C7 Chapter 7

Before I can answer, there's a cough that makes our attention to travel to the person who has just coughed. Mr Kenny Park —the brown haired young man in suit— leans over close to my left ear and whispers; "The CEO wants you to join the group up there. Its time to launch the product."

Since when am I so important to the CEO? I almost curse Mr Park for interrupting the moment a hot guy is asking me if I have a boyfriend.

"Oh, okay." I say, and look at Leo with apologetic puppy eyes. "I'm sure we'll have time to talk later, sunbae." It will be weird to answer him now in the presence of Mr Park who's like an ear to Mr Jay.

"Yes. You should go." He urges with a little, not so happy smile. A cloud of disappointment passes through his eyes but I don't focus on that. I have to go when the devil summons me or he'll start threatening to fire me. All of a sudden, I hear a progressive sound of clapping erupts, making me to notice that the launching is about to start, and I will have to hurry.

I quickly rise up and start heading towards the stage, trailing behind Mr Park. I raise my head up as my gaze falls on Mr Jay who's the only young person standing in the middle of aging shareholders. His eyes seems to be looking at somewhere behind me with a heated kind of gaze. An unusual sullen look is clouding his face —something entirely different from the stony expression I'm used to seeing on him.

Someone softly touch my arm and I turn around to see sunbae (senior) Leo standing behind me. Ah, I guess I understand what that heated gaze means. I'm very sure Mr Jay is jealous and can't even hide it in public. Good for someone who tells me the kiss was a mistake. I'm planning to get over him quickly to focus more on work.

"Here, take this." Leo brings out a card from his jacket and places it into my hand with a half-hearted but charming smile. It's his company card so I smile back and nod at him a little in appreciation. "Watch your steps as you go up." He pats my back gently.

I dart my eyes between Leo and Mr Jay whose eyes are still narrowed at Leo, but Leo doesn't even seem to notice anything. The way Mr Jay looks at sunbae is as if there's some kind of a serious, unresolved issue he's yet to settle with him. He's not even looking at me. Well, whatever. I don't care about that. I'm just hoping that this event will end soon as I'm craving for some tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes).

Ah. . . my tummy is already churning with hunger as I climb my heels up the steps and stand by Mr Park's right side —a little farther away from bratty Mr Jay.

*

Earlier, when the product launching event had ended, the CEO left to attend an important board meeting with the group of shareholders. But before that, he told Mr Kenny Park to give me my hotel room key card and to make sure that I go straight to my room.

I'm happy to be finally free, but at the same time, I can't help this feeling of being left out at work. Maybe because I'm a young woman, they're not regarding me serious enough to be a part of their board meeting. I feel like I'm just tagging along like a useless tail and not a personal secretary.

At this point, I don't think I'm meant for this kind of job, its not my thing but I'll have to hang around until they get the right person. I think Mr Kenny Park is already good enough —he's demonstrated his skills by playing the role of a PA, Special Adviser, Security Chief and everything — he's literally everything to Mr Jay. I'm not needed here as much as Mr Kenny Park is needed. I think he's the one that handled this luxurious hotel reservations.

I'm changing my outfit in front of the mirror, to go and eat lunch with sunbae Leo. I dialed his number from the company card he gave me, and we've just spoken on phone and agreed on having a very spicy tteokbokki (Korean stir-fried rice cakes) at any nearby restaurant. Street tteokbokki will be the best if Leo will agree to having it as well.

Now that I remember, I was given one ridiculously large burger and only five pieces of dry, salty french fries on the jet as lunch while Mr Jay ate a full plate of Italian spaghetti and risotto in front of my eyes. That nasty, bratty little devil. I will make sure to eat two full plates of spicy tteokbokki as my revenge on him.

Heading out of my room, I check my message to confirm the location where I'm going to be meeting with sunbae Leo. He says to meet him at the hotel lounge at 4:00PM. Now the time says 4:09PM? Oh my gosh, I'm already nine minutes late. . .

There's a bank of elevators at the end of the white lobby and I sprint towards the first one. Before I press anything, the shiny silver door parts open, and my eyes suddenly falls on a kissing couple —an older man that looks about forty or so, and a younger lady who looks like my age-mate. Before they can see me, I dash sideways and stand in front of the second elevator door.

I'm about to go in when the couple step out, still holding each other and passionately kissing, moving towards the room they probably reserved for a steamy one night —this hotel looks like the right place to do that horrible thing. Not trying to be judgmental, but I'm just hoping that they're a legal couple and not some cheating older man and his younger mistress, or a cheating young woman and her. . . Sugar daddy? Yuck!

Whatever! The point is. . . Its always very gross when I see other people kissing in front of me. But it's never going to be gross if it's me and the man I love.

Oh, the man I love?. . . No, no, no, not now that I'm going to have lunch with another man please. I must not think about Mr Jay's cute, upturned lips. Ridding my mind off the thoughts of our kiss, I don't notice that the engine has drop me down to the first floor until another couple come into the elevator.

I step out but stop to tie the loose laces of my converse shoes. The same converse Mr Jay had earlier told me to take off. Now I'm rocking them with my casual, oversized blue jogger set, and I don't really care if I look out of place or not. At least, I won't be the only weirdo when I'm going to be with my Sunbae.

Immediately I take a sharp turn in the corner, I start searching around for Leo. I'm into the large lobby, and my eyes are scanning through the figures, focusing more on outfits. My gaze shifts to the figure in a brown leather jacket —the side of sunbae, sitting on one of the elegant grey couches. His one leg is down, rhythmically tapping the floor with his boot, while the other long leg is sprawling over the armrest —almost as if his Dad is the owner of Hotel Kyros; typical of my sunbae, he doesn't give a damn about it.

I sneak up to him and quietly stand behind his back. I put my hands around his head, smelling the citrus in his hair before I cover his eyes with my fingers. Gosh, I love his shampoo. "Sarah Han, you still do this girly thing," he remarks in a warm tone of a little surprise. His big hands suddenly grabs mine, parting them away from his face as he turns around his head like an owl. "I can always recognize the smell of those tiny hands and your body hormones the moment you're close to me, Sarah." I almost burp at that, but a little hiccup instantly becomes caught up halfway in my throat, giving me a very weird and uncomfortable sensation.

Why is he suddenly talking about hormones oh my gosh, do I have a body odor that smells so horrible or what? But I don't think I do. I just remember that this guy here has no filter to his mouth. He can even be more blunt than me when my horrible mood kicks in. I try to smile at his remark and act like what he just said about the hormones did not affect me, —not even a tiny bit.

By now, he is up and bending his back a little in front of me, so as his tall height can lower down to my short height — in a way that his face is about two inches away from mine —small smirking lips and dark, twinkling hazel eyes looking straight into my brown Iris almost as if trying to observe what sort of effect his words have just caused to me.

I swear my heart is thumping very loudly that I'm becoming confused about what I feel at the moment. I thought I'm in love with my bratty boss, but why is this man here, making my heart to flutter so much? Gosh, what's wrong with my heart? I can't be in love with two men! That will be catastrophic!