“Don’t judge it by the color, confuse it for another. You might regret what you let slip away like the geek in the pink”
-Geek in the Pink by Jason Mraz.

“Taeyeon Kim.” read the principal. A young Korean girl of 21 walked up to the stage to get her diploma, shake the principal’s hand and deliver her speech. Being the valedictorian of the Communication Arts course, Taeyeon had a lot to say and so many people to thank.

“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity…” Taeyeon went on and on. She looked at her batchmates who were beaming with pride as their friend, the most articulate and fashionable girl on campus was about to deliver her speech.

“Thank you and congratualtions to us all!” with that last statement, Taeyeon threw her fist in the air, a sign of victory and beamed at them once more, eliciting a roaring applause from the college students. It was just another graduation day at Yale University.

After graduation, Taeyeon and the other students posed for the camera. They were all smiles as this was the highlight of their lives. Their college graduation. School was finally over and they were going to go their separate ways and lead separate lives with their line of work. Taeyeon-a Mass Communication graduate-couldn’t wait to apply for a job as a news reporter back home in Korea. Once the picture taking was done, Taeyeon ran to her parents and embraced them. On their way home, Taeyeon was all smiles as she took her toga and hat off to reveal a dress that would be the key to her fame and success.

A bright pink cocktail dress.

[TWO YEARS LATER, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA]

“And this is Kim Taeyeon for Seoul Broadcasting Network. Thank you and Goodnight.” the station went off air and the reporters as well as the crew could finally retire for the night. Everyone was hard on their coffee cups and mocha mugs, and the head reporter, Kim Taeyeon was no exception. Broadcasting all day made her tired and weary, so much that she couldn’t help but take one too many cups of coffee while talking to her boyfriend Leeteuk on the phone.

Well who exactly was Kim Taeyeon? Kim Taeyeon or Taenggoo as she is affectionately called by her friends at work was the most hardworking and dedicated reporter on Seoul Broadcasting Network. She researched the articles herself, wrote her own reports down and did adlibs perfectly well. When it came to reporting, no other journalist came close. A Yale University graduate, Taeyeon was in a league of her own. But what made her so remarkable wasn’t her articulate language skills. It wasn’t her superb writing talent neither was it her professional manner of reporting which was unusual for a girl of 23. What made her stand out among the rest was her fashion sense. When you mention ‘news reporter’, the first thing that usually comes into your mind is dead serious. Boring navy blue blazers, boring hair tied up ever so neatly in a ponytail, red lipstick and old-style makeup. Taeyeon proved them all wrong. This reporter was no boring news anchor. This reporter was smart and sassy at the same time. Yep. Taeyeon was known for her fashion sense, particularly for the distinct color. Pink. Taeyeon loved pink. Everywhere she went, she wouldn’t be seen without a single shade of pink on her body. From her Cadillac to her Christian Louboutins, it was all pink. All this pink made her look like a living Barbie doll and her beauty only justified this. Taeyeon loved her boyfriend and all but when it’s first love you’re talking about, it’s without a doubt pink.

Taeyeon was usually bubbly and energetic, exactly like a Barbie doll. Her reporting voice was clear but her normal lady voice was squeaky and quirky. One of her talents was changing her voice and making it sound as natural as possible. Whenever Taeyeon would hang out with her friends, she’d go all out of her formal element and become the life of the party. There was never a dull moment with Kim Taeyeon. She was always the center of attention and was always shining brightly. In pink.

It must’ve been around 12 mn. when the show wrapped up. Taeyeon had gone the day without lunch or dinner and was dead tired and hungry. The cafeteria was already closed and everyone had meals for themselves so Taeyeon had to rely on the cups of coffee for belly-fill. She was down to her 3rd cup of coffee when her boyfriend of 3 months, Leeteuk, called her up. Her pink phone with a pink ice cream keychain hanging on the side vibrated and her ringtone “Pretty Girl” by Kara came on. She hurriedly fished for her phone in her bag and answered it. Sure enough, it was Leeteuk.

“Hello?” she answered in a tired voice. The young reporter tried to sound cheerful but fatigue and hunger took the better of her.

“Hey, I got something to tell you.” Leeteuk said in a voice that was so bored and so uninterested, like Taeyeon meant nothing to him. Taeyeon could smell trouble and she knew that her intuition was the one to trust.

“What is it?” Taeyeon nervously toyed with the ice cream keychain while occassionally looking at her magenta nails that matched her magenta top and denim high-waist shorts. Her magenta heels were clacking as sher nervously tapped her feet.

“I’m breaking up with you.”

That. Was the shock of her life.

Breaking up with her. Why would anyone break up with a girl like Taeyeon? She was the complete package. She was beautiful, fashionable, smart, a Yale graduate, and totally warm to everyone. If you had a girl like this, you shouldn’t let her go. Taeyeon was heartbroken at this and nearly spilled the coffee on her dress, thus damaging her lap. Good thing she was able to get a hold of it before it happened. Taeyeon grabbed the cup and put it on top of the table, straightened up and asked her boyfriend to repeat what he just said.

“You can’t be serious? Are you for real?” she said in disbelief. Leeteuk sighed on the other line, pretending to be sad and answered,

“Sadly Taeyeon, yes I am serious. I wish I was just kidding though because I really love you. But I just can’t be with you.” Leeteuk replied.

“Why not? I mean, you live near me and we both have jobs and we earn money. We can build a future. But why not?”

“You’re too busy.” Leeteuk flatly answered her. Taeyeon’s eyebags rose and her jaw dropped. “And you’re more committed to your work.”

“What the ?” Taeyeon said angrily. She stood up and leaned on the wall. “You’re breaking up with me because I’m too busy and I’m more committed to my work? Leeteuk that is a very pathetic reason for you to break up with me. Yes, I’m committed to my work but that doesn’t mean that I’m not committed to you! I love my work because I earn a living from this. I’ve loved this ever since!”

“See! You love your work so much! So I think you should just stick to your work.” Taeyeon tried to talk him into not breaking up with her but it looked as if his mind was really made up and there was no other way.

“I can’t spend all my time on you. I need some time for other things, too.”

And the most frustrating part…

“We’re done. Goodbye.” Leeteuk hung up on Taeyeon. Taeyeon looked at her phone and called,

“Hello? Hello?” she repeated this but no clear answer came. Taeyeon was on the brink of tears because not only did she give Leeteuk her all (which is why she was appalled when he said she was more committed to work), but Leeteuk was her first love and her first real boyfriend. Despite being pretty, smart and articulate, nobody really loved her, rather most just admired her. Leeteuk was the first to actually pursue her. Taeyeon felt so hopeless and right then and there, while leaning against the wall with her pretty pink phone in hand, the top news anchor felt warm tears roll down her eyes. The vicinity was cold so Taeyeon, who was wearing a cute blouse and shorts, sat on the sofa and looked for her oversized jacket and wrapped herself with it. She took the coffee cup that was on the table and drank it straight up, making her chest burn. She felt the harsh burning and coughed as well as breathed but the crying choked her, thus making her cough even more until she almost spewed the coffee out of . Taeyeon threw the cup to the floor and began to cry loudly. Nobody heard her. Nobody cared.

Taeyeon, still in her gray jacket, got up and walked to her pink Cadillac which was a graduation gift from her parents. Her eyes were puffy, her face was red, her nose was runny and was dry. Too much wailing could really make you look sick. Inside her car, she turned the engine on and stared out the windshield. Seeing the dark and depressing sight in front of her and the fact that it was cold and nobody was there to comfort her made her cry. The place itself made her cry for she recalled when Leeteuk would bring her here and pick her up. Sometimes he’d eat lunch with her. Taeyeon forced herself to move on at this very moment but the wounds were still fresh and she was without a doubt hurting so much.

“Bull. What am I doing? I look so pathetic.” Taeyeon wiped her nose with her jacket sleeve and stepped on the gas pedal. She was so looking forward to lying in her pink bed in her pink room full of pink things. She was looking forward to eating Marie biscuits before going to bed. That is, if she could still sleep. Taeyeon downed 3 mugs of coffee and with all that sugar and caffeine, sleep was impossible. Upon arriving home, Taeyeon gathered all her things and got out of the car, slamming the door shut in her anger. Her tears wouldn’t stop flowing and she was just thankful that there was nobody outside, otherwise, she would’ve been interrogated already. Taeyeon produced the keys from her jacket pocket and used them to unlock the door.

“OH MY GOD WHO THE ?!??!” came a voice from inside the house. Taeyeon knew who this was. It was her best friend Lee Jin Ki, whom she called Onew. She and Onew had been friends since college and had been sharing this house since their junior year in college. Onew was a management graduate.

“Onew, please don’t overreact. I’m not in the mood for any of your fagness.” Onew was taken aback at the tired and sad look on her face. She noticed that he was taking a clsoer look at her so in order for him not to notice the redness brought about by crying, she looked down and pretended to fix her things but Onew wouldn’t stop talking to her.

“What’s gotten into you? What happened to the bright and sunny Taeyeon, huh?”

“Onew, do you even know what time it is?” Taeyeon answered frustratedly. Obviously, she wasn’t in the mood for fun and games. Onew backed off and shrugged.

“12:30 am.”

“Do you think that’s a good time for fun and games?” Onew shook his head and tried to calm her down. When Taeyeon plopped on the sofa, he got a better view of her face.

“I know something’s wrong.” Onew sounded serious this time. “I can see it in your face. That’s not just fatigue or hunger or sleepiness. And judging by your eyes, it seems as if you’ve been crying.”

Busted.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes and looked at Onew who was dying to know the reason why she was crying.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Taeyeon stood up and made her way to her room. Onew followed her, begging for some answers but all he got was a door slammed on his face. He shrugged and smiled, knowing that she would open up tomorrow.

Truth is, Taeyeon wasn’t really sleepy. She wasn’t even tired. 3 cups of coffee? Are you kidding me!? Taeyeon was wide awake and was just lying in her pink bed thinking about what Leeteuk had just said. She locked the door to make sure that Onew couldn’t barge in and see her bawl her eyes out. Taeyeon stared at the ceiling and felt the warm tears come down once again. She was silent at first. Silent. Just letting the tears fall. After a few minutes, they dripped non-stop and before she knew it, she was sobbing again. Taeyeon was having difficulty in breathing and was wailing. Onew’s room was just next door and she was sure he could hear her.

I don’t care. Let him hear me all he wants. He can even listen to me for what it’s worth. Taeyeon told herself in her mind. Drinking 3 cups of coffee and trying to sleep afterwards with a broken heart isn’t really such a good idea.

“Hey! I thought you were gonna sleep?” called Onew out.

“I was about to until you called! Now shut up!” Taeyeon pulled the blanket over her body to make her feel safe as she cried her heart out once more and used her baby pink blanket to wipe her tears. Pretty soon, Taeyeon was in a deep sleep.

In her dreams, who did she see? Leeteuk of course. What was she doing in her dream? Obviously, what she tried to do earlier on the phone. Beg him to stay. But her dream and reality seemed to be connected because even in her sleep, he rejected her, thus making Taeyeon cry even more.

But the question is, who was Onew?

Lee Jin Ki or known to Taeyeon and their other friends as Onew was a happy-go-lucky guy who always had his fun. He was the exact opposite of the hardworking and business-minded Taeyeon who would work til she fell asleep. Onew lost his girlfriend in a car accident years ago and had sworn to himself that he would never fall in love again for he wanted to stay true to his promise that she would be his first and last. And he had been doing a good job so far at sticking to that. Taeyeon on the other hand had just lost her first love and was already planning to be a for the rest of her life. Onew was a management major and was about to try his hand at managing talents. He hadn’t found one to manage yet but he was confident about his handling skills. Onew was a bit funny, a little sarcastic, somewhat cocky, and a tinsybit egotistic but despite of his imperfections, Taeyeon loved him like he was her brother.

“Hey! It’s 3:00 am! Please keep your drama down!” Onew knocked from the other room. Taeyeon sniffed and sniffed and sat up, frsutrated with her best friend’s unsupportiveness and knelt on her bed. With her head pounding hard and her heart hurting badly from the breakup pain, banged thrice as hard and as loud on the wall, making Onew in the other room jump in shock.

“QUIT YOUR ING ING! IT’S MY LIFE, IT’S MY HEART, AND THEY’RE MY TEARS SO SHUT UP!!!!” Taeyeon bellowed. “I DON’T GIVE A FLYING IF IT’S 3 AM! I’M HEARTBROKEN. DEAL WITH IT!” Taeyeon ended her tantrum by sitting on the bed and covering herself with her comforter. Onew was in a daze, his mouth wide open and his back against the bedrest. He slid down and lay on his bed, forcing himself to sleep and trying to use Taeyeon’s crying as his lullaby. At first it was hard but it got easier and easier as the minutes and hours wore on.

[THE FOLLLOWING MORNING]

RIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pink alarm with a bunny drawing in the middle and arrow-through-the-hearts for hands rang and shook on the table violently, almost falling off. Taeyeon bolted awake at the sound of this and grabbed her pink alarm clock, wanting to crush it in her hands. But she took a look at the time first and saw that it was already 8:30 in the morning and she was running late for work.

“OH MY GOD! I’M ING LATE! I’VE NEVER BEEN LATE BEFORE! ONEW! ONEW!” Taeyeon rushed out of her room in her pink blouse and white shorts, burst into Onew’s room and found it empty.

“GODDAMMIT! ONEW’S LEFT ALREADY!” Taeyeon cursed out loud. Not wanting to be tardy even for once, she hurriedly went to the bathroom to take a shower and without even drying her hair, she put her magenta sleeveless blouse that had a big pink ribbon in the middle and her short black pencil skirt. While brushing her dripping wet hair, she struggled to pack her things in her bag and put her leather magenta pumps on.

If you wanna pretty, everyone a pretty…

Her pink LG Lollipop phone was ringing and she was in her boudoir, in front of her heart shapped mirror trying to style her wet hair which was impossible to dry and fix while applying makeup. She picked her phone up and received it without even bothering to check the caller ID.

“Hello? Journalist running late speaking.” Taeyeon stood up with a ribbon holding her wet hair and ran to her pink Cadillac. She opened the door and got inside.

“Hey, it’s Leeteuk.” Taeyeon froze at the sound of his voice and his name. Leeteuk. Her dear ex-boyfriend whom she loved was calling her. Was this a sign that he wanted to get back with her? Was this a sign that he still loved her? He thought of her. He called her. “I was wondering if you knew Yoon Eun Hye?” the mention of her name broke her heart. Yoon Eun hye. The girl who worked in the shop that he owned. He was in love? Already? Was he sure? Taeyeon sighed and said,

“I’m running late. I have no idea.” Taeyeon hung up not because she was late and had to drive but because hearing his voice and him asking about another girl was breaking her heart. It wasn’t being away from him that hurt her, it was knowing that he moved on so fast and was looking to court another girl. It sounds teenage-y and all but that was Taeyeon. A teenage girl trapped in a woman’s body. She had the intelligence and the looks but when it came to emotions, she was as fragile as a mirror. Wanting to get away from the heartbreak, she backed up and stepped on the gas, driving down the highway really fast.

How could he move on so fast? How could he find a girl that quick? Yoon Eun hye? Why? The three short months we spent together meant nothing at all to him? I’m worth nothing to him? He thought of calling just so that he could ask about a Yoon Eun hye? Like I care! I don’t care! I don’t care…

Taeyeon looked at herself in the mirror and saw that her mascara was dripping down her face. She then realized that the mascara that she applied on her eyelashes wasn’t the waterproof one.

And now I’m crying pig’s blood! Great! I’m heartbroken, sleepy, hungry, and late. Taeyeon got a hold of herself and parked the car at the Employees Parking of the Seoul Broadcasting Media Center. The Pink Cadillac was a standout, being the only neon colored car out of all the generic black, white, silver cars owned by the higher executives. Her hands were still on the wheel and her eyes were still wet and dripping with mascara. “Pretty Girl” came on once more and this time, Taeyeon checked the caller ID so she could ignore it if it was Leeteuk. But this time, it was her boss and this was a call she couldn’t ignore.

But she chose to.

“Goddammit! I know I’m ing late that’s why I sped all the way here with wet hair and an empty stomach! Sheesh! Quit reminding me about my faults!” Taeyeon smartened herself up one last time and turned the engine off. Looking beautiful as always, Taeyeon stepped out of her car, her right Christian Louboutin clad foot landing on the ground, followed by the other one. Taeyeon decided to put her hot pink Ray Ban glasses on to draw attention away from her swollen eyes. Though her feet were aching, she tried her best to walk swiftly to the building, tripping and nearly toppling everytime. She made it inside and got on the elevator and was lucky to have it all to herself, minus the stops and the opening of the doors. Finally, she made it to the 6th floor and this time, she realized that she was 15 minutes late and in high heels, she ran to the studio and almost missed it. Taeyeon skidded way past the studio and slowly walked backwards til she reached the front door.

In the studio were the other reporters, the head journalist, and the crew. They were waiting for only one person. Kim Taeyeon. She burst into the room and saw them all. They turned and stared at her with cold, annoyed eyes that said ‘We told you to come at 7:30 am and it’s already 9:15.’ Taeyeon bowed before the elders and shyly, awkwardly made her way into the studio. Placing her bag on the floor and giving her now dry and puffy hair a quick scruff, she was ready to speak.

Then it hit her.

“Taeyeon, your papers!” reminded her co-host. Taeyeon felt the table for her papers and felt nothing.

“Goddammit!” she said. “Maybe it’s in the bag.” she bent down and took her pink Betsy Johnson bag and searched for the papers. She got her hands on nothing.

“BULL!” Taeyeon banged the desk, scaring her co-host. “I FORGOT THE PAPERS AT HOME! THE NEWS ARTICLE I WROTE! I FORGOT IT AT HOME!” Taeyeon took her magenta Ray Bans off and rested her forehead on the table. She began to sob as her co-host patted her back and called for the producers to go off-air.

“Taeyeon are you alright? Don’t worry it’s just a sheet-” Taeyeon flew into a rage and stood up, pushed the chair aggresively into the table. Without her Ray Bans on, everyone could see how swollen her eyes were but she didn’t care. Her red, teary eyes scanned the place before gathering her things and storming out of the place. She slammed the door shut and went to the bathroom. Nobody dared follow her out or seek after her.

Taeyeon angrily burst into the bathroom and sat on the floor. The bathroom-which was coincidentally pink-was clean and sweet smelling, the way she liked it and because of those factors, she deemed the room conducive to crying. Without hesitation, Taeyeon let all her bad emotions out.

What am I doing to myself? I’m such a pitiful, pathetic case! I got my heart broken, I woke up late, I arrived late, I forgot my freaking papers! Taeyeon thought to herself. And I haven’t even eaten anything yet! Good thing this room is pink!

She stood up and looked for some tissue paper. There was a tissue dispenser that gave out pink tissue papers. Finally! Some consolation. Taeyeon pulled the lever and out came the pink tissue paper which she used to wipe her tears. She sort of felt sorry for using it because it would’ve made a very good room accessory. Nonetheless, Taeyeon stayed in the bathroom until she calmed down.

Then, her phone rang.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Taeyeon, tell me exactly how drunk you were last night!” It was Onew! And he was talking with a cynical tone.

“What are you saying?” Taeyeon slumped on the floor.

“Oh so you were drunk last night! Next time, when you pack your things, be sure you’re sober enough to know which one’s your bag and which one’s mine.”

“Okay maybe I drank a little bit of wine and some coffee but you’re pretty drunk yourself because I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!” Taeyeon spoke up.

“Your news report. Is in my bag. I brought it to work. I was looking for my own papers and I found yours.”

“Well where are your papers?”

“They’re here.” Onew said. Taeyeon was fuming mad and on the brink of screaming but she tried to calm down as she had the tendency to get really physical when pushed to the limit.

“They’re…there?” Taeyeon said with a fake smile plastered on her face. “They’re THERE?!?!” Taeyeon held it in no longer and just yelled out on the phone. Today certainly wasn’t her best day and it wasn’t going to be good for Onew’s ear.

“OW! Can you not yell?!” Onew asked.

“HOW CAN I NOT YELL?!? FIRST OFF, MY ALARM WENT OFF AN HOUR LATE. SECOND, LEETEUK CALLED ME TO SAY THAT HE WAS COURTING SOME GIRL FROM HIS SHOP. THIRD, I CAME HERE LATE WITH MY HAIR WET AND MY MAKEUP SMUDGED. FOURTH I FORGOT MY PAPERS AND BROKE DOWN INFRONT OF THE ENTIRE NEWS CREW. AND FIFTH, I JUST FOUND OUT THAT MY PAPERS ARE WITH YOU!!!” Taeyeon explained out loud while kicking her feet and pounding on the floor.

“Taeyeon-”

“SHUT UP! AND NEXT TIME WHEN YOU SPEAK, MAKE SURE YOU’RE SOBER ENOUGH TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, DICKFACE!” Taeyeon hung up and breathed heavily to expel the negative energy but she felt it coming back when she looked to her left and saw a couple of lady executives at the door looking at her with huge, frightened eyes.

“What? Is it your first time to see someone having a bad day?” Taeyeon asked. The ladies just looked at her as she picked herself up from the ground, her bag on her right shoulder, her phone in her right hand, and some pink tissue paper in the other. Though shaking and starving, Taeyeon aggressively pushed the ladies aside and made her way back to the studio to report on whatever it was she had to report on. Like a badass cowboy in a Western movie, she pushed the two doors open and showed everyone her haggard self. It was very unlikely of Taeyeon to not be in her most beautiful, knowing her as a fashionista. She saw her co-host still waiting for her, papers in hand and sat next to him.

“I have returned.”

“That’s good. You look kinda stressed, though.”

“Try being a 23 year old lady for a day and tell me how it feels once you have.” Taeyeon sarcastically answered. “Jo!” she called Jo, the head producer. “Go on air!” Jo saluted her and did as she said. They were on air and about to greet the audience that consisted of the entire South Korean population.

“Good morning everyone, I am Kim Junsu.”

“And I am Kim Taeyeon and this is Seoul Broadcasting Network.”

“Our first news item for today, local news.” Junsu said to the camera with a smile. Taeyeon smile was as fake as it could get and she was as sure as hell that she looked like in the video. “Let me hand this over to my co-host, the amazing Taeyeon.” Junsu gave Taeyeon his papers and she scanned it. With her painful, burning eyes and pounding head, she wasn’t able to read the words properly therefore making her unprepared for the news item that was to come.

“Local entrepreneur Park Jung Soo is reportedly making millions with his…” Taeyeon’s heart sank at the news. It was about Leeteuk. Park Jung Soo was his real name. He was making millions with his car business. He was making millions and was about to have a new girlfriend and here she was still single, no suitors, and still working as a reporter. She couldn’t believe that he was better than her now. After all those ill-words she said in her sleep, she was the loser one.

“With his…” the cameramen, producers, executives, and the show director signaled her to go on.

“Don’t stop! Why are you stopping?!” the director mouthed. Taeyeon sat there with agape and her eyes wide open. She closed and pursed her lips, angry at the news item and at everyone in the studio. The feisty 5’2” reporter slammed the papers down and stood up, about to walk out again. But unlike earlier, this time she had something to say.

“I am done with all this bull that you people put me through just so that you could make money! What am I? A cash cow?! Something that you sell so you could get your hands on the paper?! Well that’s just low! If you think you s can overwork me, think again! I quit this ing job!” Taeyeon didn’t really mean any of those words that she said. She was just having a bad day which was only made worse by the Leeteuk news item. Filled with rage, Taeyeon grabbed Junsu’s papers and threw them in his face.

“Air this!” Taeyeon flashed the finger, which had on a pink rose ring,before getting her things and left, leaving everyone in the room stunned.

“Calling for Kim Taeyeon, please.” a lady executive called for her the minute she stepped out of the room. Taeyeon had a pissed expression on her face but followed nonetheless. The lady executive led her to the boss’ room. She acted all fearless and cocky but deep down inside, she was trembling in fear. The pretty pink journalist peered through the door and saw the look on the boss’ face. 100% pure anger.

“Y-yes?” Taeyeon asked politely. Somehow, the boss’ scary face combined with the scary expression calmed her down.

“Come in and sit down, Ms. Kim.” Taeyeon slowly entered the meeting room and sat far across the boss. “I heard and saw the very aggressive behavior that you displayed this morning. You know that such behavior is not permissible in the vicinity, especially when we are on air. Maybe you’ve forgotten that when we go on air, we show it to everyone in Korea.”

“I have not forgotten.” Taeyeon bowed her head down.

“Then why did you react that way?” the boss put his hands together and rested his chin on them. Taeyeon looked fearfully at Mr. Yoon, her boss.

“I was having a bad day and…” Lies. Taeyeon was bluffing, obviously. Well, yes she was having a bad day and that somewhat contributed to her bailout but that wasn’t the main main reason.

“Having a bad day is not an excuse for you to act that way, especially on live TV. Do you have any idea how many kids tune in to this show?”

“I understand. And I’m sorry.”

“You can’t take back what you’ve already put out there.” Mr. Yoon explained. “And I expected you to act civilly about that news item. That was my daughter’s boyfriend you were reporting about.” Taeyeon’s pitiful, puppy-look disappeared.

“W-what?” she asked. Her head was shaking and looking from left to right rapidly. So rapidly she was sure it would come off any minute.

“Yes. Park Jung Soo is a suitor and a potential boyfriend of my daughter’s. You know Yoon Eun hye right? She works for that company.” Obviously, Mr. Yoon had no idea who Leeteuk was in Taeyeon’s past.

“I’m super, duper, very sorry…” Taeyeon was starting to feel embarrassed because she was sure that Leeteuk was tuned in at the time and had seen the bitter way she reacted to the news item. “…if there’s anything-”

“You were one of the best. What happened to you?” Mr. Yoon said disappointedly. Taeyeon looked down in despair upon hearing the ‘were’ linking verb.

“I’m terribly sorry. I hope that you and-”

“I expected more from a Yale graduate.” Taeyeon’s jaw dropped as she looked up with sad, teary eyes once more. Yale graduate. That was what she was. A Yale graduate was supposed to be professional in all fields, most especially in her chosen field. She shamed her school and her family, most importantly herself with what she did.

“I’m really sorry. If there’s anything I can do to make it all up to you-” Mr. Yoon held her contract in his hands horizontally with his fingers on the edges.

“Oh my God. What are you going to do?!” Taeyeon was crying right now. Her face was dripping with mascara, eyeliner, and foundation. In short, because of too much crying, all of her makeup was coming off, making her look as if she was melting. She stood up and tried to reach for her contract but stopped, knowing that she was too far to even feel the paper on her skin.

“That was rude and outrageous of you. I accept only professional people.” Mr. Yoon ripped the contract before her, leaving her weak and speechless.

“It was a pleasure having you here. But good things come to an end, Ms. Kim. However, bad endings are brought upon by the doers. Good day. You are dismissed. Indefinitely.” Mr. Yoon folded his arms across his chest and watched as the stylish reporter exited the conference room in tears. The lady executive opened the door for her and Taeyeon stood right outside the room, looking at the elevator. Truth is, she was just waiting for the lady to close the door and when she did, Taeyeon ran to the elevator crying her heart out.

“Oh and excuse me…” called a voice from behind. Taeyeon whipped around and her heart skipped at the sight of Mr. Yoon peering out the door. She thought he reconsidered firing her for real.

“Y-yes?” came a small smile which later disappeared when Mr. Yoon held out her bag.

“You left your things.” he dropped her magenta Betsey Johnson bag on the floor. Taeyeon cringed as he slammed the door and she ran back to get her precious pink bag. Taeyeon ran towards the elevator, her feet toppling over because of the heels. She pushed the down button and when the elevator stopped on their floor, the door opened and out came a lot of people. One of them was Yoon Eun hye. Taeyeon was somewhat familiar with Yoon Eun hye’s face as she believed she had seen her somewhere when she passed infront of one of his car store branches. Taeyeon looked at Yoon Eun hye and all her confidence crashed and burned to ashes. Yoon Eun hye was tall, had really long and beautiful legs, dressed ily without being a and her hair flowed beautifully. Unlike Taeyeon who today was sporting messy hair brought about by not drying it properly. She felt very insecure as she ran into the empty elevator and pushed the ‘B’ button for basement. Taeyeon cried and cried inside the elevator and she was lucky enough to have the elevator to herself again. Upon reaching the basement, she walked outside and grabbed her car keys. Taeyeon pushed the button and got inside her car and upon sitting in the driver’s seat, she bawled her eyes out first before putting the key in ignition.

“WHYYYY?!??!?” she cried out loud and rested her head on the steering wheel. She sobbed and sobbed and felt even worse when she thought of how she got fired. Her head cascaded down to the horn, emitting a loud noise that woke her up. Taeyeon smartened up and sat up straight, rubbing her swollen and burning eyes so that she could drive properly.

Have to stop crying. If my eyes swell even more, I might even die today!

Taeyeon put it in ignition and drove as far away from the building as she could. She was concentrating on the road and tried hard not to think of the bad day she had but she couldn’t help it. The wounds were very much fresh.

Then she realized that she hadn’t eaten yet.

There was a burger diner right next to the gasoline station. Taeyeon made a stop over and parked right in front of the said diner and stepped out. She was still weak and depressed from the events that occurred today that she just felt like eating 3 plates of pancakes and washing them down with one big chocolate smoothie.

“Hello and welcome to Pancakes ‘R Us.” greeted the waitress. “Would you like me to direct you to your seat?” she asked sweetly. Taeyeon, who was in a bad mood, smirked at her and said with the same sweet voice that the waitress used on her.

“Well if eating on the floor is okay, then save yourself the trouble, sweetheart.” Taeyeon answered sarcastically. The waitress’ smiling face turned into a pokerface as she showed Taeyeon to her seat. She gave Taeyeon the menu and told her that she’d come back once she was done. Taeyeon looked through the menu and tried to look for something healthy and interesting. She made it a point to watch her weight and though she wanted so badly to down 3 chocolate pancakes, she had to stick to the yogurt and tea. She called for the sugary waitress who came to her and gave her order.

“I’ll have the Bran and Gurts as well as the Strawberry Lemon Tea.” she said.

“Would that be all?” asked the airhead of a waitress. Taeyeon gave her a ‘duh’ look and sighed, smiling afterwards.

“Yes. That would be all.” she had another insult at the tip of her tongue but to save herself from humiliation, she kept it to herself. But then the waitress blurted something out that made Taeyeon want to attack her with sarcasm.

“Would you like to try the new oat pancakes…”the waitress went on and on about their new, healthy product. Taeyeon rolled her eyes and took out her bad mood on the waitress.

“Look lady, did I mention any oat pancakes there?” the waitress shook her head, flashing her doe eyes at Taeyeon. Taeyeon smiled sarcastically. “Good. Then that means I’m not intersted in your products. Now please just bring me whatever I ordered. Get it?” The waitress nodded and scurried away from Taeyeon. Taeyeon just looked at her, eyed her from head to toe. She then focused on the bigger problems: her romantic life and her joblessness. Taeyeon pulled her phone out and called Onew.

Onew was in his office working on some papers when he heard his phone ring.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Onew, it’s Taengoo. Listen, I got fired. Big time.”

“WHAT?!?!” Onew jumped out of his seat at the sound of this news. “ man, that’s bad news!”

“It’s horrible news! And if that’s not enough, Leeteuk’s making millions! His business! It’s a hit!” Taeyeon cried out. Finally, Taeyeon’s breakfast arrived. She still talked to Onew while taking in mouthfuls of yogurt and great gulps of tea.

“And now that I’m jobless I’m gonna look so pathetic in front of him and I’m gonna end up poor and homeless and jobless, begging in the streets for some spare change and food and I’ll grow old with rotten teeth, frail bones and dirty, infested skin-”

“Taeyeon! Slow down please.” Onew stopped her. “I can’t understand a word you’re saying. You’re gonna have to calm down, swallow whatever it is you’re eating and speak normally. I seriously didn’t understand a word you just said.” Taeyeon stopped talking and left the spoon in . She pulled it out and quietly, slowly ate her yogurt.

“What I’m trying to say basically is, I don’t have a job.” Taeyeon sadly said. “I was fired by my boss.”

“Why were you fired?”

“Because I stormed out of the news room when the news of Leeteuk’s million-billion-won company came up.”

“So you-”

“Because the girl he’s courting, Yoon Eun hye, is my boss’ daughter and my boss wants Leeteuk and his daughter to get together. I even ran into her on my way out.”

“Ouch. That must be really painful for you.”

“I know.” Taeyeon’s eyes began to well up with tears. She took one mouthful of yogurt and another gulp of tea to calm herself down. “Now I won’t be having any income. I’m useless! I lost! I was keeping score and I lost.” Taeyeon sniffed.

“All hope isn’t lost.” Onew said with a positive tone in his voice.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m taking up management you know.”

“And?”

“And if you want, if you just want, I can make you…”

“Yeah?” Taeyeon said in anticipation.

“I can make you a star!” Onew said.

“You are…”Taeyeon ate two spoonfuls of yogurt. “Absolutely insane!” Onew sighed a disappointed sigh. “You? Managing me? You can’t even manage your own schedule, you dupe!”

“Seems as if you know so much about managing time! Might I ask, who showed up late at work today? Who left her papers in MY bag?” Onew bit back. Taeyeon bit her lip and finally admitted to her faults.

“Alright it was me. I lose.” she said hopelessly. “I’m gonna give you a chance but if you mess this up, I’m gonna mess your face up!”

“Don’t worry!” Onew said in a relaxed voice. “Everything’s gonna be just fine.”

“Can I still wear my pink?” Taeyeon asked childishly.

“You will be known for your pink!” Onew replied. Taeyeon grinned and ate.