Jiyeon’s POV

What’s with all these PVs being screened in buses? Well at least they provide entertainment for bored and sleepy commuters like myself. This one showed a mysterious figure masked by a hat and cape, standing in the middle of the street. Seems like a dance video to me.

“Jiyeon ah.”

“Hmm?” Sorry Ha Eun, I know you’re trying to engage me in some kind of conversation but I’m far too beat to respond properly right now. The mysterious looking figure removed his hat and his cape, revealing a slim guy probably around our age.

“What do you think of Hyunjoon oppa? What do you see – ” Ha Eun gasped when the camera zoomed in onto the slim guy’s face. Those penetrating eyes and full lips would only belong to one, and only one person.

Jongin.

“Eun, it’s him. It’s J-Jongin.” I mumbled, suppressing the incoming wave of emotions bottled up within me.

“Yeah, he is. And he’s hardly changed, his footwork and dancing style is still the same,” Ha Eun replied nonchalantly, her face carrying a perfunctory, do-I-look-like-I-care expression. Okay, no fuss. He has to debut sooner or later anyway.

“I know you can’t forget him, Jiyeon.” Ha Eun’s face became serious now, and she completely stared me down. Well, I can never hide things from my lifelong bestie who knows me better than I know myself.

I nodded. She sighed. Why are you sighing, Ha Eun?

“Hyunjoon oppa, he likes you very much Jiyeon. I can tell by the way he looks at you. It’s just so... different.” Ha Eun sighed again and stared at her lap.

What? No way, Hyunjoon likes me? I swear I saw pigs flying when Ha Eun said that. This is super, super ridiculous and absurd.

“I know you’re thinking, this is super ridiculous and absurd, Jiyeon.” Crap. How did she know? I gulped in horror. Eun can totally read my mind, is she psychic or something!

“No I’m not psychic, I simply know you too well, Jiyeon. I think you should clear things up with Hyunjoon oppa lest he misunderstands your friendship with him and gets led on. I don’t want to be caught between the two of you during an inadvertent cascade of heartbreaking events,” Ha Eun spat out the last few words and emphasized them one by one, clenching her fist in a bid to pull off some sort of melodramatic effect.

She turned and looked at me, seemingly awaiting my response.

Caught unaware by both the fact that Hyunjoon liked me and my friend’s out of the blue histrionic attempt, I was completely stunned.

“Errr Yeon ah, your mouth is wide open and a housefly can fly in,” Ha Eun said, casually. I immediately closed my mouth and blinked a couple of times to regain my senses.

“Sorry Eun, you kinda caught me there. Didn’t know you were into acting!” I grinned cheekily at her, earning a pinch on the cheeks.

“Oww! Stop it!”

“That’s what you get for spacing out on me, Song Jiyeon!” Ha Eun waggled her tongue at me.

“Yah Jung Ha Eun!!!!!!!” I was about to smack her when Ha Eun suddenly stood up and hopped off the seat.

“Too late, too bad, my stop’s here! Catch me next time if you can!” Ha Eun sang teasingly and skipped off the bus like a little toddler. I sighed. It’s near impossible to believe Ha Eun’s older than me by six months, she acts ten years younger sometimes.

I fiddled in my satchel for my phone and quickly sent a text to Ha Eun in response to what she said earlier before the pinching started.

I’ll try to distance myself from Hyunjoon oppa. It’s gonna be hard. Please help me, Eun ah. ><

As soon as I alighted, my phone vibrated.

That’s my girl. You have all the help you need. I’m just a call away ;)

Thank you so much, Ha Eun. What can I ever do without you.

“You sure she’s good? I need someone with high caliber for this, and she’s pretty young,” the older man enquired, gleaning through the information in the envelope. Skepticism was written all over his face.

“Guaranteed, boss. I’ve been to her classes. She’s really talented.”

“God, Director Kang, I didn’t know you were into dancing, you could have just arranged with one of the choreographers here – ”

“Precisely why I attended her lessons. She can do it, boss. I guarantee. That girl’s made of steel. And besides, she’s fairly good looking and has an plenty of charisma,” Director Kang reasoned with his boss. The older man deliberated for a bit and nodded, indicating his approval.

Especially for street jazz and floorwork, characteristic of a certain ex-Enigma member she knew.

She was so engrossed in her choreography and determination to complete the choreography that she did not hear the door to the studio open.

“Jiyeon ah!” Jiyeon heard Ha Eun’s voice and ran to grab the remote to turn down the loudspeakers blasting in her face. She tiptoed toward her beloved bestie and flung her arms around her neck.  

“Yes, Ha Eun? Did you miss me?” Ha Eun squinted at Jiyeon and placed her hands on her hips.

“I wish I came here to express my undying love for you but no, there’s a man in a black suit asking for you outside! Is he your admirer Jiyeon! He looks ultra suave! His hair is super cool!” Ha Eun gushed, her cheeks turning pink. Sigh, this Ha Eun.

“Aigoo Ha Eun, you can have him. I know of no suited man like that,” Jiyeon chortled. Fixing her hair and clothes a little, she spun around and walked toward the door.

Jiyeon’s POV

She said a man in a black suit with cool hair asked for me. How weird is that, I don’t recall meeting anyone matching Ha Eun’s description. Ever. He sounds so, how do you call it, out of this world?

I suddenly felt self-conscious about my meeting with this seemingly superior figure and fastened my unkempt hair into a loose bun. Straightening out my slacks with my palms, I hastily walked toward the door. It’s definitely no good keeping a man in a black suit waiting. For one, you never know where he’s from.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the man’s back. He had a blonde mohawk with purple ends.  

Omo, what if he belongs to the mafia or something? Has he come to assassinate me?

Wild thoughts kept running through my head.

Crap, he’s turning around! Please don’t turn around, Mohawk Guy! I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the worst. 

“Seonsaengnim!” Mohawk Guy smiled and waved at me. My eyes widened 'til they virtually popped out of their sockets.

“OMG Jinsoo-ssi! It’s you! I thought you were some mafia coming to kill me! What did you do to your hair! It’s so ultra funky now!” My shoulders sank in relief. Thank God, it was just my student, Kang Jinsoo. I patted my chest to relieve my heart of the earlier scare which almost gave me a heart attack.

“Nah, how can it be seonsaengnim! I do look badass, do I?” Jinsoo winked and did a pose. I laughed out loud. I can’t believe I mistook him for a mafia! Jinsoo really looked a world of difference with his bold new hair and black suit. The Jinsoo I knew was the one with long, ruffled, reddish-brown hair (okay that was pretty stylish as well) who wore baggy sweatshirts, harem pants and neon-colored sneakers. Suit-and-tie-man here was quite the opposite.  

“So, Jinsoo-ssi, what brings you here? In a suit?” I stared at his well tailored suit in disbelief.

“Um, you wouldn’t believe this seonsaengnim, but my boss wishes to meet you! You’re invited for tea with him tomorrow afternoon, if you’d like,” Jinsoo answered, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets.

“Boss? Whatever for? And I didn’t know you’re working already, Jinsoo-ssi! I thought you were around my age!” I was absolutely taken aback. Jinsoo appeared to be much younger than he actually was. I couldn't believe he was actually working already. 

“Yeah, he is thinking of hiring you! And the pay is much higher than what you’re earning now, seonsaengnim. It’s about ten times of your current salary,” Jinsoo answered. His eyes were pleading for my consent to the meeting. Seemed as if carefree Jinsoo was pretty much intimidated by his boss.

I smiled and took the envelope from him.

“Sure, I’ll think about it, Jinsoo-ssi.”

“Thank you, seonsaengnim! I really hope you can come,” Jinsoo smiled at me, bowed and walked toward his car. Wow, that guy has a car too.

I felt a presence behind me and turned around to see Ha Eun leaning against the door. She had curious, expectant eyes.

“Tell me everything, Jiyeon. Did he ask you out? Yah!! Are you secretly dating someone I don’t know about, Song Jiyeon?”

Uh-oh.

“Neh, umma. It’s late already, aren’t you sleeping anytime soon?” I glanced at my phone. It was past ten, and my mum usually slept really early, like around nine. She removed her reading glasses and smiled at me.

“I was waiting for you, Jiyeon ah. Jihyun called earlier to tell me that his music scholarship at Purcell got dissolved because he failed his term tests twice in a row.”

“So that means...” Sorry, umma. Your daughter still doesn’t get it.

“Jiyeon, we’ll have no choice but to channel most of your university funds we’ve kept aside for your brother, or else he’d have to drop out of college, and that would cost us a bomb too,” my mother looked at me apologetically.

“Oh... is there absolutely no other way out other than this? Do we really have to use the university savings, after all these years?” I felt a strong surge of disappointment in myself. Why the reluctance, Song Jiyeon? Jihyun was my older brother who had a strong passion for music and theater, and after long last, he had acquired a scholarship to pursue his dream in the UK. Well, let’s just say he wasn’t that good with academics. Taking up the scholarship was a pretty risky decision of his.

“I’m really sorry, Jiyeon. Anyway, you’re pretty bright and you could easily get a scholarship, yes? And you’re earning enough from that dance studio of yours, aren’t you?” my mother questioned.

“Yes, yes I am umma. Don’t worry about it. What matters right now is that Oppa does not get expelled from college,” I patted my mother’s shoulder. She heaved a sigh in relief.

“Thanks, Jiyeon. I knew I could count on you, you’re such an understanding daughter.” My mum stood up and returned to her room.

I flopped on my bed and placed my arm over my eyes. A multitude of concerns engulfed my brain.

My family has been facing financial constraints ever since the passing of my father when I was 12. He had terminal leukemia. Ever since, my mother became the sole breadwinner for the family. My brother Jihyun, fuelled by inexplicable determination to pursue music, left for the UK, taking a significant amount of our savings with him to the UK. Not that I blame my brother for that, everyone should have a chance at his dreams. 

I ran through the various ‘bombs’ dropped on me the past couple of days. First it was Hyunjoon, then Jongin (I mean, Kai) appearing on the bus in a PV, and Mohawk Guy – wait. Mohawk Guy! That’s it!

I got up, reached for my satchel and fished out the crumpled envelope. I smoothened it out on my desk and carefully peeled it open, emptying the contents onto the tabletop. I hesitated for a bit.

The thoughts came flooding back into my head.

“I don’t want to be caught between the two of you during an inadvertent cascade of heartbreaking events.”

I’ll try to distance myself from Hyunjoon oppa.

“Thanks, Jiyeon. I knew I could count on you, you’re such an understanding daughter.”

“And the pay is much higher than what you’re earning now, seonsaengnim. It’s about ten times of your current salary!”

I knew what I needed to do. I unplugged my phone from the charger and dialed the number printed on the document.

“Hello, I’m Song Jiyeon. I’d like to confirm my appointment with your CEO tomorrow.”

A/N: I guess we can all see where this is heading ;) Yeah, I know the job offer sounds pretty ludicrous.... 

Feel free to leave a comment, subscribe, or anything, I'd really appreciate it :)  

P.S. just figured how to insert a line at certain breaks, hehe noob me :>