“Thank you,” Taeyeon immediately stretched her hand to grab the mug with the ginger tea from Krystal, “Lemon?”

“A lot.”

“You’re the best!”

“Of course, I am!” she took the place next to her best friend, slipping under the big blanket they brought to the living room, “Lee Taeyeon, I’m really worried about you.”

“Don’t. I will be fine.. I was by myself back then in London.”

Krystal sighed again, sometimes her best friend is harder than solid rock, “You sure you don’t want me to help you looking for a new place? That would be, you know.., less handful!”

“I’ll graduate by October, Krystal, remember? It’s less than ten months. That’s even harder to find the lease with such strange period.”

“But you’ll slowly kill yourself paying the rent only with single income!”

“That’s why I took the offer of the private lesson, Princess. They pay more and the schedule is more manageable. I can squeeze some between the internship.”

“Now I know where your mother got her hypertension from! Why don’t just taking a new roommate then?”

“How long have you been friend with me? I’m not the kind of person who likes to share my personal space with stranger.”

“Personal space my foot! You were a barista before! And now working as an intern and teacher. They’re all strangers and didn’t do any harm to you. Stop being so stubborn for once!”

“Ha. You got me there,” she sipped her tea, inhaling the relaxing scent of ginger from the cup, “it’s just moving out will take more efforts and getting a new person to sign the contract requires too much concern from me. I have no more sense to deal with that. Everything’s just too overwhelmed at the moment.”

Krystal cocked her head to the side just to find Taeyeon longing forlornly to the still TV before them, she knew this would happened sooner or later, “Your Mom called again?”

“No. But my brother did.”

“Which one?”

“The older one. He insisted to have some brother sister quality time.”

“Weird.”

“I know right? As if we do have something to really talk about.”

“Maybe he just wanted to, ummm, you know, getting along with you again.”

“That’s probably true,” Taeyeon gulped down the remaining liquid inside her cup, “When you left, no more tea, no more grill cheese, no more spaghetti carbonara. I will definitely miss you, My Princess.”

“Don’t make me cry, you brat! That’s why you need to get a man to cook for you!!”

“I don’t see the correlation between my obsession with your food and a date?!”

“They won’t allow you to touch the kitchen. Dinner would be served under your nose every night. You’d practically live as a queen!”

“Honey, not everyone’s lucky enough to date someone like your ex. And with such luck like mine, it would be more than impossible.”

“See?! This is why you’re not getting anywhere with your love life!” Krystal adjusted her position, now hugging both her folded knees, “Oh oh! What about this guy you’ve kept telling me looks like a model in disguise?”

“Not sure. It was just stupid crush anyway. Besides, he doesn’t seem aware that I sat less than five meters than him every single day.”

“Because you just sit there mind your own business both ears deafen by those tones you shuffled on your iPod!”

“Did you forget that I’m an intern? I’m supposed to mind my own business! It’s not even three weeks and I’m already tired of this stupid internship. I applied as a designer. Not a ing secretary!”

She started questioning her worth in the company, lately. It’s okay to be asked to copy some stuff or print some drawing when your superior needed it for some meetings. But to be messenger? Delivering some document to the structural team? Go to Jinki’s room to take some files just because Minho’s too occupied with those endless calls? Not to mention the previous day, she spent the whole afternoon translating some contract because the construction company’s not aware with all those English term.

Whenever she asked to Minho is there anything she could help after she finished her tasks, he immediately told her to ask Suho or Hyungsik if they needed some support on their on-going projects.

“Everyone needs baby step, Taeyeon. They might be unaware of your great potential right now, but wait a little bit more, they’d be so surprised when they realized what this tiny limb can do.”

“I wish you’d stay here forever, Jung Soojung.”

“Me too, Baby. But this way we will thrive, won’t we?”

Krystal wrapped her hands over Taeyeon’s which the latter can only smile upon it, being grateful for such an understanding friend likes her.

***

Day 16.

“Morning, Lee Taeyeon.”

“Oh, hi! Good morning, Changmin.”

“Eeyy, I told you to call me Max, didn’t I?”

“Ugh, yeah,” Taeyeon bit her lower lips, making the heart of man before her skipped a beat, “But that would remind me to my grandfather’s Siberian Husky, so, I prefer to call you by Changmin if that’s okay?”

“He’s such a good puppy as well, Taeyeon. You can call him Max, don’t worry!” Hyungsik walked passed both of them from the pantry, winked toward her and messed with Changmin’s hair before he slummed on his chair.

“Don’t listen to him, so how are you?”

“What do you mean you cannot pick the sample? I would leave it in the showroom and not waste my time drive all the way to take it out last night if you’re not going to come here!”

Minho just arrived at the office and his loud voice already threatening, making both Taeyeon and Changmin gulped some invisible rice ball to ease themselves from the tense spread by his presence. Seeing Taeyeon suddenly getting anxious, he snapped his finger in front of her face, bringing her back to earth then signaling her to follow him to the pantry which she nodded right away.

“I can’t, Kibum. I have some issues with the construction permit on the new annex building project near Itaewon. I’m going to check the stuff with Suho after lunch.”

“I’m waiting for some painting deals today, I cannot leave my laptop.”

“Then pick it tomorrow.”

“You know I need it today. Why Jinki had to be abroad at this time??!”

“Do I look like his personal assistant to you?” Minho clutching his phone with his shoulder while rummaging his bag to find his agenda, “Why is it so important anyway? The opening day is not in the next two weeks.”

“No, but I need it today to match it with other’s stuff. The art director is stopping by at the company dinner. If they’re okay with the sample, then I can save one week to prepare the press.”

“But I can’t cancel the meeting. Jinki will kill me. You know him yourself!” Minho moved to Hyungsik table to check the design report he’s doing, he turned to his right and saw Taeyeon’s laptop, “I might be able to save your day. I’ll call you later.”

“So, what time we’re leaving?” Suho approaching him with some paper he just got from Kyuhyun.

“We’re leaving before lunch but please make sure Jonghyun had seen the draft and would be available for a call around 3,” he then pointed Taeyeon’s desk, “Where’s she?”

“I’m sorry to say, but Changmin’s kind of faster than you. Coffee break couldn’t be more heart-warming for him now.”

“Is he serious?” Minho lowered his voice and glanced at Hyungsik a little bit too often, as if what he’s about to discuss is a huge secret.

Suho’s a bit taken aback with the question, “Are you being real? Am I hearing it correctly?”

Dumbfounded with the responds, Minho threw his curiosity away and returned to his computer. But Suho is not buying it, he entailed closely to Minho’s side to ask for some further explanation.

“Why are you following me?”

“Because I care about you and I don’t think you’re well enough today. You need something? Or maybe some rest?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not sick, you idiot.”

“Then how come, The Almighty, the one who only had interest on his own issues actually had some eyes and ears on others?” Minho’s about to spit his counter attack but Suho clenched his teeth signaling him that he’s not even close to finish, “Changmin is Changmin, he would still be like that even if his girlfriend sits just across the table and that doesn’t mean anything. The problem here is my friend, you’re concern a bit too much. And coming from you, that’s actually something.”

“The hell. I’m just being sarcastic trying to complain how on earth he’s neglecting his work and even worst taking my intern with him.”

“My intern?”

“Well,” Suho cannot help but smirking looking at flustered Minho, “She’s in my team and she supposed to finish the work I assigned her. I have the right to complain.”

“You’re seriously giving me bull at this hour? She finished the works from you since two days ago. You didn’t even try to look how miserable her face was while she’s asking me and Hyungsik if she could help with anything because you’re busy being an and now you’re telling me she’s wasting your time? You’re the one who wasting her time. Man up, Dude.”