chapter five 

 make belgian waffles

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“Hello?” Kai called, waving his hands in front of my face. The scent of freshly cooked pancakes and maple syrup wafted into my nostrils. “Earth to Miss Baek Jihyun.”

My face drained of its colour and when my voice came out it was croaky. “That website wasn’t a scam.”

“No, considering that I’m here,” he replied, scattering some blueberries around the small mountain of cream he’d created on my plate of pancakes-exactly how I liked it. I stared at him in surprise.

“You’ve been staring at me a lot, you know,” he commented with a smug look. “Which could mean one of two things: either I’m frightfully ugly or I’m freaking beautiful. Of course, the former is impossible.”

“You don’t suppose I could wish for you disappear could I?” I muttered darkly.

“Cardinal Rule Number 2,” he dictated, holding up the victory to his face cutely. “Wishes are not be granted if they cause intentional or direct harm to any persons. You’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.”

Up to now, I was still convinced I was hallucinating or dreaming which was why I had remained so calm. Slowly, reality was breaking on me like I was being doused in cold shower water. One hand of mine shot out to his arm. I could feel his smooth skin under my fingertips like how I imagined skimming my hand through Willy Wonka’s chocolate river would feel like. He tensed and I could sense the contraction of his biceps.

“Oh… okay,” he mumbled, “I can’t say I’m enjoying this but I’m assuming you’re training to be an airport security worker.”

“That’s weird,” I muttered. “I still feel you.”

My hands travelled down to his chest where I decided it would be fun to do something I’d never dared to do. I pressed down on his s as hard as I could with thumb and forefinger and watched with slight amusement as he gave a very unmanly yelp and pulled away, rubbing his chest with a wounded look.

“Is this what you do to every single specimen of the opposite ?” he hissed. “No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend or a social life for that matter.”

“You’re really real?” I asked, feeling his legs, completely ignoring his complaints. “Am I dreaming? Did Hyuna drug me? Was my drink spiked at the club a few nights ago?”

“Why was it so much easier to convince the rest of my clients?” he groaned as he watched me poke, pinch and hit him to my satisfaction.

I came to a sudden epiphany.

“YOU’RE A GIGOLO!” I screamed. “OH MY GOD DID HYUNA SEND YOU HERE TO SPICE UP MY LOVE LIFE?”

“I am not a male e!” he protested although he looked slightly complacent with my deduction. “Although I do admit that male escorts have to be better looking than the average guy.”

“Please tell me you’re gay,” I pleaded. “I can’t deal with this.”

A slow, lazy smile spread across his face. He leant in until our faces were only millimetres apart and for the briefest second allowed his lips to brush mine. “Are you sure you want me to be gay?”

It took five seconds for me to slam my plate in his face, let out a cry for help and get the hell out of my apartment.

“Thanks to you, Jihyun,” Hyuna sang. “The meeting with our endorsement model went really well.”

“It… did?” I didn’t trust my voice not to betray my slight nervousness. After all, I had passed out sleeping next to a half Genie without even saying good bye to the guy. Had I really been unconscious the whole night? Did he have to carry me home? Was it really just a “dramatic entrance” that the Genie guy claimed? I shook my head and let my forehead drop to her desk with a slight thud.

“Yeah but he’s still maintaining that he needs to mourn his pet bunny,” she said, her tone of voice suddenly changing. “Maybe the meeting went a little too well. He now claims you are his spiritual partner and would like to meet with you again for a soul marriage.”

My head shot up. Even Kris, the forever stoic faced secretary gave a little snort of amusement. I waved my hands furiously in front of my body. “No, no, no thank you!”

“Well, if you I don’t get an endorsement model by tonight when the launch is happening,” she said, delight lacing her voice. “I will physically drag you into that ballroom and make you socialise with people. Actual physical human beings.”

“W-wait… You want me to find you a model?” I gasped.

“Okay, actually those were Yoona’s orders. But I think it’s a good opportunity to get you out there into the real world. Besides, I already had a gown custom designed for you. It’s Prada.” She shrugged apologetically, completely ignoring my look of utter horror.

“That girl is the spawn of the devil!” I cried, ringing my hands.

“I hope you weren’t talking about me,” the unmistakable voice of our company’s Head of Human Resources commented coolly, the disdain in her voice poorly disguised by her sugary tone. Yoona turned to me with a sweet smile painted all over her pink stained lips as she dumped an entire box of files onto Hyuna’s desk. Dust flew everywhere and into Hyuna's hair, hair that was pretty much her purpose for living. My best friend's facial features struggled to compose themselves into the perfect mask of calm. 

“You’re lucky that you received such a light punishment but I do have to admit that this task will be near impossible for you to accomplish. You are slightly lacking… not only in the chest area but in social skills as well," Yoona noted, giving me a pointed look. Insulted, I wrapped my arms around my chest in defense.

“And you’re lucky that your father decided not to use a when he was screwing your mother-but oh wait, you’re adopted,” Hyuna retorted in the same menacing way as she gave a demure little smile just to spite her enemy a little more. Her lips were a candy coral, only serving to make her statement seem more sarcastic than intended. Yoona didn't even bat an eyelid as she flicked a small curl over her shoulder while the files with a perfectly manicured finger. "My secretary called in sick today so I guess I have no one to organise my data. But you're a really nice person right? So get them done by tonight."

That was just fancy speak for "I totally hate you but I can't fire you so I'm going to make your life hell". 

"Wow," Hyuna breathed, her nostrils flaring a little. "Were you raised by a pack of female dogs? Or is just your middle name?"

"I think it has a nice ring to it," she replied as she sashayed her way out of the office in her impeccable white suit. There was a moment's painful silence before Hyuna started wailing. Knowing her, Kris would probably be the one ending up buried in paperwork so I had no idea what she was making such a big fuss about. 

“I wish that that someone would just turn up half and offer to be the stupid model for our stupid noodle line. I don’t even understand why they couldn’t of postponed the damn launch because this puts me in an incredibly awkward position that I do not want to be in. Hyuna, you agree with me right for once? This whole event is really messed up like Yoona’s head and I for sure will die in that witch’s hands when I don’t find someone. Can you bring me lilies for my funeral, you know they’re my favourite flower-“ I shut up when I realised Hyuna was gawking at something behind me.

“I’m Kai, here from the Tell Me Your Wish agency,” an all too familiar voice introduced behind me. “I believe I’m here for a modelling job?”

I spun around, wide-eyed. Did my wish really just come true?

“YOU’RE A FREAKING LIFE SAVER!” Hyuna screamed, launching herself into Kris’s arms out of sheer joy. She got off her chagrined secretary and shook Kai’s hand vigorously, bowing the lowest I’d ever seen her bow in her entire life. “Thank you so much young man!”

Yepp it did. And in the worst way possible. 

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 author's note 

» DID YOU NOTICE WHAT I DID WITH THE CHAPTER TITLES /author thinks she's smart but really isn't.