teaser two

march 2013

It was times like these when Marina thought, "Man, maybe having a business with these guys on staff isn't the best idea". 

It was a fairly normal day in the studio - Jason was messing around with a tiny portable keyboard and shaking his head furiously whenever something didn't come to pass, and Jiseul was laughing at him nearby; Lucas sat on the couch, staring out into space and ignoring anyone who came near him; Jihee, who really didn't have much to do, was floating around, occasionally asking if people needed help.

As usual, Marina was stuck with the part of the job she loved the least - paperwork. Paperwork for their new trainee, paperwork for the dormitory that might get bought if Jason could convince Lucas to donate a little bit more of his paycheck (though - to be fair - he didn't have very much to do as far as work went. TheCardinal project had barely taken off, and the job of 'manager' was more like 'sit around and answer questions, sometimes'), paperwork for Jihee's production gig, paperwork for loans and for bills...she did it because nobody else wanted to, but honestly, she wished she didn't have to.

But it had to be done, and it wasn't like Jason had enough IQ points to hold math in his head. And it was fair that Marina couldn't write a song if she tried. And that a secretary was way too expensive if the company wanted to get...anything. 

But still, Marina wondered, if she wanted to put everything to good use - if she wanted money, success, an array of groups and soloists with screaming fans - she could just work for a bigger company. But she didn't.

At least with the Robin crew she could guarantee being treated with respect - she knew everything about Jason, having known him for so long, and used her immense knowledge of the man to hold an iron grip around him. ("You dare slip up, and I'll tell them about when we were 11 and you signed your name on that 'anonymous' Valentine." Or worse.) In any other environment, there's no doubt she'd be talked down upon thanks to her gender. She was, at the very least, grateful for that.

That didn't stop her, however, from leaving the studio - she figured she was long overdue for a break. "I'm going for a walk," she announced, putting on her coat and walking out the door.

"What'd you do, Jason?" asked Lucas, turning around.

"Not me this time," Jason replied, throwing his hands up definsively without looking up. 

Marina going on walks wasn't an uncommon occurence - Jason did have a tendency to run his mouth, and even though she'd known the man for as long as she could remember, it was more than a little bit tiring to be with him all the time. 

She didn't regret forming the company with him, of course - he was the only person she trusted enough to form it with. The company would be edging up on its four year anniversary that June, and it wasn't just her extreme paperwork skills that made her want to found it. It was the fact that there was something missing in the industry that did it for her - the senses of teamwork among groups too fragile, their vacations too short if they existed. Marina knew that it could be changed - and that she could be the one that changed it.

But she couldn't do it alone. There was a part of her that wished she didn't need anyone else for the company - how much easier would it be if nobody was holding her back? If she could compose, manage, produce, train, or even just put two cents in for a boy group by herself, she would.

But she couldn't. And that, perhaps, was the most irritating thing of all. She thoroughly planned on making Robin successful, but she just wished she could do it herself.

upperclass themes 2014 ©