My Korean Boss

Dinner Date

Thursday:

KAI:

Hey sweetheart. Are you ready for this weekend? Saturday maybe?

Hi.

Cher, my wifey! How's Saturday sounding for you?

I can't.

What?

I can't. Sorry.

I closed my phone, not wanting to hurt Kai even further. I heard my phone blare Exo's "Heaven" and I cringed, wanting to cry. I steadily inched my hand closer to my phone, my heart speeding a mile a minute.

"Hello?" I asked, knowing fully well who it was.

"Wifey. What the hell are you trying to tell me. Are you going to abandon me right now?" He pressured, hurt rising in his voice.

"My work is more important. I can't do this weekend."

"No no no. You agreed. I was going to mend things with you. You can't just ruin my expectations. I got everything ready for you. Are... Are you going on that date with your boss? I saw that look in his eye, you can't be some kind of coworker. You're special. And you're mine."

"We're friends and we established that together. You aren't to blame and neither am I. You had a girl to hang out with that night. You didn't ruin our friendship at all. Work means a lot to me. I already got my first warning and if I get another one, I'm out of here. Done."

"But you don't look like you're hurting! I am! All I can think about is you. You're the first girl to ever show me the path and now you're going to leave me all alone and afraid? I don't care if we're friends or not. You were hurt by the hooker, weren't you? Don't lie to me."

"..."

"Cher, we have something together and we need to work it out. Friendship my ass. We're both experiencing all of these wonderful emotions to bring us closer. It could be lov-"

"No. Stop. I thought we were friends."

"No! I lov-"

And the rest faded away for me. I couldn't love... I forced myself to lock my heart. I didn't care how many proposals I received from Kai; I couldn't accept them. Love was too easy but too poisonous. 

"Too much. I can't do this right now. I have to go."

"Don't you dare run away from this right now! You can't leave me!! I need you. Please."

"Kai, I don't know what's going on with you. Hell, I don't know what's going on with me. But this isn't right. Over the phone, the time, the place, everything isn't right. We just can't, and you know that."

"Oh yeah... You're right. We need to plan. I'll do every-"

And I cut him off. For good.

Friday:

I paced around my house, trying to calm down my nerves. Milky was sitting on my couch, browsing my social media through my Apple laptop.

"Hm, you have some interesting stuff." Milky noted.

"Oh shush, I have interests too." I rejected.

"Yeah. Weird ones too. Now tell me why the boss let the both of us early?"

"Because he wanted me to get ready and he thought a friend would help. You're all I have, Milky. You have to help me."

"I'll get right down to it woman. Leave everything to me. You worry about that Kai shit. I don't even know where to begin on that situation."