Music

Start: 햇살이 아파 (Standing Egg)

Middle: I Need You  (Hu Gak & Zia)

End: 그 자리에 있어 (Standing Egg)

Winter's POV

It was my first day at work after getting transferred from Warehouse and Facilities Officer to finally be working at the corporate office. I was a working student since high school until I graduated from a two-year commerce course. I had been with Ryland's ever since I was fifteen, being a salesgirl, lateral transfer to warehouse services until I finished school a year ago. I worked very hard to be where I am now. My first job at the corporate office was to be an assistant to Jeff, who was Mr. Ryland's executive officer/personal assistant. I know my position wasn't that high yet, but I was happy. Little by little, step by step.

Of all days, I got stuck in traffic and when I arrived at the office, I had to collide with another person who was holding a cup of coffee. I had spots of coffee on my white blouse, wanting to have a good first impression on my first day at work, so I had to run to the nearest powder room to clean my blouse. I had met Jeff on my way up the elevator. He had been looking for me for a while and had to leave, so he just told me to go directly to the meeting room where "the new boss" was waiting. When I got to the meeting room, I found the new boss with his daughter.

I didn't expect him to be Korean, and I was sort of glad that he was. I was born and raised here, but my roots were Korean. I knew how to speak a little Korean because of my parents. But because I had to work at a young age to augment our family's income, I was exposed more to speaking English at work.

The new boss' daughter was cute that I had to compliment her, but the boss didn't acknowledge it. I had a sudden thought that he probably was someone who was all business talk. He looked young though. He looked like he was my age, but there was something about him that exuded maturity and detached from whatever was happening around him. Like he had his own world, but still connected to it somehow. I didn't know how to explain it, but as I was observing him in the car on the way to the first store, he didn't seem cold at all. In fact, he was another kind of cool. The music playing in his car was the kind that sends you into daydreaming of the beach and drinking coconuts with those little umbrella things on it. His daughter kept looking out the window and pointing at sights that sparked her interest.

The little girl didn't address him as "dad" though. Well, actually, I haven't heard her address him when she spoke. I don't know, maybe I just didn't hear it because her voice was so soft. She seemed shy when around other people. I noticed she talked much when she was alone with the boss.

Arriving at the first store, he had taken the little girl's hand and walked at her pace. I matched my pace with them, showing respect to him as my boss. I led them to the store manager's office and introduced him. He thanked me and spoke softly to the little girl and she nodded as he spoke, then he pointed at me. The little girl pouted as she walked toward me. I took her hand and led her out into the sitting area outside the manager's office.

"We will wait here. My name is Winter eonni. What's your name?"

"Aein."

"Nice to meet you, Aein."

"Eomma...I want eomma."

I was at a loss for words when she started sobbing as she asked for her mom. I tried to console her, but she started crying.

"Call eomma... I want eomma... Yugi-oh...I want Yugi-oh..."

I didn't know what was a Yugi-oh, so I asked if she wants ice cream. She shook her head, telling me she wants her eomma and Yugi-oh. Then she started mentioning other people's names. I could barely make out the names, Namu-oppa, Teyungie, eomma, appa...Yugi-oh. I was panicking, knowing her cries might be heard in the office where the boss was. I also knew he would be in there for a while because there were several things he needed to discuss with the manager.

I took out my phone. I dialled my mom's number. The situation called for a back up and mom would know how to handle this. 

"Eomma. I need your help."

"Ne? What is it?"

"I..well...I don't know. How do you stop a little girl from crying?"

"What do you mean?"

"My new boss' daughter is crying and he's in a meeting."

"Oh. Neomu chukkae on your first day."

"Eomma!"

"Ah, yes. She's asking for her mom, ne?"

"Ne, ne. And she's asking for a lot of people's names. Probably other family members."

"Ask her why she is crying, and ask her what you can do to help her with what she needs."

"Okay, I will do that. What if she doesn't stop crying?"

"I always sang you a song to sleep, even when you were crying, you fell asleep when you hear that song. Tell her stories too, that's what I did when you were little."

"That sounds easy for you, because you are a mom. But thank you eomma. I will do that."

I ended the call with my mom and I realized the little girl had stopped crying, but she was still hicupping. I patted her head and asked her what she needed. She pointed at the manager's office. I told her that they were still in a meeting, so we couldn't go in there yet. Then I told her that while waiting, we could play some games. She thought for a while, then pointed at my phone that was still on my hand.

"Call eomma."

"But I don't know your eomma's number."

"Yugi-oh."

"I don't know that, either."

She went quiet for a bit, then sat down on the couch.

"Winter eonni, I want ice cream," she suddenly said.

I sighed a breath of relief. I took her hand and she jumped down. I walked her into the store and led her to the ice cream kiosks. She took time to pick the flavors she wanted, so I kept praying that the boss wouldn't end the meeting before we were back. Aein finally decided on a strawberry-vanilla combo and I paid for her ice cream. Even though she was the daughter of the boss, nobody knew her, and I was the one who offered to buy her ice cream anyway. But, I argued with myself, even if you owned a business, you still had to pay for stuff and not just get anything you want from your products, right?

Aein happily her ice cream as we made our way back to the office. Just when we reached the office, the boss and the manager stepped out. The boss turned his head to where we were supposed to be waiting, but when he saw that we weren't there, he started to say something. I was saved in the nick of time by Aein who ran toward him.

"Aein! Where did you go?"

"Eonni bought me ice cream."

"Ah, did she?"

"Ne, ne."

"Did you thank her?"

"Aniyo."

"Bad girl. Go and thank her."

Aein walked over to me and smiled, then thanked me in her sweetest voice. "Kamsahamnida, eonni." I patted her head and smiled back.

Looking at the boss, I knew that I was about to get scolded for something. He didn't say anything at that time, but took his daughter's hand and walked ahead of me back outside. He had thanked the manager and made his way out of the office building back to his car. I hurried behind them.

We were able to visit three stores that day. I had to babysit Aein everytime he had to go into a meeting with the managers. Everytime he stepped out of the office, the first thing he looked for was Aein. I thought that it was sweet of him. I wondered where her mom was, knowing the boss had to work. Shouldn't she be the one taking care of Aein while her husband was working? Or was this some kind of modern single dad story thing? If it was the case, I didn't mind stepping in the shoes of the wife and mother. Aein turned out to be a sweet little girl as I spent time with her, while waiting for the boss.

I shook that thought of. Maybe I was thinking too much into this. The boss might be happily married and his wife just had to attend to something important right now, so she couldn't take care of Aein. But I had asked Aein where her eomma was and she just told me, "In LA." I asked if her mom was working there, she just shook her head.

I found myself staring at the boss as he walked hand in hand with Aein back to the car, after the third store we visited that day. Tomorrow, Jeff would take over the work I had today. I would be starting my work at his office. Somehow, that made me feel sad. 

The short time I spent with the new boss made me want to keep seeing him at work. I felt a sting on my left chest. I know it was my heart hurting. If I was Aein's mom, I wouldn't leave her even if I was at work. I would make sure that I was still available for whenever she needed me. The boss needed some taking care of, as well. I noticed that when instead of going back to the office, the boss had went straight to his home. He asked if I didn't mind to help him take care of Aein get ready for bed that night because he still needed to review the data he gathered from today's work.

The house was big. It was the first time I was able to set foot in that kind of big house. The house was situated by the beach front, and knowing that it meant the property was millions of dollars worth, I feasted my eyes around. I didn't see any trace of family photos in the living room downstairs. 

Weird.

The color of the interior was predominantly white. It had that sort of clean and expensive feel to it. Aein ran around the first floor and just stopped when the boss told her to go with me up to her room. I didn't know where her room was.

"Uh- I don't know where her room is...sir."

"Ah. Mian," he chuckled. He looked cute when he did that. I felt a flutter inside my stomach. I cleared my throat and hoped he didn't notice it. He called Aein and she ran to him. He let her ride his back up the stairs. I followed them up. I suddenly had another daydreaming spree.

I was following my husband and daughter up the stairs to get our daughter ready for bed. My hubby was playing with our little girl as we made our way up the stairs. 

You wish, Winter.

"Snowflakes. I mean...uh- Rain?"

His voice woke me up from my daydream. I knew he was calling my attention, but yet called me by another name.

"Winter. Sir, it's Winter."

"Oh, okay. Why don't you stay for dinner? I don't cook and I only call delivery. I mean, I cook but only for myself. Aein doesn't like my cooking. Do you know how to cook?"

"Me? Cook? I..I know how to cook, sir."

"Do you mind if you cook for us tonight? I'll pay you extra for that."

"Oh, no sir. It's okay. You don't have to pay extra. I'd love to cook for you tonight."

"Cool. I'll be in my room, the next room to this. Just knock when the food's ready. I'll be working on these." He waved the thick wad of paper in his hand. I smiled and nodded.

"Okay, sir. I'll just help Aein first."

"Okay."

He disappeared inside the door of his room. I went to help Aein wash and get ready for dinner and bed, then rummaged through the pantry for ingredients. I wasn't the best cook, but I knew how to. Luckily, the pantry was fully stocked. A bummer that the boss had to call delivery everytime because he didn't know how to cook. 

The kitchen didn't look like a woman resided in this house, either. The pots and pans were still shining silver and looked like nothing had been cooked in them, except for one small pot and a pan that was hanging under the cupboard. 

I cooked something simple, yet decent meal. Aein was in the living room, watching cartoons as I worked. When I was done, I told Aein I was going to go up and call the boss for dinner. I also told her not to go out without permission. She nodded and fixed her eyes back on the TV.

Upstairs, I knocked on the boss' door. I heard his faint voice asking me the door was unlocked. I turned the knob open.

"Sir, the food's ready."

"Okay. I'll be right there."

"Okay."

I turned to make my way out of his room, but he called my attention again.

"Uh- Rain? Ah, whatever was your name..."

"Winter."

"Yeah. Thank you for your help today. But also, I want you to know that I was scared for a while back there earlier. You and Aein disappeared without telling me."

"I- She was crying, sir. I wanted to comfort her and offered to buy her ice cream and-"

"You should have told me before you did that."

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to-"

"Of course you didn't."

"She was looking for you, her eomma, some other people I didn't know...She kept asking me to call her eomma. I don't know her number, sir. I don't even know your number."

"Just don't do it again. Next time, send me a text if I'm in a meeting or when I can't take a call. I'll give you my number."

"Okay sir. Uhm...how about her eomma's number?"

"I can't give you that."

"Oh, mianhae. Okay. Uhm...Do you mind if I ask something?"

"Ne?"

"Aein told me her eomma was in LA and she doesn't know if she's working there or not. May I know if Aein's close to her mom...or has it always just been you and your daughter?"

I wasn't expecting his answer. He started laughing out loud, holding his stomach because he was laughing too much. I just stood there, confused.

Aein appeared behind me, probably because she had heard her dad laughing. When she saw the boss laughing hard, she looked up at me. I shrugged, still confused.

The boss suddenly stopped laughing and with a straight face, he spoke.

"Aein is not my daughter. She is my sister."

Halleluiah! There was no wife. Ha. Ha. Ha. Dream on, Winter.

"Yugi-oh, you laughing. Waeyo?"

"Yugi-oh?" I muttered, but still audible.

The boss' lips turned into a gummy smile. His eyes almost disappeared into little slits that made him look adorable.

"Yeah, that's what she calls me. She can't say Yoongi-oppa straight, so she shortened it like that."

Yoongi.

Min Yoongi.

I think I was falling inlove with my boss.

She fell in love first.

Yoongi's room.

Aein's room.

And I still haven't found someone who fits the image of Winter. LOL.

Boss Min Yoongi A.K.A. Yugi-Oh