Earlier that day

“Buzz… buzz… buzz”, my mobile vibrated energetically, alerting me of an incoming call as it did a little twirl on my bedside table.

I willed my body to reach for it as my physiological self serve Me a royal litany of complaints with every minute movement, reminding me of the abuse I imposed upon myself, effectively retarding my reaction this morning.  Let me correct myself - more like what felt like morning to me but was in reality 5mins after 12pm in the afternoon.

The screen display showed a missed call as I peered at the call details through slit eyes. “Hm… I just missed my regular bi-monthly call from Samchon”. I register the information in my head and close my eyes while taking in a deep breath. I know that I should at least text or call him back but today, just for this one time, I am going to allow myself the allowance to be wilful and not do that.

I am up. Very much awaken by my Samchon’s call to check in on me. A hard habit to break away from, I reckon. One formed some 15years ago when he first relocated to New York to take up a Legal Counsel position at the World Bank. The only change is the target audience - from Dad to me some 5 years ago, after Dad’s passing.

My Samchon, Dad’s only younger brother was quite distant to me until a few years ago.

I remember his late night calls to Dad and how they never seemed to run out of topics to talk about. From serious discussions that includes violation of corporate liabilities, infringement of Corporate International Law, to his neighbour’s monster of a pot-bellied British Bull Dog "belly figure skate" when chasing the street cat on the slippery icy walkway and how Dad’s voice would switch from being all intense to baring the hearty laughs. And those were probably about the only implying evidence that suggests that the stoic man of few words in my impression, may actually encompass a glimmer of humour. For with me, our conversations almost always revolved around questions like, “How are you? How is work? Have you been eating well? Is there anything you want to discuss with me about?” Then there would be the occasional addition or variation of, “Are you seeing anybody?” Questions that do not naturally encourage further dialogue.

Although I feel fairly distant from him, predominately because we never really did have the time to build a bond, especially given the nearly 7000 miles apart and 13hours time difference between us, I really do appreciate his continued effort and consideration to intentionally stay up and call me around my lunch time. I know that he planned it this way so that it would be less intrusive to my work schedule, yet still leave me the option to shorten the call should I want to. He is thoughtful and non-invasive in that manner.

Honest to God, it is not that I do not like my Samchon. We are just... unfamiliar with each other. Even then, I have in this recent last year grown to look forward to his calls, biding myself to input information to furnish more than those standard set of questions. But the bitter after taste that loiters around each time after speaking with him, cruelly reminding me that I have been an orphan for “X” amount of time and that he is my sole next of kin legal guardian until I am legally married, leaves little to desire.

I especially dread the almost overnight trips he makes in June every year, just to have dinner with me on my birthday and to gift me a present he feels that Daddy would get for me. While I more than appreciate his intentional effort, but the reminder cannot be more stark and heart-breaking.

It is that month of the year again… counting down the days, in fact. 

I finally exhaled the deep breath of air I deliberately kept in my lungs earlier, releasing together with it all those nagging heart tugging thoughts that threatened to stick around and I feel myself sink deeper into my bed.

There... I have allowed myself the time of an air exchange, albeit quite extended, to exhaust the delayed departure of those lingering yesteryears pain I hauled in some hours ago, packing off the Category 4 wreckage to that deepest corner of the heart.

“Today is going to be different.” I promised myself and it surely is proving to be so. Because for starters, I am only going to work after lunch hours. In additional to that, instead of the usual serious work suit choice, I am going to take advantage of the “client meeting free day” to squeeze my recently slimmer frame into those flattering pants and finish off with an edgy asymmetric white Calvin Klein blouse.

I smiled at the mental visual of myself that put the zeal back into my worn body and jump start my day.

From the minute I step foot into the office, I was swarmed with internal meetings with the colleagues of different departments, from Project to Design and Administration. By the time I had some time to catch a breather to sit back at my desk to review my emails, the sun had set and my last two colleagues who were in the meeting with me earlier were also preparing to leave for the day. It was then that Hyo called me on my desk phone.

“How busy is your day that you did not even have the time to answer my text from 12hours ago? Don’t you miss your Darling number 2 or has this out of sight out of mind thing descended on you.” Whined Hyo. “I refuse to be ignored, you know right. I need to know how you have been. Now, Spill!” She continued on, sounding like she just had to say everything in a single breath. What large lung capacity.

“Wooh… hold your fire, Doll. A text you said? Let me check.” I clarify and quickly looked at my mobile that was unusually quiet and found several missed calls and texts that went unnoticed. “Ah… I forgot to turn the ringer back on from this morning. Silly me.” I reprimanded myself.

“Seriously? No way you would forget. What’s going on with you. What made you forget? Did you work yourself silly in my absence? Or have you made a new friend? Hyo pushed for answers aggressively, every bit like the impatient overly-caring and protective Unnie that she is.

I am lucky to have Tiffany and her I know. I smile and replied with as much aegyo as I could manage to squeeze out of myself, “I miss my Unnies silly, that’s why. When are you back Unnie. I am waiting for you to share the Cristal with me.”

“You clinched that Goldman Sach’s Project?” Hyo probed.

“Uh…ha...” I enunciated some sounds, toying with her a little.

“Don’t you use those non-word sounds with me.” Hyo pretended to sound stern before bursting out a loud congratulatory, “YEAH! Well done, Babe. You pulled it off after all! Oh my… Oh my… I cannot believe that you manage to do all that on your own! You must have worked yourself to the bones, my poor Babe. Unnie will make you Ginseng Chicken Soup when am back about 10days later ok.”

“10days? Why? What happened to soon? Don’t tell you met some tall and handsome hunk and decided to fool around longer?” My turn to whine, not liking what I just heard, before slipping in an accusation.

With intentional animated enthusiasm, Hyo played along in good stride, “Tall and handsome hunk? Where again? Quick, tell me so I can go snag him and stay here for good!”

“Humph!” I sounded out my mocked discontentment, earning only laughter.

“Ok. Jokes aside. Jung Fund House’s Real Estate Director is in New York and seem to be exploring the possibility of moving their office as part of their expansion plan. Given that I had prior good work relationship with Director Jo from when he was with BlackStone, therefore our dearest Mr. Black (Head of U.S.A.) would like me to make a trip over to New York tomorrow to bridge the relation for the Account Manager there. Then, there’s also the familiarisation of the furniture standards used in their Seoul’s Head Office and whatever else.” Hyo started filling me in on the details. “You know how it is with the people at Jung Fund House. They do not exactly make time to see anyone unfamiliar especially when the project is so early in the exploration stage.”

My eyes dropped to look at my work surface in disappointment and, “Uh Huh…” was all I could manage to utter.

Hyo picked up on my disappointment and made a conscious effort to change the topic to ask about the tasks she set for me before leaving for her trip. “So tell me, who are you going to play with later and what is the name of the new friend you made in my absence?

I was deliberating if I should honestly tell her that I have only been playing with the new floor plans of Goldman's office and was scouring my brains for a "new" name when Hyo interrupted, "Now, don’t tell me that you have been keeping up with only  W.H.O. all this while?”

“W.H.O.?” I repeated quizzically as my brain kicked into motion to try and match that abbreviation with the names of common people we both know.

“Yes. W.H.O. -  Work, Home and Office.”

Feeling defensive, I replied mindlessly, “Ya, Dinner play is with Chicken Wrap and the new friend I am going to get better acquainted to later is called Starbucks since my Unnie is abandoning me for 10 more days!”

Hyo laughed out heartily at my senseless retort before saying, “That is a start. At least it is outside of W.H.O.!”

“Humph!”was the comeback sound.

“Seriously Babe,