BBBBBZZZZZZTTTTT…..

     BBBBBZZZZZZTTTTT……

     BBBZZZZTTTT….

     I woke up feeling like I’m inside a car during a bumpy ride or that I live in a house next to a train railway. My pillow was vibrating along with my cell phone underneath; and the longer I let it vibrate alone, the more I feel dizzy.

     I rolled my body up, feeling super lazy and brought the phone to my ears.

    “Hello?” I answered sleepily. I could taste my mouth being salty for all the hours it’s hanged open while I sleep.

     “WAAAAHHH DARAAAaAAA!!!!” My head swings away from the ear piece because of Victoria’s loud shout from the other line. “What are you still doing in bed!? Hurry come over here! I’m dying! I need your help! Aaaahhh! I don’t know what to do! What should I wear! This is an emergency! Help! Help”

     She kept on yapping and shouting gibberishb words, and for my brain is still awfully sleepy and dragging slow, I didn’t get anything from what she said.  I too lost the right Chinese words to say that I just went along with a short ‘What?’ in English.

     “I need you, Dara… Come here now~~~” It finally registered to my brain.

     I sat up sloppily with my hand rubbing my eyes as I yawn way way big, I glanced at the full length mirror hanging in front and saw me looking like a lion – wide yawning mouth, and hair dishevelled to every direction...What time is it? I wondered and glanced at wall clock inside our room. 7am. What the---

     “It’s still 7am, Victoria. Aren’t we supposed to go out at 11?”

     ‘I told you this is a emergency!”

     “What emergency?”

     “Donghae passed by my hotel room just now and he invited me to go out today!!” she squeals. “He says he’ll pick me up at 10!!! So please Dara get your here! I don’t know what to wear!”

     My senses have woken up after realizing it all. Oh crap, how can I forget about this Donghae thing? I thought. I got up sloppily and went out of my room, Chaerin and Minkki are already preparing for breakfast, meanwhile Bom occupies the sofa, she must have dozed off while waiting for food.

     “Okay I’ll there by 8:30” I told Victoria.

     “Hurry! Just take a cab so it’ll be quick!” she says.

     “OhI have no cash for cab right now, I’ll just take the bus but I’ll hurry”

     After the call, I washed my face shortly in the bathroom and tapped on Bommie’s leg, to wake her up.

     “Come on, unnie. Have breakfast now so we can leave now” Chaerin called out as we take our seats. Everyone is pretty much dressed up except for me, and it kinda reminds me of those mornings where I just recently broke up with someone the night before or having a really bad hangover for drinking too much and crying too much over how I still didn’t get in in Twinkle Magazine… But thankfully today, it’s neither of those two.

      Chaerin is a very thoughtful friend, she’s like our mom. She’s in charge of cooking, cleaning, bills, grocery… and she also make sure to talk to us about stuff, just in case something is bothering us and all. She takes my bowl and serves it with ramen and while she does so, she looked at me intently and asked. “I heard you have no cash on you. Why?”

     “Ahhh… that. It’s nothing. I just lend someone some cash” I brushed off her concern. “But it’s not that I don’t have any left. I just can’t afford to take the cab all the way to Jung-Gu at this hour” I said.

     Morning traffics in Seoul is unpredictable, sometimes it’s smooth and sometimes there’s nothing you can do but curse, it all depends on what time of the day or what the weather we have today. If it’s raining expect it heavy, but today the skies are clear -- Perfect day to date I suppose.

     “I’ll just take the metro, it’ll be easier that way” I said taking first bite of my meal. “And a lot cheaper”

     “I thought you are handling a big project that’s why you won’t work for 2 weeks? Why do you need to go to Jung-Gu early in the morning?” Bommie asks still with her eyes looking visibly sleepy despite the poppy and strong eye make-up around it.

     I already have briefed them about Victoria yesterday, thus this time I’m sharing the thing with Donghae. I tried to explain them everything, but just how absurd it sounds their faces are the same - blank gazes and slowly creasing eyebrows.

     “But isn’t Donghae the one you’re having a crush on in your office, unnie?” Minkki asked.

     “Isn’t he also the guy you always describe as evil?” Chaerin added.

     “Nae…”

     “Don’t do it. It’s suicide!” Bommie exclaimed.

     “Suicide? How is it suicide?” I repeated. These girls need to calm down. “It’s not like Donghae will kill me or make me suffer. It’s just translating”

     “That’s not why I meant!!! Do you know how bad it is to be the bridge? To help the one you love and see him fall in love with someone else… that’s just… that’s heart breaking!” Bommie’s sleepiness has been washed away and now she’s back to her hyper self. I guess having corn for breakfast is really her fuel – what a weird energy booster…

    “You’ll just hurt yourself!”

     “Oh come on. Let’s not be overly dramatic” I said rolling my eyes down to my ramen while I take a sip of it. “It’s just a crush, it’s no big deal… It will fade”

     “It can also grow too, unnie” Minkki added, with a sly smile to go along with Bommies’s ‘point made’ expression.

    “Tuh!  As if it will grow?”

    I am confident on that remark. For the more you’re with your crush and the more you see his personality, in which in Donghae’s case, a cold snobbish one, chances are it will slowly be gone over time. Yes, I know this is a chance where I’ll actually know him better, I’ll see different side of him etc… but even if that happens to be the case, it’s not like my feelings are ever gonna go beyond and cross over borders.

    Donghae is my boss. He is rich, he is handsome, he is so far up high… and I have longed accepted that fact that he is someone I won’t be able to reach.

    If I’m ever gonna be in a relationship, let it be atleast with someone who is within my range, someone who is right and compatible with me.

    Bzzzzzzt… bzzzztttt….

     I jolted the moment I felt my phone vibrate on my lap and I hurriedly placed my chopsticks down my plate to check on it.

     [ While your own your way, is it possible for you to pass by a Starbucks? I want a venti cup of Strawberry cheesecake frappe. I really need something to calm me down. Tnx --- Victoria ]

     “Wow. Are you really a personal interpreter or a personal assistant?” Chaerin says in an unpleased tone with her head slightly peeking over my shoulder. “Why do you need to run errands for her?”

    “They aren’t errands, they’re favour” I defended taking double bites of my food.

    “You’re too nice, Dara” she says as if being nice is a bad thing. “You can’t be nice all the time, learn how to say no once in a while”

    “I appreciate your concern but I’m all good” I said. I really can’t explain where and how this angelic side of me started and why I can’t seem to stop it, I was just born with a good heart I guess. I just like helping out people, there’s this joy inside me to see that I have done good things for someone.

    Friends fear I’ll end up hurting myself if I overdid it. But nah… I don’t think so.

    “Oh that’s just great!” I moaned upon arriving on the corner where the Starbucks is

    Just like expected, the queue is ridiculously long, it’s almost at the door! If only her order is not the complicated flavour, I can just buy one from a different store. But no… How many coffee shops have Strawberry cheesecake frappe in their menu? And who even drinks that super sweet drink?

    But I have no choice but to wait, I glanced at my watch and it’s almost quarte to 9… I bet Victoria is already flipping out.

    After finishing my first plate, I immediately took a shower, and grabbed the easiest and most comfortable clothes I have and dashed out my way to Jung-Gu without even bothering to put on make-up, just to get here sooner. But then here I am stuck in line.

    I decided to tie my freshly dried hair to a nice clean bun and just put on a light damp of lip gloss to my lips and slapped my hands on my cheeks for color and voila--- I look like a human again. I’ll just fix myself better when I’m up in the hotel room, it’s not like I’ll ever meet a boy here.

    “Uhm excuse me do you know what I can ride to go Gangnam?” I heard a guy with a different accent speak as he takes his orders.

    “Sorry, sir. I can’t entertain you right now” the barista says as she her hands are full. Orders come and go nonstop, and if she happens to take those few minutes to answer the guy’s question, it will also take a few minutes off their