Chapter 8

YoonSicTae’s house

“Why isn’t Taeyeon home yet? She’s supposed to be here at this hour.” Jessica asked while sitting on the counter munching her apple.

“Maybe she has a date with someone. Who knows?” Yoona said as she pulled out the jug of milk from the fridge and started pouring the milk into her cup.

“I wish she would tell us what’s going on in her mind. She’s been extremely strange these days. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with Tiffany. Ah, that reminds me, how did the meeting go?”

“Pretty good, I’ll start working tomorrow.” Yoona answered. She hadn’t mentioned anything to Jessica about the PA thing since she came back from STS. Siwon was right. It was easy for her to transfer because she only worked on the cruise ship a little over two years. It’s different for Jessica. She had been working on the cruise ship since she graduated. The cruise ship was like her second home. It was a little selfish of her to ask Jessica leave her current job to become her new PA just to make her feel comfortable while working at STS.

“Yoona!!!” Jessica shouted out loud, trying to catch Yoona’s attention when she saw the milk was now pouring out of her cup and all over the table.

“Huh?” Yoona snapped out of her thought, “Damn… ” She said as she noticed the spilled milk on the table.

Jessica let out a sigh as she watched the flustered Yoona tried to clean up her mess. ‘I bet she’s been thinking about that girl again.’ She felt herself disappointed at the thought of how much Yuri could affect Yoona’s feeling.

“Uhm…Icy…About…never mind.” Yoona stuttered.

“Im Yoona! Spit it out right now. You know I hate it when people was about to tell me something and then ended it with ‘never mind’”

“Okay, okay… the thing is, at the meeting, Siwon said that I needed someone as my new PA but I really don’t feel like working with some stranger.”

“Oh, is that so?” Jessica’s face drop at the mention of Yoona’s new PA. She was trying to put the thought of working alone at the back of her mind and now Yoona just had to remind her of that.

“Yeah… and when he asked for my opinion I told him that… I wanted you to be my new PA. I really shouldn’t have said that, I know how much you love working on the cruise ship… I don’t know... I was just thinking about myself and… Aish, but you didn’t have to accept though; I’ll tell Siwon that you’re not interested.” Yoona said while scratching the back of her neck, a gesture she always do when she’s nervous.

Jessica chuckled at the flustered Yoona, she didn’t know that she looked absolutely cute when she didn’t know what to say. People always preferred the smooth-talking Yoona but for Jessica, she loved seeing the stuttered Yoona more than the smooth-talking one. Because she knew that Yoona only stuttered when she was saying what she was feeling. “So… you were thinking about me…no, about me being your new PA while you were pouring milk?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking if I should tell you or not. Anyway, I said it, what do you think?”

“Really?” 

“What’s real? The offer? Of course it’s real; it’s Siwon who said that, he also said that you could come to work tomorrow if you’re interested.” 

“No, not that, the other thing.” Jessica continued when she saw confusion written all over Yoona’s face. “You said that you were thinking about me. Is it true?”

“Uhm… yeah, why do I have to lie to you about something like this? It’s not even funny.”

Jessica couldn’t hide the smile was slowly creeping up her face after she heard Yoona’s confirmation. ‘She suggested me to Siwon. She wanted me as her new PA. For the first time, she was thinking about me, not her. Oh god, please tell me I’m not dreaming.’ She couldn’t believe that it was just a simple fact that Yoona thought of her already made her giggle like a school girl who was thinking about their first crush.

“…so I thought that…” Yoona stopped talking when she noticed that Jessica didn’t pay attention to her, “Yah Icy, I’m discussing serious matter with you right now so stop zoning out so much.”

“What… I am listening to you.” Jessica tried to defend herself even though she didn’t hear one bit of what Yoona was saying.

“Really? What did I just say?”

“Are you telling me that you don’t believe me when I said I’m listening to you?” Jessica pouted, pretend to be offended.

Yoona let out a defeated sigh as she decided to let it go, “Fine, what about the job? Do you… want it?”

“Do you?”

“Huh?”

“Do you… want me to be your PA again?”

“I…uhm…yeah… well, if I didn’t then I wouldn’t suggest you to Siwon but… thinking about you and… I don’t kno-”

“Yes.”

“What? You accept? Really?”

“Why? Don’t you want me to accept?”

“Well, I do but what about your job, don’t you love working on the cruise ship?”

‘But I love you more’ Kept that thought to herself Jessica replied, “Then it’s settled. I will be your new PA. If you feel guilty about me leaving my job to become your PA then you can make it up to me.”

“How can I do that?”

“How about going out for dinner, your treat, and then seeing a movie, also your treat that includes the popcorns and drinks. Then we can call it square, how does that sound to you?”

“Alright, Icy you’ve got yourself a duel.”

“Guys, I’m home.” Taeyeon shouted after closing the front door. She hopped on one of the counters, “Hey Sica, pass me an apple.” She caught the apple thrown by Jessica and she was off to her own little world yet again.

Jessica nudged Yoona and then she shifted her gaze to Taeyeon, telling Yoona that she was out of it again. ‘What’s wrong with her?’ Jessica mouthed to Yoona and received a shrug from her in return.

“Taeyeon-ah, is there anything you want to ask me?” Yoona asked.

“What? No, I have nothing to ask. Why?” Taeyeon looked up from her apple.

“Uh…uhm… nothing I thought that you wanted to ask about my meeting at STS.”

“Oh, yeah I do. How was the meeting?”

“Both me and her accepted the offer. And guess what? Jessica will be my new PA at STS. Isn’t that good news?” Yoona said excitedly, expected to see Taeyeon teased Jessica in return.

“Yeah, that’s great. Congrats.”

Yoona and Jessica looked at each other. Something was definitely wrong with her.

“Taeyeon-ah, who are we?” Jessica asked, serious.

Taeyeon snorted at Sica’s question, “What’re you talking about? You’re Jessica and Yoona, why are you treating me like someone who just lost their memories?”

“No, I meant who we are to you?”

Taeyeon started to have an idea where this conversation was going, she knew that sooner or later her friends would make her told the truth, she let out a sigh and answered. “You guys are my best friends”

“How long have we been best friends?”

“Since middle school.”

“Then you must know that we’ll notice if something is wrong with you, right?”

“I know that but… I have to work something out before I can tell you guys what’s wrong. Please, just give me some time.”

Jessica looked at Yoona and saw the latter shook her head, telling her to drop the subject. Jessica let out a sigh and turned to Taeyeon, “Fine, we’ll let it go this time. But you know me Kim Taeyeon, I’m not the type of person who has a patience of Job. So you’d better make it quick.”

Yoona let out a chuckle. She found it pretty amusing, consider Jessica’s way of showing her concern toward others was threatening. Yoona put a hand on Taeyeon’s shoulder, “Anyway, when you need us, we’re all ears. Now, it’s time for a group hug.” Yoona said as she extended her arms.
They all moved in for a group hug, enjoyed each other’s company especially Jessica.

&&&&&&

Yulti’s house – Yuri’s room

“To sum it up, I’m officially doomed.” Yuri said as she buried her head into a pillow after telling or ranting to Fany the whole story.

“Why?” Tiffany asked, not looking up from the apartment rental ad's in the newspaper.

“Yah, Tiffany Hwang if you want me to believe that you actually care about me then at least look at me while asking a question.” Yuri whined then sat up on her bed.

Tiffany put her newspaper down and looked up at Yuri, “I do care about you Yuri-yah, I just don’t get why you have to be so frustrated over the fact that you got a promotion. It’s not that bad, you know? Besides, you are the one who decided to accept the offer.”

“What am I supposed to do when she told me what Sooyoung did? And why didn’t you seem surprised when I told you that I accepted the offer.”

“Because I know that sooner or later you will say yes after you pay a visit to Yong appa. Plus, Yoona can be pretty much persuasive when she wants to.”

“And I thought that at least I have someone by my side, looks like I’m all alone now.” Yuri said sarcastically.

“Come on, let’s look on the bright side here. At least you have higher salary, a PA who you can order around and your own room at the workplace.”

“Why do you always leave out the part that I have to work with her?”

“Look Yuri-yah, you will never, ever, never ever be able to get over her if you keep letting her presence affected you like this. It shows how much you still care about her so don’t let what she did in the past clouded your decision. I bet she has already hooked up with… god knows how many girls so it’s about damn time that you have to let your hatred toward her go, it’s about time that… you let her go and move on with your life, Yuri-yah. I’m not asking you to see her as your friend, but to see her as a co-worker or at least a stranger whom you haven’t met before. She means nothing to you now; you have to keep that in mind.”

Yuri was still, her mind was trying to take in what Fany just said. And she realized that Fany was right; she shouldn’t have let Yoona affect her this much. “You’re right. She’s definitely not worth my tears so what’s the point of crying over her, right?”

Fany nodded her head “That’s the spirit, Kwon Yuri. Now let’s have your promotion’s celebration at our housewarming party, shall we?” Fany said as she lifted up the newspaper.

“Wait, when did I approve the idea that we’re gonna move?”

“When you said yes to the promotion, my friend.” Fany said as she ignored the whining Yuri to search for a new apartment.

&&&&&&

STS’s meeting room

“As some of you may know, The Goddess Cruise Ship, which is the biggest cruise ship in Korea, will be the main course of our cruise line this year. The thing is, the public still don’t know much about the difference between our cruise and the others except the fact that it’s bigger, especially the upper class. So I want to hold a press conference next week or something similar to it in order to make this cruise well-known. What do you think?” Siwon said. They were having yet another meeting about the cruise ship, it would be the first project that Yoona and Yuri will be working together.

“I think it’s a good idea. We just have to come up with a list of people who we are gonna invite. Preparing some events for the conference too.” Yuri nodded, approved Siwon’s suggestion.

“What do you think, Yoona?” Siwon turned to Yoona.

“I have nothing to say but we have to consider the fact that not every person from the upper class we invite will attend the conference. Most of them are chiefs of a company, successful 
entrepreneurs, politicians or celebrities. Are they willing to come to the conference despite their obvious busy schedule? It’s really hard to say.” 

“You do have a point.” Siwon nodded, thinking over his decision.

“I believe that if we invite them with sincerity, they will come.” Yuri spoke, serious.

Yoona rolled her eyes. Yuri was just so naïve sometimes. Those people were the type of person if they don’t see their benefits for coming here, they would never show their face in public. As for Siwon, he was surprised upon Yuri’s persistence. At the corner of his lips, a satisfied smile slowly formed.

“You really think that a conference is gonna work?”

“Yes, I know so.” Yuri said, confidently

“Then fine, we’ll hold a conference. But if this conference fail, I’ll replace your entire team by new employees that includes yourself.”

“What???” Yuri shouted, surprised by Siwon’s decision. She started to blame herself for leading Siwon to this decision.

Siwon let out a chuckle, “You don’t have to feel bad because of this. Originally, you are the only I wanted to keep in this department. The others will be fired next week because of their lack of dedication to STS. I was trying to think of an explanation to my sister for this recruitment but since you suggest this conference, I’ve come up with a chance for your team. If you can make this conference’s a success then all of you will be safe. Otherwise, you know what will happen, and when my sister asks, at least I can tell her that I did give you guys a chance to prove yourselves.”

Yuri gulped down nervously as she listened to ‘the bet’, she had no other choices but to go along with it while Yoona was also equally surprised, she didn’t expect Siwon to do this at all.
Siwon looked back and forth between Yoona and Yuri, when they didn’t say anything he continued, “If there’s no other ideas then let’s end this meeting here. Ah, Yuri-sshi just wanna let you know that your new PA are waiting for you in your room.” He stood up from his seat and exited the room.

“Wow, that’s really unexpected.” That’s the first thing came out of Yoona’s mouth after Siwon left the room.

Yuri snorted at Yoona, “You must be thrilled now.”

“Where did you get that idea?”

“Whatever, before we get to work, I think there’s something needed to be clear between us.”

“Oh, so there’s a ‘we’ and an ‘us’ now? Good!” Yoona said half-joking, half-serious. She didn’t know why but she really enjoyed annoying Yuri. Just like the last time when she whispered into her ears, somehow the way Yuri reacted amused her greatly.

Yuri took a deep breath to keep her from snapping back at Yoona, “What I’m trying to say is, now that I agree Siwon’s offer, I have no choice but working with you however there’s some conditions you need to comply.”

“Well, I don’t promise anything but let’s hear them.”

“First, you have to respect my personal space when we’re talking. It means that no whispering, no making skin contact, no approaching closer to me when you don’t have my approval.” 

“Just when we’re talking?” Yoona smirked

Yuri felt uneasy when she saw Yoona’s smirk, “No, when you’re around me.”

“Uhm… what about when I need to whisper something important to you when we’re in front of our customers who aren’t supposed to hear?”

“Uhm… you can text me or you can ask me first.”

“Why bother doing all of that, when just a whisper will do?”

“It’s simple, I just don’t feel safe when you’re around to me.”

“Really?” Yoona smirked as she looked at Yuri. “But like I said before, I don’t promise anything. What’s next?”

“Second, you’re only allowed talking to me when the subject involved our work.”

“So… you want to talk to me about something else?”

Yuri ignored Yoona’s question and continued “Last, I don’t care what you do outside of the office but when you’re working, please respect the company and keep all of your flings away from here.”

“Why? Are you jealous?”

“No, I just don’t want to witness a cat fight over someone like you. Neither do my co-workers.”

“Is there anything else?”

“For the time being, I just think of those conditions. As long as you comply then maybe I can force myself to work with you.”

“Yoona!” Yoona and Yuri turned to the source of the voice. “What took you so long? I’ve seen Siwon walked out of this room quite some time ago.” Jessica said as she approached Yoona.

“Nothing special, just discuss some kind of a side contract for my employment.” Yoona looked up at Jessica then she turned her gaze to Yuri. “Let’s discuss about the conference in your room where your PA is waiting, shall we?”

Yuri stood up and went to her room with Yoona and Jessica followed.

“Hey, Taeyeon just called me and said that she was gonna pick us up when we finished our work.” Jessica whispered into Yoona’s ear.

“That means she will close her café sooner than usual.”

“You got that right. Yesterday she came home late saying that she had to stay at the café, today she close her cafe early just to pick us up. I really don’t get what she’s thinking.”

“We’re not the reason she came, do you really believe in that lame excuse?”

“What do you mean?”

Instead of replying, Yoona pointed at Fany who was sitting at her desk while doing her work. Jessica looked in the direction of Yoona’s pointed finger then formed an ‘o’ shaped. Realizing the real reason why Taeyeon ‘kindly’ came to pick them up Jessica giggled to herself caused Yoona to join.

Yuri turned around when she heard the giggles behind her back. She felt annoyed as she watched the two were giggling. Once a player, always a player.She shook her head as she pushed the door open harder than needed creating a loud noise when the door came contact with the wall. The girl who was sitting on the couch placed opposite her desk was startled when she heard the sudden noise. As soon as she saw Yuri came in, she stood up and bow to Yuri.

“Annyeonghaseyo, you must be miss Kwon. My name is Seo Joo Hyun. I’m your new PA. Please take care of me.” She said in one breath.

“Oh… so you’re my PA, you said that your name is…?” Yuri asked for her name again since she didn’t hear it clearly due to her speedy talking.

“Seo Joo Hyun, miss Kwon. But you can call me Seohyun.” She smiled nervously at Yuri.

“Yah, Kwon at least keep the door opened for me.” Yoona flung the door opened while keeping her eyes on Yuri.

“Seohyun?” Yoona heard Jessica uncertain call behind her then she followed Jessica’s gaze which landed on the girl standing in front of Yuri. Once again Yoona called out the girl’s name herself.

“Seohyun?”

“Unnie…” Seohyun replied, confirming that they know each other.

“You know her?” Yuri asked.

“Yeah, I do. I met her in high school.”

“It’s such a small world after all. I can’t believe that we can meet again here. It’s been forever since we last met. How have you been?” Yoona asked excitedly

“I ha-”

Seohyun’s sentence was cut short by Yuri’s annoyed voice. “Seohyun-ah, you can save your little chit-chat with miss Im later, right now, we need to discuss some serious matter.”

‘Later’ Yoona mouthed to Seohyun followed by a wink and the girl nodded happily.

As if Yuri was not enough, now Seohyun was also here. Seohyun was Yoona’s first crush, first girlfriend and first kiss, this girl more or less had an influence on Yoona. Jessica had a feeling that the longer she let Yoona worked here, the faster she began to slip out of her grip.

No longer delaying, the four of them settled down and began their discussion about the upcoming conference.

At lunch break, Yoona and Seohyun chatted to each other happily during their meal. Yoona was truly excited because seeing Seohyun reminded her so much of their old times together. On the other hand, Jessica did what she did the best: put on her cold expression as she stayed silent the whole time. After lunch, Yuri announced the conference and Siwon’s decision to her co-workers and received lots of complaints and whines from them. Nevertheless, they all agreed to take an extra shift in order to prepare for the conference which was only 3 days away. Well, everyone except Yoona and Jessica.

“Let me put it this way. It’s impossible to prepare a conference which has over 200 guests in three days. Suppose that you can prepare everything else, like I said before, those people won’t come if you just make a phone call to them make them promise that they will be going. Rather than sitting here and making phone call one after another, why don’t we go out and make a connection with someone who had big influences on the others, someone who could draw the others to come to our conference.” Yoona was trying her best to persuade Yuri who was being too stubborn at the time.

“If you don’t want to help us then fine, you can go home. Why do you keep telling us those negative thoughts?” Yuri said not looking up from the phonebook.

“I’m not telling you my thoughts, I’m just stating the truth.” Yoona tried to reason.

When she saw the latter didn’t respond to her, she gave up persuading and turned around to give Sica a shrug.

“So what are we gonna do?” Sica asked when she saw Yoona approached her.

“Going home, tonight we have some serious clubbing to do.” 

TBC