A couple of young men sauntered across the lobby of one of Korea’s biggest entertainment companies. On of them was wearing an expensive Armani-tagged suit. He had earphones in his ears and was humming to the silent tune on his music player. His companion, on the other hand, donned matching black suits with a white undershirt. He was taller than the former, older, and more mature. He held an electronic organizer in one hand, the stylus in the other, as he briefed the younger man about his schedule for the day.

“We will have breakfast with Mr. Jang today. Seems like he wants to talk about a new project for you... or, maybe, he just wants to congratulate you on your— Kim Junsu, are you even listening to a word I say?”

“Yunho hyung,” Junsu began, eyes closed with his body leaning against the steel bar of the elevator. “Did you do what I asked?”

Yunho sighed and slid his electronic organizer back in his right jacket pocket. He wouldn’t need it now. Junsu had something else in his mind. His schedule didn’t matter.

“You’re listening to that song again, aren’t you?” the young manager asked. He didn’t need an answer, though. The look on his friend’s face said it all. “I did… I’ll give them to you after the breakfast meeting with Mr. Jang,” he said, earning a slight nod from the younger man. “Now, will you cooperate? This is your career, Kim Junsu, not mine.”

The elevator doors slid open just as Yunho finish with his little speech about Junsu not paying enough attention on things. He playfully yanked at the Junsu’s earplugs, making him groan because of the stinging pain his hyung’s action left on his ear, and because now he had to listen to Yunho’s litany.

The men walked down the hall to the last and most elegant pair of doors on that level. Yunho knocked thrice before turning the knob and pushing the door open. They were welcomed by a marvellous view of Seoul and the lazy mid-morning sun. Windows were erected in place of a wall on one side of the room, giving it that grand feeling.

Junsu felt a soft pat on his shoulder, making him turn to his left, to his Yunho hyung. The latter motioned for him to follow, as he walked towards the center of the company president’s office.

“Kim Junsu,” Mr. Jang, the company president called out. “It’s nice to see you again. Come, come and sit.”

Junsu was ushered by his manager hyung to sit beside the company’s vice president. It was Mr. Jang’s grand son, and a close friend of his since years ago, Kim Jaejoong. Yunho sat opposite him, at the left of Jaejoong’s cousin, Jang Riin. She smiled at Junsu from across the table, while Jaejoong patted him on the back as greeting.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, buddy,” Jaejoong begun. “These past couple of weeks must have really been harsh on you, huh?”

Junsu could only nod at his statement. Breakfast was served right after that. Plates upon plates of delectable dishes were brought one by one onto the table by, as it seemed, were hotel waitresses.

“I had Riin plan for this breakfast meeting with you Junsu, her taste is exquisite, and when she told me what she had thought of, I knew I wasn’t mistaken,” Mr. Jang explained. The elderly man took a slice of garlic bread, munching on it as he let his grand daughter pile viands on his plate. After swallowing the last of the savory snack, he sipped on his coffee and went back to talking to Junsu.

Mr. Jang, it seemed, wanted to tackle everything there is to Junsu’s career; from what the elder wanted to do for the album’s promotion to his inevitable tour around Asia to planning his next album. The man talked continuously, almost forgetting to eat his breakfast. He seemed really excited about Junsu’s career, well, how could he not when the latter was the biggest earner in his company.

“Grandpa, can’t you eat first?” Riin said. It was the first time she spoke that morning. “I’m sure Junsu-sshi won’t mind staying in you office after breakfast,” she turned to Junsu, “won’t you, Junsu-sshi?”

Just as Junsu was to answer, his manager hyung butted in with an exclamation of his affirmation. This caused Riin to giggle softly and Mr. Jang to chortle with glee.

The rule that governed Junsu’s career: What Yunho says, goes.

Junsu was never allowed to negate. And so he nodded, hesitantly, and proceeded to eat his breakfast.

The door to the President’s office opened a little more than three hours later as three young men walked out. Two of them were talking to each other about who-knows-what, while the other, Junsu, remained silent.

He was mad at the fact that he had to sit around for a good three hours for something that he didn’t really have any say on. Yunho was the one who made decisions all of them knew that. And, although he really appreciated that fact, he just wished that he didn’t have to be forced to go to boring meetings. He sighed out loud, taking huge strides ahead his manager hyung and Jaejoong.

“Junsu-sshi,” Jang Riin stood before him, blocking his way towards the elevators. “Thank you… my grandfather is really proud of you,” she said with a smile.

“Uh—“ Junsu didn’t know what to say. Should he nod and say that it was all his pleasure? Or should he tell her the truth and give Yunho all the credit? He decided on the former, smiling back at her.

“Oh, Junsu!” It was Jaejoong, this time. “Before I forgot, I have a new song for you.” Jaejoong handed Junsu a music book. “I think this one is especially good. Your composer is getting better and better.”

“When did she give this?” Junsu asked, flipping through the pages, listening to the music that his mind made. He read the notes and the lyrics, loving each word that his eyes encountered. “The new album had only been released and now I already have a new song?”

Jaejoong shrugged. It wasn’t as if this had never happened before. “Well, if she likes to build-up your new album with one song at a time, we can’t do anything about that. I wanted to give it to you early so if you liked it… Changmin could work on the arrangement as soon as possible.” With that, Jaejoong turned and started to walk away. “If you like it, just hand it back to Rinnie, she’ll give it to Changmin.”

Jaejoong left the three and walked to the opposite direction. He muttered harshly about something that sounded like a curse and meeting. The others, then, piled up into an elevator, Yunho pressing the 7 button. Junsu kept quiet by the corner, face buried in the music book. He was humming the notes softly to himself, falling for the song over and over.

“Junsu-sshi, can I see it?” Riin asked, wide-eyed and hopeful.

Junsu lifted his head from the book and stared – in a very irritated way – at Riin. It turned into a half-glare after a while, before his face was, again, hidden by the book. “What for?” he asked quietly. “It’s not like you’d know how it would sound like.”

Sarcasm dripped from Junsu’s comment, making Yunho hiss at him for being a jerk. Riin was, after all, the President’s granddaughter. But Riin stopped the young manager, reassuring him that she didn’t take it negatively.

“Junsu-sshi is right after all, I don’t really know anything about music,” she said with a smile but hung her head low afterwards.

The elevator doors slid open on the seventh floor. It was where the dance studio that Junsu us was located. Him and Yunho got off the lift with the latter waiting for Riin to do the same.

“I – uhmmm – I think I’ll go to Yoochun oppa first. He was asking me to help him with something earlier. So, please just leave the song book at the studio, Junsu-sshi, I will just get it later,” she pressed the close button after that, not waiting for any of the guys to answer her.

In all actuality, Yoochun didn’t ask her for anything. He was just the first person that came into mind when she needed an alibi to get away from Junsu.

I guess he’s tired of always seeing me around, she thought. But there was nothing Riin could do about it. She was being trained to manage things around the company – Jaejoong was her mentor and he’s almost always where his buddy, Junsu, is – and being in love with the young artist didn’t help at all.