Yumi's Rose

Yumi's Rose - Chapter 1

After waking up early for class I received a message from my dad. He asked if I had time to meet him for lunch at his company. I work at a library down the street from his job. I reply yes and grab my school bag. After a long, but interesting morning class I walk down the busy street to my dad's work. Once inside the huge white building I make my way to the elevator to go up to the building's dining hall. I quickly walk to catch the elevator. It almost closed in my face, but a young man in a black suit and red tie opened it just in time for me to get in. I thank him as I rush inside the quiet elevator and press the floor I needed to get off on. Entering the huge dining hall I struggle to find my father, but unlike everyone else, he wears colorful ties, so after a few minutes I find him. We both get a tray and sit down. I feel out of place with my shorts and sweater, so I take the sweater off. It's a good thing I wore a blouse today. Somedays I wear only a sweater because it's comfortable. My dad grabs himself a steak and some mashed potatoes for lunch. I decide to get a tuna salad and water. "You look tired sweety," my dad says to me as he cuts the steak on his plate. "Worked all night finishing that project," I reply. "Was that due today?," "Yup." I take a bite of food and look around the room. I have only been here twice and every time I visit the decoration's different. All windows have heavy white curtains that are tied at each side with white ribbon. Every table has a small assortment of flowers and a lit candle, not to mention the fancy food. This place is too glamorous. At least it isn't for my father. But I'm glad he likes what he's doing and he does get paid well... very well. I finish half of my food and all of the water. I look over my father's shoulders to the table behind him. A man and woman were sitting at a smaller table than ours. I take a better look at the man who was sitting across from the young businesswoman. He was... the man in the elevator. I didn't take a good look at him in the elevator before. But now that I get a good look... he's handsome. I slightly blush and look away. "How has your day been so far?" I ask to cut the silence. "Good so far. I got a lot done," "Good." I get up grabbing my cup, "I'll be right back." I walk towards the drinks section of the dining hall and fill my cup up. As I walk back to my table, the handsome man from the elevator moves his chair back. My foot gets caught on the chair leg and I slowly fall onto the carpet. The cup of water falls out of my hand and lands a feet away from me. "Oh!," shouts the man. He quickly runs beside me and gently picks me up by the arm. "Are you okay?" I looked down, thankful the water did not spill on me but all over the carpet. "I'm okay, I'm fine, It's okay... ," "I'm so sorry Miss," "It's okay, you don't need to apologize..." My knees hurt from the fall so I rub with my hands. I look up at the guy's face and notice his worried, embarrassed expression. He looks so much nicer up close... His black hair is short but styled nicely, his lips are naturally pink and his eyes are small and surprisingly cute. I notice him looking at me with a confused expression now... "I'm sorry..." I say as I quickly walk away embarrassed. I was staring wasn't I... "Hey dad, I gotta go, talk to you later," "Okay sweetie, have a nice day." I throw away my half-eaten plate and walk out fast. "Oh my god, what are you doing?" I whisper to myself as my cheeks burn red. I knew what I just did, I embarrassed myself in front of a really cute guy... why me...

In the club, Ji-ae and I walk over to the bar. Boombayah by Blackpink was playing very loudly inside. I had to scream my order to the bartender so he could understand. After a few minutes, he came back with my pina colada and Ji-ae's Chardonnay. The stools we were sitting on were white and tall. The club is huge. On the left, the bar and on the right, the dance floor that flashes colors to the music. I take a sip of my pina colada as I watch people dance on the dance floor. "Oh my gosh!," Ji-ae screams as she gets up from her stool. A young man walks towards us with a big smile on his face. Ji-ae gives him a hug, "I didn't know you were here! It's so nice to see you," says the man as they let go. He's wearing leopard printed sneakers, blue skinny jeans, and a bright purple button-up shirt. I also notice his pink eyeshadow and heavy blush. "And who is this!," "This is my friend Yumi!," she replies. "So nice to meet you, sweetie, you look gorgeous," the young man says. I laugh and thank him. "My friends and I are over to the west of the dance floor if you would like to join us," he says as he winks at Ji-ae. Ji-ae looks over and smiles widely. I look at his table and notice a few guys with fashionable clothing and cute haircuts.

We finish our drinks and head over to her friend's table. Ji-ae's friend, Mark gets up from his seat when he sees us approaching and introduces us to his friends. Most of them were wearing bright colored shirts and a few makeup. I looked around at their faces. They were quite handsome. Two of the friends got up and offered us their chairs, and then proceeded to the dance floor holding hands. We both sat down and Ji-ae began to talk about work drama. I looked to my left. One of Mark's friends was looking at me. He was wearing a button up black shirt. He was extremely handsome. He smiled and looked away. I blush and quickly look away as well. The guy next to him was wearing a leather jacket, which was odd considering how hot it already was in the crowded building. The man in the black shirt got up and walked over to the bar. I try to not pay any attention to him and just tap my feet to the music. Ji-ae seemed to forget about me, so I decide to dance alone on the dance floor. As I begin to stand up I hear a voice behind me. "Hey, mind if I sit here?" It was the black-shirted man. "Sure," I say as he sits down in the empty chair next to me. I notice he has two drinks in his hand. "Here," he says as he hands me a glass of what seemed to be whiskey... "Thanks." I didn't like whiskey but decided not to make things even more awkward. "So what's your name?" "Yumi," I say as I look up at him. "What a beautiful name," he exclaims as he grabs my hand. I quickly shake his hand off mine and get up. This is not happening today. "Hey, what's your problem?" says the black-shirted man as he gets up. I place my drink down and make my way to the dance floor. I had never liked flirts, and this guy was no exception. I feel someone grab my wrist, and I turn around to find the flirt grabbing me. I try to throw his hand down, "Get off!" His grip gets tighter and I move away from him in pain. All of a sudden, he is off me. I look up to see that he is no longer there... Where did he go? I look around the crowd of people and notice a tall man with short black hair. He was looking at me with a somewhat worried face. And that's when I realize it was the cute guy from my dad's company.