Just A Nerd

Chapter Forty-Five

LISA

"Lisa." I hear a soft voice coming from my office as soon as I step outside after taking a shower in the bathroom attached to my office.

For the past two months, I eat and sleep here secretly and peacefully. Apparently, Jennie doesn't know that I am back yet.

When I glance at the source of the voice, I feel afraid that they are not someone I want to meet, but as soon as my eyes catch the person, I grin excitedly, "Yeri. Dude, are you joking?"

She smirks playfully. "I am not your dude, Lalisa."

"I am kidding." Then, she flings into my embrace as she laughs along. "I miss you so much." Dropping her bag on the floor, she tightens her grip on me. My face is on her neck as I mumble. "I miss you too."

"You come here for holidays?" I ask when we pull back because a few more days, it will be New Year's Eve. So, I just assume that it's her purpose of coming here.

She shakes her head, "I come here for good, maybe."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. You said you would give me a job if I decide to come back to where my mom and I were. Since you left, I have been thinking about what you said. You are right, Lisa. Sometimes, you just need to face grief in order to move on, and I also must be voluntary about it." She smiles sadly before I navigate her to the couch.

I take her hand in mine, "I would help you find a place to live, and you can work here with me too."

"I don't need to apply first and be in an interview or something?" She looks at me with a challenging gaze. I laugh at her joke. "Are you serious? You don't need to."

She retorts, "But, it's general to do so."

"You are my friend, and I believe in you."

"Alright, thank you then." She smiles genuinely, the thing I haven't seen since the day I left our village to pursue my dream.

After talking for a while, I place her bag on the other couch as she suggests. "We should have lunch together. It's eleven o'clock now. And it's a thank you for the job." Then, she stands up, stretching out a bit as her shirt left up revealing her stomach. I look away, trying to think about something else.

Even though we are best friends, the reconciliation is just recent. We are not really that close to being that blunt and brave to...you know.

She scowls when I look back at her. "Come on, Lisa. You seem to be so disgusted seeing my bare skin."

Another joke.

I ignore her claim as she places her hand around my waist. "Can I?" I smile, and we leave for the food in the restaurant that I favor the most in the city.

After lunch, I take Yeri to find a place to live. As we stop in front of one of the most famous condos in the city, she looks at me with excitement. "Is that where you live with Jennie too?"

I shake my head. I am not stupid enough to be there. If Jennie sees me, it will not end up well. I have been hiding for six months now. So, I answer hesitantly. "No, it's not. But, I can assure you that it's one of the best."

"Alright. You don't want me to live beside you." She looks offended, making me deny it instantly. "No. No. It's just...I have got a problem, and I don't want to drag you into it with me too."

The seriousness of her face lessens as she quirks up her brow. "What's the problem?"

I sigh, tightening my grip around the steering wheel. As much as I do not want to tell the issue between me and Jennie to Yeri, I know I need to explain. She will understand if I do, I believe. "Actually, I went to Busan because...I had a fight with my wife, Jennie. In fact, I haven't met her since then."

The shock on her face and the display of sympathy really makes me calm down a bit. "It's okay, Lisa. Sorry for being too nosey."

I smile slightly. "That's not a problem. You are my best friend too, and you are supposed to know because I owe you that when I stayed with you for many months without giving any reason."

She places her hand on mine, staring at me. "You know I would help you as much as I can, no reason needed."

"Well, okay. Anyway, I take it you like this place?"

"Yeah. Absolutely. It's near your company, so maybe you can hang out here sometimes if you do not go home yet."

"I will. But, I think it's time to confront Jennie. Let see if it will work or...not."

Yeri gives me an encouraging smile. "I am sure it would go the way you want it to be. You are a good person, Lisa. The one who has you is the luckiest."

"I wish." I joke, but when I look at her, her expression tells me she is more serious than I think she is. "I am not kidding. Really, Lisa. You are a good person. In fact, the selfless person I have ever met. I always admire you since we were in high school. Anything you do, I am sure you have your reason."

When I stare back, I can see authenticity in her eyes. "I'm glad you think so."

"The world needs more people like you."

I scoff playfully, "You just say that because you are my friend,"

"No, Lisa. I am serious. If the world doesn't need you, I for sure need another person like you..."

As soon as she finishes her sentence, my eyes widen in shock. I am sure she's not intended to say something that I have thought it is, but no matter how many times I play it in my head, it just sounds the same to me.

Then, she bursts into laughter. "Don't freak out, Lisa."

I grin, "Well, I know you are joking of course."

"No, I am not. Most of the things I say to you, I mean it."

I sigh more carefully with an awkward smile before stepping outside the car. A few seconds later, she leaves the car too, and we walk to the receptionist to find the information on the place she could settle in.

After an hour of negotiation, I help her move here. As soon as I finish, I leave her place and decide that's the time I go to my home.

Because...

The words Yeri said really messes up my head now.