"Well... You know, Chaeyoung, she... Well, she... Uhm, she kind of..."
"Kind of what? Spit it out Che or I swear I'll find a way to strangle you through the phone." I threw at her through gritted teeth. This fumbling and stuttering were making my nerves tense up like a bowstring. It gave me a very unpleasant feeling.
"She got... Married?" Cheshir spoke in a low voice, almost like a whisper.
"Cheshir-ah, are you asking me or telling me?"
"Telling you. Of course, I'm telling you!"
"Then why say it in a questioning tone?"
"Well, I was afraid of you blowing your top at me."
"It's not too late for that to happen, you know. But why would I get mad at you? Send her my congratulations."
Certainly, I may not like human relations too much and prefer to keep my distance, but I can understand how others might want to be together with someone else. Therefore, for a bright and beautiful woman like Chaeyoung to get married must be a joyous occasion.
"Then, you're not angry?" Cheshir asked with an obvious tone of relief. "Aaaah, I'm so relieved. I was sure you'd chew me out like a dog biting on a bone."
"Hey! Who are you calling a dog?! Though, you kind of look like a bone, white skinned and scrawny."
Why am I being so chatty with her this morning? Even spewing up nonsense like this. Something must be wrong with me. I should hang up soon and get back to sleep or else I won't be able to rest until late into the night. A moment later, I heard Cheshir's cheery voice sounding from the other side of the phone.
"Then let me tell you about the new editor who's going to take care of you from now on."
"Eh?" I blinked quietly before the information got assimilated by my tired brain. "Haaaah?!" I finally screeched like a mad banshee.
What did she just say?! New editor?! What's going on here?
"Che, perhaps I might have heard you wrong. Did you just say new editor?"
"Well yes, of course. Since Chaeyoung has gotten married she will be quitting her job. Apparently, her husband is a rich businessman and his company is located in a different city. So, she'll be moving there with him. Quitting the company is only logical in this situation."
"Logical?! There is nothing logical about it! What about me?!" I yelled, panic starting to swell inside my chest. I had barely gotten used to Chaeyoung's visits. Having to get used to someone else and so suddenly too... Impossible.
"There is nothing to worry about, Lisa-yah. We have already chosen a new editor for you. It's a new person, young and high-spirited. I heard she transferred here recently and everyone has been praising her for her professionalism."
"I don't care about her professionalism or that she is young and high-spirited!" I snapped. "In fact, I don't like high-spirited people! I don't like people, period!"
"Now now, stop being so childish, Lisa-yah. Your stories all have such beautiful people in them. How can you say you hate people but at the same time create such amazing ones on paper?"
"What does that have to do with anything?! I can write whatever I want and still hate real-life ones." I huffed, more out of spite than anything.
I already knew that throwing a tantrum was futile. If the publishing company had already decided on a replacement for Chaeyoung then there was nothing for me to do than to accept. They have already shown me enough goodwill by having the Chief editor personally call me. And besides, whatever I might say, I would still need an editor to work with for my next book.
"Ok, ok." Cheshir said in a coaxing tone. "You write beautifully so keep up the good work. As for the rest, you can like or hate whomever you wish, but just remember not to scare the newbie too much. We want to have her for a long time in the company. I'll let you rest now." Cheshir laughed then hung up.
A few minutes later I received a message from Cheshir, telling me that my new editor's name is Kim Jisoo and that she'd come for a first meeting that day during lunch time.
And so, Jisoo arrived on time, a wide and sparkling smile plastered on her face.
"Nyeong-an... Anyeong... Hello! My name is Kim Jisoo and I'll be your new editor. Please take care of me."
"That should be my line." I grumbled, closing my eyes hoping that this person would just vanish in thin air by the time I open them again.
Unfortunately, she didn't. She just kept staring at me with that idiotic smile on her face, her posture straight, making her dark colored costume appear more formal. Nevertheless, I had to grudgingly admit that she wasn't that ugly. She had pleasant features, sword-shaped eyebrows, straight nose and heart-shaped lips. In short, she was a good looking person. Not that I cared much, but at least she wasn't unpleasant to the eye.
Since she came all the way here, all I could do was to let her inside.
"Ugh, what a headache." I sighed, rubbing my forehead. It really was an annoying situation.
"Headache?" I heard her asking. "Ah!" She yelled a second later so loudly that made both me and my cat jump up in fright. "If it's a headache I think I might have something that could help." She kept muttering to herself while rummaging through her briefcase.
Finally, after a long wrestle with the things inside her briefcase, Lisa pulled out and handed me a bottle of pills. When I saw it, I felt the sudden urge to take the pills and hurl them back to her face.
The reason I was even having a headache in the first place was her presence. No pill could help me with that! What I did in the end, though, was to take the bottle and give a polite 'thank you'.
"You're welcome! I'm glad I could help." She replied simply.
Reaching up to this point, I still haven't mentioned the thing that makes me dislike this person even more.
When I took the bottle from her hand, our fingers touched for one short moment and something astonishing happened. I couldn't hear anything! I stared at this person's face trying to perceive something, anything about her real thoughts. Her earnest gaze, that open smile, her entire expression was oozing with vitality and cheeriness, but I could hear nothing from her inner voice. Could it be that there is a person on this earth who doesn't like to blabber to herself? Or perhaps the reason why I can't hear her thoughts is that she doesn't have anything to hide?
No, no, no! That's impossible! I have yet to meet someone like that and I don't want to believe that this person is that special. Someone who carries her heart on her sleeve or something like that, it's too shocking. If that was indeed the case, it would make her a rare kind of endangered species, that should be taken to a special zoo and protected.
Jisoo's upbeat voice swiftly pulled me out of my reverie.
"I heard from Chief Cheshir that you used to have another editor until quite recently."
"Uhm, yes, Chaeyoung."
"Ah, the one who just got married, right?" Jisoo nodded. "Yes, I heard my colleagues talking about her. And today I..."
"Alright, I think that's enough chit-chat." I interrupted what seemed like a useless conversation. "We should start talking about the new manuscript."
"Ah, yes, yes of course! I apologize. I got carried away." Jisoo smiled awkwardly. She scratched the back of her head, maintaining her smile but looking quite deflated.
After that first meeting, Jisoo kept visiting me once or twice a week. I tried explaining to her that as an editor she didn't have to come by so often, that I would send her a message when I had the next piece completed and that should be enough. But, for some strange reason, Jisoo kept on coming, especially during lunchtime.
Today as well, she arrived at 12 p.m. carrying with her two large bento boxes and a bag of cat treats.
"Ms. Manoban, I noticed that you don't eat properly." Jisoo said while unpacking the bentos. "The most important meal of the day is lunch, you know."
"I thought that was breakfast." I grumbled, leaning against the wall and watching her struggle with the bags. I had no inclination of helping whatsoever. You brought them here, you deal with them.
"I assumed that for people like you who work late into the night the first meal would be sometime around noon, therefore, lunch would become the most important meal of the day."
"What stupid logic is that?"
"Hey! It's not stupid. Besides, having instant noodles every day is bad for your body. Now come here and eat!"
When did she get this bossy with me? We've known each other for a month at most, so isn't it too early to talk to me like we're close? And why is my cat listening to her?! The moment it saw the bag of treats it got conquered by the lust for food. How very shameful!
But I have to admit, the food does smell quite nice and I am feeling a tad bit hungry. Since I undeniably skipped breakfast, my stomach began to grumble and make weird noises. I guess I'm also being won over with food, bit by bit.
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