It was seven in the morning, I was on training for the new LOB (line of business) in our account. And as part of the training, aside from the practice and tutorial, we have an hour dedicated for sidebarging. Meaning, we will watch and listen to experts on how they take calls and use their GDS tools. I was fine with that, it's just simple watching and listening. Sit down and relax.

My coworkers were busy talking to someone I don't know, so I decided to go somewhere to sidebarge. l sat beside a nice-looking girl. Her pink lipstick distracted me. There was a long avail time, so we only spent time chitchatting about stuff like taking calls and using the GDS tools. In the middle of our conversation, she asked for my name and took my ID. Then, she suddenly introduced me to a guy on their left. He was a station away from us.

"Daehyun, this is Yongguk. Yongguk, this is Daehyun."

The guy on their left shyly waved his hand. I find it funny, but then I just normally said hello back with matching Miss Universe wave.

He is cute. Hehe. But why does he has to be awkward to say hello? Hmm.. maybe I should sidebarge him tomorrow. Hehehe, I said to myself as I observe him. He really is a cutie patootie, though Youngjae is much more good-looking than him. Well, still an eye candy. Not bad.

Then the girl with the pink lipstick and I continued on our chitchatting, disregarding the awkward guy, until our end of shift. We then waved each other goodbye.

The next day, I was looking for the girl I chitchatted with yesterday. But unfortunately, she was nowhere to be seen. But I found the cute awkward guy. So I marched to his station, took a chair and sat beside him.

Since there was another long avail time, I just ask him how basically the tools work so at least I would learn something while waiting for my end of shift. I then stared at the old bay of another account where my crush Yoo Youngjae works.

"I can't believe that account now will be on the third floor. I won't be able to see him again. I need a new crush!" I whined as I pondered on my crush's old bay, now used by the same account he's in.

"Maybe you're just stepping on your new crush," he told me.

I looked underneath the table and found my foot stepping on his shoes. I was left dumbfounded. It took me a few minutes to realize it was actually a pickup line.

"Just because you're cute, you're gonna be like that, huh?" I hissed at him. And then we both burst into laughter, forgetting the conversation that happened.

At the struck of 7:58AM, the awkward guy reminded me, "Isn't it end of your shift already?"

I was enraged so I replied, "You're so excited to shoo me away. Fine!" Does he want me to go away so badly?

Since I was traumatized by the way he shooed me, I decided to sidebarge the next day the pink-lipped girl. I found her but the heck her station is so Antarctica. It's so cold, I can't stand staying there for so long. I'm so sorry girl, I'll just go to the awkward guy instead.

I approached him, as usual. He was busy with a call that doesn't require to use GDS, still I sat beside him and watch him take calls. He sounded like the voice prompt from Thrifty. And he's so funny whenever he explains normal flight schedule change to the customer. He tells them that sometimes they had to change or cancel their flights due to system maintenance, as if he was at the airport.

On the fourth day, I was already looking or him even before our SBS. I asked this good-looking blonde who sat beside him where he is. He replied, "I dunno." I was about to leave when he added, "What's your relation with him?" I just shook my head and left.

When it's time to sidebarge, I went to him as usual. He had a funny seatmate that had three of us guffawing. He was joking about the awkward's guy circumcision and how his teeth was still stuck on his rod. I was sure the other people were judging us already. Who cares, carebear.

I was trying to know his name by looking at his tools but I always tend to forget. So I grabbed his access card and stared at it.

"I don't know your name, so I'll just take a look on your ID. Bang Yongguk... hmm..." I read out loud as I was holding his ID.

And as usual, at the strike of 7:58am, he reminded me again of my end of shift. Seriously, he made me felt so offended. Am I that annoying that's why he shoos me away always?

Because I was too dumb, I thought Friday would be the last time that we will sidebarge. I became out of myself and had my guard down so I ended up extending my sidebarging until Yongguk's end of shift. Imagine I had to  make an excuse that I was actually guarding my friend Moon Jongup who also works in the same account. Then I left as he had to go to his team and have their post shift.

On the real last day, I tried my best to stop sidebarging. I felt so embarrassed for what I did last time. I fought my urge to approach and talk to him. Yes, I was sidebarging someone else. Then I told the pink-lipped girl the pickup line incident and she even introduced me to other guys whom I'm not obviously interested with. She told him and boom, there goes my embarrassment soaring high.

But in the end, I peeked on his station and asked what he was doing. He was using that encode/decode box and explained to me that it doesn't usually work. Since I was there, it "surprisingly" works. I snarled, "I didn't even created that thing. How come it will work just because of me?!" Then he clarified that the encode/decode thingy really works. Shaking my head.

On our first day of nesting a.k.a. first week of taking calls using our GDS tool, I met the pink-lipped girl whose name is Jieun. She told me some tidbits about Yongguk like how he's a (omigod) and he's currently courting some short-haired chick. Like why do I need to know them?

I was still talking to him, casually saying hi and stuff. I mean, there's nothing bad with that, right? That's what I thought so, until things are getting out of hand. I always had to fight with my urge to talk to him. He doesn't even care about me, why the bother. But still...

The situation became so weird I had to avoid him on Christmas and New Year. I feel annoyed and threatened by his presence. I always put my poker face on whenever he's around but then I would felt disappointed inside coz I know we only had communication if I were the first one to initiate a conversation.

Then one time, when our shift was 12am-9am, I saw him going home at 2am. I passed by his locker but I wasn't in the mood to say anything. I was bit frustrated by my last call. I did notice him when I reached my locker. I wanna say goodbye to him, like take care on his way home. But then, why the heck should I say that to him? What is even our relation to make me have the right to say that? I was just a coworker, a nosy acquaintance. So when I turned my head, he was gone. "Good", I breathed.

After two weeks of no Yongguk around, I thought I was okay and probably have moved on with this annoying attraction.

I put the customer on hold because I badly need to pee. Then I was about to go to my coworker to tell her something. Jieun saw me, saying hi to me. Of course, I greeted her back. Then she pulled me towards Yongguk who's busy logging in. All of a sudden she introduced me to him... again.

"Yongguk, this is Daehyun. Daehyun, this is Yongguk," she said as she dragged me to him. I just gave him a simple wave and hi and struggled to be free from Jieun's hands. He answered back with his usual awkward grin. A loud "Ayiieeh" from Jieun and Sunhwa the mentor followed. He just flashed his gummy smile while I grunt in despair.

Sunhwa added fuel to the fire, telling me, "You're just gonna pee, now you have a love life!" I was not in the mood for that kind of for I desperately needed to pee that time. I just decided to let this pass coz I won't get a respond from Yongguk anyway.

Sunhwa approached me after and teased me again. I defended, "He doesn't even know my name!" There goes the pain.

A day after that incident, some miracle happened. For two days straight, he was the first one to initiate a conversation as I try to act cool like nothing happened. Like my effort bore fruit late. This was the time I let my guard down, providing no more benefit of the doubt.

There were also incidences when I caught him looking at me. Usually I would tell myself he is seeing things I'm not seeing or whatnot, but I decided to assume his eyes were on me. People keep on teasing him to me, providing assurance on my assumption.

Since I was so sure he liked me back, I decided to send him a Valentine message through Facebook. Yeah, I remember how he embarrassed me in front of my coworkers -- asking if I was the Jung Daehyun he accepted on FB. He mentioned that it was cool I still recognized him from his pictures. And how I made an excuse that I just added all friends of our team lead Jun Hyosung. And how I mumbled madly, "I searched for you, you idiot," under my breath and my flushed cheeks.

Anyway, back to the story.

So I sent him a simple picture with a funny pickup line. With the beautiful Valentine effect special.

[Insert photo]

After 24 hours of announcing on Twitter my courageous act and waiting for a reply with fingers crossed, I only saw a check underneath my message. A sign that I was apparently seenzoned. On Valentine's day. By the guy I assumed that he liked me back.

So the next day, I went to work, dressed to kill because I was raging mad. Like how come he did not even sent anything back to me?! Like a "Thank you" or something. My friends replied back to me, why can't he? He was online during the time I sent the message! He. Was. Online! What the hell?

My coworkers and acquiantances kept on showering me with praises on my attire for that day and I had to explain to each of them why I looked so wickedly handsome today. And all of them went either laughing or agreeing with me.

But never did I know that even at work I'll be seenzoned.

I wanna say hi or something as usual but I told myself, That bastard seenzoned you. Ignore him until he apologizes.

I waited for a few minutes, watching him nearby. I feel like I'm a lion observing my gazelle prey. But in this case, I will not pounce on my prey. I will wait for my prey to attack. I ended up waiting in vain.

My brain suddenly flashed back to the time when he did the first move to talk and complemented me on the same outfit I was wearing. Now what happened.

I rarely like someone. And this is the first time for me to make a bold move. I guess I really hate liking someone. I feel like my pride was stepped on until it reached six feet below the ground.

This is the last time I will make an effort. Wasted for nothing.

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This oneshot took me a month to finish mehgahd. I hope you won't end up like me in the future.