“I don’t think I can sleep tonight,” Stephanie says to her flatmates, Sunny, Yuri, Yoona and Seohyun, over supper. She looks to them for advice often, since they are her group mates and know her well.

“Why not?” Seohyun asks, concerned about their quality of sleep as usual.

“The new CEO touched my today.”

“Oh my God, the new CEO touched your ?” Yuri and Yoona exclaim with dramatic flair, their jaws dropping open in unison. “You’re so lucky! How did it feel? Was it nice?”

“I didn’t get to feel much. It was just a pat.”

“Oh.” Yuri and Yoona’s shoulders sag in mock disappointment. “Well, better luck next time.”

Stephanie pouts, playing along. “Hey, don’t say that, a pat is a pat.”

“Work hard at your pole dancing and you might get more,” says Sunny with a teasing smile. “You might even get an Ebichu nose bleed from her.”

“Oh, I can’t wait for that,” Stephanie adds with a roll of her eyes and shake of her head. “Well, enough about me. What about you two? Is your filming going okay?”

Yuri and Yoona nod. “I have a kiss scene tomorrow,” says Yuri.

“With A plus?” Stephanie clarifies.

Yuri grins. “Mhm.”

“You lucky beach. Enjoy your kisses. I’m filming a crying-in-the-rain scene tomorrow,” Yoona says with a grimace. “I’m hoping we wrap it up with no more than two or three takes. I’ve perfected my lines and if anyone screws up the scene, I’m gonna kick their asses real hard.”

“I’m sure everyone’s doing their part,” says Seohyun.

Yoona cracks her knuckles and flexes her arms. “They’re in for it if they don’t.”

\/\/

Ironically, Stephanie lays on her bed, eyes wide open for the longest time later that night. In her mind, footage of CEO Kim coming towards her plays and replays and she finds her heart beating faster each time it gets to the part where CEO Kim’s hand makes contact with her .

No! She chides herself. You will not cave in. You pledged to earn it through hard work, not flirtation. You’re not going to let one pat on the get to you. And if the CEO is anything like Ebichu . . .

\/\/

“OH SHE IS!”

Taeyeon jumps in her skin and drops her pen. “What is it? What? What?”

“OH SHE IS! YOUR EYEBROWS SO NICE AND THICK. I LIKE THEM LIKE THAT!”

Eyebrows? Taeyeon checks her eyebrows in the mirror on her desk then glares at the strange man standing in her office. “There’s nothing wrong with my eyebrows. What is wrong with you? Who are you? Why are you in here?”

“OH SHE IS. I am Kim Jonghyun, your new secretary reporting for duty,” the man says with a spin and bow.

“Okay, please stop shouting in my office.”

“Yes, CEO Kim!”

Taeyeon sighs. Maybe transferring Kim Heechul away wasn’t such a good idea after all. “Your first assignment is to arrange a meeting for me.”

“Most certainly. Who would you like to meet?”

“Stephanie.”

Light blonde eyebrows shoot up. “Who?”

“Stephanie Hwang.”

“Who?”

Taeyeon bottles up her impending explosion. “Tiffany Hwang of Pink Generation.”

“Ah!” Kim Jonghyun smiles. “And when would you like to meet her?”

“Before dinner.”

“It will be done.”

\/\/

Stephanie follows CEO Kim’s new secretary with nerves climbing up and down her spine. Why did CEO Kim send for her? What are they going to talk about? She hopes it isn’t something the CEO is unhappy about although there’s no reason why that would be the case.

“HERE SHE IS!”

Stephanie jumps, as does CEO Kim.

“Thank you, Jonghyun. You may leave now.”

Unsure about what she is here for, Stephanie stands at the door, stiff with uncertainty, while the new secretary leaves the room. In her mind, she’s wondering why CEO Kim got a new secretary so quickly. Does it mean she’s strict and has sky-high expectations? That’s a scary thought.

“Good evening, Miss Kim,” she begins when they’re finally alone in the office. “What do you want to see me for?”

“Sit.”

Stephanie obeys without question and watches as CEO Kim turns her back and sheds her jacket. The back view is stunning. CEO Kim’s blouse is thin and 80% see-through so she is treated to a tracing-paper view of a black bra underneath. The view is just as, if not more, stunning when CEO Kim turns back around to face her. Wow.

“Are you hungry?”

Not expecting this question, Stephanie takes a moment to answer it. “A little.”

“Join me for dinner. We’ll talk after.”

Stephanie can only say yes.

\/\/

Smiling to herself, Taeyeon presses the remote and soft music plays in her office. The sound system was recently installed at her request and customized to optimize the space around them. Now, as a y saxophone track weaves around them, Taeyeon takes out two bento sets from the delivery bag they came in. To her satisfaction, they are still warm.

“Eat.”

Stephanie takes a while to respond. “Thank you.”

“Aren’t you warm in that jacket?”

“Just a little.”

Taeyeon smiles. “You should take it off and hang it over there,” she says, pointing at the jacket stand by the door. Resting her chin on her hands, she smiles again when Stephanie does as she says. The singer is wearing a loose top under her jacket and what appears to be a fancy, y black bra inside. Damn. It would appear that Stephanie is the girl of her dreams.

\/\/