78 Companions (1/2)

When work hours were over Ha Eun groaned. She was tired from the day before and the day before that one. All she wanted was to go to sleep, but she remembered she promised Chang Wook to get some drinks with his secretary. What man ever does that?

She picked up her stuff and headed for the door. When she opened it, she saw a girl about to knock on the door. The first thing Ha Eun thought was ”pretty.”

”Can I help you?” Ha Eun asked her. The girl seemed to panic a little, and her face has become slightly red. What Ha Eun thought when she saw this girl panic was ”cute.”

The girl suddenly bowed and said, ”My name is Hong Joo; I am here to accompany you for a drink.”

Ha Eun was surprised at how pretty Chang Wook's secretary was. ”Why are secretaries always pretty?” Ha Eun wondered. She noticed how the girl was shaking ”Do I make you nervous?” Ha Eun asked her.

Hong Joo looked back up at her, and she had a massive smile on her face ”No, ma'am, I'm just really excited to meet you finally. I'm…I'm a big fan.”

What Hong Joo said made Ha Eun chuckle. She isn't a celebrity; she's just the CEO of a big corporation.

”I just might like you,” Ha Eun told her. Hong Joo's eyes widened, and she gave her a wide smile.

”Thank you!” Hong Joo said.

”What are some good bars around here?” Ha Eun asked her. Hong Joo recommended one quickly, and that's where the two decided to go.

The atmosphere around the two of them was awkward. They just met a few minutes ago, and one of them was the boss while the other was an employee who is a fan of her boss.

”So, tell me your story,” Ha Eun told Hong Joo.

”I started working at the company a few months ago as an intern...” Hong Joo started, but Ha Eun raised her hand, stopping her.

”I don't mean your work history,” Ha Eun said, ”I want to know Hong Joo the person, not the employee.”

”Well, I'm not a very interesting person,” Hong Joo said, forcing a chuckle. Right now, the conversation with Ha Eun wasn't going well, and she worried that Ha Eun wouldn't want to talk to her again ”Why wasn't I born more interesting?” she asked herself.

”Now, I don't believe that. If you managed to grab my little brother's attention, you are interesting.” Ha Eun said. Hong Joo's cheeks flushed red. She almost forgot that Ji Seok was Ha Eun's brother.

”How did you meet my brother, anyway?” Ha Eun asked her.

Hong Joo went on to explain how she met him, when he came to Chang Wok's office and then later that day he helped her get a purse snatcher and how the spent most of the night in the police station.

Ha Eun laughed. She never imagined Ji Seok running after a purse snatcher and him spending the night with a girl without doing anything perverted.

”Although I don't like the idea of Ji Seok going out with my employees, I do understand why he finds you interesting,” Ha Eun said.

Hong Joo looked down as she thought of Ji Seok and her dating. They aren't compatible, and Ha Eun already said that she didn't like the idea. Hong Joo forced a smile and said, ”I don't think we'll be seeing each other again, though.”

Ha Eun squinted her eyes ”What did he do?” she asked Hong Joo.

”It's like you said. Ji Seok and I, it's not a good idea,” Hong Joo said. Ha Eun widened her eyes.

”Whoa…wait. Listen. I did say that, but I didn't mean it like that” Ha Eun said ”If you're interested in Ji Seok, I won't stop you. We're not living in a drama. I'm just saying that he's an idiot.”

Hong Joo laughed, which made Ha Eun laugh as well. They then asked for more beer.

Ha Eun didn't want to bring up her brother again, seeing as she is no expert in relationships. She married a man before dating him after all, and the first guy she ever liked ended up being a psychopath.

They continued to talk, and the awkward atmosphere turned into one of comfort. Maybe it was because they enjoyed each other's company or perhaps it was because they were getting more and more drunk by the minute.

Ha Eun learned that Hong Joo has an older brother and her parents owned a ramen shop. Her family was better off before she was born, but because her father trusted some bad people, they lost everything they had and now lived like regular people.

Ha Eun thought Hong Joo shared a sad event from her family history and wondered whether to share her sad history about not knowing her birth parents and being adopted by Mr. Oh.

”Here's to your family's perseverance in the face of adversity,” Ha Eun said, and the two clinked their glasses together.

”Cheers!” Hong Joo said, and they asked for more drinks.

After a while, the two of them had their heads on the table and were munching on fried chicken.

”Have you ever seen a chicken lay an egg?” Ha Eun asked Hong Joo.

”No, but I've seen a chicken lay on top of her eggs” Hong Joo answered, ”Hey, what do you think came first, the chicken or the egg?” Hong Joo asked.

”I think that to answer this question; you need to analyze it from a philosophical viewpoint.”

”How so?” Hong Joo asked.

”That specific question is the same as asking what the meaning of life is.”

”So, what is the meaning of life?”