Sehun was seated at the end of the conference table, ‘back to square one’ he thought. With another cup of coffee and some take-a-away bagel in front of him, he can’t comprehend his own raging heart.

He had reached the point in which it felt like there’s a bug and some other disgusting small insects laying underneath his hips on the chair, tickling his brisket trying to diminish his reputation.

Almost seconds after, Clara came in though Sehun’s manager was the one that opened the door for her. ‘Such a princess’ he thought again. Her presence was followed with another 6 people with luxurious sophisticated clothes. They look… well, in other word, educated.

She walked gracefully to the silver sparkly chair at the other end of Sehun’s and remained standing there. Clara looked towards each and one of the people that were seated aligning each other. Her gaze then slowly yet so strongly landed upon him.

“I apologize for being late though it was not both yours and my fault that our workers had a miscommunication while scheduling this meeting” she stated and smiled. The gesture however looked a bit forced.

Sehun who was slouching like sloth and looking at her boringly, finally, took the liberty to sit upright. He brought his hand together and put it in front of his lips. As he looked back at her with the same burning gaze that he received, he replied back the unspoken conversation between them; “I’m judging you, hard” their eyes implicit.

“Oh it was not that long, I had a great time visiting your toilet like how I use to back in my high school days” he hissed with a tinge of sarcasm and smirked after, feeling triumphed with his comeback.

“Well I think we may proceed with today’s meeting, Chanyeol?” Clara said, breaking off their intense gaze. Chanyeol, the trustworthy general manager stood up, nodding at Clara as a permission to start and briefed the others about the new project.

“When you talk about fall, the first thing that comes to mind are cosy sweaters, boots and warm coffees. But the thing is, how lame would your fall season be if your cosy sweaters are not cosy at all, not to mention you got it from a vintage store downtown… and your warm coffees will be frozen by the time you’re done shivering and fidgeting trying to find the cosiness of your not-so-cosy sweaters…” Chanyeol said, explaining to the others as they nodded.

Chanyeol started working with Grandiose 4 years back, he was one of the few people that started this brand together with Clara. Which only meant one thing, he knows that girl more than anybody. Though this muscular tall man is actually a year older than her, Clara graduated college first proving the nature of her highly, smart and genius intellectual brain.

These two pair go way back, way… way… back into their childhood in which they spent playing hide and clap together. Their famous parents whom are known by their effective business skills were what we’d call, partners in crime. Except they did not do any crime, of course. It was too expected by anybody who had known these two family to predict Clara’s friendship with him to be developed into something more.

Chanyeol is like a brother to her, same way Clara was like a sister to him. Was.

“…Well, in the final analysis made by our great team for this new project, we came up with the idea of Fall-tastic by Grandiose. This time, it’s all about how fantastic your fall will be. The main colours are emerald, Mykonos blue, Linden green, acai, samba, koi, vivacious and of course carafe. I present to you, Fall-tastic by Grandiose” he ended his introduction with a click on the laptop, and the slide show started.

The slide show bored Sehun to a fatal death, what more do you expect he felt from the introduction that Chanyeol gave? He’d rather hear Morgan Freeman talk to him through ion than be there, sitting like a complete miserable bonsai. That was what he thought of himself in that stuffy room, a bonsai.

“And that is it, any question?” Chanyeol beamed with a bit too much excitement as he stood up from his seat.

Everybody looked at each other for a moment until all of them─ with an exception of Clara who was busy smiling proudly at Chanyeol, stared at the sloth-seated-model.

Sehun, finally, comprehended the dirty vibes from the stares, realized that he needed to at least say something… nice. “Uhh, go team…?” he hastily exclaimed though he knew that was not his best comment. “Well, I’d love to endorse the new clothing line” Sehun added and smiled forcefully.

His manager nodded as an agreement to the lad’s statement and started asking about the dates of their photo-shoots and press conferences. While doing so, a sudden ring enveloped the room making every one of them inside changed their attention to it.

Sehun thought it was his phone because it was the exact same cliché ringtone any iPhone users would use, though he knew better. Sehun always make sure his phone is on silent and vibrate mode whenever he’s in an important meeting or even any of his schedules. To him, it’s a given for professionals to do so as it is the number one rule in behaving mannerly.

However, when Clara took out her phone and looked at the caller ID as if it was the most common thing to do, Sehun was profoundly surprised. He had his mouth hanging loosely, gawking in shock… mentally of course. Never had he ever witnessed something so utterly rude from someone that should’ve known better.

In the growing society, we have classified labels on each and one of living human beings. For example, in your teenage years, there are those whom we’d like to label as the nerds. Though there are many types of nerds. Then there exists the ones whom are the complete opposites of the nerds though these people have a severe different types of them too.

As you breathe into your young adult years, you’ll come across into many more people but in particular, one in a million of labels in which we dare not touch but hate─ is called the professionals. Officially that is what we call them, unofficially we call them rich brats.

These rich brats live in a world that is actually in reality, as fake as a Barbie Doll’s life. But one thing that we may sometime forget about them is, they too are humans. Learning, growing, breathing, feeling and dying.

These people abide a rule in which is undebatable and unquestionable for them to not too. A rule that is called, power. Power may sound easy, it may seem effortless as a rule but with power you need great leadership. With power you need to go through afflictions and with power, you have to possess great etiquettes.

As Clara saw the caller ID, she controlled her face expression and apologize, “I’m sorry but I have to take this” she said and excused herself outside.

Chanyeol who was in the midst of finishing his presentation saw the masked look on Clara face when she went out, answering the call. Nonetheless, it will be an issue if he too, excuse himself to follow the boss outside.

 

 

Clara gushes out and strode into her office room. For once, she closed her glassy door and locked it making Jane wondered her exceptionally odd entrance. The girl stood beside the coffee table in the middle of the room and looked around from her left to right just to make sure there was nobody inside before she took a deep breath and answered the call that will always make her heart accelerate.

 

 

After waiting for her for almost an hour from before, Sehun grew irked that they were waiting for her. Again. He blew an exasperated sigh that caught Chanyeol’s attention.

Being a professional, he knew better than to make a guest be uncomfortable or worst, bored─ as they might call off the deal. Unlike Clara, who thinks she always has the upper hand.

So, Chanyeol took the risk and liberty to continue the ending of the presentation. “Well I am sure she has an important emergency, I apologize on behalf of Miss Clara” he spoke and bowed a bit to Sehun and his manager in which Sehun smiled fakely as a reply.

After the meeting ended, Clara was still not there to greet them a farewell and seal the deal making Sehun’s impression of her drops from bad to worst.

“Thank you and again, I apologize for the inconvenience that we have caused, especially to someone as busy as you” Chanyeol said as he shook Sehun’s hand.

“No, thank you. I am honoured to be the new endorser for Grandiose” Chanyeol escorted both Sehun and his manager back to the lobby. The moment they drove off, the tall lad abandoned his high ranked reputation in the company and ran like a lightning bolt to Clara’s room, embarrassing himself.

“But boss...” Jane couldn’t finished her words and Chanyeol had already pushed the door only to fall flat on his . “…locked the door” Jane said and stood there surprised.

“Oh my god, are you okay sir?” she asked and went to his side. Jane helped him to get back on his feet, though she was still flabbergasted.

“This is awkward… sorry I was in a rush, but since when does Clara closes her door? Yet alone locks them?” he asked and looked inside the glass door. Clara was seated on the sofa, albeit her back facing him, Chanyeol could guess that she was literally lost in her mind.

He heaved a sigh and thanked Jane again before he knocked the door, several times to get the girl’s soul back to Earth. Clara, finally, stood and walked towards her door and unlocked them as Chanyeol who was the one that pushed it ajar.

She just stood there soullessly as she waited for him. Chanyeol, who had known the girl for almost all his breathing life, closed back the door and locked it knowing there must be a reason as to why she did that in the first place. He neared her and did nothing else but to hug her, tightly.

 

 

On his way back to his house, Sehun could not get it out of his mind. First she was bossy, and then she was rude. But her employees love her, they respect her, maybe too much for his opinion. He wondered what made her that special, he wondered how she managed to be both commanding but still respected at the same time.

Nevertheless, what he really could not get out of his mind was… that look. Her expression. When she walked confidently, when she talked with pride, when she questions with venom in her tongue, when she stares with burning fire. Despite all that, it reminded him of something. To be exact someone. Himself.

 

 

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WHAT’S UP PEEPS? :D

Okay so first, I apologize for my late updates. It would be very great and nice of all of you readers to understand my situation… the reason as to why I am very busy is because this is my senior year in high school, so I will be graduating this year. It is both exciting and effing saddening, both heaven and hell.

And second, poster on the way yalllllllllll. I was contemplating with myself whether or not to actually find someone to help make a poster for this story, then again I realize how important first impression is. I mean, look at how bad Sehun’s first impression of Clara was._.

Thirdly, a big round of applause and gratitude towards @get2herheart , @scattered , @ann_jeong and @flutterwind for subscribing. Yall made me cry :’)

If you haven’t check out my stories yet, please do *teehee* Don’t be a shy reader, let’s all live in our world of imagination. Please subscribe, comment and vote, that will be very nice of you to do so and I will be very thankful. Btw, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO THOSE WHO HAVE YOUR LOVERS WITH YOU. To my lovely friends out there, yeap buddy, those who are apparently single...like me... alone... it's okay... let's eat ice creams and sing to taylor swift's songs xD and of course, Happy (advanced) Chinese New Year!

Lastly, I guess Chanyeol was not the only one that realized Clara’s masked expressions huh… *wink wink*