Seul Mi sat at the reception desk. It was half an hour until lunch. She chose to tell Min Young that she liked Hyun Joong today. Then the thought of Hyun Joong joining them popped up. She totally had forgotten that he would be there. She couldn’t tell her when his there.

She sat up and dialled Hyun Joong’s private number that he once gave her. She didn’t want to talk to Min Young since she would think something was definitely was up. After the third ring the line went through.

“Hello.” Hyun Joong’s voice was cheery.

“Urm… Hello. It’s me Seul Mi.”

She heard a chuckle from the other end. “What is it, Seul Mi?”

She hesitated if she should mention anything about Min Young. It would be sad if she told him about the crush. But she had to do something. “Is it okay if you don’t come to lunch with us?” Her voice was rushed.

There was silence. She thought she’s been cut off. “Why? Don’t you like me being there?”

She heard the hurt in his voice. “Of course I like you being there!” she gasped.

“Then what are you saying?”

“I can’t explain over the phone,” she whispered down. Someone had just entered the building and came straight to her. “I have to go,” she quickly said over the mouth piece and put the phone down. She put on her bright smile. “Hello. How may I help you?”

Ten minutes went by. She found herself dreading lunch. She felt nervous and guilty. She was filing some work when someone tapped her shoulders from behind startling her and causing the papers in her hand drop. She turned to be face to face with Min Ho.

“What’s wrong with you?” she cried out. “Trying to give me a heart attack?”

“I think you’ll live,” Min Ho teased.

“So, what you’re doing here?” she asked. She bent down to retrieve the papers. Min Ho too bent down to help her.

“Hyun Joong wants to see you.”

Seul Mi took the last paper from Min Ho. She frowned. She wondered why he would do that. “Is there something wrong?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” He got up and straightened his suit.

She came to his level. She looked at him with confused written all over her face.

Min Ho thought something was going on between them when Hyun Joong had asked him to cover Seul Mi at the reception and ask her to come up. He really thought that the two of them were going out. But the look on Seul Mi’s face made him think otherwise.

“He asked me to cover you so you could go up.”

Seul Mi’s facial expression didn’t change. “Is there something wrong?” she repeated

“Woman, go upstairs and relieve both our minds!”

Seul Mi didn’t take the teasing in his voice. She thought he was annoyed. “Urm… okay.”

She reluctantly walked off taking the elevator to his office. Min Young was surprised to see her up here. It was the first time she saw her come up. She frowned looking at the clock hung up on top of the elevator doors. It wasn’t lunch time until another twenty minutes. She knew Seul Mi was a timekeeper type of person.

“What a pleasant surprise!” Min Young exclaimed. “Shouldn’t you be downstairs working?”

“Hyun Joong called me.” Seul Mi didn’t make any eye contact with Min Young. She felt the guilt come back. “Min Ho is covering for me.”

“Oh…”

“Is Seul Mi out there?” Hyun Joong’s voice boomed through the intercom. “Tell her to come in quickly.”

Seul Mi glanced at Min Young then headed to the office. Min Young had a questioning look upon her face. Seul Mi gave an innocent shrug as it was true that she had no idea why Hyun Joong wanted to see her. She opened the door.

“Close the door,” Hyun Joong said. She hesitated. She saw him sitting on his chair typing away on his laptop. “Don’t say you’re scared of me now.” She didn’t know she was lost in thought until she heard Hyun Joong’s teasing voice snapped her out of it. The smile he gave her made her catch her breath.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to the seat in front of him. Hyun Joong stood up just when she sat down. He walked around his desk over to the couch at the other end of his office. Her gaze followed his every movement. He sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her motioning her to come and sit next to him. She obeyed his silent demand.

“So…”

“Is there something that you wanted to talk to me about?” She looked at him.

“We’re face to face, right?” She nodded trying to get at where he was going with the conversation. “So, tell me.” She looked at him blankly. “Our phone conversation earlier. You said you couldn’t tell me something over the phone.”

“Oh,” realization struck her. “Urm… I was actually hoping to tell you later.”

“Since you’re here you might as well say it now.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

She pulled back. “First I’d like you to tell me what you think our relationship is.”

He sighed. “I thought it was obvious. You’re my employee and I’m your boss.”

She glared at him. He was grinning widely showing his perfectly white teeth. “Be serious.”

“Fine. I think of you as my woman.” She looked away. She guessed he would say that. “Is that a problem for you??”

She shook her head. “No. but I want to know now what you think of Min Young.”

He knitted his eyebrows together. “What should I think of her? She’s my secretary.”

“But you treat her more than that though.”

“Only because of you,” he said nonchalantly. “She’s your friend.”

“Aww that’s so cute!” she cooed. She pinched his cheeks. Hyun Joong slapped her hands away.

“Don’t do that,” he told her. “My mom still does that to me and it’s so annoying!” He rolled his eyes exaggerating how he hated it.

Seul Mi couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d like to meet your mother someday.” A smile crept on his face slyly. “What?”

Hyun Joong shook his head. Mischief was written all over his face making her glare at him. ’Nothing.”

“Oh really? Then what’s with the goofy grin?”

“Because I’m irresistibly goofy?” he offered.

She shook her head. “I have to get back downstairs or I’ll get fired.”

“Who will dare fire my woman?” Hyun Joong joked.

She stood up. “This arrogant, irresistible, goofy boss of mine,” Seul Mi said sadly.

Her eyes glinted as the ray of sunlight shone on her face showing that she was joking back.

“I should teach this boss of yours a lesson.” Hyun Joong stood up and took her hand in his. He twirled her around. Then he pulled her towards his body and held her close.

“Yeah you should,” she whispered.

Hyun Joong couldn’t hold the urge any longer. He crushed his lips against hers. Seul Mi opened surprised by his sudden movement. He took the advantage and his tongue in entwining with hers.

A knock interrupted them. Seul Mi jumped away from his. She quickly straightened herself together. Hyun Joong looked at her strangely but didn’t utter a word when Min Young came in.

“Sorry, to interrupt but I tried to call. You don’t seem to answer. Mr Shinwha is on the phone.”

Hyun Joong’s went serious all of a sudden. Seul Mi was curious to know why her father called. She wanted to stay and find out. “Thanks,” he dismissed Min Young. “Do you mind if I take this privately?”

Seul Mi hid her disappointment really well behind her smile. “Of course not.”

With that she walked out the office. Her curiosity has grown but she couldn’t do anything but fret about it.

“So what was all that about?” Min Young voice broke in her thoughts.

“Sorry?”

“Why did he ask for you?”

Seul Mi didn’t answer straight away. “He wanted to know why I wanted a day off.” She thought how lame that excuse was.

“You want a day off?”

“Yeah I wanted it next week.” Seul Mi was going to leave but she saw that Min Young wanted to know more. “It’s my birthday.” It was the truth. Her birthday was next week. She just didn’t plan on a day off. Now she had no choice but to ask for one. “I’ll see you in five minutes.”

When Seul Mi got back to her desk she found the distress Min Ho who was struggling with the phone call, the papers and a person asking to meet the boss. She suppressed a laugh as she went to help him.

“You okay?”

“Seul Mi, thank God you’re here!” he cried out. He practically jumped off the chair and hugged her. “I don’t know how you manage fifty phone calls in one go and talk to people at the same time!”

“That’s the magic with receptionists.” She sat down on her chair. “They just know what to do.”

She bit her tongue when she saw Min Young step off the elevator. She had no idea right now what to do.