Chapter 21

“I see...” Youngjae finally said upon hearing about what the girls dealt with the night before. “You did a really good deed, Annie.”

“Thank you,” she said awkwardly. “I can't help but worry though, Jae...”

“I don't think there's anything to worry about,” he pointed out. “Zelo's in good hands with Daehyun. I mean Dae eats and whines a lot but I'm sure a guy like Zelo could put up with it. I mean given his circumstances, he's probably put up with worst. I mean think about it, he works here part time, he probably deals with worst people than Daehyun. If anything, Daehyun is actually nice compared to the customers you would tell me about. So like I said, there's nothing to worry about.”

“Good point,” she nodded in understanding. “I promised I'd check up on them later today. From what I hear, Daehyun texted me to tell me he's taking Zelo to the studio with him. And then he's dropping Zelo back off here for work.”

“Oh yeah, don't you have work today?” Youngjae asked shifting the topic.

“Yep,” Annie nodded.

“You don't sound too excited about it,” he noted.

She sighed then turned to him. “Well, you see, um,” she started to say. “I'm dreading it.”

“How come?” he asked curiously. “What happened?”

“There was a bit of drama that happened yesterday,” she answered sheepishly.

“And...?”

“Could I trust you?” she asked with a hint of caution.

“Annie,” Youngjae said. “It's me. Of course you can trust me.”

Glancing around to see if someone was nearby, she was relieved there was no one around which allowed her to finally tell him about what happened at the Shins that day. From walking in on Mr. Shin to Miranda's abrupt return home and Daniel's sudden look mixed with fear and discomfort. She told her best friend about her dismissal along with Himchan which led them to the cafe the night before. Youngjae sat and listened attentively which was in his usual nature. He didn't interrupt her and he would often nod in understanding to ensure he really did understand. “Huh,” he finally muttered. “I can see where you're coming from.”

“My point exactly,” Annie muttered. “Now you know. This is why I'm dreading it.” She groaned rubbing the sides of her temples with her hands.

“Well for one, don't make it awkward,” he advised her. “Just pretend nothing happened and go about your normal routine. No one will notice. I mean think about it, it's only awkward if you make it awkward.”

“So in other words just go with it?” Annie asked curiously.

“Yep,” he nodded. “It's the least you can do. You're there to work for them not get involved with their personal life. There's a difference between work life and personal life.”

“I know, but it's Danny I'm more worried about. You should've seen him last night, poor boy looked so scared,” she said sadly. “When his mom dismissed me, I hesitated to leave but when she told me again, I had no choice but to go. Orders were orders, you know.”

“Sounds like you're adjusting really well,” Youngjae sarcastically remarked.

“Anyways,” Annie sighed then standing up to gather her things. “I should be getting going. I wouldn't want to be late.”

“Alright, good luck,” he said standing up to give her a hug. “Don't work too hard. I wouldn't want to see you overworking yourself.”

“I should say the same for you,” she retorted back. “Shouldn't you be at the studio?”

“Right,” he said looking at his watch. “I've seemed to have lost track of time. Thanks for reminding me.”

“Anytime, Jae,” she smiled.

As she made her way out the door, she found herself crashing into a figure and nearly tumbling in the process. But before she could take a fall, a pair of muscular arms caught her. “Noona, are you okay?” She looked up and came face to face with Jongup tilting his head sideways eying her worriedly.

Abruptly pulling away from him, she cleared and straightened up her clothing. “I'm sorry, Jongup,” she said. “I wasn't watching where I was going.”

“It's okay, noona. I should be the one who's sorry. I was in a bit of a rush,” he replied sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

“I'm guessing your shift is starting soon?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah,” he said chuckling. “I should go inside before Lucy noona scolds me.”

“Alright, bye Jongup! Have fun at work!”

“Bye noona!” he grinned. Annie's always thought he had such a beautiful smile but decided not to look at him that way because according to her, he was still jail bait even though he was already legal. She wouldn't be surprised if his smile lit up the whole town. Before he went further, he looked over his shoulder. “Um noona,” Annie looked up at him.“Junhong told me about what you and Lucy noona did for him.”

“Oh,” Annie uttered finally. “It was nothing really.”

“Well, I'm grateful there are people like you and Lucy out there and I want to thank you for helping him,” he said sentimentally.

“Oh, okay,” she chuckled softly. “Anytime. It's not a problem. Well, I should get going now. And you should too. Don't work too hard now okay?”

“Alright, see you later noona!” he waved before retreating into the cafe heading towards the backroom.

Annie clutched the strap to her shoulder bag before entering the lobby of the apartment building. Walking in a slump, she made her way to the elevator just in time for it to open. As she entered she nearly crashed into another person once again but was caught in time. She looked up and found herself face to face with Yongguk. “Careful,” he spoke up looking down at her.

She could feel his hot breath against her skin which in turn sent shivers down her spine. She abruptly pulled away when she realized his face was inches away from her. “Sorry,” she said straightening her clothing. “It seems like I've been having a clumsy morning so far and can't seem to watch where I'm going.”

“I noticed,” he remarked with a warm smile.

She found herself eying him from head to toe. He was wearing business casual attire which consisted of a black jacket, a white t-shirt that was hugging his toned physique, paired with a pair of jeans and sneakers as opposed to Annie's own wardrobe: a pair of forest green shorts, dark gray t-shirt, and black flip flops. Stop staring, you idiot! She couldn't help herself. He was one good-looking guy, she thought. His adorable gummy smile was enough to keep her hooked but she chose not to get ahead of herself nevertheless.

“Whatever,” she barked back then decided to change the topic. “I'm guessing you're heading to work?”

“Yep,” he nodded. “I'm guessing you are too?”

“You know it,” Annie remarked. “Your job is probably ten times more fun than mine.”

“It has its perks,” he shrugged. “I get to make my own schedules. And the best part? I can eat and sleep on the job and not get in trouble!” he bragged playfully.

“Wow!” Annie exclaimed feigning excitement. “That sounds like the best job in the world! Can we trade places?”

He chuckled. “Maybe,” he narrowed his eyes at her. “I wouldn't mind playing with Danny the whole day though. Speaking of that little man, I've been meaning to bring him down to the studio sometime since he's asked to tag along before but I never got around to it. I don't think Miranda would've been too happy about it either.”

“How so?” Annie asked curiously.

“She's not a fan of the type of music I produce and I don't think she'd want her son to be exposed to something like that,” he said looking away from her.

Annie sighed and shook her head. “That woman,” she muttered then turned to Yongguk. “Well, I can arrange something.”

He shifted his gaze to her. “What do you mean?”

“I'll bring him over to your studio,” she offered. “It doesn't have to be today but another time. Just text me the address.”

“Wouldn't you get into trouble for it?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

Annie scoffed. “Please, what Miranda doesn't know won't hurt her,” she said glancing back at him. “So when can we come?”

A/N: Here goes another boring chapter... Please forgive me! XD This is kind of a filler and it turned out longer than I thought. I don't have a set ending or outline just so you guys know so I'm writing as I go lol. Anyways, enjoy!

P.S. I'm breathing a sigh of relief at the moment because I finally have a few days off after working 5 days straight this past week! So that means I can try to update more than once. That depends on if an idea sticks to me or not >.< I appreciate your comments and feedbacks. I'd like to thank you guys who subscribed and upvoted. It's a good feeling even though I almost didn't publish this fic believe it or not! >.<