Chapter 2 After All Disaster

In front of a full-length mirror, Naira stood with both hands on the ceramic edge of the sink. It had been almost fifteen minutes since Nara had moved from her position. After facing her meeting with someone named Dirga earlier, Nora held back the old feelings that boiled up while standing next to Dirga. Once the welcoming ceremony from both sides of the company on stage was over, Nora immediately took the opportunity to say goodbye to escape to the bathroom.

Naira's breathing was irregular as her heartbeat raced. Dirga's arrival was clearly not a good thing for Nora. Someone who had disappeared three years ago without Naira being able to reach him was now back in front of her. She thought Dirga had gone abroad and would never return.

But why was it that after Naira had begun to organize her life better, got used to being without Dirga, and no longer thought about her, he came back in front of her?

Naira sighed for the umpteenth time. As long as she imagined the events of three years ago, Naira could only adjust the rhythm of her heart so as not to race fast enough to make her chest tight. Her eyes closed as her head bowed slowly. Naira shook her head repeatedly to get the unpleasant thoughts out of her head.

How could Dirga suddenly appear?

"So, he's been working at the WhiteAction Beauty company all this time?" Naira muttered still with her eyes closed as she caught her breath. Then she laughed wryly. "How I feel stupid not knowing anything."

Naira's eyes then opened again as her head lifted. Now, Naira looked at her reflection in the long mirror of the sink for a few seconds. It seemed like a long time since Naira had tried to recover from 'that' incident, Naira had never seen her face radiate worry. It had taken years for Naira to put herself back together, was now the time for her to face the things that made her fall apart?

Dirga's arrival made Naira feel very uncomfortable. A little bit of worry was creeping in. The frown lines on her forehead clearly showed her worry. In front of the mirror, Nora straightened up as she practiced calming herself down: taking a deep breath, then letting it out slowly, taking another breath, letting it out slowly.

The effort was repeated over and over again. Naira's fast-paced heartbeat slowly subsided. Although a glimmer of worry remained, Nora looked up and said to herself, "It's okay, Naira. It's just a small problem. You've been through a lot and you can live without him, right?"

Naira once again turned on the tap water to wash her hands. A chill ran down the pores of her skin, sending a coolness that instantly calmed Naira. It was as if the worries fell away and flowed away with the water. Naira occasionally checked the makeup on her face while still washing her hands, then finished washing her hands before stepping outside.

As soon as the door opened, there was a faint sound of the event crowd, Naira was still walking while wiping her hands with a tissue. But a hand from the side suddenly grabbed Naira's wrist and pulled her body to turn around. Nora who gasped spontaneously looked up while simultaneously twisting her own hand to twist the hand of whoever from the side.

"A-ah... gosh, it hurts."

Naira immediately let go of her hand with bulging eyes after seeing a tall male figure in a white suit and long black tie. The man grimaced at Naira and held her hand. Naira was instantly struck by awkwardness, but she covered it up by putting on a normal face as if she didn't feel guilty.

"What's the need, Mr. Dirga?" asked Naira when she was desperately trying to contain her awkwardness. Naira's eyes glanced sharply at the man she called Mr. Dirga. "Instead of holding someone's hand suddenly like that, why don't you call my name? Sorry, I'm not comfortable." After her shock and surprise, Dirga looked at Naira who threw a sharp gaze. Seeing Naira's appearance now and her elegant aura made Dirga almost speechless. Naira's figure was much different compared to four years ago. More beautiful and sweeter. Why should Dirga let go of this woman first?

But after all, Dirga must not let go of his authority. So, Dirga straightened up as he muttered for a long time, looking for the right words because he actually didn't know why he pulled Nora.

Her movement was so spontaneous after seeing Naira's figure coming out of the door.

"I-I mean, I... eum, I don't have anything to do, actually."

Just like that, Naira sighed and immediately turned around. For the second time, Dirga reflexively grabbed Naira's shoulder from behind. Dirga's movement certainly created an unhappy response from Naira. With a single jerk, Nora brushed off Dirga's hand on her shoulder.

"Mr. Dirga heard what I said earlier, right?"

Naira's tone sounded cold.

Dirga immediately withdrew his hand from Naira's shoulder. He was instantly struck by awkwardness. Watching Naira's sharp eyes seemed to lock Dirga's legs. It was the first time that such a look had been seen in Naira's beautiful eyes. The aura of hatred clearly radiated there. Dirga never thought that it wasn't just Naira's appearance that had changed, but the way she looked at Dirga.

And it was possible that her feelings had changed.

"I'm sorry, I was reflexive," Dirga said quietly, suddenly feeling suffocated by Naira's cold words. "I want to talk to you."

"I've been letting you talk."

"Please don't call me sir," Dirga said quickly, making Nora somehow wince. Dirga's eyes lit up with sadness. "I didn't expect you to be here."

Nora remained silent, not answering anything. Her eyes looked straight into Dirga's eyes. Slowly but surely, Nora began to feel the pain returning to her heart. In a flash of memory, Nora was thrown back to the look in those eyes-the look in those eyes four years ago that hadn't changed: still warm, still soothing. But now it wasn't just warmth and comfort that came to Nora's chest, anger also seeped into the crevices of her heart.

"Me too," Nora finally replied. "Someone else should have been the one behind the scenes of the WhiteAction Beauty company. Or should I not have come here?"

Dirga could clearly hear Naira's resentment in her words. Although Naira masked it with an expressionless face, Dirga knew that Naira would never really be the same as the Naira she once knew.

"If it wasn't you, we wouldn't have met," Dirga replied later.

"Sure. Maybe it would have been fun for each other. Because it seems that Mr. Dirga, who is reportedly very professional, is not comparable to me, who has only been helping to increase sales for the past year."

"Only for you when it comes to fun," Dirga said, making Naira frown. "Not for me. It wouldn't be fun if we didn't meet."

Naira looked at Dirga with a narrowed gaze as a pair of eyebrows drew together. "Why are you talking to me as if you know me so well?" she asked a little unreceptively.

Dirga replied with a very brief chuckle, "No, I don't know you. We don't know each other."

"That's right. That's right. So I think it's better for Mr. Dirga not to cross the line too much," Naira pressed once again without hesitation, her eyes blatantly showing sharpness.

When Naira looked at her sharply, Dirga's head was automatically half bowed. The more she saw how Naira looked at her now, the more Dirga found that Naira was different from the Naira of old.

"Don't be like that. I've actually closed my identity because I felt uncomfortable, but I realized in the end that it's still like this."

Both of Naira's eyebrows rose at Dirga's statement. Naira was well aware that there was a tinge of regret in the man's eyes, but she chose to give him a lopsided smile. "That's right. Don't we all know that hiding yourself is the act of a loser?"

To that sentence, Dirga was taken aback. Naira openly showed a lopsided smile from one corner of her lips. Dirga felt as if that sentence had slammed straight into her chest without warning. It hurt. Tight. A bunch of feelings that Dirga had been harboring suddenly burst out.

"Are you angry with me?" Dirga asked without preamble. It was the question that had been stuck on the tip of his tongue.

Nora looked at Dirga for a moment. She didn't know what to think. But clearly, Naira couldn't help the turmoil of feelings-anger, disappointment, excitement, and fear-mixed together. "Angry?" She smiled wryly, then chuckled. "Mr. Dirga and I just met. Why should I be angry when it's just the first meeting?"

First meeting. A subtle but piercing sentence.

Dirga looked down for a moment because the sentence was clearly intended as an insinuation. "First meeting..." Dirga murmured emphasizing the two words, but Naira could still hear them. "Yes, I forgot this was the first time you and I met."

Without saying anything else, Naira immediately turned around to walk away from Dirga's presence. Leaving Dirga transfixed where she stood with a lump of guilt slowly spreading throughout the heart space. Within seconds Dirga's hands on both sides of his body immediately clenched into fists as the tightness increasingly pressed on his chest.

Naira had really hated her. Dirga saw that.

So is there still a chance for Dirga to fix what she did four years ago?