« Hi. Is everything okay? »

 

« Here, coffee. »

 

Soojin slides a cup of warm coffee onto the table of the opened kitchen. Yuqi thanks her, and sits down in front of Soojin. The agent is consulting her phone but still gives a smile to Yuqi from time to time.

 

« Should we eat lunch together today? »

 

« Okay. What do you have in mind? »

 

« Noodles. There is this new restaurant around the corner. »

 

« Hum… »

 

« Also… »

 

« I am listening. Go on. »

 

« I- »

 

« Soojin! »

 

Yuqi turns to see Remy coming their way. The man greets them both, rubbing Soojin’s back warmly before coming for the coffee machine. Yuqi excuses herself, not before checking one last time with Soojin that they are indeed eating together.

 

« You think I can join Yuqi and you for lunch? »

 

« No. Yuqi seems to have something she wants to tell me. »

 

« You two are really hitting it off these, we don't even hang out together anymore. »

 

Remy sits down at the spot Yuqi was previously occupying. He pours some of his freshly brewed coffee into Soojin’s almost empty cup. Soojin rests her chin in her hand, deep in thought, her eyes take a moment to focus on Remy.

 

« You thought about the CEO position? »

 

« Well, I think it will be okay as long as we do it together. If you say no, I don't think I can do it, Soojin. »

 

« You know I won’t let you do this alone. »

 

« I will ask Minnie to do more adjustments before signing anything. With your movie and the talents, I will have to take care of, our year will be busy. »

 

Soojin nods, agreeing to Remy's words as she lets the perspective of the year to come flowing through her thoughts.

 

« By the way, is it okay to ask about your parents? »

 

« They live in France. »

 

Remy waits, but nothing else comes.

 

« Oh. I didn’t know that. You never- »

 

« I know. I am sorry I never shared much of it with you. »

 

« Soojin, it is fine. You don’t have to tell me everything. I didn’t tell you everything either. »

 

« I have to admit, I was quite surprised to learn that you speak Chinese and that you have known Yuqi for years! »

 

Remy chuckles, Soojin behind her cup of coffee gives him a heavy stare, but it is all playful, and a smile appears on her lips. Even when their assistant and the man at the front desk pass by the kitchen, the two friends don’t stop their conversation.

 

Soojin hasn’t been this playful and carefree in a while. She explains it is the calm before the storm, Yong shivers at the perspective of a storm coming her way.

 

The two friends leave the kitchen only because it is time for the usual meeting at the beginning of the week. But Soojin and Remy are distracted by each other, and they keep a playful banter between them. Minnie has to tell them twice to focus.

 

« Yuqi. I heard Shuhua’s drama has been completed. How is it going with Jeon Soyeon’s drama for MBC? Will everything be okay with her schedule for Park Jiwan’s movie? »

 

Yuqi feels her heart beat faster at the mention of the producer's name. Her words are trapped in for a second, but she manages to explain the drama will start production this week. Soojin raises an eyebrow at her, and Yuqi responds by shaking her head.

 

« I will talk with Soyeon about Jiwan’s movie. The production for the movie starts in the middle of July, so most of the drama should be completed. Yuqi and I will take care of it if anything happens. »

 

Minnie smiles at the news. For a moment, she thought Soojin would be more difficult to handle on the subject, but it seems like her agent made peace with Shuhua and Park Jiwan’s movie. It really would have been another concern she doesn’t need. As she prepares for her wedding, and her honeymoon, Minnie keeps worrying if she can leave her company at Soojin and Remy’s hands.

 

It is not a question of trust, because she does trust the two agents blindly when it comes to the cinema. But running a company is different, and one of the major keys is to not let your feelings take over when making important decisions.

 

Soojin is her main concern; under the bad influence, the agent can become quite radical and impossible to control. Even Remy wouldn’t be able to do much to stop her, maybe Miyeon, but even that Minnie isn’t sure. This is why she plans to leave Remy and Soojin the control with the help of two lawyers familiar with the industry. The two agents will always have the last say but they will also be able to ask for help or advice if needed.

 

---

 

« Those noodles are delicious. »

 

« What did you want to tell me? »

 

Yuqi can’t help but laugh. Soojin smiles shyly, she knows the other woman is gently making fun of her bluntness but she really can’t help making conversations go straight to the point. Still, she is glad Yuqi feels comfortable enough around her to make fun of her.

 

« Okay. I know you don’t like mixing personal and professional, but I went on a date with Jeon Soyeon. »

 

Soojin raises both her eyebrows and continues to put noodles in .

 

« I-I didn’t know Soyeon and you knew each other from before. You said nothing. »

 

« You went on a date together but talked about me? »

 

« No! Well… A bit. It wasn’t on purpose. »

 

« Sure. »

 

« I don’t know if it is okay for me to ask. »

 

« Ask. »

 

« Where are you from? You have the Korean nationality but Soyeon said- »

 

« Ah that. I grew up in France, but I was born in Korea. »

 

Soojin smiles gently, a rare smile, it is sincere. Like the ones, she gives Yuqi when she asks her to stay with her at night.

 

« It was only that? »

 

« How did you and Soyeon meet? »

 

« Hum… At university. »

 

« Oh… But you… When Soyeon went into your office you greeted her very politely. Like she was your senior. »

 

« I was right. You have a really good eye. »

 

Soojin drinks from her glass, her bowl of noodles is empty. Yuqi on the other hand hasn’t finished hers, she is too busy putting all the pieces together in her head. It feels strange to realize you know nothing about your coworkers despite having been seeing them almost every day for the last few years.

 

« Soyeon is someone I do respect a lot. This is why I greeted her this way. Now, how was your date with her? »

 

« It wasn’t- »

 

« If she is the one who asked you, then it is a date. Soyeon rarely leaves her house if she doesn’t have something to do. All her time is very precious. »

 

« It was a nice date. »

 

« Where are you going next time? Casual date? »

 

« How- »

 

Soojin chuckles, she pushes a napkin for Yuqi to wipe her chin. Yuqi is clueless because how could Soojin knows Soyeon so well when it seems like they haven’t met each other in a while. The younger woman suddenly has an illumination.

 

« Did you- »

 

« It was a long time ago. Funny to see she hasn’t changed much. »

 

Yuqi opens and closes it. It makes sense now, why Soyeon wanted to hug Soojin but chose not to. The way the two addressed each other was polite and familiar at the same time. Why Soojin gave her the script, why Soyeon wanted to work with Soojin, and why Soojin is so reluctant to join Shuhua at the readings. The two have a common past, and certain things haven’t been figured out yet.

 

---

 

« Keep it up! Keep it up! »

 

« you. »

 

Soojin continues to run alongside Remy despite the man slowly going faster. As usual, Soojin swears when things don’t go her way, and Remy can’t help but laugh. He plays with Soojin, keeping his pace high just to push the woman to her limit. Even with all the swearing, Soojin enjoys it. Or she wouldn’t keep running with him every week.

 

« Race? »

 

« Aren’t we already? »

 

Remy laughs and starts to gain some speed, Soojin right behind him. She is more than capable of keeping up with him if she puts her head in it. Remy adores the natural competition between them. Soojin manages to get before him, and she keeps running, and he has to stop and look as she gets faster.

 

It is exactly how he feels at times. Soojin will go far, and he will be left behind.

 

Except, Soojin comes back on her track, she takes his hand in hers and runs again. And they are running together now, far and together. How lucky is he to have a friend like Soojin.

 

« I can’t eat breakfast with you, today. But tomorrow, I pay for the drinks! »

 

« Tomorrow we are preparing for NYA Spring Day, we won’t be drinking. »

 

« Right. Well. Then, bye. »

 

Soojin leaves him behind, she walks to her place for a quick shower, and exits her building only an hour later. She takes a cab, her eyes focus on her phone, as she reads through her emails. The traffic is as always terrible, but at least she has time to organize her thoughts. Yong sends her the planning for today, and she responds with indications for Yong to change some of her meetings.

 

Finally, she arrives at the building she has rendezvous in.

 

Park Jiwan is waiting for her at the front desk. They ride together the elevator and finally access a room appointed for the auditions they are leading today. This audition is open to anyone because Soojin thought it would be good to not have a whole cast of NYA actors. In her eyes, only two characters had to be cast among NYA’s talents.

 

Since this character will interact more time than not with Shuhua, the cast has to pass two auditions, one of them being to shake the chemistry with the actress. Soojin was clear, Shuhua must be comfortable at all times on the set, and with every single one of her partners. It isn’t a rule special for the actress but in general.

 

« You look radiant. »

 

« Hum… »

 

Jiwan gives her a polite smile, Soojin knows the woman understood the first time she warned her. The compliment is just a way to start the conversation, but Soojin doesn’t feel much like talking.

 

The auditions start. Jiwan always checks the candidate through the camera and in reality. There is a big headshot of Shuhua between them on the desk. Soojin always carefully checks if the candidate would fit with Shuhua. More time than not, she decides against it.

 

Jiwan sometimes stands up, she talks to the candidate for a moment and asks questions. Soojin stays quiet, she takes notes and checks the pictures given to her. It isn’t difficult to choose. There is an evident choice in her eyes, but she still lets Jiwan explains to her what she is looking for.

 

« Him. »

 

« You saw him too. You really are something. »

 

« You should consider not underestimating me. »

Soojin puts all the files together, already planning the next schedule of her day. Jiwan looks at her, she still gets taken by surprise by Soojin’s bluntness. The woman doesn’t falter from her reputation. Jiwan admires this quality in the woman, and it confirms her choice, she trusts Soojin for her movie more than anyone else.

 

---

 

« Why the long face? »

 

« My face is the same as usual. »

 

Soojin continues to set up the chairs with Remy for the NYA Spring Day. Minnie booked a house an hour away from Seoul with a huge garden, and Remy and Soojin volunteered to help prepare so they wouldn’t be on the team in charge of cleaning up. They helped put up the tents, and the tables outside and are now almost done, with the chairs.

 

Yuqi is also with them, she is in charge of the inside, preparing the kitchen, and the living room with James. The four agents always prefer to help before than after.

 

« So who are you coming with? You didn’t ask me to be your date this time. »

 

« Shuhua. She asked me. »

 

« Shuhua? The actress you couldn’t stand? »

 

« I never had anything against her. »

 

« Oh yeah. You were just greedy. »

 

Soojin doesn’t respond, she continues placing the chairs. Remy runs a hair in his short hair, pushing the sweaty locks out of his face. The effort under the sun of the late afternoon made them both sweaty.

 

« I was in your office the other time. And it happened that I moved your mouse while searching for one of your business cards. »

 

« I don’t like liars, but go on. »

 

Remy chuckles. It is half true, he really was searching for one of Soojin’s business cards. But he did move the mouse on purpose, just because he is curious and wanted to know what she was doing.

 

« You were watching Shuhua’s first dramas. How did you get those? And with subtitles. »

 

« I asked someone I know. »

 

« Why? »

 

Soojin groans, she walks toward the house, ignoring Remy running after her. The man continues to bug Soojin with questions, and the woman tells her to leave her alone, but Remy knows she isn’t so serious about it with the smile faintly present on her lips.

 

« Stop it. I just wanted to see for myself. You said she was already something when you met her. »

 

« I see. So, was I right? »

 

Soojin stops in front of the bay window leading to the living room.

 

The agent has to admit, that Remy has a good eye too. Being able to see Shuhua’s potential from when she was just starting in school dramas, first web drama, and then the one for TV. Shuhua never managed to book a leading role, only small characters who appear in one or two episodes.

 

Soojin watched every single one of her dramas. There wasn’t a lot of material, the most interesting thing was a movie in which Shuhua had a more important character than usual. She really shined in the movie, and Soojin is sure this is the main reason Minnie agreed to take Shuhua under NYA.

 

« You were right. Shuhua is really talented. »

 

---

 

« You never stop with your phone? »

 

« Hum. »

 

Shuhua raises her hand to grab the phone from Soojin, but the agent saw it coming and she grabs Shuhua’s hand before she can even try. Shuhua freezes under the touch. Soojin’s fingers barely squeeze her wrist, they are soft against her skin, and her thumb even slightly rubs it. Soojin leads Shuhua’s hand back on the woman’s lap while she continues to type on her screen.

 

« I am almost done. »

 

Soojin lets go of Shuhua’s wrist, she uses both her hand, not even sparing a glance at Shuhua next to her.

 

The two women are in the taxi toward the house where the NYA Spring Day will happen. The NYA Spring Day is a celebration annually organized by the company to celebrate the achievement of the middle of the year but also the celebration also acts as a massive opportunity for people in the industry to meet.

 

Not only the talents under NYA are invited, but also other names of the industry on good terms with the company. This year is the first time Shuhua has been invited. The invitation is reserved for the most influential talent of the moment.

 

Soojin doesn’t have a choice, and she is present every year. She always does her best to mingle with everyone, to make her NYA’s talents meet the most people possible, and to maintain active the relationship she built within the industry. By the end of the night, she is always a little drunk, and Remy is the one who takes care of her.

 

« I am done. Is everything alright? You are usually more talkative. »

 

Soojin puts away her phone and looks at Shuhua on her right. The actress is caressing her wrist where Soojin grabbed her earlier while looking by the window. The city is fading away as they are reaching the countryside of Gyeonggi, situated around Seoul, the province still possesses many forests and large areas of nature.

 

Soojin who spent all of her summers as a kid in the countryside of France absolutely adores those moments out of Seoul where nature seems infinite.

 

« I just wanted to say thank you for coming with me. »

 

« Hum. »

 

« I don’t really like big gatherings. »

 

« Well, you are with me for the day. It will be fine. »

 

Shuhua glances at Soojin, the agent is already looking at her, giving her a subtle smile she seems to keep only for Shuhua. The actress feels the blush rushing to her cheeks and she looks away, toward the window.

 

---

 

« Soojin! »

 

Shuhua stays behind as a woman, she has only seen a few times around NYA’s office, takes Soojin in her arms. She believes the two are quite close seeing how Soojin lets herself get squeezed. Shuhua doesn’t have any memory of the agent being so comfortable with anyone, but then again, she barely knows Soojin.

 

« And you must be Shuhua. »

 

Shuhua is surprised to receive a hug from the unknown woman. Soojin looks at her, smiling, and she relaxes in the hug. The woman presents herself, Shuhua only focuses on Soojin’s eyes and she doesn’t hear anything.

 

« Come, I will show you around. »

 

« Okay. »

 

« Miyeon, the woman you just met is Minnie’s fiancée. You know Minnie, right? »

 

« Yes. I met her when I signed my contract with Yuqi. »

 

Soojin walks her through the living room, she greets different persons with only a small nod of the head. Shuhua understands Soojin is well known by a lot of people, but it doesn’t mean she is friendly with everyone. Miyeon must be someone she really likes.

 

« Minnie, look who is with me. »

 

« Shuhua! It is a pleasure to see you again. »

 

Minnie gives her half a hug, and Shuhua notices she smells similar to Miyeon despite having her own scent. Soojin and Minnie only exchange a simple nod, and it confuses Shuhua because she assumed the two were as close as Miyeon.

 

Soojin then leads her outside, there are still many people who greet Soojin here and there. Sometimes, Soojin briefly stops and presents Shuhua to them, she then gently explains to Shuhua who they are, what they do, what they did, and gives a fun random fact about them. Shuhua doesn’t realize but she slowly relaxes as time passes.

 

Soojin doesn’t let go of her, they go toward the buffet and she tells Shuhua which are the best snacks. Shuhua doesn’t drink, but Soojin takes a cocktail. The agent then walks more around, Shuhua next to her. Eventually, they meet a man which Shuhua immediately recognizes.

 

« Remy! Oh! »

 

Remy hugs her, delicately squeezing her in his strong arms. Shuhua can smell his perfume, and for a second it brings her back to five years ago when she met him at the café in Taiwan. He is still the same, a friendly smile, a gentle voice, and a lot of polite manners.

 

Shuhua really likes him.

 

« So you are Soojin’s date. Lucky woman. »

 

« Remy. »

 

« You know, she is usually my date at events. But it is only fair since you asked her before I did. »

 

Shuhua laughs, Remy is only playful. Soojin on the side finishes her drink. The woman even rolls her eyes at them. Shuhua would have loved to discuss more with Remy, but he excuses himself promising they will be able to talk later on.

 

« If you are searching for Yuqi, she won’t be here before the evening. She had a sudden urgency. »

 

« I know, she told me. »

 

---

 

Eventually, Shuhua loses the count of the people she meets, she tries to memorize all the names, and all the information Soojin spills into her ears but it becomes difficult to focus on anything else but Soojin. More people arrive, and it gets more crowded and harder to get from one point to the other without losing the agent. After losing Shuhua twice, Soojin decides to hold her hand.

 

Shuhua believes it is at this time that she stopped focusing on anything else but the contact of their hands. Soojin’s hand is soft, she firmly holds her to not get separated, but it is also so gentle. Soojin squeezes her hand from time to time to get her attention, and to ask her if everything is okay.

 

« Ah! Yuqi is here. »

 

Soojin walks them to the agent, which seems to be in deep conversation with someone Soojin can’t see from where she is. As she walks closer, she realizes it is Soyeon, but still she makes her way to the duo.

 

« Soojin. Shuhua. I was wondering if I had missed you. »

 

« Hum. »

 

Soojin rubs Yuqi’s back as a greeting, but as always, she bows to Soyeon. This surprises Shuhua because she doesn’t remember seeing the woman bowing to anyone in the last hours, even major producers and filmmakers, she was even rather comfortable with them.

 

« I told you already, you don’t need to bow to me. It makes things awkward. »

 

Soyeon waves her hand in front of her, she tries to reach for Soojin, but the agent takes a step back. Shuhua watches how things are obviously awkward between the two. Fortunately Yuqi breaks the silence, she explains she had a problem in her apartment with the A/C and it took the whole afternoon for it to be taken care of.

 

Soojin excuses Shuhua and herself afterward, and she walks to the bar for another drink. A shot, and another cocktail. Shuhua only takes a juice, she watches as Soojin her lips because of the decorating sugar on the hem of the glass which ended up on her face.

 

« You have some here. »

 

Shuhua points to the corner of her lips. Soojin uses her tongue to clean it. Shuhua doesn’t realize how focused she is on Soojin’s lips at the moment. Even when there is no more sugar to clean, her eyes don’t let go of the cherry lips.

 

Soojin takes her hand in hers again, like it is a set thing for them to hold hands. Shuhua likes it and follows as Soojin leads her near the music. The night is slowly falling on the party, and the lights are rising around them. The atmosphere is changing, more people are busing from the drinks, the music is getting louder, and people are naturally dancing.

 

Soojin smiles at Shuhua, she is a bit buzzed from the alcohol but has all of her senses. Shuhua giggles when Soojin makes her turn on herself, the agent loves to dance. The music always makes her happy, and Shuhua seems to be a good partner, the actress easily follows her lead.

 

Soojin makes eye contact with Remy, and they smile at each other before dancing closer and eventually changing partners. Soojin finds herself by an actress she has already seen around the company. They dance together. Whoever is the partner, as long as they dance, Soojin is happy.

 

---

 

« Where were you? Is everything okay? »

 

Soojin finally found Shuhua, sitting by herself at a table. She was too busy having fun dancing, that she didn’t realize the actress was no longer with her. Soojin hands the woman a glass of water, her other hand is busy holding another drink. The agent has the distasteful habit of not being able to stop drinking when she is having fun.

 

« I am a bit tired. That’s all. »

 

« Too bad. You are a good dance partner. »

 

Shuhua looks up, she meets Soojin’s eyes smiling at her. The agent is a little drunk, not to the point where she doesn’t have any control over herself, but enough for her to act a bit out of character. At least a bit out of the character Shuhua is familiar with.

 

« You don’t want to dance more? »

 

« Not right now. »

 

Soojin tells her it is okay, and she starts to caress Shuhua’s hair. Which makes the actress freeze on her spot. Her heart suddenly beats fast, and she feels a rush of blood in her cheek. Soojin caresses her hair a few times before running her fingers among her locks.

 

« Your hair is really soft. I like it. »

 

« Than-Thanks. »

 

It continues for a few minutes until a woman comes to them. Shuhua recognizes Yiseo, she has seen her in a drama, and also met her at the audition for Park Jiwan’s movie. She is one of Soojin’s actresses, and she is close with Soojin seeing how she reaches for Soojin’s arm and the woman let her.

 

« Hi, Shuhua. Soojin, you won’t believe what I just got told! »

 

Shuhua barely greets her back, she just watches as Yiseo explains something to Soojin. But she doesn’t grab much of the conversation, Soojin is still playing with her hair, running her fingers in them, and caressing them while talking with Yiseo.

 

Eventually, her hand slides to Shuhua’s shoulder and she rubs it warmly. Shuhua finds herself gently squeezed against Soojin’s side, the agent doesn’t even seem to realize what she is doing, because she is focused on her conversation with Yiseo and Shuhua sees how the woman is still holding Soojin’s wrist while they talk.

 

« Okay? Okay. I leave you two alone, I have to go to the restroom. »

 

Yiseo leaves them alone, she waves at Shuhua before walking away.

 

« You okay over here? »

 

Soojin looks down at her, the same smile Shuhua is slowly getting used to seeing. Soojin rubs her shoulder again, and suddenly she hugs Shuhua against her, but with their position, Shuhua finds her face resting against Soojin’s belly.

 

Soojin’s smell envelops her, Shuhua only ever got a glimpse of it. Now, she has a full nose, and the woman smells amazing. It is fresh, a mix of her perfume, the laundry she uses, and her natural smell. Shuhua believes her smell is like spring, really fresh, light, and surprisingly, it comforts her.

 

Soojin rubs her back, Shuhua wraps her arms around Soojin’s waist and can’t help herself but squeeze the woman against her. Soojin cradles her head against her stomach while rubbing her back. Shuhua doesn’t want to let go, it feels too good.

 

« Soojin, let Shuhua breathe. »

 

It is Remy, he makes Soojin let go of Shuhua and the actress curse at him in her head.

 

Soojin laughs, she lets go of Shuhua to hug Remy instead. Remy doesn’t seem surprised by the action, he doesn’t hug Soojin back, he just stabilizes her with one of his arms around her waist.

 

« I am sorry you had to meet with drunk Soojin. She never knows how to stop drinking, and then she becomes like this, she hugs everyone she likes. »

 

« Everyone, she likes? »

 

« Yeah. Well at least you know now. After hugging me, she will try to find Miyeon, then Minnie, etc. Even her assistant will not escape her hugs. »

 

Remy chuckles, as he remembers all the times it happened already. Drunk Soojin is quite adorable but no one in their right mind would ever mention it to the agent’s face. Except Miyeon.

 

Shuhua keeps nodding, she finds her glass of water and tries to hide her flushed face behind the glass. Fortunately, the night is well advanced already and the lights aren’t powerful enough for Remy to notice her current state.

 

 

---

I am so proud because for once I planned all the story ahead, so it is so easy to play with the characters.

Also, I changed it a bit to Shuhua POV, because it was more interesting this way. And she was with Soojin anyway, and her attention was on Soojin the whole time, so it is still Soojin-centric, and I am right.