-Chapter XX-

This was driving Yong Hye insane.

She was walking down a street, not even sure which street it was, her mind racing.

Everything was wrong.

Taecyeon was offering his friendship, one that, admittedly, Yong Hye wanted, but not just because Taecyeon was a good guy, but because having him as a friend could provide her with insider knowledge to one of the most feared gang leaders in the city, which could possibly help advance Yong Hye’s career. Was that pretty selfish? Yes, and Yong Hye knew it. But she also knew that she had been fascinated by the man, and now, his family as well.  Taecyeon was something special. Given the circumstances, his life couldn’t and can’t be all that great, but the man was always happy, unless it was completely inappropriate to be so.

Taemin, on the other hand, was her everything. Or he was. She had grown up with him. She had never had any other friends, and up until when she met Taecyeon, she never thought she would need anyone else. But now, it seemed that her mind was changing.

After she had met Taecyeon, she had lied to Taemin for the first time, kept things from him, and really, was beginning to question their relationship. If Taemin couldn’t trust her friends, how could he trust her?

In Taemin’s defense, however, her one friend right now didn’t exactly run in the best circles. But Yong Hye couldn’t help but be reminded of her parents-; Taemin’s disapproval of Taecyeon. It seemed that Taemin didn’t think that Taecyeon was good enough, just as Yong Hye’s parents would if they knew where Taecyeon was from and who his father’s was. She could handle her parents’ disapproval—she was used to it—but Taemin’s? She didn’t know how to handle it, and it scared her.

What does she do now?

She had never doubted that Taemin loved her, but with this recent fight, their first real fight, it seemed that their relationship had changed.

The thought of breaking up with him terrified her even more. She had never dated anyone else, or even looked at any other guy. She had always assumed that her and Taemin would get married and live happily ever after in her fairytale world.

Now, Yong Hye could almost laugh at how naïve she had been up to this point.

As she walked, she tried to find a different reason for her problems other than the introduction of Taecyeon into her and Taemin’s life, but she couldn’t think of anything. Everything had changed the day Taecyeon had involved her in his chase a while ago. Everything seemed to come back to him. Not just the bad, but also the good. He picked her wedding dress, helped diffuse some problems between Yong Hye and her mother, and gave something Yong Hye interesting in her life. If he had only brought bad, maybe Yong Hye wouldn’t find it difficult to do what Taemin said she had to do. Maybe she wouldn’t care that if she gave up his company, she would give up a career advantage. 

But that was maybe.

She knew she couldn’t just let him go. Not easily, at least. She needed to find a way to fix the situation she was in now.

She continued to think as she walked, not even paying attention to where she was going. Really, it was a wonder she even heard her cell phone ringing, even if it was after it had sounded three times already.

“Hello?” she said when she answered. She hadn’t recognized the number.

“Yes, hello?” a voice, female, said on the other end of the line. Yong Hye’s heart fell. She had been hoping that it was Taemin, calling to start a reasonable discussion, but it looked like that talk would still have to wait. “Is this Chae Yong Hye?” the woman asked.

“Yes. Can I ask who this is?”

“My name is Lee Sa Ra,” the woman answered. “I’m a secretary for an editor at The Report.”

Yong Hye immediately pushed her personal troubles to the back of her mind. It was an important matter, but it would have to wait for now. Her professional life, right now, needed to take priority.

However, Yong Hye couldn’t help but groan. Of course they would call now. She was an emotional wreck. It seemed to be congruent with Yong Hye’s luck today.

“I know that this is really short notice,” Sa Ra continued. “But would it be possible for you to come in for an interview in the next fifteen or thirty minutes?”

Of course.

Of course this would happen now.

Of. Freaking. Course.

“Of course,” Yong Hye said, trying to sound cheerful.

“Great!” Sa Ra sighed. “Do you need directions to our office or anything?”

“No, I know where it is,” Yong Hye answered. She had only intentionally walked by the place any day she could, sometimes going out of her way just to walk by.

“Great,” the woman repeated. “Just tell the receptionist in the front your name and that you’re here for an interview.”

“Okay.”

“I’m really sorry it’s such short notice,” Sa Ra said. “My boss has been really busy, and wanted to get this done today.”

“It’s fine.” Yong Hye was walking faster now. She wasn’t too far from the building, but she didn’t want to take any chances of being late.

She hung up the phone, knowing the conversation was over. Her stress level was rising faster than she ever thought it could have. She didn’t think that she’d be asked to go in for interview until at least after she graduated in a few weeks, and she hadn’t gotten a chance to send them her test article, which caused her to worry a little more. They hadn’t given her a deadline yet, but she was still worried that she was supposed to have sent it in already if they were asking her to come by.

She made it to the three-story building that The Report was headquartered at in what must have been a record time. The poor receptionist seemed alarmed when Yong Hye, breathing hard, nearly ran into the lobby.

The lobby wasn’t glamorous. In fact, it reminded Yong Hye of a waiting room you could find at a dentist’s office. Very bare, with a few generic items all around the room. But she didn’t care. This place could have been without air conditioning and next to a landfill for all she cared; she’d still want to work there, even if it meant she’d probably work from home more often than not.

“Chae Yong Hye?” the receptionist questioned, eyeing Yong Hye carefully.

Yong Hye could only nod. Between rushing there and the stress she felt, it was difficult to breathe.

“Follow me, please,” the receptionist said as she stood and walked around her desk to a door across from the entrance. There wasn’t a window on the door, so Yong Hye wasn’t prepared for what was behind it.

Given the lobby, Yong Hye sort of expected the rest of the place to have the same bland feel. But as she stepped through the door behind the receptionist, she saw just how wrong she had been to assume anything. Besides the one attached to the door Yong Hye had just walked through and the ones actually holding up the building, there were no walls. She could see from one end of the building to the other, and considering that the building itself was longer and wider than it was tall, it was a lot of space to take in. It reminded Yong Hye of a warehouse. There were cubicles scattered throughout the space, as well as long tables that looked like they were used for conferences, but everything was open. It looked as though everything could be packed up in a split second if it had to be.

Yong Hye tried to resist looking around too much. She didn’t want to look too new, but she couldn’t help herself from marveling at everything. There weren’t very many people around, as it was about lunch time, and those that she did see were either diligently wrking in front of a computer, or walking around, making copies, having quick conferences with others, or running errands. Everyone looked like they were rushing.

Yong Hye followed the receptionist further to the back of the building, and as she got closer, she could see a series of doors along the back wall. All of them had desks outside of them, though only one was occupied.

“This is Chae Yong Hye,” the receptionist told the one woman seated at one of the desks. “Here for her interview.”

The woman looked up at Yong Hye, and Yong Hye instantly knew that it was Sa Ra, the secretary that she had talked to earlier. Her face, sweet , innocent and pretty, matched her voice perfectly.

“Thank you,” Sa Ra told the receptionist, who promptly turned and began walking back to the front, probably to resume whatever work she had been doing before Yong Hye had interrupted.

“You made it here fast,” Sa Ra said, turning her attention to Yong Hye as she stood and bowed.

“I wasn’t too far,” Yong Hye said quietly as she returned the bow.

Sa Ra smiled. “Again, I’m really sorry about the short notice. It’s just been one of those days, you know?”

Boy, did Yong Hye ever.

“Go on in, he’s free,” Sa Ra said, gesturing to the door behind her.

Yong Hye bowed again and walked towards the door. She decided to knock, figuring that it would be better to be too polite rather than too rude in this situation.

“Come in,” a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Cautiously, Yong Hye opened the door, as well as shut it behind herself. There was only one person in the room, a man sitting in front of a computer, typing away. The office was a good size, and Yong Hye that it didn’t have very much light coming in from outside. There was one small window just next to where the man’s desk touched the wall, but besides that, the only light on was artificial.

A couple of seconds passed as the man worked, Yong Hye still standing in the middle of the office, not wanting to interrupt. Then he stopped and stood to greet her. “I’m sorry about this being so out of the blue,” he said as he bowed. “But we only interview three times a year if at all, and we wanted to get you in as soon as we could.”

Yong Hye returned the bow, flattered.

The man was young. His hair was dyed black and swept lightly over his eyes in a style that Yong Hye knew was in style right now. At first sight, he looked like he couldn’t be much older than herself, but as she got closer and took the seat across from him on the other side of his desk, she had to reconsider that observation. Up close, he looked much older. His face was gaunt, there were bags under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn’t eaten in a while, he was so thin.

They got into the interview immediately, forcing Yong Hye’s observations away. They covered the general interview questions quickly, and Yong Hye figured she must have done well, as her interviewer then started asking questions that he would have to know for her to work there. It wasn’t until he started asking about family that Yong Hye had a problem. She was reminded of the situation with Taemin, and the crossroads they, and their relationship, were at. To make matters worse, she was asked, “Are you in a serious relationship?” and that forced her to think harder about where she stood.

She knew why he was asking. It wasn’t to be nosy, it was to better understand what kind o stories she would be able to do. If she had a family, or even a serious relationship, the likelihood of her being sent to cover the most dangerous stories decreased. The stuff they reported on could get family members hurt, or worse, killed.

“I… have a fiancé,” Yong Hye answered.

The man’s face flickered with confusion for a second, sensing her hesitation. “It’s a stable relationship?” he asked, looking for clarification.

“It was,” Yong Hye sighed. “Recently…things have been rocky.”

“Mm,” the man nodded. “I know this seems forward, he said softly, locking eyes with her. “But we will need to know…”

“I know,” Yong Hye said firmly. “And I’ll figured things out soon, and get back to you.”

The man nodded, pausing to write something on a piece of paper.

“Can I ask you something?” Yong Hye said suddenly, surprising even herself.

Her interviewer looked back up and nodded, his eyes curious. The look of a journalist.

“Are you happy?”

For an instant the man looked confused, not expecting the question, and then smiled lightly at her. “I’m as happy as I’ll be in my situation,” he answered.

Yong Hye nodded thoughtfully, then continued with another question. “If you had been dating someone for a while, so long that they knew everything about you, but you meet someone who interests you, though only as a friend one day, and your significant other tells you that your ‘new friend’ isn’t good enough for you, what would you do?” By the end of her question, Yong Hye was talking so fast, she was sure he wouldn’t understand her. Right after she finished talking, she became embarrassed. She couldn’t believe that she had asked someone, not just a stranger, but the person who could quite possibly decide her future, for relationship advice.

Apparently he had understood her however, as he leaned back in his chair, and, after thinking for a few seconds, said, “I’d do anything for happiness. I’d do what made me happy.”

Yong Hye nodded slowly, knowing that he had essentially turned her first question back on her.

“I have one more question,” the man said, leaning back forward. “We were told that your favorite reporter is Jung Yonghwa. Is that correct?”

Automatically, Yong Hye nodded.

The man sighed. “Let me tell you something, as well as give you some advice: Do whatever you can for happiness. Yonghwa didn’t. He wanted his career so much that he forgot to care about his happiness. He’s content with his job, don’t get me wrong. But if you find someone that makes you happy, hold on to them, whoever they are. Do that, and get us your test article when you can, and you can surpass Yonghwa as a reporter. Guaranteed.”

Yong Hye bowed in her seat, grateful for the advice. “Thank you for your time,” she said.

“Thank you,” the man said. “I hope everything works out for you.”

Yong Hye smiled. She knew what she was going to do. It would take some guts, but at least she had a plan.

She stood and bowed once more before walking away and out the office door, leaving Jung Yonghwa watching her leave his office, wondering even more about the girl than when she first walked in.

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Yes, yes, yes, it's a cliff hanger, but I sort of like it like that. ;D

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I don't think I tell you that enough.