73. Come Back To Me (1)

“Sir,” a voice sounded in the distance. “Sir, excuse me, sir,” the voice came closer and clearer. “Sir!” then it sounded louder and more firm in his ears.

Josh was shocked because when he opened his eyes he saw Mr. Jung—his secretary—looking at him in the face.

Josh gasped and tried to sit up. He lifted his head and lowered his legs that had been bent overnight. His neck was stiff because he had fallen asleep on the short sofa in his office, so his head bent uncomfortably.

“Are you staying here, Sir?” Mr. Jung looked surprised from the expression on his face. "Today we have a morning meeting with all the divisions.” The man immediately recited Josh's schedule report—as if it was automatic because it had become a habit in doing his work. “Are you going home first to get ready? Would you like me to make you some coffee?“

Josh rubbed his eyes and massaged his forehead. ”I don't think so. I'll just take a shower here. When is the meeting?"

"It's still about two hours away. I was going to prepare the materials for you, but you're already here." Mr. Jung placed the clear-bound folder on the table.

Josh thought he still had more than enough time to relax his torn muscles and get to work. He would start by cleaning himself up to refresh both his body and his dark, muddled mind. Perhaps, if possible, she would put away all the things she needed to put away for the time being, and attend to her office business that was demanding more of her attention.

"Please prepare my breakfast, as usual. I will get ready first."

“Yes, Sir.”

Josh then went to the special resting room that was behind his office. It was a medium-sized room that contained a single bed and another door that led to the bathroom. He knew he could have slept comfortably there, but he still chose to torture himself by sitting brooding all night and falling asleep on the sofa. Without any delay, he got herself cleaned up. He washed his entire body, soaking his hair and toenails with cold water so that his consciousness would clear up and he could use his mind properly again.

Finished bathing and dressed neatly, Josh saw that a portion of sandwiches and a cup of hot coffee—with his favorite recipe and special measure—were already on his working desk. He ate his breakfast quietly while studying the meeting materials for the morning.

The cell phone he had placed on his desk vibrated and buzzed. The screen flashed and displayed Ashley's name. Josh just glanced at it and ignored it. After the phone call stopped, it rang again for a few moments until it ended again automatically, then rang again over and over again.

Josh sighed. Then when the call from Ashley came again for the fourth time, he gave up and picked it up.

“Are you still with your girlfriend? I just need to relay my mom's request.”

“What is it?” Josh asked curtly. His eyes and focus were still wandering through the words and numbers printed on the document in front of him.

"She wants to take you to lunch today. She also said she wanted to talk to you more since we only met briefly yesterday."

Josh’s breath was drawn heavily. "I will try. But I can't promise because my schedule is full today."

"That's okay. I just wanted to make sure that I told you as clearly as possible. The only problem is, my Mom keeps asking me about your girlfriend. Well, I said I didn't know, because yesterday I accidentally told Mrs. Go that I didn't know who the girl was with you. I think you're going to have to come up with a much more convincing excuse for my Mom."

Josh thought and considered for a long time. Suddenly worried that Ashley's mother might ask his own mother about Sharon, if he doesn't immediately give a very convincing lie that the girl is indeed his cousin.

"I think you should come this time. I don’t want to force you, but we might get into more trouble if you refuse such a simple request. I'm just afraid that my Mom might think something is wrong and start getting suspicious."

"Alright. I'll come."

“Really?” Ashley sounded unsure.

"Yeah. I think I really need to set the record straight so your Mom doesn't get suspicious."

"Okay. I'll send you the location."

After the voice call ended, Josh’s cell phone rang again. The difference was that this time the caller was Sharon.

Josh just looked at the brightly lit screen of his cell phone without touching it at all. Then when the calls kept coming over and over again alternating with dozens of incoming text messages, he turned it into silent mode without vibration.

In the afternoon, Ashley arrived before her mother. She was quite surprised that her father also came there along with her mother.

Ashley was getting restless because Josh didn't show up. It was past lunchtime and they had already started eating the meal that had been served for quite some time.

“Where's your husband? Can he come or not?” there was a hint of anger in her father's voice.

Ashley felt her throat getting harder and harder to swallow the sushi she was chewing. Her father's voice that always made her wary, made the raw fish in her throat felt like it was going to be vomited out.

“Try calling again,” her mother chimed in with a voice clearly filled with annoyance. “We spent our precious time just to see him, but he didn't show up.”

“I'll excuse myself to call her first then.” Ashley walked out of the private dining room with her cell phone in hand.

Since the arrival of her parents, she had also been trying to contact Josh repeatedly. Even sent him many messages. But he didn't read any of them and also didn't pick up the phone.

Even now, her call could only be connected without even being picked up.

Since she had been out for so long, Ashley finally gave up and prepared herself to fabricate a lie to save both Josh and herself.

At Josh's company, a few moments long before lunchtime when the man was still busy in the middle of his meeting, he suddenly received a call on his office phone—not his personal cell phone—that made his heart jump out instantly. 

He immediately left that meeting after transferring responsibility to his deputy.

Then he quickly headed to the place mentioned by the caller—Somun, the jerk he met yesterday.

Somun on the other end of the line, in a panicked voice, informed Josh that Sharon had injured herself and was currently in the hospital located in the area near the girl’s apartment. All Josh could catch at the time was the information that Sharon's condition was critical and was receiving special treatment in the operating room.

Other than that, Josh felt like he couldn't hear anything anymore. His sense of hearing suddenly went deaf and his whole body was numb. He immediately went to the hospital in panic like a possessed man.

When he arrived at the waiting room in front of the operating room door, Josh immediately lost the strength of his legs. He faltered in the chair while looking down and clutching his own hair. 

Regret, sadness, and anger clumped together and clogged his chest which now felt very difficult for him to breathe.