A flurry of clicks emanated from long, thin fingers typing on a keyboard. The pace they were moving at hinted at a sense of urgency. Normally, she would be going about this task at a more relaxed pace at home, but the sudden news of a VIP guest checking in that very afternoon sent her thoughts and normally calm mindset into a commotion. 

She was given a name. A name, and nothing else. 

“Mimi, are you busy?” The manager had asked with an almost desperate expression on her face. 

Her face was quick to match that of her superior, though she made an effort to sound collected so as to soothe the other woman. “No, what’s the matter?”

“There’s an extremely important guest from China coming in a few hours. A celebrity, I guess. I don’t know who he is.” The manager ran a hand over the top of her head in distress. “His company switched his reservation from somewhere else to here last minute.

She nodded. 

“I would ask Kim, but she called in sick this morning. So please, just attend to him until Kim comes back.”

“Do you have a name?” She asked with her brows knitted in a concerned manner. 

“Huang Zitao.”

It had been almost an hour since the conversation, and she just now had the time to research who the guest was. 

“Wait, EXO?” She asked herself.

There was no one else around to see her pondering, looking at one of the front desk computers. The first result from Google was a Wikipedia article, which quickly told her that Zitao, was formerly a member of the popular boy band. And while she herself didn't pay much attention to the Korean music industry, she definitely knew of them.

She let out a sound of disbelief. “No kidding. Xiao Mi would probably scream.” 

As much as she would love to divulge the fact that a former member of EXO was going to be staying at her hotel to her K-Pop obsessed cousin, she was not allowed to talk about VIP clients. She also thought that he would want to be left alone and treated like a normal person with privacy. After closing her search tab, she took a deep breath.

No use in freaking out now. 

It was a scramble to get everything ready after her basic research. From securing the best suite on the top floor, to personally delivering a bottle of their best champagne with a card she hand wrote herself, her thoughts were going a hundred miles an hour. The most she had ever done in terms of celebrity clients was helping her co-worker Kim with a few errands. She had too little experience to personally attend to them. However, in her opinion, there was nothing like hitting the ground running. 

Before she knew it, her manager came in through the front entrance and waved at her to come outside. “Mimi, he’s here!”

With a few deep breaths, she smoothed out her blazer and made her way outside. 

A rather normal van pulled up to the entrance almost as soon as she got there. There were a couple of staff members that came out first, and whom she assumed was the manager from the passenger seat. She tilted her head a little, her curiosity getting the better of her as she tried to get a peek of the male superstar. When everyone had exited the van, he came out last. 

His clothes looked normal, no especially bright colors, though she had no doubt the were worth more than a month’s wages. He was much taller than she was, and his face -- if she were to be honest with herself, she wished she could have looked at his face longer. The pictures online didn’t do him justice. 

“Mr. Huang, this is Mimi Zhou. She will be your personal concierge until our other employee returns.”

At her manager’s words, she snapped herself back to reality and was quick to turn to the male and bow. “Hello Mr. Huang. If there is anything I can assist with or do for you to make your stay more comfortable, please do not hesitate to ask.”

There was a hint of interest in his eyes, and perhaps a bit of relief. “You speak Mandarin, jiejie?”

She offered a cordial, sincere smile. “Yes. My parents are from Suzhou.” Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, she clasped her hands in front of her. “But you’re actually older than me. So please feel free to just call me Mimi.”

He nodded in return with a short smile. “Please take care of me.” 

It was practically fleeting, not dramatically slow like in the movies, but it was amicable. Genuine. So genuine, that it was enough to catch her off guard. She might have unfairly assumed he would be more aloof considering his status. 

Walking inside, she walked behind him and his team as her manager led everyone to the room on the top floor. It was a spacious, multi-room penthouse that offered a beautiful view of the city. 

He set down his bags with his eyes wide, running to the tall windows that faced the city’s skyline. “Gege, we’re so high up!” 

His manager grinned. “It’s been a while since he’s been able to come to Los Angeles. And he hasn’t stayed in a suite this good of a view. Thank you for being able to get this together for us on such short notice.”

“It’s no problem on our part. We’re lucky to have very hard working employees to make it happen.” Her manager smiled proudly. “Well, we’ll take our leave so you can settle in. If there’s anything we can do for you, please don’t hesitate to call us at the front desk.” 

Following suit, she smiled and offered another bow. “I’ve had some champagne brought up for Mr. Huang. Please do enjoy.”

“Wait!” She heard his voice call out as she was about to leave. Before she could ask what was the matter, he slipped a twenty dollar bill into her hand and smiled. “Thank you for the champagne.” 

Shocked, all she could do was muster her best, friendly nod before exiting the suite. Even as she entered the elevator, she was still processing it all, staring at the money in her hand.