Chapter 36: Lady

Thrumming with anxious energy, there was only one thing to do. Baekhyun threw himself headlong into his work. He assigned himself the first task of the morning - checking in on LADY, whose debut was in a matter of days.

"Again!" Executive Lee was drilling the girls hard. With a week left til their first live appearance and a competing girl group debut dominating the charts, LADY's stylists were a frenzy of glitter and leather, the choreographers were concocting new attention grabbing sequences, and the girls were red-eyed and dead on their feet.

Kris' album promotions were well underway, and his feature in their debut was expected to crush the competition. But Park Entertainment wasn't about to take chances.

"The girls look ready to fall over," Baekhyun said to Lee as he stepped out of the studio. "Will they impress anyone if they can't even smile?"

"They've trained for years to smile on cue," Lee said, then caught the horrified look on Baekhyun's face. "Just because you're in Original Talent doesn't mean this industry runs on it, Byun. Original Talent is a pretty experiment, nothing more. Kris is just as academy as the rest of them, when you look at it, he just happened to already have some tracks laid down before he walked in the door." He jerked his chin at the practice room. "Model behavior is what people pay the big bucks for. And that's what the academy creates. Model behavior."

The door swung open, and one of the girls walked out. Tena was tall for a girl, nearly Baekhyun's height, and had a shock of lavender hair cropped in a boyish style. Baekhyun smiled at her. She didn't smile back. She dipped her head in a bow and hurried down the hall.

"It'll get better after they debut and start paying their keep," Lee said after she was out of earshot. "That one, Tena, she'll be a tough one. Least training in the group, they brought her in late on raw talent alone. Amazing performer. But she stands out like a sore thumb. She'll either be the nail in the coffin or the mega moneymaker."

Baekhyun frowned. "But the stylists decide how she looks - how is standing out her fault? Aside from her height - but even that's easy enough to get around." It sounded naive, even to his own ears.

Lee shook his head. "It's not her look. It's something else. I don't know what. Pay attention and see." He tapped the corner of his eye. "I have a sense for these things.

"Have you said anything to the CEO?"

"Nah. It's not my money we're betting with." Lee grinned. "Park takes his own risks. I just make sure they perform well. Like I said, she could be the moneymaker. If she is, we all win."

Back in his office, Baekhyun pored over a flood of emails about LADY's debut as he sipped a hot coffee. He looked up as a knock sounded at the door. "Come in," he called out.

Jongdae poked his head in. "Some files came over from Marketing. They want final approval on the official MV teaser and copy they're launching 24 hours before the live debut."

"A little late for that isn't it?" He frowned, sitting up straighter.

Jongdae lifted a shoulder. "Seems like things can change until the very last minute."

"It wasn't like this with Kris.""Yeah, but it wasn't his debut. It was probably just as hectic when he first started out, too."

"Mm. Okay, I'll take a look and send them my thoughts." Baekhyun looked up suddenly, as if remembering something. "Do you have feedback, too?"

"I watched them. I have a few thoughts. Why don't you send me what you think, and if we're on the same page, I'll forward your comments along. If there's something I have to add, I'll run it by you."

Baekhyun nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks, Jongdae. Oh - quick favor. You know the Italian restaurant in Garosugil? That cute one at the end of the street. I can't remember its name. Can you find out and get me a reservation for 7pm?"

"For 2?"

"Yes. Taking Jaehee out to dinner."

Jongdae grinned. "It's about time. I wondered if you were even together anymore."

Baekhyun gave him a measured look.

"Right then, dinner for 2 at 7." Jongdae grinned and saw himself out.

Cheeky bastard.

Despite the night he had had, the day was shaping up productive. As the sun passed overhead, leaving the light a little less glaring in his office, Baekhyun stepped out to buy lunch. It felt good to be working, to be productive, to be in the thick of things where he was needed. He powered on his phone as he walked to the Paris Baguette a few blocks away, pondering a grilled chicken salad. If he was going to turn over a new leaf, he might as well kick all his bad habits at once, including his abysmal diet.

A chorus of notification sounds assaulted his ears as the device powered on. He swiped to view them. A flurry of calls, texts, and voicemails from Chanyeol crowded the notification bar. Anger surfaced, hot and sudden. As if on cue, the phone started ringing. It was Chanyeol. Seething, he jammed the power button til the phone turned off. He didn't want to see or hear from him. Not yet. He bought himself a salad with renewed resolve. Maybe later, if he could get away for a bit, he would hit the gym. He would fix things himself, and he didn't need Chanyeol, and he didn't need a bloody therapist.

When Baekhyun returned to the office, he wondered if he had walked into the wrong building. The executive hall was abuzz, there was an unusual amount of activity from all corners, and people were speaking in tight voices and passing around furtive looks. Jongdae was at his side almost instantly, rattling off details. An emergency board meeting ha