Fixing Me Softly, Paragraph 4~

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    Mi-ran was distracted the following Monday. Her tasks were piling up but she found herself far more concerned with her phone. More and more frequently, she broke from typing to check for new messages. Eventually she couldn’t stand it anymore, and stepped out into the shade of the courtyard to call Dae-hwan.
    A dull voice answered, “Hello?”
    Mi-ran wondered whether he’d just woken up. “Are you out of my flat yet?” she interrogated.
    “I’m making lunch, I’ll be out by the time you get back.”
    “Just leave!”
    “Come on, I have to eat something-”
    “And don’t show up without warning again!” Mi-ran added quickly. It came out so spontaneously that she almost regretted it.
    Dae-hwan sighed softly, “Mi-ran-ah, you know what my situation is like right now.”
    “I’m genuinely sorry about all that, but you can’t use me like this anymore. You can’t show up pissed all the time and expect me to comfort you.”
    “I get it, I shouldn’t drink so much. We still have fun though, don’t we?”
    “That’s not the point! I want a proper relationship now.” Only as Mi-ran said this did she fully understand that it was true. She had been dwelling on Song-yi’s advice more than she realised. “I’d like that to be with you, but I won’t cling if you don’t feel the same.”
    “Go Mi-ran-”
    “You know what, let’s meet later and talk in person. I’ll see you after work, okay? Bye.”
    As she hung up, Mi-ran’s chest felt tight. There was no going back, but she couldn’t help feeling a little thrilled. She wanted to head straight to Song-yi’s department to talk about it, but relented when she remembered how busy her friend was today with meetings and presentations. They were planning to walk to the bus station together anyway, she could tell her then.
    Mi-ran stood up and brushed the leaves off her skirt. As she sauntered back into the office, Dong-chan approached her, “Mi-ran-ssi, can I have a moment?”
    “Sure thing.”
    Mi-ran was quite fond of Dong-chan – he didn’t speak much to her, or anyone really, but when he did he was thoughtful and kind. It made her wonder if he just had trouble being social, and she was more talkative with him to compensate.
    “Do you have a lot of work left over?” he asked.
    “Aside from a few emails, there’s nothing pressing. Why?”
    “PD-nim wants to take us out – a ‘business visit’ is what I think he called it?”
    “Hm?” Mi-ran frowned, “That doesn’t make any sense. What could I do outside?”
    Dong-chan ran a hand through his hair, “Jung-woo and Mi-rae are off today, he might just want an extra pair of hands? What do you want to do?”
    Mi-ran thought about it. She checked her watch. “I’m in – just as long as we can get back here at five, I have plans this evening.”