Nice To Meet You

Moment I Spoke Your Name

Jae

“Dude! How'd it go?”

I look up to see that I've made it back to my office somehow, although anyone who sees me will probably wonder why on earth I'm just standing in front of my desk, staring out into space.

“Hey, dude. Jae! My man! Say something. You're making me nervous here,” Johnny tells me. Johnny Park is my only friend, so far, in NewCity Tech. Hell, he's my only friend so far, here in Singapore.

And he and I go way back. All the way back to the States. We first became friends when we learned that we were both the youngest members of NewCity Tech's IT department, although he’s still older by two years. Despite the small age gap, we discovered that we had a lot of things in common. We bonded over our similar tastes in music, fashion, and even our preference for wine.

We also bonded about how similar our upbringings were.

I'm lucky that I found someone I can hang out with and whose company I actually enjoy. It also helped a lot that in terms of work, we were good at different things. So despite the fact that we were in the same department, we never felt the need to compete with one another. On the contrary, we encouraged each other to go for our goals.

Then, a couple of years ago, Johnny was given a promotion along with the chance to move to the Singapore office as our company was focusing on growing our operations in Southeast Asia. As sad as I was that I was losing my best friend in the office, I was happy that he got the recognition he deserved. I knew how important that offer was to him.

Johnny, although American through and through, was born to Korean immigrant parents. To honor his parents’ courageous spirits and to show them that through their example, he learned to take calculated gambles, he decided to leave his comfort zone for a chance at something better. It’s in his DNA. So off he went. Being a risk-taker is in his blood and he knows that his parents will be proud of his pursuit of success.

Then late last year, he let me know that they needed a Senior IT Procurement Manager and imagine that. That's exactly what I am.

So here I am.

There was a lot of preparation needed before I was finally ready to move but once I was, everything happened so fast, I sometimes still slap myself just to make sure that what’s happening to me is real. I’m not just dreaming.

I feel someone shaking me by the arm. “Huh?” I say, surprised that Johnny is no longer just by the door of my office but is standing right next to me.

“Oh, Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey! It’s your first day here and you’re already like this?”

My ears feel hot and I just know that the tips of them are all red again. I curse myself for blushing so easily. Now I’m never gonna hear the end of it from Johnny. I ignore him, pretending that I didn’t hear him at all. I get behind my desk and flip the lid of my laptop up, eager to get to work.

“Don’t act cute on me, Jae. It’s your first freaking day in the office. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you have work you need to do right now?”

I’m pretty sure that by this time, the redness has spread to my entire face. Does he really need to attack me like this? “Hey! I have some forms that I need to fill out. Sent by HR. But ok, f**k that, sure! I don’t have a lot of work yet. What’s your excuse? Don’t you have some important meeting you need to attend? How do you have the time to hang out here in my office?” I ask him.

Johnny throws his head back and laughs. “Dude! I told you! I’m your buddy. So, of course, I need to set aside time for my buddy to make sure that he’s getting on well on his first day. As a NewCity Tech person, it’s important to me that you have a positive experience on your first day with us. You—”

“Ok, ok! I get it. Will you cut the bull crap, please!” I plead.

“I will if you tell me how your introduction to her went,” Johnny answers just as sits on one of the chairs facing my desk.

The memory of Sunny suddenly comes back to me.

“Dude, come on! How can you have it so bad so soon after meeting someone?” Johnny interrupts my thoughts. “Are you even aware that you have the goofiest smile on your face right now? Like be for f*****g real.”

I shrug. I have just made the decision that I’m not gonna let Johnny get to me. “What can I do? The memory of her brings a smile to my face. She embodies her name, do you know that?”

“What the hell, man? Who embodies her name?”

“Who else? Sunny!” I say.

I get it. I know I sound like the cheesiest corn ball right now but seeing Sunny this morning has done something to me. I can’t describe it.

One minute, I was quietly sitting in my office, booting up my computer as I check the piece of paper that HR handed me with a list of all the systems I needed to access, along with my logins and temporary passwords, and the next, I became a changed man.

I heard her first before I saw her.

Amidst the busy chatter of people outside my office, a chiming peal of laughter broke through. I looked up to find the source of that beautiful sound and if someone told me that my mouth hung open, I will believe them wholeheartedly.

With her back to the large window, she looked almost like an angel descending to earth, the way the sun was shining behind her, making her look like she’s glowing. But it feels wrong to also call her that—an angel—because angels are ethereal, like they’re not quite here. They’re flimsy, delicate, fragile!

But this woman? Her?

She had so much presence, you’re almost compelled to look at her. Her laugh sounded like a song that should be sung every morning, her eyes were big and round but almond-shaped and I just wanted to stare at them all day. If I drown staring into her beautiful dark eyes, I wouln’t mind one bit.

She was surrounded by people, all laughing and vying for her attention, and I had never wanted to be a part of a group so bad. I wanted to be one of them! One of the mere mortals who’s been granted permission to bask in her light.

That’s it! That’s how she should be described. She was light itself.

She was the sun, the source of all the light in this world.

And I desperately needed to get to know her. To find out who she is.

She was beautiful. Gorgeous. Stunning.

She was so hot with her (not even) shoulder-length hair cut into a straight bob, long bangs falling on her face every time she moved her head animatedly, her pink lips that had a tendency to pout every time she spoke. From where I was standing, it looked like she had no make-up on her face and you gotta admire a woman who doesn’t bother enhancing her looks any further. Don’t get me wrong, I love it too when women put make-up on. But somehow, her bare face made me just want to stare at her even more.

She wasn’t very tall, although looking at her, her proportions were so good that her being short wasn’t obvious right away. The only reason I was even able to determine this is because almost everyone else around her stood higher than her. And although she wasn’t skinny, she was also clearly not fat. Needless to say, looking at her made me itch to get closer to her.

But aside from how I really, really, really enjoyed her looks, what made her even more attractive was how she was talking to the people around her. She was looking at their faces, smiling as she listened to them, laughed at the appropriate places, and would even lightly touch the arm when she was—I can only assume—trying to make a point.

It’s no wonder that people were eager to talk to her, she looked exactly how you want someone to look at you when you talk: open and engaged.

By the time Johnny first arrived to check up on me, I was totally smitten.

“Johnny, dude, who is that?” I asked him when he had the audacity to stand in front of me, cutting my line of vision to her.

“Who?” Johnny asked, pretending to be dense. We’ve been friends long enough for me to know that he caught me staring. Why else will he stand in front of me, knowing perfectly well that doing so will cut off my view to the rest of the office?

“Come on, dude. Don’t be that guy,” I said.

Johnny laughed. “Dude, we have a few hundred employees in this office. You think I know everybody?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you don’t?”

Johnny play-punched me on the arm. “I’m flattered you think I’m that popular but I really am not. I’ll tell you this, though. She’s in Customer Service. Oh! Oh, you just gave me an idea.”

Johnny pushed past me into my office and grabbed a pen and a fresh notepad laying on my desk. He wrote down something on a page, ripped it from the notepad, then handed it to me. I looked down to check what he wrote.

Regina Guerrero

Nara Moon

“What’s this? You’re gonna make a game out of this and make me guess which name here matches her?” I asked, incredulous.

Johnny looked at me like I’m the slow one. “Later on, after lunch, if HR still hasn’t introduced you to the CS Team, go there and introduce yourself. She’s always there, you won’t miss her. But people usually need a reason to go into the CS area so if she asks you what you’re doing there, tell her you’re looking for these people. She’ll help you out.”

I tilted my head as I thought about how I felt about this plan. “Ok, that sounds like a good idea, actually. One question though. Why do I need to wait until after lunch?” I asked, the doubt obvious in my voice.

Johnny clapped his hands as he laughed at my expense. “Because, my friend, the reason why I’m here is to drag you to HR with me. You have your next orientation starting soon and as your buddy, I am here to make sure you don’t get lost on your way to their office.”

“But I already know where they—”

“Come on, then! Hurry up! Chop chop!” Johnny acted like he didn’t hear my protests but I know he did. The sneaky bastard.

“So the meeting went well?” Johnny asks.

I pause.

Personally, I’m not sure if it did go well. I thought it did.

Not at first, of course. But after my initial panic when she suddenly started choking.

After that, I thought we were getting along like a house on fire.

I was lost. Smitten. Whipped.

I’m one-hundred-percent confident that I was hanging on to every word she was saying.

Maybe I was even staring at her like the love sick fool that I am.

Then she suddenly turned to her laptop and dismissed me.

She turned cold, like she couldn’t wait for me to leave. I was clearly interrupting her.

So I had no choice but to go.

The last thing I want is for her to think that I’m an insufferable asshole.

So I gave her my brightest smile then quickly got out of there.

“I actually am not sure if it went well. I thought it went well. But…”

“But what?” Johnny asks.

I don’t answer right away. I rack my brain for the most appropriate way to frame my thoughts. Kudos to Johnny because he waits patiently for me until I’m able to get the words out.

“But I’m not sure if she agrees,” I finally say.

Johnny gives me a reassuring pat on the arm. “Well, in that case, we’re just gonna have to make sure you guys meet more often so we can find out exactly what she thinks of you. Am I right?”

A slow smile spreads across my face. “One hundred percent.”