--- Chapter 2---

Joohyun was anxious.

For the last five minutes, she was left at ground meeting room, unaccompanied. She dabbed her finger to the desk simultaneously, her mind was wandering everywhere, trying to guess what would they say this morning.

Why so suddenly?

Why must be this morning, right after her arrival from hongkong?

Why they couldn’t wait until tommorow?

There were many other question, but Irene tried to ignore it as much as I can. She was too tired too think.

“Joohyun,” There was Minjin’s voice that broke the ice. “Got this for your breakfast. Sorry I can provide only this.”

Joohyun took a peek of kimbab with seaweed soup unappetizingly. She had too many thing to think rather than to eat. Nevertheless, she gave Minjin a sweet smile and grabbed them, and said “Thank you, Unnie.”

Minjin look after Joohyun closely. She knew how her eyes never couldn’t talk a lie. Too easy to read. “Is there anything in your mind you want to talk to me?”

“Nothing, Unnie, I am just..” Joohyun exhale a long sigh.

“It’s okay.” Minjin assured. “They give you a spare time about your contract. As I said before, they want you to be here to discuss about some project. It was just my theory tha the project might hold you and resign the contract.”

“But why is it so suddenly Unnie?” Joohyun asked.

“Because, we need to adjust your schedule with her schedule. Eat the kimbap too, Joohyun-ah.” Minjin passed the kimbap to Joohyun, worried because the latter just savouring a few spoon of seaweeed soup.

“I am okay, got some breakfast from the airplane.” Joohyun said. “who is her?”

“Your new partner.” Minjin answered.

“new partner of what?”

“Your partner for this project, It’s a-“

A knocked door cut Minjin’s explanation, and there was a few second of silence between them before a dark haired woman, with petite figure came in to the room,

“Annyonghaseyo.” The woman said, timidly.

Even with her tired eyes, Joohyun could see her figure vividly, and wonder why she came in on the first place. She was Seungwan.

Wendy of Red Velvet.

It was Joohyun’s first meeting with her after Red Velvet’s debut, in which she almost had no time to care about it. The thing that came to her mind after seeing Seungwan was, pity. This woman should do a lot, judging from how much she lost her weight.

“Irene Sunbaenim annyonghaseyo.” Seungwan said, bowed almost ninety degrees

“Annyonghaseyo,” Joohyun answered, akwardly. A few second later she bewildered, found that Seungwan is not alone after all.

There was Park Seungjun. One of the most brilliant marketing strategy creator of SM entertainment. With his usual dignity and confidency that Joohyun knew so well, he started the conversation, “Sorry to disturb you this morning, Joohyun-ah. But I need you and Seungwan to be here. Seungwan has too many things to do to prepare her comeback this spring. So I am afraid that this is the only day you can meet each other”

“It’s okay, Sajangnim.” Joohyun said, absentmindedly

Seungjun sat at the chair. “Please have a seat.” He look after Joohyun and smiled. “You don’t like so great, Joohyun-ah”

“She just landed few hours ago, Sajangnim.” Minjin said.

“I know, I know. That’s why I think we need to finish this summon as fast as possible.” Seungjun patiently started. “So, Joohyun,”

Joohyun sat uprightly, anticipated whatever he would say.

“Actually, we have two conditions here. First, Girls’ Generation should need a rest because there are a lot of thing we need to adjust after major break this year. And second, as the compromise of this predicament, I want to promote Red velvet as much as we can. Unfortunately, their latest single was not really that successfull, but there’s  something that enlighten me.”

Joohyun still couldn’t grasp the flow of this conversation. She chosed to digeat Seungjun’s word.

“The thing is,” Seungjun smiled. “There were a lot of reactions when we uploaded TaeTiSeo’s picture with them. Therefore I am thinking that probably, we can relate Red Velvet with Girls’ Generation as much as we can as a part of Red Velvet’s endorsement. We predicted that, if Red Velvet looks very close with Girls’ Generation, your fans would not hesitate to suppport Red Velvet too.”

Joohyun saw Seungwan. The nervous Seungwan, half smiled sat right in front of her.

“And you, Joohyun,” Seungjun continued, “I need you to be a main character of this idea. I want you to collaborate with Seungwan.”

ah, so that’s it. Seungwan was her knew partner.

“I know that your latest self-composed song was canceled to release, and I think it is such a waste to abandon the song. So I offer you to recompose it, retake it, and then later release it with Seungwan.”  

“You know Sajangnim, recompose is not really that simple task,” Joohyun said very carefully

“I know it exactly, Jooohyun-ah, don’t worry. We haven’t decided when will you release the song, but I assure you that maybe it would happend at third or fourth quartal next year.” Seungjun answered, it seemed that he had fully anticipated.

“But I already have a task for you two,” He continued, “I want your collaboration become something that anticipated by fans. So I am thinking to make you two as well-known pairing. You know how was the impact of pairing thing on this bussiness. Make a connection and mention each other as many a possible, but you need to make it smooth, natural, and unartificial.”

Joohyun took a peek to Seungwan and their eyes meet. Seungwan was looking down immediately, avoid the eye contact, and judging on how Seungwan’s expression there were a glimpse of worrying and anxiousness. Joohyun was sure that she was reluctant to do so. So was she. Pairing bussiness was always work but she knew very well that it was .

Joohyun knew that next year would be a long year for her. She was sure before the new year had not even begin.

----

“The collaboration, eh?” Seulgi said, excited. “How lucky are you, Seungwan-ah! You will work with Irene sunbaenim!”

Seungwan was just back to her training room and Seulgi suddenly bumped with her, asked her to get late breakfast after long meeting with Joohyun this morning. Seungwan looked after Sulgi, munched her porridge happily. This pure innocent kid might not know how hard it was for Seungwan. Joohyun was barely talked words during the meeting, only a few nod and small smile. Joohyun had her sharp observation towards Seungwan, and she didn’t know the intepretation of her action.  Seungwan tried so hard to ignore negative ideas on her mind, but Joohyun’s eyes were clearly said that she disagreed with this plan.

Disagreeing collaboration with Seungwan. The her-own made theory that actually hurt Seungwan a little.

Seungwan smiled grogilly toward Seulgi. “I don’t know if this a good news, Seulgi ah, Irene sunbenim looked so sour this morning when Seungjun sajangnim talked about this idea.”

“Of course, I think Sunbaenim is tired after what happend this year. Don’t worry, I know her a little and she was nice. She even never forget my name when i was a trainee. She looks timid and intoverted, but actually she is easy-going” Seulgi said,

“But the thing is,” Seungwan cleared her troath, “Sajangnim wants us to be, errr, pair?” She hesitated to mention the last word.

“Pair like on, uh, forum something like that?”

“Yeah, he want us to be something like that. I don’t know if it works or not.”

“Pairing thing is good, Seungwan. We could provide the fan services, you know. And someone with well-known pair usually has doubled popularity. Look at taeyeon Sunbaenim, for example,”

“I know Seulgi,” Seungwan heaved. “The thing is, I don’t know how to start it with Irene Sunbaenim, it’s just, we rarely talk and see each other, so how will I face her and become pairing with her, it’s a,“ Seungwan had no words to describe.

 “Did Irene sunbaenim talk about it to you after meeting?”

Seungwan shake her head “No. She left the meeting quite early, and went home after that. She must be very tired, just landed this morning and this afternoon she has recording schedule.”

“Wow, you even know about her schedule” Seulgi laughed.

“Minjin unnie said to me.” Seungwan clarified. “She demmand the discussion between me and Irene Sunbaenim this week, so that’s how I got her schedule, and report it to Jinuk Oppa to adjust my schedule with her.”

“Oh, so there’s a discussion after all. You shouldn’t be worry then.”

“I also hope that this anxiousness is unnecessesary, Seulgi-ah” Seungwan said, sincerely. “how is she, actually?”

“Who? Irene Sunbaenim?” Seulgi asked

“Yes.”

“As I said, she is very nice. Her image on screen might be a timid, well mannered maknae, but actually she is a lot more cherfull and talkative.” Seulgi described. “She might does not has a good reputation among trainee because she rarely talked with us, but once she is talking, we got a lot of thing from her. She is keen and caring.”

“But,” Seulgi continued. “I heard some of rumors regarding Irene Sunbaenim.”

“What?” Seungwan asked

“Heard that Irene Sunbaenim doesn’t want to prolong her contact after her contract expired next year.” Seulgi watched her surrounding before continue her speech. “It was just a rumor, but there are many things that indicated it. Irene Sunbaenim didn’t prolong her contract with some endorsement, also barely shows herself on talkshow and anything. You know she is quite popular with talkshow and variety shows, but now it looks like she retreats herself slowly.”

“I heard that,” Seulgi said reluctantly. “It has something with Jessica Sunbaenim departion. She sould be has subunit with Jessica Sunbaenim this year but suddenly it was screwed. That’s why Irene Sunbaenim got stressed, the album itself was prepared for years, she even abandon her opportunity on dramas and films for the album.”

Seungwan suddenly got the connection. “Am I subtituing Jessica Sunbaenim, then?”

“Ah, might be!” Seulgi said. “Maybe the company don’t want her to left, so that’s why they prepared the subtituing plan for her.”

Seungwan remembered of how Seungjun talked to her this morning before she meet Joohyun.

Joohyun is very sensitive right now, just smile at the meeting.

Leave good impression to her, Seungwan-ah.

Don’t talk too much. Let me explain it all.

And one sentence from Seungjun that made Seungwan a little bit more sure that the rumor might be true,

This is a very important project for company Seungwan-ah. I am sorry but, I rely on you. A lot.

Seungwan digest the information and tried to hypnotyze herself that all will going to be well.

She hoped so.

---

Hello all :)

I am very happy I still be able to get some time to finish this chapter. actually, I feel so sorry because I made it in hasty and didn't double check for grammar error. I hope you can enjoy this chapter. :)

Kamsahamnida!!