As I reached the 10th floor and realized the lift was not available still, I resorted to finishing the number of floors with the stairs – if I could do ten, then what is six - On getting to the meeting room, I was out of breath literally, plus that, the door had been locked from the inside. I took a heavy breath into my craving lungs, held it for thirty seconds before I released them desperately. I went back to my table to rest because this wasn’t the first time Da Na has tried something so devious and me being faithful—wait no, stupid, too stupid enough— fell for it, but this time was the end of it.

I wasn’t going to let the wench ruin my professional life. I got my phone and texted Haneul to come to my rescue before I grabbed the bottle water on my desk and gulped it down without mercy like a goblin. I almost choked as I saw my chocolate fountain standing—tall like an arc-angel that would be made of chocolate in this case—in front of me, and my joy mixed with anxiousness for I knew what was about to come.

“I remember specifically asking you to be in that meeting. What happened to obeying instructions?” he looked at me with one hand in his pocket and the other in-between us.

“I am sorry Sir, I went to quickly grab something from the lobby and…”,

“What is it?” he raised his brow and I could properly see for the first time that he had sun beam for eyes, oh, how beautiful heaven must be.

“That’s the thing Sir, I thought that there was something to carry but there was nothing, I… I…. it was just a prank to make me late…” I tried to explain but the sun beam penetrating my eyes made my lids flutter like my senses and I could not look into them even if I could.

“Ah! There is a new explanation this time, there is no—you misplaced your phone or your writing material or your left shoe but now it is a prank? Look, Ms. Vivian if you are tired of working with me, you just need to say so. The technical team, the production team and other departments are willing to accept you, so can you stop this entire child’s play and be realistic for a change. Vivian, You are not even an employee yet and this is what you have to offer? Let me keep hoping that this is not all you have to offer, because, you need more than 'these' to go further in this company. Now, pick whatever it is you need for that meeting and get in there!” never have I seen him so professionally angry and mouth watering at the same time. Today is a lucky day! I picked up my note pad and vamoosed under the loving watch of those sunbeam eyes’.

I looked up to the clock hanging on the wall in front of our desks, 6:30pm it read, the meeting had just ended thirty minutes prior and boy, I was surely exhausted. I could not believe our General Manager was a professional talkative, how can only one man talk through hours like a programmed robot, and I'm so glad it was just thirty minutes remaining and I’d be done for the day, yes done for the day and it would be goodbye suckers!

I watched with anticipation as the time moved paranormally slower than normal with each minute going slower than the last, I began to wish that I could just “va va va voom” the big ‘idiotic’ hand. I decided to play a game on my phone to wile away time and save myself from this torture of waiting for time, to be on time.

I looked at the wall clock after playing every game on my phone and gasped at what I saw, how could it be 6:32pm after an eternity of playing every game, I’d vowed not to touch after realizing the developers had installed them just to “fulfill all righteousness”.

“Vivian ssi?” I turned to see who was so unlucky enough to call me when I was about to place a curse on whosoever equate a whole day to a whole whooping twenty-four hours and found it was our department’s “eye candy”.

Seriously, I don’t know what they saw in this person to even call him that, which I found to be an eyesore, yet I smiled as if he was my favorite person. He returned the gesture with predacious desires dancing in his eyes, which was an irritating sight, and for this reason, I was grateful for our company dating restrictions if not, this chap would become a pain in my curves.

“What are you doing after work? Would you like to get dinner together?” he asked with a smile that gave me every creepy reason to decline this Machiavellian request. There’s always that particular annoying colleague who’d always think you want them but don’t know how to express it, so they dedicate themselves in the missionary work of frustrating you with their awkward presence and life-threatening cologne. But don’t worry, he hasn’t graduated to stalking me yet, Thank Goodness.

With each creeped out/irritated nerve in my body, which I am sure, was up to a trillion, I smiled at him while gathering up my politest speech of rejection that would end up making us both feel great.

“Mr. Cha, today is that day that when I just wanna go home to observe World Germ-free Day, our freedom from germs—and when I say germs I mean pest, as-in weeds, and don't mean the ones you smoke, oh nay nay, in this scenario I mean humans—who do not respect boundaries, personal spaces, who don't understand that when you say NO for the first fifteen times it means NO! (Inhales/exhales) I want eat dinner in solitude, and pray for world peace—in peace—now as a human, I am allowed to do that, ain’t I?” I knew did my best to hide my irritation even if the smiles on both our face disappeared after my speech and I hope I didn’t forget to mention that he’s Da Na’s—quote, unquote—style, like she would say to the detriment of my hearing ability.

Uh! She was the worse; I didn't want anything to do with her directly or indirectly!

The way I saw him quickly retreat made “my cup runneth over” and I felt great because Dana would be crushed when she would see him looking so…CRUSHED!

I turned back to my desk to gather my things so that I’d leave once it was seven o’clock which it already was when I turned on my phone and I responded with a smile and a “finally!” as I carried my bags, turned off my computer and headed to the lobby to wait on Hana and Haneul in excitement and exhaustion.

As I came out of Haneul’s car, She reminded me of a colleague’s wedding we were all required to attend the next day,

“Girl don’t forget, 8:00am is the church wedding and 12:00pm the reception begins. We’ll come pick you up, okay…? Goodnigh... ” but Hana sped off without hearing me reply, which made me wonder why she hasn't gotten any ticket for that speed limit '50km\hr' sign she’d always ignore and why did Haneul always let her drive??

“Sure thing, Good night,” I answered to the empty place as I watched as the car drive into the night before crossing to the other side to walk into my street.

As an accurate timekeeper, I looked at my wristwatch and sighed exhaustedly, hoping for the strength to walk up to my bed and not collapse on the staircase in front of the building I lived—while I was deciding to get dinner from the provision store nearby—since I was obviously tired.

With my dinner bought and packaged in a purple polythene bag, I thought about the junk dinner I was about to feed my celestial self—ramyun, chocolate bars, chilled juice and—why do you care? I am a total junkie, yeah so what?

I could see the apartment’s roof top afar off with beams of hope that could move mountains. All of a sudden a loud screech, a crash, followed by a thud shook off my tiredness and though a little hesitant, I still went over to where the sound generated.

As soon as I saw a figure on the ground, facing down, my instincts pushed me—instantly dropping my belongings and rushing—to the victim’s side as I tried to see if she or he was conscious, hopefully.

However, I found out after turning the body over that the victim was a girl—presumably seventeen years old—I could feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes as it threatened to pour and the next thing I could think of was how to save this girl's life.

I lifted her head and placed it on my lap while thinking first things first, Ambulance. I brought out my phone to dial the emergency number with my shaky hands covered with goose bumps while I tried to make out if she was breathing with the other.

“Hey, stay with me lemme call the ambulance, ok? Open your eyes and don't fall asleep, stay conscious the ambulance will be here quickly,” I guaranteed her as I positioned my phone to dial but she stopped me, which scared the hell out of me because; she wasn't weak like someone who was just hit by a vehicle, I could literally feel my bones shifting yet, she sounded weak while gasping for air as if she was on the threshold of death, which were two conflicting things.

“Too late,” she whispered with pain so obvious that I began to tear up.

“Shhh... you’ll be fine, don’t talk,” I quickly shunned her with my eyes over flowing with tears as she traced my hand I had placed on her chest while I was trying to keep her awake and placed something on it.

"T...T...Thank you." she stuttered whispering with blood splattering from her mouth.

"Shhh… stop talking you’ll be fine," I assured as my voice choked with tears and I felt panic overthrowing my calmness.

“Too late…” she whispered in obvious pain with her eyes half closed as her head leaned the other way letting the blood in her mouth flow out without control.

“Let the l…ig…ht gu…i…de you, let he…av…en gu…ard you an…d ple…ase tell lit…tle bro…th…er, No…on…a is s…or…ry.” she strained out in pain and looking like she was drawing her last breath. “Stay still...." I tried to say but her hand dropped from mine to the floor.

Instantaneously, the shock that engulfed me right there didn't forget to invite goose bumps for dinner, and just like that, every movie I had watched with scenes like this replayed in my mind but the last one being too gory made me snap out of it and dial the emergency number.

Right before I could place it on call, I could feel her body defy gravity and yes it did, right before my eyes her body rose above me like the moon that hung up in the sky called to it. Still awestruck, my hands fell back to my side as I watched this lifted body become translucent, vanishing before my very own eyes as if it isn’t there in the first place, like I was one crazy ass lady acting reality show in the middle of the street at 9:45 pm.

I would have sworn my mind was declaring its independence, but the hard object I was squeezing in my shivering, goose bumps covered hand, proved otherwise. Shocked and not able to move, I struggled to open my palm and I was surprised and confused at a stringed jade bracelet, pearly white and beautiful. For her to have given this to me before she breathed her last, I rated the object special, a gift I would treasure until my dying day, if, It wasn't expensive cause I heard this things are really millions worth.

Slowly I put myself together and stood up, realizing it would be useless to do anything apart from heading home,yeah, would you believe me if I told you all I just did?? I picked up my stuff and wiped the tears that had streamed down my face as I walked home too clear-headed for my kind of persona.

On entering my residence, I quickly shut the door and turned to rest my back on the door sliding down until my worn out butt felt the coldness of the floor which reminded me of her eyes after it became void of life. As I stared at the bracelet crying my heart out thinking that I just watched a lass die, go translucent right in my arms, I became terrified of what did and didn’t exist and it brought horrifying imaginations and feelings to me.

While I was still trying to process what happened a couple of minutes prior, I kept feeling worse as the seconds passed and I wondered what or who in the seven wonders, was that girl and what she actually meant by her last words. With an empty stomach and a lost appetite, I opted for a last minute bath hoping that the running water on my skin could comfort me and hide my loud sobs.

Even with the loud noise of the rushing water against my ears, the words still echoed repeatedly like a new hit song that I had to listen involuntarily to while staring at the beautiful bracelet on the coffee table across the room.

As I laid on my bed, I felt sorry for the little brother she mentioned who was yet to know that he had just lost a sibling. I could not help but mourn for the little kid as sleep that I feared I had lost tonight crept in; thankfully, slowly, I closed my eyes and drifted away.