Thankfully, it only took a few minutes for the elevator to reach its stop. Once the doors opened, Taecyeon followed Miss Im and her bodyguard. But, he quickly stopped when he noticed that Chansung remained in his spot. With a questioning eyebrow, he looked at his friend. 

Chansung shook his head calmly. Before he mouthed excessively, "You're dead. I'll see you on the other side in a few years!" 

Saving the kid's life, the doors closed again and the elevator headed down. Taecyeon, however, managed to react and halted right before the doors when they shut tight. He slammed the metal with an open palm in frustration before leaning against it with shut eyes. For a moment, he and his frown remained still. Eventually, he as well as his mind straightened up to fix his tie. Better to grab the bull by the horns than to run from it. 

The philosophy of bravery didn't help, though. Because Taecyeon couldn't muster up the courage he desperately needed when he turned around and began to walk through the hallway towards the miss's office. A drop of sweat ran down his right temple and he gulped fiercely. 

His thoughts wouldn't stop surrounding the very, seriously bad situation in the foyer. No matter who caused it (Chansung, that stupid kiddo), he still took part in it, which meant that his contributing actions weren't in the best interest of his own image. In other words, Taecyeon had looked incredibly unprofessional. Especially since it concerned his friend. 

With a deep sigh, hanging neck and shoulders, Taecyeon stopped outside the door to Miss Im. It was closed. His heart started to pound uncontrollably against his ribcage, until the point it nearly hurt. His head wondered if she would ignore his soon announced presence, as punishment. 

Only one way to find out. Taecyeon gulped again and slowly raised his hand, which he noticed shook slightly. His knuckles were about to make contact with the wood when they stopped millimeters in front of it. 

"Come in, Mr Ok," a sweet yet determined voice called from the other side. 

Since Taecyeon had frozen on the spot, it took him a while to react. By reflex, his hands reached for his tie and corrected the knot. The man, then, finally went on and accepted the invitation to enter. 

It was a rather calm and peaceful scene that welcomed him. The sun shone brightly through the large windows. A silence filled the serene room while it was occupied by no other than the person he sought. Or, perhaps, it was the other way around. Taecyeon had no idea how she had noticed him right outside door. But, it told him that she had expected his arrival. 

For some reason, his heart began to pound. Either it was due to the feeling of standing before a sleeping lion. Or, it was because he had absolutely no idea what to expect. Miss Im intensely read a rapport she held in the air while leaning her elbow on the armchair. Never did she look away, to him. Her facial features remained immobile. Except for her eyes, which moved frequently across the document in focus. 

Lacking any idea of what to do or say, Taecyeon remained still in his position in front of her desk. His hands and arms hung seemingly relaxed. But, only due to his magical ability to hide the fact that they trembled like hell. Inwards, he fought hard to create a facade of calm confidence. Naturally, he felt apologetic regarding the situation in the lobby. However, it wouldn't do him any good to act like the hunched coward he felt inside. It was better to take it like a man who knew that he had wronged and acted inappropriately.

It didn't, though, help that Miss Im sat quietly in her chair. She hadn't acknowledged his presence once, not through a glance or the smallest of sounds. The woman remained still, continuously reading whatever document that was more important than their upcoming discussion.

A good two, three minutes went by when she eventually placed the stack of papers on her desk. Taecyeon felt himself ready to face her every word and negative emotion... only to realize that she hadn't finished. Instead, the woman grabbed a pen and signed a few sheets.

"Why haven't you taken a seat, Mr Ok?" she asked without raising her gaze.

He twitched as if she had flicked him on the forehead. Feeling lost and confused, he didn't really know what to say. Because, if she refused to speak out, how in the world was he supposed to know what she expected of him?

"I'm sorry, I don't understand the question," Taecyeon responded carefully.

Finally, the woman looked up from her work and met his gaze. It