Jaera likes to believe that she’s not overthinking, but she so totally is.

She has always been a little bit like this, from the early days of preschool where she would switch from ponytails to pigtails to having her hair down, all in fear of being either too fancy or too plain; up until high school where a stranger saying hi would have her thinking about it for the next few days.

Texts sent to people who aren’t family or close friends used to take forever to craft, in fear of being too dull or overly enthusiastic. She has always been a tiny bit apprehensive about talking to teachers or seniors in school unless she has known them for quite some time, not wanting to look rude in any way. Her response to a boy who told her ‘I like you’ was ‘What do you mean by that?’

But that’s all in the past. She’s much better now.

Now, as an adult, it’s safe to say that a lot of her time is spent thinking about whether she looks presentable or not, if the button of her skirt is sewn on tightly enough, if the reply to her texts sound slightly passive aggressive. Some people have told her before that she is just overthinking. Their words had only left her thinking for the longest time— and she had resolved to working on thinking less.

Sometimes it isn’t even about her being insecure or nervous, it is mere habit to go on lost in her thoughts for long periods of time.

Jaera reminds herself of her resolve with a deep breath as she stares at the tall building in front of her. Don’t think too much, enjoy your internship. Gain some experience, make new friends. All is easier said than done.

Adjusting the strap of her bag, she strides confidently towards the front doors. The sound of her heels clacking against the tiled floor is sort of loud, but she won’t let that worry her. She won’t check if other people are staring. There shouldn’t be too many people anyway, since she is so early.

“Park Jaera?”

She flinches when she hears her name. Maybe the clacking of her heels was too annoying, and someone called her out. That person must have good eyesight though, if he is able to read her nametag from such a distance.

“Jaera? From Chungdam High School?” the man calls out again. Did she get herself a stalker on her first day here already?

She turns around, ready to politely tell the intruder to back off, but the words die in at the sight of the handsome man in front of her. She dips into a low bow as her heart beats erratically in her chest. “Oh? Sunbae!”

The man standing right before her is the one and only Kim Junmyeon. He is one year older than her, and is an ex-student of Chungdam High School as well. He is fresh in her mind, as if the both of them are still in high school.

Jaera thanks the heavens for the luck they have bestowed upon her that he actually noticed her here. A thought creeps into her head. What if it wasn’t sheer luck, but-

“Ohmygosh were my high heels too loud? I knew I shouldn’t have worn them today,” Jaera starts to ramble. “You probably heard me from far away, and it was pure coincidence that it was me. And I was rude, wasn’t I? When you called my name the first time and I didn’t even acknowledge you.”

Junmyeon blinks once, and then twice, before chuckling lightly. God, he’s still as handsome as before.

“Your shoes are fine,” he says, glancing at her black heels. She can feel herself blushing. “You look fine. And don’t worry, this is a really great company. How long have you been interning here? Wow, it’s been so many years since I’ve last seen you.”

“I graduated quite recently and this is my first day, actually. My only experience was working at a small firm during my last year of university but they really only let me do menial work.”

He nods. “Kim Corps is a bigger firm so they let the interns do some projects. I graduated a year early and started working here ever since.”

Junmyeon has always been smart since high school, so it isn’t much of a surprise that he already has a job right after graduating. She really wants to do the same. “That’s actually very cool.”

“Thank you.” A small smile blossoms on his face at her compliment. “So, you should be heading to the first floor, no? C’mon, we can walk together.”

Jaera makes sure to take extra care to walk slower so that she doesn’t make too much noise. So, she ends up walking more behind him than beside him. It doesn’t seem too bad, since she can finally drink in his appearance without looking like a creep. His shoulders look broad in his white shirt, and his hair is pushed back in such a way that makes him look way more mature than she remembers.

They are the only ones in the elevator, so she feels obliged to make conversation. Even though they were never that close, it is better than standing in awkward silence.

She watches as he presses the buttons for the first and second floor. “What luck, huh? I didn’t imagine bumping into you here at my first day, sunbae. I’m surprised you even remember my name. Not that you’re forgetful or anything, it’s just- yeah.”

“Of course I remember. We were both in the Art Club, and you were the president after my year. You played volleyball too, right? I had a close friend on the team, so I watched a few games.”

“Ah.” She clutches the strap of her bag tighter. “That’s right.”

The elevator bell dings and the doors open. Junmyeon smiles at her. “This is your stop. It was nice seeing a familiar face after so long. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, okay?”

She nods. “It was nice seeing you too, sunbae.”

Jaera waits for the elevator doors to close before allowing herself some time to process what on earth had just happened. The erratic beating of her heart returns. She should’ve known he was here! Then she could’ve been more composed, more prepared to see the face of the boy she had a crush on for way too long.

Yes, she had fallen for the nice and handsome senior back in high school, and judging by her current reaction, her feelings for him are reappearing slowly. She reminds herself not to scream, because it is a professional workplace and she has to act professionally.

“Hello, are you an intern here?” A lady who looks around Jaera’s age approaches her, interrupting her inner ramblings.

“Yes, I am.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Yerim. Studied in the University of California, but my parents wanted me to come back and work in Korea, so I…”

This Yerim girl seems like she’s going to be talking for quite a while, so Jaera goes back to thinking. She has already perfected the art of smiling while internally drifting away, so it is a piece of cake.

Back to how she should have known about Junmyeon working here. She could have worn quieter heels, a nicer blouse like Yerim’s, maybe done her hair in a sleek ponytail. But then again, would it make it seem like she was trying too hard? However, some people liked to see effort, especially from interns. All she knew was that she wouldn’t have been so flustered if she had known that Kim Junmyeon was working at this very building.

Jaera was only friends with him on Facebook, and who actually posted anything on there anyway? Their senior-junior relationship wasn’t close enough for her to work up the nerve to follow him on Instagram, or more accurately, request to follow his account. He had his account set on private, so even if he had posted anything to show that he was working here, she wouldn’t have known.

Deep breaths, deep breaths. It is obvious to her that he is no longer that funny guy with the boyish smile and playful demeanor. Kim Junmyeon is a professional in an architecture and design firm. She should let go of her crush that should’ve died ages ago (it’s been at least three years), and start working on herself. Yes, that’s right.

“…and that’s how I ended up here. Sorry for talking so much. I’m a bit nervous so everything just came out.”

“That’s a— that sounds really interesting, actually.”

“You could say that,” Yerim chuckles. “But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go around telling everyone about this. I can’t handle too much attention.”

Jaera nods slowly. She doesn’t understand a word she’s saying. “I won’t. In fact, I’ll just forget this conversation even happened.”

Yerim beams. “So where are you from? Was that elevator guy your senior from university? I heard you talking.”<