did their love fade?

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Heyi took a deep breath and pushed through a set of swinging glass doors. She entered the air-conditioned lobby and looked around, carefully taking stock of her surroundings. There were two official looking security guards sitting behind an imposing desk near the elevator bank.

Heyi tried to walk casually by the desk, but was stopped by one of the guards. "Excuse me, miss!" he called.

"Yes?" She looked over her shoulder innocently. "You got a building pass?" he asked.

"Oh, well, no," Heyi said, turning back to the desk. "I'm with Jung Interior Design," she said, trying to appear businesslike. "The Huening's are expecting me."

The security guard nodded and waved her on, handing her a green pass with an "8" stamped on it. Once in the elevator, Heyi punched the button for the eighth floor and prepared her speech to the secretary. "Hi, I'm Jung Minsu." she said out loud in a strong, composed voice. "I'm doing some work for my father's design firm. We're redecorating the Huening's offices, and I just need to take some quick measurements."

Then she would casually place the wedding album prominently on the coffee table in the reception area. where Mr. Choi and Mrs. Yoon wouldn't be able to miss it. They would have to browse through it while they waited futilely for the Huenings. Seeing pictures of their wedding would surely make them think twice about getting a divorce.

Shouldn't I be there already? Heyi wondered. She looked up and noticed a red light flashing. The panel at the top of the elevator indicated floor four. It's not moving! Oh no, I'm stuck. There's something wrong with the elevator! She thought in alarm.

Panicked, she pressed the buttons for all the floors, then all the buttons randomly. "Help!" Heyi yelled, pounding on the elevator doors and cursing the planets above.

What is Heyi doing there? thought San, watching the building anxiously from his vantage point across the street. It seemed as though he had been saying that all week. She was going to make him late for his Spanish class, and he was already in trouble with Mr. Chwe for not turning in his homework all last week.

San drummed his fingers methodically against the steering wheel and glanced down at his watch. Nine forty-five! He thought in despair. His parents would be arriving any minute. San couldn't imagine what could be keeping her. How long would it take to plant a book on a table? I'd better go find her. He thought grimly. He jumped out of the car and marched purposefully across the street.

Suddenly San noticed his Dad pull up in front of the building. And his father was right on her tail in his gray Cadillac. Great! San thought to himself. He turned around and hightailed it back across the street, ducking into his car and backing up rapidly into a side street so he couldn't be seen.

Please, Heyi. He thought as he watched his parents walk together toward the shimmering building, just come through this one time, just this one time.

Heyi pushed the round of buttons again and pounded on the elevator door in vain. "Help! Help!" she yelled over and over, screaming until her throat was raw. But nobody seemed to hear. Finally she decided to take matters into her own hands. Bracing one shoulder against the wall, she wedged her manicured fingers between the rubber bumpers of the elevator doors. Then she pulled.

Nothing happened. She planted her feet more firmly and pulled again, gritting her teeth and grunting with the effort. Finally, sweat running down her back, she managed to separate the doors a few inches.

Anxiously she peered through the opening, then groaned loudly as she saw the concrete wall in front of her. She was between floors! The opening for the next floor was just above her head.

✓ Operation: Love Match -ˏˋ ateez wooyoung ˊˎWhere stories live. Discover now