Page 39 of You Had Me At Annyeong!
Once satisfied she’s punished herself enough, she walks towards the railing and sits next to it. Taking her phone out, she switches it on. Opening her photo gallery, she scrolls through and smiles at the screen. A photo of Timira smiling absent-mindedly, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger, looking out of the window inside her cabin, glowing in the warmth of the soft September sun.
* * *
As the mercury has started to dip, Seoul’s infamous dry air is starting to gain in confidence. It takes special delight in troubling hapless visitors who have never before known anything quite like it.
Running her tongue over her mouth as the crisp breeze kisses her chapped lips, Timira shivers inside her stylish, oversizedblazer that has been doing a rather shoddy job of keeping her warm. In desperate need of lip balm, she pats her pockets again, this time to check if there’s some on her. Not finding any, she settles for a hemp cigarette instead, plugging in her AirPods and putting a call through.
* * *
‘Uh, Mr Choi,dangshin araTimira-ssieodi issneunji[Do you know where Timira is]?’
Haneul has been looking for Timira everywhere. Finding her cabin vacant, he had lurked outside the ladies’ room for a few minutes before the wide-eyed stares finally got to him and he was forced to beat a hasty retreat. Panting, he has burst into Choi’s cabin to enquire about Timira’s whereabouts.
‘Why, I think I saw her walk towards the smoking zone. It’s strange, though. She never smells of cigarette smoke and yet I’ve seen her in the smoking area quite a few times. I wonder what she sm … Daepyonim!!!’
Before Mr Choi can finish his sentence expressing concern over what is inside Timira’s cigarettes, Haneul is out in a flash.
He’s now walking towards the smoking area, which is nothing but a little section of the sprawling balcony that opens up to the bustling neighbourhood of Cheongdam and entices (along with the most enticing CEO) nearly every hopeful job aspirant who visits the SecondSkin office. Timira’s shoulders, accentuated by the pads in her blazer, are swinging wildly as her arms make circles in the air. Her hair is scrunched up in a small, messy bun held together by a pen she has used like abinyeo. Haneul smiles like an adoring new groom and hastens his pace.
Carefully cradling two steaming cups, he reaches for the door to the smoking zone. Earlier, he had made a rare trip to the pantry and made a cup of coffee (and ginseng tea for himself),much to the surprise of those present. Nobody has ever seen Haneul drink coffee and he never misses an opportunity to express his dislike for it. And yet here he was, smiling foolishly, asking for instructions to use the espresso machine, and making himself the fodder of endless gossip among his employees.
‘… but, why me? Alice, this makes no sense! I should never have taken this up … Ryan! He’s the very root of all this.Saare fasaad ki jad. No, Ally. I can’t deal with this. Didn’t you read the story I linked you to?’
Timira sits hunched up, the pronounced shoulder pads of her blazer unable to hide her body’s battle against the cold.
Poor thing! Might it be a good idea to lend her my jacket? Or would that be a bit much?Haneul wonders.
Even as he mulls over this, his feet have started to move, as though working on their own. Putting the cups aside, he takes his warm overcoat off, carefully so as to not make a sound, and tiptoes towards Timira. But he stops dead in his tracks as Timira’s voice gets louder and the exasperation in it reaches his ears.
‘No, nobody is around, thankfully. I have to be careful to not let people on to the ghosts of my past that have followed me here. They’ll probably have me deported!’
Feeling rather sheepish, Haneul quickly but quietly retraces his steps.
Phew! That was a close shave. I should give her privacy. God, why do I act like an idiot around her every single time? Jeez!
‘… there’s no logical explanation to this, Alice. It really must be my sodding karma! Can you even imagine my shock? I don’t want to live in my past, goddamnit!’
But curiosity always gets the cat. So Haneul continues to linger and Timira continues to complain, oblivious of his presence.
Wow! Okay, so let me get this straight. The guy she had complained to me in Bali about, he’s now in Seoul?! Insane!
Haneul recalls drunk Timira painting a terrible picture of her ex-boyfriend. She had whined about him cheating on her with a much younger influencer and then getting her into trouble at work. Trouble of what sort, he can’t seem to recall. He doesn’t seem to remember any more details.
Geurae, I was pretty drunk that evening, as well.Not just on alcohol. This he remembers quite well.
And then he and his mouth remember meeting Timira’s. Suddenly feeling hot under the collar, his heart skips a beat.Nothing new, he reminds himself. He’s got used to skipping heartbeats whenever he is around Timira, he has observed.
Curiosity for the time being satiated, he turns around, having firmly decided to let Timira handle her private matter privately. But he then bumps into another human.
‘Ow! What is your head made of, Hanee-ssi?’ Haneul asks, rubbing his chest.
‘Eh, I’m sorry, Daepyonim. I didn’t notice you there!’
‘You did not WHAT? All 184 cm and 70 kilos of me, YOU DID NOT NOTICE?’
‘Miyanaeyo, jeongmal miyanaeo,Daepyonim [I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry, CEO sir]! I didn’t realize it was you. I just saw a figure creeping around Seonbae. I suppose my mind was preoccupied …’
‘Let me guess, with thoughts of Ms Marak?’ Haneul cuts in cheekily and catches Hanee off-guard, who can only nervously whimper and shift her eyes away.
