|| Awake || On Hold

|6|

[ To old readers: Kindly read the notice at the end.]

"Congratulations!"

We all cheer and raise our glasses to celebrate the main person of the night. 

"Thank you so much for coming!" Moonbin Oppa says, his cheeks going red from the alcohol he consumed. I shake my head when I see him stumble to sit back in his seat. He is such a lightweight that two shots and he is gone. I always wonder why he even bothers drinking when he can't fully enjoy it.

"You finally did it, yeah?" Says one of Oppa's friends. "We all thought you were crazy to leave to have such a dream job but now you did it!"

"You thought my dream job was crazy?" Oppa says, his words a bit slurred. "You are crazy for working at a job that you don't even like!"

I sigh and just one-shot my drink.

Today morning when I was preparing to open the cafe, before even Mr.Kim arrived, Oppa had come running with his phone in his hand shouting like a crazy idiot that he got the job. I wholeheartedly congratulated him and dragged him inside.

He kept ranting about how much he wanted the position despite it been known to be very taxing. How he, unlike others, din't apply the job to be working with celebrities but instead doing helping artists get recognized for their talents and skills. While he was happily involved in his monologue, I quickly whipped up his favorite sea-weed soup for celebration.

It was after the hasty breakfast was I told that he is treating me and some of his friends dinner and drinks. I had initially refused as I was not really close to his friends but he insisted as he trusted me to take care of him when he gets too drunk.

Just like right now.

While his results were positive, mine weren't. I had known the moment I had walked out of the interview room that I would not be selected. While I did have the qualities they wanted, it was clear that they were looking for male artist managers because soon the boys were to debut and the there were no female trainees in the company.

I had no hope that I would be selected but I feel bad the moment I think of how the boys would react. They would be disappointed perhaps but I know they will get over it. It was not something they had any control over.

When the clock struck midnight I literally had to drag a drunkard away from his friends and took him home. Mr.Kim was awake when we both walked in, more like stumbled in. That man never sleeps if his son is not home and the moment he saw us, he took his son and led him to his bedroom. 

"Wait for me."He says before going in.  I nod and drop my bag on the sofa.

I massage the slight cramp I got from taking almost half of Oppa's weight and make my way to their kitchen. 

Mr.Kim's wife was someone I never had the opportunity to meet. She had passed away four years before I was introduced to Mr.Kim. On a usual basis the family doesn't really talk about her but on odd days I catch both of them staring at the family picture in the living room. Grandma had told me once that Mrs.Kim had passed away due to late diagnosis of cancer. It was a tough time for the family because four months after she was diagnosed she passed away.

I fill up a glass with water and turn around to lean on the kitchen platform. I stare blankly at the floor for a while and look up when I hear Mr.Kim closing the bedroom door behind him as he joined me in the kitchen.