Midnight Love

Chapter 6

When I arrive at the building the next day, I scan my card to gain entry, and there are two security guards standing in front of the door. I received notice today that we will be meeting for an important assignment. I need to find room 45D, so I take the elevator and examine my attire. Today, I went for a more minimalist look. The elevator comes to a halt, and two more women enter; they smile at me, and I smile back. 'Have you heard the news?'

'What, about Snake?' One of the ladies stated.

'I'm so glad the South section is in charge of it, I don't want to deal with that one,' she laughs. The elevator doors open, and they both exit.

I'm a little confused right now; who is the snake, and why are they pleased that the South section is responsible? 'Jia, relax; it's probably not that difficult,' I told myself. The elevator arrives at my destination. I look around for the location where I need to be.

I look around for the location where I need to be. I see an open door and hear some people talking; the meeting should begin in about 4 minutes. I enter the room and see Binna sitting at a desk in front of me, as well as a man standing in front of a presentation. I notice a group of people sitting around a table and take a seat between two empty seats, pulling out my laptop to pretend I'm busy. Binna smiled at me from a distance.

Eunji enters the room and walks toward me; I set my bag down on the floor so she can sit next to me. 'Hey! 'How are you doing?' I questioned of her. She still appears exhausted and tired. 'To be honest, Jia, I watched an entire season yesterday,' she smiles. The lights in the room were turned off, and we can now clearly see the presentation on the screen. 'Welcome! Everyone, thank you for coming; it has been a long time since we held an important meeting; we have a new employee, please welcome Jia! My name is Dal, and I'm the Assistant-Director of k-news.' He says as he stands in front of the room.

Everyone is staring at me, and I'm unsure what to do, so I decided to stand up and introduce myself. 'Hello everyone, my name is Jia, and I'm excited to be a part of k-news,' I say professionally. Everyone else in the room smiled and welcomed me. 'Thank you for introducing yourself, Jia; now let us get back to business.' Dal says. Dal is a short man wearing a pricey suit and glasses. He appears to be intelligent and wealthy.

''I'm not happy to talk about it, but...the snake has returned to the country,' Dal says, breathing heavily. Everyone is looking at each other, puzzled and shocked. 'What's going on, Eunji?' I ask. Eunji looks at me and whispers in my ear. 'Listen carefully to Dal, He will explain,' Dal shows us a timeline of 'the snake's' activities. Dal explained everything in detail.

'As you know, no one has ever discovered how he did any of this, and even the WDES is having a difficult time,' After hearing Dal's explanation, I completely understand why they call this criminal "the snake." This person can rob an entire bank and you would not hear, see, or notice anything. The only thing you'll notice is the amount of money in the bank.

Dal approaches me after the meeting and says 'Hey Jia! I should make a proper introduction.' He introduced himself and shared some amusing stories about himself; he has been with k-news for about 6 years. He began as a journalist in the south section before being promoted to assistant director. 'If you need anything, you can always ask me, I know everything here,' he says, laughing.

We both cracked a few jokes before returning to our different offices. I arrive at my office, put down my belongings, open my laptop, and jot down all of the meeting notes. Eunji's desk is directly across from mine, and she is sipping her coffee while looking at me. 'You appear to be prepared to find the snake,' she said. I smiled at her as I typed over all of my notes on my laptop. 'I'm really looking forward to doing this.' To be honest, I have no idea where or how to begin, but I suppose that's the job of a journalist.

Binna entered the office and took a look at my desk, which was covered in notes. 'Hello, Jia! 'Do you seem to be prepared to solve this mystery?' She states. I sorted through all of my notes because it was taking up my entire desk. 'I'am! It's a fascinating case!' I tell her. Binna looks at Eunji and start to reflect. 'You know, Jia, today is your second day, but do you want to be in charge of the snake case?' She asks. I feel incredibly honored to be able to do this, but I also feel insecure. 'Yes! 'I'll get it done!' I say yes without hesitation to Binna.

Binna smiled and handed me a shoe box containing all of papers. 'Here are the most recent news articles about the snake; if you want more, there's a full shelf in the basement,' she says. I put my hair in a high ponytail and roll my sleeves, then open the box and go through all the papers, noting anything suspicious that came to mind.

After hours of writing, searching, reading, and searching the internet, I made a list of everything. This snake person is unquestionably a burden on our society. Even the WDES can't find anything because the snake is so good at hiding. I feel like I've just embarrassed myself by telling myself I'll solve this mystery.

I didn't realize it was already time to go home after hours of working. I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm still motivated. 'Jia, you worked so hard today! Eunji tells me, you deserve the weekend.' That is correct; I have been working all day. 'I can't wait for tomorrow; I read the restaurant reviews and everyone says the food is delicious!' I sighed, exhausted. Eunji and I both left the building and walked home. We talked again, and it felt great to have a friend in Seoul. We both said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

Someone is standing behind me as I open my door. When I turn around, it's Chul. He smiled at me with his beautiful smile and fluffy hair. My heart begins to race, and I freeze because I don't know what to say. 'Jia, long time no see' says Chul. 'Chul...How are you?' I inquire. He shows me his paper-filled bag. 'I have a lot of work today, I have to correct all of my students tests, no weekend for me,' he says, smiling.

Every word he says is so warm that it makes me feel as if I've known him for a long time. 'What subject do you give at school?' I request of Chul. He pulls a book from his bag. It was a book with a map of the world on it. 'Guess? 'What are your thoughts?' He states. I take the book from the shelf and open it. 'Geography!' I exclaim. He gave me a high five and nodded.

'You know, I'm pretty good at geography, and I'm a journalist, so I know a little bit about countries' I clarify. Chul smiled and paused for a moment. 'I've got an idea! Let's go to the cupcake shop; you help me, and I'll buy you cupcakes.' Chul asks, his face is so soft and gentle.

I'm not sure what to say; I want some cupcakes and to help Chul, but I also want to work on this project. I accepted Chul's offer, and we walked to the cupcake shop to take place. I chose a pink glitter cupcake and a blue cupcake with mini clouds on top. 'Look how adorable these cupcakes are,' I say out loud. Chul examines the cupcakes and selects one. 'They remind me of you, cute,' he remarks. I feel embarrassed and thank him.

He puts on his glasses, making him even cuter. We both correct all of the tests and make jokes about some of the answers. 'How do you like it as a teacher?' I asks of him. He begins to think. 'Perhaps you should come see for yourself?' He proposed. As I previously stated, every word that he says feels so warm. 'I will!' I say, cheerfully.

We both finish our cupcakes and look out the window; it's already late, but at least I assisted him with all of his work. I get to my feet and put on my jacket. 'Thank you, Jia, for your extra help and the date.' he says as he stands up and puts on his jacket. 'Date?' I ask, puzzled. He laughed and returned all of the tests to his bag.

We both walk to the door, and I'm at a loss for words as we stand in front of it. 'I'm really glad I met you, Jia.' Chul says. I look into his eyes and all I feel is the same feeling I had when I first fell in love with Shiwoo. Someone walks past us, ruining my moment with Chul by passing with his massive motorcycle in his hands. I look closely, and it was the rude person who bumped into me twice in a row.

I tell Chul goodbye and follow that person, who is getting faster and faster. It's strange that he's not looking back, but I have a feeling he's aware of someone following him. I start running because he's taking big steps with his long legs. He jumps on his motorcycle and starts it. I see him letting something fall to the ground. When I pick it up, it's a key, most likely a house key and a car key. Now I know how to address him and inform him of his behavior.