Ji-cheol's POV
"Thanks for seeing me Anupam." Ji-cheol spoke as he sat down on the sofa.
"No problem, do you want some Chi tea?" Anupam offered as he walked into the kitchen area.
"No thanks, I'm good." Ji-cheol declined.
Anupam fixed himself a cup then sat down next to Ji-cheol on the sofa.
"So, you're having mixed feelings about Yn?" Anupam asked.
Ji-cheol nodded his head.
"Well, tell me about Yn. How does she make you feel?" Anupam asked.
"She's the nicest person I've ever met." Ji-cheol explained.
Her innocence is what makes her look so cute as if she was a little lamb. Her smile always makes my day brighter than the sun along with...in fact, just her whole existence always makes me happy. But my attraction towards her...I don't know Anupam. One minute, I like her...the next minute it feels wrong because well, I see her as someone I want to protect but not in a boyfriend type of way.
"Hmm, okay it sounds like you do value her but you don't know if you like her as a friend or as something more." Anupam stated.
"Well, do I like her as a girlfriend?" Ji-cheol questioned.
"That's for you to ask yourself, Ji-cheol." Anupam assured. "Ask yourself, "Do I like Yn as a friend or as a lover?" and let your mind and heart follow your path."
Ji-cheol hung his head down, feeling a bit unsure.
"W-what if she actually does like me back and I don't?" Ji-cheol questioned.
"That's perfectly okay." Anupam stated. "You and Yn are adults, so you both should be able to handle your feelings in a mature matter."
"Yeah, you're right...I mean, it's not like either one of us will react like how Jung Jae be." Ji-cheol chuckled out. "Um, don't tell him I said that."
Anupam chuckled.
"I won't." Anupam replied.
Ji-cheol then got up and hugged Anupam.
"Thanks Anupam, for talking to me about this." Ji-cheol spoke as he and Anupam walked to the door.
"No problem Ji-cheol, if you have anything else to talk about, I'll be your guy." Anupam declared.
Ji-cheol smiled as he stepped out.
"See you at the bookstore." Ji-cheol announced as he walked off.
While Ji-cheol was walking down the hallway, he did began to think about what Anupam said.
"Do I think of her as a friend or a girlfriend?" Ji-cheol thought to himself.
Yn's POV
Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of this writing thing.
So far, I came up with a simple short story novel since I can easily write a random story each time.
"Hey, you're getting better at this." Sung Tae commented as he walked by.
"I know right?" I laughed out. "Just a few days ago, I had writer's block before I even wrote my first story."
"Hey, has...Joo-ryung spoke anything about me lately?" Sung Tae whispered as he got closer.
"Well she did tell me that she was surprised about the compliment you gave about her hair." I whispered back.
"A good surprise or a bad surprise." Sung Tae questioned.
"Good." I simply replied.
"Okay, so I got some progress, now I need to know on how to start a conversation." Sung Tae stated.
"How hard is it to start one?" I asked.
"You've seen how we've interacted Yn." Sung Tae pointed out.
"Look, just start with something simple like; "How are you?" or "How's your day going so far?"." I suggested.
Sung Tae looks to see Joo-ryung talking and laughing with the mailman then sighed.
"Alright, worth a shot." Sung Tae muttered as he walked over to her desk.
The minute he got over there, the mailman left.
"Sung Tae, if you have some smart ignorant remark to say to me, don't." Joo-ryung sneered at him.
"N-no, I was gonna ask you...um, day was your how?" Sung Tae stammered out. "I-I mean, how's your day so far?"
"It's...fine?" Joo-ryung replied confused.
"Anything crazy happened?" Sung Tae asked.
"Well..." Joo-ryung began as a blush formed across her face. "That cute mailman complimented my hair and I nearly almost fainted."
Sung Tae cocked an eyebrow.
"Wait, but when I complimented about her hair, she was just shocked but wasn't flattered like how she is right now." Sung Tae thought to himself. "Maybe I'm not doing it right or I just don't have the same charisma as that mail guy."
"I think my looks are starting to wear him down." Joo-ryung gushed.
"I see..." Sung Tae replied as he walked off.
"I guess she's still about that mailman." I thought to myself when I watched the whole thing happen.
All of a sudden, I felt a presence behind me.
"Ms. Ln." Dong Wook spoke making me jump and turn around.
"Oh! Mr. Lee you startled me." I exclaimed.
Dong Wook looked at my computer to see my progress.
"Are you just writing random stuff?" Dong Wook asked.
"It's like one of those books that has a lot of short stories in it." I explained to him.
"Ms. Ln, this isn't a fanfic book, delete this and write something else besides this." Dong Wook ordered.
I stood there a bit in shock and offense.
"What? But I finally had something to write." I objected.
"Well now you'll have to find something else to write." Dong Wook retorted.
What the hell? What is his malfunction? First he gives me his shirt just to help me with a coffee spill and now he's telling me to start over on a book that I had all the time to think and come up with because he doesn't like it. Hell no!
"No way." I snapped.
Dong Wook's eyebrows raised a bit in shock.
"It took me days to think about what to write as my first book, and are you forgetting the fact that there's people who likes books that has short stories in it and that people have written short stories books as well?" I nagged. "There's the book, Canterbury Tales, that is a great example of a book that has short stories in it."
"Hmm, you do have a point." Dong Wook stated.
"Listen, I don't know if you're doing this just to be an asshole or what but, if you think that you're giving me helpful feedback, stop because I'm actually trying to do my job as a writer." I ranted on. "I may not be an excellent writer or become an excellent writer like you, but I'm not giving up on becoming what I dream to be."
Dong Wook just stood there then smiled and slow clapped, which confused the hell outta me.
"Now that's what I like to see in you Ms. Ln." Dong Wook declared.
"What?" I questioned.
"See, I like this confidence in you. It shows what a strong woman you are." Dong Wook stated. "Keep this up and you'll become an excellent writer in no time."
"Hold up, you doing this just so I could snap at you and tell you off?" I asked.
"Mmm, yes and no." Dong Wook answered. "I want to see you step out of your comfort zone while also gaining some feedback on what you write."
"Mr. Lee, I'll have you know that I am out of my comfort zone." I lied.
Dong Wook saw the once brave look on my face fade away when he stepped up closer to me.
"S-see?" I hesitated as I looked away.
"Ohhh, what a sexy, bold, young man...ain't nothing wrong with mixing business and pleasure." Lust coo'ed out in my head.
"Dude, that's her boss! Do you want her to get her fired for having filthy thoughts about him?" Common sense ranted.
"Not if he's thinking the same way, plus she saw that flogger he had in the package so he's not innocent either." Lust chuckled out.
"Ms. Ln, I can tell the difference between someone who's out of their comfort zone and someone who's still hiding in their shell." Dong Wook announced as he lifted my chin with his index finger. "And you are someone who comes out of their shell when push comes to shove, it's time you step out of your shell completely."
"I-I-I am out of my shell completely." I stammered out.
"Ms. Ln, the more you lie to yourself, the more you are gonna make things difficult for you." Dong Wook stated. "I can help you become more confident and step out of your comfort zone."
"Oh really? How so?" I asked.
"Well for starters..." Dong Wook began as he got behind me.
"Whoo! He's forward too, watch him place his hands on her hips." Lust purred out.
"Calm down, he's just trying to straighten her back." Common sense pointed out.
"Fix your posture." Dong Wook commanded. "Don't be hunched over like you're trying to hide yourself from the world."
Dong Wook straightened my back making me stand up straight.
"From now on, keep your posture like this." Dong Wook ordered. "This stance means, "I'm confident, I'm powerful, nothing could keep me down"."
"He's right, I actually feel a bit stronger now." Self-confidence declared as they began to feel themselves getting stronger.
"I...actually feel better." I admitted.
"Good." Dong Wook chuckled out. "You know Ms. Ln, this calls for a meeting."
"Here? Now? But I'm about to clock out." I stated.
"Not now, I mean some time after work tomorrow." Dong Wook rephrased. "I'll be available tomorrow, are you?"
Luckily our book meet up isn't until Thursday and today's Tuesday.
"Sure, fine with me." I agreed.
"Very well, then." Dong Wook spoke. "Get home safe Ms. Ln, I'll see you tomorrow."
I nodded as I clocked out and walked into the elevator.
While I was walking, I began to think about the posture Dong Wook told me to be in. I straighten up my back and began to walk with a bit of pep in my step. I then began to smile as I continued to walk with confidence radiating off my body.
"I feel the power! The power of confidence!" Self-confidence roared as they began to grow stronger and stronger. "Yes!!!"
August 9th, 2022