"Oh gosh, really?" Jiyeon groaned in frustration as a dingy old truck (that she could literally HEAR it creak and wheeze with each unbearably slow second that passed by) pulled up into her lane— right in front of her. It did nothing to help with the fact that traffic was already horrendous and congested as is. It was really something. Just five minutes late. JUST FIVE and she got stuck in a gridlock, wondering—will she ever live to see her family again? Was she going to rot away in this car? Everything still remained ever so stuck.

Jiyeon reached for her phone in her purse and pressed 2 on her speed dial. "Hello? 59th Street Designs’ April speaking."

"Hey April, it's Jiyeon. I think—nah, I know I'm going to be late. I'm so sorry. If I could just poof away this traffic…!"

Jiyeon heard laughing on the other end, "Oh, you. That's fine. Just get here before 11, we need to go look at fabrics." She breathe a sigh of relief— 11, she can do that. "It's not like you're going to be stuck in traffic for 4 hours or something, right?" The other end lightly chuckled at the thought.

The audacity! "You better not have just jinx me!" Jiyeon squealed at the receiver.

"Byeee, Jiyeon," April sang— click. And the other end went dead.

Oh, that girl. Jiyeon loved her at times, but at other times… to even jinx her! But then, it couldn't get much worse from here. Murphy claims that anything that has the slightest chance of going wrong will go wrong— well, you know what, Murphy, you can't get worser than the bottom. The beginning of her day had started quite well—she didn't press the snooze button fifty-billion times as she usually did before finally rolling out of bed into the world of the living.

Then breakfast happened. It was kinda like being hit by lightening or winning the lottery. The way people got zapped by lightning — how it knocks you out and leaves almost as instantly as it struck in the first place. Or you know, how people win millions, but inevitably become bankrupt only six months down the road because of poor planning or being scammed by people you know. Okay, so that was stretching it a little too much. But her coffee spilt on her. More coffee spills. Then the whole bottle of syrup decided to try impersonating the Leaning Tower of Pisa for a day— it failed, of course, much to Jiyeon's dismay.

Three quick changes and a roll of wet paper towels later, she was out the door only to be stuck in this mess of a situation and the sun was only starting to get up and about. You know, she had tried to be positive. Applaud the bottle of syrup's good efforts and stuff, but life was really testing her. Maybe the radio would turn her frown upside down.  Sure enough, a small smile crept onto her face as she lost herself in the songs and her car was just one among many waiting for the road to clear.

Heels clicked against the granite entrance of the design studio as Jiyeon happily entered. Never had she been more comforted at the sight of busily working people and the mess of fabrics and sequins all over the studio. “Hello everyone!” She greeted in almost a sickly-sweet tone as she made her way to her office and desk.

Just after putting her purse down beside her feet and placing her jacket on the back of the chair— in short making herself more comfortable to start working, April knocked on the clear glass door and welcomed herself in. “And one hour later... not bad. Just so you know, we have to go look at fabrics at 11.”

“Didn’t you already tell me that?” Jiyeon looked at her, grinning. “Remember? In the car, over the ph—”

April cut her off as she walked over to Jiyeon, “Yeah... but you’re sometimes so absent-minded without a concern about time and deadlines.” She laughed, tapping the side of her head, “Head filled with purely designs. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was fabric and a sewing machine somewhere in that brain of yours.”

Jiyeon wrinkled her nose as she sat down. “That’s true that-I’m-so-forgetful,” She hurriedly rushed the last few words before adding, “But seriously, you’re the one with all that in your head!” While Jiyeon was a clothing designer, her forte lied more in the design of clothing design and less so in the clothing. Yes, she could hold a needle and sew, but April was a genius — a bloody wizard — with fabric and a little time. That’s why they were partners. Friends. Can’t have clothing design without both Madam Clothing and Miss Design.

“Hmm, well. Let’s leave at ten-thirty, we should be able to get there in time,” Jiyeon said.

“M’kaaay, ten-thirty,” April mocked saluted like a soldier and marched out of Jiyeon’s office. Jiyeon heard a gentle click when her door closed. This girl, Jiyeon half laughed and half sighed.

Leaning down, she pulled out her portfolio of designs from her purse. She had been working on the design for a better part of yesterday afternoon and evening. All she had to do was put down the final detail she had envisioned last night in her dream— then it would be good to go to get April’s approval.

The thing she loved about working with a partner that was so willing to talk and give feedback was that she couldn’t get a BS-ed design just scribbled on the way to work pass April. It just didn’t work that way. The same way applied in reverse on the sample product they would send to the factory.

Ding-ding. Ding-ding. Jiyeon picked up her office phone, “Hello?”

“Mr. Jang is on the other line. He wants to talk to you.”

“Put him on, please.” Click.

Mr. Jang. Mr. Seung-hyun Jang. It has been a good while since he last called her. Jiyeon greeted him warmly, “Hello, Seunghyun! What can I do for you?”