Baffling Feeling of Torment

CHAPTER SEVEN

He kept asking himself: What made him entertain some thoughts of Rielle when his attraction for her was just of little depth, although yes, she is beautiful but then, oh wow! Isn't she alluring, imagining her lips so soft and enticing to kiss? Is that why he is feeling tormented and baffled? "What have you done, Rielle? Have you captivated me now, huh?"

The next day seemed ordinary for the office staff; no significant activities that day were talking about Rielle's commercial stint when they heard the entrance of their boss in his office. Alexis signaled Rielle for Mr. Han's presence and quickly entered his office to update him on his appointments and tasks. She noticed that her boss was oddly quiet, cold, and reserved but continued to update him despite his silent unnerving attitude.

"Okey, leave now wanting some quiet today, no distraction, got it?" His aura is impenetrable. She then avoids his anger.

Observant of his unusual action, she could not fathom why he seemingly avoided his gaze from her as they spoke. Whereas at that exact moment, Hyun-Ki felt shame and guilt of that act of lust he had with Megan yesterday that he could not look straight at Rielle. He has to act coldly to hide his embarrassment. Was there he be ashamed of when there was nothing between them repeatedly reminds himself that he won't get involved with any of his employees under him more with his Executive Assistant. Why is he upset now with this measure he set to himself? He kept asking his conscience: What made him some thoughts of Rielle when his attraction for her was just of little depth, although yes, she is beautiful but then, oh wow! Isn't she alluring, imagining her lips so soft and enticing to kiss? Is that why he is feeling tormented and baffled? "What have you done, Rielle? Have you captivated me now, huh?

A knock on the door of his office came to his attention, and he never responded. He lay there on the couch, wanting to rest to keep his troubled mind off for a while. Megan came into his office, worried because of his condition last night. That night, after their discreet rendezvous, Hyun-Ki changed from being romantic to being sullen and grim. She was confused by his sudden change of mood. He said that suddenly, he was not feeling well, having a stabbing headache which made him go home in a hurry. Megan couldn't stop him, wondering why he suddenly acted weird. And for Hyun-Ki, deep within him, after his sex with Megan, he realized he made a complete mess of himself because at that very moment, he saw a mental picture of Rielle, having seen her making sideway glances at him and Megan doing that naughty thing during the presentation. He felt uneasy and uncomfortable as he recalled that scene, and he wanted to get rid of it from his mind there in his subconscious, making him as guilty as ever.

He realized from his deep thoughts when Megan startled him with her unexpected approach to feel his forehead, "You are not feverish though, but you seemed unwell. Is there something wrong with you?" she expressed her worry.

"Am all right. Why, why are you here?" Hyun-Ki stammered. Megan replied with concern, "I just want to be sure if you're all right because of the way you acted last night."

He stood up, went behind his office table, and said, "I'm all right now. You go back to your office, okay? I'm in decent shape, still must finish my papers." he firmly remarked.

Then the phone rang. It was Louie at the end of the line telling him that Mr. Edison of the Edison Advertising Agency was at the end of the line.

"Yes, this is Mr. Han Hyun-Ki. What can I do for you?" Mr. Edison informed him that they were partially done filming the commercial on the mobile phone; perhaps they could bring the film today at 2 pm for their review and approval. Both agreed on the meeting time, and Hyun-Ki ordered Rielle to see him in his office.

"I will be out indefinitely, but I'll be back before 2 pm to meet with the Edison Advertising Agency," his attention was on the garb he was putting on, avoiding Rielle, then walking hastily to the door passing by her, still avoiding a face-to-face encounter. He never said anything as he left.

Mr. Edison explains, "You see, what I only want to do is to find a temporary replacement to our commercial model who did not show up; then I realized that Rielle is a natural when it comes to acting, so I decided to push through this commercial film in time to your scheduled release. Besides, Rielle's not bad for a commercial model. She was a pleasure to watch. Who knows, she might be the one who can push your brand in the marketplace."

"But the thing is, you should have dug up some information about who this model you considered for the role. It would help if you asked Rielle what company she is employed in. Have you known that she is an employee here? Would you still push through? If ever you would, you should have given me hands up if I am interested in pulling through this film. Rielle is not just an ordinary employee of this company; she IS my Executive Assistant, and I have no intention of giving her away for a modeling stint!" making a point to Mr. Edison.

"I understand, Sir, and it is not my intention to do that; it is Rielle's decision if she would like to pursue a career in commercial modeling. It is not you who can decide on it, Sir or I. But as I said, I have no intention of recruiting her for this job. It so happened that the commercial film made a good result, hoping you would like to complete the filming as I said earlier is still partial. We still need her to deliver the script to support the presentation of your brand. We cannot just advertise on film your product without dialog."

Mr. Edison waited for the CEO to agree, while Mr. Han remained quiet when Rielle approached her boss to explain.

"I have no intention of leaving my work as your assistant. I was happy to make this commercial because the experience is new to me, Sir. I truly had fun, and if only you were in your good self this morning, I would have made it known about this film, but I have no interest in quitting, for I love my work, especially as your Executive Assistant."

Han Hyun-Ki stared at her intently. They stared at each other unfazed that Rielle felt a mixed feeling and felt a tinge of electricity coursing through her veins, and her heart was likened to a drum beating at a fast rate; she pulled her gaze away. Hyung-Ki beamed a pleasant smile.

Having been appeased and convinced, Hyun-Ki assured Mr. Edison that Rielle would complete the advertisement as expected.

"We will meet tomorrow at around 8 am. Don't be late, and don't worry about what to wear for the photo shoot, as we always take care of that, including make-up," Mr. Edison assured Rielle.

The following day, the film crew set up the cameras and lighting, and the stylist was already preparing Rielle's clothes and make-up for the commercial. On the other side of the room, Rielle is practicing her script, unsure if she can deliver her lines effectively, unaware that Han Hyun-Ki was already there, secretly watching. She was already dressed up for the photo shoot, looking alluring and gorgeous. He approached and held her hand, assuring her that things would be okay once she faced the cameras. She was inspired and thrilled that he was there watching in silence.

Five days had passed since the commercial filming, and Rielle was busy attending to her usual activities. A little later, an employee took the television's remote control and opened the TeeVee screen to wait for the showing of the commercial. Rielle felt everyone's anticipation distinctively around the workplace. When the commercial appeared, everyone was in complete silence when Rielle came into view, gazing at how she struck her beautiful and powerful countenance as she walked with refinement in supple ease. Everyone applauded in uproar and hubbub, rejoicing for her success in her first commercial.