Tapping her mechanical pencil on the desktop, Chaerin stared at the business card again. It had been like that all morning. The blonde was completely distracted, and she was behind on her paperwork. Every time she sat the card down and concentrated on her bookwork, it didn't take long for her eyes to return to the pretty purple lettering that spelled out Dara Park's name. She repeated the phone number several times to herself and had once inserted the number in the accounts receivable column. 

Bom pushed open her friend's office door wide and entered without knocking. "They're arguing in the shop again." She cocked a thumb over her shoulder and pursed her lips together, waiting for Chaerin to respond. 

"I'm just supposed to push numbers around here. Why do I always get involved in personnel matters?" Chaerin sent a mock glare at her friend and co-worker.

"Cause you're so cute." Bom stuck her tongue out before she her heel and left, knowing full well that Chaerin would be right behind as she called over her shoulder. "Besides you're the office manager."

"The operative word being office." It was useless. Her friend wasn't listening anyway so she followed Bom out the door, but not before picking up the card and taking it with her. 

They walked down the long hallway to the shop area. Bom leaned up against the metal railing at the top of the four-foot high stairs and crossed her arms. "Here she is."

The three shop workers waited patiently for Chaerin to say something. She took a long moment to look each one of them in the eyes before she spoke. "Okay, here I am. Who's first?"

They all started to speak at once. 

"See." Bom offered a smug smile. "I told ya."

When one hand came up, the three jabbering men stopped in mid-sentence. "Why don't you go first, Seungri?"

"Jin needed the part and I told 'em if he got here first, it was his. First come, first served." He shot his two arguing buddies a satisfied grin and folded his arms. 

Chaerin rubbed her temple when the two men on either side of Seungri started to quarrel again. "Seungri?" Having got his attention again, she asked. "Where was the part?"

He didn't want to answer that question, so he scratched under his ear and looked up to an unidentified spot on the ceiling.


"In the reserve bin?" Chaerin asked.

"First come, first serve." Seungri reminded her, but refused to look her in the eye.

"Jeremy? How long does it take to make another part just like it?" 

For some reason, Jeremy stood silent as if the question Chaerin asked was foreign to him.

The blonde cocked her head slightly. "This is a machine shop. We make parts for our customers, right?"

"Uh huh. That we do." Jeremy finally answered and then smiled, slightly embarrassed for staring at her.

"So how long to make another one?" 

"Couple of hours." Jeremy hated being asked questions, but somehow didn't mind it so much from the pretty blonde. He was the kind of guy that liked to work with his hands and be left alone. He had only joined in the argument with Seungri and Kang  after he heard that Chaerin had been called to settle it. 

Chaerin turned to Bom. "When's the guy from Stockard's suppose to be here?"

Bom shrugged. "Couple of hours."

Tapping the card against her lips, Chaerin pretended to weigh both answers for effect. "Let's see. Two hours to make one. Two hours before the guy gets here to pick it up. Do ya think it's possible if we got on it right now, it would be done in time?" 

"What about the paperwork?" Kang insisted the matter get settled. "Just cause Jin is Seungri's bowling buddy don't mean he gets..." Kang glared at Seungri. "First come, first serve."

"He's one of our best customers." Seungri countered.

"Yes, he is." Chaerin agreed before addressing their best machine specialist. "What do you say, Jeremy? Can you get it done in time?"

"Sure, miss." Jeremy grinned. "I'll do my best."

Chaerin smiled at him and winked. "I know you will." 

"Alright gentlemen, back to work." Bom said then assured Kang. "I'll fix the paperwork and get you a new copy of the order." Bom followed Chaerin back though the door to the office area.

Seungri nudged Kang, but teased Jeremy. "I think she's sweet on ya, Jeremy."

After forgetting about the recent paperwork argument, Kang joined in on the fun. "It's Jeremy that's sweet on her." 

The tall, lanky man shook his head and walked away eager to complete the job the pretty blonde requested of him.

Bom walked up to the receptionist's desk and sat on the edge. "She saved the day, Diane."

The sixty-five year old Diane chuckled. "The boys at it again?"

"Not really." Chaerin glared hard at her friend. "Just a mix up." The blonde strolled over to her friend and tapped her on the arm. "One the personnel director is supposed to take care of."

Polishing her fingernails on her sleeve for effect, Bom shot Diane an impish grin before she looked at Chaerin. "I did. I got you."

"Very funny. I've gotta get back to work now." But Chaerin stood there, seemingly distracted as she fiddled with the small card in her hands. 

Bom had seen her friend toying with the card all morning, but had yet found the time to talk with Chaerin about it. "Diane? Can you cover for me?" The ash blonde woman nodded toward the very distracted Chaerin.

"Sure, but if you go to lunch bring back something for me. Anything will be better than what I brought today." Diane picked up the ringing phone as Bom maneuvered Chaerin back to her office. 

"I don't need an ." Chaerin complained. But her friend wouldn't leave her alone and when they entered her office, Bom plopped down in the chair directly in front of her desk and propped her feet on the edge. 

"So what gives with you today?"

Letting out a deep breath, Chaerin sank in her seat behind the desk. "Nothing. Listen, I've got lots of work to do, okay?"

"Uh huh." Bom grinned, but didn't budge. "You gonna tell me about that card."

Chaerin was unconsciously tapping it lightly against the accounting book. "What card?"

Staring at the card in her friend's hand, Bom took another tactic. "Then tell me about the girl."

"What girl?" Chaerin sounded defensive.

"You know. The girl last night at Belle's." When Chaerin frowned at her friend, she continued. "Cute brunette at the bar... brown eyes."

"With cute,soft voice..." It came out before Chaerin had even realized she was speaking.

"That'd be the one." Bom grinned, happy she was on to what was distracting her friend. "I noticed you two playing handsies."

"You can leave anytime." Chaerin started to put the card down, but it refused to leave her fingers, so she slipped her hand down on her lap away from Bom's dark prying eyes. 

Bom was never one to hold back what she thought when it came to her best friend. "I think you like her."

That comment produced another hard glare being thrown at Bom. "Not going there again." Chaerin considered the subject closed, but her eyes glanced down at the name on the card. 

Bom noticed where Chaerin was looking and . "You're gonna burn a hole in it."

Suddenly, the blonde leaned forward over her desk in a mock attempt to slap at her friend, but Chaerin soon realized that was the wrong move. "Ouch." She grabbed her back again, rubbing it.

"Still hurtin', huh?" Bom moved around the desk in order to try and help her friend. "Uncle Jack said you were lifting those cases when he told you not to."

Chaerin welcomed her friend's hand trying to relieve some of the pain near her lower back as she leaned forward over the desk. "That's from the game yesterday." 

When the blonde reached around again to massage her back, Bom took the opportunity to grab the card Chaerin left on top of her desk. "What do we have here?"

Chaerin reached for the card, but she pulled her muscle again. The blonde rolled her eyes as her friend read the card.

"Have hands, will travel."

"It doesn't say that." 

"Dara Park. Massage therapist." Bom chuckled.

"Oh, and there's a number at the bottom along with the address." Bom flipped it over. "Looky here on the back."

Chaerin groaned. She knew what was coming.

"Must be her cell phone number. Or her digits." Bom friend. "Did you make a note of it for yourself?"

"Give it to me!"

"Hey. She can give it to ya." Bom knew she had pushed her ailing friend too far when a sad look came over Chaerin's usually bright black eyes. "Here."

"Thank you." A sullen Chaerin took the card and fondly held it in her hands as a faraway look crossed her face.

Bom sat on the edge of Chaerin's desk and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know." She studied her friend for a long moment. "That was a long time ago, Chaerin. And I know..."

"As you said it was a long time ago." Chaerin wanted nothing better than to drop the long unspoken subject.

"Still hurts though." Bom in a deep breath before reaching down and lifting Chaerin's chin up. Their eyes met in quiet understanding. "You have to let go of it once and for all." When Chaerin started to look away, Bom's hand held her friend's face in place. "I know you never forget your first love but..." She sighed. "...Chaerin, she made her decision."

Chaerin jerked her head away. "And it didn't include me."

Feeling sad for her friend, Bom agreed. "I know. But you did the right thing by moving here. At least physically you got away. Emotionally though, I don't think you ever left." 

"I won't go there again." Chaerin said staunchly. It hurt too much. Her black eyes turned even sadder. Nine years is a long time to hold on to a lost love.

"Then what are you going to do?" When Chaerin chanced a glance at her friend in question, Bom continued. "Dara Park."

"I don't have to do..." The look in Bom's eyes made her stop so Chaerin shrugged. "I could always use another friend. After all, you're such a good example of how wonderful friends can be." The blonde sarcastically best friend.

Bom jumped up off the desk. "Then friends it is. Not that she could take my place. Who could?" The red haired girl walked to the door and turned. "Call her."

"Why? I'm sure we'll run into each other again. She was with Hye sun and her girlfriend. And Hye sun's a regular at Belle's, so I'm sure she'll come..."

Bom cut her friend off. "Back?" When Chaerin just stared at her, Bom pointed at her own back. 

"Oh! My back." Nodding, Chaerin agreed. "I could use a good massage." Remembering Dara's words, Chaerin smiled. She did promise I wouldn't regret it.

Pointing to the phone, Bom winked.

Chaerin waited till her friend had left before grabbing the telephone and punching in the digits from the card. "I wonder." 

************************

When she heard the telephone ringing, Dara ran back into the house from the front porch. She had been distracted all morning and nothing seemed to be going right that day. Just as she picked up the phone, Sky bounced in front of her, almost causing her to trip. "Hey!"

"Dara?" Chaerin wondered if she had dialed the correct number.

The brunette woman swore when she heard her own name that her heart skipped a beat. "Hey." She said in a softer tone as she sank down on the floor next to Sky. "Sorry about that. My dog nearly knocked me over."

"You're okay?" 

Dara smiled. "I am now."

"This is Lee Chaerin. You said to call."

"Yeah. How's your back? Still giving you problems?"

"That's what I called about." Dara stared at the card remembering the kind and innocent eyes of the massage therapist. "I was wondering if you could work me in."

Excited, Dara said. "I can take you right now."

The blonde's eyes widened and Chaerin gulped. "You can?"

It was then that Dara realized the subtle ual undertones in what she said. "I mean. You could come now... if you wanted." When the  woman didn't say anything for a moment, Dara moaned. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I meant..."

"It's okay." Chaerin smiled at the massage therapist's innocent words that precariously offered more. God, Bom. Now you've got me thinking that way. "No."

"Oh." Dara was disappointed. "I thought you called to make an appointment."

"I did." Chaerin hurried her words. "It's just that I've got a lot of work to get done this afternoon. Would tomorrow morning be okay?"

"When?" Dara wasn't normally an early riser, but she would happily greet the morning sunrise if it meant seeing Chaerin again. 

"Say around ten maybe."

"I'll be here." Dara grinned. 

"See you then." 

"Bye." When she heard Chaerin hang up the telephone, Dara looked at Sky's questioning eyes. "We're just friends." Her dog didn't buy that and neither did the pounding of her heart.

For her part, Chaerin was struggling with a heart that had been cloistered far too long. When she ran a finger over the raised purple letters on the card, a single heartbeat pounded loudly, demanding to come out. 

i hate up dating in phone >_<