Get To Work!

It was peaceful and quiet, and the world was still. All I could hear were the noises made by the insects, which were too difficult to even explain. This was my favorite time of day—yes, midnight!

I was on the balcony of our house while sipping on my fourth cup of black coffee. I was out here getting some inspiration for my second novel, and the minute that I got too immersed in it, Mr. Brown's face would pop into my mind. I know that he's going to be my character's model; however, it is not necessary for me to always be thinking about him. But then, I guess that it could not be helped, as I would really need to base my character off of him and make him the most attractive man in this world that I am about to create!

The phone, which was resting on the table beside my laptop, began to vibrate. It was Mr. Brown who was calling. I picked it up. "You're still awake?"

I heard a sound so familiar to me—the closing of a book. I guess that he was reading, but it was already a quarter to two. I wonder why he could not sleep. Mr. Brown breathed out through his lips and answered, "I was rereading your first novel, Miss Kim. So I'd know how I am supposed to act in front of you. Pretty sure you'd want this male character to become magnetic to women, so I needed to know how you perceive men."

"What did you find?" My thumbnail was in between my teeth when I asked him that. I was proud of my first novel; I could never lie about that. But this person was my editor, not to mention a man! My heart was pounding hard in my chest. I was hoping that my perception of men in my book was not overexaggerated. Sure, they were all my ideal type of men, but I sincerely hope that Mr. Brown did not find them weird and unrealistic.

"You like men to be tough, Miss Kim. You like them to be more manly than they look, but you also value their feelings and emotions. However, there is one thing that I am not quite sure if I can pull off, though."

"And that is?"

"Your male characters were all sexy, and I am afraid that I'm nothing like that."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "What the heck are you talking about? Women would never drool over you if you weren't sexy, Mr. Brown! Have you seen all those girls from the café yesterday? They were all dying to strike up a conversation with you, but because you were with me, they couldn't. It was a shame; you could have met somebody that could become your girlfriend that day, but because of my presence, they were content by just staring at you from a distance. You can't tell lies such as you don't think you're handsome or sexy—that's bullshit! I've never seen anybody who wears a hoodie and sweat pants, but he was capable of turning people's heads! I mean—" I realized that I was saying too much and covered my mouth, stopping mid-sentence. There was silence from the other end of the line as my face flushed in embarrassment. I am an idiot. Mr. Brown must now be thinking how weird I am for keeping my eyes on him all the time!

A light chuckle from the man over the phone with me made my heart skip another beat, but it was not because I was attracted to him; I was afraid to hear his comment or for him to call me anything strange. "I had not realized that you've been watching over me."

My head drooped low. "I'm sorry..." 

"I guess you really decided on making me the model for your male lead."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Brown. I hope you weren't offended by the fact that I acted like that when we were together. But you have to know that you really are a handsome man, and I wanted my male lead to become like you."

"Where should we meet tomorrow?"

"Pardon me?" 

"We should start getting to work, don't you agree? Did I not say that I'd become your reference model for your character, but you'd have to finish this book in two months?"

My body collapsed on the seat. I had melted like a marshmallow that's been heated in the fire for about a minute. Yes, I remember that. I guess nothing is really free these days. I was going to use him; of course, I have to offer him something in return. More and more sleepless nights for me, yay! I wish I could say this without sounding so sarcastic.

"Then, how about you go to my place tomorrow? That'd be helpful for the two of us. I've still got plenty of workload, and thankfully, I could have it done in my house. You could watch me while I work, since that's all you need, right?"

I could not think of a response. Technically, he was right; I would only need to see him and study him thoroughly. But to go to his house to do that? I had never imagined that he'd invite me to his home! He could have suggested that we meet at the café like before, but that idea was completely thrown out of the window!

But if I were to be in his shoes, I think that if I were given the chance to do my job at home, there's no other place that I'd rather be. Perhaps Mr. Brown has been craving to stay inside these days, since I think he's got more than five writers to handle and to review each of their manuscripts. Mr. Brown must be exhausted, and he is still working hard even at home. It'll be okay, right? We're co-workers, and even if he is not my model, I would still need to meet with him as he is my editor.

"Okay, Mr. Brown. You can send me the address, and I'll go there as fast as I can. What time would you like me to come?"

"10 at best, then we could have lunch and dinner together."

"All right, then I'll see you tomorrow!"

That's what I said—full of confidence, like I was not worrying about anything. But here I was, standing in front of his house's door, frozen and trembling. It is a quarter to ten. I came a little bit earlier than we planned, but I think that was better than arriving late. I pulled my phone out of my tote bag and sent Mr. Brown a text message. I can't just ring the doorbell; he may still be sound asleep at this time.

I heard a click from the inside, and the door revealed a man who looked totally charming, even though he had just woken up. I could have taken a picture of him, but I was afraid that it might offend him.

"You're early," he whispered as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry; I slept late last night and completely forgot that you'd come over today. My house is a mess."

I could tell just from standing here. He's an adult, and I figured that he would be living alone, but I guess it's true that it's hard to maintain the cleanliness of your home when you're too devoted to your work. This was the case for Mr. Brown.

Nevertheless, he let me in and ran back into his room to change out of his pajamas. I was right that he was still asleep; it was a smart move to send him a text before ringing the doorbell.

He was not lying when he said that this entire place was a mess—there were empty cup noodles on the floor, soda cans, and bags of chips. I shook my head in disappointment. It appeared that he only ever eats convenience store food, which is obviously not good for the body or for his health.

"Don't you know how to cook?" I blurted out those words without thinking twice, and Mr. Brown shot me a glare. I covered my mouth with one hand.

"I do," he replied, and he dumped all the trash into the garbage bin. "I just do not have the time for it. As you can see, I've got mountains of manuscripts to read and a bunch of papers to sign. How could I possibly have the time to cook myself a proper meal?"

I clapped my hands. "I know! Let me cook for you!"

"Excuse me?" 

I raised a brow and crossed my arms. "Don't you have any faith in me? My parents were great at cooking, and so am I!" I stood on the couch and forced him to sit down. "You can stay right here, Mr. Brown. Please let me use your kitchen for a while. I'll call you when breakfast is ready. You can start working while you wait."

"Are you sure, Miss Kim? This is not very admirable of me; you're a visitor. I was supposed to serve you."

I laughed. "Stop acting all nice now, Mr. Brown; it does not suit your image of a domineering man. You can just take this time to relax and eat a proper breakfast after a long while."

His fridge was almost empty; I actually gasped when I opened it. All it has are bottles of water and microwavable food—it was not that he was embarrassed about having a lady cook him a meal, but it was because there was nothing inside his fridge that needed to be cooked. How is this man really living his life?

I flinched when the door of the cold fridge closed, and I could feel another person's presence behind me. "It's alright, Miss Kim, it's not like I'd die if I skip breakfast."

My knees bent as I walked sideways to free myself from the muscled arms that were on my sides, and I ran back to the living room. I took a deep breath and exhaled a little loudly. I need to calm myself down. Mr. Brown is too handsome for me to handle. This is definitely because I have not hung out with a man for such a long time; my heart is beating like crazy!

Will I ever be able to survive this day?