When I stepped out of the office of Mr. Kang, I began to feel dizzy and warm just as I have felt when I have been out of the hot bath and/or sauna.
But suddenly, as I walked to the elevator lobby. I realized unusually hallway had a warm temperature today.
And, my body suddenly started heating up. "What the hell was going on? What was happening to me?" I began mumbling.
I quickly hasted to the nearest toilet and turned on the cold water faucet so that the coldness can cool down my sweating-off face.
But still, I could feel as if Minaj's hands were touching my head, I could smell the subtle fragrance of his cologne on my shirt and that tension between us, that moment I could not shake out of my head.
"Han Jiwoo, Just… cool down, take a deep breath," I whispered to myself. "I know today was a lot, but"
"Then there was this weird dream, followed by being late to work, followed by Min-jae appearing out of nowhere, literally from my own story, and ending with my promotion. And then that moment, whatever that moment was, let it go," he said.
I said, pointing at myself as if I were reprimanding my reflection.
"You're just tired. Yes. Tired. And this is the heat of the changing weather. That's all."
I nodded, pointing at myself, as if agreeing with myself would somehow prevent my heart from doing a full drum solo in an instant.
It took me a while to claim myself, but as I finally felt my breathing to normal again, my phone started vibrating inside my pocket.
The moment I checked the screen… and my jaw almost fell off.
Ten missed calls.
From Mr. Kim
What the fuck? Mr. Kim is definitely going to murder me. When did he even call me this many times?
Oh right… Probably during the part where I was busy staring into Minaje's eyes or losing my shit just a few seconds back.
Without wasting another second, I grabbed my phone and answered before Mr. Kim could actually kill me through the speaker.
The moment I picked up, he exploded through the phone.
"MR. HAN, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU"
"I was with Mr. Kang!" I blurted before my eardrum could disintegrate.
Instant shift. From angry rottweiler… to startled housecat.
"O–Oh. With the president?" he repeated, suddenly he started speaking so politely I thought he might bow through the phone. "Right. Yes. Good. Um… could you come back quickly? The clients are waiting."
"Yes, Mr. Kim. I will be in the meeting room in just five minutes." I hung up, took a deep breath, took the stairs and started running. If I am even 1 minute late, Mr. Kim would definitely kill me today.
The walk back to the meeting room felt like walking barefoot in the desert. Every step brought back flashes of Minjae's expression, that tension between us, and heat was simmering beneath my body.
I tried to focus on the meeting, but my mind insisted on playing those moment on loop again and again.
The four-hour meeting finally ended, and when I checked the time.
"Six? It's already six?!" I whispered dramatically.
"Wow, great, I haven't even had lunch yet. Forget lunch. Did not even get a chance to smoke."
I placed my laptop on the desk, I grabbed my bag and all the other stuff.
"Bye, Guy's, I'm heading out first", I waved at my team as they packed up
"Jiwoo! Let's go for dinner tonight?" one of the guys asked.
"Tomorrow" I said immediately. "Right now, I am too tired to function."
When moment i set foot outside the office building, I could barely feel my legs, and my head was about to explode.
But still I had to drag myself toward the bus stop, which was 15 minutes away from my office building.
"Jiwoo, you can do it." I whispered to myself in pain.
The moment I arrived at the bus stop the bus was just standing there as it was waiting for me.
"Thank you god, at least something actually good happened today. " I said, looking at the sky.
I got on the bus and seat near the window sit. The sun was setting outside, warming the windows in a beautiful orange shade.
The bus was almost empty with just ten passengers. A few were dozing off, and others were listening to music. And me, I was recalling all the scenes of today over and over again.
Today felt like I watched a whole series compacted in one episode. The chaos, tension, and plot twist all in one episode. "I dead tired," I murmured looking outside the window.
Placed my head against the window and eventually felt a little refreshed with the breeze due to the moving bus. "Wow, look, the sunset is really beautiful today." Indeed, it was a beautiful sunset sight until the bus suddenly hit a speed braker , and my head collided with the window.
"Ouch", I shot up in pain. "Huh, God, seriously, can't you let me in peace for a second.
"Myeongdong Entrance, anyone getting down?" The driver asked in a loud voice.
"Oh, yes, I am getting down", I got off the bus and once again started pulling my weary body toward home.
And, the moment I opened the door, I saw the mess I left this morning. Clothes everywhere. Books on the floor. My apartment was a mess, like a tornado had attempted to do interior design. Fantastic, I sighed. Even my house hates me.
I began picking up all things that were on the floor and also those that were on the bed one after another and started placing them in their rightful places. As I picked up one of my old drawing books to replace it on my shelf, something slipped out and fell onto the floor.
Fwip doop
A red paper crane.
Slightly crumpled. Slightly faded. Weirdly familiar.
I picked it slowly up from the floor, turning it around in my hands.
The paper was a little dusty and was soft at the edges, it had if it had been folded many years previously, and it also softened around the edges.
"Why does this look so familiar?" I muttered to myself.
"Jiwoo, forget it. Let's investigate later," I told myself. Already, my mental processor was overheating. "My brain is absolutely not in the mood to work right now."
But I allowed my mind to wander no further and slipped my little red crane between the pages of my sketchbook once again.
"let the Future Jiwoo handle that," I said, patting the book as if it were someone else's problem to deal with from now on and not mine.
And after that, I left the study room.
Stretching my aching muscles as I walked away, I did not bother to glance back at the small red crane patiently seated behind me. awaiting.
— To be continued