Another Promise

"Sam, what time is it?"

"It's already 12:05."

"Oh, it's already break time. Then it's time to go."

"Wait, Shin."

"Yes?"

"...w-where might you're going?"

"Huh? Where might it be other than your room, right?"

"Ah, right… but, we can just not do it today."

"Huh, why? Are you perhaps mad at me? Did I do something?" Shin tries to think of the reason and realizes that he forgot something. "Ah right, yesterday I promised you to visit at night. I'm really sorry that I have forgotten."

"No, it's alright, I'm not mad. I know you have important things to do, so I didn't expect you to come at all."

"It's really rude to promise and never show up like that, so this time I really promise that we can do it today break time and tonight."

Shin looks determined and Sam was happy about that. But she already made a choice.

"Shin, you don't have to do that." She said.

"Huh? So you're really that mad?"

"No, what I'm saying is that you don't have to force yourself anymore to do that. Like I said, let's just do it whenever you like."

"But… What about the broken promise? How can I atone for it?"

"Like I said, I didn't expect you to come at all. So don't worry about it."

"Then, what will we do now?"

"Do now?"

"Well, it's break time."

"I know that I said, we will do it whenever you want. But perhaps you want to do it today?"

"No, it's just…"

"Just do what you want to do, I'm not forcing you."

"...alright, if you say so, then I'm going to take a rest."

"Okay."

Shin took a look at Sam before leaving.

"Is there something on my face?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." Shin answered, then walked away.

After Shin left, Alina started speaking. "You lied ha?"

"Oh, Alina, so you're listening. But what do you mean? Lied about what?"

"You lied about saying you didn't expect him to come. Perhaps you really waited for him."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" Alina looks at Sam, seeing its eyes hinting it a lie and that made Alina sighed. "You should try being greedy sometimes."

"..."

…

BACK TO SHIN

After talking to Sam, he rode the elevator.

"What should I do?"

He's thinking about what happened. The fact that he forgot the promise was unsettling. But an unexpected expectation, that is how the situation flows.

I'm not wrong, Sam really did change. Why? When? What happened?

Shin thoughts for Sam were overflowing. Many questions that he wanted to ask but wasn't able to tell.

A broken promise that concerns him, that never resolves, and just left like that. To his concern, even though he already apologized, that still lingers from him.

Without payment or punishment, apologizing is useless.

He thought of that as some principle.

"She did not demand anything… and saying like I'm the one will choose whether we do it or not…"

The doubt he felt, that he was worrying about Sam's unexpected change, for her to change means something must happen.

"She changed… her attitude changed…" He paused a bit. "Then what about our relationship? What will it become?"

To his concern about what it becomes, his thoughts of bad signs were much.

To his knowledge, their conversation a while ago seemed a bit awkward like a stranger talking to each other.

Feeling uneasy about what to become and making him try to think for the best answer. Backing to the broken promise, he's not satisfied with how it ends just like. The truth was, he's scared of change, he's scared of the fact that Sam changes, their relation will change as well. He recalls the past not long ago, the people he knows that change to the point of his life turn upside down, because of that he's scared of the change of others.

"What now?..."

[TING!]

He reaches the top, the 99th floor. Back down there, he's thinking about spending his break time in the living room watching TV, since after Sam and him talk about not doing it ever again. And that's what his mind doing this break.

But the moment he reached the floor and the door opened, instead of going out the elevator, he unconsciously pushed a button for going back down there.

"M-my hand moved…"

He starts thinking, why would he do that? To try to realize the ending he wants. The many conclusions that led him to make up his mind. As he readies himself and waits for him to reach the first floor.

[TING!]

As soon as the door opened, he immediately went outside. But he didnt expect…

"Shin..."

"Haah…"

That Sam was just outside.

"Sam…"

"You forgot something?"

"No…"

"Are you going somewhere?"

"No…"

"Are you doing something?"

"No…"

Shin has something to say, but he hesitates to tell it. The way Shin, trying to, made Sam misunderstood. Sam thought that she's annoying him.

"Ah… right… sorry for the disturbance. Perhaps you were doing something important." She said, then walked past Shin going to the elevator.

But Shin stops her by grabbing her arm. "Wait."

"..." She looks at him. "D…did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's…" he mustered his courage as he took a big breath. "I know that you've forgiven me about the promise, but… I feel like you're really mad about it…"

"No, it's not really a big deal. If you're worried about me being angry, but I'm not at all."

"Even so, I still want to repay you…"

"Just forget it."

"No, I don't want…"

"Don't want to?"

"I don't want our relationship to be awkward…"

Sam smiles a little when she hears that, and that she remembers what Alina told her. "You really want punishment?"

"Yea."

"Then…" She leans towards. "When is your day off?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just tell me."

"It's Monday."

"Alright then, on Monday, let's date."

"Huh?"

"You said you want punishment, right? Then the punishment is a date."

"B-but what about you?"

"What about me?"

"That day, I assume that it's not your day off."

"Yeah."

"So, how can we date?"

"Hmm… then I will request an off for that day."

"That's no good, they will be angry. And how can you benefit from that?"

"Shush, I'm the one punishing you, so you don't have rights to complain, got it?"

"...got it."

"If you were worried that boss didn't approve of it, then I just have to secretly bail out."

"But–"

"No, but." she paused. "You understand what I said a while ago, right?"

"I understood."

"Alright then, that's it. You can go now."

Sam left, but instead of going to the elevator, she went on the way to the front desk. And she left with a smile on her face, another promise or rather a declaration for a date, a set of schedules for them. A day for Shin punishment according to him, but different for Sam.

"A date ha…? Or is it a friends' hangout, perhaps?" Shin said, as he rode the elevator again, going back to the top.

______________________________________________________________________________

{FEW HOURS LATER AFTER BREAK TIME ENDED}

While Shin's working, someone calls him.

"Shin."

"Yes? Oh, Ms. Alice, did you need something from me?"

"Not me, but boss."

"Boss? Why?"

"Boss calls you to his room."

"Why?"

"He said, he has something to say to you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. That's all, then I should go now."

After Alice left, Shin started thinking.

What will the boss say to me? Hmm… ah, perhaps Sam already talked to boss… but why would they need me to go there? Did Sam do something? Is boss mad? I remember what boss becomes when he's angry.

Shin gulped as his anxiety continued.