Chapter 3

What have I gotten myself into?  One second it was like you were the laughing stock of the office building, and now it feels like all the physical parts of this job are now placed on my head.  I just need to breathe.  It’s a little overwhelming… Okay maybe a lot overwhelming.

                “…and this is your calendar and deadlines...”  The winged eyed man had just spent the last 2 hours going on and on about which floors of the building held what, important contacts, taxi companies, and what needed to be done.  The problem was he was still going, and to say the least… Ninomiya was lost.

                Ninomiya looked over the calendar that seemed to be packed.  It didn’t feel like he had a day off as the bulletin notes on his computer screen that laid on a lovely numbered grid seemed to taunt him with endless tasks. 

                ‘Fashion show consultation 8 AM – 9 AM… costume designer meeting 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM... prop creation run through 10 AM – 10:45 AM… ‘Star in our Eyes’ Female lead auditions 11 AM -3 PM…. ‘Dynasty of a Million Years’ Male lead auditions 12 PM – 4 PM…’  Ninomiya was wide eyed just looking at his schedule for tomorrow.

                “… Do you have any questions?”  Kibum’s voice blasted through his thoughts as Ninomiya shook his head trying to bring himself back to reality. 

                “You’ve got to be kidding, I’ve been rambling on for two and a half hours and no questions?”  Kibum incredulously clicked his tongue not believing what he was seeing in front of him.

                Finally able to put two and two together, Ninomiya was able to pry his eyes off the schedule of seemingly endless things to look over at the winged eyed man.

                “I wasn’t shaking my head because I had no questions.  I am shaking my head because… it hurts…. And maybe I should’ve asked for an audio book version of all that because I don’t know if any of what you said stuck while I tried to follow my schedule.”  Ninomiya droned as he slumped back into his chair.

                The relaxed Ninomiya didn’t have much time to relax though, since Kibum yanked him from his chair with a smile. 

                “And the information I am cramming into that small little head of yours isn’t even done.  We still gotta do a tour, and introduce you to stylists, producers, directors, photographers….”  Kibum continued on with his speech and Ninomiya was then pushed into the hall and back into the mirrored cube.           

           ‘The poor boy… maybe I was too hard on him.’  Kibum thought to himself as they finally made their way to a break room.  His little trainee was standing over a sink with a Styrofoam cup taking a couple aspirin.  The messenger bag Ninomiya brought with him was at this point filled to the brim with paperwork, maps, and profiles of important people that the winged eyed man INSISTED should be taken with them on the tour. 

Kibum didn’t really blame him for needing a few pills, he had spent the whole day rambling after all, and even he had to admit that after 6 hours of just speaking his head was starting to hurt.

                “Are you okay?”  Kibum asked biting his lower lip.  He usually came off as forward, but for now he cautiously approached the other male trying to see if he could comprehend what he was saying.  The thought of the boy in the polka dotted shirt not showing up the next day was a possibility that was going through his head. 

                The Styrofoam in Ninomiya’s hand made a quick crushing noise, signalling Kibum that the other male was alive. He lifted himself from the sink and faced the wing eyed man.  A small grimace made its way onto his face, his eyes a little dead, and possibly a little dizzy, he wobbled his way over to a table to sit down and rest his head in his hands.

                “Yes, I’m fine.  I think I’ve got a hold of it.  Costume and prop design are on the first three levels, and the next three levels up are writers, casting directors, and practice rooms.  Out back are 4 different studios lettered accordingly.  A is set up for drama shootings, B for live stages and music programs, C for news and interview shows, and D for variety programs and game shows.  Meanwhile on the 9^th to 14^th floors are the promotional levels where I should be able to find Taemin and other PR staff for whatever I need.  Going a bit further up we have our offices, and tomorrow I will be running up and down this building like a lunatic.”

Ninomiya drawled as he began listing everything he had learned about the layout of the building that had been crammed into his brain as he tried to remember the heads of each department and their phone extensions.  It seemed like the only thing going through his mind was how to plan out his day and how to get everywhere on time.  He took a few maps from his bag and started analyzing how he was going to plan his trip around the building. 

Kibum stood on the side, his remorse for over stuffing the other man’s brain gone as he just smirked. 

‘The boy took a lot more in than I thought he could...’ The winged eyed man thought as he gave a few claps bringing the tired, calculating boy out of his reverie.

“It seems you got the layout down.  The people are going to take some time, but it seems like you’ll do fine. I mean, you were able to remember all that after I drawled on for more than 6 hours about everything I can think about.”  Kibum spoke in his matter of fact tone as he usually did while he took a seat next to his new co-worker.

“Do you think you can handle a day by yourself tomorrow?” Kibum asked. 

The receptionist swore he could hear Ninomiya’s neck squeak as he turned to face him.  The look on Ninomiya’s face not sullen but a little confused.

“I hope so.  It’s rather intimidating running around knowing how packed the schedule is.  I mean, I know that most of the shows are pre-recorded or filmed live daily, but to try to get from one place to another is quite tricky.  Let alone relaying information from each one and bringing it all back to my desk and organizing it into a report for Minho to see the progress of everything.”  Ninomiya moaned as his finger traced out tomorrow’s events.

His eyes hit the map, grazing through the floors trying to decipher how to navigate his way throughout the elevators, stairs, and corridors.  Ninomiya noticed a small discrepancy that he thought should be pointed out.

“And I think there is something wrong with your map…”  Ninomiya queried as he double checked the map.

Kibum tilted his head looking at the map and tried to follow what Ninomiya was trying to point out.  To him everything seemed to be in the right spot, the building seemed right, the position of the studios, nothing seemed to be missing.

The winged eyed man crumpled his nose as he looked down at Ninomiya and quickly quipped, “There isn’t anything wrong from what I see.”

Still a little flustered, Ninomiya looked up at Kibum rolling his eyes.  “It’s not like I was purposefully trying to point out that you made a mistake.  It’s just that there are two floors for Concept and Creation.” 

Without a beat, a fridge could be heard closing in the break room as a man coughed behind the pair at the table.  They hadn’t even heard the other person walk in.  The two turned to see a tall figure in an exquisite suit standing behind them.

“I see Kibum has forgotten to tell you about the basic structure of how concepts are chosen for new shows at KRTV.”  The man’s tone was strong, concise, and polite. 

Kibum glared at the other male as he quickly turned himself around to face away from the other.  Ninomiya noticed that his eyes seemed to like being confused as he continued to look between the two, trying to figure out how he should feel about the newcomer.  It didn’t seem like this man in a suit was good business.

“Lee Soo-hyuk.  The OTHER Visual Concept Head of KRTV.”  The man walked over and introduced himself. Getting comfortable beside Ninomiya as he eyed him curiously.  Each step the suited man took made a wonderful click.  A cheeky smile was pasted to his face as Ninomiya swore he saw him wink.  “And if you don’t mind me asking, who are you?  Are you a new receptionist?”

At this point, Ninomiya has come to a few conclusions.  First of all, maybe he needed to invest in a few more beauty products because it seemed like everyone at this company knew their way around a makeup brush or was very good looking.  And secondly, were they flirting with him?  Or was he crazy?  Did he look easy? 

Another polite cough took Ninomiya out of his thoughts as Ninomiya internally scolded himself. Looking over at this Lee Soo-hyuk, his smile turning from polite, to a look he has gotten used to since entering the building, amused.    

Ninomiya fumbled over his words a minute realizing that he had to get over himself.  He just met most of these people today.  Not to gawk over the handsome, rich, successful people around him…. he was doing it again….

“Uh, no… I… Uh… I’m the Visual Concept Heads new assistant?”  Ninomiya had gotten so lost in his thoughts that Kibum gave the other boy a slap across the back of the head.

An amused Soohyuk gave a grin as his eyes never left Ninomiya’s.  The smirk on his face grew as he watched Ninomiya rub the back of his head, a pout was given to the receptionist.

  “I didn’t know I hired a new assistant?  Kibum I didn’t even know that I needed one.”  Soohyuk mused as he looked between the two.

Scowling, Kibum finally took the initiative to acknowledge the other man, “Soohyuk, he’s Minho’s assistant.  After the influx of ideas that had gotten approved on his side he thought he needed the extra help.”  Kibum stated tiredly.  You could hear that even though Kibum didn’t want to talk about it now, there was amusement in his voice while pointing out the words ‘Approved’ and ‘Influx’.

For the first time since sitting at the table, Soohyuk’s eyes had left Ninomiya to look eerily happy at Kibum.  It sent shivers down Ninomiya’s spine.  It wasn’t the same mesmerizing look he had received just a few minutes before. 

“Ah yes, the new soap opera cycle, variety show idea, and game show time slot had gone his way.  I guess he does need the extra help.”  Soohyuk bellowed while returning his attention to Ninomiya.  His eyes returned to that regal glare that captivated Ninomiya at the beginning.  But it was different now.  He had seen the other side and didn’t know what to do with this person he had just met.

“But even when our side has little to do…” Soohyuk continued now sitting back in his chair looking at both males.  His presence starting to turn into a bold aura of authority. “…I don’t think you should be forgetting to tell Ninomiya here about how things are run.  I mean I am someone that he is going to be bumping into often.  Did you think he was going to avoid me for the entirety of his career here?”  Soohyuk’s eyes mockingly made their way to Kibum, as Ninomiya now looked between the two.

Kibum was now the one starting to get a migraine as he looked at Ninomiya’s confused face.  He was going to explain this part.  The part of his job that was going to be REALLY important.  The whole reason Minho hired someone like him really. 

“I was going to get to that after the tour…”  Kibum started to speak, only to be interrupted.

“How did you know my name?”  Ninomiya asked.  He looked Soohyuk in the eyes, and it was something Kibum had never seen before.  The boy’s voice was strong, and Kibum could see that the boy had some questions of his own. 

Taken a back, Soohyuk’s smile faltered for a quick second as he eyed the boy.  “You… are a peculiar one.”  Soohyuk stated as he stood up from the table and started to walk away from the pair.  “Has it ever occurred to you, that maybe your job has a lot more importance than you think it does?  Minho hasn’t hired an assistant since he started working here.  Always the independent golden child of the building.”  Bitterness could be heard in the voice of the man in the suit.    

“Meaning that you, my dear have been given a job because the golden child of KRTV can no longer do it on his own.  To work with the best, you would need credentials, experience, and to be frank, be an extraordinary person.  Yet here you are…” Soohyuk had made his way to the doorway and quickly turned to face the other two.

“… Here you are, not knowing that in this building you have been talked about to such high esteem because the golden child has finally hired someone for the first time in 6 years.” Soohyuk finished as he broke eye contact to walk out.  “And I feel… that maybe I might have to steal you.  I can sense great things from you… Ninomiya.” 

Soohyuk didn’t give the other males any time to speak as he walked out of the break room.

The pair watched as Soohyuk walked out.  The two at the table let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding in, as they looked at each other.  And for the first time since they had gotten there, Ninomiya let out a laugh.

Kibum stared as Ninomiya chuckled and started grabbing his things and stuffing things into his bag. 

“What are you laughing about… and where are you going?!  We still aren’t done here yet!”  Kibum barked his confusion disappearing seeing that the boy was LEAVING.

After a few more chuckles and a cough, Ninomiya grabbed Kibum’s hand and just yanked him out of the break room.  His bag swung from side to side full of papers, occasionally hitting his hip and smacking Kibum in various places.

  “Are you telling me after Mr. Big Shot comes in here being eerie and intimidating that we are going to stay here?”  Ninomiya spoke frankly as he pressed the button to the elevators. 

Kibum indignantly took his hand out of Ninomiya’s grasp as he regretted giving the assistant so many papers.  He could swear he could feel bruises across his leg and hip area.

“What did you expect me to do?  He did bring up that I have to explain the whole two head system.”  Kibum squawked as he heard the ding of the elevator.  The arrogant tone of voice gone as he was being manhandled by a surprisingly energetic Ninomiya.

The elevator opened to see a tired Taemin jump up seeing the two males.  It confused Taemin to see Kibum in such a compromising position, and the fiery look in Ninomiya’s eyes was starting to scare him.

Meanwhile the assistant and receptionist were mumbling amongst themselves not even noticing that they had company in the elevator.  They didn’t even notice that the elevator door was closing.

The three just sat in the elevator as it closed.  Taemin was too tired that he realized he hadn’t even pressed a button.  The elevator just moved to this floor.   Trying to be as little of a nuisance as possible to his elevator mates, Taemin was only able to squeak out a single syllable.

“Floor?” 

Ninomiya gave a soft moan as he looked at the colorless buttons on the elevator wall,  “What the hell were you doing in an elevator without pressing any buttons?”  The assistant asked noticing Taemin for the first time. 

“Lobby.”  Kibum muttered pressing the button as Taemin’s tired and confused state seemed to overwhelm him. 

“And you haven’t really told me where exactly we are going.  I mean all I’ve gathered is that we are leaving the building.”  Kibum retorted, his old demeanor returning. 

Ninomiya gave a quick huff of air as he looked at himself in the mirror.  The silver cube starting to make its way down as Ninomiya replied.  “A coffee shop.  I’m tired, you’re tired, and heck even the creepy photographer is tired.”  Satisfied with how his bangs looked he turned around and clicked his tongue once pointing to the dumbfounded photographer.  Ninomiya after making his point turned to face the receptionist.  “We all need a pick me up, and I don’t know about you but if you have anything else to say I think we can all benefit from a coffee.  Plus I am a little tired of looking at this building.”

Kibum looked at him with a stoic expression as he let out a small sigh.  “Alright, let me get my bag.  It’s just behind the lobby’s desk.” 

The elevator came to a halt giving everyone inside it a quick jolt as the familiar ding could be heard.  The elevator doors slowly opened as two men straightened out their clothes and walked through the doors.

“No need to worry about paying, the coffee's on me.”  Ninomiya stated as he was happy to be back in the glass dome that called itself the KRTV lobby.

Ninomiya turned around to see that the confused photographer stepped out of the cube scratching his head.  “And you, creepy camera dude.  You need coffee?” 

Taemin’s eyes twinkled at the sound of the offer.  The word coffee seemed to jolt him into consciousness as he nodded his head eagerly,  running after the new assistant and the receptionist who had just regained his things.

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