I’ll come pick you up.”

I gave him the address of my dorm and watched him rush into a meeting. I wished I could understand what he meant by “things I need to know”. My train of thought was interrupted by my panting, agitated, thunderstorm of a colleague.

“Young-ah! Please help me out!” She stopped to catch her breath and put a cardboard box on my desk. “I’m going to end up working late and I still have to deliver this! Oh! I’m going to die!” She whimpered, putting all her hopes into my willingness to help.

“What is this?”

“Medusa’s stuff. She asked for them to be delivered to her home, but I forgot to send this box with the rest.”

“Medusa?” I wasn’t familiar with the nicknames and the inside jokes of the staff.

“Yeah, you know, the pregnant woman who glares at everyone. We just call her that, because you feel like she’ll turn into a statue if you dare look into her eyes. She took maternal leave today.”

This was the woman who interviewed me. I think my eyes started glowing at the realization I wasn’t the only one who felt intimidated by her to the point of associating her with a Gorgon. I wanted to do a happy dance.

 “I can deliver it for you,” I gave in, despite knowing she had played me the exact way she wanted. A good deed was always welcome on my list. Plus, since I was planning to work there for a while, I had to try to be friendly and helpful. “Just tell me where she lives.”

*

As soon as I got there I ended up stopping dead in my tracks. I could hear her voice in my head, “Please stop staring.” But I couldn’t. It’s just a house, Young-ah. Nothing too great about it, right? Of course not! I’ve never imagined I’d have to walk into a home like this. It was the kind of thing you see in architecture magazines or on design blogs, not at a five meter distance from yourself! It was very modern, with two floors and a huge garage. The garden surrounding it was trimmed to perfection, making it seem unnatural to me. 

I had my attention drawn back to the house and I noticed the number of windows was probably the feature that separated it from the endless sea of elusive, repetitive patterns. It went as far as having a whole wall replaced by glass. The well defined structure and the plainness of it all were the next details one would notice. Despite being apparently simple, it had a classy and luxurious air. The pretentious lighting, combined with the white-brown color scheme, made it seem sophisticated and ingeniously designed.

The closer I got, the more I could see inside, and I realized the windows took away most of the privacy. I couldn’t bare that thought. Intimacy was one of the things I valued most. I got to the front door and rang the doorbell, feeling even more intimidated by the loud sound it made. A man in what seemed like a uniform answered the door. He was wearing black pants and a blue shirt with a logo on it.

“The lady’s in the kitchen. Just come in.” His displease at being used as a servant and ordered around was obvious.

The man’s unexplained presence, despite being peculiar, wasn’t my biggest issue now. My heart was beating increasingly faster the closer I got to the moment of facing her.  Taking a step inside, I noticed mountains of boxes all-over, packed and ready to be loaded. Covering everything, they were preventing me from seeing the inside of the house. The mystery solved itself. The man was from a moving company. He was probably waiting for the truck in which they’d deliver everything, but now another question began surfacing. Why was she moving?

I advanced steadily, deciding to get this over with quickly. The little I could see of the house was just as luxurious and uninviting as the outside. From the expensive furniture to the classy decorations, everything was well thought and put into place, but it felt cold. There was nothing personal in this space. When I was near the kitchen, she turned her head slightly, noticing me and the box I was holding.

“Just leave it somewhere and go.” Her tone was as hostile as ever.

I nodded and left it on top of a carefully arranged pile of other bigger boxes. In contrast, it looked like a little cub. For a moment, I was really curious what this woman could’ve packed in all of those, considering the house seemed untouched. The fleeting thought was replaced by my ease upon realizing my mission had been accomplished. I bid her good evening in the most respectful way possible and turned to leave. I couldn’t wait to get back to the dorm, take a warm shower and finally change in something soft and comfortable.

Heading out, my attention was caught by a gorgeous, simplistic black frame. At first sight, in the picture I saw Medusa in a white wedding dress. So she was married? Why wasn’t she wearing her ring then? What I realized next made my heart skip a beat. Beside her was Jongin. My heart sunk as I was finally aware of what he wanted me to know. I didn’t even keep track of time anymore, since the next thing I remembered was getting back to the dorm, feeling heaviness in my chest dragging me down like an anchor.

I could barely catch any sleep that night. My head kept spinning as two completely opposite elements were forcefully blended together. I never assumed Jongin would, like me, cut out romance from his life. The thing I couldn’t understand was how someone I thought I knew could choose a person who represented everything I wasn’t. And how those two people could marry and love one another. It was obvious they were going through a rough patch, with her moving out and denying they were together. But that didn’t change the fact she was expecting a child and that married people fight and make up all the time. If that was the case, I had to accept I held no place in his life anymore.

A/N: Yes, Medusa is Krystal (who is, after all, mentioned as a character of the story). I have decided to keep her identity shrouded outside of this note, so that no one would feel, in any way, offended. In case you do not mind having her portrayed as "the ultimate ", you are free to associate Medusa with the intended character. Otherwise, I apologize and I will not force you to do so.