page five

Back in the hotel’s restaurant, Yejin’s shift has ended, but she was asked to go to her supervisor’s office. Yejin heaved a sigh after her workmate informed her. She knew it would come down to this. A call to his office, an endless array of scolding and maybe yelling too, and then boom! You’re fired! How she’s familiar with the cycle amazed her.

Yejin’s standing right in front of the supervisor’s office, knocking the wooden door softly; ready to face the outcome of today’s madness.

“Come in.” She heard him say from behind the door.

She then takes a deep breath and straightens herself. There's no way she’s gonna let him see her messy self right before her permanent dismissal. And so, she pushes the door open and steps into the room.

Outside the hotel, Chanyeol stands, waiting patiently for Yejin. He’s not sure why, but he had a feeling that he has to make her say yes. Chanyeol puckers his lips a bit while spinning his car keys with his index finger.

“I am smart, and I’m wise enough not to accept your offer.”

His fingers stopped spinning the keychain of his car keys as he’s reminded of the earlier event, a small smile graced along his lips. Smart and wise, huh? He couldn’t help but to let out a soft chuckle after that. Sounds like a keeper.

“Good night, Mr. Jeon.”

“Good night, Ms. Lee. Be safe on your way home.”

Chanyeol looks up after he hears a familiar voice; her voice. The first thing he notice when he sees her face is how her eyes seems to look darker than before. Plus, her complexion seems to be getting paler with every step she takes. Conclusion, she’s not looking well.

That’s your fault, you know? His conscious speaks.

Chanyeol heaves a heavy sigh at what his conscious just said. He knew he did wrong earlier, but he didn’t know that the outcome would turn like this. Gathering up his courage, he forces his feet toward her.

Sensing his presence, she looks up after checking out the asphalt road. She could see him forcing a smile while waving his hand at her. She knows that he’s friendly and all, but can’t he see that she’s not okay right now? She just got fired from one of the jobs she has that actually pay enough and here he is, trying to get chummy with her. Yejin never returned his wave and instead, she angrily glares at him. And she knew that he saw her expression as she can see his neck stiffen.

It was all your fault. She wants to scream. It was all your fault that I got fired and now I have to find a replacement job with the same pay. Thanks a lot. Yejin sighs before she bumps his shoulder and walks briskly toward the employee’s parking lot where she parks her bike.

“Hey!” She hears him shout just when she’s about to unlock the padlock attached to her bike.

Ignore the dude, Yejin. Ignore him. She mutters to herself. Yejin’s not very good at ignoring things as her mind is like a plate of scrambled eggs. It’s very hard to focus on one thing when there are so many things out there to be noticed, to be discovered. That’s probably one of the reasons why she has many kinds of part-time jobs instead of just one.

Yejin grabs her bike and push the two wheeler past Chanyeol who is desperate on wanting to know her situation.

Chanyeol heaves an exasperated sigh. “Can’t you just stop and talk to me for a second?”

To his surprise, Yejin spun her body to face him, anger written all over her face as if something that he said had snapped her.

“Talk?” She snorts. “Fine, let’s talk. What do you wanna talk about, hmm? Want me to tell you how I lost my job because of whatever you were trying to do back there?” She pauses as she throws daggers with her eyes, if that’s even possible. “Just-” She heaves a heavy sigh and starts ruffling her hair.

“Just stay away from me.” She finally said to him.

And with that, she hops on her bike and pedal it away from him and her former work place.

He wants to talk, he said. Tsk. I shouldn’t have meddled into their business earlier. I should’ve just walk away faster. Once again, she heaves a sigh while her feet start to pedal faster. All she need now is a cup of tea and a good night’s sleep. Yeah, that sounds nice. She smiles for the first time that day. Just the thought of her, her bed and a world without that stupid-weird guy makes her happy. Who would’ve thought?

A pair of white-glaring headlights shone from the side, creating a huge contrast with the darkness of the night. Yejin squints her eyes due to the sudden change of brightness as she quickly squeezes the breaks on both sides of her hands. She couldn’t help but to let out a yelp from the screeching noise the tires made.

Yejin didn’t notice she’s been holding her breath through it all. Perhaps because she had been hit before –all thanks to a certain someone- that ever since then she’s more cautious when going somewhere. Even when she’s watching a car chase scene from a movie or drama that her dad watches every night, she couldn’t help but to wince, as if she just got hit again.

Yejin drops her legs to the ground to stabilize her bike. She could only breathe normally after that. Her eyes shot open quickly, wanting to know what just happened.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see the driver of the car slams the door and walks up to her. Her face a bit tense until the familiar face comes to light.

Yejin felt her stomach forming strings of rage. “What the hell?!” she yells out loud. Does he really want to kill me twice?

“Hey” she hears him say. He walks up to her with hands in his black slack’s pockets, acting as if nothing happened.

“What the hell?!” she repeats herself. How dare he nonchalantly say that after he tried to hit her the second time in her life?

“At the very least, let me drive you home.” He says.

“Hell no.”

“Why not?” He asked almost too quickly; completely unsurprised by her rebuttal.

“Why? Well I don’t know, my dad always told me not to go with someone I hardly know.”

Someone she hardly knows? Chanyeol clicks his tongue in annoyance. This girl is impossible.

Giving it the last straw, he takes the bike from her hands –not without a struggle and a few kicking from her, of course.

“Give back my bike!” she yells.

But stubborn Chanyeol ignores her and threw the bike into the trunk of his car that he just opened a couple moments ago before he slams it shut without saying a word to her.

On the other hand, Yejin knew she couldn’t do anything to stop him from acting like that. But she too, is stubborn enough not to give up and let him have his way on her. She couldn’t let him do that to her.

So she reaches out and tries to open the trunk, and Chanyeol sees this as a chance to grab her hand and got her into his grasp once again.

Yejin felt herself being yanked by him for the second time today. And I think it’s pretty clear now that she hates the gesture.

“Let go of me.” She dangerously growled under her breath.

Chanyeol was a bit taken aback by it, but he has no intentions to let her go.

Yejin tried everything she could, from the classic clawing to trying to pull his fingers off her –which miserably failed, because even after all that, Chanyeol managed to get her into his car.

“Now stay there and be a good girl.” He points his index finger at her and left for the driver’s seat.

Yejin swear she could see him rubbing his hands where she had clawed him earlier, which made her smile in triumph.

But of course, being the rebel she is, she can’t possibly stay there. She has her rights, so she’s not gonna let some handsome guy kidnap her like this. She has to get out.

Chanyeol was about to get into the driver’s seat when he heard the loud slam.

What the-? He looks up and saw Yejin out of the car with a smug look on her face.

Of course she’s out. He rolled his eyes. Why did I even tell her to stay and be a good girl? She’s a rebel at heart, for God’s sake. So stupid of me. He lets out a small chuckle and walks toward her.

Yejin was elated when she got out of that car. Who says a guy can detain a girl in his car? Those girls in dramas and movies surely wants that guy’s attention if they can’t even make a statement on their own. I mean, they have hands, right?

Yejin steps away from Chanyeol’s car and is a few steps aw