Live as Me

chapter 5

Chapter 5
Miso Han
"So, Miso Han and Young Park, you'll be working in the producing department, so the part that makes all the comics and looks over them." Our department head said.
I looked over at who Young Park might be, and my eyes grew wide as I turned away from him. It was the same guy I'd seen yesterday and the guy that'd asked me to have lunch with him. I could feel someone poking me, which made me jump. It was Young.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"We're in the same team. I'm happy I'm here with someone I at least recognize." He said, smiling.
I smiled back and nodded, but I wasn't really sincere. Actually, it felt more awkward to be with him because he'd given me a hint that he kind of liked me and I didn't want to give a wrong impression since I was still not over Tan. Tan. Thinking about him made my heart beat faster again, but I just shook the thought out of my head, thinking about the times that I sat at those benches alone, thinking about him and waiting for him, only to find that he never came. Still, I still wished that I would be able to see him at least one more time.
"Okay, have a seat here, and we'll tell you guys the details about our company that you may or may not know yet. So first of all, we want to tell you that in the producing team, we have to deal with countless authors, who consider us the most hated team because we can either diss or bring out their work. You should also know that we hire our authors, and they are in the writing and drawing teams. This is kind of different from other companies, but we hire our own authors, and they can only work for us and some other companies after getting to an agreement with us. You guys are probably here because you're interested in becoming one of those authors or maybe you have dreams like me, producing and directing. So here, as interns, you will be assigned some work but not too much... and most of the work you'll be doing is for your own good, to observe what we do and get to know things better and get used to the company. At the end of the year, we will pick only a few out of the many interns, so it's always good to try your best. Now let's get to work by getting me coffee!" The department head said, clapping her hands.
I opened my eyes wide and stood up frantically. "Yes, ma'am!" I said, getting up first and running to wherever I would find coffee.
"Hey Miso?" Young's voice said.
I quickly stopped my steps and turned around to see him pointing to a door that had a label on it. The label said 'Coffee and Copying.' I laughed awkwardly and walked that way, and quickened my steps to get to the coffee table. I'd seen in movies that it was good to be fast and smart at these kind of things. So I would be. I smiled as I opened the coffee packet, which included sugar and everything else, and mixed it into the hot water.
"See? You have to be this good at making coffee as well." I said, smiling with my head held high.
"Here you go." I said, handing my coffee to her.
"Thank you. And next time, you don't have to call me ma'am. I'm Team Leader Choi. So please call me that from now on." She said.
I nodded then went back to my desk, not sure of what I should do next when Team Leader Choi screamed my name so loud my ear nearly went deaf.
"YES!" I shouted.
"Please look over these comics and tell me what you think of them, how you think they should be fixed, etc." She said.
I smiled. This was my first job! I bowed to her while I took the pile of comics and sat down at my desk. Letting out a big breath, I opened the folders and read the comics one by one, and by the time I was done with reading about fifty of them, my eyes were strained and I had a headache. I stood up for a break, but wasn't sure of where to go, so as soon as I got in the elevator, I pressed the highest number, which turned out to be the roof, which was really nice. The air was refreshing, and most of all, it was private and really high, so it was now my favorite place. Reading the comics by other authors, I'd now gained many new ideas and also figured out what not to do. Man, some of those storylines were just horrible. Shaking my head, I figured it was about time to get back to work, so I turned around to go back, only to find a white bench in the way sides of the rooftop. I began to walk that way, and I realized it was just like the ones Tan and I used to sit on at school. I went closer to it, only to find someone sitting on it. It was him.
I really hoped he couldn't see me, although I stood right in sight, enough for him to see me. I stood there, unable to do anything but stare. He looked a lot different from when I last saw him. From the regular khakis or dark jeans he used to wear, he had transformed to dress pants that were ironed in a way that lined his leg lines and they stopped right at the ankles, which were bare, and after that, his dress shoes. They looked leather. I glared at him. Was he doing just fine without me? Trying not to make any signs, I bit my lip as tears dropped down my face. Also, he had transformed from sweaters and just regular shirts to a nice dress shirt and a jacket matching his dress pants. One thing that remained the same would be his face and his hair. His hair was still curly and although it was black, some parts of it glowed in the sunlight. His expression was the same too. He looked right ahead, which made him look like he was thinking deeply, and had his legs crossed, like always. I turned around, unable to look any longer.
I walked back toward the elevators, got in, and clicked the close button as fast as I could so I could be alone for a little while. When the doors closed, I dropped down in one of the corners of the elevators, wiping my tears and cleaning myself up. Then I got up and walked right back into the office with a blank expression on my face. There, I found Young with his arms crossed.
"I thought you ran away because you didn't want to have lunch with me." He said, pouting. "Where did you go? Lunch started..." He looked at his watch. "two minutes ago." He said.
"Okay, sorry. Let's go." I said, trying to look like nothing was wrong with me.
"Is something wrong? What happened during the time you left?" He asked.
I looked at him and smiled. "Nothing." I said, turning away my face so he wouldn't ask any more.
He pushed me slightly with his shoulders and sighed. "Okay, don't be like that. I won't ask anything more." He said, and changed his expression. "So what did you think about those comics we had to read? Man, some of them were just horrible, weren't they?" He asked, shivering.
I nodded. "I definitely saw the octopus man one as the worst. It really had no point... who would actually read that kind of stuff, you know?" I asked, managing to laugh.
He laughed too. "I agree. What should we eat today?" He asked as we arrived. He put his finger on his chin and looked at the menu. "The menu today is chicken cutlet, some soup, and... side dishes. Wow, the meals here are nicer than I thought. Right?" He asked.
I nodded again. "Yes. I haven't had the chicken cutlet in forever. They are so good. Especially the ones we used to get during middle and high schools. Although these must be so much more healthy." I said, happy that at least my meal was going to be nice.
After getting our trays, we sat down at our own table. Luckily, not many people seemed to actually eat their lunches here. We figured out that some of the older employees go out for lunch with friends or family or just skip it if they want. I was pretty sure that was never going to be me.
I held out my hand. "Can I have it now?" I asked.
He sighed. "Well this is kind of sad. Will you ever eat with me again if I give it back?" He asked, pouting.
I gave him a blank look "Well, I'm going to assume you're some weirdo if you don't give it back." I said.
He handed it back. "I also charged it for you. It seems we have the same phone charger. Also, I put in my number so call me whenever. I will always Kakao Talk you." He said, smiling. He had a really nice eye smile... the wrinkles forming when he smiled was kind of cute.
"Thanks. You didn't look at any other stuff right?" I asked. I still had photos of me and Tan and since he was a really important person here, I didn't want that information to go out.
"Nope." He said, eating hungrily. "Hey, this is really good." He said.
I took a bite too, and probably started eating like him. "Wow, it is..." I said, and we both sat there when we were done eating. I was breathing heavily... I ate so much.
"I've never seen a girl eat like that. At least not in front of me." He said, rubbing his stomach.
"I hope that's not an insult." I said, leaning back in my chair. Then I smiled and wriggled my eyebrows. "Want to go get some coffee? Some good coffee?" I asked.
"Only if you buy." He said, shaking his finger.
I crinkled my nose. "Fine." I said. "So I know this really good place, it's kind of small but it's homey and the coffee is really good..." I said, grabbing my purse. "But we have to hurry! We're lucky it's only about two blocks from here!" I said, speed walking through the cafeteria.
"Hey! Hey wait!" Young yelled, and I laughed and kept up my speed because it was fun. It sort of reminded me of my childhood when I would play tag... for some reason, he made me feel young. We were both breathless and laughing when we entered the café.
"Okay, I would like... that one please. Two of them." I said to the cashier. Then I turned to Young and nodded. "Just trust me. You'll love it. You... like sweet coffee right?" I asked.
He nodded. "What's coffee if it's not sweet?" He asked. Then we turned around to get a seat but I saw a familiar figure staring at me. I was afraid to look him straight in the face, so I started from the bottom. I gulped. They were the same shoes I'd seen on the rooftop, the same pants that ended at the ankle, and the same fluffy dress shirt, and the same fit jacket... the same neck, the same little hairs, and the same eyes, noses, and lips. Our eyes met for a few seconds, and I was the first to turn away, but I could still sense his eyes on me. Since I'd already went through my shock, I was better this time.
Young leaned over the small table. "Do you know who that is?" He whispered, eyeing Tan.
I shook my head. "I don't know." I said.
"He's the CEO! CEO of our company!" He said. This kind of shocked me. I knew he would be in a high place, but I didn't realize he would already be the CEO... I nodded and drank some of my coffee. The sweetness comforted me.
"How's the coffee?" I asked.
"It's great. I think I'm going to keep coming here." He said.
I glanced towards the spot where Tan stood just moments ago, but he wasn't there anymore. Kind of disappointed, I looked back down at my coffee, and remembered his gaze. How did he feel like? Was he like me? Or just shocked to see me? Was he sad? I looked down at my outfit. It was almost similar to the outfit I'd worn when I'd first met him, except for the color of the shirt and except for the fact that I was wearing pantyhose under this.
"Hey Young?" I asked.
He looked up and gave me a bright smile. "Yeah? It's the first time you called my name like that." He said, blushing.
I gave him a weird look. "Do I look okay today?" I asked, straightening my bangs and hair and sitting up.
His eyes kind of shifted, then he smiled. "Why do you want to know? Do you suddenly want to impress me?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Just answer." I said.
"Well, to be honest," He said, leaning in again. I met his gaze as he whispered, "you look beautiful today." He finished, sitting back down. And for that moment, when his coffee breath was in my face, and when his eyes met mine from a short distance, was the first time he made me feel something for him.