Chapter 23
"You told Lisa to bring those chaebols tonight? Tell me exactly, Chaeyoung Park: Are you insane or are you absolutely insane?"
Chahee was livid when Chaeyoung told her about what she and Lisa have talked about this morning.
Chaeyoung was watching her friend pacing back and forth in front of her, inside her office, fuming and shooting her dagger looks from time to time. Chahee was making it absolutely obvious the she wasn't pleased with what Chaeyoung have told her.
"So, you spent the whole week holing up in your cave, decided to stop talking to any of us, which we--me, specially--totally understood and accepted because we thought that you needed time to be alone, and then you came up with that idea?" Chahee continued, her usually sweet voice was bordering to exploding. "You told Lisa to invite Jennie and Jisoo for tonight's party after what happened the last time they were here?"
"Yes, I did," Chaeyoung answered calmly. "I already told Lisa about it, Chahee-ssi. Which means that I cannot take it back and cancel the invitation because that would be totally rude," she continued.
Chahee was shaking her head in disbelief. "I cannot, in every possible way, believe you, Chaeng. You're--,"
"Stupid? Foolish? A martyr, perhaps? Or the three combined?" Chaeyoung enumerated, raising her brows to Chahee.
Her head was pounding like hell at the moment and watching Chahee pacing back and forth in front of her like a mad general preparing for war was not helping it subdued. It only made it worse. Or maybe the whole idea made it worse?
"No. You're worse than any of that, actually. You're a...a ma-so-chist," Chahee said slowly. As though the syllables would deliberately poke Chaeyoung in the head to wake her up from a bad dream. "What were you thinking? Do you want a sequel, Chaeng? Because I'm totally not up for a sequel."
Chaeyoung sighed and leaned her back on her seat. She suddenly missed her solitude. The whole week of not talking to anyone, not looking at anyone in the eye, not trying to explain herself to anyone at all. She suddenly regretted why she went back to reality. Perhaps she shouldn't have allowed Lisa to talk her out of it. That Shutterbug.
"Will you please calm down, Chahee-ssi? You're making it worse, this terrible throbbing inside my head. Honestly," Chaeyoung said finally, her left hand was on her head. Her thumb was putting a pressure on her temple.
Chahee sighed but heeded. Chaeyoung was still her boss, after all. So she sat down in front of Chaeyoung, waiting for Chaeyoung to talk. Looking at Chaeyoung with an expression on her face as if telling her, "Well? Enlighten me."
"Look, I just want Lisa to be happy. That's all," Chaeyoung said calmly. She have said it a thousand times already and repeating it again only made it sound like it became a total lie. Which it wasn't. Or maybe it was. Partly?
Because, apparently, it did not calm Chahee down. It only made the hot bartender more livid. Because she knew it. Chahee was expecting it, to be honest. Chaeyoung's forever excuse: I just want Lisa to be happy. She saw it coming.
"You want her to be happy by hurting yourself all over again? Great! That's just great, Chaeyoung Park. Totally one for the books of the greatest masochist in the entire Korea. You're going to be a living legend, Chaeng. I'm telling you. And people will look up to you, shaking their head in pity and disbelief, asking their self: 'How can someone as beautiful and exceptionally wonderful as Chaeyoung Park resolved to being just that?"
But Chaeyoung smiled weakly and asked, "Do you know what it feels like to love someone in silence, Chahee?"
"No. And I don't even want to know," Chahee replied stubbornly. "All this love thing is frightening the heck out of me, if you must know. I mean, look at you? Look what love did to you, still doing to you? It's a scary thing," Chahee said and shivered.
