Love at 2PM

Ch.1

Ch.1 

Hana

            The day started off like any other, Hana awoke to the shrill ringing of her alarm; with sleepy eyes, she smacked the thing to death just to shut it up. Rolling out of bed, her hair a mess, she made her way to the washroom, not at all ready to take on the day. Brushing her teeth, she leaned against the sink for support, still firmly rooted in her dreamland. Oh but it was such a good dream! Shaking off the remnants of her and 2PM laughing and hanging out she let the cold water do its work. Ugh, if only it were real, she thought to herself with a chuckle.

            Now don't let this make you think Hana hated her life, on the contrary Hana lived and breathed for her job, loving every minute of it. Working her butt off, she had made her dream of becoming an interpreter at Davis Industries a reality, and was now the youngest head of the interpretation department the company had ever seen. Exerting herself and toiling away, Hana had gradually earned the respect of her peers and CEO Mr. Davis who used her in every international meeting he held. Holding a masters degree in translation studies and with four languages under her belt she was the best in her field. As the company was currently in talks with manufacturers in East Asia, her particular skills were in high demand.  She actually had an important meeting today and needed to dress the part.

            Slipping on a charcoal pencil skirt and a white button up blouse, she debated on which heels to wear. "Hmmmm.....black, grey or something that will pop?" A pair of cute yet professional black heels it is, she decided.  Running fingers through her long black hair, she took the flat iron to it, opting for a simple yet sleek straight style since she was running low on time. A little foundation and powder, black eyeliner and mascara to enhance her already large brown eyes and some light lipstick and she was ready for the day. "Take a deep breath, gather your thoughts, you're gonna do great", she told herself looking in the mirror. Today was the big day, a meeting with a high-end client from Korea and their endorsement model was on the agenda. Having prepared all night what to say and over viewing the designs for the new product she was as ready as she would ever be.

            A short elevator ride later, the friendly door attendant Mr. Walker greeted her in the lobby of her apartment building. Having a car in downtown Chicago was too much of a hassle, so Hana relied mostly on public transportation and walking.  This helped keep her in shape on mornings like these when getting to the gym was not possible. Hana felt the sun's rays on her skin for the first time in a long time, it seemed as though spring had finally come to the Windy City after a long and harsh winter. Apparently, Hana's fellow Chicagoans felt the same as all sorts of characters walked around in shorts and flip-flops even though the temperature barely reached 60 degrees. Breathing in the scents and sights that Chicago offered in early spring, she walked to her office building only a few blocks from her own apartment.

            Hana was greeted upon arrival by her coworkers as she made her way up to the 20th floor meeting room. Getting everything set for the morning's meeting took up all of Hana's concentration. Fidgeting with the files in her hands, she walked the long hallway to the selected meeting place. Hana fumbled with the doorjamb, shuffling files and folders as she turned the knob. First things first she thought, setting down some of the burden in her arms to the table she set up the projection screen and made sure the agenda and copies of the project plans were all accounted for. As she went through her mental checklist, she mumbled to herself, running through the Korean she would use for the meeting. Practicing her greetings and in her own little world, the sound of her cell phone going off made her jump. "I can't forget your love..." the sound of her favorite 2pm song rang loud and clear. She hurriedly set the rest of her files on the table and reached for her purse, the thing weighed a ton. Frantically searching through all the makeup, wallet, and miscellaneous junk she kept in there, she finally found it unconsciously emitting an "assa" of victory. She checked the screen as the love song continued to ring in the sweet tones of her favorite KPOP group. "Oh mom, hey what's up?" she spoke into the phone, "I'm at work right now, getting ready for a meeting why, did you need something?" she asked. As she continued her conversation, she started playing with her hair, laughing at her mother's antics. Hana and her mom were even closer than best friends were, and she found it easy to laugh out loud whenever her mother called no matter her surroundings. As Hana laughed long and loud she remembered where she was, and even if no one was around she knew she should get back to work and told her mom as much. "Okay, bye mom, I love you and I'll call you as soon as I get home, I gotta get back to work, mmhmm, okay bye." Hana turned around with a wide smile still on her face, leaning against the long table she looked up and got the shock of her life.