26 How to Scare Someone (2)

"Is that so?" Seungwoo's face suddenly turned pale, "Then why are the lights still flickering?"

My face turned blank as I tried to process the whole thing. The remote control was already in Seungwoo's hands. Even though he wasn't doing anything with it, the lights keep turning on and off.

What on earth is happening here?

The lights stopped flickering, I stared at Seungwoo intently, and he was still there facing the door. All I can see is his back, but it seemed like he was calmer than before. I was the one who did the ghost prank, but I guess I got pranked by the ghost instead.

"Kim Seungwoo," I slowly approached him and tapped his shoulder. "Did the ghost do that?"

Fear was suddenly creeping up. He was still silent, and all I could see was the back of his head and his prominent jawline. The air conditioner suddenly went really cold; it was supposed to generate heat because of the cold season. Seungwoo slowly turned around; his dimples were now unseen, he was wearing a poker face. He stared at me as nothing happened.

"Hey," I tapped his shoulders again. "Answer me, please?"

He was staring at my face for a few seconds until it seemed like something behind me caught his eyes. His eyes widened as he tried to point out something behind me using his trembling left hand. His eyes described something he shouldn't have seen, and as if I was hypnotized, I turned around to look at where he was pointing out.

I felt scared. I scanned everything that appears in my sight but saw nothing. Everything was in the same place. I couldn't see any shadow or any soul. All I could see were the tables, the chairs, and the air conditioner. For some unknown reason, I felt petrified. Chills ran down my spine as if all of my senses awakened. Every time I hear the air conditioner's hissing sound, I got the shivers again, this time with the little goosebumps on my arms that appear when I get that sensation.

I turned to look at him again.

"Got ya," he grinned, showing off his dimples playfully, and stuck out his tongue. "I got ya, Suji."

For some unknown reason, I had the urge to kill this handsome man who has the most beautiful dimples right in front of me.

+++

"Did you get scared?" Seungwoo asked as he tried to tuck his seat into the desk. I am standing in front of him, near the whiteboard, as we have compromised that I should present all of the chosen quotes before he recommends a place that we will visit.

"Do you want a beating?" I replied nonchalantly as I crossed my arms and legs, trying to express annoyance all over my body. "Let's start to do business now; we want to end this OT before lunch, right?"

"Yes, Miss Li." The playfulness in his voice disappeared as he put on his poker-face.

I started my PowerPoint presentation with some of the quotes that caught my attention when I was proofreading the book. My laptop was just beside the projector on the table. I got a whiteboard marker in my pencil case and started emphasizing the five quotes shown on the screen.

"How should we emphasize that one," He started to get serious as he was observing all of the quotes being presented, "You can't choose your parents and most variables in your life. There are only two things that you can choose, and that is your job and your partner. Think carefully and love yourself while choosing what is best for you."

"Hmm, what do you suggest?" I looked at him in the eye, trying to find some ideas from him.

"What about a happy couple on the beach?" He paused and thought for a few seconds; his left hand was clutching his chin. "And a person doing the most enjoyable job in the world,"

"What would be that most enjoyable job in the world?" I asked as my head tilted towards the right.

"I don't know yet," He smirked, almost resembling that of a snort. "We have to go to the streets to find it out. You know, we should capture the most real emotion that we can find wherever it is."

"Okay," I started to write them on the whiteboard. "I'll take note of that."

"I mean, as a photographer and designer," He started rambling. "We should always prioritize the raw and purest emotion we can find to make the book more relatable--"

"Yes, yes," I replied abruptly.

"Are you trying to ignore me because you got scared with my prank earlier?"

"Well, partly, I guess?" I replied. "I mean, how can you joke around like that? You shouldn't have been a designer/photographer; you should have been an actor in this life. You deserve a Grammy award,"

"Thank you so much," He gave me a lopsided grin, stood up, and clapped. "I am so handsome and good at acting. I could have majored in the Theatre Arts Department,"

I crinkled my nose as a response, "Yes, yes, your majesty. Stop getting ahead of yourself now, okay?"

"Isn't it funny that your prank failed and you got pranked instead?" He teased me again, showing off that playful grin and his dimples. "Sorry, I am not scared of ghosts or anything, so you failed big time.

I felt a vein might pop if we continue this conversation. Lesson learned, don't ghost prank others if you get scared of ghosts yourself. But I mean, I am not that scared of ghosts; the situation was just horrifying.

"I am curious about how the door slammed when you were near me, and why were the lights flickering so much?"

"I don't know," He shrugged. "I didn't know why. I told you that there's a ghost here in the meeting room, right?"

Goodness, gracious. Why would I be scared of a ghost when I am not a normal being myself? I am a mermaid, for goodness sake, I am acquainted with sea witches, fishes, sirens, and I am sure that the world does not limit only to those beings.