Hae-ju
Ae-ra has still not returned therefore the amusement I received was by way of Dalnim.
I stared at her every once in a while when I'd look up from my work, yet she hasn't budged.
She always kept her work in such attentive and detailed view. As I stared at her, Mister Jang came in then softly hit my head with more paperwork to deliver for the meeting that was about to be in session.
While the workers mumbled and chuckled that I must've stayed over at Ae-ra's being why I came to work in the same clothes.
I took my time in the office alone to gather my thoughts and an effort to finish as quickly as I could, to my surprise unsure what I was trying avoid thinking about.
During our meeting, which Dalnim normally attended in my name, I raced over in order to catch ahold of her but as she saw me coming, she smiled, bowed then got up and left.
I got ahold of her arm to ask where she was going but she simply pulled out her hand from my grasp and said: " Now that you're here there's no need for me to be" She finished.
I was already seen by my father, as well as my workers, so I couldn't run away, I gave an awkward grin as I secured my seat next to my father, whom gazed towards the hall then back at me.
After the meeting was attended my father patted my back in approval before he began to walk away.
" So I should be seeing you often, good work this week." He finished out the door neither looking back to catch my eyes.
He was such a stubborn man always trying to be a blunt as possible keeping out any kind of affection.
I bowed towards his back, as he disappears before I walked back towards the stairs onto the roof top.
Like a gift of circumstance there she was. Her face looked into the wind as it blew in her thick hair, her eyes closed while she took in the crisp air.
Before I could speak I watched as she took up the cup in her hand onto her lips and took a sip. I stayed silent alittle while longer before walking a bit opposite of her towards the right to keep my distance.
Once she realized, she looked at me then returned her gaze to the scene. " you're not running away this time, I must be far enough." I teased.
She chuckled then looked at her cup before taking another sip. " The coffee is better today." She mumbled. I watched as she placed her runaway hair behind her ears. She avoided an answer on purpose.
She had a cute way of avoiding an answer when it was true but she would be too quiet for one to assume she was also lying.
" I guess, I just find it better to keep our distance, not many in our position should be so close... especially in my position I don't want the workers to get the wrong idea–– it's hard as it is." She finished then looked at me. " I don't want any rumors of an affair to start."
" Ah so it's not because you were trying to avoid me from this morning?" I asked her while she stared for a moment then turned back.
" technically in reality it wouldn't be an affair." I chuckled.
" What do you mean." As I expected her to ask, wasn't spoken. She was bizarre; things I would expect of her weren't a reality. Many would ask what I meant but she just kept her silence as if she already understood. She just stood quiet.
The secret of Ae-ra and I's relationship was a hardship for certain, it was a hardship in itself.
I replaced Dalnim's lack of an answer with my own voice once I returned to reality.
" Sometimes I come over here, I love looking down, though truly I am afraid of heights I like the thrill of my problems being so far away."
" are people your problem?" She asked. I just chuckled and nodded my head.
" something like that."
" I wasn't mad at you today, I never really remember being mad at anyone other than myself, I just would've preferred my family not expecting anything from you, your gifts have attached you into the family already, it'll be awkward when I reveal that it's not you I'm dating, but rather Ju-won." She gave a soft smile after she finished her words her arms extended onto the barrier rocking back and fourth.
I couldn't help but to just nod my head along rather than give an honest reply.
" Is it awkward when you're around me?" I asked. She stood silent and once more avoided the question.
" No reason why it should be." She should've said but she didn't, and I was more glad to her lack of response. She looked at the time before turning about to begin her mentally preplanned escape route.
In the rush of the hurry she walked; when her shoe got stuck in between a step in seconds she would've fallen if I hadn't pulled her towards myself. " you're so clums–." Before my words finished; like a drama scene; dramatic and unrealistic, rather once assumed unrealistic till it happened, her lips landed on mine before I could finish my sentence.
We both remained shocked about the event that just occurred, rather her; more than I.
I simply wiped my lips, in a bit of annoyance.
" Ah, how do I tell Ae-ra this? " I said in thought I watched as Dalnim, stare blankly before she bowed and began on her way.
My mind left me in captive of my heart when I rushed towards the stubborn girl and cupped her face at the bottom of the stairs.
She looked down and pushed against me to get away, but I cornered her in allowing her attacks onto my chest.
As she slowly stopped I pulled her closer towards myself, my eyes, like her glistening Brown ones then watched me, watch her as I hovered over her lips, we looked into each other's eyes as lovers would.
Before she could be awaken from her trance that I shared, I pulled her back in as I kissed her bottom lip, then her top. As I inserted my tongue it was no longer just a kiss, I was tasting her. The innocent yet cunning lips of hers that she always bit when nervous.
I pulled her at her waist. Her scent of relaxation filled my nose, my heart melted along with her hers, it was obvious it was an act completed in unison. As our hearts began to beat faster, I felt her clutch onto my chest pulling me closer, till my phone rang.
The trance was broken.
" Sir... sir could you help me up?" I heard, ignoring my phone. I blinked my eyes a few times before coming into a realization.
" Are you okay? You just stared at me for a couple of minutes, didn't you get enough sleep last night?" She asked me after I helped her up.
I pulled her up slowly then quickly let go of her. I couldn't continue to meet her eyes, all I could do was look away.
" well shit." I heard her whine, I looked at her as she wiped her knee. There was a bit of blood dripping down her leg.
I took the handkerchief out of my pocket and wrapped it at her knee. "you have to be careful was me asking you that worth running away and hurting yourself?" I pestered her. She rolled her eyes and again stayed silent.
" Dalnimah!!" I heard all at once out of nowhere Ju-won raced towards us. " Ah, Ju-wonah." Dalnim said
" Are you okay?" He asked.
" Yea just a little hurt." She chuckled. Ju-won gestured her arms around his neck. Carrying her as a groom would.
He took her away swiftly leaving me behind at the stairs. Ae-ra soon appeared out of whim.
" You show up when he appears, then disappear after." I whispered.
" Ah, Is the almighty Hae-ju feeling awkward when I'm near the man he stole me from?" Ae-ra teased.
" Stealing implies me taking you away by force, after you heard of the money you'd generate making an ally out of me you ran over." I corrected.
" Thank your father for it. If he didn't persuade my parents I wouldn't be in this situation. Anyways you aren't falling for her are you?" She said as she pointed after Dalnim.
" Does that offend you?" I pestered. She shrugged her shoulder.
" Oppa Ju-won is good at grasping a woman's heart it'll be hard for you to get hers if she's already attached, it's been a while and my heart still belongs to him. " She finished.
She did it to stab me, with no effort.
Our relationship was like this, when there were ears running about such as Mister Jang or my father, we had to perform such a role, a role of unrealistic romance, a role of affection that I gained for her but she could never return.
Her eyes glisten when she looked at Ju-won, with her back to me, in reality that's how it once was, until my trance began to disappear due to my new awaken realization by way through a daydream, a hallucination as I stood awake, a walking dream it seemed.
" Be careful don't make any rash decisions just because you find comfort in her presence, remember you were like that with me too once, but I still have him in my heart, what will you do once she's the same way, as for your father... if you want her to keep a job be careful, I may not love you but I do care." She sharply said as she patted me on the shoulder.
Before I could respond she clasped onto my arm and kissed my cheek like an actress she suddenly pretended to be a shock when my father appeared as we walked down the hall.
" You're a born actress" I mumbled through my teeth.
" you're lucky I'm talented or you would've caused a scene." She said through her grin.
" You guys still in such of romance, I envy your age." My father said as he walked up closer.
I watched as Ju-won squatted in front of Dalnim, she was laughing while he aided to her. He then gave her a kiss on the forehead and I watched for a moment as she received a whisper about something to him, then he left alittle after. Her face for the rest of the day looked dazed and lost.
After he left I walked over towards her. " Are you okay?" She nodded her head and readjusted herself, to begin walking away.
After work I waited at her door, being that a team dinner awaited since today we had a meeting everyone rushed to leave.
" They all left in a rush." Dalnim commented.
" It's nothing too serious" she chuckled, and pouted her face.
" I've always been clumsy this one time when I was younger my mother said that we were at ...." I didn't hear all she said as I watched her lips move.
I leaned forward towards her, squatted down before her as my arms formed barriers over her one arm on each arm rest. I stared and stopped my face right before hers. Our lashes barely touched, our lips barely met. She blinked a few times watching me while I looked at her.
" you get shy easily." He paused. " Dalminshi... are our reasons the same as to why we are so flustered around one another?"
I asked her as she sunk into her seat as her breathing became heavy as our emotions seemed to already cross the line of a path we both physically were forcing ourselves to avoid.