章 50: Another chance encounter

Despite her initial determination, two hours later Su-Jin found out just how difficult this new mission was. She was grumbling and cursing at no one in particular as she tried to put everything in order again. Organizing the paperwork was truly a hellish job.

Fortunately for her, though, most of the boxes that fell from the rack were the very ones she wanted to go through. But having their content scattered on the floor, mixed together in a messed up jumble of reports, diagrams, charts and pictures, made her eyes hurt.

Feeling her brain on the brink of sizzling under the enormous strain, Su-Jin decided to take another short break.

'Nothing beats a breath of fresh air when you want to clear your head.' She wisely told herself.

As it happened, there was one perfect place in the company that could offer Su-Jin the peace and quiet she needed in order to calm both her mind and soul. With that particular image in mind, she went out in the hallway and took the elevator. Once inside, she quickly pushed the button for the highest floor.

During the entire trip, Su-Jin stared at the small screen showing the number of floors with great anticipation. She didn't even blink, as if by fixing her gaze on those bright red numbers she could force the elevator to go up faster.

As soon as the elevator reached the twentieth floor, there was a soft ding and the doors opened. Su-Jin stepped outside the cabin and walked briskly towards the door that led to the rooftop. Without even thinking about it twice, she pushed the door open with a heavy movement, almost lunging outside in great haste.

It was actually very lucky that no one seemed to be close to the door, otherwise a terrible accident might have occured.

After being so close to becoming an assaulter, Su-Jin finally paused in her steps. With her eyes closed and head tilted slightly, she took a full minute to breathe in the summer air.

It felt very refreshing standing there. The trees were gently swaying their lush crows, appearing as if they were in the middle of a strange dance. As the wind brushed through the leaves, it created a soft melody. Everything around seemed to give birth to a beautiful harmony between nature and humans.

As her lungs filled with the fragrant breeze, Su-Jin felt her mental state improving considerably. Even though she wasn't close to achieving a higher level of Zen, at least she was now much calmer than before. With the combined effect of the fresh air and soft murmurs coming from the trees, there was now a small infusion of optimism creeping inside her heart.

'Ah, this feels so nice. If I could bring my work out here, I would definitely enjoy it more.' Su-Jin sighed. She really felt regretful having to work indoors on such a beautiful day.

After spending the next minute fantasizing about how wonderful it would be if she could take her desk to the rooftop, Su-Jin finally decided to move.

She glanced around the area and only saw two other women. They were sitting on a bench to the right, chatting merrily like they were very good friends. One of them had her hands curled around a thermos, while the other held a cigarette between her slender fingers.

In this beautiful 'rooftop garden', these two women standing together on a bench, their heads tilted towards each other as they talked, painted quite a pretty image.

Soft giggles and murmurs were coming from the two women. Bouts of laughter, sounding like the soft chime of bells, broke out from time to time, being swiftly carried by the wind.

Even though she couldn't hear what they were talking about, just by watching the expression on their faces, Su-Jin could be certain that the subject must have been quite fun.

Su-Jin raised the corners of her lips in a small smile. Having friends to spend your breaks with at work really was a blessing. She should bring Yeon-Ah to the rooftop one of these days and enjoy the scenery together.

But for now, she wanted to be alone.

As such, after casting one last glance towards the two women, Su-Jin headed in the opposite direction from them. Either due to the feeling of familiarity or because she thought the scenery looked better from there, she chose the same place as last time.

The bench was empty and appeared very inviting. Just like before, the sun's rays were filtered by the trees, casting large shadows over the area, making it the perfect place for relaxation.

Su-Jin approached at a leisure pace. Once there, she took a seat and leaned back, gazing up at the sky. The white-blue firmament was without clouds, appearing both cold and soft. The blazing sun showered the city below with its bright rays.

Sitting there and admiring the view, while also enjoying the fresh air, made Su-Jin almost forget that she was actually on top of a tall building, in the middle of a bustling city.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

"This place is really beautiful, just like a secret garden from those fantasy stories. I wish I could just stay here forever." Su-Jin whispered.

"Can't agree with you more." A voice suddenly spoke from behind her.

Su-Jin choked while exhaling her breath. Coughing wildly, she opened her eyes and turned her head in the direction the voice came from. Su-Jin moved so quickly that she almost strained the muscles of her neck.

The appearance she had while looking towards that person expressed both shock and pain. Her eyes were wide and watery, and, at that moment, they almost reddened from too much coughing.

Still, through her blurry vision, Su-Jin was able to see a familiar looking figure. The man had the same handsome face and twinkling brown eyes. Though, today, his pretty eyes looked slightly more mischievous than before.

"Told you I will see you again soon." the man said with a grin.