A moment of realization hits Han Gyeol like a truck, leaving his eyes widened, "Oh no! How could I forget this?".
His anxiety eats him up internally. Remembering that an important client would engage in a meeting, he felt a tinge of guilt for not being prepared enough.
Holding onto a few proposal files, Jennifer continues to scan the room. She fixes her collar and clears her throat, "Ms. Kim can you distribute these among the others?". Upon hearing her, Ms. Kim nods and grabs onto the files.
Her eyes stumble across him. Gnawing lips, he looks around, "What if I don't do well? I don't want to be a disappointment…especially to her."
His gaze travels to Jennifer. "Why do I feel like being watched again? Oh." Her eyes flutter up. She witnesses the gallant in distress. Her legs march forth with lightning speed. As the air crosses through her hair, his time stops. Looking around his sides, his shoulder perks up, "Wait, is she walking towards me?"
It felt as if only the two of them were in the room. As she stands next to him, his breath catches in his throat. Tilting her head in concern, she says, "Is everything all right? You don't seem so well.". He presses his lips, "The thing is… I did prepare for this meeting but I seemed to have forgotten that it was to be held today."
She moves her head in acknowledgment, "I understand. But I'll advise you not to stress out because stress kills success."
His shoulders droop like a soaked puppy whimpering in cold, "But how do I do that?".
[Ha… this one stresses out an ample.]
"Ms. Na will relay to you my stress management programs. You may want to apply for another therapy session if it doesn't prove to be helpful." She leads him to Mr. Na.
Footsteps approached a room with a long, brown table and a wide, white screen. The chairs drag along the floor creating a creaking noise. As they all sat across the table, the papers rustled. Clearing her throat, she requests, "May I have everyone's attention please?".
[I hope they hear me the first time. I hate it when I'm ignored!]
She clasped her hands, merging her lips. Their gazes divert towards her. The page of her notebook turns, "The person we're meeting today is a known sign language professor with hearing impairments.".
Murmurs are heard across the room. Half of them were confused and half of them were curious.
"I believe I'm not finished talking yet." Her finger taps on the table.
Exhaling, she says, "I hope I don't hear any words of pity or offense just because a person is different than us.".
Han Gyeol nods, his whole attention grabbed by her, "It's not even that bad. I may have worried for no reason."
The door creaks open, revealing two personalities. Getting up, all the attendees greet them. A tall, middle-aged man enters with a glistening smile. Making a few hand gestures, his eyes shift on the young lady beside him. The lady possesses a gentle voice and a friendly appearance.
"He said that 'I am Lee Soo Hyuk, it's a pleasure to meet you all'".
"I'm Kang Soo Ae, a sign language interpreter." She speaks briefly with a bow.
"We are pleased to have you as well. Please make yourselves comfortable." Her lips curve up as she motions them to have a seat.
Glancing at Ms. Kim, she offers her to continue the conversation.
Ms. Kim gets up, "As we all are aware, we're here to discuss an accessibility tool while making sure to express proper representation.".
After handing the proposal to Mr. Lee, Jennifer leans back in her chair. Her fingers continue to twirl around her hair.
Upon reading the proposal, the man nods in satisfaction. She passes a warm smile in return.
"This will prove to be beneficial for both you and us. We'd be delighted to hear your expertise." She utters.
The room yet again fills with the sound of whispers. She delivers her world-famous resting glare, "I can hear you all quite well. It would seem suitable if we openly discuss this meeting.".
[Sometimes I feel like I'm dealing with kindergartners.]
Han Gyeol clears his throat and stands up, "I'd like to demonstrate the specifics through a presentation.".
Standing next to the screen, he turns on the projector, "Our ASL translator is not just an ordinary translator, it consists of 100+ languages and a higher accuracy."
As he continues to conduct the presentation, the others raise their brows and move their head in respect. This leaves her with a subtle sense of pride.
[And he said he wasn't prepared well. You're full of surprises hmm?]
As the meeting reaches the end, Mr. Lee takes his leave. She stretches her limbs while holding a resting expression, "Good work everyone, except the ones who were gossiping during the meeting I hope I don't see such unprofessionalism again.".
Facing towards the other side, she walks towards her office to return to her average routine. Paperwork wasn't something she looked forward to. On the contrary, the idea of listening to songs while working had always been quite enticing.
She seats herself in her office, her headphones covering her ears. Taking her sweet time to stare into space, she rearranges her thoughts. After intense head-banging infused with a horrendous amount of work, hours pass. Her stomach begins to sing the default sam*ung ringtone. "Okay man, got it that you're hungry.", she checks the time. She rubs her chin, "Should I eat in here or in the cafeteria?".
[Ah right, Mr. Cha is probably waiting for me.]
Taking a seat, he taps her foot in nervousness. Eventually, he senses footsteps approaching him.
[She remembered…she actually did.]
The chair drags along the floor as she places her tray on the table. They both continue to ingest food in silence. Eating the chicken nuggets, her toes squirm. Upon noticing, the corners of his mouth lift. He picks up a nugget from his tray and places it in her tray. Her head tilts and her eyes dart around, "Hmm? What's this for?"
"I mean… you let me sit with you so I wanted to express gratitude." His eyes flutter across the room to make sure no woman is approaching him.
She shakes her head, her eyes narrow, "Don't mention it. I'm benefiting from this as well."
"Let's think of this as a business deal then." He leans across the table as his forehead wrinkles.
A chuckle escapes her mouth, "You know how to convince me huh. Okay, I'll accept it this time from my client.".
The whole world quiets down for them. As if none other than them existed. What didn't change was the eerie feeling. A feeling of being watched.
[I feel rather uncomfortable. It's nauseating.]
"Um...Mr. Choi. Excuse me for a minute." Her jaw tightens. Her sharp gaze unwavering.
[I have to get to the bottom of this. I swear I felt it.]
[Why does she want to leave all of a sudden. Did I do anything wrong?]
Han gyeol hesitantly nods, "S...Sure Ms. Jennifer."
Jennifer begins to leave the cafeteria. A moment later, a ringtone fills the atmosphere. Her eyes fall on her phone screen.
[Sana? She never calls at this time.]
She finds herself walking to a silent corner. The tall chocolate brown lockers and her microscopic self.
"Yes, Sana? Are you okay?"
"..."
"WHAT!?"