23

“Make sure you don’t skip your lunch today.” Sungyeol looked at the man on the opposite side of the room. His head was bent, his pen running and his eyes focused on his work.

“Yeah,” Myungsoo murmured just because Sungyeol was expecting a reply and he would not leave without one.

“Myungsoo, I’m serious.”

Myungsoo stopped his work and leaned back in his chair, his eyes still focused on the pile in front of him. He lifted his gaze towards Sungyeol. Emotionless. Empty, yet so inexplicably cold that Sungyeol wanted to back away that second. Instead, he stayed rooted to his ground. He would not back down.

“Do I have anyone I have to meet for lunch today?” Myungsoo asked.

Sungyeol shook his head, “No, no business lunch today. I reserved today just for you to eat lunch with us. In peace.”

And by that, of course, he meant with Suzy and him in the usual corner across his office. The three of them were the only young people in there that held high posts. It was scary, being young and not well experienced in a group full of experienced sharks. But it was pretty remarkable knowing that they had the same ranking as them. But for that reason, they stuck together—the three of them. Or at least, Sungyeol made them stick together. Over such a short period of time, they had formed this strong bond based off trust. Not because they were friends naturally, but truly because they only had each other.

“Suzy even cooked this morning,” Sungyeol said, as if that would lure him.

Myungsoo just looked at him, unconvinced. Sungyeol knew he just had to be persistent. Just another push and Myungsoo would be dancing down the hallway with him for lunch. Well, not exactly. He was just being optimistic. But one way or another, it would work on Myungsoo.

But in that unfortunate moment, his phone began to ring. Sungyeol grunted. Turning to Myungsoo, he said, “I’m giving you 20 minutes. By 12:50 and you’re not there, I’m going to drag you down and shove food into your mouth.”

He turned away and picked up the phone as he exited the office. Down the hallway, Myungsoo could hear his animated voice as he talked to a client, “Yes, Mr Lee! I would very much like to meet you this afternoon…”

The voice trailed away with distance. If Sungyeol was going to drag him down and shove food into his mouth, he would not have much of a choice, would he?

----------------

Sungyeol entered the room where Suzy was waiting, busy with her phone. She looked up for a brief second as he entered and asked, “Where’s Myungsoo?”

“I gave him 20 minutes,” Sungyeol said, pulling out a chair opposite Suzy to sit, “I said I’ll drag him here and shove food into his mouth.”

“Think that’ll work on him?”

“You’ll never know. That guy’s unpredictable,” Sungyeol said, taking a container propped in front of him, “In any case, we should eat first. It’ll be a waste of time if he doesn’t come.”

“Just admit that you’re hungry and don’t have any patience to wait for him.”

Sungyeol dropped his hands from the container. “I have the absolute patience to wait for him.”

“Then wait for him while I eat this first,” Suzy said, taking the box from him.

“That’s not fair!”

“Why? You said you have the absolute patience to wait for him,” Suzy said, mimicking the tone he used before—mocking him.

“Give me that.” Sungyeol took the box back and Suzy took hers. Silence began to fall as they both indulge themselves in the meal. Sungyeol looked up towards Suzy, “You cooked this.”

“No, my mom.”

“I knew it. It was too good to be your cooking.”

“YAH!” She almost threw her fork at him but stopped when he started sipping the drink. Her anger escalated, “That’s my cup.”

Sungyeol looked at the cup and at her and back at the cup again. “No, it was here when I entered the room.”

“That means it’s my cup, idiot,” Now she really threw the fork at him and it hit his head with pinpoint accuracy. She held herself back with pride as he rubbed the spot where the fork hit him. It was just a plastic fork. It would not hurt him or anything. But he was wincing as if he was in so much pain that she doubted herself. Did she hit him too hard?

“Are you… okay?”

Sungyeol grunted in reply and Suzy cautiously neared him. Just then Sungyeol’s head snapped up and he broke into a laugh. “You fell for it! Look who’s the idiot now?”

“Yah! I am so much cleverer than you. I have a degree in business administration. And you—“

“I have a law degree, okay?”

“So? That’s just paper qualifications. If anything, I’m better than you at everything else.”

“Really? I was the captain of my basketball team back in high school. Beat that.”

“I was the ace of the track team.”

“What? I thought you would be in chess club or something.”

“Oh, you’re underestimating me now? Let’s see when I challenge you to a game. I bet I can beat you in five seconds.”

“I bet chess is the only thing you can beat me in.”

“What?”

“Remember that day when we tried the arcade at level 3? You lost at most of the games.”

From the corner of her eyes, Suzy could see Myungsoo entering the room, then looking at them and back away. Then, he shut the door.

“That was because I was sick on that day—Myungsoo-yah!” She called.

“Why are you calling Myungsoo now? Need a backup?”

“He was here, idiot. And you freaking made him go away.”

Call him crazy, but he was liking this moment. He loved the way she was being so defensive when she argued with him and how she smiled when she was teasing him. He loved the way she called him idiot, insulting him with the slightest hint of amusement that made him smile. Suzy was always indifferent and serious and too formal so seeing her with any emotions at all was satisfying. Even though that emotion was anger. He would not have thought that she would talk so much. Maybe she spent too much time with him?

The door opened and Myungsoo came in. “Are you guys done?”

“No, no. we’re just halfway with our food,” Sungyeol assured him, now feeling guilty that they had eaten first without him.

“He meant, are we done with the arguing, idiot. And yes, we are done,” Sungyeol scoffed at Suzy, secretly hiding a grin. He was going to like his new nickname. Looking over to Myungsoo who was opening his own food container, he could catch a hint of amusement in his features. Maybe, he was not as cold as Sungyeol thought he was.

-------------------

Jiyeon untied her hair and retied it, letting the soft curls slip through her fingers with ease. Resting her palms onto the counter, she looked at the clock. 11:32 pm. As her last customer silently left the coffee shop, she walked towards the back of the shop to fetch broom.

“Jiyeon!” She heard her staff—her good friend—Eunjung call before her face popped into the storeroom where Jiyeon was. She smiled cheekily and said, “I’ll be heading home first. My mom promised to cook roasted chicken for supper.”

Jiyeon nodded and shooed her friend out of the shop. She remembered the conversation they had earlier that day. She had stared it first, saying that Myungsoo was back and she wanted to meet him, but she did not know what to do.

“You have that guy, right? Sungyeol. Isn’t he the PA of the CEO?” She said.

At first she did not get it, but as the information soaked into her mind, a smile slowly crept into her face and she was hugging Eunjung as if she had given the most ingenious idea ever. Well, it was the most ingenious idea ever was it not? At least at the moment.

Sungyeol was her regular customer, and now, a good friend. He was a good natured person, always positive; always cheerful. She did not know how they became close at all. Maybe because he was never awkward when he was with her or maybe he interpreted her improvised sign language well. In one way or another, he reminded her of her high school friend. Sunggyu.

For the whole day she had tried to come up with ways to form a plan. Should she ask casually about Myungsoo or should she ask Sungyeol to invite him to this café? However she tried, she could not seem to plan something that could make her meet Myungsoo without making her appear too eager. By the end of the day, she was too worn out to even think.

Whatever, maybe she would come up with something by tomorrow. Shaking the thought off, she started her nightly routine of stacking the chairs onto the tables so she could sweep the floor more efficiently. She was just finishing with the floor when the door to the café opened. Oh, great. Had she forgotten to lock it again?

She turned around to face the person. It was Sungyeol. Sungyeol was here. ‘What was it this time?’ she thought with a smile.

He came strolling in but stopped when he saw her, “I’m not too late right? It’s not closed yet, right? Uh... no?”

Putting her broom aside, she waved her hand at him. As if it mattered to him that the store was closed. It did not shock her anymore that he would come at random hours. It had almost become his habit. It doesn’t matter, I will make some coffee for you. She still had a lot of leftovers anyway. It would not do justice to let it go to waste. Sungyeol leaned into the counter, watching as Jiyeon busied around preparing his coffee. When she remembered her earlier conversation with Eunjung, her mind was busier trying to form a plan. But then, thinking again, maybe tonight was not the right time.

“Oh? You still have a lot of leftovers? Is it enough to make eight cups?”

Jiyeon was looking at him weirdly. Eight cups of coffee?

“No, no, no. Not all are for me. I have a whole department to feed. It’s always troublesome when the whole clan is working overtime.”

Jiyeon smiled, nodded and proceeded to make more. Thinking about it, this might be her only chance to casually ask him something. If he came during work hours, she would be so busy to even strike a conversation with him.

She looked at Sungyeol, who had his chin propped between his palms. He was unusually silent. Concerned, she signed, how’s work?

He shrugged, “Oh, the usual. Busy and all. You know, what really worries me is my boss. I know he’s like new and all and has so many things on his hands but, he’s not been getting enough rest. And it seems like he’s so worried about something but I don’t know what.”

Was he referring to Myungsoo? Jiyeon could not help but to worry. She signed something to him, taking two index fingers from each of her hand and moving them closer together with a questioning look on her face. You two are close?

Sungyeol looked intently at her. Then, he quickly moved back and laughed awkwardly. “What? No! We’re not lovers or anything. But nice guess.”

Jiyeon wanted to smack her head on the wall. She re-emphasized her gestures until he finally got her meaning.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that. I mean, our relationship is more of like friend-friend, than employer-employee kind of stuff. I mean, we’re like around the same age and all. Besides, he’s the type that appears cold and all on the outside, but you know—he’s all fuzzy in the inside. I mean, like, he’s friendly and kind. Not really—as in—you just have to befriend him and he’ll befriend you. Wow, I didn’t know it was so hard to describe him.”

Jiyeon laughed, but she knew exactly what he meant. How could she not? That was exactly like Myungsoo. No, it was Myungsoo. She smiled fondly. He had not changed all this while. Suddenly, her heart was filled with this intense sorrow, longing to see him. She pushed her thoughts aside and finished with the eight cups of coffee. Then, she carefully placed it on the carrier. Each carrier held two cups, so there were four. Sungyeol was more than able to handle them, but Jiyeon thought it was worth a try.

You want me to help you carry it to your office? I’m finishing here anyway. Jiyeon offered. Sungyeol studied her for a moment, “Will it be alright? I mean, don’t you have to rush home since it’s already so late?”

Well, the hotel is just around the corner. And it’s on the way.

Sungyeol nodded his thanks, and Jiyeon‘s brain was reeling. What were the possibilities of seeing him? She smiled ruefully, almost zero.  But she could not help but feel hopeful.

This was it. She had planned to see him, but this was not exactly the plan she had in mind. This was a shaky plan—based on luck more than anything else—but it was the best she could do at the moment. She would have to hope that she would see Myungsoo or “accidentally” stumble upon him. And if she was lucky, this might even work.

She told Sungyeol to stay put while she locked the back and her office door. When she finished rechecking everything, they both exited the front door and she made sure to lock it this time. She hoped she did not appear too excited, but if she did, Sungyeol did not seem to notice it.

Instead he smiled and said, “Thanks for helping.”

She shrugged. Van Chantique Hotel was only a few blocks away from her café anyway. As they walk, silence filled the space between them and she was glad that he did not talk. She was beginning to feel fidgety, and the notion that her plan might work and she might be able to meet Myungsoo tonight was dawning upon her. She was afraid that she might give away too much to Sungyeol before they even reach the hotel.

The night was warm, with white clouds wafting freely in the dark sky. She let breathe into the night air to calm herself down. Halfway through their journey, Sungyeol broke the silence, almost making her jump.

“I have something to ask you.”

She began to panic. Was her cover blown? Could he see right through her? Did he know about Myungsoo? Or did he know her motive of helping him?

“It’s about this girl.”

Jiyeon almost sighed out loud in relief. Calm down. Calm down. Of course he would not know. Now all she needed to do was listen to him and listen carefully. It was bad enough that she was technically using him to meet up with Myungsoo.

“She’s my colleague so I kind of like see her every day. I don’t know. I think I like her, but I don’t know if I like like her or if I like like her. I don’t know if I even like her to start with.” He ran his fingers through his hair, “I’m so hopeless.

“I mean, we always fight and all that but when she’s angry she’s just so… so… I don’t know how to put this… pretty? I mean, she’s always serious and all that. Like she never laughs and that’s one of the reasons I feel like I have to make her smile. I know it’s weird—I mean—I don’t know if it’s weird or not but—what do you think?”

She smiled at Sungyeol. This guy was unbelievable. It was so obvious that he was in love. And whoever it was, she must be so amazing to make this guy so flustered. Jiyeon began to make gestures, pointing at him and making a heart shape. I think you’re in love with her.

“Me? Her? Really?” He laughed incredulously, but then turned his head and looked down as he walked seeming to be in deep thought.

Whatever he was thinking, she did not have the time to ask him, because they were already here at the entrance of the hotel. They walked through the doors that were held open by two bellboys into the grand lobby. They passed the vast space tiled with marble, decorated with flowers and elaborate carvings and topped with a chandelier that hung with magnificence overlooking the whole space.

Finally they arrived at the lift lobby where a set of lifts were lined. Even the doors of the lift looked expensive. There, Sungyeol pressed the button as Jiyeon waited. It was nerve-wrecking.

The click of heels filled the space and she turned to where the footsteps were coming from. It was a woman, clad in a black formal wear. She could see that this person held herself with graceful confidence and indeed, she was amazing in more ways than one. A ghost of a smile reached her lips when she saw them: a formal hint of a smile, but still sincere.

“Hi, Suzy,” Sungyeol greeted as she approached. Jiyeon could see by the way his eyes lit that this was the person; the woman who had unknowingly made this guy fall head over heels over her.

He replied his greeting with another and then spotting Jiyeon with carriers in both hands, she reached out for them, saying, “Here, let me take those for you.”

Jiyeon wordlessly gave it to her and before she could turn away, she stopped. Someone else was approaching. It was a man this time. She froze.

It was undoubtedly Myungsoo.

She was so sure it was him just by the way he walked—with so much confidence and authority that it would have thrown anyone aback with awe. She could see his right hand in his pocket and his left by his side, holding something and then twirling it meaninglessly in his fingers and clasping it back in his grip. Car keys. When he came closer, she could see his sharp features; his hair; his nose; his lips. Something was different about his jaw but it was him for sure. She knew he was returning her gaze and suddenly she did not know where to look so she dropped her head to look at her feet. All the while feeling his intense scrutiny on her.

Her hands were trembling: so shaky she had to disguise their vulnerability by smoothing them out on her skirts. She wished she had something to hold onto so they would not look so weird hanging loosely down on her sides. This was happening. She had only been planning it today and it was really happening. Surely it could not have been this easy right?

Something was off. She knew that this was not right.

She raised her gaze to look at the man standing in front of her, but did not have enough time to brace herself for what she was about to see. She staggered back only a little but still perceptible to the eyes. He was looking at her, yes he was. His eyes were trained onto hers but there was no life in them. There was no glint in those dark pools that suggested that he had any emotions at all. Nothing lay behind the dark irises; nothing to search for; nothing to be lost in. There were just hollow, empty orbs that ran forever. Almost inanimate; almost dead.

They brought Jiyeon back to her rationale. What kind of fantasy was she blinded by to make such a ridiculous plan? What was she thinking? That after he saw her, he would scoop her into a hug, or simply say hi, or they would interact as if nothing happened? It had been nine years, Jiyeon. Wake up. Nine whole years he had not contacted her. Whatever the reason was, it was not good. And a decade passed and whatever it was, he did not intend to meet her ever again. What was she thinking to conjure the idea that she had to find him?

Her earlier nervousness turned into a mash of emotions she could not even begin to describe. What she knew was that she had to get away from that place before it ravaged her. She managed a rushed bow and fled that place before anyone could stop her. One second she was there and the next she was gone.

Myungsoo’s mind stopped, his gaze still fixated at the void that used to be her. When the elevator came, Suzy and Sungyeol filed in but he was still frozen at that spot, looking intently at nothing.

“Aren’t you coming in?” Sungyeol broke his reverie and he stirred. With his gaze still fixated on the same spot, he said, “I forgot to take something.”

Sungyeol nodded and pressed the button to close the door. The last thing he saw was Myungsoo sprinting towards the direction where Jiyeon had fled, before the metal doors closed . He sighed and turned towards Suzy.

“Did you see how they were looking at each other?”

Suzy did not answer his question. Not because she dismissed it as insignificant, he knew. She had that face on: her eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed and lips turned down into a scowl. It meant that she was analysing; she was thinking.

After a while, she said, “It’s funny, but I think I know her.”

“What?”

“I was the class representative in high school, remember? I think she was in my class.”

“Jiyeon?”

The lift doors opened and they walked out. “Yeah, that’s definitely her name.”

“Wow, it’s such a small world.”

“No, the thing is, she was in some kind of relationship with Myungsoo.

Sungyeol nearly tripped on his own foot. “What?”

----------------

Myungsoo did not wait for the elevator doors to close before he started running. He had to follow her and grab her before she could slip away. He was determined, so determined to stop her that he did not even know why he was acting that way.

The exit doors opened for him and the warm night air greeted him with a slap. He turned his head around and there she was, with her back turned towards him. With her hair and skirt blowing gently in the night air, she looked so surreally ethereal. As if she was only a figment of his imagination.

He took a step forwards to catch up to her but stopped. Something knocked into him. Realization, maybe?

What was he thinking? He shook his head. What was he thinking?

Slowly, he retraced his steps back into the lobby; back to where he came. Then, he was gone.

Jiyeon stopped. She turned, for she was sure heard something—felt something. But when she turned, there was nothing except for the swinging of doors as if someone had just gone in. He had just gone in. She was too late.

Jiyeon shook her head. No, he was never there in the first place. He did not come out for her.  It was just a figment of her imagination.

A/N:

Hey guys! So, Chapter 23 is up! I’m kinda in a rush now because it’s past midnight now and I’m supposed to be asleep because I’m going off for a short vacation tomorrow first thing in the morning. So I didn’t have time to edit properly and if you see any mistakes, please do me a favour by telling me so I can correct it afterwards(what kind of an author am I /kills self/). Hahaha anyway, subscribe if you haven’t yet and don’t forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think. Until then, I love you all! /throws hearts/

-Faith