21

24^th January 2015.

“Van Chantique Hotel Discloses About New CEO” the headlines read. The reader sat back in his seat, relishing in what could have been pride. He sipped his morning coffee as he skimmed the article, which took up half of the page. The article was a redundancy of his knowledge: about how the company only revealed that the new CEO was a blood relation and an official ceremony was taking place soon.

But the picture that accompanied the article was something that he had never seen before. It was obviously a paparazzi-taken picture, with motion blur and an awkward angle indicating the limited time and inexperience of the paparazzo. But what was portrayed on the picture was clear enough for any human’s mind to comprehend. It showed a couple—clearly the current chairman and his wife—with an unfamiliar man. His was unclear and partly obscured by a potted plant nearby. The reader read the caption.

“Director, Mr Kim and his wife seen with their heir at—“

Beep. Beep.

He jolted a little, instinctively reaching for his phone in his pocket. The familiar name written across the screen made him sit a little straighter. He answered the call.

“Yes?”

“YAH! ANH JAEBEOM!” A voice from the other line screamed and he winced as he pulled the phone slightly away.

“Yes, Mr Lee. What do you need from me?” He mused, more from sarcasm than respect.

“Yah, have you done what I told you to do? Is everything ready? Our CEO is going to arrive today.”

“Huh? Did you ask me to do something?” He said, feigning cluelessness. He knew exactly what Sungyeol had ordered him to do. He just wanted to grate on his nerves.

“Yah, Jaebeom. You don’t—“

“Chill a little, Sungyeol. You’re too tense for your own good. I’ve done everything since yesterday, so back off okay?” The guy known as Jaebeom said lightly as he basked in the satisfaction of making Lee Sungyeol flabbergasted, again.

Sungyeol was the personal assistant to the new CEO—well at least, he was about to be. He had been busy ordering people about since the last week before his arrival. He must be so excited having picked as a personal assistant just because he was the most eligible person who was around the CEO’s age. Lucky him.

“Okay then Jaebeom, thanks.” Sungyeol said, smiling.

Sungyeol cut off the call and he allowed himself to relax a bit. He scrolled through his contacts for another number. Finding it, he called.

“Hello?” the other line voiced.

“Yes, Mr Jang, is that you?”

Mr Jang was the florist. He had ordered a number of congratulary flowers. Well, actually a lot that they almost flooded the whole hotel lobby. And that was a lot, considering the gigantic size of the lobby. He had already ordered them three months ago. They should be ready by this morning.

There was scratching on the other side of the line, “Yes! Sungyeol is that you?”

Well, he sounded excited enough, “Yes, it is.”

“I just sent my boys to deliver your flowers. The first of them should be there in fifteen.”

“Ah,” he said, nodding, “thank you, Mr Jang.”

“No problem. The pleasure is all mine, Sungyeol-ah,” he had said sincerely.

Sungyeol smiled into the phone and hung up. Just as he was about to make another call, the door opened and a woman strode in. Sungyeol turned his head when he felt her presence. When he saw her, a smile graced his lips, his earlier conquest already forgotten.

“Ah, just the person I want to see,” he said and beckoned her near.

“Mr Lee,” she bowed out of formality than respect.

Sungyeol walked to the table and leaned on its corner, playfulness starting to take over the earlier seriousness of his demeanour. He watched her as she stood, looking as prim and proper. All seriousness. She looked like she would never smile. All the more Sungyeol felt the responsibility to make her do just that. But he knew this girl was not to be messed with. At just twenty six, she had held one of the important posts. Sungyeol was not surprised. She was fast, efficient, reliable, professional and all others you could ever asked for in an employee.

“Cut the crap, Suzy. I thought I told you to drop the formalities. I’m only a year older than you. Plus, in actuality we both know that you are my superior.”

When she did not answer, Sungyeol decided to let it rest and get to the main point so not to waste more precious time. The CEO could arrive any minute now.

“I know I can trust you to see that this job is done neatly. I briefed you already on what to do so just get it done in the shortest time possible. Report back to me when everything is in place.”

The woman took the document that Sungyeol held out. She bowed before leaving the room. Sungyeol watched as she walked with her head held high. Interesting. He knew he would be seeing more of her because of their jobs. And in all honesty, he was looking forward for it.

Beep. Beep.

The phone vibrated on the table. Sungyeol was brought of his trance. Hurriedly he picked it up.

“Yes?” He was silent while listening to the person on the other line.

Sungyeol’s forehead creased as he listened. Flicker of emotions running chaotically on his young handsome face. Confusion. Excitement. Nervousness.

“Yes, I get it. Thanks,” He finally said.

As soon as he hung up, he snatched his coat from the chair and quickly eased it on. With new enthusiasm he made his way out of the office.

“Finally. I’ve been waiting too long for this.”

Striding in the hallway, he took out his phone. He made more important phone calls.

“Yes, Mr Park, he’s here. We can make our way there now. Get the car.”

----------

Jiyeon looked over to her calendar. Twenty four days after the start of a new year. She did not realize that December had ended and it was almost a month into the new year. The ninth year had passed without any news about Myungsoo. She was still waiting, foolishly clinging on. Though she knew it was something that she should not do, she could never quite make herself get over him.

Memories from years ago came in fresh waves, again today. That day when he left her in the clock tower, she had stayed back for a couple of hours, worried that if she had gone, he would come back and find the clock tower empty. Time and time again, she would find herself inside the tower, counting seconds and waiting. Moments had become days. And days turned into weeks and months. Soon enough she found herself graduating. But, of course, he never came. It was not his fault, either. He did not say he would come back. It was just her senselessness that made her stay.

She did not know that that was going to be the last time she would see him. It was as if he had ceased to exist. After that day, Myungsoo disappeared. No one had heard or seen him since that day. There was just no news about him. He did not come to school. He did not answer any messages she sent. When she tried calling, it said that his number was out of use. She even tried contacting Sunggyu. But like Myungsoo, it almost seemed like Sunggyu too had disappeared into thin air.  No, actually it was as if he had never existed.  So she was left with her own wild imagination to guess what had happened to them.

Funny things happened one after the other. A week into his sudden disappearance, life at school became normal again. No one knew her; no one saw her. It was as if their memories had failed to serve them as it had only been a week since they were so against her. Though normal was not a word she could use to describe her predicament. In fact, it was very far from it. It almost seemed surreal that he was not there. As if by some twisted work of fate, he had become someone she could no longer reach out to. And by the time when she finally succumbed to the numbness that his absence brought, a new rumour was circulating, that maybe he was dead.

It seemed so likely that Jiyeon did not dare to check anymore news about him after that. She was afraid that she would find out something that she would not want to know. That maybe, the rumours were true after all. For these nine years, she kept herself in the dark, feeding herself with idiotic fantasies that he was just somewhere else and would return soon. For these nine years, she felt like a living corpse: eating and breathing without any reason to. She had graduated from high school, went to college and then graduated from college, opened a coffee shop, closing it, and then opening a new one again, but she felt like she had done nothing. It was as if time itself had stopped when Myungsoo disappeared.

She had waited for nine painful years, but Myungsoo never came back. She was twenty seven now, turning twenty eight in a few months. She had waited for that long. Maybe it was time to let go. Move out of Seoul, and maybe, start a new life. A new beginning. She might not love again, but at least she would live. Throughout these years she had had the time to sort her feelings out. Yes, she did love him. Either it was because he was the only man that spared his precious time for her or because he was simply him, she did not know. But at some point, she must have loved him.

They said to take the good memories and leave the ones that hurt behind. That day, exactly nine years, six month, she decided to move on for real.

The door’s bell jingled. And a customer entered. Jiyeon spun her head around and recognition flickered behind her eyes. A smile was carved, and she bowed respectfully. He in all his glory sauntered to the counter. He seemed well today, even more than normal.

“The usual,” he said and his attention was instantly back to the phone.

“Sir, your Café au Lait,” the young man lifted his head, slightly confused before breaking into a radiant smile that oozed friendliness at the girl in the counter, “Do come again, Mr Lee.”

He smiled in her direction and turned slightly to give Jiyeon a nod, “But of course.”

Something about him and his smiles just remind her of Sunggyu. Smiling back at him, Jiyeon shook herself mentally and went back to work.

--------

4th January 2015

Incheon airport. 8:05 a.m. The sun was out and shining even though it was still chilly from the remnants of winter. But all in all, it was a good day. A man strode out of the arrival hall, clad in a casual suit. He exuded a different kind of aura that made people turn their heads to look at him. An aura of both coldness and authority, and the fact that he was tall and good looking, caused murmurs to follow along his path. One look at him and you would know that he was different: that he had all the things that you would not even dream of having.

A number of men in black walked to his sides as soon as they saw him. One of them rushed to take his luggage away. The man let him without a fuss. He could care less. He was too tired to argue with him anyways.

“Sunggyu!”

The man visibly stiffened. Almost instantaneously, he turned toward the voice. He nearly called out to the person but stopped himself short. It was only a mother, calling after her child. He looked at them for a second.

“Sir?” The man next to him interrupted his thoughts, and he found himself shaking his head to assure the man that nothing was wrong.

He righted himself and resumed his steps for the exit. A sudden familiarity embraced him. The voices he heard. The air he breathed. The faces he saw. It was overwhelming. He felt weird. That by itself was well… weird. The earlier encounter made him feel funnier. He turned slowly, tracing the path where the voice had originated from. That name: it almost made him feel… at home.

 He felt more in a day than he ever could in the span of nine years. And he hated it.

Gathering himself back together, the man dispelled himself of all feelings. They exited the building where a black sleek car was parked: waiting for him.

The chauffer opened the door for him and bowed respectfully, “Do you have anywhere to go, Sir? I was ordered to send you straight to your apartment. Your PA will meet you there.”

The young man only flicked him a glance before sliding himself into the car. Jet lag was catching up to him and he was already dozing off. But before the door closed he heard the old man said, “Welcome back, Mr Kim.”