Smiling as you woke up, you took your time getting prepared. Looking through your wardrobe for the formal suit you’d ironed out last night, and matching it up with the pastel-coloured shirt was a great touch, but one could never be careful enough! Taking the time to meticulously apply your make-up (eyeliner totally on point!), you wanted everything to seem perfect- it was your first day of your new job, after all!

Checking your appearance once more before exiting the house, you slid into the driver's seat of your car and playing your favourite song, started to drive. It had always been your dream to be an events manager, and your first internship was with the well-known firm Selling Dreams. It was more than a big opportunity and you determined to impress from the very first moment

Though, that dream was on the verge of being shattered the moment you stepped in to the office space. All around you, women who looked like they had graced the covers of numerous fashion magazines walked past you in a whiz. Immaculate hair, nails and makeup, you wondered if this was a scene from The Devil Wears Prada, or perhaps a huge prank was being played on you, prompting you to check the address once again. Selling Dreams? Well, it surely matched the name on the plaque above the receptionist's head - but who knew that dressing in the current fashion season was part of the requirement for an events manager? As you cautiously stepped in, the receptionist looked up at you, assessing you quickly with a glance. Her face broke into a smile that was nowhere hear her eyes, as she asked you which consultant you had to see today.

“I’m...I don't need a consultant – maybe there’s some misconception!” You replied as calmly as you could (which wasn't much, admitted). “I’m [Name] [Last name] – the new intern.” The receptionist’s eyebrows rose slightly, as she apologised, and directed you to the third door on the right.

Smiling, if only to boost your own confidence, you headed for the door. With a sharp knock on the door and your lips nervously, you entered when you heard someone say ‘Come in!’ At the large desk sat a middle-aged lady, possibly in her later 40’s. Her hair was immaculately set, and the stylish glasses that rested on the tip of her nose was probably more expensive than your whole outfit. All of a sudden, you felt rather under-dressed.

“Ahh, [Name], is it?” The lady exclaimed, as she looked up, whipping off her glasses.

“Yes, ma’am," you replied promptly. She looked through a stack of papers neatly divided on the right of her desk, and picked out one, which from a glance, you recognised to be your résumé.
“Hmm...you seem to have had some rather impressive education in this line, but [Name],” she rested her elbows on her desk, as she leant forward. “This is the real world. No one will be here for you to correct your mistakes, and often, they snowball into greater things. Selling Dreams is a prestigious company, I hope you’ve realised, and if you expect this to be anything like your college, I suggest you leave right now.”

Stunned by her harsh speech, you could only nod, as she sighed, and put her glasses aside.

“Now, look here" The look on her face was one of disdainful pity. "I think that you might have potential, but I’d need proof, of course. So, I will be giving you the assignment of planning one wedding. You won’t be getting any help from anyone else in this firm, however, you also will have no one to report to. I’ll be there at the wedding. If all goes well, then consider yourself permanent here. If not..." A slight shrug of the shoulders. "I’d suggest finding yourself a new career.”

“Yes...ma’am.” After all, what else was there to say?
“You may go now. Go towards the right, and someone should be able to show you your new desk. Not that I should see you there more often than not, rookies work best on-field.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” As you turned to leave, Mrs. Joanne Winters, your new boss, called you back.
“Oh, I forgot one thing. You will have a partner with you for this. He’s the son of our managing head in Seoul, and he will be completing his internship as well. That should make it fairly easy, now that I think about it.”
“All right, ma’am.”
“And don’t call me ‘ma’am’ all the time either, girl. It makes me feel old.”
“All right ma-” You managed to stop yourself at the right time. "All right, Mrs. Winters," and you tried your best to smile. 

You sighed, as you closed the door behind you. “It seems like a pretty insignificant assignment," mumbling under your breath to yourself, as you strolled down the corridor. “...but it seems like it’s gonna be pretty stressful, too. All the same, if it wasn’t-”

A small bump in the carpeting, and you found yourself hurtling towards the ground - but a firm arm wrapped itself around your waist, and prevented you from crashing down. Light-hearted chuckling reached your ears, followed by someone speaking. “Never expected to see such pretty girls here!”

You scrambled up straight, straightening your skirt, and jacket, and found yourself staring into the warmest pair of orbs you’d ever seen. In front of you was a rather attractive man, to say the least. His lightly sunkissed skin and disheveled hair gave him a laid-back aura, making him seem so incongruous to this place. But it was his eyes captivated you the most – the way the light would reflect off them, almost as if it was dancing...
 

“Dongwoo,” he exclaimed, all of a sudden, as he held his hand out for you to shake.
“...[Name]” you replied, after a pause, and if it were possible, his eyes lit up even more than before.
“So...you’re the other intern? My partner?”
“O...Oh...” was all that you managed to reply, continuously thinking of how un-professional this whole thing was turning out to be...
Swiftly, Dongwoo took your hand – the one that was already in his – and brought it up to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of your hand. “It’ll be a pleasure to work with you, I'm sure.”

So much for being professional.

You sighed audibly, as you saw Dongwoo smile and wave at a girl passing by. Pressing the lock key on his mobile phone that he was holding, you waved the notes that you'd written in front of his face.
"I don't know if you know, or not, but we have a wedding to plan!" you exclaimed, anger leaking out into your tone. For the past two days, all Dongwoo had done was flirt incessantly with every girl in sight, just talking to them about the most inane of things, whilst getting absolutely no work done. He said he was "just being friendly", you insisted he was flirting. He turned towards you, smiling, and you knew that about...now would be a good time to turn away, so that you wouldn't start blushing. It seemed an understatement to say that he was gorgeous, but...he was distracting, too. His smile was as bright as the sun high above your heads; while it was beautiful and all, you knew that with such a huge task at stake, there was no way that you could bedistracted.

"Hmm, I know..." his tone was like that of a little child, one that had no notion of urgency.
"Well, if you know, then why aren't you working?" You let your temper get the better of you. "Why do you even want to be in this profession, anyway?" A disdainful glance tossed towards him, part of you angered seeing him being so nonchalant towards a job that required so much of planning, foresight and-
"I like to make people smile." He smiled that goofy grin of his – the one that made your heart skip a beat - as he sat on the edge of the short wall that separated the part of the garden being prepared for the banquet area. "When they come and see how you've set up the world of their dreams, they are really happy, which makes them smile. I like to see them smile."
The more idealistic, romantic part of you partially wanted to squee at Dongwoo's optimism, but you could feel your more practical side overriding it
"Well, if that's the case, you should've been a clown."
"Ahh, so you think I'm funny?"
Huffing, you slapped the clipboard that you were holding into Dongwoo's hands and walked off.

Dongwoo looked at you walking away (and quite mad, by the looks of it) with a puzzled look on his face. He'd just complimented you, right? What was wrong with that?

Sighing loudly, you closed the car door even more loudly. Being around Dongwoo, especially when he chose to act like….that, during such times of stress was not only bad, but you were sure it was being terribly detrimental to your sanity! "...and today's the day for the clients to visit, too..." you muttered, on the verge of tears. This was a huge assignment for you, what if he screwed it-

Suddenly, you heard someone knock on your window. Looking up with a slight frown, you were more than surprised, however, when you saw a vaguely familiar face smiling back at you. Rolling down the windows, you tried to place a name to the face.

"…Joyce?" you managed to say, after a pause.
The woman at the window smiled back. "I'm glad you remember me, [Name]!"
You couldn't help but smile back. "Of course! How could I forget you! It's such a shame we couldn't keep in contact after high school – we had so much of fun!" The old memories genuinely made you feel happier, even in a time like this.
Joyce nodded in reply. "It's such a small world, huh? You're actually the wedding planner for my wedding!"
"Your wedding?" The emphasis on the pronoun could not be helped. "Who's the lucky man, Joyce?"
Joyce blushed faintly and briefly, before she cleared . "Remember how in the last year of high school, there was an exchange student from Korea...Busan..."
"Oh, the one you totally had the hots for? Howon, right?" You couldn't help but giggle, more so at your rather teenager-ish vocabulary than at her evident blush.
Joyce tried to not laugh, as well. "Yeah, well...I'm getting married to Hoya."
Your jaw hung open, as you looked at her in awe and surprise. "Are you telling me that this is, like, a magical high school tale? That such adorability still exists?"
Joyce laughed. "I guess so...but, tell me about yourself? How's everything with you?"
You shrugged, as you stepped out of the car, dusting your skirt ever so lightly. "Just been working my off, really. And then, I have this massive internship, which pretty much my whole career depends on, and that-" You pointed towards Dongwoo, who was happily chatting away with the girl that the florists had sent over for a survey. "That young man there is supposed to be helping me, but, instead, he just makes everything more difficult by doing nothing!"

"He's cute," Joyce commented, after a pause. You turned towards her, wide-eyed.
"What?"
"You stress yourself too much. You should be trying to get with someone like him! He's hot, he seems charming, and he's laid-back! Just what you need!"
"I d-do…not need a lay....I mean a laid-back guy!" You retorted, trying to control the blush that was creeping up your cheeks, but the smile toying on Joyce's lips at your Freudian slip was another story, altogether.
"Come on, [Name]...you're always so stressed. I think you need a break...know what? Let me go and talk to him!" and before you could say anything, Joyce had already started walking towards Dongwoo.

"But...Joyce! W-What about your wedding?" you called behind her, your voice getting quieter with every word.

Consciously, you avoided Dongwoo for the rest of the day, busying yourself with tasks. You ordered the tables and chairs, for Joyce and Hoya's 'garden' themed setting. Knowing that your first assignment was for a friend made you slightly relieved, and yet... Pulling out your hairclip, and shaking your head slightly, you tentatively ran your hands through your hair, letting the refreshing air flow through them. It was time for you to talk to Dongwoo– not that you wanted to. Well...not after what Joyce might've told him!

You stopped a few feet away from him, as you saw him happily chatting away with someone on the phone in his native language. Resisting the urge to take that phone and smash it into a thousand pieces at the fact that you realised that after the whole day, all he'd probably done is organise a date with that girl from the florists. As he finished the call, he looked towards you, a big smile on his face, and beckoned for you to come closer. Almost reflexively, you returned a small smile, as you walked over. Where had all that anger gone from a couple of moments ago, you couldn't help but wonder. How was it impossible to actually stay angry at Dongwoo...?

"I have just ordered some fairy lights, mainly in LED." He said.
"LED...?" 'Beyond lost' would be an understatement.
"You know..." Turning away, he showed you a piece of paper that he'd taken from the table. On it was a rough, but artful sketch of the garden in plan, decorated in a very tasteful manner. "LEDs are actually brigther, and use less..." but the rest of his words were mere blurs to you, as you stared at the sketch, transfixed. Little fairy lights covered the bushes and s around the tree trunks. The white wrought iron tables and chairs added a very delicate touch to the whole setting, and the lanterns that were to be hung everywhere almost transformed the garden into a magical world. The perfect garden for the perfect wedding.
"It's...beautiful." you couldn't help but whisper.
"I'm glad you like it," he chucked, as he handed the sketch over to you. "If you like it, then it's good." You could feel yourself blushing, as you took the sketch from him, and put it away in your folder, letting your hair cover your cheeks. The glint of the setting sun on your wristwatch caught your attention; a gasp flew from your lips just when you realised how late it really was.

"I'm...erm, supposed to be driving you to wherever-"
He cut you off. "Let me drive. I can't let a lady drive when I'm there, can I?" In a swift motion, he gently caught your wrist.
"Is that a notion of chivalry I see in you?" you tried to cover the quaver in your voice with a bad attempt at a joke. What was with that bold move, anyway?
He shook his head, the mess of golden waves on his head almost catching and playing with the reflections of the sunlight. "I wouldn't say that, but I have yet to drive here. It doesn't look very difficult, though."
And before you could say anything else, the hand around your wrist slipped down, taking the keys from your hand into his own.
 

Even though the clock on the dashboard showed the time to be almost seven, the sun was still setting, leaving a warm glow over the horizon. Dongwoo played out an imaginary beat with his hand on the steering wheel, as the car waited at a red light.
"Do you mind if I play some music?" he asked all of a sudden, catching your attention by surprise.
"Oh, hmm?" You replied after a delay, as you comprehended what he was saying. "Why not?" Smiling as a thank you, he took out his iPod, and connected it to the car's stereo system. He quickly browsed through the music before a small smile graced his face; he tapped the screen once, setting the iPod aside.
"I have the perfect song, [Name]."

A soft guitar intro rung through the car, and sighing, you rested your head on the headrest, and let your eyes flutter shut. You just mentally followed the sweet music.

What you got if you ain't got love?
The kind that you just wanna give away
It's okay to open up
Go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
You wanna shut the world out and just be left alone
Don't run out on your faith

Your eyes flew open, as you realised what the lyrics were implying. Why on earth did he have to choose a song like this? The guitar riff gave way to a heavy techno background. You stole a glance towards Dongwoo, but he was looking straight ahead, a small smile on his face, as he drummed the rhythm of the song on the steering wheel. Was it intentional, to this extent?

'Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
What you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands

You didn't know whether to look straight ahead and pretend that you weren't being affected by the song, or just ask him straight out whether he was trying to imply something in the first place. As you could feel the heat radiating from your cheeks, you sat straight up, adjusting your seat belt.

When you figure out love is all that matters, after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small

You unconsciously held your breath, as you saw Dongwoo lean over, and reach towards your window, pushing the switch to roll the window down. As he was moving back, however, his lips brushed your cheek quickly, and briefly. So briefly, in fact, that you wondered whether you imagined the whole thing, or not. But glancing towards Dongwoo, and seeing that goofy grin plastered on his face, you knew it wasn't just your imagination. Everything had been just too intentional, and you'd been taken in.

Dongwoo inhaled subtly, taking in your scent, as it filled the car. A sweet, fruity fragrance, that made him feel slightly light in the head. From the moment he had seen you, your serious gaze had caught his attention. Yes, there was a call for efficiency and seriousness in them, but there was also something else. Something which intrigued him, made him want to know more about you. It had been a of luck for him, being able to talk with your school friend in order to understand the person behind the mask better; he finally figured out what it was that attracted you to him.

It was that small smile he'd noticed on your face, as you exited Mrs. Winters' office, or the smile you had on your face, when everything was going right.

It was the desire to make you smile, again.

Rubbing your cheek as furiously as you had been blushing, you forgot to ask him why he didn't use the window controls that were beside the driver's seat.

You also forgot to say 'thank you' to him for the beautiful wedding plan he'd made.

"You may now kiss the bride."

For once, Hoya didn't look like he was blushing so hard that he would just burst, as he kissed his bride. Clapping and various cheers filled the garden, and you joined in a well, cheering for your friend, who seemed the happiest she'd ever looked.

"It's nice seeing people happy, right?" you turned around to find Dongwoo standing there, merrily whistling a tune, as he looked straight ahead.
"W-Wh…what're you..." you didn't even get to finish your question, as Dongwoo breezily answered.
"Oh, Hoya and I have been friends for a long, long time." He grinned, as he leant forward, to try and assess your expression. However, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two people he didn't want to see right now...
...or maybe they'd be the perfect excuse.
"Drink?" you jumped when you heard Antonio's voice to your other side. You turned to see him standing there, with a drink in hand.
"Thanks,"you replied, taking the drink from his hand. Taking a sip, you nodded and smiled. "Hey, my favourite! How'd you know?" but your only reply was a mischevious wink from him. A smile appeared involuntarily on his lips, and you looked towards the bride and groom walking back down the aisle, arms linked and looking as happy as ever. "Dongwoo, thank you so..." the words died on your lips as you looked around, but he was nowhere to be found.

The sun was beginning to set, and the ethereal glow of dusk made the whole atmosphere all the more mesmerising. From your seat you watched all the couples dancing away; the smiles on their faces made something twinge in your heart, no doubt, but you just ignored that feeling, as you took another sip. A slow, cheerful tune, yet with a slightly eerie violin melody played through the speakers, and you found yourself sighing. Yes, the planning had been fantastic, and you were pretty confident of what you had to present. Mrs. Winters had swung by earlier, and through her thin, pursed lips, had shown her approval. You now had your job secured. But…now what?

You found your gaze searching for the cheerful man you had been working with for the past time:the one who had made you frown, become angry, maybe even want to punch a flying squirrel in the face – but also laugh like you'd never laughed before, feel at ease at times, and blush. And yet...he was nowhere to be seen, leaving a hollow feeling in your chest. Still scanning the area, you brought your drink up to your lips. You had shared the preparation with him, and as surprised as you had been to see him, now you wanted to share the result with him too; share the magical paradise you had bought to life.

"Could I have the honour of this dance?"
Spluttering, as you coughed on the liquid that seemed to be stuck in your throat, the first words to leave your lips were nowhere as charitable as your thoughts had been a moment ago. "Damn it, what is with you and your appearing act?" You saw Dongwoo come into your line of vision as he knelt down in front of you, making you both face-to-face. His warm, chocolate eyes sparkled in the last glimmer of the sunlight and you couldn't help but gaze into them, as you cleared the last of the liquid from your throat.

"I just wanted to say…" Dongwoo seemed to be hesitant for the first time, or perhaps he was just searching for the right word. All of a sudden, he took the rose bud that was in the lapel of his jacket and handed it to you, with a small smile on his face. You looked towards him, to the flower, and then back at his face, before you took it from his hands, somewhat mumbling your thanks, as you felt the blush creep up your cheeks. This all just seemed as unreal as the surroundings. 
"Pardon?" Dongwoo leant in closer, somewhat breaking the barrier of personal space, and making you blush all the more, yet managing to seem completely oblivious about it.
"I said...thank you." Your voice was barely above a whisper. His only reply was a chuckle, making you look up at him.
"I thought I liked you most when you're smiling" he explained, between laughter. "But you're cute when you're blushing, too!"
Eyes wide, the protest was abuot to form on your lips, but Dongwoo silenced you quickly, in the way he would have liked to best silence you - by kissing you.

You had never thought that a simple kiss could be so…passionate, but with Jang Dongwoo, it seemed that anything was possible. As his hand rested on your forearm and his lips moved gently against yours, it almost felt like you would explode from that weird feeling in your chest. You let your hands rest around his neck, as you played with a strand of his hair. As both of you pulled apart, he placed a small kiss on the tip of your nose, as his hand that had somehow made his way behind your head kept your foreheads touching.
"I just wanted to say..." he continued from where he'd left off. "…that I am going to be staying here for longer. My father says that he is happy with the reports that have been sent back."
"That's..good," you manage to reply, as you imagine what spending more time with him would be like.
"...and you're not mad at me, right?" he asks, with a small, unsure chuckle in his voice.
"Why would I be mad at you?" you whispered loudly.
"Well, I've...-"

It was you who silenced him with a kiss this time.

 ❀ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ❀

A/N: Just a quick, inspired one shot! Dongwoo's such a cheerful sweetie, I bet he would've made a great wedding planner, had he chosen to be one! The song referenced here is "So Small" by Italobrothers.