Green Tea Latte
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"Don't tell me you've forgotten Mi already... Q," the caller replied.
It took a second for the answer to register. Mr. Cho's body snapped upright when it dawned on him. His lips parted into a huge, excited grin.
"Zhou Mi?! Is it really you?" he asked enthusiastically, bouncing on his seat.
"I'm glad you still remember me, Cho Kyuhyun. For a second there, I was afraid I lost my space in your big-shot-PR-executive brain," Zhou Mi joked.
"Like that'd ever happen," Kyuhyun said. "I'm a little mad at you though. Two years. Two whole years of nothing from you. Where have you been?!"
Zhou Mi chuckled. "That's a story for another time. When we have drinks in our hands. Which we should have. Soon." he said.
"Alright, alright. But wait, where are you calling from? Taipei? Shanghai?" Kyuhyun questioned his friend.
"Seoul." Zhou Mi replied. "Actually, I could swing by your place for an hour or so right now-"
"I-I'm... not yet home," Kyuhyun admitted.
"Workaholic." teased Zhou Mi. "Either that or you have a really lovely assistant that's working overtime."
"I don't have an assistant," Kyuhyun contradicted. "I'm just swamped with work right now. Some couldn't keep his mouth shut while drunk and now I have to clean up his mess."
"I hope you get paid enough for that. Yet again, you're singlehandedly fixing other people's... mishaps," Zhou Mi said.
"Well, actually, this time I have pretty good help," Kyuhyun confessed, his eyes flickering momentarily to the empty seat at the other side of the room. Why isn't she back yet? It's already 11. He really can't stand people who are late. Or stupid.
"Anyway," Kyuhyun continued, "enough about me. What brings you to Seoul? You know, besides missing me too much."
"A girl."
Kyuhyun took his phone from his ear and stared at it, surprised. Never before did this guy show any interest in girls to the point that even his parents questioned his uality. And now, all of a sudden, he flew hundreds of miles for one?
"I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly? You're here for a girl? Yeoja?" Kyuhyun clarified.
"Well, actually, her mother. I didn't know there was a her. My mom's doing business with her mom, blah, you know how it goes. But anyway, she's... interesting. You'd like her," Zhou Mi explained.
"Me? For the first time in your life, you finally meet a girl who you deem interesting enough to even care to mention, and you think I'D like her?" Kyuhyun asked incredulously. Now even he is beginning to doubt his friend's straightness.
"Well yeah. She's that pretty-but-doesn'-know-it type you like so much. She seems smart, although we haven't talked long enough for me to confirm that. I could be wrong. But she has this... unassuming charm about her. As I said, you'd like her." Zhou Mi related.
"Sounds to me like you're the one who likes her," Kyuhyun teased. Maybe, finally, the girl who would make Zhou Mi a real man has surfaced.
On the other end, Zhou Mi laughed out loud at his friend's conclusion. "Please, don't be ridiculous. You know I'm not interested in those." he said.
"Not interested in what? Women?" Kyuhyun questioned. "So you mean...?"
"Not you too," Zhou Mi sighed. He's been asked that one too many times. It was beyond his comprehension why society considered a man a "real" man only when he's had a woman, and the more women he's had, the more manly he was. Even women (well, all that he's met so far anyway) subscribe to this idiotic idea. And yet they still complain about society being patriarchal.
What was wrong with not looking? The way he sees it, women are like diamond rings. They're precious and beautiful, yet you don't really need one. That is, until one so beautiful catches your eye that you just have to have it. Of course, for something you thought unnecessary to suddenly shine in your eyes requires a change of heart. It's the catalyst for that change he hasn't found yet. So for now, he's happy passing those diamond rings by without sparing them a glance.
"I'm sorry. I had to ask. I'm beginning to worry. I mean, who would inherit all your crap if you didn't have an heir, right?" Kyuhyun chided.
"I'll leave it all to you then," Zhou Mi came back, "so you wouldn't have to slave your youth away in a boring office."
Kyuhyun chuckled at this. Zhou Mi and his aversion to offices. His logic was, "How would anybody come up with out-of-the-box ideas if they're stuck in a box while doing so?" This earned him a lot of odd looks and snickers behind his back when he started out at his father's (now his) company. He would hold meetings at the rooftop and claimed the pocket garden as his "work area". His assistant had to run outside to let him sign reports and give him faxes. The IT department almost went insane setting up the wiring for gadgets in his preferred places. In the end, his father had the rooftop transformed into a haven. An office walled with thick, bulletproof glass on all 4 sides and a sunroof was constructed, along with a koi pond and zen garden outside. Zhou Mi said that it still felt like a glass cage when he's stuck there for hours, but at least he can walk around outside whenever he felt suffocated.
Kyuhyun, on the other hand, was perfectly content with a desk, a laptop, fast internet connection, and a good gaming mouse. An hour-long session of intense gaming helps his mind work out the problem- and releases pent up frustration as well. As soon as Ms. Lao left, he took out his mouse, his little friend, from his left drawer and plugged it in. The nearly completed proposal on his screen right now is a product of that gaming session. Come to think of it, he can finish this alone by midnight. Maybe he should call Ms. Lao and tell her to go home already? She's worked hard all day anyway.
"Unlike you, some of us need to slave our youth away to be able to live comfortably later on," Kyuhyun said. "Besides, your mother would hunt me down and feed me to her chihuahuas if you do that."
"Yeah... She never did like you much," Zhou Mi admitted.
"I know," Kyuhyun said. "So when are we-"
He paused as the door opened and Ms. Lao bowed in. She saw him on the phone and quietly asked,"Oh, is that a private call, sir? Do you need me to step out for a minute?"
"No, no, it's alright. Come in," Kyuhyun instructed.
Ms. Lao smiled politely and approached his desk. He was confused for a moment as to why (did she need anything? Was there important news that came out when he fell asleep?), but then she placed the signature all-black takeout cup of Café Tousaum on his desk, along with the equally black takeout paper bag.
"Your Green Tea Latte, sir." Ms. Lao said in almost a murmur. It was as if she didn't want to be heard on the other end of the line.
"What's this? Did I ask for this?" Kyuhyun asked, pointing at the paper bag.
"Chicken Caesar Sandwich. I... thought that you'd forget to eat again, sir, like you always do when we have proposals to make. So... I got you that." Ms. Lao explained.
"Oh. No, thanks, I'm not hungry. You can have it," Kyuhyun said dismissively, turning his attention back to his laptop.
He didn't see Ms. Lao's expression turn stoney and her voice change from soft to clipped when she said, "If you'd excuse me, sir, I'll see if the security guard downstairs is hungry." She snatched the bag off of his desk and went out.
"Alright," Kyuhyun said into his phone. "Where were we?"
"You are such an ," Zhou Mi reprimanded, although he couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice. For someone who works in PR, Kyuhyun can sometimes be the most callous individual.
"What did I do?!" Kyuhyun demanded.
"That poor girl was thoughtful enough to buy you dinner, and you threw it back to her face," Zhou Mi said. "Tell me, is there anyone in your life that gives a tiny rat's behind whether you've eaten or not?"
That made Kyuhyun pause. He silently cursed his friend for bringing that up. "No," he replied curtly. He didn't like this subject.
"She did you favor. You should've just accepted it and brought it home or something if you're really not hungry." Zhou Mi suggested, his tone gentler. He sensed his friend's reluctance.
"You know I don't like owing people anything," Kyuhyun replied. He paused, then hastily added, "besides you, I mean."
"I told you, that's been paid and repaid a million times over already. Forget about it. We're even now, been so for years," Zhou Mi said. No matter how cold his friend appears on the outside, he knew that hidden somewhere there is a fragile heart, clumsily taped back together.
"Thank you, Mi," Kyuhyun sighed out. He also mentally thanked the heavens for bringing his best friend back to him during this time. He really needed someone right now.
"Are you going to cry now?" Zhou Mi teased.
"Shut up," Kyuhyun shot back, a small smile finally reforming on his lips.
"By the way, I thought you said you didn't have an assistant? Who was that girl?" inquired Zhou Mi.
"She's not my assistant. She's a subordinate." Kyuhyun clarified.
"Would you mind explaining to me what the difference is between those two?" Mi requested.
Kyuhyun obliged. "An assistant is...well, you have one. You should know. Someone paid to do things for you like answer calls or I don't know, carry your stuff or something. A subordinate is someone who pretty much has the same job as you, only with less responsibilities and authority."
"And pay," Zhou Mi chipped in. "So. Is she the one you're referring to as a 'good help'?"
The door swung back open at that moment. Ms. Lao trudged back into the office, took her seat without looking at her boss and went back to typing.
"That's right," Kyuhyun mumbled into his phone. "I'll call you again later okay bye."
He hung up the phone in the middle of Zhou Mi's protests. As much as he hated it, his friend's admonishment elicited a tiny bud of guilt from him. Kyuhyun cleared his throat. He didn't really do apologies, unless it's on the behalf of the company he's working for. Ms. Lao continued on abusing her keyboard.
"Ms. Lao." Kyuhyun called out in his "I'm-the-boss-so-listen" voice.
The sound of typing ended abruptly but Ms. Lao still didn't answer nor turn to look at him. Kyuhyun summoned up every bit of PR trick he's learned to make this sound right. Here goes.
"Uh... The green tea. It's the right one."
Kyuhyun could just hit himself over the head because of that. He, Cho Kyuhyun, the rising star of the PR field, couldn't even formulate a proper sentence of gratitude. And to think he was supposed to be apologizing in the first place.
He saw Ms. Lao give the tiniest nod of acknowledgement before the typing began again. Kyuhyun sighed and went back to his own work. He really should work on this aspect of his interpersonal relations skills.
A tiny popping sound brought his attention to the small chat window at the bottom right corner of his screen. It was the company communications chat box that enables employees to contact anyone in the company, making inter-department communication easier.
In the green sender's bubble was Ms. Lao's username, L.A.Lao_PR, with the message,"You're welcome, Mr. Cho."
Okay, maybe I'm not that bad, thought Kyuhyun, a small smug smirk lifting the corner of his lips.
~ ~ ~
Donghae parked his car under the big, red, lighted sign of his favorite Chinese restaurant. He always came by here after a grueling practice session. Sweating torrents made him crave for some jajangmyeon after. He would sometimes bring his students with him, but today, he's flying solo. That is, until he snuggles up beside Lily later.
The thought made Donghae smile. It's been a week since he last saw her. He only saw her for five minutes that morning, the morning after he made a mess in their kitchen.
He rolled over in the bed, expecting his arm to embrace soft curves. The flat, empty surface that it landed on woke him. His face scrunched up. Where was she?
With a yawn, Donghae sat up and rubbed the goo out of his eyes. Lily's blurry silhouette came into focus. She was standing in front of her mirror, both hands fidling with something on her left earlobe. He frowned when he realized that she was already fully dressed in a dark gray skirt and jacket, a pale blue button-down shirt, and black tights.
What time is it anyway? Donghae wondered, reaching for his phone on the bedside table. He couldn't quite open his eyes fully because of the bright sunlight streaming in from the window. He accidentally knocked something down on the bedside table and it clattered on the floor. Lily looked up, her earring now securely in place.
"I-I'm sorry, babe..." Donghae said as he surveyed the damage he's done. It was a small alarm clock this time. He clumsily picked it up and placed it back on the table. The glass was cracked and the second hand rested at the bottom.
Lily let out a resigned sigh. "Bada..." Her lips were slowly turning into a pout. He must've broken over a dozen things of hers since they began dating. He couldn't help it; it was like a curse. She always forgave him though. Still, he felt bad everytime it happens. Donghae
scrambled to get out of bed to appease her, but only realized that he wasn't wearing anything under the covers. He looked on the floor and under the bed for his boxers.
"On the chair at the corner," Lily said as she fixed her satchel.
Donghae found his clothes where she said, all neatly folded into a pile. He gave his girlfriend an admiring look before going for his clothes, not forgetting to grab a pillow to cover himself first.
By the time he's put on his pants, Lily was walking out of her room. He forwent putting on his shirt and followed her to the kitchen where she was steeping tea.
"Oh for the love of-will you please cover up your overdeveloped chest?" Clare, who was sitting at the counter eating bacon, whined. "Just because Lily likes it doesn't mean that I do."
He and Clare had a weird like-hate relationship.
"What's not to like about it?" Donghae questioned, puffing his chest out on purpose.
"The size of it requires you to wear a bra. It puts Lily's to shame, and no woman wants to be overshadowed by their boyfriend's s." Clare retorted.
This wasn't the first time Clare made fun of his (and Lily's, which he believes are perfect) chest. Whenever Clare goes for the attack (which she so often does to him), Lily would either come to his defense ("Who needs pillows when your boyfriend has moobs like this?") or make fun of him as well ("At least if we ever have kids, I won't have to be the only one who feeds"). Today, however, Lily only continued to mix skim milk into her tea quietly. Donghae and Clare looked at each other, worried. Really, the only thing that unites them was their love for Lily.
"Lil, honey, are you okay?" Clare asked, gently touching her friend's hand.
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Lily replied, screwing on the lid of her tumbler. "I just have a lot in my head. Stupid boss texted at 5 in the morning asking me to get a report on his desk first thing. Seriously, that man doesn't sleep. I have a strong suspicion that he's really a cyborg. A pasty, lanky cyborg."
Clare continued munching on some bacon. Donghae looked at his girlfriend worriedly. She looked beautiful as always, but he could also see the stress in her eyes. He wished he could do something to help, but he had little knowledge of PR. Maybe he could beat her boss up...
"OK guys gotta run see you later!" Lily hurriedly said in one breath and dashed out the door.
"Lil wai-" was all Donghae managed to say before the door completely shut. Face fallen, he snatched a strip of bacon from Clare's plate, which earned him a hard slap on the arm, and trudged back to the room to finish getting dressed.
The front door banging open made him turn around just in time to catch Lily as she threw her arms around him and gave him a deep, heart-melting kiss.
"Nae saranghaneun Bada-ya," she said as she held his face between her hands, "don't worry about the clock. It's fine. Just don't break any of Clare's stuff coz she'll kill you and I can't have you dead. Okay?"
Donghae nodded, a dazed, happy smile plastered on his face. She didn't forget about him afterall.
"I'll be careful." he replied, feeling like the day got a thousand times brighter. "Saranghae."
With a last light peck on his lips, Lily rushed back out the door. Donghae remained standing on the spot, smiling happily. Even Clare looked so much prettier after that kiss. Although he changed his mind about that last one when she rolled her eyes at him and mimicked sticking her finger down and puking.
That kiss was what got him through the week. He badly needed another one if he were to survive the following week. Just thinking about that annoying, cocky bastard, one of the rap duo he was scheduled to teach next, made him want to punch something.
His stomach grumbled noisily. Alright, he's going to settle for angry-eating for now.
Donghae beeped his car shut and rounded the corner in search of the faded red door that's the restaurant's back entrance. He was that much of a valued customer already - he was allowed to get his orders straight from the kitchen. All the crew knew him. He even goes out to drink with a couple of the chefs from time to time. The owner, a jolly old grandpa, was also very fond of him. But he avoided the old man as much as his conscience would let him (which was almost never). Donghae liked him well enough; it's the granddaughter he's pushing for him to date that's the problem. She wasn't bad-looking, but she was too aggressive for his taste. Besides, he had Lily. Everyone else is simply trumped by her.
I bet she'll want some dimsum, Donghae thought, smiling to himself. His girl's only demand when he wakes her up late at night was a serving of xiaolongbao. That or he goes home to his empty, messy apartment.
The faded red door came into view. It swung open and out went a guy, casually whistling. He had a big, white apron on, his hands each gripping a buldging garbage bag. The alley had a sparse population of street lamps, leaving most of it in shadows. The guy laid the garbage bags at the foot of the bins, which were right across the door, before standing back and, with his foot, lifted the bin lid open.
Donghae silently laughed at the slow-mo high kick the guy just did. With a grunt, the guy lifted both bags and heaved them into the bin one at a time. Then, after dusting his hands, went around to the side of the bin and again used his foot to close the lid. He let out a happy whoop!, spun around, and moonwalked back to the front of the bin.
As he straightened up, the street lamp standing between the bins illuminated his face, letting Donghae finally get a look at the guy he's been observing. He wasn't a man. He's only a boy - no more than 18, Donghae guessed.
"Henry-ah!" someone called from inside the open door. "Stop monkeying around and come back here quickly! Those tables aren't gonna bus themselves."
"Ne, hyung." the lid-kicker replied, his tone almost bored. He continued whistling as he walked back in. Donghae wasn't familiar with the tune, but it was quite catchy. Before he knew it, he was already humming it as he followed after him.
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