Hyewon’s POV

         The next day, I had classes early in the morning so I woke up early and went to the university. My classes ended past noon and then I went to a job interview.

         “Kang Hyewon-ssi?” A tall and tanned man said when I entered his office.

         “Oh, yes.” I said shyly and stood in front of his desk, daren’t to look up so much.

         “Kang Hyewon-ssi, you’re coming for the vacancy, right? Sit down, please.” The guy ordered me and I obeyed nodding nervously. “Okay.” The man checked the papers he had in his desk and looked back at me. “I don’t need to do any further question because you know the job you’re applying doesn’t require too much ability.” He said, with a firm voice and a weird tone that I couldn’t read well. “You can start from today, that’s right?” It wasn’t really a question; it was more as an affirmation. Even if I would said no, he would make me stay or he’d not hire me. So, I had to say yes.

         “Yes.” I nodded, rather vigorously.

         “Okay. Go to the kitchen and ask what they need. I think you are willing to do anything they ask you to do, right?” Another affirmation pretending to be a question. I nodded again and the man (who was now going to be my boss) sent me off and I went to the kitchen immediately. One of the waiters that were there told me to go to the restaurant and take the most orders I could. I frowned but didn’t refuse as I nodded silently and obeyed. He told me too that I had to clean all the tables when the customers left. I frowned again but obeyed silently.

         I took the most orders I could and cleaned the tables as I had been told. I was cursing in my mind that guy for asking me to do so many things when he was just fooling around with the pretty waitresses.

         When I finished cleaning the last table, I realized that there wasn’t any customer anymore. I looked around and found the waiter with two waitresses. There was no one else.

         “Yah, you, the newbie.” The guy called me, rather rude, as I turned to him widening my eyes because of the so impolite tone he was using with me. “You have to clean the ground too before you leave.”

         I was startled by his words. Was I his maid or what?

         I saw one of the waitresses with him smacking his arm as he gave her a disapproval look while rubbing his arm pouting trying to be cute but that was the least he was. I frowned even more as the girl smiled to me and I nodded not actually knowing why. And then they left the place leaving me there, sweeping the floor.

         I saw my boss coming downstairs and I stopped sweeping and stood straight watching him, scanning the place, as if checking everything was clean.

         “Hyewon-ssi, you will work here as a part-time worker, right?” He said with that firm voice again, as if scolding me for something. He couldn’t be older than 30 years old and that made me feel quite insecure.

         “Yes.” I nodded, shyly again and holding the sweep.

         “Okay. I hope you attend your times promptly.” He had again that voice that I couldn’t understand, as he threw me a weird look.

         “I will, sir.” I nodded again and watched him nodding too and went out of the place.

         I stayed alone in the restaurant for a few minutes more before checking everything and as everything was alright, I left the restaurant. I got home very tired, so I fell asleep immediately. The next day, the routine was always the same: classes in the morning and the part-time job in the afternoon until the evening. But that day before leaving the university, I went to the academic office to set all my classes in the morning. Then I went to work and came home late.

         My days were like it for several weeks, just my classes and the part-time job. I barely had free times and whenever I had it, I would spend my day at home, resting or studying. So during those days, I didn’t meet Nam Woohyun or heard anything about him. But he still slipped into my thoughts whenever he wanted: at morning while taking the shower, at university in classes or at night before sleeping. He was always there with me even when I hadn’t seen him for a while.

         One day, when I was coming back home from work, I was thinking in Nam Woohyun (as almost every day). I hadn’t seen him for a long while now… Maybe two or three weeks? I couldn’t be sure about it. Even his face was no longer in my thoughts. Oh, well, I was lying. How could someone forget that pretty face? That annoying and pretty face. Seriously, he was even prettier than me, though I wasn’t a pretty girl but, how could a man be prettier than a woman? Does that even make sense? Girls are supposed to be pretty and men are supposed to be… Men, manly men, not pretty men.

         But Nam Woohyun was both; he was a manly man and a pretty man. And a man that was driving me crazy… No, wait! What was I thinking? Nam Woohyun driving me crazy? No, he wasn’t. I was just… thinking too much. Yes, that was it. I was thinking too much. But how could I not think too much in Nam Woohyun? How many days I had talked to him, two, three? Maybe four? I didn’t know. What I knew was Nam Woohyun was making me think too much about him and about everything. 

         And then Seungho came. ‘And then’? That meant… Nam Woohyun was before Seungho? Oh God, that was wrong, that was so wrong. How could I prefer some other guy before the man that had been with me for the last four years? How could I be like that? Nam Woohyun was just… someone that I had just known a few months ago but Seungho was someone very special for me. That’s right; he was someone very special for me…

         But we were no longer together…

         We were not dating anymore…

         I had to stop thinking that I had to think just in Seungho. I had to stop thinking that Seungho was my savior or something like that. I had to stop thinking in Nam Woohyun and his pretty face and manly body. I had to stop thinking.

         I shook my head and smacked my forehead with my palm as I walked to the building and let out a long sigh. I tried not to think in anything as I walked with my gaze down, counting my steps.

         When I arrived the building, I got so surprised when I saw Seungho sitting on the stairs of the building. I stopped a few steps in front of him and he looked up to meet my gaze and a feeble smile I could see in his face. I couldn’t force myself to smile at him as I frowned looking him from above, waiting for him to give me the reason why he was there.

         “Hyewon-ah…” He took my hand still sitting as he lowered his gaze —it was more that his head fell down. I clenched my eyebrows and stared at every movement he was making. He grabbed my hand with his both hands and inched his forehead to his hands.

         “Seungho oppa… what-what are you doing here?” I could say still furrowing because I couldn’t make any other expression at seeing Seungho at such an hour, sitting in the stairs of the entrance of my house, with that weird attitude.

         “Hyewon-ah…” He kissed the back of my hand, sending shivers all over my body. It was because of the touch of my skin with his thick lips, those lips that I was used to love so much. “I-I can’t be without you.” He whispered through my skin and I closed my eyes for a while but opened them and blinked, wishing he hadn’t seen me. I tried to release my hand but he held it not that tight but I didn’t try harder to release it. “Hyewon-ah.” He finally stood