17. Take Care

    

 

 

"It's a no from me," Seulgi said. "That's what we are not gonna do."

 

"Same," Taeyong agreed. "You can't possibly think this was a good idea, right?" he turned to ask Yooah who remained silent because of her pride.

 

"Let's leave it at that," Seulgi dismissed before coughing. "Jaehyun you're next."

 

"Yep," the latter said as he got up to walk to the front of the room. "I chose to go with a minimalistic concept and keep it black and white," he explained.

 

"An office concept?" Mina asked as she analyzed the images prepared by Jaehyun on the projection screen. "Why?"

 

"I think it’s because we are always in an office that we don’t see its charm but I am sure many people are curious about how it is inside."

 

"Jaehyun," Seulgi said as she scribbled down some notes. "The majority of the population works in some type of office for many different companies. We live in a society where offices are portrayed in every movie, TV show and now even the music industry is catching up with suits and ties. Do you honestly think this concept has something new to offer?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

 

"Hm... no," Jaehyun hesitantly answered.

 

"You don't? I think you do," she assured him. "The problem with your concept is that it's too easy, anyone can do it, it can easily become redundant and monotone. I can already see the headlines: "X Korea is slacking off" or even "X Korea stopped setting the trends", horrible," Seulgi shook her head. "Worse than that, you kept it minimalistic with black and white, that has to be the worst thing you could have ever done as every office is minimalistic: it's like giving me a blank canvas and telling me to imagine what isn’t there. It’s like not doing anything," she coughed again. "Excuse me. Next question, do you think someone who spent 8 hours at work in an office would want to buy our magazine when the first cover is nothing else but another lame office?"

 

"No..." Jaehyun said meekly.

 

"PTSD," Taeyong added as Seulgi gave him a curious look. "It means post-traumatic stress disorder."

 

"I definitely wouldn’t go as far as to say that but," she coughed again. "That’s right, they won’t buy our magazine," she coughed another time. "We could go with this concept but it would be difficult to stand out. Unless you have a quirky and new way to represent your idea Jaehyun, this concept is rejected. Thank you for your time. Does anybody have another idea?"

 

"I don’t think anybody would want to say anything after you destroyed Jaehyun’s idea," Taeyong pointed out.

 

"I didn’t destroy anything. I just said it would be considered if he polished his idea. It just needs some work," Seulgi defended herself. "Anyway, Youngho, Mina, Yuta, do you have anything to say?"

 

"I do," Taeyong said as he raised his hand up with excitement.

 

"When do you not?" Yooah said with an eye roll.

 

"Can I say it? I was thinking of a circus," he said as he ignored Yooah.

 

"Why?" Mina interjected.

 

"Because people are sad," Taeyong shrugged. He cleared his throat and decided to elaborate when he heard Seulgi sigh. "There aren't many circuses nowadays as kids use tablets and have phones or simply study all week at academies so I thought we could make the older generation relive their old memories."

 

"Have you ever been to a circus Taeyong?" Seulgi asked as she took off her glasses. She felt like her head was about to explode.

 

"No. "I wasn’t that interested I guess," he shrugged.

 

"And why is that?"

 

"I suppose I wasn’t into watching professionals do stunts or other stuff, I don’t know."

 

"So you’re saying that it didn’t impress you from what you knew of it," Seulgi reformulated. "Although I wanted to make that clear, it's not that important since, perhaps you didn’t know but the majority of our audience is your age. The people your were talking about represent maybe 3% of our readers. We don’t reach the older generation easily and making a concept just for them would be a suicide. We would kill our own magazine."

 

"Well just that month's issue," Taeyong continued not so confidently.

 

"If you know what a reputation is and the lousy mouths of South Korea's journalists, then you would know that it could kill our magazine," Seulgi coughed. "Excuse me. I don’t know about you but I am not ready to take this responsibility."

 

 

Seulgi fiddled in her bag to grab a candy for the flu that she bought in a hurry during her break at the nearest pharmacy. She then noticed the grim expression of her coworkers.

 

She did it again.

 

 

"If anyone has an idea, it's now or never,” Seulgi smiled. She tried to say it as nicely as she could in her miserable state of a boss with a cold but it didn’t seem to have warmed up anyone in the room. "We can do a brainstorm if you want," she asked to a completely silenced room.

 

She turned to look at Mina who automatically looked down. Then to Yuta who pretended to write something on his notepad. Jaehyun seemed too out of it to even answer, Yooah was still scribbling onto her rejected project and Taeyong was playing with pens while Youngho pretended to be deaf.

 

Seulgi sighed before picking up her bag and coughing.

 

 

"The meeting is dismissed, you are free to return to your desk and do… whatever you have to do," Seulgi said as she got up to leave.

 

"What about the concept?" Taeyong asked her surprised.

 

"I'll come up with something on my own," she answered before closing the door behind her.

 

 

She walked to her office with the sound of her heels clicking on the floor a lot less powerful than usual. Usually, this dry and fierce noise that echoed in the halls were enough to haunt her interns for the rest of the day.

 

This time, Seulgi walked slowly and coughed three or four times before reaching her office. As soon as she did, she took off her heels and wrapped her scarf around her neck and tied her hair in a bun. She glanced to the 17 documents Junmyeon had put on her desk when she was away with a post-it saying: "due for 16th December, thank you :)"

 

Seulgi grimaced as she looked at the calendar. It was due for the day after tomorrow. She let herself fall onto her chair before letting her head rest onto the cold surface of her desk. She was freezing but her cheeks were burning.

 

It was a fever.

 

Just like every time she was sick, Seulgi wondered how come humans evolved to be strong enough to survive many larger and stronger other predators but they couldn't fight a virus.

 

"It'ch cho schmall and yet it can ruin a day," she mumbled as she closed her eyes. She wanted to take a small nap, maybe a few minutes of sleep would help her get through that cold. At least for a few minutes.

 

 

As she started dozing off, Seulgi's phone started buzzing, which made her jolt up and apologize to no one in particular for her lack of professionalism.

 

"Yes, hello?" she said after answering the call.

 

"It's me Baekhyun," the older man greeted. "I wanted to know if you were still coming today."

 

 

Seulgi glanced at the 17 documents laying on her desk, untouched and still as menacing as when she entered her office and then remembered she would have to come up with the new project's concept on her own tonight before sighing deeply.

 

"You promised," Baekhyun reminded her.

 

"I know, I am coming," Seulgi said before letting her head fall onto her desk again. "You have my word."

 

"Perfect, then I will be waiting for you."

 

"Mmh."

 

"Are you sick?"

 

"My voice sounds different right? I thought I was imagining it," Seulgi smiled.

 

"It kinda sounds like you're out of tune with yourself, if that makes sense," Baekhyun tried to explain. "Like a trumpet and a saxophone playing a B at the same time."

 

"I kinda get what you mean without really getting what you mean."

 

"It's not important," he chuckled. "Take care of yourself sweetheart."

 

"I will try to," Seulgi nodded. "I'll see you later."

 

"Bye!"

 

 

Seulgi put a timer on her phone programmed to ring in about fifteen minutes before sighing and coughing at the same time. She closed her eyes and made sure to tightly wrap her scarf around her neck while breathing deeply.

 

"A small nap won't hurt anyone," she mumbled as she drifted to sleep.

 

 

///

 

 

By 18:30, Seulgi was already standing in front of Baekhyun's apartment with some jeans, some comfortable boots and a large hoodie waiting for him to open the door for her.

 

She had brought with her a can of soup and a box of tissue in case her nose started to get runny again as well as a bigger and more comfortable scarf that she had wrapped around her neck.

 

"Oh, you're wearing your glasses," Baekhyun noticed as soon as he opened the door.

 

"Even though I don't look like it, I'm pretty blind without my contacts and my eyes keep tearing up so I needed my glasses," Seulgi explained as she stepped inside Baekhyun's apartment. "So what are we doing?"

 

"Packing."

 

"Packing what?"

 

"I am going to Japan tonight," Baekhyun grinned as he saw Seulgi's face turn even more pale as she already was.

 

"You called me here to pack your bag?" she gaped.

 

"It's going to be fun!" he assured her with a cheeky smile. "If we finish early, we can also watch a movie or something."

 

 

Seulgi wanted to protest and turn back towards the door to leave but she kinda understood what Baekhyun meant when she saw the messy living room with a huge luggage in the middle of the room.

 

 

"You didn't do anything, did you?" she asked him as she mentally imagined all the things she would have to do once she get back home.

 

"Well, I had the intention to do something every day… and somehow the last day came so fast and now I have to leave," Baekhyun awkwardly grinned.

 

Seulgi sighed while letting her can of soup and her box of tissues on the counter.

 

"We're going to be super efficient," she said before taking another candy for her flu.

 

"Yes Ma'am!"

 

 

They then went to the living room to see what Baekhyun had already packed and what was left to do.

 

 

"How long are you planning to stay?" Seulgi asked as she removed the 12 cups of ramen Baekhyun had hid in his luggage.

 

"Two or three weeks," Baekhyun revealed with a pout as she put his ramen aside.

 

"You won't be here for Christmas?" Seulgi asked surprised.

 

"No," he shook his head. "Why are you sad?" Baekhyun grinned.

 

"Well, yes. I thought you were staying at least for Christmas," Seulgi admitted hesitantly.

 

"It's not like we had anything planned," he shrugged. "Right?"

 

"Right," Seulgi nodded.

 

 

She couldn't voice it out but Seulgi found comfort in the idea that Baekhyun wasn't too far in case she needed him. The fact that he was going to be away for almost a month made it seem like she wouldn't be able to reach him if something happened.

 

Reality hit her when she realized what Baekhyun's trip truly meant: he was leaving the same day and she wouldn't be able to see him before next year and it was all so sudden. Seulgi stopped folding his jackets and looked sadly in Baekhyun's direction before sniffling.

 

"What's wrong?" he asked with worry after glancing up.

 

"Can you pass me my box of tissues please?" she said as she pointed at the object on the counter. "You won't come for New Years too?"

 

 

Baekhyun smiled as he understood what was wrong.

 

 

"I am allowed to come back two or three times," he smiled.

 

"But not for Christmas?" she tried.

 

"I can't," Baekhyun answered as he handed Seulgi her tissues.

 

"That's too bad."

 

"For you or for me?"

 

"For the both of us," Seulgi said. "And Chanyeol, and your family, and your dog…"

 

"I am bringing Mongryong with me, have you lost it?" Baekhyun said almost offended she thought he was going to leave him behind.

 

 

Seulgi chuckled before hitting him with his own T-Shirt.

 

 

"Oh thank you I was looking for that," he smiled.

 

"Liar," Seulgi grinned.

 

"We'll be able to finish quickly if we can find enough jeans and T-shirts for fourteen days."

 

"Why fourteen?"

 

" I am going to reuse some of my clothes but I could buy some over there too so and I hate to overpack," Baekhyun explained. "I already can't stand how heavy my luggage is whenever I have to carry it at the airport and how much extra I have to pay because of its weight…"

 

"You can borrow a cart," Seulgi reminded him.

 

"I am talking about its heaviness while pushing the cart."

 

 

Seulgi threw another T-Shirt in Baekhyun's direction.

 

 

"Thank you, I needed that too," he joked.

 

"Some people have real problems, oppa."

 

"Like you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Seulgi could tell he wasn't mocking her but instead asking her what was wrong. "What kind of problem do you have?"

 

"I have a lot of work to do and I am stressed and sick and my coworkers are scared of me because I am too blunt," Seulgi summarized. "Not that I think it's that bad of a problem that they are scared of me but it keeps them from working efficiently."

 

"Why are they scared of you?" Baekhyun chuckled as he couldn't see how anyone could be scared by her. Especially when she had those flushed cheeks and drowsy eyes from being sick.

 

"Because I think objectively and they don't," Seulgi simply said before starting to fold again Baekhyun's jacket. "When they have an idea, they only think of a small portion of this idea and how it seems great to them and not the bigger picture. If they don't want to ask me for advice, it's okay to some point because I don't mind but I wish they would work together. If Jaehyun had asked someone else, he would have probably figured on his own that his idea was underdeveloped and Taeyong… well Taeyong obviously didn't think this through," she thought out loud. "Oppa, do you like circuses?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Really?" she asked dubiously.

 

"I mean, I've never been to one but I think it looks cool from the outside," Baekhyun said. "Sometimes, the image and the aura is enough to captivate people."

 

"I need to go to one," Seulgi finally decided.

 

 

Baekhyun chuckled before patting her head.

 

 

"I love how simple you are," he smiled.

 

"That has to be the first time in my life someone says that," Seulgi confessed with wide eyes. "I am a super complicated woman."

 

Baekhyun laughed again as he listened Seulgi explain how complicated she was. They eventually finished his luggage by 8 o' clock and they had enough time to watch a movie but Baekhyun fell asleep as soon as the intro started. Seulgi used that time to finish a few documents until she would have to wake him up to take his flight around 10 o' clock.

 

 

She received a few texts from her brother who kept asking her why Wendy had already planned their whole wedding two years ago and if it meant that he was late or something.

 

 

She started planning her wedding at the age of 14

9:43 PM

 

 

Seulgi chuckled and left her phone aside as she completed the third document. It didn't take much time for Baekhyun to wake up on his own and to ask her what year it was and if cars could fly yet.

 

 

"I don't think you even slept for two hours," Seulgi chuckled as she watched Baekhyun's groggy face expression and bed hair that he tried to arrange half asleep. She smiled and helped him to fix his hair. "You look like a puppy."

 

"Thank you," Baekhyun mumbled with his eyes half opened. "Is it time yet?"

 

"Yeah, you should get going," she answered after checking the time on her phone.

 

"Alright," he said to encourage himself while Seulgi watched him with a fond smile. "If I miss my flight I might be jobless before the end of the year," Baekhyun half joked.

 

 

She helped him verify that he hadn't forgotten anything and then prepared Mongryong who had to get inside his portable cage.

 

 

"Phone charger?" she asked once again.

 

"Yep," Baekhyun nodded.

 

"Passport?"

 

"I have it."

 

"Meds?"

 

"I don't do drugs."

 

Seulgi hit him playfully.

 

 

"I think I have some vitamin