Aren’t you somethin’ to admire?
‘Cause your shine is somethin’ like a mirror
And I can’t help but notice
You reflect in this heart of mine
If you ever feel alone and
The glare makes me hard to find
Just know that I’m always
Parallel on the other side

– Mirrors (Justin Timberlake)

***

Monday is always kind of a mess at the office, especially when you’re in the middle of catching some projects to be done before Christmas day off which already around the corner I swear I could smell my mother’s baked mac and cheese under my nose. To make it worse, Kibum is nowhere around to be found, making me gone insane and guilty charged choosing my new tantrum’s target, and this round’s the lucky Choi.

“You and your desk spent hours with him! How the hell you don’t know where that file is?”

In fact, I don’t really need Kibum. It’s the new design layout for our new flagship store.

“He keeps his stuff away from people! And for your information, I’m in charge of graphic, I’m not baby-sitting VM staffs, and Kibum’s known as a douche which I told you to fire him as soon as possible long time ago but you shake it off right on my face! Ha!”

Minho’s cow eyes locked to the screen in front of him but his voice breaks my ears terribly. I snatch the phone in front of me and tapped my shoes impatiently on the tiles while waiting the pho––

“Lee Taemin! Once you’ve done with that window display sketch, go hunt Kibum in every corner of the workshop and don’t you dare showing your nose in front of me if you haven’t got him in your hand!”

Landed myself next to Minho, I can feel my neck stiffen and suddenly my head’s heavy as rock.

“Calm down. You scared the intern.”

On my left, some interns duck their head as low as could be. I feel sorry toward them. And further more toward the company for giving a bad impression of a project manager to them.

“As much as I love Kibum for his fashion taste and quick wits, I hate him every time he started his hide and seek game! Not to mention this time of the year!”

“We can handle this! I’ll help you after I finished checking this.”

“I swear to every pair of shoes I had, if Kibum didn’t show up until 5, I’ll personally burn his jacket collection down! And I will––“

“_______. Can I talk to you for a second?”

Jonghyun shoved his head out from his door, special treat for the general manager.

“What?!”

“Inside. Please.”

He flashed a wide grin and it definitely swooned the intern girl number two who can’t handle her dropped jaw. Minho muttered ‘just go’ and I heaved a breath out before leave him with his beloved CorelDraw.

“Sit down,” his eyes are not leaving the paper in his hand until I perfectly flopped on the chair.

“Anything important?”

“You could said so.”

“What’s it?”

“You’re planning some murder case, panicking around and it’s not good for my other employees.”

“I’m panicking for their own good! If I didn’t chase this bastard down, we couldn’t make it to open the store at 20! And they’ll probably got no income next following month"

“Yelling around since the morning isn’t necessary, though.”

“I wouldn’t make a fuss if everything’s under schedule, Jjong! For Christ’s sake, it’s already 7^th!”

“Take a deep breath.”

It’s hard to stay calm when your clock’s ticking and you still wait for the layout design for your about to lunch shop in less than two weeks. Ugh, my life .

“This is pathetic.”

“Yeah, you’re.”

“What?! I worked my hard and you just sit here telling me o––“

My phone’s ringing frantically, saving Jonghyun from cussing shower.

“I found him!”

“Where’s he?”

“Catching up with some guys in the coffee shop across the office.”

“What?!”

“I’ll give it to him! Yoooo! Kibum! _______ want to speak!”

There’s a long pause and Jonghyun’s gaze annoys me so much I want to throw up.

“Key’s speaking!”

“KIM KIBUM!!!”

“Hold that thought. Before you hulking me, I’m doing some works here. And I hope you’re smart enough not to disturb me.”

“Working?! By enjoying your coffee while your project manager freaking out over here?!”

“By talking to the guy’s who’ll help us to install the bikes! Chillax, dude! I can’t believe Taemin successfully scamming me again! Lucky for us, their studio able to take over the chalk mural that the earlier vendor reject!”

“How about the design layout?!”

“I’ve sent it 5 minutes ago when Taemin told me to.”

“Is it finished already?”

“Perfectly! Now allow me to finish my job before you could take over it next week! Smooch ya later!”

Kibum’s cut the conversation before I managed to curse him further more. Something unclenched inside my chest but other’s lump jabbed my throat right away when I see no expression change in Jonghyun’s face.

“You know about this, don’t you?”

Jonghyun chuckles before turned his chin my direction and casually scribble something, “Of course. He always put me on CC.”

Kim Jonghyun being happy and jubilee and gleeful and every single nice things is scarier than his ogre mode. Look at his winning smirk gave cringe all over my skin. Slyly I pulled back my chair before anything escalated into intense conversation.

“Don’t you dare to leave.”

There’s a screeching sound from my heels against the floor when I make my sudden brake, “Everything’s clear now. I need to go back to my desk and finish all my tasks.”

“Your desk can wait. Mom cannot.”

Instead of giving me some privileges, having my brother as my boss is a lot like pain in the . No matter how many times I told him not to bring any family matters to works, he would always break that.

“Oh, come on! We’re at the office now!”

“That’s why! You need to obey me. Sit down.”

I drag my feet back to the vacant seat lazily. He must planning something behind my back because he needed to clear his throat before leaned front and rest his chin on his folded hands propped on his desk.

“You got some papers to finish, so as you wish, I’ll make it quick.”

“Just spill the beans, your prolog always as bad as your movie choices.”

“Okay. Listen to this and listen carefully,” I rolled my eyes seeing him acting serious while in fact he’s a big jokester at home, “Tell me, exactly, how long it is Jinki has been working here?”

“Ugh, I’m not doing this .”

“How long?”

“Two years, seven months, three days, and I suppose, what… three hours? Where exactly is it going?”

“And how long have you been in love with Jinki, our head of design department?”

Chewed my cheek from the inside, I gain some guts before answering, “Two years, seven months, and two days.”

I was on a business trip to London that time and unable to be there on Jinki’s first day at the office. The next following morning, I found the desk across mine already occupied by someone who apparently quirky enough to put some chicken figurines and three types of rubic cubes around his desk book. When the owner stepped outside Jonghyun’s room and back to his place, my heart sunken down the floor and I found myself fell hard by a smile almost as bright as the sun.

The time he stretched his hand out and introduced himself – BOOM – my heart stolen hard right away for the rest of my existence in this office.

“I thought as much.”

“Crap. Do you think everybody knows?”

“Minho and Kibum basically are everybody, so yes.”

“Do you think Jinki knows?

“Of course Jinki knows! It’s about time! You need to make some moves instead being statue anytime he’s around.”

“I’m not! I talked to him!”

“I mean some other thing besides ‘Hi, Jinki!’, ‘Good morning, Jinki!, ‘Have you had your lunch?’, and ‘How’s the traffic?’. Oh my dear Lords, the last one frustrating me so much, he lives two blocks away from here and he walks every single days for God’s sake!”

Jonghyun might be an , but he’s been a good brother for me more than two decades.

“Then what I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know, maybe invite him out for a drink and then, after about thirty minutes or you think so, casually drop into deeper conversation about your fantasy of him and you being married, having a lots of and babies and growing old together!”

Once an , forever an . Warm fuzzy feeling crept up my face until the point blood on my temple boiled up, almost burst out my eyes.

“I am so done with you! Forget it that we are actually blood related!”

Jonghyun cracks on his seat, a little bit too loud, some people outside turned their head to the boss sanctuary. Confirming who my crush is to Jonghyun isn’t the best decision I ever made in my life. Half kicking the chair, I stormed out the room with teeth clenched inside my mouth.

“Mom would be very happy if one of use brings date to the Christmas supper!!”

Minho tilted his head, entail my steps to my desk, and spare his want-to-know look to me and Jonghyun one to the other. 

***

Disaster is the interior design consultant you chose to carry on the task finishing the window display for the on-going project decided to delay their action because they failed to built the mock up and need more times to completeTaemin’s design.

Jinki’s busy calling everyone he knows for any replacement while Taemin keeps texting from the fit out site. Minho used his power on the intern to send one of them as Taemin’s assistant and the other two to help him making the emergency back wall just in case Kibum and his team needs to change the étalage immediately.

“Which part of our meeting that your company failed to understand?! I need them built at this Friday! How can you come up with such a news at this very Tuesday?!!”

I don’t care anymore about my image. Jonghyun inclined his head inside the glass wall room to check what kind of chaos happened outside.

“I can’t give you any additional day! My graphic team needs the area clear to complete their image installment on Sunday!”

Kibum ran to my side and shoved me a paper with ‘overnight work?’ on it which I reply merely with shaking my head hard, “Find a way out! Used two workshops at a time or anything! I’ll call you in an hour and I expect something good!”

The phone in my hand flees right away after I pressed the red button down.

“Give me your merchandising schedule!”

Kibum walks behind me to fit himself on my chair and clicking here and everywhere until a colorful time table appeared on my screen.

“We can still push my kids to start working on Sunday.”

“You mean overlapping Minho’s team?”

“Yeah. That’s the only possible way since you object my advice.”

“The company promised not to force them to work overnight on winter! Jonghyun won’t pay extra for it! Besides, that mall came up with apartment complex inside. We couldn’t get any permission from the landlord.”

Kibum made another clicks somewhere and two sheets of paper freshly came out from the printer.

“Let’s go to Minho. Hopefully intern number two still interested to him and voluntary offer herself!”

“I almost forgot how smart you are!”

Kibum and I didn’t wait another second making our way to Minho’s desk.

The Holy Spirit actually do exist and conspiring against me and Kibum because while I slay the contractor earlier, Jonghyun sneaked out his glass box and had a casual chit chat with Minho as if he didn’t  aware that half of the office almost burnt in anger.

“Is something bad happened?”

The question folded out as soon as Jonghyun catch us flailing in desperation toward Minho. I glance to my right side to found Kibum’s face was horrorized, “Uh, nope.”

“Really?”

Jonghyun makes sure while cocking his head and knitting his brows together after he saw my eye contact with Minho signaling the paper on Kibum’s hand which failed in instant because Minho’s too busy with his favorite software.

“Yeah, it’s cool. Just–– want to visit Minho’s desk. Gossiping, you know.”

“Me?” The innocent camel eyes owner raised his head but still left clueless.

“Then why are you both panting so hard and Kibum suddenly out of pulse?”

Taemin was right when he told me Kibum’s no use when he got panic attack.

“Well, you know.. It’s because––”

“––because we had a little announcement to make.”

A deep soothing voice came behind my head getting closer as I heard a light steps and I found Jinki on my left with both hands inside his pants pocket, beaming in a radiant smile, making my heart skip a bit.

“Announcement? What? Finally you find someone attractive in this building?”

Remind me to kick Jonghyun’s head later.

“I did way before long. Let’s back to the business, the earlier worker can’t fill up their job excellently. So due to our tight schedule, we moved our window display to another workshop. Is that okay?”

“As long as we could make it before Christmas.”

“Of course! So now, Kibum can back to his station and _______, you can go to your desk and call Taemin to catch some update, shall we?”

He finishes his statement with a super cute wink that almost beats my three years old nephew’s.

“Uh, oh, right–– Right,” I exchange a perplexed look with Kibum and he only got shrugs on his shoulder to supply, “Kibum could break down everything with Minho. If you got something unclear, just call me.”

“Great. Well, Jinki, can I talk to you inside?”

“Roger that!” Jinki entails Jonghyun right away after he tapped my shoulder to ease my stress.

“What was thaaat?!” I shrieked to Kibum when I saw Jonghyun and Jinki secured inside the glass box.

“I don’t know! Your head designer keeps surprising me! I don’t mind anyway!“ Kibum sings song before he rolled his eyes and back to his board.

“What’s going on?!” Minho has no idea at all and he keeps gazing on me and Kibum.

“Ask Kibum for the detail. Or I’ll email you after I got Taemin.”

Right, I need Taemin now to explain every tiny detail to me and how on earth Jinki saves the day by playing secret super hero.

It was pretty hectic which my mind hasn’t settled yet, so my heart jumped a little when I reached my desk and found my favorite canned coffee with a lime green post it pasted on.

Hello, I’m Jinki, your personal healthcare companion :) Don’t stressed too much, I got your back! Enjoy!

Seriously?! Imitating Baymax just because I’m obsessed with that fluffy big white robot?

I spread my eyes inside the glass box and found Jonghyun and him in the midst of friendly talks. Waited a bit longer, finally Jinki struck on me. He only gave me a quick eye smile before catching back to my brother.

Hand is already on my phone, I decided to call Taemin later.

“What’s up?”

Kibum’s chirpy voice welcomes me in one go.

“That head designer really keeps surprising.”

***

The empty office is the perfect playground for mischievous adults like us. As usual, after the opening of a new store, when Jonghyun is already snuggled under his blanket or still wandering around the city to treat the brand principal who came from abroad, Jinki, Kibum, Minho, and I held a little party to celebrate our sweat and blood of hard work.

Since it’s December, we change the beer and french fries with some hot chocolate, cheese popcorn, and instant s'mores that Minho treasured from supermarket near his house.

“Last project for this year and it finished one day earlier! I’m so proud of myself!” Kibum stretched his hands up in the air mimicking a bed commercial.

“Would be better if you’re not panicking about that event zone layout hid under your keyboard,” Minho finished his words with gulping the hot chocolate from his favorite Manchester United mug.

“It’s closed call and I just couldn’t handle it if Jinki and _______ grown their horns!”

“Why me suddenly?!” I heard Jinki chuckled on my triggered anger. I shot him a glare and he’s just being his usual, beaming and flaunting his white teeth. Again, successfully making me flustered on my own.

“I’m bored. Pick some movies or I’d make a call to the chicken house across our office.”

“Movies are lame. Let’s play some interesting game.”

“And that’s what we called lame. What are you?! Five? I’m with Jinki this time!”

“YOU’RE ALWAYS WITH JINKI!”

‘Minho and Kibum basically are everybody, so yes.’

Kibum and I know each other since college time in London, but it doesn’t corroborate that he knows me so well, until the point who is my crush right at the moment.

“You got my vote,” Minho casually let us know he agreed with Kibum which the latter replied with squealing on his seat making fist into the air, “Besides, being in the same room with Kibum, you, and movie at the same time is like digging my own grave. Both of you sobbing and finishing a box of tissue quicker than Jonghyun using them as first aid kit on his self-satisfaction method, ugh, no. Thank you very much.”

A cushion fled right away to Minho’s direction, “That’s my brother you’re talking about!”

“Like you even stand for him when he’s here!”

“Shut up! Don’t make me bring each of you a knife from the pantry. It’s two out of four. Lee Jinki. Are you in or not?!”

“Well, as long as it distracts me from stir fried honey chicken.”

“Great! Three against one. Game on, es! We’ll do the easiest one. Telepathy quiz! Choi Minho, you’re in my team!”

“Wait. You’re my partner!”

“Honey, no Jonghyun around and it means I don’t obligate to save your life.”

“Remind me to burn you alive.”

“Don’t worry, _______! I got your back!” Jinki slid closer to me and put a light tap on my shoulder.

My back? Seriously? Guessing one right is more than enough. How could a man smile so wide when he’s in fact, have no idea about the person he’s gonna get into team?

“We’re going to crush you down!”

Dude, better take care yourself first.

***

“The thing I hate the most!”

Kibum hand flails on his side while Minho’s brows knitted together into a thick bridge above his huge eyes.

“Sweat?”

“Down. Feet! Shoes!”

“Why don’t you tell me earlier?! UGG BOOTS!”

“Your turn!”

Kibum shoved the bowl we used to contain the colorful paper with words in it. Until now, they managed to guess four words.

“The place we met when we’re in London!”

“Trafalgar Square?!”

“Idiot!! At night! The big one!”

“Ahhh!! I know I know I know!! That’s easy! LONDON EYE!”

“Correct! Go go go!”

“Can you put something harder than this?” Minho scoff to Jinki and I then turned back to Kibum, “Orange vegetable you hate!”

“Seriously guys?! Carrot!!”

The bowl transferred to Kibum’s lap, “You can eat it three straight!”

“What?! Steak? Cinnamon rolls? Bagel?! Donut?!”

“Stop making me hungrier!” Jinki shrieked beside me, frown dangling on his face.

“The street food we got inside the taxi!”

“Hot dog? Rice cake? Corn dog?! CORN DOG!!!!”

Kibum looks like a kindergarten who just got a bunch of candies for lunch. Definitely turned hyperactive caused by too many sugar intake.

“It’s slimy. Lives near the water. Vibrant color!”

“What?!”

“Come on this is super easy!”

It must be the words Jinki put inside the bowl because he’s smirking right now, knowing that the couple wouldn’t able to guess it. Me myself still wonder what exactly the right answer is.

“Easy my ?!”

“Aaarrgh!” the over-competitive monster right before me started losing himself, “Kind of lizard. People keep them as a pet!”

“I don’t keep weird animal as a dog! What?! Eel?!”

“Eel is for meals, dickhead! Come on! Slimy! Lizard! Vibrant co––“

“Time’s up!!” and Minho just slammed the table in front of him as if this is a final of an Olympic which he stepped as a country representative, “What’s exactly the answer, Jinx?”

Half whispered I ask the gleeful man right beside me who got happy after his opponent failed to guess his question, “Salamander!”

Thanks God Jonghyun and my Dad sometimes enjoying the Nat Geo in the television or else I would appear as dumb as Kibum. Who keep them as pet anyway?

“Our turn! Let’s kick their , _______!”

Dear Lord.

“I’d be happy enough if we can solve one.”

“Ready?!”

Minho takes a good grip on the phone we used as stopwatch. My head nods weakly, contras with optimistic atmosphere hovering Jinki’s face.

“Go!”

“The yellow plant your Mom loves the most.”

Eh?

“Yellow plant?”

“You guys have it in your front yard!”

“Sunflower?!”

“My smart lady!”

I don’t have enough time to blush because he already shoved the bowl in front of my belly.

“Ugh, the thing you hate?”

“Bad kids? Not enough sleep? No chicken on the table? What?”

No time to cover up my stalking ability, I just want to win this game so bad, “Spice you can’t have. You hate it!”

“Why not telling me earlier?! Cilantro!”

We might have a chance beat these insolent brats. Might.

“Your shoes if it’s not Monday!”

“Sneakers?”

“The brand!”

“Oh! Converse, right?!”

Another sparks burst out Jinki’s face, brighten up the gloomy air that piling up between Minho and Kibum.

“God, this is super easy! I never thought you guys would write this!”

“What did you write?!”

Kibum slapped Minho right in his bicep, startling the other one who replied with some arguments.

“If I’m a bunny and Kibum is a fox, then Jonghyun is a…?”

“I love my brother but dammit, guys. Of course he is dinosaur!”

“Your turn!”

I pick a random paper and instantly bite my lower lips. This is the end. How Jinki could know such a thing like this? How should I explain it?

“Quickly!! We’re running of time!”

Kibum and Minho back into a winning grin. I hate it so much makes me want to punch them in this very second.

“I don’t know whether you know or not, by any chance, the ice cream flavor I love the most?”

“Hahahahaha! That’s my word, Minho! My trick works out!”

Kibum squeals while clinging onto Minho side. Jinki frown a bit then confidently opened up his mouth.

“Matcha, isn’t it?”

“Damn it, Jinx! You’re not supposed to know that!!!”

If Kibum was that surprise, can you imagine how was I?

“Watch out, Kim Kibum! Oh! I get a good one!”

“Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”

“Your favorite dish!”

“Mac and cheese?”

“Your turn and we’re even!”

Kibum start panicking and I can feel adrenaline inside my vein pumped up in a rapid speed.

“Listen, this is something we made for you!”

“Made for me? You guys made something for me?”

“Come on! It was there on your birthday!”

“My birthday?”

“It’s you––“

“STOP! EAT THAT, LOSERS!”

Minho jumped off the couch. Literally. And the next second Kibum join him. It’s initially a stupid games why they’re celebrating as if they win some lottery?

“No way!”

“Yes way, honey! Yes way!”

“I demand another round!”

“Pardon me?!”

Kibum’s hand hang on the air, can’t seemed able to swallow what I’ve just muttered.

“Back to your seat! We’re doing the other round.”

Jinki reads the atmosphere pretty well, he snatched some paper from his desk, ripped it into pieces and started scribbling on it. Minho grabbed some and writes down as well.

“Game on, es!”

***

People might try, but the faith has its own sentence. After some rounds, Jinki and I still lack two points behind the dynamic duo who just self-proclaimed themselves as game master. We condemned to buy late dinner and doing the dishes at the pantry. It , but at least Jinki got his stir fried honey chicken as he wish earlier. My tummy is almost exploded, neither because of the s’mores, French fries, nor the chicken. It’s because of the sunshine man who keeps his sunny face up until this hour.

And the fact that he did know some personal stuffs of a dull person like me who only could yell, scream, shout, and curse, it worsen everything. My heart goes up and down, right and left, when he scooted a chair and sit in front of me, with my desk as the only barrier between us. You know, it’s only about 60-80 centimeters. Forget it, you wouldn’t care.

“It’s like have a blast from the past, what do you think?”

Jinki plays around with the rubic cube in his hand. As usual, without looking at it, his hands already know what to do with that puzzle.

“Yeah,” and then we fell into a super quite circumstance where I could hear clearly how Minho and Kibum nags to each other at the other room, “Jinki. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, as long as I don’t need to swipe my card.”

“Excuse me, Sir. You think I’m that cheap?” he cracks on his seat and muttering just kidding, giving me a cue to restart the question, “How do you know that my Mom loves sunflower?”

“Well, Jonghyun and I hanging out often, more than you know.”

“And about I’m wearing sneakers except Monday?”

He beams into a simple smile and put the rubic down and as exchange, he lifted his right hand, placed the elbow on the surface to support his chin that suddenly brought his face few inches closer to me.

“Let say, I started caring a bit much of you around the same time you cared about my meals and filled up your daydream with a hope to cook me every day so I won’t having chicken as my lunch three times a week.”

He is indeed hanging out with Mr. Dinosaur too much. Something warm and tingling crept up my neck straight to the cheeks of mine, turned them into a deep shades of red in no time. And he smiles, with the same position, looks like my face is a rare art piece that worth such an admiring like this. By this rate, I do convinced that he cares about me after all this time but I was too busy being coward.

“Come on. Let me take you home.”

Nod. It was the rightest thing I could think in such a tiny time. He pulls back and heads to his desk, shutting down the computer with smiles still adorn his face. He was born to beam away I think.

“_______?”

“Ugh, yeah?”

“Is walking okay with you?”

“It is. No problem, today is not Monday, you know?” I show him my left food covered with old Chuck Taylor.

He chuckles and talks to himself before shot his head up to my direction, “Well then, I know place sells your favorite ice cream on the way. I think we should stop by. My treat.”

“At this very degree?”

“It’s never too cold for an ice cream. Get yourself ready.”

Bag already packed. Coat’s on. Desk neat enough to be left. I’m ready. So does my heart.

“Umm, Jinki?”

“Hmm?” he just hummed to let me know he’s listening while he busy collecting his belonging.

“Do you want to come over to my house from Christmas supper?”

Please say yes or I would shot my head with the green stapler which came in the corner of my sight.

“A Christmas supper with your Mom’s signature potato gratin?”

He even remembered such a detail?

“And roasted chicken, carrot soup, and caramel pudding.”

“What a temptation! I’m in. As long as I didn’t come as Jonghyun’s date.”

The toothy smile on his face answered every single question ever popped in my head. This is ridiculous. I wait almost three years for such a simple conversation like this. As I walk closer to his desk, I knew my brother did an amazing work – whatever it is – to let this man before me realize how hard I fell for him. And whatever it is, I don’t care how embarrassing it would be when I knew it sooner or later, I’m going to thank Jonghyun for having such a guts that bigger than his sister’s.

“Oh you won’t if Jonghyun has a sister who will cook your lunch starting tomorrow.”

***

Another story inspired by Love Actually, the part when Harry called Sarah into his room. Of course with a lil bit change and my own sprinkle and glints of what exactly I’m doing for living. Hahaha. This might be shabby or a bit disconnected in the middle, but enjoy! Thanks for reading and your support! XOXO