“I’m glad you’re looking happier recently.” Youngchul, Jonghyun’s coworker, commented as the composer entered the purchasing office one Monday morning, several weeks later. The office worker noticed the reprimanding looks Junghee was sending him for saying something so insensitive and caught himself before he said something that could cause emotional harm, merely commenting, “I’m glad.”

“Thanks,” Jonghyun said, as he sat down at his desk and began booting up his computer. “Things have settled down a little now.”

“That’s good,” Junghee said, turning from her computer screen to look at the blonde. Since the topic had already been broached, she decided to ask a question that had been bothering her for a while, “Has the bullying stopped now?”

The woman, despite being a good thirty years the boy’s senior, really enjoyed his company. He was cute too. She might be married and far too old to date the blonde but she could definitely appreciate his looks. It wasn’t just his appearance – which was very easy on the eyes and he clearly cared about his presentation– but his personality too. He acted so brash sometimes and so confident. Yet, other times, he showed how young he really was and his youthful insecurities shone through. Ok, at times, the young man could be irritating. He would often chat inanely about anything and everything, usually topics the woman was far too old to understand fully, and these conversations – one sided as they usually were – were distracting and made it hard to work. However, even this, the woman found this refreshing in an office full of middle-aged business men. Jonghyun was a little variation that she felt their monotonous office needed. It wasn’t like her job was super interesting, she needed something to entertain her during the day. It was still a little mystifying that the blonde was placed in their office but she supposed it was to do with the location of Sungkyu’s office and everyone had heard of overcrowding in the creatives’ floor. It’s not like she was complaining.

However, ever since the bullying issue came to light, the male had been a little subdued. Thankfully, he had never slumped as low as he had that first day after the bullying began, where he was completely listless and spent all his time staring into space. Unfortunately, he had not returned to being completely at ease following that day. It hadn’t been very long since the first forum post, she supposed, and that kind of thing wasn’t easily forgotten, even with time.

Recently, the boy had been more interactive in the office once more, he even joined in the office ping pong tournament on Tuesday at lunchtime. He had been laughing and enjoying himself, despite being thoroughly trounced by Youngchul, but it was clear he still wasn’t 100% over the issue.

Jonghyun froze in his seat for a second at her words, his hands hovering unmoving where before they had been rearranging some files. Shaking himself out of it a second later, he placed the files in their rightful place before answering, “Mostly. There’s still a little bit but it’s not something I can’t deal with. My friends have been helping me.”

“That’s good.” The woman smiled, “It’s always good to have a strong support network.”

“It is.” Jonghyun agreed, smiling back at the woman, trying to convey that he wasn’t offended by her question.

“Is one of these friends the one you’ve been messaging all the time?” Youngchul asked, wiggling his eyebrows. It honestly looked a little ridiculous on the man. He looked like a very respectable business man, with his tailored suit and his Bluetooth phone headset permanently in place, yet here he was leering creepily at a man a good twenty years his junior.

“Don’t be nasty,” Sungho protested, pushing his glasses up his nose in irritation. “It’s probably just a friend.”

“It is just a friend,” Jonghyun defended, “A very good friend.” However, even as he spoke he felt his face growing warm and knew there was a tinge of pink spreading across his neck and ears. Coughing lightly, he turned back to his computer and took more time than necessary to log in as his fingers fumbled across the keys.

He wasn’t sure why he reacted like that. Onew was just a friend, nothing more, nothing less. They had only known each other well for four months. Maybe this reaction was a throwback to the past, when he had had a massive crush on the idol. However, he hadn’t considered those feelings for months. Not since he started thinking of the singer as Jinki, instead of Onew.

“Sure, kid.” Youngchul teased, winking obscenely “Just a friend.”

“They are!” Jonghyun protested, looking up at his colleague imploringly. The man had moved away from his desk, abandoning any facade of working, and was stood near the blonde as he .

“But you want it to be more, right?” The man pressed, enjoying the flustered look on his youngest coworker’s face.

“No!” Jonghyun protested again, “We’re friends… just friends.” The blonde trailed off, his thoughts muddled and confused. They were just friends… right? Yes, there was no doubt.

However, there was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind; something that begged for his attention and wanted him to analyse it further. It was the same feeling that emerged every time he was in a room with the singer. The same feeling he willfully ignored and pretended didn’t exist. It was confusing and complicated and he didn’t understand it, so he left it be, not thinking about it and hoping it would go away.

But… those weren’t feelings for the idol. They couldn’t be. Right?

“You’re gonna get done for ual harassment one day.” Sungho commented idly to Youngchul, having given up on stopping his office mate from teasing the youngest member of their group.

“ual harassment of him?” Youngchul asked, gesturing at Jonghyun, “No one would believe that. He’s a dude.”

“Dudes can date dudes,” Jonghyun commented idly, chuckling at the bewildered look on his coworker’s face. He wasn’t offended by the statement, he knew his work mate didn’t mean anything bad by saying it. The blonde didn’t notice the calculating look Junghee sent him at his words. She looked like she was trying to solve a particularly difficult mental puzzle.

“Yeah, but no one in HR will believe I’m dating a dude. I’m married and have a kid.” The man protested, enunciating strongly with his arms.

“Workplace bullying, then.” Youngchul shot back, the other man’s cocky pose deflating a little.

“This is hardly bullying, right blondie?” He asked, as if he wasn’t exactly sure if his actions did constitute. He was clearly teasing in what he considered a friendly way however, the other man’s words planted the idea that others may not take it as that.

“It’s not bullying.” Jonghyun chuckled, “But maybe you should review those delightful induction quizzes again.”

The man groaned, slumping over the wall of his cubicle in an overly dramatic manner. “No thanks. ‘Do not be a meanie pants because people get sad’” he mimicked, in an overly child-like voice. “Those things were so boring.”

They really were boring. Jonghyun was glad he was never considering changing jobs because that was honestly the worst part of starting work in a new place. The induction took over four hours and it consisted of a series of cheesy quizzes on the topic of workplace bullying, ual harassment and office health and safety, as well as a long presentation on the ‘goals and ideals of SM Entertainment’. The quizzes came in the form of badly drawn cartoons and overly vetted questions which were more common sense than anything else. If Jonghyun wasn’t aware that some people in the world (especially some of the customers he used to serve when he was a barista) were completely socially inept, he would have felt offended that the company even felt the need to ask such questions. As it was, it was four hours Jonghyun would never get back and four hours he never wanted to repeat.

Sungho made a noise of incredulity, looking at his work mate like he had never seen him before, “’Meanie pants’? What’s gotten into you today? You’re usually much more professional.”

“I have an eight year old at home!” Youngchul defended himself, “I have to control my language. And I don’t know. I didn’t sleep well last night or something.”

“Sure, sure.” Sungho said, rolling his eyes. “Get back to work, all of you.” He said, using his power as the most senior member of the office. He didn’t often use this, as he wasn’t the boss – that man was two offices down near Sungkyu and rarely ventured near their domain – and Sungho didn’t like exerting control. However, the group had been chatting for a good twenty minutes and they really needed to get back to work.

He had allowed it to carry on initially, as, once the conversation got past the bullying talk, Jonghyun’s figure had become gradually more relaxed and he had seemed more comfortable in the office than he had for days. It was refreshing to see that again. Plus, as much as he had mocked Youngchul, Sungho did believe what the man was saying. Jonghyun had this look about him recently. A look which suggested something had changed in his life. If he wasn’t mistaken, the person the blonde kept on texting and the person who caused that look to be upon his face, were likely one and the same.

Jonghyun let out a silent laugh and turned back to his computer which was idling on the desktop screen. He had a couple of reports to write which he approached with more enthusiasm than he had for weeks. The conversation had lifted his spirits and also given him a lot to think about; things that writing reports gladly distracted him from. They were too confusing to think about whilst he was at work and Sungkyu would get mad if he didn’t finish this work soon – he had already put it off for a week.

His song submission for the upcoming girl group had been accepted and was to be released on the new album, which he was excited about. There had been a few modifications that had to be done – a couple that Jonghyun didn’t agree with necessarily but had to comply with due to the orders coming from upper management and a few that he could see the improvement from the change clearly. However, overall he was very proud of his efforts. It was due to be released in a couple of months and he was excited to see how the girls handled it. He was pretty sure he had gathered enough information about their preferences and singing styles to make a song that fit well with them and their concept.

There were no other songs lined up for him to write any time soon, unfortunately. The company had him continuously checking other people’s work and Sungkyu had approached him about a few collaborations, however, he hadn’t yet been approached about any solo projects. He supposed, and Sungkyu also theorised, that upper management were waiting for peoples’ reaction to the last piece he wrote before they got him writing more; which made sense from a business perspective but was a little boring for Jonghyun.

Thus, he was relegated to report writing – the market reaction to different genres, which genres were in style right now, what riffs and beats were most common, how did hit songs become hits. His degree had equipped him well for this job, as this was what a lot of his assignments had been like and he had expected this. However, he couldn’t say it was his favourite thing to do.

The few times a month he met up with Sungkyu to brainstorm composition ideas were his favourite times. They were informal meetings and it was so enjoyable to bounce ideas off of his mentor. The man often imparted him with knowledge that could only be acquired through years in the industry and writing for many different idol groups and Jonghyun honestly felt himself growing as a professional from those talks.

Talking of idols, Jonghyun had had very little contact with SHINee following the day he visited their dorm. He and Onew still met up often to hang out as friends, however they had returned to their usual stomping grounds of Jonghyun’s apartment and Onew’s car. In fact, Jonghyun was sure, by now, he seen more of the backstreets of Seoul, than many people far older than he was.

Despite not seeing the SHINee members, Jonghyun and Onew often talked about them. It was inevitable, with the amount the two males talked, that the people Onew lived and worked with would come up in conversation often and Jonghyun didn’t exactly mind talking about them. In fact, it was really interesting, from a fan’s perspective, to see how the group interacted together and how each individual member reacted to different things.

One thing their conversations covered in detail was Key’s attitude. It was mystifying to both males that the rapper was acting as he was. Apparently, even in the SHINee dorm, where Jonghyun wasn’t present, the diva would make snide comments when he saw Onew texting or, occasionally, just as he felt like it. By the tone of Onew’s text messages, the singer didn’t understand his group mate’s actions at all. Apparently he was perfectly pleasant until Jonghyun was brought up in conversation and then he became snappish and rude. It was strange and a little hurtful to the blonde. However, he wasn’t as hurt as he would imagine by the rapper’s coldness. Strangely, he just accepted it. Some people just don’t get along and this was clearly one of those situations. No matter how strange or unprovoked the dislike may be.

As the composer finished reading the scientific paper he was scanning through – Emotions evoked by the sound of music: characterization, classification, and measurement (Zentner et al, 2008) – and was about to start on the next – Popular Music: Emotional Use and Management (Wells, 2004) – when his phone buzzed next to him. Grabbing the device, glad to get away from the dry reading of the scientific articles, Jonghyun typed his PIN code quickly.

Jinki 11:46am
Keys doing it again. I don’t get it

Jonghyun 11:47am
:c why doesn’t he like me?

Jinki 11:47am
I don’t know. I really don’t. If it helps, Minnie and Minho like you a lot. Taemin wants you to write a song for him

Grabbing onto the last part of the text and taking the change of topic Onew had so kindly left for him, Jonghyun moved away from the complicated topic of Key’s behaviour.

Jonghyun 11:48am
He mentioned that to me before, I should get on that. I’ll write him a solo track, maybe one for him and Kai, I saw some photos from dispatch the other day, those 2 look close. Plus their voices work well together

Jinki 11:52am
He would love you forever, not even kidding. Kid is desperate for a solo debut. I think boss man might give in to his requests soon

Jonghyun smiled when he read that. Taemin might not have the strongest voice in SHINee but he’d made some amazing progress in recent years; his voice was stronger now than it ever had been and he was finally seen as more than just the dancer of the group. Jonghyun was sure he would do well with a solo debut. A lot of artists were having them recently, SHINee’s youngest was sure to do as well, if not better, than many of those.

Pulling his notebook towards himself, Jonghyun made a few notes as he thought of them. His page soon filled with random words, genres, Taemin’s name more than once and a string of letters that corresponded to notes on the keyboard. It wasn’t much but it was enough to remind him of his promise and would hopefully aid him in coming up with a few melodies.

His phone buzzed next to his arm once more and Jonghyun realised he had become distracted and had not replied to Onew’s last message.

Jinki 11:58am
You started brainstorming didn’t you?

Jonghyun 11:59am
No... never. Maybe. Shush

Jinki 12:00pm
So easy to predict Jjong. So easy. Tae will love you.

Jonghyun 12:00pm
Don’t tell him yet, I don’t want to disappoint him if it doesn’t work

Jinki 12:02pm
k.  what you doin?

Jonghyun 12:04pm
I was working but ugh it was so boring

Jinki 12:03pm
Poor baby. And what do you mean ‘was’? Someone slacking off?

Younchul, behind the blonde had noticed the composer’s distraction and his subsequent reaction to the messages he was receiving. The second he had opened that first message his facial expression had changed; initially it was a little tight and strained, though determination and focus were also present. However, soon after a soft smile had bloomed across his face. It was an expression that expressed more emotions than the blonde seemed to realise he felt for the person on the other end. The most recent message was the most interesting, however as a blush had slowly spread up the composer’s neck and up to his ears as he read it.

Opening up the office’s internal communication instant messenger, the man quickly typed a message to the other two purchasing personnel in the office: ‘100% convinced the kid is dating someone or will be soon’. He smirked as, after a few seconds, Junghee caught his eyes and nodded subtly – not that she needed to worry, as their youngest office mate was highly unlikely to have noticed their interaction, as distracted as he was.

Jonghyun 12:05pm
And whose fault do you think that is?

Jinki 12:07pm
Yeah yeah it’s always my fault, i get it. We still meeting up this weekend?

Jonghyun 12:08pm
Course. My place as usual?

Jinki 12:09pm
Yep. See you then. I’ll let you get back to work now :P

Rolling his eyes, Jonghyun placed his phone back on the desk next to him and turned back to his work. He had several more articles to read and some market statistics to analyse before he could even consider starting to write this report.

Behind him, Youngchul chuckled almost silently and hoped the boy would realise he clearly had something special there. It was good to have the kid back in good spirits and even better when he had something interesting going on in his life. It certainly made the office environment a little more exciting.

 

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CHAPTER NOTES: Those scientific articles are real, if you find yourself just desperate to read something incredibly detailed about musical theory at any point. I’ll be honest, I didn’t read them. It’s not really my subject area :P

The description of the induction quizzes is also real. They were so bad. Like: ‘If you slap a coworker on the , is that acceptable?’, ‘If you see someone slap a coworker on the , what should you do?’ So bad.

Almost as bad as the application for an American study visa. ’Have you ever been involved with terrorist activities?’ Honestly.