Chasing Rainbows

6. The Talk

Breathing deeply, she stood up and composed herself, straightening her black suit. She felt as if her heart will explode anytime. Knocking on the door, she  opened it slightly and saw Bin looked to her direction. He stopped, as if surprised seeing her. 

"Dr. Son?"

"Hi Yes, I'm the one you're meeting today, for the KCH Student Aid Foundation. Shall I come in?"

"Yes, come in."  He stood and motioned her to go to the small conference table.

As she walked towards it, she felt her knees weaken and chest tighten. 

Yejin, calm yourself.

"Please sit down." He motioned her to sit down as he took his seat. 

Looking at him, she felt at a loss for words, until he broke the silence.

"So, Dr. Son, I already read your proposal, and I just have a few questions, before I turn in my decision." He said, waiting for her to speak up.

"Oh, right, Mr. Hyun, do you want me to go through it?" Finally composing herself, she flipped the folder she's holding and tried to start discussing the proposal.

"You don't need to discuss it, I'll just ask my questions right away." He said with a sense of hurry in his voice.

"Okay, go ahead."

"First, you stated that Yonsei's Student Affairs Office will handle the monitoring of the scholars. How can we ensure that they are properly monitored and guided and that the funds are given to them at the right time? Second, after graduation, wouldn't it be good if these scholars get that mindset of giving back to Yonsei, by encouraging them to make a pledge? I think that would make the foundation's program more sustainable." Bin spoke seriously, without interruption.

Yejin tried to clear her mind and focus on what he's saying. She was amazed by his comment and suggestion. This was his Bin. Always gentle, considerate of others, and smart.

"Dr. Son?" Bin called her attention.

"Oh, yes, regarding the first one...we have a liaison officer in Yonsei to report to us any matter concerning the implementation of the program. We also plan to visit Yonsei once a year to monitor the program's status. For the second one, that is a very good suggestion and I'll discuss it with the board and try to incorporate it with our proposal." She said, looking at his face, but avoiding his eyes.

"Alright then, so I'll just wait for the revised proposal, you can just send it to my secretary and then I'll give my decision right away, once it's acceptable to me." Bin said, as if signaling that their meeting was done.

With that, Yejin felt herself panicking. It's now or never, she thought.

"Mr. Hyun...Bin..." She blurted out his name, now with less formality...just like the old times..

With his brow furrowed, he looked at her, confused.

Her nervousness was eating her up, as she barely managed to speak those words. "Can we talk?"

"Aren't we talking now?" 

"No, I mean, about us?"

"What about us?" He said, with a stern look on his face.

"Bin, I'm sorry..." With that, she lost her guard. Tears just started to fall, and she couldn't control it. She was making a mess of herself.

"Yejin..." Hearing her name spoken by that gentle voice calmed all the emotions within her. Grabbing the tissue Bin placed in front of her, she wiped her face and looked at him.