What hurts the most was being so close

And havin' so much to say

And watchin' you walk away

And never knowin' what could've been

And not seein' that lovin' you

Is what I was trying to do

   Jung Goo Corporation was in chaos that particular morning. Exasperated voices could be heard occasionally in the large office. Employees were seen running around to complete their overdue tasks. The printing machine at the corner of the office was crowded with employees who decided to print their reports at the very last minute. That day was their monthly company meeting with the CEO; the day they were due to present their tasks to the CEO.

   With a takeaway cup of Starbucks coffee in hand, Hyorin entered the chaotic office. One of her colleagues almost bumped into her without apologizing. Hyorin cursed under her breath as she almost dropped her coffee. Hyorin made a beeline to her office cubicle; occasionally dodging her colleagues.

   Once she safely arrived at her desk, she placed the coffee cup carefully on her work desk and plopped on her office chair. She shifted her attention to a picture of her and Jooyoung which she placed in a picture frame beside her laptop.

   She caressed Jooyoung’s face in the picture, “Good morning, oppa. It’s my first monthly meeting with my CEO today. Wish me luck okay? And I hope you have a great day today as well.”

   It has been a ritual for her. Every morning, she will stare at the picture and have tiny conversations with it before starting her work. She regarded this as a motivation for her to keep on going. Without Hyorin knowing, Song Minkyung, her colleague, creeped behind her and tapped her shoulder.

   Hyorin jerked back in surprise, “Song Minkyung-sshi!”

   Minkyung burst out laughing. Hyorin shook her head and chuckled, “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

   “Are you preparing for the meeting?” Minkyung scanned Hyorin’s desk.

   “I’ve prepared all the paperwork yesterday so I’m left with the final edits,” Hyorin smiled and fixed her eyes on her laptop.

   “Wow, you are amazing, Hyorin-sshi. These people usually do their stuff at the very last minute. I hope you will not get affected by them.”

   “I’ll try my best,” Hyorin chuckled.

   Minkyung then noticed the picture beside Hyorin’s laptop and furrowed her eyebrows, “Hyorin-sshi?”

   Hyorin’s eyes was still fixed on her laptop, “What is it?”

   “Who is that in the picture?” Minkyung pointed to Jooyoung’s face in the picture.

   Hyorin looked up and smiled, “That’s my husband.”

   “Your husband? But…”

   Out of a sudden, another colleague intercepted their conversation, “The witch and her servant are here.”

   “Speaking of the devil…” Minkyung muttered under her breath, “I better return to my desk before the witch put a spell on me and turn me into a frog.”

   Hyorin gave a short chuckle and nodded. Minkyung rushed to her desk and Hyorin continued with her work. As soon as Krystal or most commonly known as the “witch” by the employees entered the office, the sweet aroma of Krystal’s perfume wafted through the air. She was wearing a crisp suit and her shirt ironed to perfection. Her black hair draped down softly curling along the ends. She stalked through the office with her head held high and Jooyoung followed her close behind. Anyone who passed by would look elsewhere to avoid her baleful stare.

   Hyorin was caught up in her work and she did not realize that Krystal was standing in front of her desk. Hyorin looked up when she felt someone’s presence in front of her.

   Hyorin immediately stood up and bowed slightly, “Good morning, Sajangnim.”

   “Hyojin, I want you to compile the current headcount for our company and present it to me during the meeting later on,” Krystal instructed.

   Hyorin blinked in surprise, “But…”

   “I don’t care how you are going to do it. You can ask the rest about it. I just want it by this afternoon, understand?” Krystal glared at her.

   “I understand, sajangnim,” Hyorin gave an apologetic smile.

   Krystal nodded curtly and was about to walk off when Hyorin suddenly called her, “Sajangnim…”

   “What is it now?”

   “My name is HyoRIN, not HyoJIN,” Hyorin emphasized on the last syllable of her name and smiled sheepishly.

   Krystal stood there dumbfounded and she flashed an indignant glance at Hyorin soon after before strutting off to her room. Then, Hyorin’s eyes met Jooyoung’s. They stared at each other before Jooyoung finally disappeared into Krystal’s room. Hyorin stared intently at the glass door.

   Minkyung poked Hyorin’s waist, “Oh my god, that was awesome. Nobody told that witch off before. Look at her face, she was caught off guard.”

   Hyorin was not listening to what Minkyung was saying as she was in deep thoughts.

   How can I move on when I see his face here? It’s really nice to see him here but it hurts me to know that he does not recognize me anymore.