***

“But why?” Saejin asked, eyes never left the woman in front of her. Why Chanyeol’s mother suddenly demanded her to call her mother. Why?? She could feel an imaginary question mark was sticked out on her forehead. Was this a trick?? A trick to make her let her guard down, and once she did it, that woman would attack her vigorously like a lion protect her son. That was she supposed to do right? After all, she had bullied her beloved child.

Mrs. Choi just smiled at her, and Saejin found her so beautiful, with her soft features, big eyes, and faint wrinkles of happiness at their corners, “How about we talk in somewhere else? Somewhere more private..” she softly asked, while examining the cafeteria, uncomfortable. Her motherly aura was somehow so radiating, making Saejin couldn’t do anything but nodded profusely.

***

Blank. If you asked how the actual feeling Saejin felt right now, the answer was absolutely blank, she was blank. Mentally, she cursed herself of being so stupid cause she was willing to follow the woman. But how can she was not! When the woman in front of her right now was a highly regarded conglomerate with high social status. Well, scratch that! That was not the main point. The thing that made her head throbbing was the fact that she was none other than the mother of number one person she wanted to avoid. Park Chanyeol.

And who is Park Chanyeol??

She was suddenly so disoriented. If warry was a cancer, she definitely would place herself at the end-stage. Tho, she actually didn’t forget who Park Chanyeol was, but the only thing that she would always remember was that the man was her bad luck. Her actual bad luck which unluckily became her boss. Huft! Destiny apparently yearned to make her life miserable.

Saejin was restless in her sit, both her hands was squeezing tightly on her lap. Mrs. Choi who stared at her intently made everything worse. She even couldn’t recognize the place where they at right now. Hell! Where is it??!!. She unconsciously examined the room. It was surely a hanok style restaurant with some modern touch here and there. She never went to this kind of place before. And the thought somehow made her felt a strange atmosphere surrounded her body. Maybe, that was also the feeling when the spacemen finally arrived outside the earth.

Last time, when Mrs. Choi demanded her to enter the car that was going to bring them here, she was jittery all the way. She unbelievably felt like her psychiatric condition threatened.

“Thank you”

A couple of words released from Mrs. Choi to the waitress that brought two cups of coffee on their table made Saejin aghast. Her heart thumped strenuously as if it would be jumping on the floor.

Geez! She was going to die.

“Miss Oh Saejin, don’t you like coffee?”

“No-“ Saejin spontaneously said, but a second latter she realize and rectified, “Oh I mean..yes. Yes, I like coffee..”

She grabbed the cup. But the light weight from the cup felt so remarkably heavy to lift it up with one hand. She needed two hands to do it. The liquid in the cup on her hands rocked with a subtle rhythm. She was shaking. Her teeth chattered.

“Are you okay?” Mrs. Choi inquired Saejin, her eyebrows furrowed

“Y-yes I am. It’s just so cold h-here..” she stammered

Well, her body was indeed so cold, but it was not because of the air conditioner. It was more because her nervousness tortured her to the fullest. She sipped her coffee once, then put it back to the table with her remaining energy left in her body.

Mrs. Choi looked very graceful when seen from such a close distance. She was elegant, classy, and polite. Too bad she was the mother of that Park Chanyeol.

“I already told you that I’m Chanyeol’s mom right??” Mrs. Choi’s tone was so soft, but somehow that question made Saejin felt like she was skinned alive by something invisible. She nodded slowly because her voice was stuck deep inside .

“That means you know who my son is”

Thump, thump, thump. Yeah, and I just shouted and scolded and cursed and swore at him right in the face not long time ago.

Saejin internally cried. She was used to this kind of situation. No! she meant that she often encountered this situation in dramas. But who would have thought that if now the drama was approaching her life. If this was just a dream, she hoped her brother would soon wake her up. Right now. No! it would be better that she woke up when the first time she met Chanyeol in the Café shop. That was the right one. She cursed her stupidity for her inability to recognize him from the very first place. Screw everything!!

“Park Chanyeol is the sole heir of Park Corporation Group. He was relatively mature enough, and now he becomes the CEO of our company, replacing his late father. He has a high class lifestyle that would never be imagined by someone like-“

Mrs. Choi didn’t finish her sentence, instead she just sharply stared at Mirae right in her eyes’ bead, making the latter shrunk.

“Meanwhile, Miss Oh Saejin was only an assistant, graduated from local university. Your family background is also ordinary”

Saejin petrified. So, this woman already investigated her background, even her family. But what for?!! Was she going to sue her?! Was she going to bring her into the jail?! But why a while ago she was so kind, even asked her to call her mother??. Her first assumption seemingly would be coming true. That was just a mask, a mask to hide her bad intention. What should she do right now??!! She abruptly looked at the door, afraid that a police would suddenly bark in and handcuffed her.

“Actually, there was another thing I want to tell you, can you guess what is it?” Mrs. Choi smirked slightly, she took her cup and casually sipped the coffee in it. The woman gave pause in every word as if she deliberately wanted to make Saejin felt intimidated.

Saejin’s palms were sweating. Cold. Hot. Cold again, then hot, and on.

That was it. This situation was like the scene in the dramas she watched. When the conglomerate mothers who highly opposed their sons’ relationship due to the social status, met their sons’ girlfriend. The different was just Saejin didn’t have a role as the protagonist girlfriend, instead she was the antagonist loser bully. So the “I hope you will treat Chanyeol well from now on” didn’t literally meant like that. The actual meaning beneath the sentence was just Mrs. Choi wanted her to stay away from Chanyeol, she didn’t accept her son being treated ungracefully like she did, so she wanted to erase Saejin from his life. Why didn’t she directly sue her? Yaeh probably it was because she wanted to maintain the family image. The fact that her son was ever bullied by a woman from not extraordinary family was embarrassing. Saejin flipped her hair behind her ear. Some scenes clearly flashed in her head.

First scene. Maybe Mrs. Choi would throw her a bunch of money before asking her to fade away from Chanyeol’s life. In the drama, usually the women would refuse the money and choose to stay even many obstacles were waiting for her ahead. Saejin felt like the women in the drama were too naive. With her condition right now, she definitely wouldn’t do that thing. Why would she, when she already made her resignation letter ready. She probably more than willing to receive the money shoved in front of her face. However, it turned out that it was not as easy as she thought.

Saejin gazed at Mrs. Choi’s purse on the table, she felt like that thing also mocked her and ready to spill its content, could there be the money in it?? But it seemed not that thick like in the drama. Well, that bunch of money would not fit in a purse. But how about cheque??!!

Second scene. The angel and the evil inside Saejin fought like crazy and finally the angel won. That meant, she would never choose the money, regardless how much it was. Her pride was a way more priceless than those bunches of money. And then, Mrs. Choi would be furious because of her rejection and ended up slapping her right in her cheek.

Saejin instantly held her cheek. She shivered. Yet, she thought again, Mrs. Choi would probably be the one that was really fanatic with social status, so she could not let herself to make any physical contact with her. Amazing! Now Saejin felt like she was nothing but a germ.

Third scene. Saejin leered her eyes into a cup of coffee placed on the table. It would be more practical if Mrs. Choi spilt the coffee on her face. Wow! Now both her hands cupping her own cheeks. Getting splashed by a hot coffee liquid wasn’t a good thing, was It??

But, after all if someone like Saejin eventually chose to decline the money, then the slap and the hot coffee splash meant nothing right??!!

Suddenly the fourth scene lingered in Saejin’s mind..

The scene was when she came home after the meeting with Mrs. Choi. She walked like a daze person among the crowded pedestrians on the sidewalk with her melancholy face and red puffy eyes, sadly thinking about Mrs. Choi harsh words to her. Then, when she crossed the road, a big truck that lost control accidentally crashed into her, causing her to hit the road with her blood spilled on the street. Little that she knew, the truck driver was actually a mercenary from Mrs. Choi that being hired to get rid of her and made it like a normal traffic accident.

Believe it or not, Saejin was now as white as paper. She was pale. Horrible scenes were fulling her brain and she didn’t have any idea which one that would be real. Screw her drama-centric mind! Screw Park company! Screw Park Chanyeol!!!

“Considering your reaction, I can say that you don’t know..” Mrs. Choi concluded, a light smile adoring her face. Saejin startled. “Chanyeol must haven’t telling you right? Ck ck that kid!” she chuckled.

***

Meanwhile, in another place, Chanyeol sit on his swirl chair, giving his wrist some ointment. He cursed and hissed like every minutes when the pain felt so real. It was all because that freaky woman. What kind of act was that?! Daring to swear and push her boss then disappear like a wind!! So rude, impolite, and barbaric. If he didn’t need her help, he would already fire her disrespectfully long time ago. He hissed again as the ointment smearing in his skin, what kind of ointment Daniel bought him??!!

Talking about Daniel, where was he right now?. He was never be this silent, it was strange, considering that usually he was like a walking alarm, always alerting him with his schedule. As