Jongdae's original plan was to prepare a small breakfast for Hyejin and place it on her desk to surprise her when she came to work. He had it all nicely thought out in his head: first he would get her some bagels from that fancy cafe near WS Building, then he would buy a cup of yogurt from the convenience store, and then make a good ol' cup of jasmine tea. 

 

But his plans didn't come into fruition — all of a sudden, just as he was about to head out of the office to the cafe, a lady whom he didn't recognise approached him. Her stance was imposing, and her lipstick spoke a different shade of red that just said 'serious'. 

 

"You're wanted at the CEO's office," she stated crisply. Jongdae nodded a little dumbly and followed behind her, walking briskly to catch up with the high stilettos that were gliding across the floor with ease. 

 

The CEO's office was a new kind of scary: it had an intimidating, high-up-there vibe that made it seem too big for a small fry like Jongdae. When the door opened he took a deep breath and entered, clamping his two hands together and bowing deferentially. 

 

"Good morning, sir." 

 

The CEO didn't return his greeting. "Sit," he gestured, and Jongdae cautiously placed himself onto a squashy leather sofa. It was the first time he had been in here, and everything — including the air — was fogged with a thick layer of superiority and tension. 

 

The CEO remained at his seat. "So tell me, Mr. Kim Jongdae. What made you send out those flyers to the printing company at 3:23am?" 

 

What? His mouth was agape. "Sir, I —" 

 

"And then give permission for 800,000 copies to be printed and distributed around Seoul, all using the company funds?" 

 

Jongdae knew it was his fault. How he sent out the email was still a mystery in his mind but he knew he had, and now realised it was all unintentional. He vaguely remembered doing something like receiving an acknowledgement call early in the morning, but he wasn't sure what exactly he was doing either. So Jongdae felt extremely bad. And he knew too that he was in deep, deep trouble. 

 

"I apologise, Sir. I wasn't thinking right." Jongdae kept his head bowed. 

 

The CEO stood up and slammed his palms info the table, creating a thunderous dull noise. "Wasn't thinking right? Wasn't thinking right! Is that even a proper excuse for the trouble you've caused? Not only have you wasted WS's funds, you've also created a new problem because the flyers with the wrong information have already been distributed to the entire districts of Jongno, Dobong, Mapo and Seocho! How are you going to settle tons of customers coming to our stores expecting discounts we don't have!" 

 

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Jongdae felt his heart lurch. This was bad. No, it was catastrophic — and the worst mistake he had ever made. 

 

"Sir, I'm extremely sorry. I can solve the problem. I —"

 

"I've heard that you're not performing too well at work too, that you're always not completing tasks on time." 

 

Jongdae had nothing to say to that. It was a fact that he didn't finish his work, no matter the reasons. And explaining that he had "too much to do" sounded pure whiny and baseless.  

 

The CEO sighed. "I don't know how we're going to clear the mess you just created. But there's one thing I have to do. I trust you will not blame the company for this." He slid an envelope — which Jongdae hadn't even realised was there — across the table. 

 

Jongdae knew what was written inside, and he was afraid of the content. But he knew he had to face up to his mistakes. His fingers didn't quiver as he clutched the envelope in his hands. 

 

"I'm sorry once again," he said as he bowed, a newfound courage rooting itself in him along with the sadness, unbearableness and pure regret that came. 

 

From that morning on, he wasn't a WS employee anymore. 

 

 

 

Stepping out of the door, he slowly pulled his lanyard containing his office ID off his neck. Jongdae was too absorbed in feeling the emptiness at the his nape to notice the woman with the red lipstick still standing outside the door, her posture a little less intimidating this time. 

 

In fact, she looked more than a little sheepish. He wondered if it was because she eavesdropped into his conversation with the CEO, or something. "So," she started, and her eyes darted around the room as if she didn't know what to say. "You've been... fired?" 

 

Jongdae nodded and gave her a wan smile.  

 

She stared at him with what seemed like mild shock, but quickly recovered from it and extended her hand out instead. "Um, hi, my name is Cha Ye Ryun. I'm one of your direct seniors." 

 

"Was," Jongdae corrected in all good nature, and firmly took her hand to shake, but she seemed slightly affected. 

 

"Is your father mad at you?" 

 

He shrugged. "I don't know if he will be. If he is I'll have to make a trip back to my hometown to appease him." Jongdae rubbed his thumb across the lanyard, trying hard not to think about how his father's upset expression would look. 

 

"So you're really not the CEO's son?" Ye Ryun yelped wide-eyed. Jongdae was momentarily confused, but shook his head no. She grabbed his wrist, to the surprise of Jongdae, then let it go, her fingers in a tangle. "Oh gosh," she cried, obvious guilt smeared all over her face. "I'm so sorry. We're so sorry. All your seniors are." 

 

With that, she ran off, stumbling in her heels, leaving Jongdae's mind boggled and in an extremely confused state. 

 

 

____________________________________________

 

 

Hyejin found it weird that Chen wasn't at his desk like usual when she turned up for work in the morning. She hesitantly placed the muffin she had gotten for him at the corner of his desk, which was abnormally clean, then went back to hers, constantly sneaking peeks at the door. He never came in. 

 

And by the first half of the day, she had found out what happened. The news was spreading like wildfire all over the office. Kim Jongdae made a huge mistake. Kim Jongdae accidentally printed and distributed a whole lot of flyers. Kim Jongdae was fired. 

 

She was outside their office room at the vending machine when she first heard the rumour from eavesdropping on the two people behind her. Hyejin got so flustered she left the machine without taking her drink and her change, and went to the nearest corner to call Chen. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the speed dial for his number, and she carefully put her phone to her ear.  

 

The ringback tone started to sound. 

 

"Please pick up, please pick up," she pleaded, her legs restlessly pacing about. 

 

Chen didn't. The message came for Hyejin to leave a voicemail, and she grew increasingly worried. She called again and again, but he didn't answer any of them. 

 

In her flurry she decided to send a text message to him instead. 

 

To: My Chen   9:56am 

I've heard what happened. Please don't be too upset, I know you're hurting now but I'm here for you, okay? Call me as soon as you see this, I need to hear your voice. 

 

 

He didn't call. And Hyejin felt horrible because she had no other way to contact him besides by phone. 

 

For lunch Hyejin tagged along the other trainees to eat. None of them were very hungry. Even Taehwan, who usually wolfed down his food like he hadn't eaten for days, picked on his stew, stirring it randomly with his spoon and dicing the beef into pieces much smaller than necessary. Hyejin couldn't eat at all. 

 

After a while of silence Taehwan slammed down his spoon on the table. "We need to do something." It was obvious what he was talking about — everyone's mind was on that one thing anyway. 

 

"What can we even do?" Chaeyoung asked, her voice even smaller than usual. 

 

"I don't know, I'm not the genius here," he accused insinuatingly, eyeing Jinkyung. 

 

She sighed a sigh of resignation, then tilted her head at Taehwan. "If I knew how to solve this we wouldn't be here feeling upset now." 

 

"Yeah, but how come you can solve normal company problems with your impressive monthly proposals but not this? Are you even thinking? Do you even care about Jongdae?" 

 

"Oh, so now you're accusing me of not bothering?" Jinkyung raised her eyebrows and icily said. 

 

"I'm merely stating facts!" 

 

Hyejin rubbed her head, feeling a zap of intense pain run through it.  "Guys…" 

 

"You don't know anything! You don't even take anything seriously!" Jinkyung was near shouting this time, and Taehwan just looked like he was about to burst. 

 

"Oh yeah?" He asked. "Well how about you-" 

 

"Guys!" 

 

Hyejin looked up. It wasn't her who shouted that — it was Chaeyoung. And she was looking genuinely frustrated. Taehwan looked at her with his mouth agape. Since they had known her, Chaeyoung had always been squeaking at everything and looking scared, and her blowing up was a first. Her voice was so authoritative that Taehwan apologised immediately after. 

 

Then the table was into a silence again. 

 

"Should we call Jongdae to make sure he's okay?" Jinkyung asked softly. 

 

"I've tried. He's not answering his calls or texts," Hyejin said. 

 

"Where did he apparently distribute the flyers to?" Chaeyoung questioned, sitting up straight. 

 

"According to this employee's SNS page, Jongno, Dobong, Mapo and Seocho." Taehwan flipped through his phone screen, scanning it seriously. "They're the flyers we designed previously — you know, the one with VIXX on the front?" 

 

"Okay. Let's go take back as many flyers as possible. The flyers are put at the gates of each door, right? We'll split and go. Jinkyung, if you could go to Jongno that'll be great. And Taehwan, you to Dobong, and Hyejin to Mapo. I'll take Seocho. Is that okay? We'll keep in contact using our phones." Everyone nodded — an angry Chaeyoung was strangely scary.

 

"What we're doing now is not helping," she stated, pausing a while to let it sit but not for too long, and before it started to get uncomfortable. "Let's go get Jongdae back. We'll think of more ways to after we've mitigated the damage." 

 

Hyejin realised as she set off (alone, and on the subway — her waist felt empty) that it didn't matter who performed the best usually. It was in these times of crisis that the real leader arose, and as unexpected as it was, that person was Chaeyoung. 

 

 

 

It took a half a day of no-pay leave and a lot of hard work to take down the flyers that were around. Of course they couldn't take every single flyer down, but they tried their best, dashing all around the districts. Hyejin went to every single shopping mall and as many residential areas she could find, snatching down the flyers and putting them into a big bag, which she was lugging around by the end of the day. It was cold outside, but it was probably also the most that she had perspired in ages. When they met back at the office at eight in the evening, the stacks and piles of flyers they had lugged back looked more satisfying than ever. Stretching out his sore muscles, Taehwan glanced at the team for a short moment. 

 

"Think they'll let Jongdae back in now?" He asked, a tinge of hope resting on his features. "We worked so hard today! My arms and legs are aching so badly." 

 

His face fell when both Jinkyung and Chaeyoung shook their heads. "It won't be that easy." 

 

"Can we get the employees to sign a petition?" Hyejin knew her voice sounded desperate, but it had been ages and ages but Jongdae still hadn't called back, or replied to any of her messages. She was worried sick — and more than desired him back in WS, right by her side. 

 

Taehwan's face lit up immediately, but it fell again when Jinkyung bit her lip. "Not to be mean, seriously. But haven't you realised? The seniors — especially our direct seniors — seem not to like him very much. So I'm not sure if they'll actually be willing to sign the petition." 

 

"Wait, what? Why?" Hyejin asked, surprised. 

 

"Actually, there's a reason I'm thinking of but I'm not sure if it's really so. And if it is, I will honestly be really appalled because I don't expect our seniors to be so childish." Chaeyoung took a sharp breath. "But yeah, there's a rumour going around for some time already that Jongdae is actually the CEO's son. And that he's become our team leader only because he's pulled strings, and not because he performs well." 

 

"A-Are you kidding me?" Hyejin spluttered. She had no idea all these were going on, and assumed Chen came back from the main office upset all the time only because he was tired. 

 

"Hey, don't cry," Chaeyoung suddenly whispered, sounding like the Chaeyoung all of them were used to. She used the back of her sleeve to mop away the tear Hyejin didn't even know had been rolling down her cheek. She didn't even know why she herself was crying — was she overreacting? But she was so worried and shocked. And she felt like such a bad girlfriend. And she missed Chen. So, so much. 

 

Perhaps it was a mistake to have thought about him like that in the first place because before Hyejin knew it more tears had escaped from her eyes and she was hastily wiping them off in an attempt not to appear prissy or weak. And the team could do nothing but offer her tissues that weren't jasmine scented, and hugs that weren't Chen's. 

 

 

 

 

It was a little past eleven in the night when Hyejin's phone started to ring. She lifted her heavy head off Chen's now cleared work desk, which she was sleeping on because she just didn't feel like going home. Groping around, she grabbed her phone and put it to her ear. 

 

"Hyejin speaking," she drawled, sleepy. 

 

"It's my jasmine, isn't it?" 

 

And all her drowsiness vanished in that one second. She sat up straight and felt tears well up in her eyes again — but this time, the tears felt slightly different in her eyes. "Chen," she breathed. 

 

"I saw your texts and all the missed calls. Did you worry a lot?" He was speaking a little nasally, but it wasn't the after-crying kind of nasal. It was more of him trying to act cute. And Hyejin wanted to cry more at this. 

 

"You're not okay, are you?" She asked. 

 

Hyejin didn't miss the microsecond of a pause before he answered. "I'm okay! What makes you think I'm not? I've sold my car so I can reimburse the company a little for their losses because I feel pretty darn bad. And I can always find another company to work for, so that's no issue." 

 

If Hyejin didn't know Chen any better, she would have thought by the tone of his voice that he was completely okay. But she knew that idiot liked to hold in his emotions and pretend to be all okay and strong on the outside when on the inside, he was almost dying. 

 

"You loved that car," Hyejin sighed, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder as she packed up whatever she had strewn on the table before she started to snooze. Leaving the office, she kept the phone by her ear and listened to Chen tell her about anything, because she knew that maybe if he talked long enough to her before she could be physically by his side to comfort him, he would feel slightly better. 

 

The road outside the office was relatively busy at this time of night, which made Hyejin slightly hopeful. The last buses and trains had long gone so she had no means of public transport. She watched as cars after cars streamed past her, but zero taxis. Not even one. (Of course, because taxi companies just love to screw with people such that when they are rushing to get somewhere, no taxis are on the road) But just as she was about to give up and attempt to hitchhike, a singular taxi drove down the road. Hyejin exhaled in relief a breath she didn't know she was holding. 

 

"To Boramnae, please." 

 

 

 

________________________________________________

 

 

 

"Chen, you gotta put down the phone." 

 

"Why? No. I want to talk to you a while longer. You're not sleeping yet, right?" 

 

"Wellll, no. But still." 

 

"Then I'm going to talk to you the whole night." 

 

Hyejin exaggerated a sigh. "Okay, fine! Don't put it down then!" 

 

Hyejin couldn't help but laugh amidst the frustration. She pressed the doorbell in front of her and waited. 

 

"Um... Hyejin?" Chen sounded slightly sheepish. "There's someone at the door. I think I have to put down the phone." 

 

"Ha ha ha. Yup, go. Don't keep the person waiting for too long." Before he could get really long-winded about his farewell again, Hyejin ended the call and held back any laughter she felt bubbling at the back of . 

 

"Who is it?" She heard Chen shout through the door, and kept silent. 

 

The door opened to a Chen with unkempt hair, wearing a shirt way too big for him. "It's really late and I —" He stopped mid-sentence, his mouth half open. Then it crept into a smile. 

 

"Hi," Hyejin said, almost shyly. He stared at her for a few seconds, and she felt like she was burning into a thousand stars under his gaze. When he finally broke out of his daze, he pulled her by the wrist so that they were now stuck together, body-to-body, leaning on the wall right behind the door. 

 

"Come here," he whispered, hands tight on her waist. Chen kicked the door close with his foot decisively, pushing them even closer to the wall. And then he captured her lips with a motion so swift she couldn't even register what was going on. His hands travelled slowly from her waist all the way up to her face. He cupped her cheeks and them, his lips not leaving hers the entire time. Hyejin slung her hands around his neck, feeling every fibre of her body heat up with the kiss. 

 

"Why did you come?" Chen whispered again, the kiss now broken, but his lips still brushing against hers as he spoke every word. He rested his forehead on hers and placed his palms on the wall for support. 

 

"Because I can see through your lie of being okay," she whispered back. And she tiptoed slightly, giving him a light kiss once again. He didn't let her go. She felt his smile toying on his lips as they kissed. And she was pretty sure he could feel hers as well. 

 

 

That night was the first night Hyejin ever saw Chen cry. They were snuggled into his sheets together, legs tangled, because they both were too tired to bicker over who would sleep on the couch for the night. 

 

"Hyejin," he had mumbled, his chin resting on the top of her head. 

 

"Hmm?" 

 

"I'm scared." 

 

Hyejin was silent as she looked up at Chen. "About what?" She whispered after a while. 

 

He didn't answer, and instead stared into space for so long she wondered if she had done wrong in asking that question. 

 

"About just... Everything." His reply came in a murmur, and that was when the first tear plopped out of his eyes. It seeped into the pillow, creating a small stain. Hyejin wasn't quick enough to wipe it away. 

 

She didn't know what to say, so she merely snuggled closer to him, and brushed away any other tear that threatened to fall from his eyes. But soon the pillow under him was wet. 

 

"What if I don't find a job outside of WS? What if the money from selling my car isn't even enough to reimburse whatever I've made the company lose? What if I-I miss WS too much?" 

 

She let him cry for a while, finding the right words to say because she was sure everything she said now wouldn't comfort him. 

 

"What if all of that doesn't happen?" Hyejin said after a while, tenderly his back to comfort him. "What if the company decides not to fire you?" 

 

"Why would they suddenly..." 

 

"We've been working really hard to get you back. Don't tell the other trainees I told you that." Hyejin gave him the biggest smile she could muster. His tears had reduced to sniffles, and he looked adorably like a little puppy with his glistening eyes. 

 

"So sleep, Chen. We'll worry about whatever tomorrow. I'm with you now, okay?" 

 

 

 

 

Hyejin was awakened at the break of dawn the next morning by a text message that came in. Chen stirred a little, disturbed by the jingle the phone made. Carefully, she slid out of the bed, untangling her legs from Chen's and slowly placing his hand, which was shielding her from the top, on the bed. 

 

From: Unknown Number 

hello, 

 

we're wondering if your team would like to sign a petition to get mr kim jongdae back to work. you can come to us later during work hours to sign it if you're interested. our office is on the floor on top of yours. also, please spread the word around to the other trainee teams. thank you. 

 

regards, 

cha yeryun 

on behalf of food marketing department team 2 

 

Hyejin smiled. That team was the team Chen originally belonged in, and which the seniors who were apparently nasty to him were in as well. She didn't know what sparked them to suddenly create a petition, but for some reason it didn't really surprise her that they did. Maybe it was because she knew Chen was too good and nice a person to be hated. Yeah, she believed that. And although he had his flaws and may not be the best worker around, he was extremely hardworking and put his best spirit into everything.  

 

She turned to look at Chen, who looked almost like a child sleeping under the covers. Lightly, she pulled the blanket up to his neck and adjusted his pillow ever so slightly, before giving her own hair a quick brush and heading out of his house, ready to start the day and get Chen back his job.