Chapter Thirty Four ;;

ONE YEAR LATER.

“Is this what you call site report, Sunghwa?!”

The female flinched when Myungsoo harshly dropped the file onto his big marble table.

“Is it hard to check back the spelling and structure? This is not even in the formal format. What are you? Twelve?” Myungsoo roared as he stared at his secretary sternly. His air-conditioned room felt hot. The atmosphere was even more. “I don’t ing care whatever the hell happens to you but I want the report to be perfect before this afternoon meeting.”

“I-I’ll do it again, Mr Kim,” Sunghwa stuttered.

“What will the President and the others will say after reading this piece of bull?”

Sunghwa stared down at her shoes. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered.

Myungsoo pushed the file across the table. “Fix it and send it back to me in thirty minutes. Now!”

Sunghwa took the file immediately and rushed out from his boss’s office after giving him a polite bow. She closed the door behind her and walked fast to her table.

“Did he get into his mood swing again, Sunghwa?” Jieun who sat at the corner asked. “I heard him yelling.”

Sunghwa let out a small sigh and nodded as she her computer. “He’s not in a very good mood.”

Jieun shrugged. “He’s always in that kind of mood though. He is that scary.”

“It’s still my fault, Jieun-ah. I forgot to set the format,” Sunghwa sighed.

Jieun glanced at Myungsoo’s office wooden door. “But still, he should not shout at you. I know he’s clever and handsome but his character’s plain cold and arrogant. It must be the curse. You know, the curse that said Mr. Kim would never be happy because of something that had happened between him and his girlfriend back in their teenage days. I wonder what happened.”

Somebody cleared making the two females jumped on their feet and bowed immediately. “Naeun-ssi.”

Naeun un-crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at both of them. “Did Myungsoo really shout at you, Sunhwa-ssi?”

Sunghwa shook her head immediately. “It was my fault, Naeun-ssi.”

Naeun shrugged and glanced at Jieun. “Have you already finished the counting from Lim Ent, yet?”

Jieun bit her lower lips. “The due date was in another week, Naeun-ssi.”

 “Oh really?” Naeun smirked. “Send it to me in the next two days then.”

Jieun gasped. “B-but―”

Naeun tilted her head. “I’m your boss so do your job right, miss. Do not talk bull if you’re not done with your work, okay?” Naeun flashed another innocent smile at her worker before walking passed them and opened Myungsoo’s office door.

“Are you sure you have fixed the report well in three minutes, Sunghwa-ssi?” Myungsoo asked.

“You were yelling at your worker again, Myungsoo?”

Myungsoo pulled his gaze from his laptop to Naeun’s face as his cousin closed the door behind and walked in. Naeun’s face was layered with makeup and it was enough to make Naeun elegant as any other career woman.

“It’s you.” Myungsoo let out a sigh and rubbed his face. “Sorry, I thought it was Sunhwa.”

Naeun took her sit at one of the chairs in front of Myungsoo’s desk. “Sunghwa has been working for you for almost one year Myungsoo. You know she would not do this kind of mistakes except if she has problems on her own, right?”

Myungsoo typed something onto his keyboard, totally ignoring Naeun.

“Myungsoo,” Naeun hissed.

Myungsoo glanced at Naeun lazily. “I’m sorry okay? There, happy?”

Naeun let out a tired sigh. “People have been talking behind you, Myungsoo. Be nice a bit to your workers, eoh?”

Myungsoo dragged his eyes back to his laptop screen. “Let them be, Naeun-ah. They can talk about who they want.”

Naeun huffed. “Myungsoo, do you realized what your problem is right now?”

Myungsoo shrugged as he continued typing something on his keyboard. “Time? I lack of time these days. I have a meeting this afternoon followed up with a dinner with clients and―”

“Myungsoo, do you realize your real problem?” Naeun hissed again without waiting for Myungsoo to finish.

Myungsoo slowly looked up at her.

“You’re so ed up.” Naeun said. “You lost your life, you lost your humanity, and you even lost yourself. The Myungsoo last seven years was not like this. He was bubbly, cheerful and nice. And you are? Cold hearted.”

Naeun crossed her arms. “Stop working like a crazy man and have a rest. Mirae’s going to graduate soon and you know how she really wants you to be on her graduation day, don’t you? Your mom is worried sick about you.”

“I’m fine.” Myungsoo muttered.

“Fine?” Naeun raised her eyebrow, felling unbelievable. “You’re fine? Myungsoo, you’re not even close to fine. You’re so skinny and I bet you don’t even have proper meals. Did you even―”

“Stop lecturing me. You’re not my wife!” Myungsoo slapped his palms onto the table, eyes glaring so intensely at Naeun.

It echoed across the room and Myungsoo’s cold words made Naeun silent right away.

Myungsoo let out a shaky breath. “Look, I’m sorry okay? I was just―”

“That’s right. I’m not your wife.” Naeun her lips. “But you don’t even have one either.”

Myungsoo’s body turned rigid.

“You already let Sooyeon go officially,” Naeun continued softly. “I already knew that you asked Mr. Han to prepare the documents secretly a few years back. You divorced her secretly like how you married her.”

Myungsoo looked away, his eyes b with tears.

Naeun let out a tired sigh for the umpteenth time. “I just care about you, Myungsoo. I want you to take care of yourself, of your health properly, can’t you see? If Sooyeon was here, she would be sad too to see you like this.”

“But she isn’t,” Myungsoo stated bitterly.

The room turned into another hurtful silence once again.

“Do you think the curse is real, Myungsoo?”

Myungsoo looked up at Naeun again. Her eyes were unfocused as if she was thinking of something else that made her sad.

“People say you’ll never be happy because of a girl from our school days.”

Myungsoo let out another sigh. He knew about that. People had been talking behind his back. The Kim Myungsoo was handsome, clever and rich. He is 26 years old but doesn’t even have a relationship. Pity him.

“I don’t think it’s because of Sooyeon.”

Myungsoo looked up straight away. “What?”

 “I believe you being like this not because of Sooyeon.” Naeun glanced at him and continued. “It’s because of yourself.”

“Stop clinging onto the past, Myungsoo. You are holding onto something that’s unclear, something that’s not even real. Who knows Sooyeon lives well these past seven years and you’re still here and ed up. You work your life out because you want to forget her but you still cry on your pillow before you go to sleep. It’s stupid!”

Myungsoo saw how Naeun wiped her tears briefly.

“Who knows how she’s doing out there? She might has a family with young children, living her life happily and peacefully. Stop torturing yourself, Myungsoo. Stop torturing people around you―stop torturing me, Myungsoo. I can’t live seeing you like this,” Naeun whimpered.

Myungsoo let the silence conquered the atmosphere once again accompanied by Naeun’s small sobs.

He noticed it. He noticed how everybody was worried over him; his parents, Mirae, his best friends and Naeun. Naeun was always there―her eyes seemed sad and broken but she still looked over him fondly. She patiently went through his behaviors and that made him grateful but guilty in the same time.

“Why you’re still with me, Naeun?” he whispered.

Naeun slowly looked up through her wet eyelashes.

“You know it, Myungsoo.” She breathed. “I love you.”

Seeing on how Myungsoo looked away, Naeun continued, “It’s just stupid, I know. I thought this feeling would be over once I know I would never have your attention. But here I am, after seven years Myungsoo.”

“You will only get hurt.”

Naeun smiled bitterly. “I know.” She took another quiet second before continuing, “Just let me take care of you until you find somebody else, okay? I will let you go once you’re with someone else that can make you happy. I promise.”

Her smile was getting wider when she stood up and wiped her stained tears. A moment later her heels clicked away as she walked to the door.

Myungsoo sighed.

Naeun placed her hand on the door knob but stopped abruptly before she turned to him. “I will call the delivery for your lunch.”

“Naeun-ah …” Why it was so easy for her to make him guilty and grateful at the same time?