So Min

I packed my last piece of garment into the luggage bag for the five days excursion to Shenzhen. This would be my first business trip and first trip out of Korea…and I was extremely thrilled about it! I stuffed just enough clothes for the summer there; five pieces of business shirts with matching skirts and pants, some sleep wears and of course my brown dress; in case the client invited us to a dinner or cocktail after work hours. Although these were all I brought, my small bag refused to shut, even after I sat and jumped on it a few times. In the end, I had to make do with less sleep wears and the brown dress. That meant that either I recycled my sleeping attires or I did my laundry diligently daily. I hoped there would not be any occasion that required the use of the brown dress too. Worst case scenario was I would ask sunbae to attend such functions alone as I did not have the proper attire.

It was already 9pm. My flight was scheduled at 1.30am and I still had some time to spare with Mom before my departure. As excited I was about this trip, the unsettling feeling of leaving Mom alone for the first time was unnerving. The paranoia that something bad might happen in the next five days was breaking me up. I needed to be sure that Mom would be fine and not lonely while I was away.  Aunt Joong Min had kindly agreed that she would drop by a few times a day to check on Mom and to keep her company.

After reluctantly letting Mom go after goodbye hug, I walked to the nearest airport shuttle bus stop and lugging my baggage in tow. A few minutes into the stroll, my handphone rang.

“Hello”, I chirped into the phone.

“So Min, where are you?” It was Hyori on the other line.

“I’m walking to the airport shuttle bus stop near Gyeongbokgung,” I responded.

“Have you passed the main road in front of your house?”

“No, another few minutes and I’ll be there.”

“Ok, wait for me there.” And the line went dead.

“Hello! Hello!” I knitted my brow, wondered what she was up to. I clasped my clam shell phone shut and proceeded on.

I did as Hyori told. After less than three minutes, a red Mazda 6 slithered near the side walk I was waiting at and stopped right in front of me. The front window at the passenger seat came down and out peeked Hyori in bright red rimmed sunglasses and glamorous earrings dangling from her dainty ears.

“So Min!” She waved to the shocked me ogling at the expensive car she was driving. “Hop in! I’ll take you to the airport”

Without arguing, I slithered into the passenger seat next to her as she started to rev up her engine to accelerate.

“I didn’t know that you have such as nice car!” My hands brushed across the soft leather seat below me.

“It was a birthday gift, from someone…who owes me a lot.” She casually responded.

“Could you introduce me to this someone. I wish this person could owe me something too.” I jested.

Hyori turned to me solemnly, ”Trust me, my dear. You would not want to be where I had been.”

I went silent, quite sure that I had said the wrong thing.  I wanted to probe further into her story out of concern, but I respected her privacy. I believed that she would confide in me when she was ready to do so.

Sensing the uncomfortable quietness, Hyori cut the silence, ”So, are you excited about this trip?

I perked up and started babbling with enthusiasm, ”Yes! I am very! I couldn’t believe my ears when sunbae told me about this opportunity just three weeks after I joined the company.”

She beamed at the elation in my voice as she maneuvered the steering wheel to the left, “Yes, not many new recruits have this opportunity, so make full use of this experience.” Her sight left the road momentarily to glance at me, ”And I heard the clothes and accessories there are at rock bottom prices with reasonable quality. Take this chance to enhance your wardrobe, for goodness sake! You always wear the few pieces to work. I could almost anticipate that you have a standard uniform for each day.”

“Tsk..I’m just working there, not a model. Who cares whether I look good or not.” I defended.

“I care! You are my young and pretty friend. It is such a waste not to show your assets. If you have it, flaunt it!” Hyori countered.

I giggled while she appeared irritated. It was interesting how my reluctance to doll up could agitate her this much. “Aye aye Madam! I’ll make sure I’ll shop for something decent there, ok? I won’t return until every single RMB and Won I have are spent.”

 Hyori chuckled, “Alright! But remember to leave some Won for your taxi fare from the airport. I may not be free to pick you up, you know.”

After about half an hour drive, Hyori dropped me at the departure hall. She sped off after I retrieved my luggage from the boot as cars were not allowed to stop along the driveway for long. As soon as I entered the entrance, I made my way to check for my gate number.

While busy browsing through the display, Jerk Sunbae approached me from behind, “You are early.”

I turned to face him with a forced smile. “You too.”

It was funny that no matter how friendly he had been to me of late, I could not bring myself to open up to him completely. At the back of my mind, a tiny voice had kept its constant reminder that I should wary of him.

“Let’s go to our gate.” He invited after we checked in at one of the counters. I nodded.

He then stretched out his hand to my hand carry luggage. “Heavy?” I shook my head and we continued to walk.

“Did you bring all the documents that I asked you to?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s all here.” I patted the hand luggage I was carrying.

“Yea? The files are heavy. You are already short enough. Don’t let this shrink you even further. Here, let me handle them.” He insisted. More frustrated by his comments about my physique than his persistence, I reluctantly handed him the bag without further debate. Besides, I was reserving my energy to enjoy my first flight in a plane.

We sat two seats apart in the holding area, with me reading a magazine someone had left behind on my seat previously, and him playing a game on his iPhone. When the boarding time was announced through the PA system, I got up first to join the queue to board the plane, while he followed suit a few passengers behind.

Such was our way of communication for the past week since his discharge from the hospital. He would attempt to engage me in a conversation. And I respond him with a maximum of four words per session. And then silence….

He would start another new topic and I would again reply briefly. And then silence again...

So, when there was nothing to say, we would just get ourselves busy with our own matters. We had gotten used to the rate that our conversation went now.

But this was not what I had imagined things to go after the patch up. I had hoped for an exponential improvement in our working relationship. As much as I wanted to be more open with Jerk sunbae, there was always something nagging me at the back of my mind to be cautious towards his sudden friendliness.  I guessed I still have my doubts that he would let things go so easily for the terrible incident at the basement.