hole-and-corner

Chapter 2. Nicknames are expressions of...

Lee Yubin let out an exhausted sigh as she stared at the pile of papers in front of her. She ruffled her hair as she tried to compose her thoughts. Being the only one alone in the office so early in the morning is not her ideal way to start the day but she had to go to work early today because she wanted to double-check and review the reports she prepared when she did overtime work last night. Yubin stood up and walked out of the room and towards the pantry to grab a cup of coffee. She would need all the energy, as today would definitely be a busy day.

A sip is all that it takes. The warmth of the coffee definitely woke the girl up. It was a good idea to take a break after all. She then walked back to her station and once more, focused on her work.

Yubin was concentrating too much on the papers that she didn't notice it when someone opened the door. The light footsteps didn't alarm her either as the person approached from behind, unintentionally startling her when a pair of hands touched her stiff shoulders. A scream was heard and then followed by a familiar chuckle. Yubin didn't say anything but glared at the older girl.

"It wasn't intentional, I swear!" The CEO said as she laughed at Yubin's angry expression. "You were too focused on whatever you are reading that you didn't notice me enter the room."

Yubin let out a defeated sigh and gave a small smile to her boss. "Aren't you even nervous for the meeting today?"

"You are... nervous? Wow, that is rare for Lee Yubin."

"I am. Just a bit." Yubin admitted as she handed a folder to Minji.

"You don't have to be. You are doing great, Yubin." The sincerity from her words and the warmth of her smile gave a sudden boost of confidence to Yubin.

"Thank you, CEO Kim."

Calling her formally wasn't a way of teasing for Yubin, and Minji knew that. She knows how professional Yubin is and that she really draws a line on how she behaves in and out of work. That's why, even when the two of them knows each other since way back before, Yubin would rarely talk to her casually at the office. It was one of her qualities that up until now amazes the CEO.

"But I believe it would be better if we go the the conference room to talk again about this. It would get crowded in here soon."

Having a good rest last night on her new bed, Handong felt recharged and was all-smiles when she entered the office and settled quickly on her seat. She booted her computer and began reading emails as it was still a bit early for her shift. Noticing the footsteps approaching her, she took a glance and all of a sudden Yubin's gaze met hers -- fiery and almost unrelenting; like fire that could swallow her wholly, she was drawn to it yet she felt like it was wrong for her to be. She looked down to break the eye contact, took the initiative to stand up and bowed to greet Yubin while the other responded briefly before handing another pile of folders to Handong, telling her that she would be out in a meeting for the whole morning and that she could consult the other team members when she has questions. Yubin left right away after giving the instructions to Handong.

The Chinese girl did what has been told for the next couple of hours. From time-to-time, someone from the team goes into her station to check up on her and explain things that she might not fully comprehend. Time passed by so slowly and she was starting to feel bored, to be honest. As if reading her mind, one of her teammates approached her and asked if she would want to go grab some coffee or take a break.

The two of them walked to the pantry whilst chatting – well, it was mostly the other person asking Handong a few of questions regarding herself, like about which school she graduated from, some things about China... She isn’t really good at conversations like these but she keeps up with pretty decent responses, hoping that the other wouldn’t be bored of her replies. They finally reached the pantry and both got themselves a cup of warm coffee.

“So… how’s your initial impression of the team?” Her colleague asked after sipping the warm drink. “What do you think of Ms. Lee?”

The question caught her off-guard but she didn’t show it. “I’m not saying this because we’re on the same team but I really think most are pretty energetic and very welcoming.”

“Most of the team…?” The colleague teasingly asked and which Handong nodded in response. “How about Ms. Lee? What do you think of her?”

“S-She’s serious.” Handong said, trying to be a bit careful of her words.

"She isn't like that always." Her colleague remarked. "It's because she's at the office, but she's quite different outside."

She didn't say a word but the way she looked curiously at the speaker amused the other and let out a chuckle. "There was one weekend, I saw her at the park. She was sitting on a bench, reading a book. I was hesitant to greet her, but what I didn't expect was when she put her book down, she noticed me and smiled while waving her hand at me."

Handong silently imagined the scene and thought how cool that was – how cool Yubin was. She just smiled at the other but she couldn’t find the words to reply. She just stared at her almost empty coffee cup before bringing it close to her lips and drinking all that’s left.

"But she would totally never do that in here!" The colleague said with a light chuckle, trying to break the atmosphere which was turning a bit awkward.

"I think so, too." Handong said with a smile. She then looked at her wrist watch to check for the time before inviting her companion. "I think we should head back now."

"They're here." Kim Minji announced as she settled on the middle seat at the front. Bora, on the other hand, was doing some setups with the projector screen while Yubin was just silently looking at the closed folder in front of her, staring at the logo and repeatedly internally reading the name of the client's company: SeeU Apparel, Incorporated. It is a budding fa