The room was relatively silent as Tao took to standing, save for the munching and sipping of their snacks and drinks. He had actually arranged for a small podium to be brought in, and used it to hold a bundle of notes. The rest of the staff had taken to him quickly, as despite his dominating manner, he was actually pretty easygoing. Flattery got you everywhere with the boy, so all they had to do was sit quietly and listen.

 

He began with a roll-call, noting one particular absence with a weary click of his tongue, before moving on to accept submissions for the next issue. Lim Chohee had asked for a fashion spread again, focused on some overseas designs, but it was Do Taejin who was eventually asked to write a centre piece on the new school janitorial staff. All in all an average meeting, though Tao did end up going on an extended pep-talk about the quality of writing.

 

Around five minutes into their meeting the door of their small staff room squeaked as someone opened it, prompting them all to glance towards it and catch the late arrival. Eunae had finally made an appearance, shades covering almost half of her face with a cup of Starbucks in her hand. She sipped the creamy green tea frappuccino casually, continuing to step further into the room as if nothing was wrong. It didn't help that she had cleaved his speech straight in two with that little arrival, and he shot daggers of contempt at her without saying a word.

 

There was a pause that lasted as long as it took her to walk over to her seat and settle in. No attention was paid to Tao as he cleared his throat, very obviously offended by how unprofessional this was. Once she was settled she got her verbal beatdown. “So you've decided to join us after all? I had marked you as absent.” He gestured towards the sacred sheet of paper with his immaculate, steel pen.

 

Eunae let out a deep breath not too dissimilar from a sigh, slowly taking her sunglasses off and putting on an almost obvious facade of being indifferent. “Well I'm here now, Mr. Huang. You can change it now.” She picked her drink up again, twirling the cup around slightly to mix the contents before she took another sip. Everyone else was silent, watching closely to see what would happen. They might have been anxious if this had been anyone else, but whatever happened to Eunae she'd have had coming for awhile now.

 

Do Taejin let out a long, low and excited 'Ooooooooooooh...' from the corner of the room, hiding a smirk with the back of his hand and practically looking like he was ready to pop some corn to enjoy the show. The others were silent, taking bated breaths as the situation grew tense. Tao didn't speak for what almost felt like too long, and then he his lips, and said a single word.

 

“Apologize.”

 

Chohee sat up straighter in her seat, eyes widening once the command was uttered. She almost had to lean away so that she wasn't too close to almost being right between the two and accidentally catching some of the heat his scolding was practically exuding. Looking from one to the other, there was a definite contrast between how they both appeared. Eunae seemed far too relaxed for someone who was under such an intense and unavoidable glare.

 

Her fingers came up to press against her lips like she was trying to stop a smile from spreading. After a moment or two of leaving everyone present in suspense, she finally composed herself enough to speak. "It's quite rude...that you haven't even asked why I was late."

 

Jong Juhyeok, their sports writer, grabbed another scone and nibbled it quietly as Tao considered the fact that he'd just been called rude. The boy actually chuckled, shaking his head and leaning against the podium.

 

“Oh well then do tell. Why were you so late today, when I specifically reminded you?” His eyes glinted like the gold on his Gucci bag.

 

"I would tell you to ask more politely first if I wasn't so excited to reveal the good news." She smirked, leaning forward in her seat and causing a few others to do the same. There were no secrets in this occasionally cramped room. What was said would be heard by everyone there and that's exactly how Eunae wanted it. "I've set up an interview with our school's star athlete, Park Chanyeol.”

 

Their sports writer in particular was very visibly excited, evident by the way he posture shot up into a straighter angle after she spoke. He spluttered out a few crumbs and actually spoke up, as Tao wasn't really saying much for the time being. He had resorted to curling his top lip into some bubbling scowl. “Really? He's...wow, I never thought he'd do an interview...Like...really.?” Juhyeok was clearly impressed, on the verge of disbelief, and squinted at the girl as he leaned forward.

 

Eunae tried not to roll her eyes and just appreciate the fact that she had proven herself once again. Just when they doubted her, she showed them up. A grin was unavoidable as she took another sip of her drink before tapping the tip of her glasses against her bottom lip. "I managed to sweet talk him well enough to convince him to let me do an interview. You can help out as long as you try not to act like too much of a fanboy. Only do it just enough.” She threw a quick wink in his direction after that last sentence.

 

“Okay, okay...” Tao silenced a building murmur of congratulations, as the room grew collectively more excited about their next big exclusive. Their editor nodded for a moment, looking their 'ace reporter' up and down. “So this is a sure thing? No flimsy back-outs?”

 

"No, of course not," she insisted, slurping up more of her frappuccino a bit indignantly now. "As long as I stay on friendly terms with him I'm sure he won't back out." A nod was directed towards Juhyeok, assuring him in case Tao had his mind wavering. "I don't know why you doubt me. I ran this paper for two years before you so obviously I'm capable."

 

“You did, and no longer. That gives me authority and if you're coming in here late for whatever reason...” He glanced over at the rest of the team, dragging their enthusiasm back in recognition of Eunae's rude interruption. “...then you should always explain exactly why before settling in quite so brazenly. Now; congratulations to our new writer for sealing that interview, but it isn't an excuse to hijack an important meeting. Understood?” The room responded, but he waited to hear one in particular.

 

Eunae turned towards her desk, propping her chin up again the palm of her hand. After a few seconds she turned her head slightly and took a peek at the boy again, finding him still looking at her expectantly. "Okay yeah, fine..." she gave in, muttering a quiet 'whatever' right after as she turned back to the surface of her desk.

 

 

The rest of the meeting was an uneventful if slightly uneven affair, where Eunae had shifted attention onto herself and away from their editor. He attempted to speak a little louder, or draw attention to the fact that he had provided food and drink, but it just didn't have the effect it usually did. With ten minutes to spare, he called an end to their get-together and wished the team a fun, but busy weekend.

 

As everyone left, Eunae took her time to pack up her few things and soak in the congratulations she got as the rest passed by. She exited into the quiet hallway just as the door slammed from behind, seizing her attention. Tao had tossed his jacket over his shoulder and stood still, his fingers flexing against the material of his bag.

 

“So this interview... You'll need to run every question by me, you understand?” he spoke quickly, sternly.

 

She put one hand on her hip as she shifted her weight slightly to the other side. "Yes, I understand,” her tone was harsh, obviously spurred on by his apparent belief that she didn't know what she was doing.

 

He smiled, neatly pulling his lips into a measured show of satisfaction with the answer. “Good. I don't mean to be...derogative, you know.” He opened his mouth, placing his hand on Eunae's shoulder before speaking again. “You're a valued member of the team. I know you do such fine work.” His smile returned, overly sweet and direct.

 

After a moment of quick contemplation she finally smiled back, though it was a very reserved one. "It's already forgotten," she assured, patting the hand on her shoulder two times before slowly and subtly sliding it off.

 

Sensing her contempt, but forcing a civil attitude, Tao even managed to let out a soft, awkward chuckle as he stepped back. “So this makes us partners, right?'” he probed.

 

"But I'm more like a teammate with you being the coach, right?" she raised an eyebrow, stepping back herself with a hand still on her hip. "I'll have the questions ready to be reviewed by tomorrow, Zitao."

 

He was quite happy to hear her correction, and excused himself with another coordinated bout of light laughter. “Oh yes of course, that's a better analogy.” He shuffled around in his bag for a moment, filing through the contents until a small brown leather pouch was brought out. “Well don't forget tomorrow is Saturday. So...” He flicked a small piece of card out of the pouch, and held it between his middle and index fingers to offer it. “My e-mail address is right on there.” It was actually the third time she'd been given one of these...business cards he made, but either the boy forgot, or chose to ignore the repetition.

 

Her correction was definitely meant to agitate him further, but it had backfired and his reaction agitated her instead. She had to hold off on rolling her eyes, taking the card wordlessly. "Mhmm, I'll make sure to send them as soon as I finish." That was almost certainly a lie. If she finished tonight he could wait until the next day.

 

“Good, good.” he nodded, eyeing the card's trajectory until Eunae stuffed it into her pocket. “Can I walk you outside?” he offered with surprising courtesy.

 

"I can walk myself, but if you must, go ahead and walk beside my until we get down the stairs." She turned around, finally letting her arm fall to her side again as she began walking to the exit.

 

It was an awkward journey, but thankfully quick enough that they weren't stuck in silence for too long. Tao considered opening a few doors for her, but she actually kept a little bit forward in step, so after attempting it the first time he promptly gave up.

 

“I haven't seen you wear those sunglasses before.” he began, finally picking a topic of conversation halfway through their walk. “The big ones?”

 

As quick as she was, she couldn't manage to out walk his hasty attempt at conversation. She'd have to speak to him for a few more steps at least. "I just got them a couple days ago," she replied flatly, glancing down at them as they hung from the pocket of her bag. "Why, did you wanna know where you could get a pair?" She asked this knowing very well that the diamond studded glasses were a bit too feminine for him.

 

“Well it's just that they...distract...” he clarified, as if she'd take the opinion on board even for a second. They seemed unable to do anything but snip at each other, so it was a relief to see the double doors to the outside right ahead. Pushing through, the last light of the afternoon greeted them with a disorienting flash, but not enough to pull attention away from the figure kicking a ball against the wall just ahead.

 

"They distract from what exactly?" Though she was genuinely curious she had that same flat tone she used whenever she was attempting to irritate him. She stopped them right in the middle of the stairs and waited on his answer

 

Tao was set back on his heels, forced to stay in place and answer. Flustered and annoyed, he sighed before getting out a reply. “They distract from y-” A high flying projectile flew right between them, bounding off the wall nearby and rolling down the steps onto the central courtyard. One scream was specifically shrill, obviously coming from the ducking Eunae. It took a few moments for her to stop shielding her head with her arms. She slowly peaked out from the safety of them before slowly putting them down completely and sighing.

 

A loud exclamation came far too late, but fortunately the pair had managed not to get hit. Tao caught his breath as a figure jogged over. “Hey, heyyy yikes....Uhh, sorry about that, guys.”

 

“You have to be careful with that leg of steel, Chanyeol.” She managed to compliment him instead of yelling like her instincts immediately told her to do. Of course his smile widened at that, making him look a bit bashful.

 

“Hey! I didn't even realize it was you, Eunae!” he grinned, waving a little before picking up his prized soccer ball and cradling it against his chest. “I thought you went home or something..?”

 

Tao had been left out of the loop until now, so he took his moment to jump in and introduce himself. “She was at school paper meeting actually, and I hear she's got something...lined up with you?” Eunae's mouth shut and she practically stared daggers at him for interrupting her reply, folding her arms over her chest.

 

“Yeah...Yeah! Um...that interview or whatever?" Chanyeol stepped closer to the stairs, looking up at both of them.

 

"Yeah, Zitao. Exactly what I told you," Eunae added right before she began walking again.

 

“Just checking...” He smiled with false affection, always anticipating things to be just slightly too good to be true. He hopped down the steps and stood by Chanyeol, sizing up the school celebrity he barely knew anything about. The boy's name carried weight in the local area, whether you had actually met him or not.

 

“Just like...like questions and stuff, right? Uhh...asking questions?” He bounced his ball on the ground, squinting in confusion just a little. He had picked up on an 'off' vibe, and just hadn't put his finger on it yet.

 

"Yeah, like an interview..." she said slowly, wondering what his confusion was about. "Have you seen famous soccer players get interviewed before? It'll be like that." Once her feet hit even ground she slowly walked between the two boys, purposely directing her attention at Chanyeol only. "Sooo...are you looking forward to it?"

 

“Heh...A famous soccer player, huh?” His head dipped down to hide a very wide smile at the mere thought of being described that way. He scuffed the ground with a little kick and nodded with enthusiasm. “I can't wait, I've never really wanted to do one before, but you made it sound...like...interesting!” He set the ball up to kick it against the wall again, seemingly unable to simply leave it alone once it was within reaching distance, but glanced at Tao before doing anything. “Hey so are you gonna be there too?”

 

“I will. I'll be there during the whole thing, to make sure everything goes okay.” The editor answered without giving Eunae time to do it for him.

 

She glared at him a bit too openly, taking a step closer to the other boy. "I know what I'm doing and I'm sure Chanyeol-oppa will be more comfortable with just me there." His arm was given a tug as if she was being playfully possessive of him, and despite it being seemingly too overly sweet to be believable, the short laugh he let out along with his smile proved that he had fallen for it.

 

"I don't really mind either way..."

 

“Oh nooo,” Tao snapped back, just about maintaining a 'friendly' composure. “I'm the editor, so of course I should be there.” He played the title card, tossing it out like a frag grenade to end this fight once and for all. Chanyeol was their battle ground, but it wasn't certain just whose attention Tao was struggling for exactly.

 

“Uh...okay...cool..." he replied, not even sure if he was meant to at this point. Eunae's grip on his arm kept him from leaving them to their argument and distracting himself with his ball again. He resorted to looking down at his shoes and glancing up at her once in awhile with a tiny smile.

 

"Okay fine, but don't interrupt too much while we're working."

 

“Of course not...” he said through his teeth, dragging his eyes over towards the path again as he decided it was time to go. “Well it was nice to get talking, Chanyeol. I look forward to the big day.” He took a step, assuming he'd be followed, but had to resort to a disgruntled attempt at Eunae's attention. “You're not going home?”

 

"Oh, you wanted to walk me home..?" Her grip on the boy's arm loosened and he silently debated whether he should pull away or not. "Like I said before, I can walk home myself," she shrugged and gave him a faux sympathetic expression before turning back to Chanyeol. "See you on Sunday, Zitao."

 

The boy was done with the whole scenario, and took his farewell on the chin. “See you then. Take care, Chanyeol.” He smiled weakly, striding off and leaving them.

 

“Quiet guy...” Chanyeol shrugged.

 

“Oh, he's far from quiet,” she said, finally letting go of him now that it was just the two of them.

 

He bounced his ball from one hand to the other briefly before doing the same with his knees. For awhile he was almost too distracted to say anything, but Eunae brought attention back to her soon enough.

 

“So...what are you doing here so late? You're not in the gym so it must not be for practice...”

 

“Oh uh...Baekhyun,” he said as if it was all the explanation she needed. Only when he saw her staring expectantly did he elaborate further. “He's staying in class a bit longer to um...discuss his grades and stuff.” His voice was almost half whispering as if he was telling some big secret. It was actually very well known that neither of the boys were very good at academics, but being a star athlete gave Chanyeol a slight pass.

 

Both of them were known to be very close, pretty much best friends, so Eunae didn't openly judge the other boy. Instead she just nodded to show she understood. “If he keeps having trouble, tell him I'd be happy to help.” Through Chanyeol she figured she could possibly get on Baekhyun's good side. It seemed the boy was indifferent to her or at the very worse was slightly irritated by her. She wouldn't care all that much if he wasn't a senior and on the soccer team like his friend. The pragmatic girl would schmooze with anyone the least bit above her in the hierarchy of this school, everyone but Huang Zitao.

 

“Really? That's super nice of you.” She had gotten him to stop playing with his ball momentarily, and while she held his attention she quickly fished through her bag for some paper. A small heart shaped notepad was taken out seconds later and she quickly jotted something down on one of the multiple colored pages. It was far less sophisticated and professional than her colleague's cards, but she convinced herself it was at least more down to earth and personable.

 

“Here's my email. Contact me any time and pass it on to Baekhyun if he decides he wants a tutor.” His eyes were glued to the paper as she handed it to him, and before he could look up she practically sashayed away, convinced she had just about hooked herself another associate.