The Player Meets His Match

Chapter 6: Making New Friends

I was sitting on my desk at lunch time. I wanted to look for Janus to have lunch with him, but I can’t muster the courage to do so. I just kept looking at my laptop and read through the emails once more when I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

I looked up and saw the girl I waved to earlier standing behind me along with the other writers. They were clustered close together like a musical band, only they don’t look as stylish as a band. She said something but I had to ask her to repeat it as her voice was so soft.

Emmy: “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

Soft-Voiced Writer: “Would you like to have lunch with us?”

Emmy: “Oh, sure. I brought lunch, though. Is that okay?”

There were two male writers in the group. One of them replied.

Male Writer: “Oh, that’s fine. Some of us still bring packed lunch. We can still eat in the cafeteria.”

I smiled as I looked at all of their faces. They were all smiling at me and they all seemed so nice. I counted five of them in total. I stood up and took my bag. The soft-voiced girl said I should lock my computer before leaving my desk. I didn’t have any files on it yet so I told her I’ll set up a password next time.

As we walked towards the cafeteria, I learned that the soft-voiced writer’s name is Sophia. Nico was the male writer who spoke earlier, and the other male writer is Jaebum. He looked foreign, and I found out that he’s half-Korean. He came to the country to study English and he loved it here so he stayed. He’s actually pretty cute behind the glasses and buttoned up shirt. The other female writers were Erica and Pam.

I greeted them all and Nico kept asking me about my background and how I got to be hired by the publishing house. I learned that all of them had college degrees, and I got a little shy as I seem to be the least qualified in the bunch. Nico kept saying I shouldn’t worry because I got hired because of my writing skills anyway. He even joked that some college graduates can’t even write a decent sentence, let alone an entire paragraph.

I smiled as his remark made me feel better. I glanced at Jaebum momentarily, whom I caught smiling while looking at me. He looked away immediately.

When we got to the cafeteria, almost all of the tables were already occupied. Nico found a table in the corner and had us sit right away. There were six of us, but the table looked like it was good for only 4 so it was a tight fit. I sat on one end near the wall while Sophia sat in front of me and took out her packed lunch. The rest of them got up to buy food.

Sophia: “How old are you, Emmy?”

Emmy: “I’m 22. How about you?”

Sophia: “I’m 25. I’ve been working for the company for 3 years.”

Emmy: “What’s it like working for the publishing house?”

Sophia looked around probably to make sure that no one could hear what she’s about to say. I wonder why she had to. Is there a big secret she’s about to reveal?

Sophia: “Well, it’s financially rewarding. But to be honest, I feel bad whenever a book I wrote becomes a bestseller without anyone knowing I wrote it.”

Emmy: “Oh. So in 3 years, none of the books you wrote have been credited to you?”

Sophia: “None. But it’s okay, I can take it. I’m a single mom and as long as I can feed my son, I don’t care about that anymore.”

Emmy: “Oh. How old is he?”

Sophia: “He’s 2 years old.”

Sophia then showed me a picture of his cute son from her phone. His features look quite familiar but I can’t remember where I’ve seen them before.

Emmy: “He’s very cute.”

Sophia: “That he is. How about you? Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend, or kids?”

Emmy: “No. Not married, no boyfriend, no kids. I’ve actually never had a boyfriend before.”

I don’t know why I said that but I just felt comfortable talking to Sophia. She told me about her son and being a single mother, so why not. Just then, the other writers came back to the table. I was surprised as Jaebum took a seat right next to me. Since it was a tight space, I felt the back of his hand brush through mine, and I felt a little electricity pass through my body. He didn’t even look at me, so I pretended that I didn’t notice the contact.

As soon as Nico sat down, he started talking.

Nico: “So, what are we talking about?”

Sophia: “Emmy’s never had a boyfriend before.”

My face suddenly turned red, and the girls all teased me.

Nico: “Really? Wow. Maybe you’ll meet someone in the company.”

Emmy: “Uhm, I’m not really looking for a boyfriend right now. I just want to earn enough to help my family.”

I took my spoon and fork and started eating. My mom cooked soy chicken, which is my favorite. She marinates the chicken in soy sauce, pepper and other herbs and spices for at least an hour, then fries it. It’s so moist and eating it always makes me feel good.

I was surprised as Jaebum suddenly spoke in a soft voice, as if he was whispering to me.

Jaebum: “What’s that? It smells so good.”

Emmy: “Uhm, it’s soy chicken.”

Jaebum: “Can I have some? I’ll give you some of my kimchi.”

I’ve never tasted kimchi before, but I heard that it’s a staple among Korean dishes, much like rice is in Filipino dishes. I said “Okay,” and put a large piece of chicken on Jaebum’s plate. He put some kimchi on my rice and had me eat them together. It tastes weird at first, but as I started chewing it, the crunchiness complements the spicy and sour taste.

Jaebum: “Is it good?”

Emmy: “Yeah. It’s my first time to taste kimchi. It’s really good. I like the spicyness.”

Jaebum: “Do you like spicy food?”

Emmy: “Yes, I do.”

Jaebum: “I’ll bring some more kimchi tomorrow if you bring some more of your soy chicken.”

Emmy: “Okay.”

I can’t stop smiling as I kept eating. Jaebum kept putting kimchi on top of my rice, and I gave him some more of my soy chicken. I looked up momentarily and saw the girls looking at me and Jaebum as we ate.

Emmy: “What?”

Erica: “You two look really good together.”

As soon as she said that, I noticed Jaebum putting his head down. His skin is fair, so it’s very noticeable when he blushes. I noticed his ear turning beet red.

Nico: “Stop teasing them, guys. Jaebum is leaving soon, you know he can’t be involved with anyone.”

I looked at him, and he glanced at me before going back to eating. I felt a little sad knowing Jaebum will be leaving soon. I wonder how long he’ll be staying and where he’s going. He’s probably flying back to Korea.

I’ve only known him for a little while, but I feel comfortable with him already. I would like to get to know him more, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

We cleaned up after ourselves after eating, and we all headed back to our floor. Jaebum walked right next to me but he wasn’t talking. I decided to ask him about what Nico said.

Emmy: “Uhm, so you’re leaving soon?”

He looked at me and sighed before talking again.

Jaebum: “Yeah. I filed my resignation. I’ll be leaving in a month.”

Emmy: “Oh.”

Jaebum: “I’m flying back to Korea.”

Emmy: “Okay. Uhm, goodluck.”

Jaebum: ‘Yeah, thanks.”

We didn’t talk anymore until we reached our desks. The girls invited me to go to the restroom with them so we can freshen up. I brushed my teeth and washed my face on the sink. I was surprised as Pam walked towards me. Among the writers, she seems to be the most trendy. She’s wearing a blue dress with a cardigan on top, and her long hair is styled in waves.

Pam: “You know, you’re really pretty, That’s why Jaebum can’t take his eyes off of you. But you should probably let your hair down, or at least put it in a high ponytail.”

Emmy: “Thanks. I’m not comfortable with getting hair on my face.”

Pam: “I understand. If you want to restyle your hair, just let me know. I can make you over.”

Emmy: “Thanks, Pam. That’s a very pretty dress, by the way.”

Pam: “Thanks. I don’t have your curves, but I’m working with what I have.”

I smiled as I applied some powder on my face and put lip balm on my lips. I took some water and wet the sides of my hair so the strands that were falling will go back in place.

As we walked back to our desk, we had a pleasant conversation about the books they were working on. I am so glad that my workmates were so nice. I hope we can all be friends.