A furtive glance and a nervous shuffle.
Seol Yoon-ah stood rooted to the same spot she had found herself five minutes ago when she had been called into the Ceo's office. The moment she had settled into her seat in order to prepare for work– despite the misguided stares and whispers she'd endured on her way to her seat– she was summoned to Kim Tan's office.
When she'd gotten to the office, she had done nothing but stand in front of him. He had said nothing. The silence was stifling, with only the movements of paperwork as he flipped through them, resounding in the otherwise quiet office. His focus keen and unwavering. The silence pressed against her, thick and unrelenting. She stood, posture straight and stiff, waiting.
And waiting.
Internally, she groaned. Ten minutes of suffocating silence had passed now and Kim Tan had still not uttered a sound about why she was here. She wondered if the whispers about herself had reached him already. She already thought about talking to Kim Tan before this but now it just seems like she's in trouble.
Was she to lose her job today? Because of a false rumor? She had done nothing wrong to deserve this treatment.
She stole a glance at him. Mr.Ceo didn't look up, the only sign that he even acknowledged her presence was the way his fingers tapped, slow and deliberate, against the desk.
Her fingers twitched at her sides. At this point she was battling with the voice in her head screaming for her to speak– to say something, anything! The voice was steadily winning.
After a bout of push and pull in her mind and another agonizing beat of slience, she gathered the nerves to break it and hesitantly decided to talk to him.
She swallowed, "...sir... You haven't said a word about what you need me for yet.." she fidgeted. Her voice steady, but inside, she braces herself. Losing this job wouldn't kill her, although her mood would be down in the dumps for a few weeks– it most certainly wouldn't kill her. She would only lose an opportunity she would probably never get again to widen her horizons. This was the best company in the country and it would be such a big shame to lose valuable working experience.
Kim Tan who had been busily writing away, finally graced Yoonah with his attention. He carefully placed his fountain pen on the paper work before looking back at her. His gaze, serious, deep and scalding.
He stared at her for a long, heated minute, his expression blank, not giving away what he might be thinking of. Yoonah didn't want to lose. She stared right at him too, the remains of her battered confidence keeping her rooted in place, a grim expression on her face. She honestly wished she would leave this place already.
If I'm getting fired, why is he dragging this out? Just get this over with already!
Her hands clenched at her sides. It was now a silent battle of who would look away first. She shifted on her feet.
Kim Tan stared. His hands clasped together as his elbows rested on the desk. His expression inscrutable. He watched her like a puzzle he was in no hurry to solve.
Yoonah stared right back, her eye brows narrowed and her expression grave. She bit her lips.
Another beat passed.
Then another.
Her brows furrowed. What is he thinking?
Kim Tan dropped his hands, his eyes still on her.
"...Ha.."
Yoonah blinked. Did he just–
Before she could process it, a chuckle rumbled from his chest. His lips curled, and the sound deepened into a full-bodied laugh.
Yoonah could not believe her eyes and well her ears, the man she had been locked in a staring contest with a moment ago, laughed.
He laughed.
He laughed at her.
She frowned.
Her eyes widened and her shoulders tensed.
"Aha–hahaha" he burst into laughter. His laughter spilled into the room, rich and unrestrained.
She stared at him, his expression while laughing was a delight to the eyes and a sight to behold, but she was not in the mood to care. She had thought she would lose her job today, but suddenly he's laughing. She didn't know what to do with the annoyance building in her chest.
"What's so funny, sir?" She asked, her voice tight.
"Why, you ask?" He smiled at her, "You looked like you wanted to poop of course." He chuckled, rubbing his forehead in amusement as his eyes glinted with an unrestrained amusement.
He leaned back.
Her face contorted.
His face sporting an innocent smile, like he didn't know what he had just said to her.
The anger Yoonah had stomached on her way to work that had been snuffed out before, reawakened. This time not for Baek Jisoo, but for her boss, Kim Tan.
An insult.
From her boss.
She frowned.
She clenched her fists again– this time, to resist the urge to throw something at him.
1–0 Kim Tan!
She laughed, "ah..hahahaha..ha" a very fake one to boot. It took some self control for her to force it out of her mouth. Her eyes twitched in annoyance as she forced a smile.
"Do...do you think sooooO?" She said, sounding courteous, her voice cracking towards the end. She scratched her neck in false amicability.
Kim Tan said nothing but watch her, a smile still lingering on his lips. He folded his arms.
She had never seen Kim Tan in a better mood than today. She exhaled.
It doesn't seem like she would be losing her job today.
"Sir to be honest, I thought you would fire me today to end the bad rumours." She said, her fingers clasped together.
"..hm." he said nothing else. Only a small smirk on his lips. He glanced at his documents before standing up. "Have a sit."
Kim Tan didn't take his time to position himself on the sleek black arm chair in the seating area as he gestured for her to seat.
Yoonah blinked at him before making her way there and sitting down on the sofa close to Kim Tan.
"We both know such rumors are not true. I've sent someone from HR to deal with it." Probably Mrs. Oh, if not her then who else? Yoonah wondered. Kim Tan sat comfortably on his chair, his legs crossed as his hands tapped on the arm of the chair.
"But that is not the reason I called you here," He glanced at her, a meaningful expression on his face.
"Prepare for a business trip, we'll be going to a branch in Taiwan."