Chapter 10: I See

The weekend soon came, and I’ve survived yet another 5 working days. Shin Hee, Jeong Hoon’s cousin, had gone back to Seoul, and I had him to myself for the weekend.

“What do you want to do?” he asked me, as soon as I got into his car.

“Shopping?”

“What’s new…” he sighed, but smiled as he did.

“Eat?”

“So we shop and eat?”

“Ne,” I said as I started fiddling with the radio in his car.

I ejected his Eru CD and replaced it with FTTS, immediately skipping the first 2 songs so that ‘Namjadapgeh’ played.

“Do you mind?” he said jokingly.

“Not at all,” I smiled sweetly, and I started to sing along to FTTS.

When the chorus began, Jeong Hoon started singing along too. If I’ve never mentioned this, Jeong Hoon had a beautiful voice. It was a waste he was never signed by a record company. With his good looks and that voice, he could’ve garnered a market in Singapore for the Korean music industry.

We wove through the weekend jam at Orchard Road and ended up at Wisma Atria. It was our usual haunt, and the place that I shopped at the most since I was too lazy to go elsewhere. Sometimes we’d go to Raffles’ City because I wanted to have crepe at Out of the Pan, by the central fountain in the building.

“Brunch first?” he asked me, and I nodded as we got out of his car.

We met up in front of his car and I put my arm around his waist as he clicked the button on his car remote to lock the doors.

“Kaja,” he said, and he gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

We had lunch at Sushi Tei, which was situated on the Takashimaya side of the Ngee Ann City building, and then, we browsed through most of the shops in the basement area of Wisma Atria. I’d spent at least 20 minutes in each shop, flipping through the blouses, pants and skirts and trying on every pair of shoe I thought looked cute, each time asking Jeong Hoon if it looked good on me.

“Igo?” I asked him as I modeled a pair of strappy sandals.

“Don’t you think it looks a little uncomfortable? Shouldn’t you walk around in them before you decide?” he said.

This was one of the reason Jeong Hoon was a dream boyfriend. He would accompany me patiently as I browsed through the shops, even when he knew I wasn’t going to buy anything, and he’d have the right comment or opinion for any question I asked. In return, I’d accompany him when he browsed through the men’s sections or shops.

Jeong Hoon was image conscious, but he wasn’t exactly metrosexual either. There would be days where I wish he’d put more effort when dressing up, but most of the time, he never disappointed me, especially when we had anywhere special to go.

“Wanna stop for a break?” he asked me when he noticed that I’d begun to lean on him when I walked.

I usually start doing that when my feet start getting tired or if they’re hurting, I’d lean on Jeong Hoon for support. That was also because I stubbornly want to walk on instead of taking a break.

“Let’s walk a bit more,” I smiled.

“1 more shop,” he said, and I nodded.

After the last shop, we walked towards Coffee Bean for a break.

“Full… as usual,” I said.

“You get a seat, I’ll get the coffee,” he said.

I was lucky enough to snag us the nice couches that were usually unavailable. I sat down as soon as the couple before me left and started sorting out the shopping bags, but was interrupted midway.

“Is this seat taken,” a male voice said.

“Yes,” I said quickly and looked up to find Min Woo standing before me.

“Hello,” he smiled. “I saw you walking in, and I just had to say hello.”

“Min Woo,” I laughed. “Well, you’ve said hello, you can go now,” I said and he pretended to leave but I grabbed his arm before he managed to walk off. “I was kidding.”

“I know,” he laughed. “So was I… where’s your boyfriend? I’d better leave before he sees me.”

“You don’t have to do that. I should introduce you to him. You might like each other,” I said.

“You’re sure he won’t shoot me?” Min Woo said.

“A fellow countryman? Why would he?” I laughed.

“He’s Korean too?” Min Woo remarked, with an eyebrow raised.

“Ne.”

“You didn’t tell me that.”

“You never asked.”

“What… was I supposed to come to you and go ‘Is your boyfriend Korean?’?”

“Yea…” I laughed.

“At least that explains why your Korean sounds almost authentic,” he said.

“It does?” I beamed.

“Almost,” he smiled, and I felt a little deflated.

“Sierra?” Jeong Hoon appeared.

“Jeong Hoon,” I smiled and stood up to intercept the tray from him.

“Annyeong haseyo,” Min Woo said as he offered his hand to Jeong Hoon.

I might have forgotten to mention to Jeong Hoon that Min Woo was Korean, so he looked a little taken aback when Min Woo spoke in Korean.

“Annyeong haseyo,” he recovered. “Jeong Hoon-imnida. Sierra-ui namja chingu,” he said.

“Min Woo-eyo,” Min Woo replied. “Sierra-ui sajangnim.”

“Okay… now we can switch back to English before you guys start saying stuff I don’t understand,” I piped in.

I’d successfully broken the tension at this point, since the both of them cracked up and started laughing.

“Is she always this funny?” Min Woo asked Jeong Hoon.

“Yea… but it does border on lame sometimes,” he smirked at me, and I pouted.

“I’ll leave you 2 to enjoy your coffee break,” Min Woo said.

“Not joining us?” I asked.

“I’ve already had my coffee,” he smiled. “And I have another appointment.”

“Alright,” I smiled.

“Annyeonghikyeseyo,” Min Woo said.

“Annyeonghikaseyo,” Jeong Hoon said.

“Wasn’t that like a very formal goodbye?” I asked Jeong Hoon as soon as Min Woo was out of earshot.

“We’re only meeting for the first time. There’s nothing wrong with being formal.”

“Right… and he’s my boss,” I said.

“Yea…” he said as he started moving our cups and cakes off the tray and he walked off for a moment to put it back at the counter.

We ate in silence for a minute or two before he spoke up.

“So that’s your boss.”

“Not my immediate superior, but yes, my boss.”

“He’s really young,” Jeong Hoon said.

“He’s about your age.”

“Really?”

“But you look very young for your age, have I told you that?” I smiled, and Jeong Hoon laughed softly.

“Yes you have,” he smiled as he reached forward to nudge my chin with his finger.

We got home close to midnight that day. We had late dinner and went to a jazz bar after that to relax and listen to some music. When I got home, the living room was dark, save for the lamp my sister had left on. She’d been going to bed really early these days. Could be because her work environment had been extra hectic recently, since her company was getting a sudden influx of projects.

Jeong Hoon and I had gotten carried away tonight since I’ll be on assignment next weekend at Sentosa. I’d been assigned to cover a huge concert on Siloso Beach. Top performers from all over Asia have been invited to participate in this event. Finally… I’m going to meet TVXQ!

Chapter 9: Maybe

It was the bracelet Jeong Hoon had given me last Christmas. My hand immediately went to my wrist and it was bare. I hadn’t even noticed that it had fallen off. Thank god Jeong Hoon hadn’t noticed, or he’d have gotten pretty upset. Min Woo had actually driven all the way here to return it. That was nice of him, almost too nice of him. I’ll need to thank him personally tomorrow.

I walked into my apartment and caught my sister and Dong Wook playing footsie in front of the TV again.

“You’re pretty late tonight,” my sister remarked.

“I had to meet up with Jeong Hoon and his cousin.”

“I didn’t know he had a cousin,” she said.

“What do you know about him?” I laughed.

“Cousin?” Dong Wook said. “Shin Hee’s in town?”

“Yea, you’ve met her?” I asked him.

“She’s been here a few times,” he said.

“But I’ve never met her.”

“Before you and Jeong Hoon started dating, she came down quite often during her holidays.”

“Are you saying that he’s told her not to visit him since we started dating?”

“Could be,” he shrugged. “Having her around can be pretty tiring. So Jeong Hoon probably preferred if she didn’t come, or he’d be so stressed dealing with the both of you.”

“Am I that hard to deal with?” I said, planting a hand on my hip.

“Of course not,” he smiled sweetly.

“Aisshiii,” I laughed and I turned to walk to my room.

The next morning, I paid Min Woo a visit as soon as I dropped my bags at my desk.

“Sonbae,” I said as I knocked on his door.

“Ah, Sierra,” he greeted me. “Why are you calling me sonbae again?” he pretended to sound offended.

“Mianhada,” I smiled. “Min Woo-ssi.”

“That’s better. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to thank you for sending my bracelet back to me. All the way to my apartment,” I said. “By the way, how did you know where I lived?”

“Let’s just say I have my ways,” he winked. “It’s no trouble. I felt like driving, so…”

“Well, thank you. It was a gift from my boyfriend, and he would’ve gone berserk if he realized I’d lost it.”

“Then I’m glad I saved you from that possible scenario,” he smiled. “So have you handed in the presentation to Karyn?”

“Nope, but I will… in a moment.”

“Tell me when you do. I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t need to, Min Woo. I can hold my own against her.”

“But I want to. I know how she discriminates against you. I don’t need to be on the same floor to know how she treats you.”

“Why are you so nice to me?” I blurted out without thinking.

I was really curious. Why is he being so nice to me out of the blue? I’d been just another employee to him up till recently, and now he even wants to fight my battles for me.

“What do you mean?” he asked me.

As he looked as me intently, waiting for my reply, I decided to just lay it out. Can’t turn back now, can I?

“You’re willing to shield me from Karyn’s bullets, you help me with my work and you drove halfway across Singapore just to deliver a bracelet I’d dropped when you could easily get your secretary to hand it back to me. Why are you so nice to me?”

“Can’t an employer be nice to his employees? I’m here to offset bosses like Karyn. Where she is unable to perform, I come in to make up for it.”

“Are you sure it’s that simple?”

“Do you have reason to believe that it isn’t?”

“I just find it hard to believe that someone in your position would care about the welfare of someone like me.”

“What kind of a person are you?”

“I’m just the editor of the entertainment section, a junior editor at that.”

“And a contributor to making this magazine sell. You’re not just anyone in my book. Don’t sell yourself short, Sierra.”

I took a deep breath, and thought about what he said for a second.

“Aren’t you gonna sit down?” he asked me.

“No, thank you. I’ll need to get going if I want to avoid giving her another reason to rant at me.”

“Just so you know,” he added, “between us… Karyn’s not staying for long?”

“She’s getting a promoted?”

“She could be transferred to our headquarters in China.”

“That would be wonderful,” I laughed.

“Sure would. And someone would have to take her place eventually,” he added, and smiled meaningfully.

“And that someone is?” I asked him.

“Work hard… and you might stand a chance,” he said, and my mouth dropped open.

I was in shock at what he had suggested. I could be a Senior Editor? Was he crazy?

“I know it seem like a huge position to be filled, but trust me, it doesn’t take much. Karyn is a fine example, and we all know you will do much better than her.”

“We?”

“Me and the other senior editors. We’re rooting for your promotion.”

I left the room with my mouth still locked in the position it was in for the past few minutes. This is big news. I’d just been promoted to my current position, how is it possible that they would want to promote me to the next?

“Where were you?” Skye popped up as soon as I sat down.

“With Min Woo,” I said.

“Oooh… it’s Min Woo now, is it? What were you doing with him?” Skye said in a suggestive voice.

“Helloo… I’m dating your friend, Jeong Hoon, remember him; tall, brown-haired, sweet guy? How can you even suggest that I am doing anything with Min Woo sonbae?”

“Hey, hey… I didn’t even say anything. I was just asking you as a concerned colleague. I thought maybe you were being lectured by him or something.”

“Have you ever heard of Min Woo sonbae lecturing someone?”

“Sure he has. You’re just not around when those incidents happened.”

“He actually lectures people? Who?”

“Karyn?”

“He’s actually told her off before?”

“Sure he did,” Skye said. “Lee Min Woo is not someone you wanna mess with. When he gets mad, you wouldn’t wanna be at the end of the firing line.”

“I never imagined him to be such a person,” I laughed.

“Don’t be fooled. He’s no pushover,” Skye said as he went back to his emails.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as I turned back to my desk.

I picked up my files and laptop and started walking towards Karyn’s office. Min Woo joined me as I approached her door.

“Sonbae,” I said, and I stopped walking. “Min Woo,” I corrected myself when he looked at me disapprovingly. “Chintcha… I can do this on my own.”

“I want to hear what you have to say to her,” he smiled, and he walked in ahead of me.

It was another hour before we finally emerged from Karyn’s office, with us being the victor. It was actually fun having Min Woo in there with me. Whatever ideas of mine Karyn shot down because of her obvious biased attitude towards me, Min Woo would stop her and defend the idea. By the end of the meeting, Karyn looked harried and subdued.

“Thanks, Min Woo,” I said as soon as the doors of Karyn’s office were closed.

“I didn’t think that I’d hear you say that,” he smiled.

“Say what?”

“‘Thanks, Min Woo’,” he said.

“Oh… well… it’s only polite to thank someone who has just saved your ass. Don’t you think?”

“Right,” he laughed. “I’ll see you around,” he said, and he walked off.

“How was the battle with the banshee?” Skye asked me as soon as I sat down.

“We triumphed,” I said, pumping my fists in exaggeration.

“We?”

“I was on my way in, and Min Woo joined me.”

“Min Woo? You mean Lee sonbae?”

“Yep,” I said as I started clicking happily on my computer screen.

“I guess you’re his new favorite then?” he said.

“Who was his old favorite?”

“Err… Karyn?” he said. “You never noticed?”

“I’ve never noticed anything about Lee Min Woo until the past 2 days.”

“Oh well… anyway… I heard that before she was promoted, she was sort of his favorite, and protégé.”

“Until he realized she was actually a banshee.”

“Yea… she changed into the banshee she is now, as soon as she got promoted,” Skye said. “I heard he was pretty upset about it too.”

If what Skye was saying is true, then I’ve just gotten myself into the middle of the fray. It seems like Min Woo is planning to make me the new protégé, and Karyn would have caught on by now. I guess I’m in for a bumpy ride until she gets posted to China.

Chapter 8: Can I

“Who was that?” Jeong Hoon asked; his tone was stiff and emotionless.

“My boss,” I replied casually.

“You were with him all night?”

“All afternoon until just now, to be exact,” I said.

“Is there something going on between the two of you?” he asked me.

“Jeong Hoon, are you crazy?” I exclaimed. “I was just working late with my boss. Why are you jumping to conclusions?”

“You sounded different when you answered the phone earlier.”

“I was working. I was trying to focus. Why are you being so unreasonable? What are you really upset about? You’re sick of me? Are you? Are you sick of us?” I asked him.

“Mian,” he said, his expression softening as soon as those words came from my mouth.

“Already I’m so tired from work and you’re giving me this crap about me having an affair. Gawd!” I exclaimed.

“Mian,” he said and he pulled me into his arms quickly, as if I were about to run away in that split second.

“Jeong Hoon,” I gasped, because he was hugging me really tightly.

“Mian,” he whispered against my hair. “I didn’t know what came over me. I was waiting for you the whole night and I just flipped when I saw you pull up in that car with that guy.”

“What’s up with Min Woo?”

“He looked like such a player. I was afraid you were really involved with him.”

“He’s a nice guy, Jeong Hoon.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay. Stop apologizing,” I said, and I kissed him.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as we pulled apart seconds later.

“Starving,” I said.

“Let’s go in,” he said as he took my hand.

Jeong Hoon’s cousin, Shin Hee, turned out to be a sweet little girl, albeit being spoilt. At least she was polite towards me.

“Annyeong,” she said as she stood up when I approached the table.

“Annyeong,” I smiled.

“Sierra, this is Shin Hee,” Jeong Hoon introduced. “Shin Hee, naui yeoja chingu, Sierra.”

“Oppa,” she said, “I speak English you know. I can understand if you introduced her to me in English,” she added as she smiled apologetically to me.

“It’s okay, Shin Hee,” I said as I sat down. “I understand some Korean.”

“Oh good!” she said, and she started speaking excitedly in a rapid stream of Korean.

“Shin Hee,” Jeong Hoon interrupted her.

“Wae?”

“She understands some. Not all,” he laughed as she looked at me with a confused expression.

“Yea. I only know the basics.”

“That was embarrassing,” she laughed nervously.

“It’s alright. I get that all the time,” I smiled.

“What are you eating?” Jeong Hoon asked me.

“I’ll just have mushroom soup and garlic bread,” I said, and Jeong Hoon walked over to the counter to order for me. His friend owned the cafe, so most of the time, we didn’t bother to call for the waiter. There are times when we’d walk straight into the kitchen to get whatever we wanted.

“Is that how you stay so slim?” Shin Hee asked me as soon as Jeong Hoon walked away.

“Me? No… I don’t have an appetite today. I usually eat as much as, sometimes more than Jeong Hoon.”

“Chongmal?”

“Yep…”

“Then how do you stay slim? I’ve tried so many diets but I can’t seem to get rid of my baby fats,” she said sadly.

“Really? I’m sorry, can’t really relate to that, because I’ve never had baby fats,” I said, trying not to sound smug. “But there was a time when I did put on weight, and I had to control my diet and exercise like crazy to lose it.”

“Hmm… maybe I should exercise,” she said wistfully.

“I think that would be the best way.”

“What’s the best way for what?” Jeong Hoon asked as he approached the table.

“Girl talk,” I said dismissively, and Shin Hee giggled.

“Yah… you better tell me or I’m gonna leave you here,” he threatened Shin Hee.

“Leave her alone, you big bully,” I poked Jeong Hoon in the ribs, and he jumped.

“You wanna play rough, huh?” he smirked at me. “I’ll get my revenge later,” he said as he looked at me meaningfully.

“You’re sending me home and you’re taking Shin Hee home with you.”

“I’m sending Shin Hee home, and I’m coming home with you.”

“No way,”

“Yes way…”

“Your under aged cousin is sitting right in front of you, quit the sexual innuendos.”

“She’s no longer under aged in Korea.”

“This is Singapore.”

“And who said anything sexual? I’ll just hit you where it won’t show,” he grinned.

“Yah! Kim Jeong Hoon!” I exclaimed.

“Oppa! You’re so bad. I’m gonna tell your mother.”

“Tattle-tale,” he said as he stuck his tongue out at her.

“Look at you,” I laughed. “Does he always behave like a 10 year old?” I asked Shin Hee.

“Always… His mother is always asking him to find a wife and grow up.”

“Tell her I’m not getting married, ever,” he said.

“Yah! Then what about me?” I glared at him. “If this is going nowhere, I think we should end this.”

“No, no… I meant that I won’t marry the girls she’s always trying to match make me with, since I have you,” he said quickly, as he put an arm around me.

“Hmmph!” I exclaimed as I tried to shrug his arm off.

“Hajima…” he pleaded, and he turned to glare at Shin Hee who was giggling at him.

Just then the waiter approached the table to put down the bowl of soup I’ve ordered.

“Thank you,” I said as I pulled the bowl across the table, towards me.

“Shall I feed you?” Jeong Hoon asked, sweetly.

“Save it,” I said as I focused my attention onto the bowl of soup while he sulked.

“Ya… onni… can I call you onni?”

“Sure.”

“Oppa is usually the king at home. It’s so nice to see someone who’s able to overpower him,” she laughed.

“I’m still in charge, okay,” he said as he puffed up his chest indignantly.

“Sure you are,” she laughed.

“He’s usually very well behaved,” I winked. “Ne?” I said as I turned to Jeong Hoon.

“Ne,” he bowed submissively, and Shin Hee laughed again.

“Good boy,” I said, and I kissed his cheek.

Few hours later, Jeong Hoon pulled up in front of my apartment gates, and I started to unbuckle my seatbelt.

“Want me to walk you in?” he asked me.

“It’s okay,” I said as I picked up my bags. “Shin Hee’s tired. You should go home.”

“Call you later,” he said as he leaned over to kiss my cheek.

“Araso,” I smiled. “Good night.”

As I walked into the lobby, the security guard called out to me.

“Miss Sierra, someone dropped this off for you awhile ago.”

“What is it?” I asked as he handed me an envelope.

“Don’t know. But a man dropped it off awhile ago and said that you’d left it behind in his car.”

“Thanks,” I said as I stared at the enveloped, puzzled.

I ripped the envelope open as I walked into the elevator, and inside was a bracelet.

Chapter 7: For A Moment

10 minutes later, I walked into Lee sonbae’s office with my files and laptop.

“Sierra,” he smiled. “Pull up a chair.”

I nodded and did as I was told.

“Lynn, can you please bring in lunch,” he said to his secretary as he held down the intercom button.

“I really don’t want to take up your time, sonbae,” I said apologetically.

“You won’t. The main reason I wanted to help you was because I wanted to know more about the project myself.”

“In that case, let’s get to work,” I smiled.

Lunch consisted of sandwiches and coffee, and after that, we buried ourselves in the project. Working with Lee sonbae turned out to be a really enjoyable experience. He wasn’t stuffy and narrow-minded like some of the other editors, who always wanted things their way. He was open to my ideas and he gave me lots of constructive criticism. I also realized that his communication skills were excellent. I have yet to receive a critique from him that I did not agree with.

We were so absorbed in our work that we’d lost track of time. It wasn’t until Lynn came to inform Lee sonbae that she was going home that we realized the time.

“Are we done?” he asked me.

“Not quite,” I replied as I continued typing.

“Then I’ll stay until we finish,” he said.

“You don’t have to, sonbae. You should go home.”

“I’ll stay,” he said firmly, and I decided not to argue.

We continued to work and out of the blue, he called my name.

“Yes,” I said, as I looked up.

“Why do you keep calling me sonbae?” he asked.

“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to call you?” I asked him.

“You know what? From now on, call me Min Woo,” he said.

“Why?”

“I think we’ve worked closely enough to be on a first name basis.”

“The other seniors will frown upon it.”

“This is an order from me,” he said in mock seriousness. “You will call me Min Woo, or you will cease to be an employee with this magazine.”

“In that case,” I said. “Min Woo it is.”

“Good… now get back to work,” he smiled.

“Yes, Min Woo,” I laughed.

My phone rang at about 8pm. It was Jeong Hoon.

“Where are you?” he asked me as soon as I picked up.

“At work,” I replied.

“Didn’t you get my message?” he asked me. I moved the phone away from my ear to look at the screen. Sure enough, there was the indicator that I had a new message.

“Sorry,” I said. “I was so busy, I didn’t hear my phone.”

“We’ve been waiting for you for the past hour. Are you coming?” he said impatiently.

“I’m still working. I’ll meet up with you guys for drinks later?”

“Whatever,” he said, and he hung up.

“Boyfriend?” Min Woo asked as I flipped my phone shut.

“Yep… and he ain’t happy,” I drawled.

“If you need to leave, just go. I’ll finish up here,” he said.

“Twaeso…” I smiled. “Is that how you say it?”

“Yep,” he laughed.

“Yea… whatever. I’m meeting him later. So let’s just try to get this finished. I don’t want to face Karyn tomorrow, unprepared.”

It was 10pm when we finally shut down our laptops and packed up.

“You need a ride?” he asked me.

“I’m fine. I’ll take a taxi home.”

“You haven’t had dinner,” he reminded me.

“Oh, right! I’m supposed to meet my annoyed boyfriend,” I giggled.

“I’ll take you to him. I insist,” he said.

“Alright. Can I just zip to the loo for a moment?” I asked.

“Go ahead. I’ll wait at the reception area for you.”

After freshening up and reapplying my lipstick, I picked up my stuff from my desk and met up with Min Woo. We walked down to the car park and stopped in front of a black BMW M6 convertible. Min Woo unlocked the doors with his remote control, and opened the passenger door for me.

“Ma’am,” he bowed a litte, and I laughed at his exaggerated act of chivalry.

He got in on the other side and started the car. As he did, the top of the convertible opened up.

“Nice car,” I said.

“This old thing?” he laughed as we pulled out of the parking lot.

As we stopped at the first traffic light, I turned toward him to ask him a question.

“Min Woo… there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask a convertible car owner,” I said.

“What is it?”

“Have you ever been pooped on by birds flying past?” I said with a dead serious look.

He burst into laughter as I tried to control mine. In the end I gave in and laughed with him.

“That’s the first time I’ve had that question. All the girls who ride in my car would usually ask questions about my paycheck, the size of my apartment, stuff like that.”

“That’s so sad,” I smiled. “They’ll probably go through life with all such little niggling trivia unanswered.”

“Yes,” he agreed.

“So… have you ever been pooped on?” I asked.

“Well… it happened once, but I wasn’t in the car. And when I’m driving, the probability of this happening would be less, since I drive real fast.”

“How fast can this thing go?” I asked him.

“You want me to show you?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Ok, hang on. I’m just gonna put the top up. Or our faces might get rearranged by the force of the wind,” he laughed.

He turned out of the main street, onto the highway, and as soon as the top was up, he started accelerating the speed of the car. The scenery by the road started to speed by, faster and faster.

“Is this fast enough?” he asked me.

“Erm… I guess…” I said. I was a little nervous now. The speed was starting to get a little too scary for me.

“I think that’s enough,” he said. “I can see you’re a little freaked out.”

“I am…” I laughed nervously.

“Alright,” he said and he slowed the car down to a cruise. He brought the top back down, then he turned on the radio. Fly to the Sky’s Namjadapgeh was playing, and he sang along.

“I like this song,” I said.

“You do?”

“I have the album at home.”

“Mine’s playing right now,” he smiled. “We have the same tastes in music.”

“What a coincidence,” I replied.

“Actually, I guess not. FTTS are pretty popular. Many people listen to them.”

“In Korea, you mean. Not in Singapore.”

“Right…”

We finally arrived at the cafe where Jeong Hoon and his cousin were waiting for me. I actually felt a little dizzy as I stepped out of the car. Too much wind in my head I suppose.

“Thanks, Min Woo,” I said.

“No problem. You’re becoming a natural at saying my name.”

“I have an innate ability with languages. So names are a piece of cake,” I said.

“Right,” he smiled. “See you tomorrow,” he said and he drove off.

As I turned around, I saw Jeong Hoon standing on the sidewalk, glaring at me. He did not look ecstatic to see me.

Chapter 6: Give Me

We were in the car park in the basement of my office’s building. Jeong Hoon’s hands were on my hips as his lips roamed across my neck and down to my collar. We’d had a quick breakfast at the nearby Delifrance had ended up here right after that.

“Why did you have to wear a blouse with such a high collar today?” Jeong Hoon grumbled as he continued to kiss me.

“Cos I knew you’d want to do this?” I giggled. My blouse’s collar ended with ruffles above my collarbone and there was no way to unbutton it, save for taking off the whole blouse.

I climbed over to sit on top of Jeong Hoon, my legs straddling him from either side and I returned his kisses as he lay there in the seat, slowly dragging his hands down my back, across my butt and down to my thighs. Thank got my skirt had high slits.

“I have to go,” I whispered as I nibbled his earlobe.

“Not yet,” he groaned and guided my head so that our lips met.

“I really need to go, or Karyn will have my ass,” I said.

“Tell her… your ass is mine,” he laughed softly as he gave me another hard kiss before he pulled away.

“I don’t think she cares,” I said as I climbed back to my seat and started straightening out my outfit.

“Bitch,” he laughed.

“Yes…” I agreed as I reapplied my lipstick. “I’ll see you at lunch,” I said as I turned to look at him.

“Okay,” he smiled. I reach over to rub of some of my lipstick which has ended at the corners of his mouth.

“Love you,” I whispered.

“Saranghae,” he replied and leaned over to kiss me gently and slowly. “You’d better go before I get started again,” as he nibbled my lips before he pulled away.

“Yep,” I laughed as I opened the door.

I walked into the lobby feeling giddy from all the passion earlier. So giddy, that I didn’t notice Lee sonbae until I walked right into him. I felt myself losing balance, falling to the ground and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact of it. That’s when he caught me by the waist and pulled me up. We were face to face and glued to each other from waist down. I could feel his breath fanning softly against my cheek and I blushed as soon as I realized the compromising position we were in.

“Choesonghamnida,” I said and quickly pulled away.

“No harm done,” he smiled. “Just be careful next time. Someone else might not have such quick reflexes,” he winked.

“Nae,” I bowed a little and I started walking really quickly towards the elevator. It was a little silly of me to do that in the first place, since he was going up too, and we’d definitely have to share an elevator.

“Did I scare you back there?” he asked as he fell into step beside me.

“Erm… no. Why do you say that?” I replied.

“You were running away from me,” he laughed softly.

“I was? No I wasn’t.”

“Then it must be your great enthusiasm in getting to work,” he smiled.

“Hmm?” I looked at him.

“You must be dying to get to your desk and start working,” he said.

“Oh… yea,” I smiled. This was getting a little too awkward for me. Sure I wasn’t one of his fans, but somehow, today, he’d managed to make my heart go pitter-patter. ‘It’s just the shock from almost falling!’ I told myself as I took a deep breath.

The elevator finally arrived and we descended the floors in silence. I heaved a sigh of relief when I arrived at my floor.

“See you later,” he smiled as I walked out.

“Later?” I repeated after him.

“The meeting, remember?” he smiled as the elevator doors closed.

Damn! I forgot about the meeting. I’ll have to cancel my lunch plans with Jeong Hoon today, since the meeting was a lunch meeting. I dumped my bags onto my desk and whipped out my phone to call him.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Jeong Hoon, I can’t have lunch with you and your cousin today,” I said.

“Why?”

“I have a lunch meeting.”

“Oh… dinner then?”

“I’ll call you later,” I said.

“Okay. I’ll be fine. Call me once you’re able to get off work.”

“Right! Love you,” I said. I sure used it a lot today. Must be my brain recognizing the permanence of Jeong Hoon in my life.

“Saranghae,” he said, and I could picture him smiling his sexy smile as he said it.

“Saranghae…” I heard Skye mimic as soon as I flipped my phone shut.

“Shuddup!” I said as I started to unpack my laptop from my bag.

“You sure turned him into a blob of mush,” Skye laughed. “I’ve never known Jeong Hoon to be so mushy and romantic during our school days.”

“Then I guess I’m what he’s been missing in his life,” I smiled.

“And why would you think that? The last thing a guy needs is a girl to turn him into a useless blob of mush. I’d rather stay a man and be without a woman.”

“I’ll be sure to tell your next target what you’d just said.”

“Hey… keep that between me and you. The ladies have me pegged as a sensitive male and I don’t need you ruining my rep for me.”

“Player,” I said as I turned on my laptop. Hundreds of emails popped up in my Inbox as soon as I logged on. I groaned as I started to go through them. With the concert and Fashion Week coming, I had my hands full. Mails from sponsors, event coordinators, fashion houses, I was swamped. I let out a loud sigh.

“Sighing so early in the morning?” Shoei said as he appeared beside me.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get on track with my work,” I whined.

“Why’s that?” he asked.

“I can’t even finish clearing my emails.”

“Clearing emails? There is a way to clear them all at once.”

“How? Show me.”

“Okay,” he said as he leaned between my and my laptop. He click on one of my emails in the list, hit CTRL+A to highlight all the mail, then hovered the mouse over the delete button. Before I could scream, he clicked it and the mails started to disappear.

“Shoei!!!” I screamed and he just laughed. “What did you do?” I exclaimed as I stared at the screen in shock.

“I cleared the mails away,” he laughed.

“I meant clear in the sense of reading them. Not deleting them!”

“Chill… They’re still saved in your recycling bin,” he laughed as he started clicking around my screen and the mails reappeared. “There you go.”

“Not funny,” I said as I hit his arm.

“You really need to relax. You’re so high-strung today.”

“Gah!!! Leave me alone!” I said.

“Okay, grumpy…” he laughed as he walked away.

I worked feverishly all morning until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up and saw Skye peering down at me.

“What?”

“It’s time for the meeting,” he reminded me.

“Oh…” I said as I stood up quickly and started gathering my stuff.

“What’s with you today?” Skye asked me.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re so nervous and blur.”

“I’m just… not having a good day,” I said. It was a lame excuse. I had no explanation for why I felt like that today. It certainly wasn’t a bad day, but I wasn’t sure why I felt so unsettled.

“Not a good day?” Skye smirked. “I saw you and Jeong Hoon this morning. Not a good day?” he smiled knowingly.

“Where did you see us?” I asked him.

“In the parking lot,” he coughed and winked at me.

“Omigod!” I exclaimed. “You stalker!”

“Hey… who would missed his pimped out Mitsubishi. I’d recognized the license plate and walked over cos I saw that the engine was still on. As soon as I saw what you both were up to, I turned and walked away. I’m a gentleman. I don’t stare.”

“Fine… whatever… let’s go,” I said as we walked quickly towards the conference room.

Everyone was seated and waiting when we entered.

“Sierra-shi,” Karyn’s voice grated. “You had to be fashionably late hadn’t you?”

“She should be the Fashion Editor then,” Lee sonbae joked and everyone laughed. Despite Lee sonbae’s effort to lighten the mood, Karyn didn’t look amused.

“I’m sorry, I got carried away with my emails,” I explained.

“Don’t we all,” Karyn replied. “Let’s see your presentation.”

Shoei helped me hook up my laptop to the projector and I started my presentation. As soon as I finished, I looked at the senior editors, waiting for some input and comment. Finally, Karyn spoke.

“Redo it,” she said.

“I beg your pardon?” I said. I was in shock. Did she just ask me to redo weeks of research?

“Redo everything. This is utter rubbish!” she said as she looked at me challengingly.

What had I done in my past life to deserve a boss like her?

“Yes,” I sighed and just then, Lee sonbae cut in.

“I don’t think it needs to be redone,” he said.

“Why? Don’t you think it's all nonsense?” Karyn exclaimed, surprised that Lee sonbae defended me.

“It just needs improvement. Come see me after lunch, Sierra. I’ll help you fix it,” he said.

“Well…” Karyn huffed. “In that case, it’s your call. Meeting dismissed,” she said as she got up and left the room.

I packed up my stuff as everyone else filed out of the room. Lee sonbae just sat there and looked at me.

“Sierra,” he said.

“Yes?” I replied as I looked up.

“I think we should have lunch in my office. Come over with all your materials. I’ll get my secretary to order in some lunch,” he said.

“I don’t want to inconvenience you, Lee sonbae.”

“You won’t” he smiled as he got up. “Be in my office in 20 minutes,” he smiled as he walked out of the conference room.