“Excited?” asked Onew, rubbing his hands together as he came out of his office unexpectantly this morning.

“What?” I asked dumbly. I had been in the middle of sticking stickers of clients’ addresses on letters and stamping the company stamp at the back. I internally cursed as a sticker went on crooked.

“Aren’t you excited?” he repeated, smiling at me.

“For what?” I asked.

“Have you checked your emails?” he asked.

With a sinking heart that I had forgotten something, I went on my emails to see one unread from Jung CEO, one that he had sent Onew and added myself into the CC list.

I skimmed to the part where it had my name, torturously reading it.

Please let your PA/Intern Lee Taemin sit in to your meeting with P&G Crest. If it is not any bother to you, it would be great if you could prepare him for what will happen, and discuss any questions he has afterwards. Please allow him to take notes, and introduce him to P&G Crest and say that this is his first meeting and he is here to observe for future minute taking practise.

I was…going to sit in to a client meeting?

My heart started beating erratically. Oh no oh no oh no. I wasn’t prepared. I was going to meet really rich, really powerful people. No PA had ever been allowed inside those client meetings. I looked at the clients and the partners in the company as gods. There was no way I could be in the same room as those people.

“Don’t worry Taemin, you don’t have to do anything. Just bring some pen and paper and watch what a meeting is like.”

“But I’m going to feel so weird!” I cried. “I can’t do this Onew CE…hyung! What am I going to do? I look like a mess! I’m not presentable! And this is a major client!”

He looked at me kindly, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry Taemin, you look as fine as you do every day. This is my first meeting with this company too, remember? I would love it if you were there for moral support. I would feel so much better if you were there. Can you do it for me?”

We both knew he was saying that to make me feel better, and it worked. I felt so stupid though, for Onew to have to act like I was doing him the favour when it was obviously him calming me down.

I nodded.

“Good. The meeting starts in an hour, but I want to be there to set up. You’ll help me, right? Grab some pens and paper. We’re gonna do great!”

I smiled slightly and got up, taking my notebook and four pens just in case and to make me feel better.

“That’s my boy,” he smiled, ruffling my hair. “We’re gonna be fine. Can you show me where the meeting room is? See, I need you more than you need me,” he teased.

I took a deep breath as we walked together to the lift, me chewing my lip.

“Won’t I look weird there, just watching? What if they kick me out? What if the stuff they say is confidential? I probably won’t understand a thing. They’re not going to ask me questions, are they?”

“I’m sure they won’t Taemin,” answered Onew, pressing the buttons. “It’s going to be easy..”

I knew what was going to happen. I started to break out in cold sweat. I was going to feel dumb, just like school. They were going to talk about smart stuff that I had no clue about and I was going to feel as dumb as a doorknob.

 If they question me about anything, I might actually cry and ruin everything.

I was going to ruin everything.

“Hey, don’t look so scared,” laughed Onew. “I should be the one looking like I’m going to die of nervousness. All you need to do is sit and watch and listen. I promise you, you’ll be fine. This meeting we’re just meeting them for the first time and finding out what they want. It’ll be fun.”

I started rubbing my nose and my lips, my nervous habits as the elevator dinged, my nervous tics out on show.

We walked out together, and I stopped as we reached the room, opening the door for Onew to go in first.

The room was a table and a computer and a projector on a desk to the side. Onew sat on one side of the table.

“Come here,” he said, patting the seat next to him.

I hesitantly perched on the seat next to him, my lips again.

I hadn’t been this close to him in days. I could smell his cologne wafting off him. He smelt like warm, clean male.  No hint of sour milk from burping or feeding a baby, no hint of baby powder or just laundry powder from lack of time to spritz cologne. This man had time to groom himself before work.

He totally could have time for me then.

No! No! Think of Joon!

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” said Onew, smiling until his eyes were little crescents.  “They won’t bite.”

45 minutes later, the door was opened by one of the PAs, who looked at me with wide eyes before bowing to the two men and one woman who entered, dressed in suits.

“Aah, so great to have you here!” exploded Onew with charisma, smiling beautifully, bowing deeply at each one of them and earnestly shaking each of their hands with both of his.

I stood up too, bowing as deep as I could to hide my pale face as they bowed back.

“I’m Lee Jinki, but please, call me Onew. This here is Lee Taemin, who will be observing. Please don’t mind him, he’s just training for minute taking. He understands that everything that transpires in this room is confidential, but feel free to ask him to step out if you think your confidentiality is undermined.”

I stared at the ground. I didn’t understand half of what Onew had said. I noticed my legs were visibly shaking. Oh dear.

We all sat down again in the chairs. Why were they so close to us? I stared down at my blank paper, unable to look at the clients in their faces. This was horrible. I didn’t like it. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to my lips and wipe my nose but I couldn’t in front of them, they’d see. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like-

I jumped slightly as I saw and felt Onew’s hand rest on top of my knee, rubbing it in a comforting manner.

I peeked at him at the corner of my eye to see him smile at me encouragingly before facing the clients.

His hand didn’t leave, just reassuringly palming my knee as he continued talking to the clients with utmost enthusiasm.

I took a deep breath, willing myself to be brave. Be strong. Like I always have been.

I stole a glance at the clients, and they noticed my head going up.

“I’m glad we haven’t scared you for long,” smiled one of the men. Was I that obvious?

“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I was just a bit overwhelmed.”

Onew’s hand squeezed my knee encouragingly.

“Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea?” asked Onew.

They all responded with their requests. Onew pressed a button and a PA who I knew was called Sooyoung came in, bowing and her eyes widening when she saw me.

“Two coffees, two teas, and what would you like, Taemin?” asked Onew.

“Coffee would be great,” I said confidently.

“Make it three coffees, please.”

“Certainly Lee CEO,” said Sooyoung, bowing at the order. As she left she raised her eyebrows at me, and made a typing motion with her hands. She wanted me to email her about why I was here. I smiled smugly at her as she walked away.

Well that wasn’t so bad, wasn’t it?” asked Onew when they had left.

It had been alright. The clients were quite nice, and all they had done was tell us about their company and what they wanted Onew to do. Onew had taken notes, and I had scrawled some in my messy handwriting to look like I was doing something. I was bad at writing- I often forgot what the characters looked like.

“You did wonderfully Taemin, you just have to do the same in the rest of the meetings,” he said as he shuffled his paper to put into his briefcase.

“Thank you, Lee CE- Onew hyung,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I was shy. I’m sorry you had to… help me.”

“No, no,” he said, waving his hand in dismissal. “You were fine, Taemin. Well done,” he praised warmly, patting me on the back.

To be honest, I was getting a bit bored with Onew. All he did was say nice things like ‘it’ll be okay’ and ‘you’re okay’s and do normal things like brisk pats on the back with a huge smile on his face. I wanted him to make a move. I wanted him to seduce me. But maybe he was faithful to his wife.

Well then, make him unfaithful. Tempt him to make him want to chase you, I thought to myself. But I wasn’t going to throw myself at him. What if he wasn’t even gay?

We got into the elevator, shoulder to shoulder, where he closed the doors just as someone shouted “hey!” outside, wanting to get out. He started to evil laugh, his “mu-ha-has” echoing in the small lift. I couldn’t help giggling and sniggering, hiding my laughter behind my fist. Onew was so funny. The louder his fake laughter, the louder my giggles erupted from me.

“Your smile is beautiful,” said Onew. “You’re beautiful.”

I blushed, blinking rapidly at the sudden compliment, my laughter dying but what I was sure a stupid little smile plastered on my lips. I could feel hotness rush to my cheeks. I played with the hem of my blazer, looking down at my shoes. An awkward beat of quiet.

“I’m sorry, look, there I go wrecking the atmosphere. I really am weird, aren’t I?” he said, rubbing his arm bashfully and fixing his fringe.

“No,” I said, still smiling away so hard my cheeks hurt. My heart was pumping really quickly, like it was hammering at my rib cage. My whole body could feel its knocking. “Thank you. I think your smile is beautiful too.”

“You’re a doll for trying to cover my weirdness up.”

“No, I mean it. Your smile is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen,” I said softly, looking at his face for his reaction. “And I think you’re beautiful too.”

Onew laughed. “Oh, I’m nothing next to you in looks, Taemin. You truly are the most beautiful person I’ve ever come across. You’re like…an angel.”

“I’m not an angel,” I denied, my cheeks heating up even more and my heart beating faster, especially about what I was going to say next. “And surely… your wife is more beautiful than me.”

“It’s all makeup,” said Onew. “And really, you can get sick of the same beauty. I don’t even see her in that light anymore, now that I know what she looks like with her mask off,” he chuckled. “But you… every time I see you, it’s like my eyes forgot how beautiful you are.”

My head was bowed, and I could hear his breathing next to my ear, my own chest heaving. We were talking about it. I was going to find out whether I had a chance. I felt like I just confessed. It was pretty much my version of a confession. I had called him beautiful. I had to play this game right.

“But as nice as my appearance is, what really matters is what’s in the inside,” I countered. “And from what I’ve known of you… you’re so much better than me. At talking to people. At being kind. At doing the right thing, at being smart. You’re amazing, hyung. I could never be like that. You saw me at the meeting. I was next to useless.”

A fish for a compliment, and some bait…now to see if he takes it…I invested all I had to add in the electricity, the back of my neck prickling in anticipation. Surely he could feel it too. We were so close. This wasn’t just an innocent chat.

“Taemin, the more I get to know you, the more beautiful you become. You shouldn’t want to be like me. I find your shyness cute. You’re so helpful. You’re so incredibly sweet, and it’s in your personality that you will never realise how sweet you are, and that’s even sweeter. And as for me always doing the right thing…”

The elevator dinged and he whispered in my ear in his deep tone. “I have to remind myself every second at work, to do the right thing. You don’t know how wrong I am. You are so sweet Taemin, as sweet as….”

He stopped abruptly, straightening up.

“As sweet as what?” I asked in a breathy voice.

“Nothing. You are as sweet as candy,” he said, smiling so sunnily that if I hadn’t just seen him in action in a meeting I would have taken as genuine. “I have to get off at this level to see Jung CEO.”

I must have looked a little sad since he reached out and swept my fringe lightly off my face, his other hand wandering to rest on my waist.

“Take care, I’ll see you in a bit,” he said soothingly before letting go and walking out the door, saying goodbye with a little salute.

I pressed my back against the wall of the elevator, fanning myself and messing up my brown hair, reliving the feather light touch on it before.

He didn’t really know me that well.  I know I’m sweet.  I know I am very pretty.

I hope so very much that he will forget to remind himself every day to ‘do the right thing.’ I hope so very much he will forget that what he might be thinking is wrong.

And I intend to be the one who will make him forget because I want his mind to be filled with me, only me. Yes, I’m as sweet as candy. Candy will rot your teeth, make you sick, eat too many and you’ll end up with ing diabetes. I haven’t been good to anyone who has called me sweet.

 But he’s different. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t want to use him. I don’t want to be sweet as candy for him. I just want him to like me very, very much. Because I think I like him just a little bit. I like him I like him I like him I like him.

A/N Joon who?

I am desperate to get into the Ontae snuggles!

And guess who got their internet refreshed today wwwwweeeeeee!! :D I'm home :*D

As always, please tell me what you think! Comments make my day! :)