hwasa headed for the elevator with soojin to go to the cafe on the first floor.

"so you're her new manager?"

"yes."

"i know you though, from that last season of masterchef. you really deserved to be the champion. i supported you all the time."

"thank you."

"no offense but you don't seem like a person who would try to do something stupid behind her friend's back. it's surprising."

soojin's puffy eyes was widened by those words. she looked at hwasa and hwasa was looking straight ahead. the elevator ringed and opened. as they walked into it, soojin finally managed to speak.

"i-i had my reasons."

hwasa pushed the button and turned to soojin.

"and i imagined you would have. now tell me those reasons? is it about her father?"

"do you know?"

"do i know what? i mean i heard that their relationship may not be good recently. the company rejected to help us. so maybe you-"

"no! i have nothing to do with that. i don't know much either. she doesn't talk to me about that. i didn't answer the calls because i... i wanted her to... to take some time for herself. yeah, she needs to rest and, and... i don't want her to get hurt."

"get hurt?"

"when i worked with a magazine, i got a lot of hate comments and death threats just because i mentioned my ideal type as a person rather than a man in the interview."

"are you serious?"

"yeah but it wasn't too much. but miyeon and her family are so famous, so even a small mistake can lead big consequences."

"okay, i got it. but still, it's not up to you, don't you think so? this is not the right way of looking after your friend."

soojin looked at the led display above the door. as it hit the number one, the elevator ringed and opened again.

***

yuqi stopped shuhua talking when she got a headache.

"shuhua, why don't we take a little break?"

"we've been talking for only three minutes? but that's okay." she got up from her seat, "let's go to the cafe then, what do you say?"

"sure. but it's not three minutes..."

yuqi left her bag there and only took her phone. shuhua did the same and was right behind her. just when yuqi walked out of the office, soyeon appeared out of nowhere, making her stopped suddenly. then shuhua bumped yuqi, and yuqi unavoidably fell on soyeon's arms. she gathered herself immediately and apologized.

"sorry, i-"

she was speechless for a moment. after the last night, everything was so strange for her. even soyeon was like a whole different person now. she wanted to take a photo of this moment. the lights were brushing soyeon's features, making a cozy atmosphere. she wished her eyes were a camera so when she blinked she could take a photo of her. but suddenly she felt dizzy and sick.

shuhua hold her as she looked so weak, "yuqi? yuqi, are you okay?"

"no i'm not... i think i'm gonna throw up."

yuqi gagged, ran to the corner and threw up into the flowerpot. then she sat there.

"now i'm okay."

soyeon didn't even move and her facial expression was still the same as when she came. she turned shuhua, "shuhua, fashion closet! you take her, i'll call minnie."

"what's going on?" lucas came, worried.

yuqi stood up, holding shuhua. "don't worry, i'm okay."

"it's okay, lucas. we're taking care of her." shuhua said and helped yuqi walking.

before lucas could say something, shuhua headed with yuqi to the closet. soyeon quickly asked lucas if he knew where minnie was.

"in hwasa's office and-"

"okay."

soyeon didn't listen to the rest and rushed to the office. she saw her sitting on the red couch with miyeon but entered in anyway.

"minnie, fashion closet!"

minnie turned her behind and saw soyeon's serious face. it was rare for her witnessing soyeon calling for fashion closet meeting. the one who calls has always been either shuhua or minnie. so if soyeon bothers herself to call, it must be urgent. minnie turned back to miyeon.

"miyeon, if you have time..."

"no problem." she said and smiled.

minnie smiled back and left the office with soyeon. miyeon looked around the room some time and soon she got a phone call.

they saw yuqi lying on the floor with her head on shuhua's lap when they came in.

yuqi smiled at minnie, "hi!"

"what happened? are you okay?" minnie asked as soyeon sat on the fabric bench.

"nothing. i just felt a bit dizzy."

"and she threw up everything inside her." shuhua stated.

"yah! you didn't have to say that."

"yes we saw that mess. but are you really okay? maybe you should see a doctor." soyeon said.

yuqi sat up, "bro, i'm really okay. i'll get back to work in a bit."

shuhua palmed her face with a big sigh. soyeon forced a smile.

"okay if you say so. i better get back to my-"

"wait soyeon unnie! maybe yuqi..." shuhua looked at yuqi, hesitating about what she was going to say. yuqi shook her head slightly.

"yuqi what?"

"m-may... you please drive yuqi to her place?"

"yes, good idea!" minnie agreed, "if you're not going to the hospital, at least you can go home and rest."

"okay."

***

"lucas, where's miyeon?"

"uh yes. she said something urgent came up and left. oh and she got your number to call you later."

"call me?"

"yeah to finish the interview or something like that?"

"right. the interview of course!"

minnie was about to go to her desk but remembered her phone and walked back in the office. she sat on the couch and thought about miyeon, about what they talked. she had felt her heart pounding hard against her chest while sitting so close to her. she had never felt this way before. but something was not right about her story. it was just a bed of roses, which didn't feel right.

she took her phone from the table, "still recording?"

then a kakao notification appeared.

shuhua saw soojin and miyeon saying goodbye to hwasa just when she entered the building. seeing her coming, hwasa called shuhua. she went near with a nervous smile on her face.

"shuhua, did you meet our beautiful cover model? i guess you already know her. and this is soojin, her manager."

shuhua studied miyeon more carefully, "oh, cho miyeon? i'm very glad to meet you."

"me too."

she felt guilty for not recognizing miyeon before. but she was feeling more like embarrassed rather than feeling bad.

"i think we saw you this morning, right?"

"yes, i think so."

"you seemed really panicked. hope everything is okay." soojin said.

and shuhua's embarrassment level reached the peak after hearing this. she couldn't look at soojin, looked down and surveyed the color of floor tiles, thinking of how she can bury herself under.