Chapter 13: I'm Not That Type
“What is she trying to say? Like who? There’s no way she would think that I like her. I don’t like her… but I don’t hate her either. Aish! Park Jungsu, what the hell are you thinking? You don’t like her. You don’t like her. There’s absolutely no way!” his conscience speaking in his head.
Sora gave him a good scan from top to bottom and said, “Hmm…by the way you dress and look – you don’t look like you’re that type of person…or could you be?”
It was then that Park Jungsu realized what Sora was thinking. He then quickly responded, “Wait! What do you mean by ‘that type of person’?”
Sora gave Park Jungsu a smirk, ignoring his question and said, “Well, let’s make good use of our time and be productive right now. So, how would you like the stage to be set up? Do you have any concepts in mind?”
“Hold on! We’re not moving on until we get this cleared up!” he said as he knew that this kind of misunderstanding needs to be clarified and cleared as soon as possible before it gets out of hand.
However, Sora took no interest and said, “It’s really not my concern whether you are that type of person or not. All I really care about President Park is that we get this stage planning done as quickly as possible. Both you and I are busy people and we should be efficient and productive given the time constraint. So if we’re not going to talk business, then I guess we’ll set up another appointment when you’re ready to do so.”
Sora totally left no leeway for Park Jungsu to defend himself in this misperception. He would just have to clear this misunderstanding when another opportunity arises. So all he could do now was to do as she suggested since for some unknown reason he really wanted to stay a while longer with her.
Park Jungsu sighed and gave in. “Fine, we’ll talk about the stage planning for now. But that doesn’t mean our previous conversation is over.”
“You’re really naggy, you know that? Can we start already?” Sora asked impatiently.
As the clock passes minute by minute, they have already spent around two to three hours in the café discussing about the stage planning and arrangement. By that time, Sora could feel that her brain was beginning to slow down and was already feeling tired even after drinking two cups of coffee.
Park Jungsu noticed Sora’s tiredness as she tries to keep her yawning to herself by hiding it behind her hand.
“Are you tired already? We can always continue tomorrow if you want,” he suggested. Although he’s refusing to admit it, he was clearly using the business meeting as an excuse for another opportunity to spend time with her.
Sora looked at her notepad with his concepts and ideas written down and said, “Well, since I have all your ideas and concepts written down here – all I need to do is just hand it over to my stage décor team and have them start their work. So, I guess we could call it a day.”
Then Sora began to organize and gather her belongings. As she finishes, she took out her wallet from her purse and pulled out a fifty thousand won bill.
“Here, this time it’s my treat,” she said as she laid the money on the table.
“No, take it back,” he refused as he shoved the money back over to Sora.
“Excuse me?” said Sora, who was looking all confused.
“I said take it back,” Park Jungsu insisted.
“Why?” she asked while shoving the money back towards Park Jungsu.
He quickly grabbed her hand to stop the constant money shoving and stated, “One thing I dislike is to have women spend money on me.” At that moment, he looked very serious and was clearly unhappy by her gesture.
“What exactly is wrong with this guy? Is he still living in the Joseon era? Not only is he arrogant, but clearly his pride is way over the top. And what is with him today for being all touchy?” Sora thought to herself as she quickly slips her hand away from his grasp. “Fine, then I’ll just pay for my own and you can pay for yours,” she said while waving the money in his face as she stood up and headed to the cashier.
“Yah! Where are you going?” he shouted as he followed behind her while taking out his wallet. When he headed over to the cashier, the staff had told him that Sora, the lady who just walked out has paid the bill already.
So then, Park Jungsu quickly chased after Sora and saw her standing by the street. He went up to her and asked, “What are you doing?”
Sora glanced at Park Jungsu then back onto the streets and said, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m looking for a taxi, of course.”
Park Jungsu felt a bit disappointed from what Sora had just said, to which he reminded her, “I told you already that I’ll drive you back.”
Sora chuckled as she turned around and said, “It’s really okay President Park. I think I can manage to get back myself. So you can just go ahead.” Then Sora took her glance back on the street, eyeing for a taxi.
Suddenly Sora exclaimed, “Ah! Yah! What are you doing?” At that time, Park Jungsu had grabbed Sora by her arm and dragged her to where the valet was already waiting with Park Jungsu’s car.
“Yah! Let go of me! What is wrong with you?” she asked while struggling to get free.
“I already said that I’ll drive you back, so stop being stubborn and get inside the car,” he said as he refuses to let go of Sora’s arm.
“Stubborn? Who are you calling stubborn? Clearly, you’re more stubborn than I am! I told you that I can get a tax—Yah!” The next thing she knew, he took the bag with all her belongings away while forcing her into the passenger seat and closing the car door.
Then he entered his car and settled himself into the driver’s seat. He placed her bag at the back of his car and noticed the sudden silence. He turned and looked at Sora. With her arms crossed, she gave him a displeased look.
“Wae? Why are you looking at me like that?” Park Jungsu asked, acting oblivious even though he knew why she’s giving him that look.
“I’m really starting to wonder if you have some sort of comprehension problem. What part of ‘I can take the taxi home’ that you don’t understand?” she told him inside the car.
Park Jungsu chuckled and said, “Maybe I should say the same thing to you too. I already said to that guy that I’ll drive you back, so what part of that don’t you understand?”
Sora rolled her eyes, not wanting to argue anymore as she’s already tired as it is.
“Hurry up and fasten your seatbelt,” he urged her.
Sora let out a sigh as she found Park Jungsu being particularly naggy today and she reaches for the seatbelt. However, as Sora pulled the seatbelt, it suddenly got jammed halfway. “Omo! What is wrong with the seatbelt? How come it’s stuck?”
Park Jungsu saw Sora struggling with the seatbelt and said, “You pulled it the wrong way. Let me get that.” He then reached over to Sora’s side, helping her with the seatbelt. He was so close that Sora could smell the fresh yet subtle scent of his cologne, for which she hasn’t come across for a long while.
When he got the seatbelt loosened, he said, “There!” while turning his head to Sora, catching her eyes with his gaze.
It was then that he finally noticed the close proximity between himself and Sora. Soon, they were looking at each other face to face. Both of their hearts skipped a beat and before they realized; their hearts were suddenly beating rapidly. Park Jungsu could sense his body gradually heating up from the closeness. He swallowed to remove the dryness in his throat as he continued to gaze into Sora’s eyes.
Sora can feel her own heart beating faster than usual, mainly because he was staring intently at her with his dark brown eyes. However, that moment was short lived when she knocks her forehead onto Park Jungsu’s making him cry out in agony, “Ouch...” He rubbed his forehead with his palm trying to ease off the pain. “Yah! What did you do that for?” he asked as he looked at her.
“President Park, I really hope you can understand a few things. Number one, I’m already at my limit with you being all touchy and close today! Number two, the reason why I am bearing all your inconsiderate and arrogant demands is mainly for the sake of business. Lastly, number three; you better not drive so recklessly, cutting in in front of cars like you did with me the first time as I still want to live!” Sora claimed as she fasten her seatbelt safely again.
“What do you mean the first time? From what I remembered, you were the one who cut in in front of me the first time, not me!” he argued as he starts his engine with a press of the start button and began to drive off.
“This better not leave a bruise on my forehead,” he mumbled, still rubbing his forehead with is palm.
Sora snorted with a chuckle of disbelief and said, “Come on President Park, stop acting like you don’t remember. You were the one who cut me off first, which is why I had to take my revenge and thanks to you my father confiscated my car.”
Suddenly, Park Jungsu recalled the incident that Donghae had told him when he returned his car. “Ah… You mean thanks to Donghae that your father confiscated your car,” he corrected her.
“Donghae-ssi? How can it be Donghae-ssi when this is your car?” Sora asked while looking at Park Jungsu who was focusing on the road.
He glanced at her and explained, “I lent him this car because his car got confiscated by his father. So if you’re looking for someone responsible, now you know who to look for.” In fact, Park Jungsu actually lost a bet with Donghae which was why he had to lend Donghae his car.
“Jjinja? Omo, then oppa was right!” Sora thought out loud, to which Park Jungsu glanced over at her.
“Will you stop calling that guy ‘oppa’! You’re not even blood related nor are you both in a relationship!” he suddenly snapped at her. Somehow, it seems like his hidden jealousy has taken over his proper state of mind.
“And may I ask, why do you care whether I call Victor oppa or not when it’s clearly none of your business?” she asked as she looked at him.
It was then that Park Jungsu realized that he said something that he shouldn’t have. He, himself didn’t even have a clear idea as to why hearing Sora call another guy ‘oppa’ makes him feel annoyed.
“I…I was…I was just—” he stuttered, not knowing how to answer her question.
“Ah, I understand now,” said Sora while a small smirk appeared on her face.
He looked at her, curious to know what she’s thinking, “Understand what?” he asked.
“You’re jealous,” said Sora as she began to giggle.
Park Jungsu immediately stepped on the brakes and turned to Sora. He asked in shock, “Jealous? Me?” while pointing to himself. “Miss Kang Sora-ssi, do you know who I am? I am the President and CEO of JSE, the owner of one of the top entertainment agencies in Korea, why would I be jealous? And what is there to be jealous of?” he claimed and argued.
“You’re jealous because I’m close with Victor and you feel uncomfortable because you’re that type,” replied Sora.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not that type?” Park Jungsu continued to defend himself. He couldn’t believe that Sora has mistaken him for being gay, when clearly he’s perfectly straight.
“What’s wrong in admitting that you’re interested in men? You should man up and just—” Before Sora can complete the last part of her sentence, Park Jungsu had already leaned over and pressed his lips against hers – leaving her suddenly stunned as her eyes widened.
The kissed lasted for about ten seconds until she quickly pushed Park Jungsu away and covered her lips with her fist as she stared at him in shock. Her heart was pounding very quickly as she didn’t expect him to kiss her so suddenly like that.
He looked at her with intensity and said, “For the last time, I am not gay. Do I make myself clear?” he looked at her for a few more seconds before he continued onto the road.
Sora didn’t know what to say as she was lost in words from the kiss just now. However for Park Jungsu, although he looked calmed on the outside, his heart was racing like crazy inside as if he just went on an extreme rollercoaster ride. He couldn’t even believe that he kissed her himself. As he reminisced about the kiss, it raised the corners of his lips forming a smile.
Sora saw that smirk on his face and thought to herself, “Aish! Kang Sora, how can you let this stupid Mr. Arrogant take advantage of you like that? Yah!...Park Jungsu, I am not going to let you off that easily for kissing me like that. You just wait and see!” as she glared at him from the corners of her eyes.
When they arrived outside of Sora’s house, she quickly took off her seatbelt and stormed out of the car.
“Yah!” Park Jungsu called out as he got out and stood behind his car with his arm resting on the car top.
Sora stopped as she clenched her hands and turned around. “What do you want now?” she asked, still giving him that glaring look.
He held up her bag and said, “You forgot this!” as he walked over to her. “You should really be careful not to leave important things behind.” He handed the bag back to her.
Sora looked at her bag and quickly snatched it out of his hands. “Thank you!” she said sarcastically while faking a smile.
“You’re very welcome,” he said with a smirk, looking ever so conceited.
Sora took a few steps towards her house and suddenly stopped. “President Park,” she called out as she turned herself around and walked back towards Park Jungsu.
“De, did you forget something else?” he asked.
“Yes, I did. This!” she answered and kicks him on his shin.
“Ah!” he shrieked in pain as he held his shin with both hands.
“That’s for kissing me without my consent in the car!” she said triumphantly as she went inside her house.
Park Jungsu on the other hand was slowly limping back into his car and mumbled, “Aish…it hurts. Why did she kick so hard, really? Ouch!” as he massages his injured shin.
***
The next morning, Park Jungsu woke up to the sound of his alarm and slowly sat up on the side of his bed looking at his clock. Then he got out of his bed and stretched his arms out. He then took off his white tank top – while giving his upper body a good flex until his abs and biceps became visible. He tossed his top onto his bed as he limped his way into the bathroom from his injury yesterday.
The kick he got from Sora last night has left a bruise on his shin. With a bit of pain still lingering from his leg, he limped his way to the bathroom sink. He placed his hands on the marbled countertop and looked at himself in the mirror. He brushes his hair back with his hand and then he said to himself, “Park Jungsu-ah, that’s why you shouldn’t mess with women. Look at you, now you have to walk like a crippled man on your way to work.”
As he gargled and rinsed his mouth with water after brushing his teeth, he stared in the mirror and said “Kang Sora, Kang Sora…,” repeating her name as he thought back to the time when he kissed her in his car. He could remember how soft Sora’s lips were when he touched them with his. Eventually, the thought made him bite his lower lip and smiled with joy. “…what am I going to do with you?” Park Jungsu said with a big grin on his face and started to sing to the tunes of ‘Mr. Simple’ while limping his way into the shower.
***
Back at the office, Sora turned up late as she couldn’t sleep well after what happened yesterday.
“Is everything alright, Sora?” Melissa asked while placing a cup of coffee on Sora’s desk. “How was the meeting yesterday with President Park?”
“Don’t remind me of that arrogant guy! If it’s not for the sake of business, I wouldn’t even waste my time dealing with him. I just want to get this project over and done with,” she replied as she handed Melissa the meeting notes from yesterday while sipping on her coffee.
“Wow! He wants the stage to have these features? This is going to cost a lot,” Melissa commented as she looks through the notes.
“I know, but let’s see if our team can come up with a design that offers these features that is at the same time cost efficient. So please pass this over to the design team,” said Sora.
“Alright, I do it right away,” said Melissa as she exits Sora’s office.
She leaned back on her chair with her eyes closed and the first thing that came to her mind was the memory of Park Jungsu’s lips on hers. With that thought in mind, she quickly sat back up, placing both her hands on her head and mumbled to herself, “Kang Sora, Kang Sora-ah! Stop thinking about yesterday! Forget about what happened! Aish… How can I forget it when my sacred lips have been tainted by that arrogant Park Jungsu? Ah…Ottoke?”
“It seems to me that something is bothering you, Miss Kang Sora-ssi,” a voice came from her office door.
Sora looked up and saw Choi Minho standing by her office door. She quickly fixed her hair and said, “Oh, Mr. Minho-ssi! Good morning!”
Minho chuckled and said, “Good morning. Sorry for dropping by without notice. I actually came with my father, but he currently busy talking with Chairman Kang. So I thought I might drop by to say hello and to see how the event preparations are going.”
“Oh, Director’s Choi’s talking with my father?” she said.
Minho nodded with a smile and asked, “May I take a seat?” as he eyed at the chairs in front of Sora’s desk.
“Omo! Mianhe, how rude of me! Pease go ahead. Have a seat,” offered Sora as she got up and ushered him to sit down.
Minho chuckled again, finding Sora very cute and said, “No worries, it was my fault that I dropped by suddenly.”
Sora smiled and asked, “Would you like anything to drink, coffee or tea?”
“It’s alright Miss Kang Sora-ssi, I’ve had a few cups this morning already,” he replied as he looked around in her office.
“Oh, please call me Sora-ssi,” she said.
He smile and asked, “Can I really call you that?”
Sora nodded in reply and then asked, “So, do you have any idea what our fathers are discussing about?”
Minho shrugged his shoulders with a smile. “I’m not sure either. Maybe they’re catching up or discussing about their retirement plans. If they’re doing the latter, then I guess we’ll have to prepare ourselves for a promotion,” he replied jokingly.
Sora smiled to his joke and said, “You think so?” while laughing.
“Of course!” he said with another smile. “You look very beautiful when you smile, Sora-ssi.”
His comment made Sora blushed and said, “Please don’t say that Mr. Minho-ssi. You’re making me blush here.”
“Just call me Minho,” he said.
Sora agreed and said, “Alright, Minho-ssi.”
Then Minho looked at his watch and asked, “Sora-ssi, do you have any plans this afternoon? If not, why don’t we have lunch together and you can update me on the progress for event preparations?”
Sora looked at the time on her computer and it read quarter to noon. “Sure, why not? Shall we head out now?” she asked.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” Minho replied with a polite smile.
They both got up and made their way to the door. When Sora was about to exit her office, her phone suddenly began to ring. “Mianhe, Minho-ssi,” she apologized as she took out her phone from her purse.
“No worries, take your time,” he said while waiting for her.
When she looked at her phone, her eyes quickly widened as her caller ID read “Mr. Arrogant” on it. Her phone continued to ring, but she had no intention of answering the call especially right after what happened yesterday.
“Aren’t you going to take the call, Sora-ssi?” Minho asked as he noticed how she’s just holding the phone in her hand and not picking it up.
“Nope, it’s just a sales call. Let’s go down now,” she replied and slides the “End Call’ button on her phone.
When Sora and Minho arrived downstairs to the lobby, they walked out the main entrance doors and towards Minho’s car that was parked at the visitor’s parking lot.
Suddenly a voice called out from behind, “Miss Kang Sora-ssi!”
Minho and Sora stopped walking when they heard the call. Minho turned around to see who was calling Sora while Sora stood still.
She recognized the familiar voice, a voice that she often finds irritating ever since a few weeks ago. She closed her eyes and snorted. Then she opened her eyes while slowly turning around and found the last person she wanted to see – leaning against his Aston Martin with his arms crossed wearing a pair of Ray Ban shades – Park Jungsu.
Sora gave him a good scan from top to bottom and said, “Hmm…by the way you dress and look – you don’t look like you’re that type of person…or could you be?”
It was then that Park Jungsu realized what Sora was thinking. He then quickly responded, “Wait! What do you mean by ‘that type of person’?”
Sora gave Park Jungsu a smirk, ignoring his question and said, “Well, let’s make good use of our time and be productive right now. So, how would you like the stage to be set up? Do you have any concepts in mind?”
“Hold on! We’re not moving on until we get this cleared up!” he said as he knew that this kind of misunderstanding needs to be clarified and cleared as soon as possible before it gets out of hand.
However, Sora took no interest and said, “It’s really not my concern whether you are that type of person or not. All I really care about President Park is that we get this stage planning done as quickly as possible. Both you and I are busy people and we should be efficient and productive given the time constraint. So if we’re not going to talk business, then I guess we’ll set up another appointment when you’re ready to do so.”
Sora totally left no leeway for Park Jungsu to defend himself in this misperception. He would just have to clear this misunderstanding when another opportunity arises. So all he could do now was to do as she suggested since for some unknown reason he really wanted to stay a while longer with her.
Park Jungsu sighed and gave in. “Fine, we’ll talk about the stage planning for now. But that doesn’t mean our previous conversation is over.”
“You’re really naggy, you know that? Can we start already?” Sora asked impatiently.
As the clock passes minute by minute, they have already spent around two to three hours in the café discussing about the stage planning and arrangement. By that time, Sora could feel that her brain was beginning to slow down and was already feeling tired even after drinking two cups of coffee.
Park Jungsu noticed Sora’s tiredness as she tries to keep her yawning to herself by hiding it behind her hand.
“Are you tired already? We can always continue tomorrow if you want,” he suggested. Although he’s refusing to admit it, he was clearly using the business meeting as an excuse for another opportunity to spend time with her.
Sora looked at her notepad with his concepts and ideas written down and said, “Well, since I have all your ideas and concepts written down here – all I need to do is just hand it over to my stage décor team and have them start their work. So, I guess we could call it a day.”
Then Sora began to organize and gather her belongings. As she finishes, she took out her wallet from her purse and pulled out a fifty thousand won bill.
“Here, this time it’s my treat,” she said as she laid the money on the table.
“No, take it back,” he refused as he shoved the money back over to Sora.
“Excuse me?” said Sora, who was looking all confused.
“I said take it back,” Park Jungsu insisted.
“Why?” she asked while shoving the money back towards Park Jungsu.
He quickly grabbed her hand to stop the constant money shoving and stated, “One thing I dislike is to have women spend money on me.” At that moment, he looked very serious and was clearly unhappy by her gesture.
“What exactly is wrong with this guy? Is he still living in the Joseon era? Not only is he arrogant, but clearly his pride is way over the top. And what is with him today for being all touchy?” Sora thought to herself as she quickly slips her hand away from his grasp. “Fine, then I’ll just pay for my own and you can pay for yours,” she said while waving the money in his face as she stood up and headed to the cashier.
“Yah! Where are you going?” he shouted as he followed behind her while taking out his wallet. When he headed over to the cashier, the staff had told him that Sora, the lady who just walked out has paid the bill already.
So then, Park Jungsu quickly chased after Sora and saw her standing by the street. He went up to her and asked, “What are you doing?”
Sora glanced at Park Jungsu then back onto the streets and said, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m looking for a taxi, of course.”
Park Jungsu felt a bit disappointed from what Sora had just said, to which he reminded her, “I told you already that I’ll drive you back.”
Sora chuckled as she turned around and said, “It’s really okay President Park. I think I can manage to get back myself. So you can just go ahead.” Then Sora took her glance back on the street, eyeing for a taxi.
Suddenly Sora exclaimed, “Ah! Yah! What are you doing?” At that time, Park Jungsu had grabbed Sora by her arm and dragged her to where the valet was already waiting with Park Jungsu’s car.
“Yah! Let go of me! What is wrong with you?” she asked while struggling to get free.
“I already said that I’ll drive you back, so stop being stubborn and get inside the car,” he said as he refuses to let go of Sora’s arm.
“Stubborn? Who are you calling stubborn? Clearly, you’re more stubborn than I am! I told you that I can get a tax—Yah!” The next thing she knew, he took the bag with all her belongings away while forcing her into the passenger seat and closing the car door.
Then he entered his car and settled himself into the driver’s seat. He placed her bag at the back of his car and noticed the sudden silence. He turned and looked at Sora. With her arms crossed, she gave him a displeased look.
“Wae? Why are you looking at me like that?” Park Jungsu asked, acting oblivious even though he knew why she’s giving him that look.
“I’m really starting to wonder if you have some sort of comprehension problem. What part of ‘I can take the taxi home’ that you don’t understand?” she told him inside the car.
Park Jungsu chuckled and said, “Maybe I should say the same thing to you too. I already said to that guy that I’ll drive you back, so what part of that don’t you understand?”
Sora rolled her eyes, not wanting to argue anymore as she’s already tired as it is.
“Hurry up and fasten your seatbelt,” he urged her.
Sora let out a sigh as she found Park Jungsu being particularly naggy today and she reaches for the seatbelt. However, as Sora pulled the seatbelt, it suddenly got jammed halfway. “Omo! What is wrong with the seatbelt? How come it’s stuck?”
Park Jungsu saw Sora struggling with the seatbelt and said, “You pulled it the wrong way. Let me get that.” He then reached over to Sora’s side, helping her with the seatbelt. He was so close that Sora could smell the fresh yet subtle scent of his cologne, for which she hasn’t come across for a long while.
When he got the seatbelt loosened, he said, “There!” while turning his head to Sora, catching her eyes with his gaze.
It was then that he finally noticed the close proximity between himself and Sora. Soon, they were looking at each other face to face. Both of their hearts skipped a beat and before they realized; their hearts were suddenly beating rapidly. Park Jungsu could sense his body gradually heating up from the closeness. He swallowed to remove the dryness in his throat as he continued to gaze into Sora’s eyes.
Sora can feel her own heart beating faster than usual, mainly because he was staring intently at her with his dark brown eyes. However, that moment was short lived when she knocks her forehead onto Park Jungsu’s making him cry out in agony, “Ouch...” He rubbed his forehead with his palm trying to ease off the pain. “Yah! What did you do that for?” he asked as he looked at her.
“President Park, I really hope you can understand a few things. Number one, I’m already at my limit with you being all touchy and close today! Number two, the reason why I am bearing all your inconsiderate and arrogant demands is mainly for the sake of business. Lastly, number three; you better not drive so recklessly, cutting in in front of cars like you did with me the first time as I still want to live!” Sora claimed as she fasten her seatbelt safely again.
“What do you mean the first time? From what I remembered, you were the one who cut in in front of me the first time, not me!” he argued as he starts his engine with a press of the start button and began to drive off.
“This better not leave a bruise on my forehead,” he mumbled, still rubbing his forehead with is palm.
Sora snorted with a chuckle of disbelief and said, “Come on President Park, stop acting like you don’t remember. You were the one who cut me off first, which is why I had to take my revenge and thanks to you my father confiscated my car.”
Suddenly, Park Jungsu recalled the incident that Donghae had told him when he returned his car. “Ah… You mean thanks to Donghae that your father confiscated your car,” he corrected her.
“Donghae-ssi? How can it be Donghae-ssi when this is your car?” Sora asked while looking at Park Jungsu who was focusing on the road.
He glanced at her and explained, “I lent him this car because his car got confiscated by his father. So if you’re looking for someone responsible, now you know who to look for.” In fact, Park Jungsu actually lost a bet with Donghae which was why he had to lend Donghae his car.
“Jjinja? Omo, then oppa was right!” Sora thought out loud, to which Park Jungsu glanced over at her.
“Will you stop calling that guy ‘oppa’! You’re not even blood related nor are you both in a relationship!” he suddenly snapped at her. Somehow, it seems like his hidden jealousy has taken over his proper state of mind.
“And may I ask, why do you care whether I call Victor oppa or not when it’s clearly none of your business?” she asked as she looked at him.
It was then that Park Jungsu realized that he said something that he shouldn’t have. He, himself didn’t even have a clear idea as to why hearing Sora call another guy ‘oppa’ makes him feel annoyed.
“I…I was…I was just—” he stuttered, not knowing how to answer her question.
“Ah, I understand now,” said Sora while a small smirk appeared on her face.
He looked at her, curious to know what she’s thinking, “Understand what?” he asked.
“You’re jealous,” said Sora as she began to giggle.
Park Jungsu immediately stepped on the brakes and turned to Sora. He asked in shock, “Jealous? Me?” while pointing to himself. “Miss Kang Sora-ssi, do you know who I am? I am the President and CEO of JSE, the owner of one of the top entertainment agencies in Korea, why would I be jealous? And what is there to be jealous of?” he claimed and argued.
“You’re jealous because I’m close with Victor and you feel uncomfortable because you’re that type,” replied Sora.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not that type?” Park Jungsu continued to defend himself. He couldn’t believe that Sora has mistaken him for being gay, when clearly he’s perfectly straight.
“What’s wrong in admitting that you’re interested in men? You should man up and just—” Before Sora can complete the last part of her sentence, Park Jungsu had already leaned over and pressed his lips against hers – leaving her suddenly stunned as her eyes widened.
The kissed lasted for about ten seconds until she quickly pushed Park Jungsu away and covered her lips with her fist as she stared at him in shock. Her heart was pounding very quickly as she didn’t expect him to kiss her so suddenly like that.
He looked at her with intensity and said, “For the last time, I am not gay. Do I make myself clear?” he looked at her for a few more seconds before he continued onto the road.
Sora didn’t know what to say as she was lost in words from the kiss just now. However for Park Jungsu, although he looked calmed on the outside, his heart was racing like crazy inside as if he just went on an extreme rollercoaster ride. He couldn’t even believe that he kissed her himself. As he reminisced about the kiss, it raised the corners of his lips forming a smile.
Sora saw that smirk on his face and thought to herself, “Aish! Kang Sora, how can you let this stupid Mr. Arrogant take advantage of you like that? Yah!...Park Jungsu, I am not going to let you off that easily for kissing me like that. You just wait and see!” as she glared at him from the corners of her eyes.
When they arrived outside of Sora’s house, she quickly took off her seatbelt and stormed out of the car.
“Yah!” Park Jungsu called out as he got out and stood behind his car with his arm resting on the car top.
Sora stopped as she clenched her hands and turned around. “What do you want now?” she asked, still giving him that glaring look.
He held up her bag and said, “You forgot this!” as he walked over to her. “You should really be careful not to leave important things behind.” He handed the bag back to her.
Sora looked at her bag and quickly snatched it out of his hands. “Thank you!” she said sarcastically while faking a smile.
“You’re very welcome,” he said with a smirk, looking ever so conceited.
Sora took a few steps towards her house and suddenly stopped. “President Park,” she called out as she turned herself around and walked back towards Park Jungsu.
“De, did you forget something else?” he asked.
“Yes, I did. This!” she answered and kicks him on his shin.
“Ah!” he shrieked in pain as he held his shin with both hands.
“That’s for kissing me without my consent in the car!” she said triumphantly as she went inside her house.
Park Jungsu on the other hand was slowly limping back into his car and mumbled, “Aish…it hurts. Why did she kick so hard, really? Ouch!” as he massages his injured shin.
***
The next morning, Park Jungsu woke up to the sound of his alarm and slowly sat up on the side of his bed looking at his clock. Then he got out of his bed and stretched his arms out. He then took off his white tank top – while giving his upper body a good flex until his abs and biceps became visible. He tossed his top onto his bed as he limped his way into the bathroom from his injury yesterday.
The kick he got from Sora last night has left a bruise on his shin. With a bit of pain still lingering from his leg, he limped his way to the bathroom sink. He placed his hands on the marbled countertop and looked at himself in the mirror. He brushes his hair back with his hand and then he said to himself, “Park Jungsu-ah, that’s why you shouldn’t mess with women. Look at you, now you have to walk like a crippled man on your way to work.”
As he gargled and rinsed his mouth with water after brushing his teeth, he stared in the mirror and said “Kang Sora, Kang Sora…,” repeating her name as he thought back to the time when he kissed her in his car. He could remember how soft Sora’s lips were when he touched them with his. Eventually, the thought made him bite his lower lip and smiled with joy. “…what am I going to do with you?” Park Jungsu said with a big grin on his face and started to sing to the tunes of ‘Mr. Simple’ while limping his way into the shower.
***
Back at the office, Sora turned up late as she couldn’t sleep well after what happened yesterday.
“Is everything alright, Sora?” Melissa asked while placing a cup of coffee on Sora’s desk. “How was the meeting yesterday with President Park?”
“Don’t remind me of that arrogant guy! If it’s not for the sake of business, I wouldn’t even waste my time dealing with him. I just want to get this project over and done with,” she replied as she handed Melissa the meeting notes from yesterday while sipping on her coffee.
“Wow! He wants the stage to have these features? This is going to cost a lot,” Melissa commented as she looks through the notes.
“I know, but let’s see if our team can come up with a design that offers these features that is at the same time cost efficient. So please pass this over to the design team,” said Sora.
“Alright, I do it right away,” said Melissa as she exits Sora’s office.
She leaned back on her chair with her eyes closed and the first thing that came to her mind was the memory of Park Jungsu’s lips on hers. With that thought in mind, she quickly sat back up, placing both her hands on her head and mumbled to herself, “Kang Sora, Kang Sora-ah! Stop thinking about yesterday! Forget about what happened! Aish… How can I forget it when my sacred lips have been tainted by that arrogant Park Jungsu? Ah…Ottoke?”
“It seems to me that something is bothering you, Miss Kang Sora-ssi,” a voice came from her office door.
Sora looked up and saw Choi Minho standing by her office door. She quickly fixed her hair and said, “Oh, Mr. Minho-ssi! Good morning!”
Minho chuckled and said, “Good morning. Sorry for dropping by without notice. I actually came with my father, but he currently busy talking with Chairman Kang. So I thought I might drop by to say hello and to see how the event preparations are going.”
“Oh, Director’s Choi’s talking with my father?” she said.
Minho nodded with a smile and asked, “May I take a seat?” as he eyed at the chairs in front of Sora’s desk.
“Omo! Mianhe, how rude of me! Pease go ahead. Have a seat,” offered Sora as she got up and ushered him to sit down.
Minho chuckled again, finding Sora very cute and said, “No worries, it was my fault that I dropped by suddenly.”
Sora smiled and asked, “Would you like anything to drink, coffee or tea?”
“It’s alright Miss Kang Sora-ssi, I’ve had a few cups this morning already,” he replied as he looked around in her office.
“Oh, please call me Sora-ssi,” she said.
He smile and asked, “Can I really call you that?”
Sora nodded in reply and then asked, “So, do you have any idea what our fathers are discussing about?”
Minho shrugged his shoulders with a smile. “I’m not sure either. Maybe they’re catching up or discussing about their retirement plans. If they’re doing the latter, then I guess we’ll have to prepare ourselves for a promotion,” he replied jokingly.
Sora smiled to his joke and said, “You think so?” while laughing.
“Of course!” he said with another smile. “You look very beautiful when you smile, Sora-ssi.”
His comment made Sora blushed and said, “Please don’t say that Mr. Minho-ssi. You’re making me blush here.”
“Just call me Minho,” he said.
Sora agreed and said, “Alright, Minho-ssi.”
Then Minho looked at his watch and asked, “Sora-ssi, do you have any plans this afternoon? If not, why don’t we have lunch together and you can update me on the progress for event preparations?”
Sora looked at the time on her computer and it read quarter to noon. “Sure, why not? Shall we head out now?” she asked.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” Minho replied with a polite smile.
They both got up and made their way to the door. When Sora was about to exit her office, her phone suddenly began to ring. “Mianhe, Minho-ssi,” she apologized as she took out her phone from her purse.
“No worries, take your time,” he said while waiting for her.
When she looked at her phone, her eyes quickly widened as her caller ID read “Mr. Arrogant” on it. Her phone continued to ring, but she had no intention of answering the call especially right after what happened yesterday.
“Aren’t you going to take the call, Sora-ssi?” Minho asked as he noticed how she’s just holding the phone in her hand and not picking it up.
“Nope, it’s just a sales call. Let’s go down now,” she replied and slides the “End Call’ button on her phone.
When Sora and Minho arrived downstairs to the lobby, they walked out the main entrance doors and towards Minho’s car that was parked at the visitor’s parking lot.
Suddenly a voice called out from behind, “Miss Kang Sora-ssi!”
Minho and Sora stopped walking when they heard the call. Minho turned around to see who was calling Sora while Sora stood still.
She recognized the familiar voice, a voice that she often finds irritating ever since a few weeks ago. She closed her eyes and snorted. Then she opened her eyes while slowly turning around and found the last person she wanted to see – leaning against his Aston Martin with his arms crossed wearing a pair of Ray Ban shades – Park Jungsu.