제30회

"Do you only see me as a neighbor?"

No matter how hard she thought about it, Yejin cannot decipher the meaning of his words. This is driving me crazy!

She lost a few hours of initial sleep tossing and turning on the bed, getting off to the kitchen for a glass of water and went back to bed yet still couldn't shut her eyes. I ended up sleeping on the couch. The way he snapped, cornered her and then walked away only to ignore her after that was a major unsolved puzzle. She even peeked at his door this morning before she left to see if he's still inside.

On top of all that, she's still had no idea. "What does he mean?!"

"Who means what?"

"Uh, no one in particular," Yejin averted her gaze, startled by Nara's random appearance. She grabbed her pen, attempting to focus on her work rather than troubling herself over something Hoya said. I should let it pass.

No, I can't. He's still mad at me and I need to know why.

"Nara," She cleared . "When someone asked you if you only see them as what they are, what did they mean by that?" Nara stopped typing instantly.

"This is from a drama, right?"

"Yeah," Yejin hesitated as she nods. Drama of my life. "I- The girl got hurt and his neighbor kinda overreacted. So when I- she tried to calm him down, he got mad instead and asked her the question that I asked you earlier." She finished in one breath, repeating the main question. "So, what does it mean?"

Nara moved her finger, gesturing Yejin to scoot closer towards her colleague. She did as she was told, anticipating nervously. Nara adjusted her seating, whispering to her left ear. “By any chance, you’re not dating anyone in secret, are you?”

Dating?!

All of a sudden, Nara burst into laughter. Whatever thought she had got her immersed in it for awhile, bringing Yejin’s curiosity to its peak. Yejin told herself to be patient, letting Nara cool down before revealing the answer. “Oh, Yejin. You really didn’t know?”

If I know, I wouldn’t be asking you. Duh.

“It means..." Yejin scooted closer towards Nara. Go on…

"It means I have a lunch date and my boyfriend is expecting me. Bye!" Nara grabbed her purse and rushed to the elevator. "Nara!"

"I'll tell you later!" She waved goodbye, leaving Yejin in agony. The latter can only sigh over Nara's tendency for enticing her with suspense before killing it, like she did just now. FYI, she just started dating Cha Sunwoo from Finance Department. That  guy has a  cute baby face but with a deep voice.

Sigh. She has better luck in men than I do.  

Somewhere at the corner not far from where Yejin was sitting, one person was more than delighted. Yuri approached the window, watching Yejin happily hugging two girls outside of Kwon Agency building.

Their identities do not matter. What matters more is the newfound information she gained through Yejin’s conversation. This week truly blessed her with good timing. Taking out her phone, she gave a second look to the pictures she took yesterday.

Yejin and Sungkyu eating together.

Sungkyu wiping the corner of Yejin’s lips with a napkin.

Yejin trying to feed Sungkyu.

Sungkyu staring at Yejin when she wasn’t looking.

Woohyun standing outside of the office looking at Sungkyu and Yejin with burning jealousy. 

This is too good. Yuri smirked. Actions speak louder than words. A picture tells a thousand stories. In her case, she got more than one. If she plays her cards right, she’d be able to eliminate both Yejin and Seolhee.

It’s killing two birds with one stone.    

= = = = = = =

Putting the thoughts about Hoya aside, Yejin met up with Yuna and Eunjin for a girls’ day out. They chose Café Bloom for lunch.

“At last, I am here!” The youngest of the three, Eunjin enters the premise first with pure excitement. Her eyes went wild around the cafe,  spotting Yugyeom and Jaehun at the counter, also Kyung Il who came out to deliver fresh batch of Mexican buns.

My little sister, Eunjin. Three years younger than me. She's a student here at Hongik University. "I see a lot of flower boys. I'm in heaven..." She sang gleefully. Seolhee acknowledged their presence, waving at the girl before greeting the next customer. Yejin led them to her usual table. "This place is nice." The other girl commented, casually tucking her hair behind an ear.

This pretty woman is my future sister in-law. She and my brother met while he was working on a case. "Unni, this is the one I told you about. Woohyun makes the best coffee. Even Jaejin oppa said so.” The last sentence acknowledged by Yuna.

“Not to mention he’s also good looking.” Eunjin meant the guy pulling an empty chair next to Yejin. He grinned playfully the minute he made eye contact with Yejin. Tints of pink appeared on Eunjin’s cheek when Woohyun said ‘hi’. True, Woohyun is a flower boy.

 “Oppa, you’re handsome. Do you have a girlfriend?” Yuna reacted with a light chuckle, already accustomed to Eunjin’s personality. Cheeky. Yejin sipped on her drink quietly, her eyes flattened at her sister. Usually that kind of situation enlightens the mood for but perhaps not today. “Yah, you’re still in college yet dare to flirt with boys?” Yejin crossed her arms, looking unpleased with her protective mode on. This kid… Woohyun is four years older than her. Way too old for my baby sister. “Were you jealous? You’re still number one in my heart.” She felt weight of an arm around her shoulders, pulling her body closer towards Woohyun.

They're in this together. I see. Yejin decided to play along, immediately linking their arms together acting all posssesive. "That's right. Nam Woohyun is mine." She stuck out her tongue before bursting into laughter. I win. There was joy when Eunjin pouted, successfully teased by Yejin.

He clicked the button. Click. Click. He paused briefly to ensure the images he captured were worth the shot. He clicked again, recording the moment of skinship between Yejin and Woohyun.

Along with the pair,