Office Diaries

"Maám, would you like a drink?"

Yanee Lee looked up from the doc.u.ments she had been scanning to see the smiling face of the flight attendant. A trolley of drinks was parked next to her seat and her lips stretched to return the smile.

A sense of déjà vu assailed her as something similar happened on her way to South Korea just a few days ago.

Didn't this happen already? She asked herself but shook her head instead. Why wouldn't it be familiar? For the next month, a situation like this would happen again and again as she would be flying a lot.

"Apple juice, please. Thank you," she said and waited for the stewardess to hand her the cup.

She smiled and thanked the woman again before placing the cup on the tray table on her left side before she turned her attention back to the papers she was reading. On her l.a.p was the information about the second interviewee, Ashley Zhang Li. Attached on the file on the upper right part was a glossy photo of the lady.

However, this time around, there was no longer any need for the photos in the doc.u.ments since Yanee had all met them already at the party and were familiar with them.

She smiled. She recalled the tall beauty who was obviously a European-Asian mix. The elegant brown-eyed brunette appeared to be distant but was actually the friendliest in the group. The night of the party, it was Ash who had asked to take tons of photos with her. She also apologized to Yanee since she had to take the trouble to fly to Hong Kong for her interview even if she already assured the lady that it was nothing.

The total flight duration from Seoul to Hong Kong was around three hours and six minutes sans delays. There was still around two hours into her journey, and so Yanee took this chance to close her eyes and relax after finishing her glass of apple juice. When she opened her eyes, it was enough time to go to the washroom before the airplane descended.

Soon, the plane arrived at Hong Kong International Airport or better known as Chek L.a.p Kok International Airport. Like what happened previously in South Korea, this time, it was Ashley who had arranged for someone to pick Yanee up and delivered her to her designated hotel under Ali Group of Companies. 

Maison Pierre was located in the city centre. Normally it would take twenty-four to twenty-eight minutes by Hong Kong Airport Express from the airport to the city. But since Yanee was picked up by the hotel car, the drive would take forty minutes to reach the City of Victoria, Hong Kong's capital.

When the car reached the hotel, she was no longer as shocked as she was before when the manager himself brought her to a presidential suite. She thanked the man who happily informed her that Madam Li would come to the hotel in the afternoon to visit her before he left.

Yanee sighed as she placed her small suitcase in the closet. She didn't bother taking her clothes out as she would be leaving Hong Kong the next day. This was an unexpected trip and the Li couple was really busy, so she wouldn't want to stay longer than she had to. If she didn't leave immediately, Ash and Alex might worry and still cater to her, which she didn't want. She decided to take the flight back to Tokyo tomorrow around noon.

She glanced at the clock which read half-past noon. Technically, it's lunchtime, but Yanee wouldn't eat anymore as she ate the food served on the plane earlier. She left Seoul early in the morning today with the potato bringing her to the airport, which meant she had a hearty breakfast as well. Tohru James seemed to love eating.

Speaking of the potato…

Yanee walked towards the bed and fell there on her back, spread-eagled.  Her eyes stared at the ceiling as she tried her best to remember her conversation with her boss last night.

Create your own love story…

This was what Tohru James told her last night when she asked about the legitimacy of Yunjae's story for the book. She was only hoping to get some clarification about that small concern. She didn't know it would give her more work she needed to do.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips.

Well, at least she was able to ask her boss as early as the first interview. If not, she'd have started writing the Kang couple's love story as 'book one' of the anthology but would end up wasting her time. She thought all she needed to do was interview them and then write their story. She didn't know that all their experiences would only be the soul or the reference to the story she would be writing.

Yanee felt a bit depressed. If it's like that – if she needed to write a different story and not just write down theirs, then it would be difficult. She was too cynical and romantically disillusioned to write something romantic. She reckoned, instead of writing, "The man had hurt her so but she loves him so much so she forgives him," she would probably write it like "The man had hurt her so, and so she kicks his balls until they fall off. Men like him do not deserve to have descendants."

A laugh escaped her lips. Well, she could totally write something similar as the one she thought last. For the nth time since she accepted the project, she questioned her sanity. She still believed she's an idiot to have taken on this assignment. She should have just stuck to her guns and resigned.

Nonetheless, it was too late to change her mind now. She already finished the first interview and already met everyone involved in the project. Besides, after meeting the girls and giving them the assurance that she'd work hard to finish the book, she'd be a big fat liar and a coward if she backed out now.

"It can't be helped…"

Thinking about the task ahead, she set an alarm on her phone and she removed her shoes so she could take a nap until three in the afternoon.

When she woke up, Yanee didn't waste time. She quickly took out clothes from her small suitcase and took a quick shower. In an hour she already had things ready and just waited for Ash to come. The presidential suite had its own living room, so she and Ash decided to have the interview there instead of Yanee going to the trouble of coming to their place instead. Ash and Alex had a very hectic schedule so they mostly lived in their own hotels instead of going back to their house.

 At half-past four in the afternoon, the bell to her door rang, and Yanee opened it with a welcoming smile. "Hey!"

Ash, looking gorgeous in her simple cashmere one side off-shoulder sweater, the color or beige, and white slacks, stood outside her door. Her ensemble was completed with a four-inch skin-toned pair of stilettos.

"Hey!" Ash entered the room happily to engulf Yanee in a hug.

Yanee was as tall as Ash, and so it wasn't awkward for them to stand together. However, the greetings finished almost immediately when Ash ushered some room service staff to set up the table for a plethora of snacks and beverages.

"Wow! It looks like we raided the kitchen," Yanee grinned at the full table.

Actually, the staff carried another table to add to the one already in the room to fit in all the food. Ash laughed.

"Don't worry about that. I love eating and I heard from Tohru you enjoyed eating as well," Ash said as soon as they sat.

"Eh? Boss said that?"Yanee felt aggrieved.

"Oh? Why? Is it a secret?"Ash teased, and Yanee laughed.

"No, not at all. But the boss already destroyed my diet. We did nothing but eat in Korea," Yanee stated amidst imaginary tears. "I think I won't eat when I go back to Tokyo to make up for all the eating I did during my business trip."

"When are you going back?" Ash asked as she popped a cheese cube in her mouth.

"Tomorrow noon," Yanee informed her, and Ash looked apologetic.

"I'm really sorry if aside from rushing you to come, you had to rush to leave as well," she said but Yanee already heard this apology several times so she assured her again.

"Anyway, if you're ready, mind if we start?"Yanee asked with a smile and Ash nodded.

"Sure," Ash said. "Actually we don't have much time until Ira comes here with his dad, so it's good to start early."

"Alright," Yanee smiled. "This one is actually simple. You don't have to tell me things that you're not comfortable disclosing."

At the mention of the word 'not comfortable', Ash chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. I'm alright b.a.r.e n.a.k.e.d. I don't need to hide. I'm not a blushing miss," she told her meaningfully as she batted her lashes at her, and Yanee had a feeling she would hear something X-rated, and she laughed along.

Oh well…

She had forgotten that Ash grew up in Europe and was very open and western in her thinking.

"So, where do I start?" Ash asked.

"You may start with how you met Alex," Yanee advised but then again to not make things difficult for her, and make jotting her notes easier, she added. "Or tell me about something about your relationship that inspired you the most – like a turning point."

If Yanee had to create her own love story, she would need to hear meaningful events that simple love stories.

Ash looked thoughtful for a while, before letting out a sigh. "Actually," she started and Yanee turned to her eagerly. "Our real love story didn't start when we first got together."

Huh?

"What do you mean?"Yanee was confused. Their love story didn't begin when they became lovers? How was that even possible?

"You look confused," Ash smiled.

"I actually am," Yanee admitted. "Do you mean to say that you did not love him at first?"

Ash shook her head. "I love him alright," she answered immediately. "But you know what people say about trusting and loving? When you cannot fully trust then love is not enough."

Yanee was floored. She wondered if Alex ever cheated on his wife before they got married. Her awkward meter just jumped. She had no idea what to say.

"Er…"

Ash turned to the window, looking out, but her eyes were not seeing the view but the distant past before she opened her mouth to tell her story. "In a relationship, falling in love is actually the easiest part. The hardest one is giving your trust, most especially when you, unfortunately, experienced something painful before and you have fear in your heart…"

Yanee didn't notice she inhaled sharply at Ash's words. It was as if the woman had spoken what's in her own heart, and she held her breath as she listened to her story.