Chapter Text
She felt the other side of the bed dipped but it quickly went back up, or maybe slightly higher this time. Fighting with drowsiness, she opened her eyes with a little bit of difficulty. The room was dim. The only source of illumination was the small bed lamp she installed because her companion didn’t like to sleep in the dark. A small movement on the other side of the room caught her attention. She saw a woman put a good amount of effort to stay quiet, as to not disturb her and she smiled knowingly.
"You're leaving?" Her voice sounded foreign in her ears and she saw the woman stop moving.
"Did I wake you up?" The woman asked.
“Kind of. But you know I’m a light sleeper anyway.” She smiled, even though she didn’t know if the woman could see it or not.
The woman continued what she's doing but with less restraint this time, knowing that she’s awake now. “You know I have to.”
“You don’t have to, but you choose to,” She couldn’t help to let out a wry smile.
The woman didn't reply to her statement, but now she walked near the bed to retrieve her bag. She sat on the edge of the bed and rummaged through her tote bag, checking the contents.
“You can turn on the light, I don’t mind.” She suggested. “SuA, I-,” she paused, not sure if she should continue or just drop the topic like a coward she is all over again. She sat up, leaning on the bedpost and pulled the blanket closer to her chest to warm her up. The woman, SuA, stopped what she was doing to listen to what she had to say and it made her more nervous. "Can we…. I…. I like you." She looked down, her hand playing with the hem of the blanket. She's too scared to look at SuA, to hear what she had to say.
"You know I can't," SuA gave a simple reply. It sent a needle through her chest, making the tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to appear weak so she held it in.
"You never told me why." Her voice was shaky, if one wanted to look deeper, they would find desperation in it.
"I don't do relationships." She said firmly as if it was the unbreakable principles that she was proud to have and bear. What SuA didn't know was, it also sent another puncture to her already wounded heart. Or SuA knew and did it on purpose.
"Oh." A silent tear escaped from her eye, thankfully it was hidden from SuA's view. So she didn't have to make an effort to hide it. Thankfully, the tear didn't influence her ability to speak normally or she's going to be embarrassed further. She gathered her courage to look at SuA but immediately regretted it because SuA was looking right at her. Adding salt to the wound, SuA looked at her with pity in her eyes. "You're cruel, you know that?" She chuckled dryly.
"I heard that a lot." A sad smile appeared on the corner of her lips. “Listen, Yooh, we had an agreement and I enjoyed what we have. But I’m sorry, I can’t give you more.” She spoke gentler this time.
This was what made her like SuA. Beneath all her hard exterior, she is a considerate person. She is also attentive, she knows the slightest change that happens in her surroundings or with the person she is talking to. She also knows how to set up the mood in the room. And Yoohyeon learned it in more ways than one these past few months.
She exhaled a sigh. She knew this would be the outcome but she had to try nonetheless. It was her fault. She remembered clearly their agreement since day one. SuA was just a lonely woman looking for a companion in a crowded club and she was a broke college student in need of money and a little bit of adventure. So, they met. It was a one-time thing and they just needed to let out some steam. But two weeks later when she visited the club again, their gazes met. It was a mutual attraction and later, they found themselves in the cover of Yoohyeon’s blanket. SuA stayed a little bit longer, and they exchanged small talk.
After that small talk, SuA offered her to be, in her lack of better words, her sex buddy. She argued that it was the ‘safest’ option because she didn’t like to change her sex partner too often, and she found Yoohyeon’s company, quite , enjoyable. In exchange, she would provide for Yoohyeon’s needs, a win-win solution, as her professor said. But did Yoohyeon want to? It sounded like easy money, true. But so much was weighing in the corner of her mind and there’s this wild imagination of hers that SuA was a serial killer or some sort. But the first question that came out from her mouth was asking whether SuA was married or not. SuA’s initial reaction was to laugh, a loud one at that.
"That's it? The first thing you asked is if I'm married or not?" SuA managed to say in between her laughter. She would laugh too if it wasn't her who's the subject of the laughter, that's how contagious SuA's laugh was.
"I don't want to be like the drama that I watched, okay?" She buried her head on the pillow.
"Don't worry, I'm not. So, is it a yes?" SuA tried to get her head off the pillow. She tilted her chin, making her look straight at her brown orbs. She was captivated and embarrassed that she could not trust her voice, so she just nodded. She could feel her cheek getting warmer but she couldn't move her head as SuA still had a grip on her chin.
"But we have to make it clear. It's all just for fun, no strings attached and no meddling in each other’s private life. What happens here, stay here, got it?" SuA's tone was full of confidence and authority as if it's her natural way of speaking.
She gave SuA another nod, seeing that her conditions were easy to fulfil. It was easy money and who was she to refuse such a generous offer? SuA gave her a sultry smile and she could see a mischievous glint in her eyes. She knew what SuA was about to do. But before she could do anything, she was straddled, making her let out a high-pitched squeal.
“.....hyeon, Yoohyeon.” SuA’s call shook her from her reverie. “Are you okay?”
“Uh, oh, yeah. I’m okay. I was just, thinking,” she stutteringly said, not sure about what to say.
SuA didn’t say anything, just sitting on the bedside. She’s fully clothed now, ready to leave whenever she wanted to. Yoohyeon took a good look at her, noticing the slightly tousled hair that she sent back behind her left ear and the makeup that almost faded. Even in such a state, she found SuA’s beauty breathtaking. From her sharp nose, delicate face feature and the mole near the corner of her right eye, she already memorized all of it. She didn’t know since when she started to memorize it, all she knew was one day she already imprinted all of it in her mind. She tried to stop herself from catching feelings, breaking their agreement, but she failed. It had been going on for a while now, acting like everything was normal in front of SuA, hoping that she didn’t get caught.
But she’s at her limit. She needed to act on her feelings. So, she gathered her courage to tell SuA the truth. She had nothing to lose now. She would graduate in a month and she still had her savings, from the money that SuA gave her. In her defence, she thought that SuA deserved to know the truth, her honesty. And here she was, still failed in her effort. She felt pathetic. She consoled herself by saying that at least she tried. Right?
"SuA," she called her, barely above a whisper.
"Hmm?"
"I think I can't continue this." She hung her head low. "I don't think I can keep going, knowing that I catch a feeling for you and act like nothing happened. I'm sorry." A sniff got out of her nose. She hugged her knees, hoping that it would provide her with the support she needed, badly.
"You disappointed me, Yooh." SuA let out a wry smile.
"I'm sorry," was all she could say.
"Take care of yourself." SuA grabbed her bag and stood up. With that, she left. Leaving her alone in the dim room that's suddenly felt colder than it was.
***
2 months later
She smoothed the wrinkles on her blouse, wanting to look as presentable as she could on her first day of work. So far the people that she met here were friendly and nice. She could feel herself working with them comfortably in the future. She's just hoped that she didn't embarrass herself like she always did. It's her first job and she wanted to leave a good impression on her first day. The leader of her department, Kim Minji, had this smile like a ray of sunshine that could make everyone who saw it feel warm and at home. She briefed her with a friendly tone and made her feel comfortable. She couldn't wait to work with them. The power of the first day at work, anxious and excited all at once.
She introduced herself to her office mate with a sharp intimidating aura that could be seen in a mile away. She slowly approached her and ducked her head, too scared of the intimidating aura that her office mate exudes. When she was about to reach out her hand, she heard a chuckle that made her look up and searched for the source. It turned out that the chuckle came from the intimidating woman in front of her. She introduced herself as Lee Siyeon, and surprisingly she was anything but intimidating. They also shared the same interest in gaming, so in their break time, they usually play together.
"Do you hear the rumour?" Siyeon asked her one day after they had their lunch.
"What rumour?" She scoped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
"I heard Ms Kim talking with the CEO that our department will have an outbound next month." Siyeon sent her fist up like she just won a game tournament.
"So?" She's still busy cleaning up her ice cream cup.
"What do you mean, so? It means that we're gonna have a vacation. Paid. Vacation. I love this company." She giggled.
"Are you sure they're not gonna tell us to bring all of our works there and work our arse off?" She nonchalantly said.
"You're new. So, I forgive you. I've gone to this company's outbound once and let me tell you. It's all play, beers and beef. And chicken." Siyeon closed her eyes, reminiscing her experience about a year ago. She looked like a kid who just got her favourite toys. "And I can stare at Ms Kim all day in her casual clothes." She dreamily added.
She chuckled at her friend's behaviour, shaking her head in disbelief. It's cute though, seeing her friend always makes heart-eyes to their team leader every time she thought their team leader wasn't looking. She couldn't lie, her team leader was really pretty indeed, and her personality made her ten times more beautiful. No wonder every single human being in her office couldn't take their eyes off her, hoping to have a chance with the goddess. But it seemed like their efforts were met by a wall as their team leader always turned down their advances, saying that she's not interested in any relationship at the moment. She could say this as she witnessed it firsthand a co-worker getting rejected by her team leader. Siyeon was aware of this, so she only admired her from afar.
"Sounds fun," she shrugged. "Not the part where you creepily stare at Ms Kim though." She teased, which earned her a slap on her arm.
"A girl can dream, shut up."
"I'm curious about our CEO. I never saw her, only her secretary." She tapped her chin, thinking.
"We're just lowly workers, what do you expect? Ms Kim is friends with the CEO, though. I saw them off work once and they seem close. Beautiful people are only friends with beautiful people." Siyeon sighed.
"There, there, you'll get your chance. Don't sulk." She patted Siyeon's arm.
"You're the best, Yooh," Siyeon dramatically wiped invisible tears from her eyes. She rolled her eyes as a response but they laughed it out afterwards.
**
"Alright, everyone's here?" Minji checked the attendance list and counted. "Okay, good. Please go to your assigned van. We'll leave in a few." She said, earning a continuous cheer from her colleagues.
"Yooh, we're not in the same van." Siyeon pouted.
"I guess, I'll see you there then."
"Okay," Siyeon waved at her and went into her assigned van.
She sighed. Even though she already worked for two months here, Siyeon was the closest friend she had. She's not that close with her other colleagues. So, she chose the corner back seat to limit the awkwardness that's about to come. She saw the quiet and mysterious Lee Yubin get in and settled on the middle seat, followed by the bright and cheerful Lee Gahyeon. She waved at her with such intensity that she could not help but reciprocate. Other than Siyeon, she considered Gahyeon as her friend in the office. Well, at least she wouldn't be that lonely here.
A few more people got in and filled the seat, but left the corner seat next to her empty. She sighed again. She would be lonely the entire trip and it dampened her mood. Someone closed the door of the van and she pouted. She's the only one who didn't have any seatmate. There was a commotion outside her van but she didn't pay attention to it. She scrolled down her phone, looking for something to distract her mind. Only after she heard the door sliding open, she looked up from her phone. It was Minji, asking if there's any seat left here and she gladly answered that there was. A woman then got in, sat right next to her. After a close observation, she recognized the woman as the CEO's secretary, Handong. She greeted her, trying to strike a conversation.
"Good morning, Ms Han. You're going with us?" She asked.
"Good morning. Yes, I was supposed to be with the CEO but she still has something to do. So I decided to go first." Handong answered.
Now that she got to talk to her, she concluded that Handong's elegant aura came naturally. She could pass as a model if she wanted to. Just what's with this company? It's so full of beautiful people. They talked along the trip, and it made her like Handong more. She's surprisingly easy to talk to and also funny. She got to talk to Gahyeon and Yubin too. The atmosphere inside the van elevated her mood and she could feel herself enjoying this trip.
*
"Yooh, Yooh, come here," suddenly she was dragged by an excited Siyeon, away from the crowd. "You wouldn't believe what happened," she jumped around.
"What happened?" She tried to free herself from Siyeon's grip.
"Guess what, Ms Kim was my seatmate! And we talked a lot. I can do this all day." She dreamily looked at Minji. "Oh, and she said she'll look forward to becoming my partner for the games. I'm so happy, Yooh." She shook her back and forth.
"Okay, okay, calm down. You're gonna break my brittle bones." Siyeon mumbled a small sorry and released her. "But I'm happy for you. Go get her, Wolfie!" She encouraged Siyeon, who nodded enthusiastically and looked so happy.
"Okay, everyone, gather for a bit!" They heard Minji shouting. "We've prepared a room for two people. You can choose your roommate and get the key from me once you decide. You can rest now but we'll gather for dinner in the restaurant area at seven sharp. Understand?" Another loud cheer was heard. Satisfied with their answers, Minji nodded and started to distribute the keys.
"Let's go, Yooh," Siyeon dragged her.
She just followed her without any protests, because she knew it would be useless. Siyeon got her key from Minji, but she noticed that their hands were lingering a second too long before she came back and dragged her to their assigned room. Once inside, she threw herself face-first onto the bed, sprawled like a starfish. Siyeon only chuckled at her and sat on the other bed.
"I'm exhausted," she whined.
"Rest, I'll wake you up later." She heard Siyeon said. After hearing that, she drifted herself to sleep.
She woke up in an empty room. The sun was already set, making her frantically searching for her phone. 6 p.m., she plopped her body back to the mattress. She still had enough time. Where's Siyeon anyway? There's no sound coming from the bathroom, so she probably went out somewhere. She forced herself to get up and took a shower, hoping to refresh her mind and body. Right after she finished showering, Siyeon came panting, hair slightly tousled and sweat ran down her cheek.
"Oh, you're up. I thought you're still sleeping." She threw herself on the mattress.
"Where were you?" She asked, putting on light makeup.
"Exploring," she grinned. "I'll go take a shower too." With that, she left her.
She locked their door and gave the key to Siyeon. They playfully banter along the way to the restaurant, talking about nothing in particular. She ended up getting choked as Siyeon tried to topple her, without realising that they created such commotion in the hallway. They didn't stop until they saw a door being opened in front of them. Revealing Handong and Minji, who was also wanting to go to the restaurant. They quickly stood straight and bowed to them repeatedly.
"Are you guys going to the restaurant too?" Minji asked while smiling, unbothered by their childish act.
"Yes, team leader." It was Yoohyeon who answered because she could see Siyeon having a mini-breakdown on her peripheral vision.
"I'll go with you then. Dongie will you be alright alone?" She asked Handong who kept a quiet smile.
"Sure, I'll go there soon. Don't have fun without me yet," she winked at Yoohyeon's direction.
She froze, trying to process what just happened when she felt Siyeon elbowed her. "Ouch," she threw a deadly glare at her.
"Let's go," Minji walked first, followed by excited Siyeon who walked right next to her.
She opted to stay a bit behind, giving Siyeon her chance to get closer to Minji. She took pride to be a supportive friend despite their daily bickering. The resort that they were in was a big one. It had a direct view of the green forest, bless rich people who stayed in the penthouse. The staff already arranged the restaurant to be a meeting-like atmosphere but with casual decoration. It was simple yet beautiful. She never saw something like this before so she indulges herself in the view of her surroundings.
Siyeon followed Minji like a puppy and sat next to her. There was no seat left near them so she sat near Yubin and Gahyeon, greeting them. They talked for a bit before Minji stood up, asking for their attention.
"Before we start our dinner, let's welcome our CEO who kindly wants to join us. Let's welcome, Kim Bora!" Cheers erupted from the table, some playfully whistled, including Siyeon.
From the entrance, Handong came in, followed by a shorter woman with straight brunette hair. The woman waved around, sashaying her way in. She looked familiar in her eyes, but her poor eyesight didn't let her see the woman. Only after the woman sat down, she could examine her face. She froze for the second time this evening. Kim Bora, her CEO, is SuA. She ducked her head, trying to hide from her. Thankfully, she could hide behind the man next to her.
A rush of thought ran through her mind. She cursed her luck. It surely would make a complication in her job. Just when she's enjoying it. Life was unfair to her. Maybe, if she hid herself SuA, or Bora, wouldn't recognize her and she just needed to do that her entire life, right? Of course not! She was panicking inside. She wanted to drag Siyeon out of here but she was still preoccupied with Minji, so she's on her own now. She tried to talk to Yubin as an alibi for looking away from the CEO the entire time. She could see Yubin's suspicion arise but she ignored it. Thankfully she didn't say anything about it.
When the dinner finished, she told the others that she would go back to her room because she's still tired and they just let her. She caught Siyeon looking at her suspiciously, but she shrugged it off. When she felt like no one could see her, she released an exasperated breath that she didn't know she was holding. She's about to open the room when she remembers that Siyeon brought their key. She hit her head on the door while mumbling, stupid. Realising that she couldn't do anything, she decided to go outside in the meantime. But when she turned around she was met with a pair of captivating brown eyes, making her jump in surprise.
"Ms Kim," she bowed to Bora.
She didn't get an answer, instead, she's being dragged to Bora's room. She heard the door being slammed and a click. And Bora closed their distance.
"Are you stalking me?" She asked, fury evident in her voice.
"W- what? No, I would never. I didn't know if this was your company. I'm saying the truth." She cowered, afraid of Bora's wrath.
She felt her heart sting, being accused of something that she didn't do, especially by Bora. She examined her for a while, probably checking if she's lying or not. After a while, she heard a sigh coming from her lips.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Bora said, softer this time. Except, she didn't believe it for a bit. She might not mean to scare her but she scared her nonetheless. "Since when do you know that I am your CEO?" She continued her interrogation.
"I- I just knew today," she stuttered. "D- don't worry, I won't try to bother you. I can act like we didn't know each other. I was trying to hide from you. I guess it's failed," she said the last sentence as if it meant just for herself.
She saw Bora pinched her temple, making her more anxious about what's about to happen.
"Alright, then. You can go." Bora gestured at the door behind her.
Without much thinking, she bowed once more and quickly left the room. She ran in the hallway, almost ramming into Handong if she stopped a second too late. She bowed and apologized profusely before leaving a confused Handong there. She ran straight to her room, thankfully Siyeon had come back, and wrapped herself with the blanket.
"What happened to you?" Siyeon peeked. If it was another day, she would laugh because of the comical way her friend acted, but not now.
"Nothing." She could see Siyeon didn't believe her excuse.
"Really?" She asked again.
"Yes. I'll go to sleep." She buried her face on the pillow.
"Okay. Just, you know. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here." Siyeon said before leaving her alone.
*
“You looked terrible,” Siyeon mocked her from across the table.
“Speak for yourself,” she rested her head on her arm.
They were on a break from their activities. Minji had prepared so many activities for them to ‘bond’ more and she seemed to enjoy it, a little bit too much if Yoohyeon must say. There was dirt all over their clothes, and she felt like she’s losing her lungs. Siyeon was in no better condition. What differed them was the blinding smile on Siyeon’s face because she got to be partnered with Minji, while she was partnered with a guy from the other division, much to her dismay. What relieved her, however, was that their CEO seemed nowhere to be seen since this morning. She wondered where she was, but she didn’t dare to ask anyone about it. She sighed.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Siyeon noticed her lack of enthusiasm.
“No, I’m alright. Don’t worry.” She mumbled.
“You said no but you said you’re alright. Okay, something is definitely going on. Tell me.” Siyeon insisted.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” or rather, she couldn’t. Siyeon gave her a displeased look but didn’t ask any further. She gave her an apologetic smile, hoping that it would suffice and Siyeon wouldn't be angry with her.
“Hey, girls,” a guy, her previous partner, sat next to her.
“Hey,” she answered briefly, too lazy to talk. Siyeon just nodded to the guy, not caring if she appeared rude.
“It’s for you.” He put a cold canned drink in front of her then Siyeon.
“Thanks, Jinyoung,” she smiled forcefully.
“No worries. Drink up.” With that, he left them.
“That kid is interested in you,” Siyeon commented out of nowhere.
“Huh? I don’t know.” She opened the can and drank it. It refreshed her mind for a bit and she found herself sipping the drink more.
“I know.” Although she’s still scowling, Siyeon opened her can too. “He’s so obvious.”
“Too bad I’m not,” she shrugged, putting the can on the table and went back to her original position, resting her head on her arm.
“Is he not your type?”
“He’s not.”
“Woah, Kim Yoohyeon. Look at you,” Siyeon laughed. “Okay, what’s your type then?”
“Someone charismatic, and beautiful, and loud, and has straight long hair, and brown eyes,” she dreamily said. She heard Siyeon’s laughter stopped.
“Was I hearing things or were you just describing our CEO?” Siyeon scrunched her brows.
“You're definitely hearing things,” Yoohyeon quickly answered. How could Siyeon know? There were so many people with those features and not just their CEO. And why did she say that? She’s screwed.
“I’m definitely not.” Siyeon’s laughter was louder, making her cheek red from embarrassment. “I thought I aimed too high, but you aimed higher than me. Amazing,” she clapped mockingly.
“Shut up!” She threw a leaf at her.
“Hey, do not litter,” Siyeon said, still hadn’t recovered from her laughing.
They stopped talking when Minji announced that their next activity would begin. She let out a long exhale, silently thanking their team leader for the interruption. If not, Siyeon would have a good time roasting her. They lined up and chose the lottery to determine their groups. She didn’t get partnered with Siyeon again. But this time, she rejoiced. Siyeon made a warning gesture which she replied by sticking out her tongue. Siyeon was about to reply again when Minji approached her group, which successfully shut her up. Whipped. She mumbled. Now that she had her groups, she checked her bag for her equipment in the treasure hunter.
Her group consisted of Yubin, Handong and herself. It’s awkward, at least for her. She still remembered her ‘almost accident’ with Handong yesterday, and was scared if she asked something about it. With Yubin, well, she’s quiet as usual. Her group was probably the quietest among all. She sent an awkward smile to Handong, which reciprocated with a genuine one. Her eyes widened, did Handong already forget the event yesterday? Or worse, Bora told her everything. Now her face was redder than before and she tried to mask it by pretending to wipe her sweat. It seems like Handong noticed her uncomfortable state and decided to break the tension.
“Why don’t we use our nickname while we’re outside the office. It’s for bonding purposes after all,” she smiled at the two of them. Yubin looked startled but nodded, leaving her in her daze.
Sensing that they were waiting for her answer, she nodded. “Um, s- sure, that will be great,” she tried to smile as wide as she could. It turned out to be a little bit creepy, and it made her group chuckle.
“Calm down. You can call me Handong, or Dong, whichever you prefer.”
“I’m Yubin,” Yubin said briefly, as usual.
“Oh, I’m Yoohyeon.” She felt herself relax.
They took turns to go based on their assigned group, making them the last to go. Handong didn’t ask about yesterday’s event which made her thankful. She didn’t know what to answer if she were asked about it. If she told the truth, there would be a scandal, and her career would be done before she even began. They focused on finding the clues and the flags. Yubin was surprisingly good at guessing where the flags were located. They jumped for joy every time they found one and did a group hug. Gone was the quiet group at the beginning of the activity, replaced by a loud and chaotic one. They went past so many groups who looked troubled and confused while reading the clue. She gave Siyeon a mocking wave which earned her a deadly glare. She should thank her team leader for taming the wild and annoying Siyeon, even just for a day.
As expected, they arrived first at the finish line, defeating the other groups who were nowhere to be seen. Yubin left and came back with three cold drinks for them. She smiled at the gesture. Yubin was a gentlewoman, she concluded after being with her for three hours straight. Not to mention she was kind, smart and charismatic. Reminding her of someone, but with the opposite attitude. She shook her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about it. It’s forbidden.
“Here,” Yubin gave them tissue to wipe their sweat.
“Aaaw, thank you, Binnie,” she unconsciously called Yubin with a pet name. She stopped whatever she was doing and apologized to her.
“It’s okay, I like it,” Yubin smiled sweetly, lifting the embarrassment that she felt. Handong didn’t comment anything, only quietly observed her group and sipped on the cold drink. But the corner of her mouth upturned slightly because she's sure she saw a flash of brunette hair in the distance.
*
"Okay, before the dinner begins, we will give the prize to the winners. Clap your hands, woooo," Minji hyped up the crowd. It earned cheers from the winning teams but the losing teams let out uniformed boos.
The third and second winners got snacks and beef respectively, eliciting an envious growl from the others. She felt giddy, she didn't know what would be their prize for being the first winner. She saw Yubin playing her feet, maybe she's nervous too. She's glad that she wasn't the only one. Handong on the other hand, stood poised as if she didn't care about the prize at all.
"Now the winner! With amazingly getting seven flags and leaving the other behind them, give them applause, Team Seven!" Minji announced from the other end of the table, clapping like there's no tomorrow. "But wait, I won't give them their prize," she said, making her team sink in disappointment. "Don't worry, I won't give them the prize because our CEO herself will give it to them! Let's call her, Kim Bora," she clapped louder. Now Yoohyeon began to question the well-being of Minji's hands, clapping like that.
She saw Bora making a grand entrance, like the one she did yesterday. With exaggerated waves and walks, she greeted her employees. The people around the table just laughed at their eccentric CEO's behaviour and she tried to laugh along. However, she could feel cold sweat forming on her palms. She wiped her hands using the back of her skirt, trying to do it as subtle as possible. Their prize was a voucher to eat at a fine dining restaurant. Handong got the first voucher. Bora made an overly dramatic gesture before she gave it to her secretary, earning an eye roll from Handong and another laughter from the crowd. Then she gave the next voucher to Yubin. This time, she acted poised, although she could still see the dramatic gesture that Bora put on her act.
And finally, it’s her turn. She slowly went forward, focusing her gaze at anywhere but Bora. She gulped. It would appear rude of her to avoid eye contact with her CEO, so she tried to look at her. Bora's smile still lingered on her face but her eyes told another story. A recognition, intimidation and mischief, at least that's what she interpreted it as. She gave her the voucher, shaking hands firmly for a second too long, but went unnoticeable by the crowd. She forced herself to smile. Hoping that the others interpreted her behaviour as a sign of nervousness because she's in front of the one and only Kim Bora.
"Congratulations!" Bora's high-pitched voice filled the air.
A set of applause rang again, louder. The cling of the glasses was heard everywhere because the feast had begun. But she couldn't put her mind into the party. A lot were running through her mind and she couldn't shake it off. Siyeon noticed it and asked the guy beside her to change their seat. With a little bit of threatening, she got what she wanted. Yes, she could be mean if she wanted too.
"You okay?" Siyeon asked.
"Huh, of course. I'm just happy that we won first place." She tried to convince Siyeon. But it seemed like her efforts were futile, as she heard Siyeon let out a big sigh and pinch her head.
"Is it because of her?" Siyeon wrapped her hands on hers.
"Huh? N-no," she denied. But the determination in Siyeon's eyes didn't go, and she could swear that it was getting stronger. She exhaled, "Fine, it is." She finally admitted.
Without much thinking, Siyeon engulfed her in a hug. "You know I'll be here when you need me, right?" She patted her back.
"Thanks, Si," she hugged Siyeon tighter.
"And I'll be here too if you need someone to replace your reservation at that fine restaurant." She joked. It proved to be successful as she smiled because of it.
"No, not that one. That's for me only," she laughed.
After reassuring that she's in a better mood, Siyeon went back to her original seat, earning an annoyed glare from the guy. She looked at her friend and chuckled. She's annoying, but she's a good friend of hers, so she was grateful.
Yubin, who just finished talking to Gahyeon, asked her if she wanted some of the beef that she grilled. Of course, she nodded, overly excited but she didn't mind. It's supposed to be a relaxing activity, and she would make it that way. They talked some more, discussing the treasure hunt earlier. Gahyeon's energetic voice hurt her ears every time she shouted about how her team was useless and they should've won if not because of her incapable teammates. She was cute, she admitted.
She looked around pretending to admire the decoration, but in reality, she just wanted to look at Bora. She's still there, talking with Handong with a serious expression. Sensing that she's being watched, Bora looked around and their eyes met for a split second. She quickly turned her head, pretending to listen to Gahyeon's rant. Her heart was racing. She got caught, how embarrassing. She hoped Bora wouldn't make a big deal out of it, or she's done for good. Not long after, she told Yubin and Gahyeon that she'd be back to her room. This time, she brought the key, but she still looked for Siyeon. Maybe she wanted to go back too.
Siyeon was nowhere to be seen, maybe she's somewhere outside, knowing that her friend liked to explore. She avoided looking at Bora, striding until she reached the hallway. Before she reached her room, she heard a loud thud and decided to check on it. Was it a bad idea? It's always a bad idea on horror movies that she watched, but this was real life, she's gonna be fine, right? She tiptoed, slowly peeking the source of the commotion. What she found, however, surprised her more. Not like the horror movie that she watched, but she saw Siyeon and Minji making out. Quickly, she went away from there, not wanting to be a creep.
In front of her room, she fiddled with her key. In her rush, she managed to drop the key twice, making her groan. When she successfully opened the lock, she felt someone's presence behind her and quickly turned around, ready to punch. However, she stopped what she was about to do, seeing that it was Bora who stood there.
"Ms Kim," she bowed, head hung low to avoid looking at her. Was she about to get fired now?
"Do you enjoy their attention?" She asked, her voice cold.
"Who?" She looked up, confusion written on her face.
"That guy, and the quiet girl." She folded her hands on her chest.
"Oh," her mouth was forming a perfect circle, making her look like a fish.
She didn't know what to answer. Did she enjoy it? Yes, she did. But was that what Bora meant? And why did Bora bother to ask that? Was she jealous? No, no. She won't put her hopes up. Bora stood stationarily, seemingly waiting for her more elaborate answer. She fidgeted, scared of her. She looked away from her, trying to find something to say.
"I, um," she cursed her inability to say coherent words. She's doomed.
Bora clicked her tongue, moving closer to her. She held her chin, forcing her to look at her brown orbs. She gulped. It's too close. How could she feel small in front of Bora who was smaller than her? Her train of thoughts stopped when she felt Bora pulled her into a kiss. Her eyes went wide, but she didn't move. She felt Bora nibbled on her lips, asking for a response and to deepen the kiss. She closed her eyes and gave her what she wanted. Her mind went blank, all she focused on was how great Bora's lip on hers, how she dominated her and how eager she was. But it didn't last long as they heard someone gasp loudly. They quickly parted, chest heaving because of the lack of oxygen. She saw Siyeon stand frozen with mouth agape.
"Uh, I, I think, uh, I got the wrong hallway," she blabbered. "Right, I gotta go," with that, she swiftly disappeared, almost knocking a tree vase on her way.
*
"Kim Yoohyeon!" Siyeon's voice was thundering in their room. "You got some explaining to do!"
"Explain what?" She tried to sound innocent.
"Don't you make that face! You know what I'm talking about. What happened after I left?" She sat next to her.
"Nothing," she shrugged.
"What do you mean nothing?"
"Because nothing happened after that. She left after you did." Her shoulder sunk in disappointment.
Siyeon cooed and hugged her, swaying her back and forth. "It's okay, you're gonna be okay. You'll get your chance later. I'm sure of it."
"Like you?"
"Huh?" Siyeon released their hugs.
"Don't you think making out in the hallway is risky?" She raised her brow.
Siyeon became quiet to process what she was saying. A few seconds later, understanding dawned on her making her cheek as red as a tomato. She buried her face on a pillow to hide her embarrassment. When Siyeon heard her laughter, she threw the pillow straight to her face. But it didn't cease her laughter, even for a bit.
"Stop laughing, you're not innocent either!" She shouted.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," she threw her hands up in surrender. "So, that's why you kept disappearing since we got here?" Siyeon didn't answer, but her face was getting redder. "Now, spill!"
Siyeon started to tell what happened since they arrived, squealing here and there. She looked happy, and she wished she could be like her too. She silently let out a relieved breath, for being successful in distracting Siyeon from interrogating her. She wasn't ready. She's afraid Siyeon would look at her differently if she knows what had happened between her and Bora. She didn't need to complicate her life more.
*
She tossed around her bed, feeling sleep was hard to come. Siyeon was already sunk deep in the dreamland. So, she put on her hoodie and quietly went out of their room. She walked aimlessly, hands in her pocket. The resort was quiet, as expected. It was two in the morning after all. She ended up in what seemed like a mini garden. There was a wooden bench in the middle, so she went there. She plopped down and let out a relieved sigh.
The sky was clear and full of stars. She stared at the vast sky, letting her mind drift into nothingness. She could sleep here if not for the fact that it’s getting colder each passing second and she would definitely catch a cold when she woke up. The soft wind blew, making her body shivered. She knew she should go inside before she caught a cold but she still didn’t want to. Call her stubborn, she didn’t care. A shuffle from behind her made her turn her head in an alert.
“Cold?” Bora asked. She nodded as an answer. “Can’t sleep too?”
“Yes,” she answered briefly.
Bora took a seat next to her, mirroring her previous stance, gazing at the stars. They sat in silence. An awkward feeling was gnawing on the corner of her mind. She felt an invisible tension growing around her. Her feet were drumming against the concrete, and she shrunk her head on her hoodie. What should she do to break this awkward atmosphere? Words seemed to leave her brain every time Bora was around.
Then her mind went back to the earlier event when Bora suddenly kissed her. What was Bora trying to do to her? Just yesterday, Bora was angry and accused her of stalking. And a few hours ago, she was mad and acted like someone jealous because she received some attention from her colleagues. Then the kiss, which happened too fast, as fast as the way she rushed away from her without saying anything. It irritated her, partially becoming the reason she couldn’t sleep.
“I’m sorry about earlier.” Bora suddenly said, shifting her attention to her.
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because I acted like a stupidly jealous woman and left you like that. You must be confused and angry at me. I guess I deserve that.” She gave her an apologetic smile.
“What is your intention, Ms Kim? You confused me.” She voiced her frustration.
"I don't know," Bora sighed. It frustrated her more. She felt like punching a wall right now.
"With all due respect, Ms Kim. I'm trying to keep my promise to you, to distance myself and pretend that we don't know each other. But you made it hard for me to do so. Please don't do that. Especially if you're not sure about anything you want." She stood up, her breath was quick and shallow. She's angry, frustrated, almost livid. She couldn't understand what's on Bora's mind or how it worked. So, she did what she does best. "Excuse me," she left Bora there with all the complicated emotions she bears.
*
"We'll leave in five, chop, chop," Minji announced. Everyone was busy collecting their belongings and went to their assigned van, like the first day they were here.
She weakly stood and dragged herself to her van. She regretted staying up late, making her lose her precious sleep. She would sleep on the way, she thought. Yes, that's a good idea. She would pretty much need it to function. She was the first in her van, and she went straight to the back. Strapping the seat belt, she rested her head on the window. Looking outside the people who tried to get in their van. She pulled her head, resting it on the headrest. It's not the most comfortable position but it'll do. So, she closed her eyes, drifting herself to sleep.
A jolt of the van woke her up. Her neck was achy. She tried to soothe the pain by rubbing it. But suddenly she saw a neck pillow right in front of her eyes. She looked at her seatmate and almost hit her head on the window. It was none other than Bora, with a motherly smile, still holding the neck pillow.
"Here, use this," she said.
"T-thanks, Ms Kim." She hesitantly reached for the pillow, slightly nodded. Then, she put it on. It was soft and smelled like her. She didn't know she missed her scent till now. She then remembered her outburst last night and felt guilt gnawing inside her mind.
But what was Bora doing here? Wasn't it supposed to be Handong who should be on that seat? She glanced at the other passengers and they seemed unbothered by the presence of their CEO here. Bora went back to focus on her tablet as if she just had a normal day and didn't make her almost have a heart attack. She found herself studying her features. She's still the same Bora that she last remembered. But her eyebags looked more prominent. Did she have trouble sleeping?
"Do you need anything else?" Bora asked, eyes still glued on the tablet.
"Uh, no, I don't," she said in a panic. She got caught staring again. Stupid Yoohyeon, you're embarrassing, she thought.
She looked away. It was raining outside, making the temperature a little colder than usual. The window was dewy, so she wiped it using her fingers. It cleared the window, but not for long. So she did it again, and again. She ended up drawing an abstract shape on it, wetting her fingers. She stopped playing and looked inside the van again. She found Bora looking at her, probably amused by how childish she was. She scratched her head and smiled sheepishly, forgetting that her fingers were wet. She whined because of it, earning a chuckle from Bora. She sunk her head into the neck pillow to hide her embarrassment, although it didn't help much. She hoped that the trip went fast so that she could escape from this embarrassing situation sooner.
***