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Kyung Mi dug her index finger on Rara’s hips, making Rara jerk forward. Eyebrows furrowing, Rara looked at Kyung Mi viciously. “What the hell was that for?!”

“Stand straight, idiot.” Kyung Mi spat sternly. “Stop slouching. You’re tall. Show it.”

Rolling her eyes, Rara stood with one leg, disobeying Kyung Mi’s orders. “Seriously.” She muttered under her breath.

“No, really, Rara. Stop sulking.” Shinae reprimanded. “You look like some grumpy receptionist with that kind of posture.” She gently pushed back Rara’s shoulders to keep her from hunching her shoulders. “Chest out, hun.” Tired of being treated like a little kid, Rara finally abided both her best friends and stood properly.

Shinae looked at her from head to toe. “That’s how you do it with that outfit. Gone is the wench of receptionist you looked like earlier—slay it like a y secretary.”

“I could throw in a leather jac—”

“No, you absolutely cannot,” Kyung Mi snatched the blazer that’s laying on one of the chairs inside Rara’s room. “you should wear this blazer to complete the ensemble. You’re not meeting mafias; you’re meeting professional businessmen.”

Rara scoffed but there was a smile on her face because of the mafia reference. “Whatever.” Rara looked at herself in the mirror, and there she was. She was so used to seeing herself in skinny jeans, in sweat pants, that the sight of her in a tight, long-sleeved, midnight blue dress that ranged just above her knee was too ‘un-Rara’ for her liking. Too feminine. Too showy, as it gave the rest of the world a clear view of her collar bones; something she didn’t like too much about herself because it made her look bony.

Rara shook her head as she recalled the weekend. It was Monday and she was again, in front of the mirror. She was in her room, looking at her reflection. Minhee informed Rara that Baekhyun was still getting ready and will just be down to fetch her in a few.

She grabbed the high stool and crossed her legs, silencing her brain from other thoughts that were not in relation to her thesis. She tied her hair into a ponytail, which was something she didn’t do all the time. She always liked it tied in a bun but because her neurons were in a hurry to send messages about chemical pathways and processes rather than sending signals to style her hair into a neat bun, she didn’t bother thinking about tying it into a bun. She fiddled with her fingers as she whispered whatnot under her breath.

Baekhyun silently opened the door, finding Rara absorbed in her self-study. He was quite stupefied by the rare sight of his artist in a dress and a ponytail. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as he observed her while she was out in space. No doubt, Rara was an attractive girl. She wasn’t the type to give you butterflies in your stomach, she was the type that just sent you flying towards her because of that magnetic field that seemed to surround her. He leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed with a constant smirk on his face.

Forgetting something, Rara snapped her fingers endlessly. “...the process by which living plants are used to clean up the air, water, and soil contaminants is called...called...” Rara shut her eyes hard, trying to extract the depths of her brain.

“Phytoremediation.” Baekhyun answered for her.

Surprised, Rara gaped at him. “Wait, how long have you been standing there?”

“For a while.” He grinned. “Long enough to enjoy the sight of you out i