Chapter 10: Bring The Boss Out

I was so scared.

When Jong and I arrived at the noraebang, the black van of the boss was already parked outside. And then I noticed that the rest of the INFINITE members, together with the boss, are already inside the vehicle. Boss was the one on the driver’s seat, Sunggyu sat in front next to the boss, Myung and Woohyun in the second row, and Dongwoo, Yeol and Hoya at the farthest back.

Jong peaked at the driver’s window as boss lowered it.

“Jong, get in,” he faced Gyu who was fiddling with his iPhone and said, “You, sit in the back. Lily will sit there.”

My eyes widened. Before Gyu could get off from the front, I asked the boss, “Sir, Jong oppa said you wanted to talk about something?”

“Yes. I will just drop these boys at their dorm and we’ll head to the Woollim office. We’ll talk there.” He smiled enthusiastically. Although I still felt awkward, and scared. At the Woollim office? Seriously? Was slapping Sungyeol that big of a deal? And why was he smiling? That is so creepy. I was so confused, so I just hopped in the van. I heard whispers from Jong and Myung.

“What happened, L hyung?”

“Boss just wanted to talk to her. What about you? When you left, what did you talk about?”

“Nothing much.”

While we were on the way, the boys were quiet. And I wasn’t used to it. They were usually noisy when they’re in the van, well, at least during the filming of Sesame Player. I guessed it was because of the incident a while ago. Sungyeol was also quiet. I glanced at him from the mirror and saw him looking straight at the road in front. What was he thinking? I wondered if slapping him was a wake-up call for him, or just another annoying thing to be added to his list of “Annoying things Lily did to me”.

I was also quiet the whole time. And then we arrived at the dorm, the dorm I just left the day before. The boys started getting off, when the boss said, “Ya, Gyu, I figured you should come with us, so Lily won’t feel alone and intimidated.” Gyu smiled. And that’s the time I felt that I was completely out of place. Like I was really clueless of what’s happening. “You’re the INFINITE leader, so you should back me up,” added the boss.

Nam shouted from the outside, “Boss, I got my eyes on you,” and gestured his two fingers pointing at his eyes, and then pointed it to the boss. The boss laughed.

I got off the van too, and let Gyu sit in front as a sign of respect. He ruffled my hair and sat in front, while I settled in the second row. Before I closed the door, I waved good bye at Jong, and he did the same. He also gave me a thumbs up, which was really weird if boss was really going to sue me for slapping Mr. Idiot.

We started for the road. And I couldn’t hold it any longer, so I said, “Sir, look, if you are angry about me slapping Sungyeol, I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

They started bursting into laughter. I knitted my brows and opened my mouth in wonder. Why in the world are they laughing?!

Gyu was turning red, and the boss was biting his lower lip, forcing himself not to laugh anymore since he was driving. I was biting the insides of my cheeks too, because their laugh was so contagious. They reminded me of Dongwoo oppa. For a second, I kind of miss having the other boys around, especially Jong.

“I’m not angry about that. That was actually really impressive,” the boss said at last. I felt the weight in my shoulders disappear. Gyu gave me a thumbs and said, “Yeah, Yeol deserved it anyway.” He turned to me from the front, and said, “We were listening to your argument the whole time, you know.” He winked and went back facing the road. “That means, Lily-1 Sungyeol-0.”

“Then why do you want to talk to me, sir?” I said, after a few seconds of silence.

“I want to recruit you to Woollim. You’re a fresh talent. The Woollim CEO is in his office right now and I will endorse you to him.”

What? What did boss just say? Recruit me to Woollim? Endorse me to the CEO? I felt so happy, but I suddenly realized that I was in Korea for something more important. I was in Korea to look for my best friend, not to audition. But no, I didn’t audition. They found me by accident. I guess it’s not that bad..

“But sir, I’m only staying here in Korea for a few more days. I have two days left and I’m going back to my country,” I told him.

“That is what we are going to talk about there in the office. So don’t worry about it. We’ll settle it.”

Gyu then butted in, “Boss, she’s only here in Korea to look for a friend. I don’t think she can-” he looked at me with those little eyes. “Bah, whatever. You’re talented, and you deserve recognition.”

“You’re looking for a friend?” boss asked me.

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll try to help. Just let me endorse you to the CEO.”

For a moment there, I felt really happy inside. My dreams were starting to come true and I was getting a lot of help in looking for my friend, and I was not about to decline it. I reached for my pocket, and held Jong’s handkerchief and wished for the best.

The opportunities are infinite indeed.