Battlefield (2023 Version)

2 Love Is Unbreakable

Bobby took Soomin's hand into his and held it close to his chest. His thumb drew circles on top of her hands. This client of hers had a way to make her heart feel at ease. It was her responsibility to make sure her client was satisfied, but in return she was the one fulfilled.

"You know, I can really do this again," Bobby whispered to her ear, making sure his warm breath tickled her.

Soomin giggled and her shoulders squirmed.

"You know where to find me."

Bobby grinned and kissed her cheek. "I won't keep you waiting. Go in."

She pushed through the large glass window and the windchime hung inside Call Me chimed. Just maybe this might lead somewhere. She could finally break free. Not that she caged herself.

"I saw that." Youngni stood at the front desk counter and witnessed Soomin's lovey-dovey interactions.

"What did you see?" Soomin hid a smile. Her cheek still flushed at his kiss.

Youngni picked up the iPad. "Kim Bobby. 25 years old. Vocal Trainer at KB Media."

"He likes you to the sky. You're probably meeting him soon if he keeps it up," Myunghwa said. She too scrolled through his profile on the front desk desktop.

"He's over the sky. Probably to the moon," Chohee appeared behind Myunghwa in time to see the notification Bobby's reserved another date.

"Oh...he made another appointment with you!" Myunghwa clicked the notification faster than she ever clocked out from work.

Youngni laid the iPad back to the countertop and bent her body over the counter to see Myunghwa scrolled through Soomin's packed schedule. Soomin had been in high demand since she joined Call Me. At first, she was only a part timer, juggling between her first year in college and Call Me. It became overwhelming that she decided to drop school. She never regretted the decision of dropping school rather than Call Me. Her schedule proved so. She hadn't had a dull moment with all her romantic dates. It provided her with all she wanted: to meet new people and to try different adventures. Most of all, she was able to resolve her client's struggle in a relationship, unlike hers. Yet, she still didn't understand why hers came to an end.

"Oh my goodness," Myunghwa roared and clicked on another notification request, "look at this!"

Youngni ran behind the desk. Ninety-eight percent. That broke Call Me's record. They were no matching agency, but they still offered clients the option to match themselves with the best agent through a series of questions. The highest record was set a year ago at ninety percent. Ending in a nightmare.

Soomin stared at the screen. At the bold and enlarged number. Could she really be the next one that broke their record? She received a date request from a client with the highest matching percentage.

"System's error. Remember Seungah's case?" Youngni denied.

Soomin recalled the extraordinary case. Not only did it set the highest matching record, it left some negative emotions to all the agents, especially Myunghwa and Youngni. Youngni wasn't wrong to reject the number. She beat Myunghwa this time to deny what was too good to be true.

"You're saying our system doesn't work?" Chohee leaned forward and deleted Henry's profile and rematched it two more times. The system held its end. Chohee nudged her chin toward the ninety-eight. She held the most faith in the system she assisted in building. "We're not a dating agency. The high-rating doesn't mean they are compatible. It just means Soomin matched the kind of service the client's looking for."

"It's false hope. That jackass that abandoned Seungah. That guy better not be another one of his kind," Myunghwa shook her head. The memories were ingrained too deep, but Myunghwa was on another level. She kept vivid memories of what dissatisfied her. After all the times analyzing relationships, she refused believe the love life of the agents would end in regret.

Soomin lightly hit her chest. Her lung deprived her of air. She hadn't felt this kind of suffocation since that day. The kind that left her with no choice. The kind that betrayed her soul.

It didn't matter if Youngni and Myunghwa didn't believe in the system. It didn't matter if Chohee was right about the system. To receive such a high percentage, she knew the requester must know the agent well. Well enough to match all the characteristics traits. Because even when Bobby had been to multiple dates with her, he still couldn't match his profile to her. She couldn't help Bobby matched his profile to her.

"Oh...Bobby just retrieved his appointment request. He submitted an..." Myunghwa looked at Chohee.

"Request to cancel his membership," Chohee read. Myunghwa removed herself from the seat to allow Chohee to continue, "violation of clause number three."

Soomin gripped onto the counter. Bobby didn't mention anything like this. Though through his actions, she took the hint that he was attracted to her. He hadn't said he wished to pursue her.

This was the first time in Call Me history a client had violated terms of Call Me—harboring attraction for the agent. Soomin wasn't sure how the case would proceed, but it was her duty to handle the cancellation.

Amid Bobby's surprised cancellation, she couldn't get her mind of the name she tried hard to erase from her memories. After all the effort to forget him, he was the first person she thought that would know her in that personal way.

But this person was named Henry Lau. Damn that ninety-eight percent.