Since Taeyeon had absolutely nothing to do, she decided to dwell on her other passion: designing clothes. It was always in Taeyeon to be unique, proof of this was when she was in Seoul Broadcasting Network, she was a standout, being the only newscaster to report in casual, girly attire. This time, she wanted to standout once more.

If I’m going to be a star, I need to have star quality wardrobe. And to have star quiality wardrobe, I must have only unique stuff. I have to stop buying from stores and start making my own clothes. Even if I have to lose sleep for it, I will design a different outfit for every appearance. Taeyeon promised herself. She made her way to her room with a cup of coffee in one hand, carefully climbing up the stairs so as not to spill coffee on her legs. The mug wouldn’t stop teetering so Taeyeon had to take extra care. Finally, she was at her doorstep and knowing that she was on flat ground, she walked calmly into her room, placed her pink coffee mug down and walked stratight to her baby pink compartment where her diaries, journals, articles, and sketchpads were. Taeyeon opened the right door and sat down to dig through all her mess. She pulled out a red sketchpad and took her fluffy pink pen which had a heart and some feathers on the other end of the tip. She sat on her bed, trying to conceptualize a good outfit for her first meeting with Onew.

First meeting. Has to be fresh, sophisticated, corporate, yet girly. Taeyeon blushed at her idea, thinking the concept was perfect. She began to draw the collars of what appeared to be a coat. The collars went down to form a v-neck and Taeyeon drew the long sleeves next. After the sleeves, she went back to the body and drew in the waist part. It was time to move on to the skirt. The young reporter didn’t want to look too conservative, netiher did she want to look too y but she wanted to reveal a little bit of leg, even just a little. With that in mind, she drew a petticoat skirt that was knee-level.

It looks perfect. But I think it could use a little bit more volume in the skirt area. I don’t want them to just drape down like curtains. Maybe a petticoat would do. Taeyeon drew some ruffles underneath the skirt. Of course, being Kim Taeyeon, no outfit was ever complete without accessories. Shoes were hard to make, Taeyeon knew that, so she would just resort to her shoe collection. Accessories. That’s where Taeyeon had to dwell. On the same sketchpad, she thought of some accessories that would be perfect with the dress.

Ribbon earrings, a ribbon ring, and a pretty headband. Maybe some bracelets from my old collection would do. Taeyeon drew them all and when she was done, she looked at her drawings, marveling at her work.

These would look so pretty in real life. Now if I could just shade them a bright color of…

Taeyeon thought of a good color for her outfit. She remembered that she loved pink and all its shades but there was one favorite shade of hers that she lvoed a little bit more than the others. Fuschia. Teyeon reached for her colored pencils and fished out the fuschia pink pencil. Using this, she gave color to her creations.

Finally! I’ve designed it! This thing’s tomorrow so I gotta make it quick! Lucky for Taeyeon, she had some materials in her stock room. Otherwise, she would have to go outside and face scrutiny from the people who saw her show. If I spend all day working on this dress, I can finish it before the meeting! Wasting no time, Taeyeon began to work on the dress, drawing on the cloth, making markings, patterns, measurements, cutting, sewing, cutting some more, sewing some more. Buttons, threads, scissors, her dress mannequin. Everything that had to be done in order to accomplish the outfit was done. Soon, the first part was already done and Taeyeon felt too tired to go on. She needed a short break before going on. Leaving the top part on the mannequin, Taeyeon went downstairs to get some food. She opened the fridge and saw some lasagna, sushi, roast chicken, and pot stickers. Taeyeon promised herself several months before that she would try to control her stress eating but at a tiresome time like this, that seemed far from possible. Taeyeon took the lasagna pan, the sushi pack, the chicken and pot stickers paper bag, as well as the Baskin Robbins ice cream cake out. She took a small plate and sliced herself a huge chunk of lasagna, put 3 pieces of roast chicken with some pot stickers on a bowl, some sushin on another small plate and as for the cake…well let’s just say the cake was pink and sweet and Taeyeon loved anything that was pink and sweet. She popped all the meals in the microwave and while waiting for them to heat up, she gave the strawberry chocolate ice cream cake a taste.

Adios, diet! Taeyeon thought. She took one small bite at first and it progressed to several chomps of cake. She only stopped when she heard the microwave alarm go off, signaling that her food was ready. Taeyeon opened the microwave and took the plates and bowl out. The couch and TV were so inviting that though she wanted to eat like a normal person at the dining table, she ran with her dishes to the couch, plopped down and turned the TV on. Eating while watching TV isn’t really recommendable, especially if you’re trying to control your eating but if you’re tired from making half of a dress and as stressed as Taeyeon, you wouldn’t mind. She ate through her lasagna, popped sushi and pot stickers into , and chowed the chicken down. When it was all done, she turned the TV off, stood up and took the cake with her upstairs so that she would have something to munch on while designing. Actually, Taeyeon was so excited for her dessert that she didn’t wait for her to get to her room. She grabbed a fork and ate the cake while going up the stairs. She was indulging in the ice cream cake when she quickly realized that she had to fit into a dress.

I cannot keep eating like this. I have a dress to fit into tomorrow and if I gain weight then I’d pop right out of it! I have to stop this. Right now. Taeyeon went downstairs backwards, and walked normally to the kitchen where she placed the cake down and almost, almost threw the fork into the sink. Taking one last look at the cake, she sliced herself a huge chunk and fit the entire thing into , then threw the fork into the sink. Taeyeon looked like a blowfish with a big chunk of cake in , one that she was trying so hard to chew.

If you wanna pretty, everyone a pretty…

Wrong timing, though. Taeyeon still had a mouthful of cake when her phone rang.

Damn! What could Onew possibly want from me at this time? Hasn’t he bothered me enough this morning that he has to bother me at 1:00 pm? Shouldn’t he be on break? Taeyeon ran up the stairs, trying hard to chew the cake while frantically searching for her phone. The cake chunk wasn’t finished yet when she found her phone. Onew had no choice but to bear with her muffled, chewing sounds.

“HFELLO?!”

“Taeyeon?”

“YFEAH. ISH MFEE.”

“Why do you sound like that?” Taeyeon tried to speed her chewing and swallowing up despite the very cold sensation that the ice cream brought. Finally, after minutes of hard chewing, she finally swallowed the big chunk and was breathing heavily afterwards. “Are you okay?”

“Huh….Huhh….Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks.”

“What are you doing?”

“I just ate a huge chunk of cake.” Onew’s puzzled face morphed into a pokerface, an expression that said, ‘You are so dumb’. “An ice cream cake at that. I had to fight the cold!” Taeyeon coughed up a bit because of choking and too much cold. Onew rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Well, are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Mentally and emotionally, yeah. But physically? I’m not sure.”

“Why? Are you sick?” Onew sounded worried. The meeting might not push thourhg if Taeyeon was sick.

“No. I ate a lot and I think I put on some weight and I might not fit into this dress that I’m making.” Onew nearly dropped the phone.

“Seriously? You’re not ready because of that? My God! First of all, Taeyeon, you don’t even have to make a dress! You can just come in a simple dress!”

“But I have to make a dress! I have to stand out!”

“Why do you have to stand out? You stand out no matter what you’re in. Your personality and ability are what we need here. Not some shabby doll dress!” Onew complained. Taeyeon put her phone on loudspeaker and proceeded to work on her dress.

“WHO TOLD YOU IT’S A SHABBY BABYDOLL DRESS?!?!” Taeyeon half-bellowed. Part of her was about to cry as she couldn’t handle crticism as of the moment. Something that she worked so hard for was called garbage. By her best friend.

“You know what,” Onew began, brushing her feelings off. “Ever since Leeteuk broke up with you, you’ve been acting all weird and different. Are you still in yourself?” Taeyeon was now on the brink of crying. Each time someone brought Leeteuk up, she’d feel herself about to cry.

“I am going to finish this dress and I am going to wear it tomorrow. Whether you like it or not!”

“You should get some rest!”

“Why should I?” Taeyeon placed her hands on her hips and angrily spoke through the speakers of the phone. “I’m on caffeine and sugar. I’m in perfect shape! Even more actually.”

“Because if you wear yourself out, you’ll feel sleepy. And you know how long it takes for you to get up and when you do, chances are you’ll still be sleepy when you get here.”

“ it, Onew. I’m finishing this. I’m not about to let this dress go to waste!”

“Okay. If you say so.” Onew said. “But I want you to be here at 9 am sharp tomorrow.”

“I will!” Taeyeon hung up and continued working on her dress. The bottom part was the only missing part and all she had to do was attatch it to the top part. But Taeyeon had a better idea.

What if I shorten the skirt a little bit and separate it from the top? No that wouldn’t do. I’m just gonna have to turn it into a dress. Taeyeon did just that. She attatched the skirt to the top but when she did, she wasn’t pleased with what she saw so she had to start from scratch.

“It’s not as good as I envisioned it to be.” Taeyeon frowned. She was really tired and greatly dismayed by the result as she exerted a lot of effort into it, only to have it turn out ugly. She took her sketchpad and took a good look at the design once more. Taeyeon erased the sleeves and decided to go for the dress again. She re-made the dress, making a slimmer, narrower skirt that was far shorter than the petticoat that she made but not -short. It was just right above the knee. Hours passed and it was getting late. Taeyeon knew she had to sleep early if she wanted to get up before the meeting time. But the dress had to be finished. So in order to stay awake, Taeyeon went down and fixed herself three cups of coffe. She placed them on a tray and rushed back up to continue her work. Taeyeon sipped some coffee while cutting, while sewing, while measuring. After hours of sewing and three cups of hot caffeine-laden drinks, the finished product was ready to wear.

“Oh My God.” Taeyeon marveled at her work. Her hair was a mess, with pencils in between strands and her ponytail coming off. “It’s so beautiful!” Taeyeon looked at the dress and placed it on a hanger. Taeyeon thought that it was still early and allowed herself some time to watch TV. But all that changed when she looked at the clock.

“OH MY GOD!” this time, her expression was the opposite of the first one. She looked at the clock and saw the time. “2 am?!?! I only have 4 hours to sleep?!” Taeyeon, who was on caffeine, wanted so badly to sleep but couldn’t. She put the dress aside and jumped on the bed, covered her head with the pillow and tossed and turned, shutting her eyes tightly, only to find them open a few minutes later.

“Come on, you doofus! Sleep! Sleep, sleep, sleep! You have an appointment in 7 hours!” Taeyeon shut her eyes tightly and before she knew it, she was fast asleep. So asleep, she had forgotten to set her alarm.

[5 HOURS LATER]

“WHAT TIME IS IT?!” Taeyeon jumped out of bed with the pillow still in her hand and looked at her alarm clock. It was already 7 am. “!” she threw the pillow on the floor and ran to the shower. Everything was done in haste as she only had two hours to prepare. She feared that what happened to her on her last day of work would happen to her again. After taking a shower, she ran out of the bathroom with a towel on, dripping wet with water and put her clothes on. She hurriedly dried her hair, making sure it was completely dry before she put it on. Taeyeon ran around the room, looking for her pink hairdryer. Once she found it, she plugged it next to her mini fan and dried her hair with both machines. It only took her hair a few minutes to dry and as soon as it did, she took the dress she had worked so hard to make last night. Slipping it on as carefully as she could, Taeyeon marvelled in awe when she saw how she looked with the dress on. She turned around and saw the back part of it. It was lovely. Realizing that she had no time to be vain, Taeyeon looked at the clock and saw that she made amazing progress, she was able to do all these in 30 minutes.

“7:30?” Taeyeon wondered as she began to apply her makeup and do her hair at the same time. Since she was in a real hurry, Taeyeon applied light makeup and tossed her hair up a bit. She applied a little bit of lipstick and some mascara before clipping her hair up into a ponytail using a sparkly fuschia banana ribbon pin. With a spray of some perfume created and bottled by Taeyeon herself, she picked her bag up as well as a strawberry flavored granola bar for breakfast.

“7:45!” Taeyeon exclaimed as she took one last look at the clock before dashing out of her house in fuschia pink peep toe heels with a ribbon at the tip. As expected, whenever she’d walk in heels, she’d teeter and shake the way she teetered and shook on her way to her car. The pretty Cadillac, which she named Maddie Caddie, sped down the road.

“I’m gonna make it! I’m gonna make it! And I still have an hour to spare!” She drove down the road and saw a Starbucks branch right across the highway and made a stop over.

Maybe a little coffee to keep me awake won’t hurt. Taeyeon fell in line and as her turn came, she told the barista what she wanted. Mocha Latte. After paying, Taeyeon hurriedly took a seat and waited impatiently for her drink. While sitting, Taeyeon saw a guy sporting hair similar to Leeteuk’s. From behind he could be mistaken for Leeteuk. He had a black notebook computer and he seemed to be reading Manhwa, the Korean version of the Japanese manga on it. She knew he loved Manhwa! Taeyeon’s heart began to race as she tried to get a better view of the guy.

Is that Leeteuk or am I just seeing double? Taeyeon thought. She stood up slowly, so as not to make her goal obvious. The guy sat near the counter and Taeyeon was so sure that he could be Leeteuk’s body double. Even the way he sat was like Leeteuk!

Okay so here’s the plan. I stand up, I check and ask if my Mocha Latte’s ready and on my way back, I’m gonna steal a glance at his face. And if it’s Leeteuk, I’m gonna…

“One Mocha Latte for Taengoo!” called the barista. Taeyeon snapped out of her daze and hurriedly stood up. Because she was a bit clumsy in heels, when she tried to stand up, her knees hit the small table, making her wail in pain.

“OW! DAMMIT!” Taeyeon squealed out loud. Everyone looked at her and murmured. Taeyeon eyed them back, watching out for the Leeteuk look alike. Taeyeon heard some of the murmurs and were surprised to know that some people recognized her and were talking about the news show rant incident. Nonetheless, she was determined to find out if it was Leeteuk that she saw. He looked her way and that’s when she saw that he wasn’t Leeteuk. He didn’t even look a thing like Leeteuk! He just had the same hair from behind and liked the things Leeteuk liked.Taeyeon was extremely embarrassed. She moved her legs outside of the table and stood up gracefully this time, walking very slowly to the counter to get her coffee, snatching it from the bar. She shot one last glance at the Leeteuk look alike with a frustrated look on her face. Taeyeon didn’t have to put blush on for she was glowing bright red in humiliation.

No. The guy’s not Leeteuk. I just thought of him again. Thought of him too much, I start seeing him in other people. Taeyeon walked back to her car and buckled up, placed the coffee cup in the cup holder of the car and sped away from Starbucks, vowing never to return.

I embarrassed myself big time. I can’t believe I allowed myself to just stalk that guy who looks like my ex from behind and out of too much planning, I humiliated myself and got talked about. Got people to recognize me. I resurfaced from the caves of hiding embarrassingly. Next time, when I see someone who looks like Leeteuk, I’m gonna ignore him completely.

Lost in thought, Taeyeon decided to look at the time.

8:15. Not bad. I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to make it this fast! I still have 45 minutes to gobefore the meeting and I’m already here! I guess being angry and depressed has its benefits, too. Taeyeon reached the company’s parking lot and parked her car, hurriedly exiting the Maddie Caddie with her pink shoulder bag and her coffee, taking occasional sips while brisk walking her way to the door. The security guard opened the door for her and greeted her. Taeyeon was about to greet back when her phone rang.

If you wanna pretty, everyone a pretty…

Taeyeon pulled the pink LG Lollipop out of her bag and answered the call from Onew.
“I hope you’re on your way because I’m waiting for you.” Onew said. “I’m here on the 5th floor. West Wing. Room 544. See you!” Taeyeon cocked her head to the side and flashed a determined look on her face as she entered the elevator and pushed the 5th floor button.

“I’m on my way…” Taeyeon said.

“Well where are you?” the elevator went up fast! Taeyeon got to the 5th floor and walked properly, note, properly this time without teetering and shaking in her heels. She was finally able to walk quickly in her heels, strutting down like a model.

“Hello?” Onew called again as he received no reply from her. Taeyeon planned to surprise him.

“Where am I?” she said with a smirk as she reached Room 544. She grabbed hold of the knob, turned it and opened the door. Onew had his back the door, his swivel chair facing the window, overlooking the city. He heard his door open and he spun around, surprised to see Taeyeon standing at his door wearing a fuschia pink dress, one that she made herself, matching fuschia shoes and though her hair was messily done and obviously rushed, it looked good on her and it complimented her face very well. Onew was impressed.

“And you came before time! Have a seat!” Taeyeon sat right in front of Onew, ready for their meeting.

“I woke up at 7 am!” Taeyeon proudly said. Onew’s face dropped.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Taeyeon beamed.

“You have to change that habit. You can’t keep waking up 2 hours or an hour before your meeting schedule. Sleep early, get up early.”

“Don’t sweat it, Jin Ki!” Taeyeon said relaxed, calling him by his real name. “I still arrived before the designated time so it’s all cool! Relax!”

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. But I brought granola bars and made a stopover at Starbucks to buy coffee.”

“Coffee. The number one reason why you sleep late and wake up even later. The reason why you fall asleep later during the day.”

“Coffee is wonderful!”

“Coffee is !” Onew said. The best friends began to argue like teenagers over small things. “I should know because I used to drink coffee and I’m telling you the effects weren’t good! So I quit it.”

“Coffee helps me deal with stress!” Taeyeon justified. “When I was stressed out from work, I drank 4 cups as well as two cigarettes and I felt better!”

“Did it solve your problem?”

“It didn’t. But it made me feel better about myself.”

“It still didn’t solve your problem. You only felt better. Feeling better doesn’t mean your problems have been lifted.”

“You are immature and narrow minded!”

“You are stubborn and ignorant!” a knock came on Onew’s door. The two were on the brink of yelling at each other when the knock came again, thus shutting them up. Taeyeon sat down and Onew smartened his suit.

“Please come in!” the young manager-to-be assumed formal position and waited for the door to open. He had a fake smile on his face and so did Taeyeon. The executive who was in charge of the talents entered. And what a great surprise it brought Taeyeon.

“Good morning Mr. Lee.”

“Good morning Mr. Kim.” Kangin. Kim Young-woon. Leeteuk’s best friend. The one who saw their relationship begin and end was working in the same company as Onew and would soon be working with Taeyeon. When she saw his face, she immediately turned to face Onew. Onew saw the pale and nervous expression on her face, like all the blood was drained of her. He couldn’t blame her. He knew why. Onew nervously stood up and shook the head executive’s hand.

He works here now? Taeyeon thought to herself. A disturbed and troubled look came on her face. She had to fight the urge to scruff her hair and run a hand through her bangs, a habit that she’d usually do whenever she was stressed. Her palms were getting sweaty, she wiped them continuously on her dress.

Good thing my hands aren’t that sweaty. Otherwise, my dress would be covered with sweat because of wiping. What the is he doing here? He’s not supposed to be here!!! Why is it that wherever I go there is always something related to Leeteuk!? First, I had a run in with someone who looks like Leeteuk from behind. Next, here I am at work, thinking that I could use some employment to get my mind off of Leeteuk and what happense? What freaking happens? Bam! His best friend shows up and tells us that he works here and will be working here until he hits the grave? The very guy who speculated that we were a couple and actually helped him court me? His ing confidant? What’s next? He’s gonna start working here? No! No! No, no, no! Do not wish for that Kim Taeyeon. Be careful what you wish for. Kangin’s always got Leeteuk’s back and Leeteuk could’ve already said things about me and Kanging might say things about me to Leeteuk. . This isn’t good. This is definitely not good.

“Yes?” Taeyeon shot her head up and fixed her ponytail. She looked at Onew and asked him what was going on. Onew moved his head to the right, signaling her to answer Kangin’s question.

“Wha-” came a confused look on Taeyeon’s face. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Onew looked at Kangin who was looking away and hurriedly pointed at him. Taeyeon’s expression went from confused to shock.

“Oh my…I’m so sorry.” she whispered. Dammit! I thought to myself too much that I didn’t hear Kangin’s question. Great. I guess Onew’s right. I guess too much coffee can dumb you down.

“Excuse me, I believe I asked you a question.” Kangin said politely though offended. Her inattentiveness annoyed him.

“I’m sorry. I was thinking about-” Onew was behind Kangin, giving her the ‘cut’ signal. Taeyeon’s mind went blank. She had no idea what to say next. She just shrugged and stood up with all her confidence.

“Yeah. I was thinking about being a star. I want to have a manager and I think I found a very good one in On-” Taeyeon came close to calling him by his nickname. “Lee Jin Ki. Mr. Lee Jin Ki. He may be young but I believe in his handling abilities. He will be my key to success together with my hard work and determination. Thank you for having me and have a good day.” Taeyeon strutted her way out of the office, her nervousness making her teeter again. She nearly tripped but the smart woman she was, she looked back and smiled at the gentlemen, smartening her dress up and exiting the office.

“Good day to you and I expect you to call me back.” Taeyeon walked slowly down the office hall. “Yeah. Like he’s even gonna do that. Bad day to you and I shall not be expecting any calls, texts, emails, or alerts from you.” The door behind her opened, reavealing Onew’s bob-cut hair.

“Come back in!” he called for her. “Kangin has something very important to tell you.” Taeyeon bit her lower lip and nervously walked towards Onew, teetering in her heels again.

“I got a bad feeling about this.” Taeyeon wringed her fingers and tightly clutched her bag.

“Think positive.” Onew smiled optimistically. He was trying to surprise Taeyeon. The pink-loving broadcaster walked slowly into the room, guided by Onew. She refused to look at Kangin, for fear of seeing his angry face (which she had seen in the past and definitely didn’t like).

“Ms. Kim Taeyeon.” he spoke. Taeyeon looked up slowly with fearful puppy dog eyes.

“Y-yes?” she saw his face clearly. He had a stern look, one that knew no nonesense. And that was when Taeyeon knew she was in trouble.

Dammit, I shouldn’t have acted out! Okay. If he doesn’t give it to you, thank him politely and walk out calmly. Do not overreact…

“Please join us later in the meeting at lunch time, 12 nn. It’s at the lobby, East Wing. Name of the restaurant’s Red Pearl. Chinese food. We’re gonna talk about your contract deal. See you in 3 hours.” Kangin exited Onew’s office, leaving Taeyeon in a state of shock and happiness. Even Onew was excited for his friend. This meant she had a chance at becoming a star. The two waited for Kangin to completely exit the room and walk away from the vicinity. After a few minutes, when they were sure that he was gone. Taeyeon exploded with joy.

“OH MY GOD!” she squealed out loud like a typical valley girl. “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT I’M GOING TO BE A STAR!!! ONEW I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS! THIS ISN’T ING HAPPENING!!!!” Taeyeon pounded Onew over and over again on the shoulder. She was squealing and shrieking in delight and Onew had to hold her to contain her joy.

“Easy there. We haven’t conducted the meeting yet. You’ve just been invited. So that means there’s a chance that they won’t get you.”

“I’m having a good time here, try not to spoil it please.” Taeyeon sarcastically remarked. Onew shook his head and smiled, watching his friend hyperventilate and shrill in happiness.

“Well at least you’re not moping. This is better and much more bearable than your state the other day.” Onew said to her though he doubted if she heard him.

“Wait.” Onew stopped her mini-celebration. “You have the tendency to eat when you get intense emotions right?”

“Yeah. Why?”
“A little piece of advice, try to control your appetite later on. You don’t want others to see you as a pig.”

“Of course. Don’t you think I’m old enough to know that?” Taeyeon smirked and shook her head. Onew shrugged.

“You are never gonna believe what happened to me this morning!” Out of sheer happiness, Taeyeon plopped on the chair and sipped some of her coffee.

“Oh really? What?” Onew asked, pretending to be interested. Taeyeon took her bag and took out the granola bars.

“I went to Starbucks this morning to buy this drink and when I got there, I saw this guy that looked like Leeteuk from behind. I mean, seriously! His hair, and the laptop, and reading of manhwa. He was so Leeteuk, I’m telling you. I was stalking him. I was trying to check if he really was Leeteuk then the barista called me and I was in a daze so I suddenly stood up and my knees hit the table and everyone looked at me, including him. Turns out he wasn’t Leeteuk!” Taeyeon narrated with gusto. Onew gave her a ‘duh’ look and laughed a sarcastic laugh.

“You have got to be kidding me? Seriously? You thought that guy was Leeteuk? Taeyeon, a million guys here in Korea have the same hair as Leeteuk. How could you-” a sly grin came on Onew’s face. “Unless you still love him. That you think of him so often that you see him in other people. In other things.” Taeyeon blushed a bright shade of red and wanted to kill Onew for saying that. Because he was right.

“I will kill you for saying that! Don‘t you dare accuse me of being in love with Leeteuk!” Taeyeon was blushing even more now. Onew let his childish, un-manegerial side out and began teasing Taeyeon like they were still high schoolers. She stood up and chased Onew around his office, hitting him with her hand, her bag, or both. Onew did nothing but laugh and laugh and laugh as he let his dorky friend chase him around.

“YOU’LL KILL ME CAUSE IT’S TRUE!” Onew yelled. Taeyeon laughed and laughed while squealing and chasing Onew. They had to face the facts. They may be in their 20s but they were just a couple of kids. A couple of kids trapped in adults’ bodies. “IMAGINE LEETEUK! IMAGINE LEETEUK IN THAT JACKET WITHOUT A SHIRT ON LIKE THAT PHOTO I SHOWED YOU! IMAGINE HIM BEING A MODEL FOR GUESS OR WHATEVER CLOTHING BRAND!” Taeyeon did imagine while hurting Onew with her bag.

“I AM NOT IMAGINING ANYTHING! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!!!” Taeyeon hit him with her bag once more and gave him a slap in the shoulder.

“OH REALLY NOW?” Onew laughed. Taeyeon sat down and placed the bag on her lap, exhausted from laughing and chasing and hitting Onew around. Onew sat back down and gave her the evil grin, a look she had become very familiar with since their college days.

“I do not love Leeteuk. I have a different love.”

“Tell me who.” Onew smirked.

“The guy I used to work with…” Taeyeon fluttered her eyes. “Jung Yunho. Yunho…” she sighed. Onew was trying hard to stop laughing but he just couldn’t contain it any longer.

“Jung Yunho? That guy? But he was last year’s item! This year is Leeteuk!”

“NO!” Taeyeon giggled. “Yunho!”

“Yunho my !” Onew said. Taeyeon rolled her eyes and let her dorky side out. She gave Onew a short glance and stuck her tongue out at him, crunching her nose and teetering her head. Onew laughed at her and returned the same dorky facial expression. The two just sat in the office and talked while waiting for the time.

[LUNCHTIME]

Taeyeon and Onew made their way out of the office and down the hall. They were headed for the Red Pearl, the Chinese restaurant at the hotel lobby. Taeyeon had with her her bag, her papers, and her confidence. Onew had full confidence in Taeyeon. Shyness wasn’t an issue with Taeyeon. She may not be an actress but she was very natural in front of the camera, being a journalist for 2 years. Onew was just as ready as Taeyeon for his new job.

The two arrived at Red Pearl and were escorted to the Executive Dining Room where the meeting was to be held. There, they saw Kangin and his other co-executives seated with plates of Chinese food on the table. Taeyeon and Onew, being the younger members of the congregation, bowed before their elders and sat together.

“Good noon, youngsters. We are gathered here to discuss your proposal, Mr. Lee Jin Ki.” Kangin said. Onew looked at Taeyeon who urged him to speak up.

“Yes. Good noon to all of you. As you know I work as a rookie manager and in this young career of mine, I have not accomplished much yet. But a friend of mine here, and I am sure you are very familiar with her, “the executives, as well as Kangin, took a good look at Taeyeon and they suddenly realized something.

“Hey, is she the reporter who bailed out on national TV?” one exec whispered to another. This caught Taeyeon’s eye and though she wanted to bail out again, she remembered to keep her cool as this meeting could make or break her and Onew.

Easy Taeyeon. Easy. Don’t blow this one. she clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She smiled at them and nodded, but her heart was beating fast and she was anything but calm.

“So hello everyone. I am Kim Taeyeon and I am the artist that Onew will be managingAnd I don’t know exactly what came into his mind when he said that he wanted to market me as the ‘total package’. But whatever it is, I am willing to do it for the love of being an entertainer.” Taeyeon’s speech ended with a smile and she sat down, watching the co-executives’ facial expressions.

“What are your talents?” asked Kangin. Taeyeon furrowed her brows and looked around her, above her and even below her, trying to come up with some kind of talent that she never had.

“Well, to be perfectly honest. And uhm…since I’m about to be the total package, I can say that I am talented and able in all fields of performing arts.” That was one lie Taeyeon was going to regret saying for the rest of her life. Kangin and the other executives looked at her with awe. Who knew that there was more to this young reporter than just speaking and writing?

“Well then. It’s good to meet you and we shall discuss about your profession later on. For now, let us enjoy the bountiful food before us.” everyone began to eat, including Taeyeon and Onew.

“Seriously? You’re talented in all fields?” Onew whispered while chewing some dumplings. Taeyeon was shaking so much that she couldn’t clasp her chopsticks properly, thus preventing her from eating.

“Screw what I said! Me? I’m not talented in anything!” Taeyeon said. “I just don’t have a job and I think this is the easiest and probably the closest job related to my degree!” Taeyeon gave up on the chopsticks and resorted to the spoon and fork. An executive noticed this and said,

“You don’t know how to eat with chopsticks?” he asked. Taeyeon couldn’t tell him that she was nervous because they could use this against her. They could say that she wouldn’t qualify as a “star” so instead, she replied.

“I have really bad hands today. They’re hurting so bad and they shake a lot so I can’t use chopsticks properly. But I do know how to eat with them and on days when my hands don‘t hurt, I eat with chopsticks perfectly well.” was Taeyeon’s lame excuse. The executive arched his eyebrow and nodded.

“I was born in Korea! Of course I can use chopsticks!” Taeyeon giggled. Another executive smiled at her and concentrated on his food, obviously already annoyed with her bubbly and spontaneous, talkative character. Onew on the other hand, tried so hard to stop himself from laughing out loud and possibly spitting the food all over the place.

“I hope your hands get better!” Onew jeered under his breath. Taeyeon put the shau mai in , elbowing Onew along the way.

“Just shut up and play along! It’s your career at stake here too, you know!” Taeyeon whispered. Onew shrugged and laughed silently to himself as Taeyeon ate more of the prawn salad and rice.

“I think she’s quirky and fun but I don’t think she’s celebrity material.” one executive said. Taeyeon didn’t hear them but Onew did. He looked up at them and sharply stared at them, glinting his eyes. Taeyeon was too caught up in her meal to even notice.

After an hour, Kangin wrapped up the lunch meeting and dismissed everyone. All the executives walked together to their offices.

“The two of you, come over here.” Onew and Taeyeon looked at each other nervously and walked towards the boss. “Come with me to my office, I would like to talk to the two of you.” Onew and Taeyeon followed him out of the executive dining area and down the hall where he led them to his office on the 10th floor.

Oh damn. This is it. I’m gonna be busted! He’s gonna find out that I lied about being multitalented. Taeyeon nervously thought to herself. Turns out they weren’t headed for Kangin’s office. They were led to the Talent Department where the agency scouted for possible talents to handle. In there were casting agents and other talent managers like Onew only more professional and experienced. The two enter and seeing the talents show the casting agents and managers what they’ve got intimidated them, especially Taeyeon who just lied about being talented. She was untalented, performing talents wise and only thought of becoming a star for two reasons. One, because she was jobless and this was the easiest job to get. Two, because Onew forced her to.

“Alright Kim Taeyeon.” Kangin started. “You want to become a star, right?”

“Yes? Yes!” Taeyeon said confidently, trying to brush any sign of insecurity or nervousness away. Onew didn’t breathe for a minute.

“Great. Then fall in line and when it’s your turn, get up on stage and show us your full potential.” Taeyeon’s eyes grew bigger. She waited for Kangin to walk away and when he did, she ran to Onew.

“JIN KI! WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!? I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WAS AN AUDITION!”

“Of course there’s an audition!” Onew gave himself the facepalm. “You know how talent corporations select their artists! They hold auditions! It’s not like you can just walk in and say ‘oh I wanna be a star!’ and you’re one automatically!”

“YOU SHOULD’VE TOLD ME YOU KNOW!”

“I THOUGHT YOU KNEW!” their argument got louder and louder that the girl ahead of Taeyeon turned and looked at her. Taeyeon looked back with an embarrassed face and smiled. “Sorry.” The girl looked away.

Several talented people passed. Some dance, some sang, some did both. Others acted, others did VJ-ing. While some just posed and shone. Without her realizing it, it was Taeyeon’s turn.

“Next up, Ms. Kim Taeyeon.” Taeyeon’s heart skipped faster and her breathing stopped. She froze on her spot and tried to look at Onew but her head just couldn’t move. Slowly but surely like a statue coming to life, Taeyeon lifted her right foot and went up the stage. She was as stiff as a log and the talent scouts, judges, and Kangin were beginning to notice her awkwardness. Taeyeon still looked pretty in pink, though.

“Introduce yourself, darling.” recognition came to her once again. The other hopefuls, when they got a better view of her face, began whispering among themselves, talking about her famous on-screen tirade. She noticed this but as usual, paid no mind. She was here because she needed money not because she loved to perform.

What am I gonna do? What am I doing here? Where is Onew? Why are there so many people in the audience that I can’t even find Onew?! Lee Jin Ki! Show your ugly face now!

Stage fright made her so blind that she failed to see Onew just sitting right in front of her beside Kangin. She looked down and using her eyes, asked him what she was going to do.

“Roll everything you saw into a ball of star power.” Onew mouthed. Taeyeon looked at him with a confused look and mouthed back,

“What?” she tried not to make it obvious but they saw it. Yep, they were witnessing her mouthing something to a person they couldn’t see.

First class awkwardness brought to you by Kim Taeyeon! she said in her mind.

“Leeteuk!” she heard from the audience. She suddenly woke up, her blood started to flow, her heart started to beat more regularly, and her legs shook. They always did whenever Leeteuk’s name was mentioned.

Who the dared say that? she hunted for the idiot who mentioned the most despicable name on the face of the planet.

“Leeteuk Park Jung Soo. With his abs. With his jacket. With his muscles. With his hair. With his bangs. With his mothering face. You are Mrs. Park Jung Soo, Kim Taeyeon.” she heard this from the audience and when she looked down, she was surprised to see Onew cheering her on with this.

SHUT THE UP, YOU BASTARD OR I’LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF YOUR NECK, DRILL A HOLE IN YOUR THROAT AND POKE IT WITH A STRAW TIL YOU BECOME A FOUNTAIN OF BLOOD! Taeyeon violently thought, blushing the brightest shade of red. After a few minutes of standing still in the middle, she tweaked her clip-on mic and said,

“Good afternoon everyone, my name is Kim Taeyeon. As you know, I am that nutcase reporter who cussed and flashed the finger on national TV weeks ago but I am here before you as a changed woman. I changed because I was fired not because I realized what I did was wrong. To be honest with you, I never wanted to be a performer. I’m only doing this because one, I have no job; two, my good friend Lee Jin Ki forced me so damn hard to become a star; and three, my boyfriend broke up with me and is making megabucks while I’m here sewing my own clothes because as of the moment I have no income and cannot afford to buy those beautiful pink dresses in the expensive stores. In short, I’m heartbroken, jobless, and self-reliant. I may be lacking in talent, but I make up for whatever shortcomings I have in passion. I give everything my 100 percent and I don’t ever, ever stop…” Taeyeon eyed Onew and gave him a determined, proud smile. “Til I get enough! Now if you want some nutcase-ness, you’ll get it first hand from Kim Taeyeon.” Taeyeon looked at the DJ who had some tunes. “MAESTRO!”

[song: “Jiral” by Humming Urban Stereo]

Taeyeon sang this mellow song beautifully. Her voice rang with outstanding quality, one that the others (and she) didn’t expect. Onew was quite astounded himself as he had never heard her sing before and to hear this beautiful voice coming out of this quirky young woman came to him as a surprise. After 30 seconds of singing, Taeyeon showcased her other talent.
Dancing.

“You see, I am multitalented. I can also dance. So maestro, hit the music again!”

[song: “Genie” by SNSD]

Taeyeon started it off in a charming way, taking everyone by surprise. Then, she proceeded with the choreography and was able to dance half of the song perfectly. Everyone watched her in awe as the usually reserved and still reporter showed off her hidden talents. Taeyeon stopped dancing and stood in the middle of the stage, confidently and energetically prepared herself for her next act. Drama. While in the middle of the stage, Taeyeon acted out a dramatic death scene with her falling to the floor, pretending that she had a knife in her stomach. She staggered to the front, begging and for help.

“Help…please…spare me…” Taeyeon’s acting was powerful. She moaned, groaned, and even cried! Real tears streamed down her eyes! Taeyeon then got up and for her final act, she showed them what she was really made of.

Speaking.

Taeyeon got in the middle and began to talk about the most controversial issues in our society right now. This amazed the judges, the executives, the hopefuls, and Kangin. Of all her acts, this was what they loved the most. Kangin leaned over to Onew and whispered,

“For a hyperactive, quirky, pesky little fashionista reporter like her, she’s pretty intelligent.” Kangin praised the 5’2” journalist. Taeyeon heard this and felt her heart rise. She was now more inspired than ever and spoke even more enthusiastically.

“ALRIGHT!” Kangin cut her short. Taeyeon stopped with a smile on her face and backed up. She clasped her hands together and waited for Kangin to say something. “Trainees, you are now dismissed. Results of the audition will appear online and if you pass, you will see your name on the company’s official site and we will notify you through text and e-mail. Thank you. We enjoyed all your performances.” When Kangin said the lsat line, he looked at Taeyeon and gave her a smile. Taeyeon nodded her head and smiled back, her way of thanking him for the compliment. She then got off the stage and rejoined Onew in the audience. The two walked out of the audition room together.

“See? I told you you’d nail it!” Onew put his arm around her and Taeyeon, who was shaking because of sheer joy, pulled him into a big bear hug. Onew scruffed her hair and pulled away.

“I didn’t think I could do all those things!”

“That’s the power of-”

“Confidence! Yeah I know.” Taeyeon merrily skipped. Onew looked at her with an awkward face and said,

“I was about to say power of Leeteuk.” Taeyeon stopped in her tracks and spun around, and smirked at him. She flashed the finger which had a pink ribbon ring at him and turned back around to walk away. Onew laughed at her reaction and shrugged, following her afterwards.

“So they will notify me if I pass?” Taeyeon excitedly grinned. Onew gave her the thumbs up and grinned himself.

“That and more.” he said.

“What do you mean that and more?” Taeyeon’s grin disappeared.

“They will train you. You will work and train at the same time. In short, you show your face on TV in the morning and you practice for hours at night.” Onew explained. Taeyeon’s face dropped.

“Are you for real?” she cried. She seriously had no idea what showbusiness was about.

“Yes. I am for real. And not only that, you’re gonna have to adhere to their strict policies.”

“What strict policies?” Taeyeon arched a suspicious eyebrow.

“You’ll find out when they notify you.” Onew replied.

“If they notify me.”

“They will. Why wouldn’t they? You saw the look on Kangin’s face, he was clearly impressed with your audition. And so were the others!”

“Is Kangin the CEO of this company?” Taeyeon asked.

“No.” Onew answered. “It’s Lee Ok Soo. Mr. Lee Ok Soo. Kangin is just in charge of the talent handling. He’s my boss.”

“Holy crap.”

“So when you finally pass and they notify you, it’s Mr. Lee Ok Soo that you’ll come face to face with.”

“Oh holy .” Taeyeon sighed.

“Also, there’s more hopefuls coming. More trainees.”

“More competition?”

“Definitely.”

Taeyeon gave him a tired look and rolled her eyes.

“I’m going home. Call me when I fail.” Taeyeon said pessimisstically. She exited the building and walked to her car. Onew stood at the main entrance with his arms across his chest. He watched her as she properly, gracefully walked towards her car and opened the door. He watched the pink Cadillac speed down the driveway and smiled.

There’s definitely something about Taeyeon. She ain’t the prettiest. She ain’t the most popular. She ain’t the richest. But there’s definitely something about her that makes her so unique.

And I guess that’s what won Kangin’s heart.