Office Diaries - Chapter 155

Who said that ROFL [Rolling On the Floor Laughing] was just an internet expression and not exactly applicable in real life? If Yanee hadn’t collapsed on the table laughing until her tears came out, she’d have been literally rolling on the floor.

Jisoo who sat opposite her on the table was the same, although more controlled than Yanee’s reaction as she was the one who told the story. Still, remembering that time in her life made her guffawed so much she was totally red and tearful as she held her stomach.

“Oh my God!”Yanee gasped after a while.

She knew she looked totally unladylike but she’d never heard such a funny story before. Plus, she knew who the people were in the story and she could totally imagine them in her head as if she were watching a comedy movie.

“This was real, right?” Yanee asked for confirmation in between laughter.

Jisoo of course nodded as she too tried to control her laughter. “Unfortunately, yes! It’s a good thing that happened at my private birthday lunch. If it happened during the actual birthday party I’m not sure if we could still have a face to show people,” she answered and the two melted into giggling pools on the table and stayed like that for a while before they were able to control their mirth.

When they both finished, the two found themselves exhausted.

“Sugar has a sweetheart now. Yushin got me another ċȯċkatoo hoping it would reform Sugar’s vulgar talking,”Jisoo shared after a while and Yanee’s eyes piqued with interest.

“Oh? Did it succeed? Is Sugar better now?” she asked and Jisoo snorted.

“If you put one rotten apple next to a fresh, healthy one, which one do you think will change? Will the healthy one influence the rotten one or the other way around?”Jisoo asked and Yanee smirked.

Of course it’s the other way around!

“Oh no, you have two naughty birdies now,”Yanee commented with a giggle although she really sympathized with her.

“They’re hanging out in my private study which is soundproof so no one can hear them anymore.”

Yanee laughed again at this. “But can you work on something with them talking there?”

Jisoo grinned. “I put the stereo on when I work and they both like it and listen to it with me so they were pretty quiet.”

Ah…

Yanee nodded. It seemed the wife found a great solution to her birdie problems.

“Anyway,” Jisoo began as she started to look a bit serious. “The story seemed to be just nonsense— something very funny that makes people shake their heads.”

Well, if she put it that way, most people would certainly think. It would be chalked up as an ėrȯtɨċ comedy romance story about a housewife who was afraid to lose her husband’s affection and learned to be an awkward femme fatale.

But Yanee had been interviewing a lot and knew that there were still more than what the eye could see and the ears could hear. She remembered what Jisoo had clearly told her before she told her story as well.

“Yanee, people’s love stories don’t end when they get married. Marriage is just the beginning actually. The real challenge to ever after is how to maintain happiness and stay together… Even if two people truly love each other and genuinely want to make each other happy, there will always be a time when doubts enter the hearts. When there is doubt, there will be fear, and there will be desperation. Even if there’s really nothing to worry about, it’s human and it’s normal to think and doubt sometimes most especially when things are always smooth sailing”

These were her words earlier before starting her story and Yanee couldn’t agree more with her words.

Jisso and Yushin’s relationship was a textbook example of a fairytale. Yushin, as a husband had never once changed how he treasured his wife since their childhood. Still, even if it was a misunderstanding, Jisoo was still hit with fear and insecurity at one point. What did it mean? Love was not enough?

No, Yanee knew that this was not the case. However, it was glaringly obvious that the only way one could maintain being together, was if love was sustained. If Yushin didn’t love Jisoo enough, all those years when she acted complacently and negligent would have killed that affection.

It was why love consultants recommend for couples to continue dating.

“Continue to feed the fire— it’s the only way to maintain the warmth of the relationship,” Yanee murmured and Jisoo smiled and nodded her agreement.

“It’s the common mistake of people. After the thrill of dating and getting married, they put their guards down and slowly stop giving effort. Even if the case is a bit different for me and Yushin, it’s a fact for most couples.”

Yanee agreed again to what Jisoo said.

“Love brings two people together. But at the same time if not handled properly, it breaks, it divides. It’s not eternal. It doesn’t last.”

These words were again spoken by the addict sister of hers. Ami liked to spout romantic things that Yanee didn’t pay attention too before. But some she involuntarily memorize as they made her wonder.

And she hadn’t realized that she had spoken those words out loud.

“Woah, Yanee, you’ve becoming more and more of a romance guru. Who’d have thought the little girl allergic to romance could be so profound now,” Jisoo commented teasingly and Yanee blushed as she waved her hand at her.

“Of course I haven’t— I’m not.”Yanee would never admit it although her understanding of relationships had gotten better. “I’m just spouting things my sister read out loud. I just suddenly remembered them.”

“You mean Ami?”Jisoo looked amazed and Yanee got curious but then guessed a little bit why she was surprised.

Ami was like a gangster— a no nonsense businesswoman. She didn’t look like the hopeless romantic type. Not at all. Yanee couldn’t say anything about that so she just smiled.

“Yes. Ami doesn’t look like it, but my sister de-stresses by reading romance novels,” she explained.

After that, the two ordered tea and cakes and chatted a bit more. Yanee was in no hurry to work on the notes as Jisoo’s story was very memorable. Also, it’s not as if she would be writing her story as it was. She only interviewed for the sake of getting the essences of their story and applying it on the actual stories that she would be writing.

During the conversations, Yanee learned more and more bits about Jisoo’s relationship with Yushin. They were the oldest couple in the group and one would wonder why they were close with Tohru and the others. It turned out that the Parks were family friends of the James. In fact, years ago when the James family had to stay in Korea for years, they were neighbors with Yushin’s and Jisoo’s families. Tohru grew up in the States and wasn’t around much but whenever he was in Korea, he followed Yushin around like a big brother next door.

By the time they finished talking, it was already late in the afternoon. Jisoo had to attend a dinner function with Yushin so she had to excuse herself and leave. As she was leaving, Yanee watched her back and couldn’t help sighing. She felt happy but at the same time a bit worried about them.

At first, she thought that the reason why Jisoo and Yushin remained childless was because they opted for it. She thought they wanted to enjoy being together without taking care of children for a while. But after today, she realized it wasn’t the case.

Yanee’s eyes lowered and her gaze brushed at Jisoo’s flat stomach and sighed. The couple had been trying to have children for a while but it seemed they were having difficulty and had even tried in vitro fertilization but that too failed. For year, after failing many times, the two decided not to have anything artificial anymore and leave it to fate. She hoped they would succeed. Perfect couples who truly loved each other deserved children.

Jisoo saw her conflicted gaze although it didn’t linger on her stomach and she smiled. A knowing gleam shone in her eyes that Yanee looked at her questioningly.

“Before I leave, I have something to request from you,”Jisoo told her and of course Yanee would agree to anything she wanted as long as she could do it.

“Sure!” No questions asked.

“Keep a secret for me okay?”Jisoo said with a smile and a wink as her hand went inside her bag and fished for something.

Yanee watched in curiosity until her hand came out again holding a letter. Jisoo handed it to her and she took it. With Jisoo’s ȧssent, she opened the folded paper and read the contents.

Actually it was not a message but a laboratory report of a blood hCG, a hormone produced in pregnancy, exam and her eyes widened.

EH?

She looked form the report to Jisoo’s obviously beaming face and she couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Oh my God! Congratulations Big Sis!”

Jisoo’s six weeks pregnant, and Yanee was so happy for them.

“Thank you little sis.”