With twinkling eyes, Seunghyun smiled straight into the camera. “And that’s all we have tonight for you folks. Tune in next week for the latest in what’s happening in Seoul. And I’m T.O.P signing off.”

All this time that she had worked behind the scenes at the TV station, Amber had never witnessed anyone nail a perfect take the very first time. And it wasn’t just a fluke – this happened throughout almost the entire recording. Everyone else present was in awe of the blue-haired anchor and this was reflected in the silence in the studio. The assistant producer tried to mask how impressed she was by checking the list on her clipboard to see whether anything had been missed out.

“See, that is what I call professionalism.” Jung Soo had crept up behind Amber to whisper into her ear.

She jumped slightly and hissed, “Jesus, Jung Soo, don’t you make any sound when you walk?”

The executive producer smirked and folded his arms, “Just admit it, Seunghyun is very good at what he does.”

“I never said he wasn’t.” Amber retorted, with her eyes narrowed, determined not to give her boss the satisfaction – he already got his way when it came to work. The crew started packing up around them, the first episode of the show done and in the bag. All those months of preparation had finally bore fruit, and the silence was gradually replaced by excited chattering about how smooth the first filming had gone.

“Are you upset you didn’t bet on whether I would screw up, hyung?” The anchor had walked off set and now slung an arm around the older man’s shoulders.

“I’m not that dumb. Everyone here knows how fabulous you are, we watch TV, you know.” Jung Soo tilted his chin towards his assistant producer. “I just want to hear it from Amber. She’s stubborn.”

Snorting, Amber moved off to review a scene with the camera man – she had better things to do then hang around and partake in the buddy ribbing the two men were so fond of delving into – she had heard enough of it for the past month. Once she was out of earshot, Seunghyun said, “Yes, she can be very stubborn. Unless you are a certain someone.”

The other man raised an eyebrow, wondering whether there was a hidden meaning behind what Seunghyun had just said, “Is there something that happened between both of you that I don’t know about?” Even amongst their circle of friends, Seunghyun had been labelled a playboy. Be it professionally or privately, Jung Soo cared enough for Amber and didn’t want anyone to hurt her, including his pal. “Don’t you dare mess around with my assistant producer, you hear? I don’t want things to get complicated on my show.”

A makeup assistant came along to usher Seunghyun to get his makeup removed. “Hyung, you don’t know me well at all. Decide where we are going for drinks will you?” With a wave, he left the area.

Jung Soo muttered to himself, “Maybe asking two of you to be friends was a bad idea.”

As he made his way down the aisle, Seunghyun chuckled, Jung Soo was getting way ahead of himself. Although he cringed inside – his reputation did precede himself. While a few of his high profile relationships had been publicised in the past - just because these were interpreted by everyone else as short-lived flings, it didn’t mean that he didn’t take romance seriously. Although he couldn’t deny that there was something intriguing about this strong-headed assistant producer.

After the whole crew knocked off and were lingering around in the TV studio lobby deciding the logistics of travelling to the bar, so just for kicks and the priceless expression on Jung Soo’s face, he picked Amber to be his passenger. Before the executive producer could protest, he had whisked the girl to the carpark.

“You are happier this week.” Seunghyun observed Amber singing along to the radio.

She smiled at the driver, as though to acknowledge that he was correct. “I’m so excited for our first episode to be aired!”

“No, that’s not it.” For someone who had just gotten acquainted with her, he could see right through her. As much as she derived satisfaction from the results in her career, her lightness in step wasn’t due to her work. Somehow as they continued to collaborate together, the duo got more familiar with each other and their friendship had accelerated to the stage where Amber’s desk was the first he stopped by every morning when he got to work. Both of them still were caught up in lively sometimes antagonistic exchanges during group discussions and were sent out of Jung Soo’s room when they got overboard however, the assistant producer had learnt to leave her misgivings in the office and reverted back to her snarky yet non-vindictive self during lunch. Speaking of lunch, he had to hold himself back from approaching her at noon for the third consecutive time that week.

The only reason Seunghyun had not made a move on the girl – besides the fact that they were co-workers – was because he wasn’t a fool. He didn’t have any need to go knock his head against the wall, why put himself through the pain of going for a girl who loved someone else – it was virtually mission impossible.

“A little bird told me that you were the recipient of flowers.” The truth was he was spying on her from his side of the office. Yet the TV anchor was well rehearsed in delivering lines and spoke as though this information was truly a titbit that he had overhead through the office grapevine.

Steering his car to cut into the next lane, Seunghyun realised he was watching any change in expression at the corner of his eye. Who was he kidding? Crushes didn’t only happen to high school students, he so happened to harbour one on his passenger. His curiosity about her had been piqued on the very first day of work at the TV station. Seunghyun rarely took notice of the female unless they were extraordinarily outstanding – that was exactly what Amber was. The majority saw her as a tomboy and glossed past her with no importance. Only a select few could see the glimmer of what she truly was, if only you looked carefully. And that was exactly what he saw on that very first day, when she stared back at him bemused, the smile playing on her lips wasn’t directed towards him but he was hooked. When he twirled her around on the dance floor at Hyoyeon’s wedding, the only thing stopping him from taking her firmly into his arms was his self-restraint. And his interest in her spiked later that same night when he stood on the sidelines, focused on a dancing couple – her and her so-called best friend. Something about the longing in her eyes and the fond manner in which she gazed at the man that tugged at his heart – he could only wish in his wildest dreams that she would do the same to him one day.

In the meantime, the anchor had to find some distraction to prevent himself from going all stalker-ish – that wasn’t his style to do so anyway. So despite all his misgivings about being labelled a flirt, he had brought a different girl out for dinner or a nightcap every other day. Anything to stop the image of Amber from encroaching his conscious even after working hours.

Holding a hand to cover as she giggled – that action coy and seemingly girly, was a world of difference from her usual deep chuckle – Amber turned to look out of the window, and didn’t answer the question straightaway.

The passenger continued to laugh. Funny how this worthless piece of gossip spread like wildfire through their department. Myungsoo had sent some sunflowers on Wednesday – a midweek pick-me-up said the card. She had only been romanced by one boy previously in her life, and Henry Lau like every other poor student resorted to using his wits when thinking of antics to please the girl – that meant he took her on walks in the parks and sang love songs to her without having to spend a single penny. This Myungsoo was doing everything right in the manual of chasing girls. On her part, she had been making an effort to open her heart to him and slowly, it seemed to be working – for the moment.

“I didn’t know this kind of ‘news’ interested you.” Her second fingers were held up and crooked to define the inverted commas.

From her reaction, he guessed that those flowers were probably a gift from her best friend. Seunghyun found himself probing further. “So you finally told him how you felt about him?” Amber had scoffed at first when he revealed that he could see that she only had eyes for her best friend that time at lunch yet her eventual change of subject was a silent admission that he was correct.

“No. Those weren’t from him. They are from someone else. As for Donghae, he is dating a very pretty girl.” It was the first time that week Jessica and Donghae had flashed through her mind and her giggles died away at the sobering thought.

The sportscar crawled along the road, on the lookout for an available lot. Spotting one a metre away, the driver muttered, “A space so soon, you must be my lucky star Amber, I usually don’t have parking luck.” Turning on the hazard lights to signal that the car was going to park, he decided to continue with his questions. “So you are willing to give someone else a chance?” He asked, pointedly referring to the sender of those flowers.

She got his drift immediately. “Yes, why not? You never know.”

He wasn’t expecting such an answer. He would have thought her stubbornness would keep her from accepting anyone that wasn’t the one she loved. However, that didn’t seem to be the case now and this knowledge provided him with some hope that Amber was not that hung up on her best friend and there was a chance that another person could sneak into her heart.

Of course, at this moment, her mobile phone rang. Seunghyun parallel parked his prized asset as Amber rattled online with her boss and the conversation temporarily halted. It turned out that Jung Soo was feeling generous that night and determined to celebrate the debut of his new show with a bang, judging from the jugs of beer sitting on one end of the counter that were waiting for the latecomers. Even though Seunghyun and Amber had been one of the few who had set off for the bar, Jung Soo had worriedly called Amber when they had not appeared yet. Unbeknownst to the girl, the anchor had taken a detour. When it came to this girl, he continuously surprised himself with the things he was willing to do just so he could spend more time with her and make it seem like it wasn’t planned.

The toasts begun and Amber happily drank, the stress of the first episode slowly dissipating with each sip she took from her mug. In fifteen minutes, she was unwittingly drawn into a fast and furious drinking game with her boss. Little did she know that Jung Soo was the undisputed king of finger guessing and the beer near her disappeared lightning fast.

Lounging on a barstool with a small gaggle of female colleagues surrounding him, Seunghyun kept it cool as he entertained them. However, his newly developed habit of keeping an eye out for Amber whenever she was in the vicinity was hard to shake off and he watched Amber down yet another pint of beer. 

He had to give her props though, she was still standing – he had underestimated her ability to hold her liquor. Gulping down his own pint, he was taken by Amber gloating over Jung Soo when she finally won a hand. She was always managed to hold her ground when it came to the opposite and acted like one of the boys, unlike some girls who flaunted their feminine wiles when men were around. Yet when she was dancing with Donghae, something blossomed inside of her.

And thanks to what she had said in the car earlier, Seunghyun made up his mind – he wanted to be someone that was able to bring about that transformation in her. Jumping off the stool, he started towards her. He was perfectly confident approaching girls in pubs and bars, especially when he and his friends had some stupid bet revolving around how many girls’ telephone numbers they could secure in one night.

“Hyung, it’s my turn!” Seunghyun interrupted the duo.

Jung Soo had momentarily forgotten about his worry partly due to the drinks he had. “Fine, Seunghyun, Amber’s all yours.”

“You play these silly games too?” She asked him, her eyes shining so bright - he almost lost it.

His fingers found their way around her wrist and he pulled her through the crowd starting to build up in the bar. Hiding behind a pillar where no one could see them easily, Seunghyun spoke. “Amber, about what you said in the car.”

Staring up at him curiously, she said, “I said plenty of things.”

“About how you would be willing to give someone else who wasn’t Donghae a chance.”

Now she was flabbergasted – why was he bringing this up again and here?

“I want to be that someone else.”

Despite the alcohol she had drunk, she stared back at him shell shocked. The smile that was on his face right now was unlike any she had seen him have, unlike the smarmy grin that he showed in office or the professional one he used for the camera, she would have never guessed that in a thousand years this blue-haired supposed playboy would look at her with such tenderness.

“I don’t understand.” She didn’t get it. They had been getting along really well after the initial bumpiness, plus he knew that she had an unrequited love for Donghae, this certainly came out of nowhere. 

Taking the chance to encircle her upper body with his arms, his grip on her was tight as he brought her closer – very intimately – towards his chest. “Amber, will you give me a chance to win your heart?”

_________

Hey all, sorry for the delay. Things have been crazy crazy busy these few weeks - many changes happening all at the same time. Hope this Topber chapter makes up for it.

AmbrCaligurl: Hi! Poor Henry I know. But I just wanted to show how she has always loved Donghae all her life unknowingly and how she began to realise it for herself. TOP is very suave here and he knows it, heh, except Amber is a very different girl! Thanks for reading!

Taiyou: Great to hear from you! Yes, Amber broke poor Henry's heart. Next chapter should be the turning point in Donghae and Amber's relationship. :) Thank you for your comment!

fatty_acidMayor: Hello! Donghae also is oblivious of the way he feels, he's been treating her like a "sister" all this time and all the jealousy is unfamiliar to him! Thank you!

YuuYuu: And how was this? Heh, epic Haeber moment coming up! :)

AsianFae: Hello hello! Yes he does have to grow a pair, and the next chapter will probably leave you wanting to throttle him but he has to almost lose her before he will fight for her and boy does he have a tough fight. Thank you for your comment!