APRIL 2020

Wheein's alarm clock goes off at exactly 8 am. She took a deep sigh and opened her phone and it's just a string of messages from Hyejin reminding her of their schedule today.

10:00 : STAR Recording booth (Two Girl Love a Man) w/ KYS and IU

13:00 : Good Bye Live Vocals Version (Video) STAR Towers

15:30 : Good Bye promotion streamlining

18:00 : SOAR physical album approval

She's not even thrilled reading her first appointment, Wheein got out of her bed and started getting ready. When she stepped out of the shower, she saw her phone ringing and smiled as soon as she saw the caller ID.

"Hey... Good morning." Wheein answered as she dries her hair and sets her phone on speaker mode.

Okay, I just wanted to check if you're up. I'm already here.

"You're early, but alright, I'm just going to throw in some clothes and I'll be there in 15 minutes."

Drive safely. I'm hungry, hurry up.

Wheein finds herself smiling. "See you." Wheein ended the call and head straight to their favorite breakfast place. She peeks through the glass wall and saw her. 

"Did you order yet?" Wheein asked as she approaches the woman, the other girl shakes her head. "Wait here." Wheein made her way to the counter, she came back with a tray of breakfast meal in hand and a large cup of hot chocolate.

"Ugh thanks..."

"How's your night?"

"Terrible... That's why I decided to see you before going home." Wheein smile and bit her lower lip.

"Well... I'm just starting my day and it's already looking bad, top that." Wheein said as she starts munching her food.

"I'll top you anytime." The woman said with a wink and Wheein almost choke on her food. "Is it really that bad?"

"Just like what I told you before as if we haven't hurt each other enough and then that confrontation happened two weeks ago, it's a wild ride," Wheein said and the woman smiled at her and caress her cheeks.

"You're such a baby, you can do that. Fighting!" The woman said raising her fists up in the air and Wheein smiled. They spend eating their breakfast talking about their day when they finished, the woman head straight home and Wheein drove herself to STAR towers. She reached the building 30 minutes early and saw Hyejin and Byul eating breakfast in the lounge. 

"Wheein! Have breakfast with us!" Hyejin shouted and Wheein shakes her head but approaches the two.

"I already had breakfast, thank you." Byul and Hyejin studied the girl. "Are there staff on the booth now?"

"Jieun's there, you may head straight if you want," Byul said and Wheein nods and left, a little bit too smiley for Byul and Hyejin's expectation. "She looks fine to me... given the circumstances if you know what I mean."

"Hmm..."

"Do you know anything? Looks like you do. Did she tell you what went down in my office two weeks ago?"

"She doesn't talk to me about Yongsun stuff anymore, because I kind of told her I hate hearing her name," Hyejin said and she laughs.

"That backfired terribly..."

"Well, I am so sorry, Byul. I wasn't able to predict that I'll be needing Yong information via Wheein 3 years after." Hyejin said sarcastically. "-and let's just say that Wheein has a companion whom she tells things she can't tell me any more, and I certain she knows about Yong stuff now."

"Huh? A what now?"

"She had breakfast before going to work? That's not very Wheein don't you think? She met her, and told her Yong stuff maybe nights prior." Hyejin said and Byul still not getting it. "My gosh-her buddy. She tells stuff to her."

"Wheein got what now?! Why I didn't know any of this?"

"Well, hate to break this up to you but since you sided with Yongrat, you lost the entitlement to know things about Wheein."

"I'm her boss!"

"Exactly, and she wants to keep it that way... professionally," Hyejin said and Byul took a deep sigh.

"Do I know her? The buddy? Oh god-"

"Don't pretend Yong's squeaky clean. I don't know if you know her, come here I'll show you." Hyejin said and Byul scoots closer to her. Hyejin pulled her phone and feed Byul everything she has to know.

Wheein made her way to the booth and found Jieun in the waiting room. "Jung Wheein?!"

"Why you always call me by my full name?" Wheein smiled as she walks towards the girl and she gave Jieun a hug.

"I don't know, you're name's cute." Wheein smiled and took the seat next to her.

"Okay... Lee Jieun." Jieun giggled and took out her phone.

"Are you here to oversee the recording?" Jieun asked and Wheein nods. "Also, belated Happy Birthday."

"Aww, thank you. My solo release is on a tight schedule that's why I really don't have anything for my birthday, and then this project so..."

"You sound pretty busy-"

"Ms. Lee, Ms. Jung." a young intern approaches Wheein and IU and the girl is red in the face looking so nervous when the two singers find her standing behind them.

"It's okay, we don't bite," Jieun said and the girl smiled.

"Unless you're into that, that can be arranged," Wheein said and Jieun slapped her arms. "I'm kidding. Yes? Do you need anything? What's your name?"

"I'm Min, and uhh the staff asked me to get you two. The booth's ready to record your part, Ms. Lee." Min explained and Wheein and Jieun stood up and followed the intern. Before Jieun entered the booth, Wheein sends her a piece of good luck and followed Min on the other side.

"Uhm... Min? I'm kind of on a tight schedule today, can you check the other one? Is she on her way?" Wheein asked stripping off her coat and throwing it across a vacant chair before busying herself with the control board.

"The other one?"

"Yongsun..."

"Oh? Well, she's due here any minute," Min stated looking over the schedule on her phone, double-checking just in case.

"That means she will be here in twenty," Wheein informed her without making eye contact and settled on her seat by the desk, then she asked Jieun if she's comfortable through the glass partition.

"Excuse me?" Min asked and Wheein looked at her. "I didn't get what you just said."

"What I'm trying to say is that if she is supposed to be here now, then she won't show up for at least fifteen minutes with the maximum being thirty minutes. She has to be fashionably late to make an entrance but not glaringly late to be viewed as unprofessional." Wheein spins her chair, looked at the intern straight in the eyes, and crossed her arms, as the other staff inside the booth smiled as they watch the interaction and how accurately Wheein described the actress."Because of all the words, you could use to describe her, Kim Yongsun is anything but unprofessional."

"You have worked with her before, then?"

"Professionally? No." Wheein ended the conversation and started adjusting the settings and gave Jieun a thumbs up.

"Uhm... Ms. Jung? If you haven't worked with her, you must have heard what she is like then, to know all of that." Min continued asking a question, gaining the infamous dropped brow glare from Professional!Wheein. "I'm only asking because I'm a fan of hers. Then again, who isn't right now? I mean, She won a handful of Awards and 5 of those are Daesangs for TV. Now with her recording a song, even if its just for a drama..." Min sighed in her adoration. "She's just an inspiration of talent."

Jung Wheein smiled away her laughter but nodded her head. "Always has been." Wheein was about to play the track for Jieun when she looked at Min again. "Tell you what, why don't you head down and her up. Give you some time to tell her how much you admire her. I am sure she would love to hear it." Min face lit up, she bowed her head before exiting the booth in a hurry. Wheein shakes her head and starts working with Jieun.

Min waited on the parking and as soon as Yongsun's car stopped, she literally ran to the car, literally threw herself on the incoming car lmao, beating the driver to open the door for Yong. "Ms. Kim, it is an honor to meet you. I mean, a true honor. My name is Joon Minsoo I am STAR Records intern. I will be escorting you up to the studio."

Yongsun smiled lightly in amusement as she exited the car, "Hi, nice to meet you, Minsoo," She followed the nervous girl into the building. "May I ask you a question?"

Min's eyes widened in surprise and overwhelming joy when her idol grabbed her arm to stop her from entering the elevator. "Of course! Anything!"

Maybe just a little too eager for Yong's taste. "Who's already in?"

"What?" Min did a double-take and tried her best to answer. "Oh, everyone."

"-and? Everyone is who? I need names."

"The staff is all there, Ms. Lee's on the booth, and Ms. Jung already started overseeing Ms. Lee's recording," Min explained and Yongsun gave her a smile.

"Is she pleasant?"

"Who?"

"Wheein? How is she this morning?"

Min hesitated, looking around, but couldn't refuse the actress's request, her idol. "To be honest with you, I have just started working for STAR recently. From what I have observed she simply likes things to run smoothly, and fast, her schedule is pretty tight. She checked everything as soon as she entered the studio. She's a musical prodigy, that I can say confidently."

"She's professional." Yongsun clarified for herself. "That is a quality I can appreciate." And be thankful for, hopefully, it would carry her through this today. 

"She said as much."

"What do you mean?" Yong asked finally allowing them to enter the elevator.

"She somehow accurately predicted that you would be between fifteen and thirty minutes late as to make an entrance without seeming unprofessional." The A-list actress huffed a laugh at her predictability. It was strange to have someone who knows her so well to be involved in her career, Byul's an exemption tho. Wheein and her might have a history together but they never work hand in hand professionally. But today, Wheein has to work with her first hand in this project. Unlike the first time where Wheein just sang an OST on her first-ever drama series."She seems to be a good read of character."

Yongsun shook her head. "Not really. She just knows me better than I thought she did... she hasn't forgotten me yet... completely." She muttered the last part to herself as the elevator reached the Studio's floor.

Her eyes instantly scanned the room for Wheein as they came in, she saw Jieun inside the booth and smiled. "Can I take your coat?" Min said and Yongsun ed her coat and handed it to the young girl as her eyes fixed on Wheein just over the intern's shoulder. She was sitting with her back to Yongsun, headset on her ear, she hasn't noticed Yong's presence yet. Kim Yongsun found herself silently wishing Wheein would turn so she could see her face. It had been so long. 2 weeks to be exact, she's ready to be looked at this time, without the tears and all. She intentionally showed up looking as magnificent as ever to the studio today, hope it pays off.

As if Wheein heard the actress's plea, Wheein turned to point out that the Aircondition unit is loud and asked one of the staff to adjust the settings so it wouldn't be humming, and then her eyes caught Yongsun on the couch sitting. As if she saw nothing especial, Wheein went back to her work and gave a few instructions to Jieun.

Yongsun sighed in her seat and waited, after at least 20 minutes or so she heard Wheein talk over the microphone. "Alright, all your parts are done, except for those parts that need to be recorded together, thank you, Jieun," Wheein said and she waited for the girl to exit the booth. "-or are you ready to record the mixed vocals now? You need a break?"

"Not really, I think I can record it now." Jieun confirmed and Wheein nod and smiled in agreement. 

"Okay, you can step back in," Wheein said and Jieun did as she throws a little wave on Yong's direction, Yongsun stood up and waved back. Then she slowly took small steps forward towards Wheein's direction. Wheein looked at her, full-on poker face. "You may join Jieun inside, thank you." the coldest words, sting like a . Yongsun pouted and entered the booth, Jieun greeted her and they exchanged a hug. "Okay, whenever you're ready..." Wheein said and Jieun gave her an okay sign, Yong did the same.

Wheein started playing the track, cold stare. What Yongsun didn't know, Wheein's hands on the control panels we're