It has been two weeks after the interview and Tiffany hasn't received any news from the company. Taeyeon, her new friend or soon to be line manager, also hasn't contacted her at all. She hoped that Taeyeon would at least call her to give a slight hint whether she got accepted or not. But here she was still in her old office, waiting for the news.

Tiffany unlocked her phone and browsed through the contact list to find Taeyeon’s number. She hesitated to call or text the girl, but then she remembered how scary and intimidating Taeyeon was when she interviewed her. So she called off the idea and was about to lock her phone again when suddenly it rang. She checked the caller to find an unknown number on the phone screen.

“Hello." Tiffany answered the call.

“Hello Miss Stephanie Hwang, This is Irene from Human Resources team of GG Corporation. How are you?”

“Oh Hi Mrs. Irene! I’m great. How are you?” Tiffany replied cheerfully when she realized it was the HR Manager of GG Corporation. She had been waiting for her call.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. Thanks for asking. I would like to inform you about the results of your interview two weeks ago, Stephanie.” Mrs. Irene explained. Tiffany immediately felt nervous and scanned the room to make sure no one was eavesdropping on her phone call. The office area was clear, nobody there. She continued the conversation.

“Ah, sure Mrs. Irene. I hope it's good news!” Tiffany responded with a smile on her face.

“Of course it is good news. We have decided, based on your CV and the interview that you meet our requirements. if you don’t mind, we would like to invite you for another discussion, regarding to the company package and benefits. When will you be available this week so I can match your availability with Miss Kim Taeyeon?” Mrs. Irene finally told Tiffany the news she had been expecting for the past two weeks.

“I’m available this Friday. Will that be okay?” Tiffany replied as she glanced at her calendar that showed Friday empty.

​​​​​

“Okay, Friday. Could you please wait for a second, Stephanie? I will check Miss Taeyeon’s schedule for that day.” Mrs. Irene excused herself.

“Okay ma’am.” Tiffany replied as she heard some clicks on the other end of the call. She guessed that Mrs. Irene was checking on her laptop to see Taeyeon’s schedule.

“Miss Taeyeon is only available on Friday at twelve? Is that okay with you? It will be a lunch meeting?” Mrs. Irene offered.

“Sure thing, ma’am. Lunch meeting sounds good to me." Tiffany thought about how their past interactions were always at lunch.

“Ok, great! So, we will see you on Friday at lunch time. I will text you the place later but it will be around our office since Taeyeon’s schedule is pretty packed that day. So, you can come to our office and we will head to the meeting place together.” Mrs. Irene explained.

“Sure, great. I will see you, then." Tiffany replied.

“Sure. Thanks Stephanie.” 

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Irene.”

A wide smile made it's way on her face after the call ended. After two weeks of waiting she finally received good news. She's joining GG Corporation, one of the top ten best companies of the year. A smile was stuck to her face for a while until she felt a pair of warm hands gently massage her shoulders. She looked up to find the owner of the hands.

“Oh hi, Nick!” Tiffany smiled even wider when she saw the handsome man behind her.

“Hi, Tiff. What’s put you in a good mood, babe?” The man questioned.

“Hey, I told you not to call me ‘babe’ in the office. You know our office’s rules, no romantic relationship between the employees.” Tiffany frowned while turning her chair around to face the man behind her.

“Oh I’m sorry, honey.” The man continued to .

“Nick, say it one more time and we're over.” Tiffany didn't really mean it but she wanted Nick to know that she was serious.

“Hahahaha, okay Tiff. Okay. Just don’t break up with me, please.” The man gave her cute puppy eyes, playfully begging Tiffany not to break up with him. The latter brought back a smile on her face when she saw the man’s face. Nick was the man who never failed to make her smile.

“It’s lunch time. Shall we go now? I want to go on a date with my girlfriend rather than talking to my colleague." Nick insisted.

Tiffany chuckled, grabbed her phone and purse then she made a sign for Nick to go first so their other colleagues and most importantly their bosses would not be suspicious. Nick got the message and walked away from Tiffany. She placed her purse on her lap and unlocked her phone to find the instagram app, she liked some photos when an idea suddenly popped in her head. She tapped on the search tab and typed: “Taeyeon”. She waited for the search results but before it, her phone screen showed an incoming call from Nick.

“Babe, I’m waiting in your favorite Padang restaurant, okay?” Nick informed.

“Sure. What did I say about calling me ‘babe’ earlier, Nick?” Tiffany warned him as she stood up with her purse in hand and made her way out of the office.

“Oh, come on. I’m not in the office right now. So I can call you ‘babe’. You’re the one who can’t call me ‘babe’ since you’re still in office.” Nick . Tiffany laughed at her boyfriend’s reply, she likes it when he's cheeky.

“Okay, okay. I’m on my way. Don’t start without me, okay?” Tiffany commanded as she walked faster.

“Sure, ma’am. Just be careful. No need to rush, okay? You know I will wait for you even if it takes forever." Nick answered sweetly.

“Aw, what a sweet talker. I’m flattered.” Tiffany felt her cheeks grow warmer as she heard Nick’s response. 

“You know how sweet I can be when it comes to you, babe. Now, I’ll just hang up. Remember, no need to rush. Okay?”

“Sure. I’ll see you real soon.”

“Sure. See yaaa, babe.”

The call ended while Tiffany past a crossing, pacing to her favorite restaurant. It only took her fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant and she spotted Nick as soon as she entered. Her boyfriend seemed to be occupied with his phone, most probably checking his instagram or playing some RPG games. Tiffany made her way to Nick and leaned down as she pecked the man's cheek. She didn't really care about people staring at them, she grew up in America and her gesture was nothing new so she didn't really mind about what other’s thought about her when she kissed her boyfriend in public.

Nick seemed shocked at first but when he noticed it was Tiffany, he smiled. He patted an unoccupied chair beside him, signing Tiffany to sit. Tiffany gladly sat beside her boyfriend and landed another kiss on his cheek.

“What’s with the kisses? I thought you were about to break up with me twenty minutes ago.” Nick teased.

“No, I had no intention to break up with you. I just didn’t want us to get problems in the office. You know the rules, right?” Tiffany gave him her eye smile while patted Nick’s cheek gently. Nick smiled but soon let out a sigh that got caught by Tiffany.

“Why, babe?” Tiffany asked worriedly.

“Nothing. It’s just we’ve been in a relationship for six months but we still have to hide it most of the time, especially in office. You know how desperate I am to announce the world that you’re mine?” Nick smiled as she looked at Tiffany lovingly.

“Then, I’m sure I have a very good news for you today!” She answered excitedly.

“What is it? The company changed the rules?” Nick asked with a hopeful expression.

“Nope, but we can date openly really soon. I just got accepted into GG Corporation! Can you believe that?” Tiffany could no longer hold her excitement. Nick's eyes were now wide open as he heard the news. Tiffany had told him a couple of times, how much she wanted to join GG Corporation. She also updated him about the interview but she didn't seem confident about how the interview went but here she was, telling him that she got accepted into her dream company.

“Really, babe?” Nick looked at her in disbelief. Tiffany nodded like a little girl who just received her birthday present.

“Wow!! I am so proud of you!” Nick chirped while caressing his girlfriend’s cheek.

“Thanks, babe. I still need to give in my resignation which will take around a month. Just wait for a month and you can announce to the world that I’m officially yours.” Tiffany chuckled at her own remarks, making Nick blush. She then leaned in to place a light peck on his lips.

“One more month, babe.” She whispered, looking deep into his eyes.

“Yes, one more month.” Nick followed as he looked at his girlfriend lovingly.

After a short romantic moment, Nick called the waiter over to get their orders and they ate their lunch. They even made a romantic to-do list once Tiffany started working for GG Corporation. Finally, after six months of dating, they would no longer play hide and seek with their co-workers. They could finally date openly just as they always hoped. Tiffany could not wait for Friday! She'll sign her employment contract for GG Corporation and only go up from here. It would be her gate to a new chapter of life, also a new chapter for her relationship with Nick.

****

It was reaching ten o’clock on Friday and Tiffany was already in front of the GG Corporation building. Her heart thumped wildly as she entered the office complex. Tiffany never in her dreams thought that she would be working for GG. The company itself was her dream company and it was still hard to believe that she got accepted, especially after she had to face the intimidating Taeyeon for the interview. She subconsciously walked to the coffee shop that she visited on her interview day. Tiffany stared at the door of the coffee shop, remembering her silly encounter with Taeyeon. Who would have guessed that Taeyeon was really going to be her line manager? She smiled acknowledging the fact.

“Why are you smiling at the door, young lady? Are you having a conversation with the door?” A familiar voice brought her back to reality. She turned her head to the voice and saw a smiling Chris beside her.

“Chris!!!!” Tiffany squealed in relief that she at least met someone she knew. Chris grinned and made a sign to high-five instead of shaking hands, which was gladly returned by the girl.

“I’m so happy to see someone I know.”

“Honestly speaking, I forgot your name but I still remember you. You’re the applicant who bravely joined Taeyeon’s table.” Chris smiled sheepishly as he confessed that he did not remember the girl’s name. Tiffany laughed at his honesty.

“Tiffany! Just call me Tiff. And I hope I don’t have to introduce myself again the next time we meet because I’m sure you’re going to see me often soon after I start working at this company.” Tiffany couldn't help but smile brightly.

“Wow! That’s a great news! Do you wanna grab a cup of coffee? I 'm going inside.” Chris offered as he walked into the coffee shop. Tiffany nodded and followed behind. As soon as she entered, Tiffany scanned the room to find that most of the tables were already occupied except for the table that was Taeyeon's favorite spot. She remembered after the interview, she also hardly found a free table in this coffee shop. Tiffany walked to the counter and ordered a cup of hot chamomile tea.

“It’s ten o’clock, what are these people doing here? Aren’t they supposed to be working at this time?” Tiffany asked Chris while he was preparing her order.

“Ah, they have the so-called agile-working thing in this company. I don’t really understand the meaning but more or less it’s like they don’t have to stay in the office all day as long as they finish their work.” Chris explained. Tiffany nodded and walked to the only free table in the room, which was Taeyeon’s favorite spot. She then took her phone out and opened her instagram, immediately remembering that she tried to find Taeyeon’s instagram account couple days ago. Tiffany thought it would be fun if she managed to find her soon-to-be line manager’s instagram and saw her posts. She searched for Taeyeon’s name and found an account named ‘taeyeon_ss’ which showed a familiar face as the avatar. She tapped on the profile to see the posts, only to find some photos of Taeyeon with important people and some conferences she attended. Tiffany chuckled at the pictures. She actually expected to see the normal side of Taeyeon instead of her uptight serious side. She tapped on the ‘follow’ button, closed the app and opened the line app to send a message to Nick.

Tiff: Babe, I have arrived at GG Corp safely.

A few second later, her phone beeped, notifiying of an incoming message. Nick had replied to her message. Seemed like her boyfriend was not busy at the moment.

Nick: Glad to know you’ve arrived safe and sound, babe.

Tiff: I'm waiting alone right now. Still have two hours to go until the appointment, I'm bored. Wish you were here :(!

Nick: I hope it goes well, babe. Unfortunately I have a meeting in ten minutes so I can't be with you :(

Tiff: It's okay, dear :) Have you prepared for the meeting?

Nick: Not really >.< my boss will represent our team, so I don't really have to worry.

Tiff: My baby is such a lazy .

Nick: My baby is so demanding.

Tiff: Yes, I'm demanding but you love me though :*

Nick: How can I not love the love of my life? :*

Tiff chuckled at Nick’s reply.

Nick: Babe, I gotta go to the meeting room now. See you tonight, kay?

Tiff: Sure, babe. Miss you already. Love ya!

Nick: Love yaaa!! (kisses)

Tiffany smiled as she closed the chat window and randomly stared at other tables. She noticed that most of them had their laptops set out on the table, while the rest seemed to be on the phone, having serious conversations. Tiffany looked at them in admiration, she will soon be one of those people, working for GG Corporation, one of the top ten companies of the year. She couldn't wait to sign her employment and start a new work-life. A little while later, Chris delivered her order to her table and left her alone again. She opened her bag to find a novel, Tiffany always brought a book in her bag just in case she had to wait just like now. She opened a page, which was marked by a small fold at the corner of the page and started reading.

She was drowned in the book she was reading until her phone started ringing, bring her back to reality. Tiffany immediately answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello Stephanie, this is Irene from GG Corporation. Taeyeon is already with me and we are going to the coffee shop on the ground floor of our office building. Can we meet there?” Mrs. Irene informed Tiffany of the meeting point.

“Hi Mrs. Irene. Coincidentally I am already in the mentioned coffee shop. I will wait here.” She replied nervously, noticing that she was about to sign her contract real soon.

“Okay. We’re going down now. See you soon, Stephanie.”

“Okay, ma’am. See you.”

The line was cut and Tiffany checked her watch. It was ten to twelve, no wonder Mrs. Irene and Taeyeon were ready. Minutes later she saw two ladies stroll into the coffee shop. She immediately stood up when the two women scanned around the coffee shop. The older one noticed her presence and both women made their way to Tiffany’s table. Mrs. Irene extended her hand to Tiffany, which she gladly returned.

“Hi Stephanie, sorry for making you wait. How are you?” Mrs. Irene asked as they shook hands.

“Great, Mrs. Irene. How are you?” Tiffany replied. She asked as they released their hands.

“I’m great.” Mrs. Irene replied.

Tiffany then shifted her eyes to Taeyeon, finding the latter also extended her hand, offering for a handshake. She reached the latter’s hand.

“And how are you, Miss Taeyeon?” She asked politely. She noticed that Taeyeon was on her professional mode. She found the intimidating Taeyeon unlike the cute Taeyeon she talked to previously in the coffee shop.

“Great, Miss Stephanie. Nice to meet you again.” Taeyeon gave her professional smile that was always plastered on her face.

“Let’s take our seat, ladies.” Mrs. Irene gestured to take their seats. Then waved at Chris asking for the menu book. Chris soon approached their table with three menu books in hand and placed the book on the table, in front of them.

“I will have spicy cheesy chicken and iced long black with no sugar, please.” Taeyeon ordered without looking through the menu.

“Mine would be Spaghetti Aglio E Olio and orange juice please.” Mrs. Irene told Chris her order.

“I will have Penne Pomodoro, please.” Tiffany finally put her choice on pasta.

“Spicy Cheesy Chicken and iced long black for Miss Taeyeon, Spaghetti Aglio E Olio and orange juice for Mrs. Irene, last but not least Penne Pomodoro for Miss Tiff. Have I got your orders right, ladies?” Chris repeated their order with a wide smile as usual. All three women nodded, Chris then excused himself.

“So Stephanie, first of all congratulation. You’ve surpassed the other applicants for the job.” Mrs. Irene warmly announced.

“Thank you Mrs. Irene. Could you please call me Tiffany? I feel a little awkward with the nickname Stephanie.” Tiffany couldn’t hide her happy face and showed her eye smile.

“Haha, it’s okay. No problem, Tiffany. I have discussed with Taeyeon about the package and benefits you will get once you join the company, I already put on the details in this document. You can read the document and if there is any questions, please feel free to ask.” Mrs. Irene said as she handed the document to Tiffany. Tiffany opened the document and read them carefully word by word, to make sure she did not miss any details that would lead to misunderstandings. As informed by Mrs. Irene, the document covered the detail of the package and benefits she would receive from the company. Tiffany tried her best not to scream in excitement when she saw the salary she would get from the company, it was twice as much as her salary in the current company. She even reread the sentence to make sure the amount was true. She hardly put up a poker face in front of two women in front of her as she continued reading the benefits she would get including full insurance coverage, operational car, and housing allowance. She would also get additional cash advance for any business trips she would have to attend.

Her reading was interrupted when Chris came with their orders. Mrs. Irene invited her to have dinner which she politely declined since she only had one more page to read. She flipped the page to find the contract that she needed to sign. Tiffany put the document on the empty chair beside them and started to eat her lunch.

“So, how is it, Miss Tiffany?” Taeyeon opened the discussion as they ate their meals.

“Honestly speaking, the benefits are exceeding my expectation.” Tiffany answered honestly

“Glad to hear that. Is there any clause that you want to ask about?” Mrs. Irene asked. Tiffany stopped for a moment, remembering the sentences in the contract that would be her consideration.

“I think the contract covers everything clearly. But if I may, I want to clarify some statements. First, the probation period will only take three months instead of six months? And during the probation period my status will be a contracted employee. What will happen next?” Tiffany asked as she remembered one of her main considerations.

“Yes, the probation period takes three months only. Our team needs someone who can adapt well within a short span of time so we can work as a team with maximum potential as soon as possible. if you happen to pass the probation period, you will definitely be an permanent employee, get the maximum benefits as stated in the contract and it is also possible to get some salary increase, not really big for sure, but it will be based on your performance during the probation. Hopefully you will be able to exceed our expectation. And if you happen to fail, which we really do not expect, we will try to find another team that will suit you. Our Human Resources team is expert in putting the right people in the right place. So, you don’t have to worry much. But still, as I stated before, we hope you will be able to exceed our expectations.” Taeyeon answered Tiffany’s question clearly. The latter nodded, as she understood the point. She now felt a bit burdened by the company’s expectations. She was also aware that Taeyeon was definitely intimidating when it came to work-related stuff. Tiffany didn't even dare to look at Taeyeon for too long.

“Do you have any other question, Tiffany?” Mrs. Irene asked with a friendly smile. Tiffany felt thankful for Mrs. Irene presence. She had no idea how nervous she would be if she had to face the intimidating Taeyeon all by herself.

“Yes, ma’am. The contract states that I need to agree to be assigned in any city within the country and abroad. I also need to agree to travel domestically and internationally. May I know in which city or country I might be ssigned to, and how often do I need to travel within a year?” Tiffany asked.

“As for the opening you applied for, it will be based here, in Jakarta. So you do not need to worry about being assigned in another city or country for now. And for the travelling time, Taeyeon will answer that.” Mrs. Irene answered one of Tiffany’s questions and asked Taeyeon to answer the second question.

“Your traveling time will be vary from once to three times a month. It depends on the projects we work on or meetings with our business partner and global partnership representatives, which based in various cities in Indonesia. You will also need to travel internationally to attend GG Corporation global conference once a year. But other than the conference, you will only need to travel locally.” Taeyeon answered with the same professional tone and manner. The latter again, nodded, signing that she understood all the information she needed to know.

“Okay, I totally understand the overall contract now. And I will be reporting directly to Miss Taeyeon, right?” Tiffany threw another question to the two women in front of her.

“Yes, Tiffany. Taeyeon will be your line manager and will be responsible for your performance during your probation period.” Mrs. Irene explained.

“Alright, it’s all clear now. Thanks for answering my questions.” Tiffany smiled politely to both women. Mrs. Irene then invited her to continue her lunch while telling her about the company’s value and environment generally to give Tiffany a  picture of the company she was going to join in. After finishing their meals, Mrs. Irene asked Chris to take their plates from the table. As soon as Chris took their plates, Mrs. Irene opened the discussion again.

“So, Tiffany. Will you need time to think about our offering, or we can hear your answer now?” Mrs. Irene asked.

“I believe I have made my decision already. I would gladly join GG Corporation.” She answered as she put the document on the table, ready to sign the contract.

“I'm glad to hear that, Tiffany. When will you be able to start working?” Mrs. Irene gave warm smile to Tiffany.

“I need to send one month notice for my resignation in my existing company. I already read in the contract that my employment will start one month and two weeks from today. So, that would not be a problem. By that time, I will have finished my employment in my current office and will be fully ready to work in GG Corporation.” Tiffany explained as she signed the contract and handed it to Mrs. Irene. The latter accepted it gladly and offered a handshake with Tiffany.

“Welcome to GG Corporation, Tiffany.” Mrs. Irene welcomed her. Tiffany smiled widely as she returned Mrs. Irene’s handshake.

“Welcome to the company.” Taeyeon also said as she extended her hand for a handshake. Tiffany unconsciously let out a soft chuckle when Taeyeon welcomed her. It felt like déjà vu. Taeyeon already said it even before she joined the company and now to hear it again, it felt so right.

Taeyeon on the other side noticed the soft chuckle and she smiled a bit. She guessed that Tiffany might be thinking about their first encounter. Taeyeon could still remember that she said the exactly same sentence when she first met Tiffany. And of course, she said the sentence again on purpose to know whether Tiffany still remembered their first encounter, and she felt so relieved that the girl actually remembered it.

“Thanks Tae.” Tiffany accidentally called out the nickname she gave to Taeyeon. And as soon as she realized that, she mentally face-palmed herself.

“You’re welcome, Fany.” Taeyeon gave her a cute smile that showed the dimple on her chin, making the girl in front of her watch her in disbelief for hearing the nickname. But soon Tiffany gave her the sweet eye smile, which Taeyeon loved to see.

Soon after, Mrs. Irene and Taeyeon excused themselves to get back to their office. Tiffany once again thanked them for the opportunity given to her as they bid their farewell. Tiffany sat back on her chair while the two women made their way to the counter to pay the bills and finally walked out from the coffee shop. She pulled out her phone from her bag to check for any message she missed during her meeting with Mrs. Irene and Taeyeon. She received some messages from her best friends, asking her to inform them of the result as soon as she finished. She didn’t reply to their messages instead she opened the chat window she had with Nick before. She wanted Nick to be the first to know the good news. She was typing on her phone when someone placed a cup of hot chocolate on her table.

“Taeyeon asked me to send this complimentary drink for her new team member.” Chris informed the girl before Tiffany could ask the question.

“Aw, so sweet. Thanks Chris.” Tiffany smiled.

“You’re welcome, Tiff. But I think you should send your thanks to Taeyeon instead of me. Sometimes I wish my boss was as nice as her.” Chris told Tiffany, half whispering, making sure no one heard his last sentence. Tiffany laughed at it.

“You have no idea how intimidating Taeyeon is in the meeting room. You witnessed how stressed I was after the interview, didn’t you?” Tiffany replied also in whisper.

“Really? OK, I won’t wish for that anymore, then. Thanks for this highly secret information.” Chris responded playfully, making the girl burst out into another laugh. Tiffany closed the window chat between her and Nick after Chris left her alone. She opened her contact list to find Taeyeon’s number. She then decided to send a short message to the girl.

To:Taetae

Hey Taetae :D

Thanks for the complimentary drink.

And thanks again for the opportunity to join the company :)

A reply came soon after.

From Taetae:

You're welcome, Fany :)

Glad to have you joining the company

After reading Taeyeon’s reply she smiled again and switched to the chat Nick’s chat window again.

Tiff: Babe! Signed the contract already! It's official!

Nick: Babe! I was about to contact you but you got me first. Congratulations!!!!! How was it?

Tiff: It was so smooth, babe. And the offer is really good. I don't need to think twice.

Nick: Congrats once again, my baby Tiff! We'll meet up for dinner, right?

Tiff: Sure! And it will be my treat! I just signed the new chapter of my life. we should celebrate it.

Nick: Yes, the new chapter of your life. And our gate to date openly <3

Tiff: It is, babe :) it is <3

Long, long, long update for my two days missing!

Ooops, Tiffany has a boyfriend! And seems like they love each other deeply. Will there be any possibility for TaeNy? >.<

Anywaaay, thanks for the comments and inputs for my previous chapters. I made some revision here and there. I also noticed that I haven't mentioned the name of the company where Taeyeon works. Revised that already. Also thanks to niecha_snsd, melinsancez, nitriana, neptune_taeyeon, tae1810, and izahandroid for the upvote.

TY so much,

Kim SaRa

E/N: Hi guys! I'm the editor of this story and I know it took awhile but I really hope you enjoy it! Kim SaRa and I, have put a lot of hard work into this fanfic.

Thanks alot!

coolzab123