MIMI

"Stop being so sensitive, now be quiet and smile."

"You"re so selfish..."

"Using other"s to please your hidden selfish desire of wanting to be liked. Even when you"re not being sincere, you continue to please those around you. Wouldn"t that be considered insensitive and selfish?"

"Jinny?"

Toward the sound of a familiar voice, Jinny"s eyes shot open and her head abruptly rose from her desk. She blinked her eyes a few times before her vision cleared.

Where was she?

"Sorry, I didn"t mean to startle you. I saw you sleeping and thought I should wake you up." Her co-worker, a young woman, said with a gentle smile.

Looking at her surroundings, Jinny found she was in the break room of her work – Glory Trade Corporation.

"Oh," Jinny said before she yawned tiredly. "Sorry, I guess I dozed off a bit without realizing it."

The female co-worker laughed, "Haha, jeez Jinny, you"re so defenseless sometimes! I swear it"s like you have no worries at all."

Clenching her fists underneath the table, Jinny smiled widely. "I guess I am."

"Well, I should get back to work. I"ll see you later."

With that, the woman waved goodbye and left the break room with a cup of coffee in her hand. Jinny watched her and sighed. Scratching the back of her neck, Jinny"s fingertips stroked the short ends of her hair.

Her hair…it really was short.

Standing up from her seat, she gathers her belongings from the table and heads out - ready to get back to work.

After the incident with Senior Su, Jinny hadn"t seen her for two days. It was almost as if the woman was avoiding her.

Jinny quickly shook her head at the thought. Senior Su would never ignore her! She was a kind and respectful woman, there was no way she would ever avoid her on purpose!

Nodding her head, Jinny inwardly a.s.sured herself.

For the rest of the day, she worked the best she could until she looked up and noticed the time – her eyes brightening.

Lunchtime!

Leaning back in her seat and stretching her arms, she looks around and notices her desk mates standing up to leave for lunch.

Jinny smiled and waved at them. "Hey, do you guys want to—"

As if they didn"t hear her, the two walked away while laughing. Standing alone, Jinny stared at the two with an unreadable expression.

They didn"t hear her it seems.

Oh well, she"ll meet them at lunch!

In Glory Trade"s main cafeteria, employees bustled around, some getting up to leave while others sat to start their lunch – chatting joyously among their colleagues.

"Thank you," Jinny smiled at the chef across from her who placed more rice in a tray.

The man looked up and grunted in response. Toward his response, Jinny silently chuckled to herself. Turning around, her body suddenly stiffened upon seeing the sea of employees.

A few tables away, she could see her desk mates and a few other co-workers she was familiar with - the table was full.

Standing frozen in place, Jinny scoured the area for familiar faces – a familiar face. Not identifying the face of the young woman she admired, Jinny"s brows furrowed.

Senior Su…where are you?

Seeing as there was nowhere else to sit, Jinny quietly left the cafeteria without anyone noticing. With her tray of food, Jinny"s eyes cautiously scanned the area as she headed up the stairs.

Occasionally, a few glanced at her with confused or wrinkled expressions. Who wouldn"t be after seeing a young woman walk around with a loaded tray of food in her hands?

Once she reached her destination, Jinny opened the door and a gentle breeze greeted her. Currently, she was at the top of the company"s roof.

Due to her constant chatter, Jinny was able to "convince" the janitor to allow her to come here during lunch hours – as long as she locked the door.

Walking to a comfortable patch of concrete with her tray of food, Jinny sighs and leans back against the wall.

Quietly, she munched on her food while looking at the wide, dazzling view. She always enjoyed coming here, not only was it calming but the view was amazing.

It"s a shame she was eating alone…

Jinny"s mind wandered off and her movements stopped.

"Hey, if you"re just going to stare off into s.p.a.ce and let it get cold, give your food to me."

Snapping out of her daze, Jinny was surprised to hear a young girl"s voice. Why did her cold and blunt tone sound familiar?

"Oi, are you deaf?"

Lifting her head, Jinny"s eyes widened.

"M-Mimi?!"