hole-and-corner

Chapter 3. Amused, Intrigued

Sweat was dripping on her temples as she tried to walk as fast as she could. She wanted to throw her heels away and just run barefoot on her way to work. It was only her third day at work and she's already coming in late.

Handong finally made it to the company. She took the elevator and tried to wipe off her sweat and straightened her suit. She walked down the hallway quickly and finally reached the office room. The girl swiftly made her way to her station and as quickly as she sat down her chair, Yubin turned around and she was met with an intense, heavy stare.

"Are you aware of what time is it now, Miss Han?" Yubin asked, not breaking eye contact with Handong. "You're aware that you are supposed to be here at 8am sharp, right?

"Y-yes, Miss Lee. I'm sorry, I'm... late." Yubin's gaze was so intense that it scared her a bit. She looks so upset today that the memories of yesterday kind of felt surreal.

"Care to explain why?" Her tone is that of a command more than a question. Handong wanted to, but she knew she couldn't because...

There were just nights like that – nights when it is really difficult to fall asleep. Handong shifted on her bed, wanting to find the most comfortable position. It was so quiet and the only sounds she could hear were the faint sound of vehicles passing through the road and the ticking of the hands of her wall clock as it went from one number to another. She hugged a pillow and tried closing her eyes one more time.

But everytime she does, there was this sudden image flashing on her mind.

"See you tomorrow, Dongie."

Shivers ran through her body and, automatically, her lips formed into a smile. It was totally unexpected and now she can’t stop thinking about it. The girl even gave her a nickname.

“Dongie…” She murmured as she tried suppressing her smile from getting bigger. The picture of that beautiful smile is still clear on her mind.

'Is it really necessary to give nicknames? Usually, nicknames are expressions of... fondness, right? Then why? Is she fond of me or is she making fun of me? Why...? Just why does it... feel like this?' Handong's internal monologue kept her mind active all night that she forgot to keep track of the time. She didn't realize that she was up for quite some time until she has fallen asleep perhaps due to exhaustion.

The morning after was a disaster -- her morning alarm didn't wake her up.

"I... overslept." Handong said in an almost whisper. "I'm sorry for being late."

Yubin, disappointed, let out a sigh before diverting her eyes back to her computer screen. The Chinese girl felt really bad and she just wanted to go home already as the tension around the two of them felt uncomfortable.

Suddenly feeling a sense of guilt, Yubin realized that she might have been a little harsh to the new employee but she had to do it. She personally is very punctual and disliked being late. She felt bad for acting like that but she needs to make it clear that it is not an acceptable habit, being late that is.

There was a minute or two of awkward silence between them when Yubin finally went over to the blonde's desk.

"Miss Han, today I'll need you to try and do layouts according to the client specifications and instructions. The details are on the email I just forwarded to you." She briefly said as she looked at her wrist watch. “Could you do that in two hours? Then, we’ll discuss about it.”

“Noted, Miss Lee.”
 

The past two hours have been quick and definitely nerve-racking for Handong. She was relieved that she finished on time and had just printed out the layout designs she made after triple checking them. The girl wanted to leave a good impression to Yubin even with the lack of professional experience and mostly relying on her instinct and skills.

She composed herself and eased the rising tension before approaching her superior, “Miss Lee…”

Yubin turned around and signaled her to move her swivel chair over so she could sit next to her. The blonde did just that, leaving around a feet and a half gap between the two of them and then handing the print-outs to Yubin which she couldn’t really observe clearly because of the distance. She then moved her own chair within a closer proximity before saying, “I really can’t see it well in that distance.”

“Actually, me too.” Handong said shyly.

The sudden response that Yubin didn’t really expect made her let out a light chuckle which in turn, made the Handong look at her amusedly. She immediately switched back to her usual, straight face, cleared up and spoke, “Anyway, I need you to explain each of these to me.”

The blonde girl was trying her best to calm herself down. She could feel how her heartbeat rate was continually rising yet she doesn’t know if it is because she was quite feeling nervous with her work or if it is because she was sitting this close to Yubin, or maybe both. She couldn’t figure out how to start explaining and it was probably apparent on her gestures as Yubin called her name once more.

“Miss Han.” Seeing how tense the other was, she patted her arm softly, gave her a reassuring look and jokingly murmured, “I don’t bite.”

It surely did its effect on Handong and the other suddenly fixed her sitting posture and cleared before finally starting with the details on the tasks she did. Slowly feeling comfortable over time as she could observe Yubin who looked very keen on listening to her, Handong pointed out every little detail she made and how she interpreted it to relate to the client’s listed specifications. After she finished explaining a layout design, Yubin would respond with her opinion as if she was the client who requested the design. Her experience with dealing with all types of clients really helped her see things through their perspective, not that it was perfectly what a client would think, but rather what clients usually say to her whenever she goes through strenuous explanations like this.

On the other hand, Handong was really amazed by how straight-forward Yubin’s feedbacks were and she was literally taking additional notes even when her superior has been scribbling few, short notes on her printouts. Even for her first time doing this kind of activity, Yubin was quite amazed at how good Handong could grasp the theme of each design. She doesn’t go overboard with the design yet it isn’t too simplistic or boring as well. There were just a few technical things that Yubin could comment to and also giving out a few more tips that she might need for future references. Honestly speaking, the lead designer thinks it was a pretty good job for a novice.

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