CHAPTER FIVE

Reprise

As she is arranging a copy of her portfolio for one final time, Shinyoung’s head bobs to the music that has been playing on her phone. She can easily do it in the comfort of her apartment with the same music blasts loudly but for no special reason, she chose to spend her Friday late morning in the typical outdoor study area. Students will walk by, eyeing strangely at her decision to be out in the chilly atmosphere than any other warm indoors.

However, she does have a reason to stay there. She figures it is uncanny to keep a hostile treatment to someone who does not deserve it. Frankly speaking, it was her fault so there she is, waiting to catch a glimpse of Jeon Wonwoo to swing by. From what she recalls, there is no other way to the library aside from the path that she can see from her picnic table.

An hour flies swiftly and Shinyoung gets a glance of the time on her phone. He should be walking by any minute now yet that does not seem to be the case. Maybe she miscalculated his afternoon shift? But that is what Seungcheol told her on the day before. He might be running late from his workplace, she guesses. Once a minute ticks by, she packs her things and hesitantly makes her leave.

While waiting for the bus, the girl still hopes to bump into the boy. This is causing her anxiety to gradually pop in and it does not help that she is heading to catch the bus – a bus which will make a stop a couple of metres away from her potential workplace, Silverlight Entertainment. Sadly, Wonwoo never shows up the whole time.

“Is this even right?” Shinyoung cranes her head upwards. Her eyes shoot higher beyond the height of the tall building. Of course, it is right. She is simply delaying precious times to make a step into the place. As always, there are people looking at her direction. They are mostly workers who pile out of SLE for lunch. There is a cafeteria in there yet with a huge number of workers, there is barely enough space to provide for everyone.

When she finally stands in the middle of the lobby, she halts again with her hands tightly clutch on the brown envelope which contains the necessary documents. In the back of her mind, Jihoon’s voice rings positively, and she remembers Jungkook and Seungcheol’s assuring smile. A beat after, Eunkwang’s face resides in her mind – a visual of the night of the unfortunate accident. She winces a little at the thought.

Shinyoung is only a metre away from the receptionist counter. A silver-coloured sign is in sight. It wrote ‘Seo Jisoo’, probably the person’s name behind the counter. She appears preoccupied on the monitor on her side. The bustling atmosphere does not ease her wired mind and she takes a quick scan around the place. She steadies her breathing and closes her eyes briefly.

“Maybe this is not a good idea.” She uttered to no one in particular before she spins on her heels quickly. Before she can register fully to her surroundings, her foot stumbles upon a janitor’s mop and pushes the bucket of dirty water as to break the fall. Unfortunately, it makes the situation a lot worse because water spills out and her envelope lands conveniently on the puddle of water.

“Miss, are you alright?” The janitor voiced her concern as soon as everything stops. She was not expecting that to happen yet she feels ultimately sorry for Shinyoung’s situation. She hisses a little as she bites her lips to suppress the actual pain creeping on her elbow. The day cannot get any worse than that, can it? She ponders. That thought came before her eyes find her soaked portfolio. She figured it was a terrible idea to bring her ring file and her hypothesis is painfully real.

“Here,” Another voice joins in her embarrassment before she gladly accepts the help. In a dejected manner, Shinyoung retrieves the damp documents and glares on the useless object for a good thirty seconds before she hears her helper calling her name.

Wait. His voice sounds familiar. And who in Silverlight Entertainment would know her name when it is her first time there? Gazing up from her envelope, her eyes widen in genuine shock and the other meekly waves. How did she manage to dismiss this recognisable voice a minute ago? There is nowhere to run now.

But must it be Min Yoongi who catches that embarrassing moment? Apparently, there is no for an answer to that question. If there is a yes to that, it consists of dashing out of the building, saving her life from the humiliation she is experiencing. Running away nonetheless sounds impossible when he continues.

“Oh, we might want to get you out of here. Come on. I’ll order a delivery,” Yoongi kindly offered as he gently looks at her glum self. He wants to laugh, just a little, at the image he is seeing. The visual in his mind appears to play a tape from the past. It is a blurry vision of their first meeting when she came to Rose Quartz and Serenity Production. Humorously, it was almost similar to this.

Their First Meeting in RQS Production…

About four years ago, the students of Seoul Institute of Arts especially the performing arts students were scattered every inch of the campus grounds. The crowded and stuffy area were also translated well into another familiar studio located a distance away from the university. Bursting into the meeting room of RQS Studio was Yoongi himself and the first thing he heard was Jo Jinho holding in his laugh in front of the director during that time, Lim Hyunsik.

“What happened to you? Got chased by a dog?” Kim Namjoon, a well-acquainted sophomore of the same institution playfully remarked and Kim Taehyung who was a freshman at the time tried hard not to burst his laughter. “I forgot we are having a meeting today. Sorry, Hyunsik,