.002

- Oh Sehun

‘I’m back, Father.’

                I say to myself, careful not to show my emotions as I step inside the airport through the arrival gate. After seven years, I finally return to my home country, the place where I grew up with more painful memories rather than happier ones. As I pull my luggage behind me, my secretary tagging along silently. I look around expectantly, hoping to see the familiar face that I missed so much. But of course, I no longer have anyone waiting for me.

                ‘Oh Sehun!’  A male voice calls out for me, and I whip my head towards its direction, a small smile forming on my lips when I realise who it is. More than a decade may have passed, but I will still recognise Yixing any time. I make my way to the man, allowing him to pull me into a bear hug for two seconds before I push him away.

Grinning, he slaps my shoulder playfully. ‘Man, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?’

                ‘Yeah, we didn’t even meet once after high school,’ I say, remembering the past in a flash. Yixing was a year older, but he had to enter the grade lower than he was supposed to due to being transferred from China and both of us ended becoming desk mates throughout the three years of high school. He moved somewhere else after school ended, so we lost contact. It is a rare coincidence to be meeting him here, after all these years.

    ‘You’re waiting for someone?’

                He nods vigorously, and before I can ask who it is that he’s waiting for, he suddenly bows low. Flustered, I try to pull him up and he starts chuckling. ‘I was waiting for you, man.’

                Me? I send a confused look to my secretary, and she nods at me. Motioning towards Yixing, she suddenly introduces him.

   ‘Director, this is Mr. Zhang Yixing, the Head of Marketing Department in our branch here. He’ll be the one assisting you to our businesses here from now on.’

                ‘What? I thought I was dealing with an older man named Kim Jiwoon instead?’ I ask incredulously, unable to grasp the current situation. I give a pointed look to my secretary, demanding answers. ‘Why wasn’t I informed about this, Irene?’

                ‘Whoa, don’t be so hard on the girl, man. I asked for her favour to not tell you that Kim Jiwoon retired just a month ago. I just wanted to surprise my old pal a little bit,’ Yixing says, swinging an arm around my shoulders. He probably gives it a thought for a moment, because he pulls back seconds after, dusting off non-existent dusts from my shirt with a sheepish smile. ‘I guess I should be calling you Director too from now on, right?’

                Smiling, I place my own arms around his shoulders, giving him a pat. ‘I’ll let you call me Sehun for old times’ sake, but only when we’re not working. In return, you need to help me with something.’

                ‘Yeah, sure! Just name it, boss,’ he says with a hint of mischief, sending a salute before taking my luggage away from my hands.

                ‘I’d like you to look someone up.’

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

                ‘Sehun, I’ve prepared the clothes for you to wear for today's meeting. I’ll leave it on your bed,’ Irene’s soft voice comes through the closed door, and I answer her with a loud hum.

                I hear the sound of the door closing, and I know she’s left the room. The cold water from the shower washes away all the fatigue from my body, and I release a long sigh, leaning an arm against the cold tiles of the wall. It never occurred to me that I would feel a hundred times lonelier when I return here. Even the presence of Irene is not able to calm me down as usual.

                I know I need to focus, or my careful plans of all these years may end up futile. It pains me that the memories of Ahn Jinae are coming to haunt me again in no time. I was not able to sleep a wink last night, afraid that I might see her face again in my dream.

I stare at the scars on my knuckle, the evidence of what happened seven years the sole reason of me being here now, but also the reason I risk crumbling down in any seconds.

Turning off the water, I step away from the shower, grabbing a towel from the rack.

                Surely she wouldn’t have forgotten me, would she? The same question comes to my mind for the nth time even as I step out of the bathroom, entering the large master bedroom of the condominium that I now call home. Seven years ago, it never crossed my mind that I will ever be able to afford a condominium this large and expensive. I never had dared to even dream of anything other than my ordinary life. All I had that time was Father, and our old house. Father… How long had it been? Was losing him one of the prices that I had to pay to be where I am now?

                ‘Sehun, hurry up a little bit! Your breakfast is going to turn cold soon,’ Irene calls out, pulling me back from falling into despair once again. I smile to myself, appreciating her existence by my side. Not wanting to make her become even more impatient than she already was, I put on the clothes that she had ironed so meticulously, fixing my hair and tie properly.

                ‘I didn’t pay you to cook and iron the clothes for me, Miss Irene,’ I say as I walk into the kitchen, shaking my head with a smile when I see her bustling around in the room, preparing breakfast.  She is just my secretary, yet she does almost everything for me on a daily basis.

                ‘Good morning to you too, Mr. Oh,’ she retorts, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Placing a tall mug of black coffee in front of me, she takes the seat opposite of mine. ‘If I don’t do this, you’re not going to eat any breakfast. Don’t think I don’t know that you always skip your meals. Today’s your first day here anyway, so you need energy. Eat, and finish that coffee.’

                ‘Alright, alright. I’ll eat something then,’ I say with a soft chuckle, taking the plate of pancakes that she had prepared for me. As I am munching on the delicious pancakes that only Bae Irene is able to make, I remember something. ‘Has the Chairman arrived yet, by the way?’

                Irene’s happy mood seems to dissipate a little, and a small part of me regrets asking the question. She takes a sip on her own coffee before giving me a nod. ‘Yes, the Chairman arrived last night, several hours after our arrival to be exact. I should have informed you earlier.’

                ‘Why aren’t you with him, then?’ I ask, noting the slight tension in her body posture.

                She stays silent, for a moment fiddling with the food in front of her. She suddenly lifts up her face, the smile on her face a surprise to me. ‘And why should I be with him?’

                ‘Because he’s your father.’

                ‘So what? Why should I be with him even if he’s my father?’ I wince at the bitterness in her voice. She still has that smile on her face, and if I had not known her for this long, I would have thought that she is fine after all. Her smile is definitely convincing, if I had not known her any better. But I do know better; I know she is anything but fine. As much as she knows about my painful past, I know everything about her deepest secrets.

                ‘You could at least have breakfast w