"Ms. Choi, here are your medical results. You've been diagnosed with Social Anxiety. The doctor hands her a brown envelope.
"Social Anxiety? What does this illness mean, Doctor Kim? Is it serious?" I asked softly, a mix of worry, sadness, and confusion in my voice as I stared at the medical results.
"People diagnosed with social anxiety struggle with social situations due to past experiences with rejection. Rejection can exacerbate their anxiety, making it even harder to interact with others. Have you experienced any past rejections that might have caused this anxiety?" our family doctor asked.
"Doctor Kim, please keep my illness a secret," I pleaded.
I left the hospital, one of the many owned by my family, and got into my car. I looked at my medical record again. Out of all the people in the world, why me? I couldn't help but wonder why I had to be the one with this condition. I sighs heavily, the sound echoing in the quiet car.
My mind wandered back to those high school days, to a time when I had been naive and vulnerable, a time when I had dared to dream of a love that wasn't meant to be.
Flashback...
I had been a senior in high school, a girl with a heart full of hope, a girl who had fallen head over heels for Baek Sehun, the star basketball player, the one who seemed to embody everything I had ever wanted.
He was everything I wasn't. He was popular, athletic, charming. He was the center of attention, the one everyone admired. And I, I was just a girl with a secret crush, a girl who was too afraid to confess her feelings.
"Seren, wait up!"
His voice startled me, pulling me from my reverie.
He was there, standing before me, his smile as bright as the summer sun.
"What's up?" he asked, his eyes crinkled at the corners.
"Nothing," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
He leaned closer, his warm breath tickling my ear. "Come on, Seren, tell me what's on your mind."
I felt a blush creep up my neck, my heart pounding in my chest. I had been wanting to tell him how I felt, but the words seemed to get stuck in my throat.
"I... I don't know," I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. "It's nothing."
He chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that sent shivers down my spine. "You're blushing," he said, his gaze unwavering. "That means you're thinking about something."
I tried to avoid his gaze, my eyes darting around the crowded hallway. I felt a surge of panic, a sudden urge to run.
"I... I was just thinking about the game," I said, my voice shaky. "I hope we win."
He smiled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "We will," he said, his confidence radiating off him. "We always win."
His gaze held me captive, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps, just perhaps, he felt something for me too.
I took a deep breath, mustering all the courage I could find.
"Actually," I said, my voice trembling slightly, "I... I was thinking about something else."
He leaned in, his eyes filled with curiosity. "What is it?" he asked, his voice a soft murmur.
I closed my eyes, taking another deep breath.
"I... I like you, Sehun," I whispered, the words escaping my lips before I could stop them.
The gymnasium seemed to fall silent. The only sound was the frantic pounding of my heart.
He was quiet for a moment, his gaze intense, his expression unreadable.
Then, he smiled, a gentle smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"That's nice, Seren," he said, his voice soft, almost dismissive. "You're a great friend."
The words landed like a punch to the gut. The hope that had flickered in my heart was extinguished, replaced by a cold, empty ache.
"But... I like you," I insisted, my voice catching. "I... I really like you."
He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Seren," he said, his tone laced with an indifference that cut deeper than any rejection I had ever experienced. "I don't feel the same way. I'm not interested."
The world felt distorted, my heart a heavy weight in my chest.
"I... I understand," I managed to stammer, my voice trembling.
I turned and fled, leaving him there in the hallway, his victory still fresh in his mind.
The years that followed were a blur of heartache and self-discovery. I buried myself in my work, building a career, a world of my own. But the memory of Sehun remained a constant ache, a painful reminder of the love I had lost.
Rewind...
Years later, I had become Seren Choi, the Vice CEO of Choi Accessories, a woman known for her sharp intellect and icy demeanor. But beneath the surface, the scars of my past still lingered.
The polished mahogany of my desk felt cool beneath my fingertips, a stark contrast to the simmering frustration bubbling inside me. "I need results, not excuses," I said, my voice a firm but measured tone, my gaze fixed on the marketing team assembled before me.
"The new line is crucial, and we need to ensure it resonates with our target demographic."
The team, a mix of bright young minds and seasoned veterans, shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They knew better than to challenge me. Seren Choi, Vice CEO of Choi Accessories, was not a woman to be trifled with.
"We're working on it, Ms. Choi," one of the team members said, a young woman with a nervous smile. "We've just been having some trouble finalizing the campaign concept."
I nodded, my lips curving into a thin, unamused smile. "I'm sure you are," I said, my voice sharp. "But I need concrete results. Not empty promises."
As the team scrambled to appease me, my mind drifted back to a time when my world was a much simpler place. A place filled with youthful dreams and unrequited love.
"Seren Choi," I said, my voice echoing in the quiet solitude of my office, "I'm a woman who believes in control. A woman who thrives on order and precision. A woman who doesn't let emotions cloud her judgment."
It was a mantra I had repeated to myself countless times, a mantra that had become a shield, protecting my heart from the vulnerability that had once led to heartbreak.
I had built a world of my own, a world of success and ambition. Seungri K Accessories, the company my parents had built from the ground up, was now a global brand, a testament to their vision and my own relentless drive.
But there were cracks in my carefully crafted persona, cracks that I tried desperately to ignore. Cracks that whispered of a past I had tried to bury, of a love that had been denied, of a heart that had been shattered.
"You know, Seren, sometimes you're a bit too hard on yourself."
The voice startled me, bringing me back to the present.
Minhyuk, my childhood friend, stood in the doorway, his face filled with concern. He was a constant in my life, a source of unwavering support, the one person who had always seen through my facade.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice a bit sharper than I had intended.
"You work too hard," he said, his gaze warm and understanding. "You're always pushing yourself. You never let yourself relax."
"I have a job to do," I said, my voice cold. "And I'm good at what I do."
"I know," he said, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "But you can't let work be your whole life."
I nodded, but my heart wasn't convinced. Work was my escape, my refuge. It was the one thing I could control, the one thing that could never hurt me.
"I have a meeting in a few minutes," I said, my voice firm. "We'll talk later."
Minhyuk nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of concern and affection. He knew I was putting up a wall, a wall I had built to protect myself from the pain of my past.
He turned and walked away, leaving me alone.
"Knock knock..."
"Come in," I said, my voice cold as I sifted through a mountain of paperwork on my desk.
"Ms. Choi, Seungri Hospital sent you an invitation for their gala night next week. They're expecting you to attend. Check your email," my assistant said.
"Okay. Thank you," I replied, my voice still flat. "By the way, cancel all my appointments for today. I want to go home early."
"Yes, Ms. Choi," she said."
Clang! Crash!
Honk! Honk! Honk!
"What happened? Why is it taking so long for the cars in front of us to move? Are we in the Philippines? The traffic is insane!" I exclaimed, my frustration growing.
"There was an accident, Ms. Choi. That's why there's traffic," my driver replied.
In my annoyance and impatience, I gripped my forehead and turned to look out the car window. A familiar face caught my eye, sitting in the car next to us.
"Sehun... Sehun Oh?"
Our car started moving, but my eyes remained glued to him as we pulled away.
"No, it can't be him. I thought he was already in the U.S." "So he's back?" No way!
To be continued...