Mi-Suk was taking deep sips from the beer can. After her best friend finished her passionate rant, she felt like laughing. It's not like she didn't know how Su-Jin got whenever she had a disagreement with someone.
Hence, Mi-Suk didn't take everything to heart. Instead, she tilted her head to one side, glancing teasingly at her best friend.
"Oh, come on. He cannot be that bad." she drawled.
"He is Mi-Suk! I'm telling you, he's terrible." Su-Jin wailed, putting her head down onto the table. "You should have seen the way he looked at me at the end of the day."
"Is he handsome?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Su-Jin raised her head suddenly, staring at her best friend in disbelief.
"It has everything to do with it." Mi-Suk retorted, wearing a righteous expression. "Just think about it. You simply cannot hate a beautiful person." she finished matter-of-factly.
"That is really some twisted logic you have there, Mi-Suk. Right now, I am really afraid of you." Su-Jin mocked, taking another sip of beer.
"Ha ha, very funny." The brunette scowled, then added quickly. "But seriously now. What does he look like?"
Su-Jin remained quiet for a moment. If she had to be honest, she would say Director Kang wasn't bad to look at. But even so, just because of his nicely chiseled features, that didn't mean his personality wasn't the worst.
In the end, Su-Jin shook her head vigorously, refusing to think about it further. Then, she finished her second beer in one go.
"Stop it! You're going to get drunk before you tell me all about this mysterious Director Kang." Mi-Suk cried out scandalized, wrenching the can right out of Su-Jin's tightly clenched fingers.
It was too late, though. Her friend had already finished the last drop, and was now swaying dangerously. Having slept only an hour the night before was enough to cause Su-Jin to feel like falling asleep while standing. Also, being a light drinker didn't help her situation either.
As a consequence, Su-Jin instantly became very tipsy. Her mind was a blur, and judging by her unfocused expression, it was uncertain if she even knew what she was currently saying.
"What I can say about him is…" Su-Jin paused. She blinked slowly, then continued in a slurred voice. "What I can definitely say… is that he is a jerk. Yes, that's what he is, a rude jerk."
"Aren't they the same really?" Mi-Suk sighed.
"So what if he looks good in a suit, and even has a face that's nice to look at? He's still rude." Su-Jin huffed, trying hard to keep her eyes opened.
"Yes, yes, you're right. All that matters is the fact that he is rude. So what if he is tall, rich and handsome, right?" Mi-Suk mocked, rolling her eyes.
"Exactly!" Su-Jin blurted out, not picking up on her friend's sarcasm. "Tall, rich and handsome, that's what he is." She finished with a slow nod, her eyes looking even more unfocused than before.
"Honestly, Su-Jin, if anyone else heard you right now, they would think that you like this Director Kang." Mi-Suk said teasingly, poking her friend in the ribs with one finger.
"Like him, my foot! I don't like him!" Su-Jin cried out in outrage, throwing a hand in the air, and letting it fall loudly onto the table top. The empty beer cans rattled violently and some even rolled down.
After calming down from the previous burst of indignation, Su-Jin ultimately fell silent. She crossed her arms over the table, and laid her head down. Then, she instantly fell asleep.
~~~
In the meantime, the person who had just been labeled as rude, ignorantly went about his evening without feeling any remorse whatsoever.
Ji-Won had reached his own apartment, and was now taking a shower. The entire day had been very stressful, and all he wanted to do was sit and relax.
After refreshing himself with a warm shower, he ate a frugal dinner made of whatever he could find in the fridge, then flopped onto the couch. For over half an hour he simply sat there, face up, with an arm over his eyes.
Just when he was beginning to feel his body relaxing, the image of a woman unexpectedly popped into his mind, startling him. Chestnut-colored hair, hazel eyes, and a bright smile… Those were the traits which made up the portrait of a person, namely, Park Su-Jin.
'Wait a moment. This is wrong. She never smiled like that.' A tiny voice said inside his head.
At that thought, Ji-Won lowered his hand from his eyes, and stared at the ceiling. A small crease formed on his forehead. Was his mind playing tricks on him or what?
Ah, yes. He remembered now. He had actually seen her talking with Miss Lee earlier that day, and she had indeed smiled. He now recalled thinking 'Ah, so she knows how to smile like that.'
It was clear that his brain was feeling tired, if he was thinking about things like that. He had to sleep, then everything would be alright. With that resolution made up, Ji-Won slowly got up, going straight for bed. He fell asleep immediately, the soft mattress lulling him into a dreamland.
Unfortunately, Ji-Won's dreams that night were far from wonderful. He kept seeing his mother leave the house in a hurry. He saw her tearstained face, and heard her sobs as she closed the door behind her.
Then, the scene suddenly changed. Ji-Won was now outside on a deserted road. Two cars stood close to each other, both completely wrecked and turned upside down. Pieces of shattered glass were sprayed all over the pavement. Under the light coming from the street lamps, they were glittering like tiny sharp stars.
Ji-Won saw himself, a little kid of twelve-years old, walking slowly towards one of the cars. But he never got there. He could see traces of blood, and could imagine a figure stirring inside, but as soon as he took a step closer, the scene instantly evaporated before his very eyes.
Right then, Ji-Won woke up with a start. His upper body jolted upward, and he gasped for air. Breathing quickly and uneven, he brought a hand to his face. Beads of cold sweat were dripping along his face and neck, soaking his white t-shirt.
"Dammit." He cursed under his breath.
He felt his throat hoarse, and instantly realized he must have screamed again. It always happened whenever he had that nightmare. This time though, the aftermath felt slightly worse than usual. Normally, he would calm down several seconds after waking up. But now, minutes had passed and his heart was still beating too fast, and his breathing was still shallow.
Even though he felt his entire body shaking, Ji-Won willed himself to sit up straight. Slowly, as if testing if his feet could hold his weight, he carefully slid out of bed. Then, he headed straight for the kitchen.
Luckily, it was a close trip. His apartment wasn't very big. Just an open space in the middle for the living room and kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.
Leaning against the walls for support, Ji-Won finally managed to reach the fridge. He pulled the door open with a shaky hand, taking out a bottle of water. As he gulped it down with thirst, he felt the life-giving liquid slowly calming down both his body and mind.
Glancing at the watch from the living room, he saw it was five in the morning. When he went to bed it was way past midnight. It wasn't much, but he at least got almost five hours of sleep. It was more than he used to get, which meant he was getting better.