The next morning, I arrived at work and was greeted by employees at the entrance until I reached my office. I raised my head to observe the person coming in as I sat in my swivel chair reviewing the reports that were presented to me.
"You're right, Arman. Is everyone on the board ready for the meeting?"
"Yes, sir. They're all waiting for you to arrive."
I quickly rose and put my hands into the pockets of my black slacks while pulling my tuxedo down. As we reached the meeting room, I stepped forward, followed by my colleagues. When the doors opened, everyone within stood and bowed in greeting of my arrival.
I was a little disturbed as soon as I sat in the center chair. I shifted my head to the left, my eyes widening as I landed on Alex's stare, curious about what it was. With his look, my chest clenched.
When Arman tapped my shoulder, I turned away. "Are you OK, sir?"
I nodded and shifted my gaze to the report on the table, threading my fingers as I listened to the presentation, attempting to maintain my cool in front of everyone, despite the growing tension between the two of us.
Though my face remained forward, my eyes returned to Alex, who was still staring at me. I leaned on the armrest, my elbow on the armrest, and scratched my brow with my index finger. I inhaled and let out a small irritated moan as I focused on the schedule until we were finished in half an hour.
I rose and walked towards the door after the meeting ended. I heard him shouting my name just as I was about to exit the room.
"Chen."
I cocked my head and locked my gaze on him.
"Mr. Lau, I mean," Alex stuttered as he walked up to me.
I motioned to Arman and the others to exit the room and leave us alone.
I took a deep breath and kept my gaze fixed on him until he moved closer to me. To retain my cool, I shoved my hands deep into my pockets. When I saw him at this distance, my chest throbbed so fast that I couldn't breathe. I tried to grin, but my lips were not as wide as I had hoped.
"May we speak?"
I nodded. "Sure, Mr. Yoon. Come with me."
We hurried to the rooftop to ensure that no one disturbed us. Alex went ahead of me as I moved closer to the rails. I cleared my throat with my hands in my pockets and my gaze fixed on the wide urban landscape.
"Can you tell me what you want to talk about?" I tried to speak in a cool, baritone as if I was trying to be professional around him.
I cocked my head to get a better look at his features. His young features remained the same as years ago. He didn't appear to be getting older.
Now that we were alone, he appeared to be uncomfortable with the subject. He then cleared his throat and posed, intertwining his fingers and squeezing his lips together.
"Can I ask how you're doing?"
Is that it, Alex? Tell me everything you'd like to know. Tell me I'm a lunatic for abandoning you ten years ago.
I almost turned around and blinked for a second before turning to face him. I appeared to be unprepared for this encounter. I summoned all my confidence and looked him in the eyes as if I didn't care for him any longer, as if he were just another employee. As if.
"I'm OK." I stretched my lips to grin, unsure if it was enough to make it appear as if I was overjoyed to see Alex again.
Tell me more, Alex. Tell me if you're furious or if you still want me after everything I've done.
He returned my smile with a nod.
"I had no idea you were that wealthy, Chen."
He laughed and took a step forward until he was close to the rails. I could smell the scent I had been missing as he stood alongside me.
It was then that I noticed he was still wearing the same cologne he had been wearing before. His fragrance remained unchanged. I mentally mocked as my gaze remained fixed on his enormous brown eyes, and I soon found myself tracing his face and lips.
"Don't pretend you're not," I advised.
With his brows wrinkled, he turned his head and stared at me. "Can you explain?"
"I know you're a wealthy individual as well. You're merely pretending to be someone else." I leaned forward, dragging my soles across the ground while keeping my hands tucked into my pockets. To reply to his intense gaze, I straightened myself and looked into his eyes. "Alex, I know you live in a mansion. I saw you coming through the great gate with an old woman hugging you."
He laughed. "Wow, you saw me there?" He breathed in and exhaled an exasperated sigh. "Well, I guess I'm no longer hiding anything from you."
"I suppose not… Alex, why are you doing this? I mean why are you here?" I continued as he remained mute and refused to respond to my question. He moved a few steps closer to the railings and leaned against them. "You can just take over the business that your family owns."
"I could. However, I'm here for you." He smiled and looked away from me. He took a breath and sighed. "I'm happy you got what you wanted, Chen."
Alex, please don't smile. I'm straining too hard to look at you from this distance. You have no idea how badly I want to hug you right now.
"What do you think am I looking for?" My eyebrows furrowed, wondering what he meant by what he said.
"A prosperous life. You got all you desired. Is there anything else you could ask for?" Alex smiled.
Alex, I don't have everything. I still don't have you.
To preserve my cool, I bit my lower lip and squeezed my lips together. I sighed. "I guess I did."
"Are you married, Chen?"
"Married?" I repeated, louder this time, which caused my brows to furrow. My head shook. When he asked that, I almost fell off my feet.
While I tried to calm myself down by looking away, my chest felt too tight to breathe. I felt a little strangled from trying too hard not to tear up in front of him.
"No. Not yet… How are you doing?" I stuttered in response.
My heart was racing as I awaited his reaction. Please, God. Please tell me you're not.
"I'm fine…I guess," he let out an intense gaze at me.
His eyes were bloodshot and his face was flushing. As he usually does, Alex bit his lower lip whenever he felt uneasy, awkward, or stressed. At that moment, I realized that seeing each other again for a long time doesn't change anything.
I lowered my head to hide my smile as he shook his head, relieved. I noticed him examining his wristwatch when I raised my head.
"Anyway, I have to get back to work."
Something pushed me to grab his hand before he got a few steps away from me. He turned around with a smile on his face and arched both eyebrows, perplexed as to why I was suddenly clutching his hand when it was him doing the same thing years ago.
I hugged him and held him close for whatever reason.
"Mr. Lau, is something the matter?"
I couldn't stop the tears from falling, no matter how hard I tried.
"Why are you crying, Mr. Lau?" His eyes knitted, and his eyebrows furrowed.
He finally managed to free himself from my hands after many efforts. "What was the point of that?" As his eyes become bloodshot and tearful, he almost mumbled. "This is…inexcusable."
Although I struggled to find the right words to say to him, all I could is to grab his hand and hold it tightly. Little did I know that doing it would ignite something inside me that I could no longer want to let him go.
I bit my lips without losing my gaze at him.
"Fuck it." Alex shoved my arm, and his calm demeanor shifted, as he raised his arm to punch me in the face. "Are you crazy?"
I was stunned and collapsed to the ground. Something compelled me to take a stance and exact vengeance. "What the fuck, Alex Yoon!" I grunted and collapsed to the ground.
We continued to fight until we were panting and weary. The numerous falls left our faces swollen, bruised, and scraped. "What were you thinking, Chen?"
Despite my stumbling, I attempted to elevate my torso and approach him.
With his arms outstretched and knee bent, he lay on the ground, facing the sky, gasping for oxygen. I noticed tears streaming down his face when I looked down. He looked away as soon as he recognized me and tried to stand.
I bowed my torso to extend my hand in assistance, but he shoved it away and got up, his legs wobbling. My reflexes caught him around my arm as he was about to fall forward.
As he twisted his head to glare at me, I carefully elevated him.
I took a deep breath before pulling him closer and fighting his tugs.
"Please, Chen, let me go." Those were his repeated words, combined with loud curses.
He stumbled as soon as he tried to draw himself away again.
He rose and straightened his necktie. "How could you do that to me?"
His brows were wrinkled.
"Chen, ten years. It's been ten years. Are you sorry?"
While my eyes remained on him, I let out a sigh. "You can't imagine how much misery I felt all these years since I left you, Alex." I almost stuttered when I replied.
At this point, I couldn't hold my emotions in any longer. My tears continued to dampen my face, washing away the blood smears on my face.
Alex scoffed and shook his head as he tossed his head to the side. He kept his hands on his waist and bit his lower lip as if attempting to maintain his composure.
After that, he spewed blood. "I've been on the lookout for you." He gestured to the sides and up with his index finger. "I've been seeking for you in every nook and cranny. You left me in such a difficult situation when I hoped that you won't abandon me and you'd live your promise for me."
He approached me and snatched my collar.
"But what did you do? You left me, so how could you say that to me?" He hissed.
As his grip tightened, his eyes glowered with rage.
"We were doing well, Chen. I was prepared to defend us. I was ready to love you completely. What went wrong? Why did you go without letting me know? Chen, why did you leave me hanging for ten years?" He yelled and punched me in the face once again.
I grumbled as I crawled over the floor. I gasped and knelt on all fours, watching the dry ground grow moist as tears dripped from my eyes. He grabbed me again before I could put my hands on the ground, forcing me to look at his face and tightening his grasp around my collar.