2. Jung Tae Oh.
Today's program was successful and completed as expected, team Leader Kim once again made Big Dream into an unlooked company for EO, and Kim Na Ra received compliments from both the top and the host of the event who entrusted it to her. The months of hard work go to waste, finding the building for the show is like finding a partner, not to mention the creativity that you and the team must bring out to the theme of the activity, since every event they handle has to have a different theme.
Fortunately the official events for a local brand are taking place during the day, so it's not too hard to be aware of the recent hours she has been working and going back and forth before completion, some of the office colleagues were talking about visiting the bar tonight, some of them wanted to sing karaoke in a stressive way. It's not unusual, usually if the show works out, one party will pay for a lot of drinks, and this time the Na Ra team is lucky because they don't have to spend a penny on it, the local brand's owner is ready to reach into her pocket.
Today's business is done, Na Ra has got everything she wants from the office including the extra million promised by her superiors, she is packing up and preparing to go home for another important matter. However, just opening the office door, Hwang In's face suddenly appeared like a ghost.
"Omo!"¹ The woman touched the breast. "What's wrong?"
Hwang In smiled kindly. "I hear some of you are going out for drinks tonight, where?"
"The usual place."
"You'll come?"
Na Ra nodded hesitantly. "Maybe."
"You're coming home?"
"Yes, I have another thing, this afternoon He Soo attends the basketball game for his final selection, I want to encourage him directly. So, I'm coming to K-high school after this."
In fact he never asked Na Ra to come see his basketball game, but seeing that boy so excited today, Na Ra would like to see firsthand how Kim He Soo ACTS on the basketball court.
Furthermore, the event had already been completed before noon, so Na Ra had enough time to visit K-high school herself.
"Can I walk you?" Hwang In in all him efforts, this morning intentionally picked up Na Ra without calling first, it's impossible for Na Ra to say no because she came just before she left.
One upsetting thing was that he couldn't negotiate to go with Na Ra to Hwang In's car, her brother rationalizing that she was going with her teammate. If Na Ra was stuck in the car with Hwang In, it's not a mutualism, it's not at all.
Na ra shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. There are some things I need to buy, don't you have another job?"
"I—"
"Hey, Hwang In-ssi, didn't the superior call you?" The voice of another person just passing by Hwang In rendered the man unable to move, and she was so close to giving the best reason to have enough time to send Kim Na Ra anywhere she had strayed, but time was off.
"Look, you're very busy. I'll be fine. don't worry about me." Na Ra gave Hwang In a good smile to get her excited, she passed him way to the elevator. Big Dream has six floors, and Na Ra's office is on the fourth floor with her men.
"Hey, Na Ra-ssi. Where are you going?" Nam Sa Haessun, Na Ra's office partner, just appeared in the lobby and stopped her friend's steps. They've been friends since Na Ra was an intern, Sa Haessun who was more careless than anyone, a dating app addict, but never got to the serious stage because she dumped the guys she dated.
Up to this point Na Ra still does not understand the application's usefulness because Sa Haessun's love story never works out, proving little if moving forward because luck would be hard to continue—for a Kim Na Ra.
"Ah, to K-high school, support Kim He Soo playing basketball. He has to get away with being a cool teenager at school."
"He Soo? If your age wasn't so far-fetched, I would have thought it was your lover."
Na Ra squeaks. "Stop, I have to go now."
"Wait." Sa Haessun took out a piece of candy from her brown coat pocket, then grabbed Na Ra's hand and put down the candy. "It's a lucky candy."
"Gingerbread?"
"Maybe. Ah yes, congratulations on your success today, you've worked so hard for this company. You deserve to be Lee Hwang In's wife. You too—" Sa Haessun's lips went silent after Na Ra smogged her, so it was like this, going straight and radio for an office, once Sa Haessun announced a news, some would believe, some would wonder, because Sa Haessun had so often been spoken.
"Aniyo."² Na Ra confirmed. "Don't say anything else, you understand?" Her hand came down from Sa Haessun's lips.
"Arasseo."³ Without saying longer Sa Haessun could read the meaning of Na Ra's gaze.
"Ah, wait a minute." Kim Na Ra opened a candy wrapper, then packed it into Sa Haessun's lips. "It is better for you to stop saying things that are not true. Bangawayo."* Na Ra stepped up again, making so haessun nearly explode because of her actions.
***
The dominant bouquet of blue flowers and Kim He Soo's favorite box of chocolate accidentally bought it before coming to K-high school, it used to be his school for many good days like the morning sun greeting the world. A lot changed from K-high school, whether from the expansion of the building to the faculty, but probably not everyone knew Kim Na Ra even though the old teacher who passed her.
She wasn't a popular student, unlike Kim He Soo trying to achieve that status. Na Ra was a loner, loved music and books, and she never targeted anyone in school, never followed any organization, two close friends, but they no longer live in Seoul.
Na Ra steps down the steps to the hallway that lead to the stands, the in door version of the basketball court, most of her students are already home, so the corridor looks deserted. Probably only those of the audience and the team that still survived at the school, now the short needle had touched three.
As she entered the basketball room, there was a roar and applause from both sides, separating right and left from only a dozen steps leading up to the main door. Na Ra chose an empty seat by the stairs, but it turns out that many K-high school students are taking the time to go to the final selection game, call it the final event.
Na Ra saw Kim He Soo, a seventeen-year-old candle blowing just two months ago—looking very active, dribbing balls and sharing with a teammate. She didn't expect he'd see her here to keep him focused on the action.
Sitting for only a few minutes, Kim Na Ra's phone kept ringing, and she could only breathe when she saw the caller's name. Again Lee Hwang In, she has no intention of lifting it, just leave it to the finish.
The woman's eyes were narrowed down to the field, not to see the game of he soo there, but to a man in a different T-shirt showing up in the middle of the field and talking to he and the other students.
Jung Tae Oh, really?
Na Ra was secretly watching, her focus no longer on He Soo, even though her brother his just scored, Na Ra did not applaud.
"Omo! Kim He Soo is really talented!"
"You're right, he has to pass!"
"He Soo-ya!** I'm on to you!"
Na ra came back to Kim He Soo after hearing the screams of some of the girls in the lower levels, but Na Ra couldn't see their faces, and smiled that her brother his grown so busy talking about her.
"He Soo-ya! Hwaiting!" Na Ra joined her in cheering for the younger brother without forgetting her big smile, bringing all her prayers to he.
Kim Na Ra's voice caused the man she had looked at and stood up, where their eyes met, to wonder what he was thinking as he moved up one step at a time before stopping right near Kim Na Ra.
"Kim Na Ra?"
Na Ra goes, "Jung Tae Oh?"
"Ah, that's right." Tae Oh smiles wide, he stretches out his hand. "Bangawayo, didn't expect to see you here again."
Na Ra didn't hesitate to shake tae oh's hand. "How are you? I didn't expect to see you here, you working here?"
"On the side, my uncle was a sports teacher at K-high school, and he asked me to be a basketball coach. Just the basketball coach."
"Ah, that's right. You're good at playing basketball."
"So, what are you doing here by yourself? You're not in high school anymore." There's this kind of laughter, Jung Tae Oh is still like that, always laughing at things that don't matter. He looked over at the chair on the side of the chair that had been sitting there, and there were flowers and boxes of chocolates. "Who have you come for? You're dating a high school kid? Wow."
"Aniyo. I came to see my brother, Kim He Soo."
"Kim He Soo?" Tae Oh looks over the field. "Ah, so he's your brother? No wonder his talent is amazing."
"He'll be glad to hear it."
"Can I have your phone number? We can talk more next time."
"Of course."
Tae Oh took out the phone and extended it to Kim Na Ra. "Note it there." When Na Ra wrote down her number, tae oh looked at the woman's eyelids, she smiled slightly.
"Got it? Thank you very much. I gotta get back on the field." Just two steps down tae oh steps, he turned to Na Ra to continue. "And, I think Kim He Soo will make the selection for the school's main team."
***
Disclaimer/
¹Omo : Oh my gosh!
²aniyo : no
³arraseo : i understand
*bangawayo : nice to meet you
**He Soo-ya : Like the prefix (-ssi) prefix (-ya) after a person's name suggests that their relationship is much closer.