It all started with a simple request.

 

“Hayi-ah, I know you’ve got enough on your plate already with the tasks Manager-nim set you but I would not bother you if I was not desperate.” Park Sandara, the friendly faced secretary of Krunk’s Garage who had been by Lee Hi’s side since she first started her part time job like a nagging, somewhat overbearing mother hen.

 

The brunette blinked in surprise upon hearing the soft spoken female, popping her head out of the car bonnet to see Sandara smiling with a touch of hopefulness over the car, the younger girl suddenly felt self-conscious—like she always did in her presence, as she wiped her face where there were spots of oil sprinkled all over with her hair pulled into a scruffy bun underneath the custom-made Krunk bear eared snapback that part of the mandatory uniform. How attractive.  

 

“I have to go for a hospital appointment now and I’ve been trying to get hold of one of our current customers, but he’s not picking up. I was wondering whether you could go to his work place and give him the message that there’s been going to be a delay since he’s supposed to be picking up his car sometime tomorrow. If I wasn’t already in a hurry, I would go myself.” It was difficult enough as it was to refuse someone who was as nice and accommodating as Dara, who was currently pressing both of her hands together with a look akin to a puppy dog and before she even realised what she was doing, she nodded her head. To which, the pretty older woman’s worried face instantly melted into one of pure relief.

 

“You’re the best, dongsangie! I’ll buy you dinner tonight! Here’s his card with his work address, give me a call if you get lost! I should get back from my appointment in an hour, Minzy-ah should be coming in soon to cover you while you’re gone.”

 

And with a beaming smile, she waved until she was out of sight and out the door.

 

Hayi diverted her attention to the card, her eyebrows furrowed as she read through, it didn’t even cut it to say that she was confused with the kind of business this company provided.

 

 

---

Elite Class

We give all our customers exactly what their hearts desires with a guaranteed 100% customer satisfaction.

---

 

 

 

There was a certain criteria that had to be fulfilled in order to work at Elite Class, of course looks were an important factor, most clients wouldn’t pay even half as much if the workers didn’t possess their own packet of seemingly inhuman beauty. But there were also equally or even more so important points to be taken into consideration, to enable the company to stand out from competing businesses, the employees were specialised in different areas that would in turn appeal to a variety of both women and men.

 

Take Kim Jinwoo as an example. The boyfriend experience.

 

He was just reaching his mid-twenties yet still maintains his youth, rendering others around him to think him nothing more than a high schooler. He provided his clients with the typical boyfriend experience—with all the overly exaggerated acts of affection, Jinwoo played the role of the caring and doting boyfriend.

 

At the present time, he was in the middle of running after his client who was persistent on undertaking a bet on who would win in a race. He was jogging at a leisurely pace, just so that he was able to watch over his client, while she was evidently giving it her all. He smiled in admiration, even though they had been running for a good half an hour she wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue.  

 

Every client was different, during his career just like with all his co-workers, he was given the privilege of meeting a wide range of beautiful and interesting characters along the years. Some even gave him the chance to go abroad and see places or taste exotic foods that he never thought he would be able to witness first hand. It wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted before he left high school, unlike his old school classmates who could effortlessly pull off high grades and spectacular performances in annual school talent shows, he wasn’t like that. Perhaps in hindsight, it wasn’t the ideal job he could freely talk about but it offered him opportunities in life that only this job could provide, he would think himself a fool to pass on such chances that he might not have again.

 

“Jagiya, be careful!” He called out, to which she merely waved him off as she soldiered on turning her head just to throw a smile at him. But that seemed to be all that it took for her to lose her balance. He shook his head, no longer keeping at his slow pace as he ran straight for her, just about reaching her before she fell and injured herself further, though the drop was enough to cause the pair to plummet to the ground.

 

“Aigo, what did I just tell you, huh?” He clicked his tongue, feeling the rough gravel beneath him as he took the fall. But the top priority of all escorts was their clients. He carefully moved her so that she sat beside him.

 

“Oppa, it was your fault for calling me!” She huffed indignantly, folding her arms over her chest.

 

“You’re not hurt, are you?” He ignored the pin-like pains shooting up from his hands which were most likely scraped along the pavement to check his client, his gaze roaming from her head to toe to inspect any kind of injury, oblivious to her face heating up at the full attention.

 

“…No, I’m alright.”

 

Jinwoo’s eyes met with hers again, but only for a short few seconds before she moved hers away. But he decided to take that as simply stubbornness. “Then I guess you don’t want me to give you a kiss to make you feel better.” He inwardly winced at the overly cheesy line, but as always it worked wonders with his client’s mood uplifted again.

 

---

 

For some clients, the cute doting boyfriend wasn’t really their cup of tea.

 

Seungyoon often found himself waiting outside the school gates of many different schools, clad in his usual attire of black clothes complimented with a white shirt, a simple combination completed with his sunglasses. He tousled his hair occasionally whilst leaning against the wall, more or less a habit he’s had since he was younger, it was only when he started his career in this business that this simply action gained such a startling response. It took him some time before he could adjust his reaction into a blank façade.

 

Once the school day had ended, the students would rush out from their classrooms to go home, some would stop dead in their tracks upon seeing him standing there whilst others would admire him from afar and there were of course the few exceptions who would couldn’t contain their excitement—which was soon after vocalised in the form of squeals.

 

Then, his client would arrive, the majority—if not all—were able to afford the rates the companies imposed. They were wealthy, alarmingly so with enough power to be able to ruin the futures of those they wanted to crush, this obviously didn’t come alone as every single one of his clients owned model-worthy looks.

 

Now, the scenario that would follow on next only had a few routes, the client would either throw their bags in his direction—evidently with the expectation of him following along like a lost puppy—or the client would use him simply as eye candy, to invoke jealously from everyone and anyone who were watching on.

 

If he were to choose from those two options, none were in the least bit appealing. Though, the latter of the two was the option he found himself being thrown into. He inwardly signed, already seeing his client walking towards him with her head held up high. Clack. Clack. Clack. Went the sound of her black, shiny heels that were strapped onto her feet.

 

He didn’t even lift up his head when she was already near, already expecting one of the two responses he normally received. What he didn’t expect was arms wrapping around him, he frowned unused to such gestures from clients. The feeling didn’t provide him with warmth that the action would usually bring.

 

Then she leaned forward, so was right next to his ear. “I hope I don’t have to remind you how much money I’m paying for your ty services, next time I expect you to be outside my classroom with a smile that’s so bright it could ing melt butter. Do you understand me?”

 

If I could throw melting butter on your face, I would. But nevertheless, he feigned a smile as he leaned closer towards her face to peck her cheek relishing in the fact he rendered her speechless for a few seconds.

 

“You don’t have to be embarrassed about me, babe.” Seungyoon could feel his temper flaring up but kept it on the backburner as he pinched her cheek, which she swatted his hand away with a scowl before pivoting on her heel to walk as far away as she could, leaving a few gaping students in her wake.

 

“Ah, isn’t my girlfriend so cute when she’s playing hard to get?” He cooed after her in a patronising manner, with his long legs it took him no time at all to keep up with her much to her distain, to which she narrowed her eyes in annoyance, most likely wishing him to the lowest depths of hell at that precise moment.

 

 

---

 

 

Seunghoon liked to think he had an edge to him, when compared to his fellow co-workers.

 

“That’s it, now follow my steps, one two three…” He led his client around the room, occasionally twirling her around and playing between slow paced and faster actions with the song flowing through the speakers. The young lady’s gaze remained on her feet, trying to make sure she was getting her footing right and also not to tread her heeled shoes onto her ’s feet.

 

By this stage in his career, he was well accustomed to dealing with a range of clients, whereas before when he was a rookie he would smile at everything his client did—like the shy gestures from the quiet ones or even the overly confident moves with the older clients, now he was in a predictable routine. Dancing started off as being a casual hobby of his growing up, there wasn’t much to do growing up in the countryside, and he never thought his accent would do him any favours, yet did still appeal to some women who requested him. He dreamed of moving into the city coupled with fantasies being able to dance professionally with the most talented groups of people and of course to have a growing fan base—though, his current one was coming along very nicely, if he does say so himself.

 

One that he lived in everyday with only a slight portion of change.

 

“Keep your eyes on me, it should be easy since I’m so handsome.” He grinned toothily, to which the young lady’s eyes instantly lifted up to meet his, as a nervous giggle left . Like many others in the business, not once did he dream of making a career out of being paid to dance with the most beautiful women he had ever come across in his life. It most certainly made his father jealous, that was for sure much to his mother’s distain of course.

 

“I-I’m sorry!” All that came out of merely a few seconds later was a high pitched squeak, instantly removing her heel away from his injured foot. In her haste, she released her hands and backed away with guilt nestled in her eyes.

 

Yet, even though this job gave him opportunities he knew he would never have again in his lifetime, it didn’t truly satisfy him.

 

“What? I didn’t even feel anything!” He insisted with a feigned exaggerated whine completed with a pout, the number of clients who had stood on his foot whilst practicing was enough to numb the injured body part in question from any other further injuries sustained.

 

“Come on, if you can get this whole dance right, I’ll treat you for some dessert!” Seunghoon supplied helpfully—or at least in his eyes anyway—with the promise of a saccharine treat, to which she looked more determined this time though albeit nervous being put under pressure. She nodded her head with a more believable candid gusto this time round.

 

Not even a minute passed before she had already stepped on his foot.

 

---

 

 

Taehyun, despite his young age, was an instant hit with the Elite Class customers.

 

Whilst he had his fair share of relatively normal sessions with his clients which revolved around conversations and coffee (or even tea, whatever drink suited their preference) or the typical date scenes, there were times when his appointments had minimum talking required.

 

Like today.

 

The moment he stepped inside the room, his client was sitting on the edge of the bed. She stared up at him through half lidded eyes like a predator targeting her prey, her red stained lips pulled into a playful smirk. Taehyun slowly backed the door until it shut itself, raising an eyebrow towards her.

 

She responded simply by racking her gaze at a snail’s pace from top to bottom, her lips liking what she saw—whether it was a subconscious action or not, he didn’t have to guess—the next thing he knew, she had leapt from her seat and latched onto him, not wanting to waste any precious time, assaulting him with kisses against his exposed skin, moving her hand behind him to lock the door.

 

He leaned forward, his lips finding her earlobe and gently . Someone’s eager, I see.

 

The blonde client merely wrapped her arms around him, clinging her body tightly against his, as she slowly pulled him backwards towards the bed continuing with the onslaught of kisses, throwing her head back to release a husky moan when he bit the top of her ear. For the amount I’m paying, you bet your sweet bippy I am.

 

Taehyun could feel himself stumbling forward in mid-air and a millisecond later, he was toppled over his client. From where he was practically straggling her, he could just about make out her lipstick was all smudged, suggesting to him that he most likely had the red stains all over his neck. What do you want to bet we’ll be interrupted again this time?

 

She took the opportunity to pull tightly on his white button up top, causing some of the buttons to come undone and a few flying off, now there was no obstacle in her way she freely ran her hands down his chest which resulted in a short intake of breath on his part, but that was enough of a reaction to spur her on, she angled her head so she could easily captured his lips. Well, my boyfriend’s due any minute.

 

And as if like clockwork, the front door of the apartment opened swiftly and the rustling of bags soon followed. The blonde smirked into the kiss, the bottom of his lip as if trying to savour the taste before she pushed him away. It’s almost as if you want him to catch you with someone else.

 

The client rolled her shoulders casually, lifting a hand to wipe away the smudged lipstick away as she patted her rumpled self into a somewhat more presentable state. You’ve got your money, you can use some of it to buy a new shirt. Same time next week?

 

Taehyun walked towards the window where fire exit stairs were located, throwing a careless smirk in her direction before he was out of sight. Text me the details and I’ll be there as per usual.

 

---

 

And lastly but not least, Song Minho. Elite Class’s top rated amongst the clientele.

 

In comparison to some of the rookie escorts just starting off in the business, Minho didn’t feel the desperate need to comply with his client’s every need. Ever since he started out his short career, he wasn’t overly interested in engaging in ual activities with women, it would have been a lie to say that he didn’t during the first few requests but he found that a quick fumble in the sheets wasn’t really what he was looking for in a career.

 

He found he didn’t like leaving the clients in the early hours of the morning, sneaking off as if he had committed a crime. So he decided to invest his time more wisely, in matters he didn’t feel like he had to put on a mask every time he was with a client. Like he was putting on the shoes of somebody else, someone he didn’t recognise at the end of his working day.

 

“Minho-kun, are you alright? You seem to be in a daze.” It was times like this that he was grateful to his past self for all the sacrifices he had made, these decisions was in the key in enabling him to have clients from all over requesting him. And at that moment, he found himself in an art museum as an for his current client in Japan.

 

Instantly, he turned towards his pretty faced date and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, it’s just that looking at these exhibits was enough to make me realise just how lucky I am.”

 

She smiled at him, though beneath her words there was a hint of bitter-sweetness, lifting up a hand to cup his face. “I find myself lucky to have met you, it’s just a shame that I have to share you with others who have taken a shine to you.” Well, he wasn’t the number one employee for nothing. Even with his success, he wasn’t entirely sure how he managed it, though he always felt that luck was always on his side.

 

“Don’t think of such things, love.” Mino clasped his own hand lightly around hers, a gentle smile etched on his face as he placated his evidently worried client. “When I’m with you, I only think of you and no one else.” She returned the gesture as she leaned closer, yearning for his touch.

 

“You speak of such dangerous matters, Minho-kun.” She whispered softly, closing her eyes for a brief moment. “You’re tempting me to buy all your time, so that you’ll always think of me.” There was no doubt in his mind that she possessed such high amounts of money to be able prove her statement.

 

“Let’s not be hasty but enjoy the time now we have together and look forward to the future.” He replied diplomatically, lifting up his other hand holding a glass of wine to which she tapped her glass with his, maintaining her smile.

 

---

 

 

Hayi glanced down the street warily before up towards the building, which seemed to be filled to the brim with offices from a brief look into the windows.

 

“This must be the place…hopefully.” She had lost count the number of times she had asked people for directions, just to clarify that she was at least in the right area, but she was surprised by the abundance of shocked reactions she had received—some of the people she had asked took one look of the card before instantly bolting away.

 

For what reason, she couldn’t hazard a guess why.

 

She had gotten as far as the main doors before the security guards had shot her a look and asked for identification. Even if she had graduated from high school, her young middle school looks remained firmly in place, much to her own dismay. She fished out her purse and showed him her driving licence, cue stunned look upon learning her true age before the nod of acknowledge and off she went to enter into the building. This had only surged up curiosity to learn what kind of organisation this customer from the garage worked in to have such high security guarding the front entrance.

 

From all directions, the brunette could feel stares digging into her, most likely because of how young she looked as she approached the front desk. Hayi could already feel the nerves building up, she willed herself not to stutter uncontrollably.

 

“Hi, I have a message for Mr. Song? We’ve been trying to get a hold of him earlier but he wasn’t answering, would it be possible to leave a message?” The young woman, must have been in her mid-twenties, glanced upwards from her magazine. She grinned suddenly and leaned back in her chair.

 

“Mr Song is the number one employee at this firm, he’s constantly in high demand, sweet cheeks. He was most likely…” Her eyes darkened slightly, her head tilted to the side. “Preoccupied with other business matters. Are you interested in booking an appointment to see him? You would have to go upstairs to the third floor, if I’m not mistaken, you might have to wait a few months before you could get an appointment.”

 

A few months? How come it’s such a long waiting list? Seriously what kind of job does this guy have anyway?

 

“This shouldn’t take too long, I’m only here to deliver a message.” Hayi reaffirmed her request more firmly.

 

The young ebony haired woman shot her an almost disbelieving look. “You think I don’t hear that all the time? I just had some woman coming here only half an hour ago with a similar wish, I can’t give you the special treatment and pull some strings for you.”

 

The brunette could feel herself becoming increasingly flustered by the second. “Please. I promise you that I don’t have any ulterior motives, it was my co-worker Dara she’s the one who sent me—” As if those few last words were some kind of code, the woman’s eyes lit up in recognition as her lips were pulled into a sly smirk.

 

“I didn’t think Dara had it in her to be influencing such a young girl into trying out such an expensive means of entertainment.” She glanced around her before handing over a white card, gesturing for the younger girl to lean closer as she whispered lowly. “Alright sweet cheeks, here’s what you do, forget about the third floor, you’ll want the top floor. If anyone questions you, just show them the white card. I’ll let the secretary know you’re coming, she should know more of his schedule. I’ll tell her it’s important.”

 

Well…I guess if he values his car but I wouldn’t say it’s important. Hayi didn’t have enough time to produce a response before the receptionist diverted her attention to—what the brunette presumed to be the people standing in the queue behind her—with a mixture of sternness and exasperation all rolled into one.

 

“I’m afraid that Mr Song along with the rest of the hardworking men will not give you special treatment over others, so if anyone else thinks they can bribe me into getting them any appointments, you’ve got another thing coming.” With a final wink towards immensely confused girl who busied herself by shuffling her feet along towards the elevator. By chance, she turned her head slightly over her shoulder to see what the ruckus was all about, only for the action to cause her to double take at the number of girls waiting in line already dispersing in disappointment.

 

How popular are these guys anyway? It’s almost like some kind of idols or something…

 

---

 

 

The auburn haired girl had lost count the number of times she had crossed the many, many pictures of the employee’s faces strapped to the walls as she passed on her way to the top floor.

 

Whatever line of work this business was in, they certainly weren’t low on good looking men, that’s for sure.

 

Never mind that, you’re on a tight schedule. She quickly prompted herself as she found herself staring at a few portraits for much longer that she should have. Dara unnie’s trusting me to get this done.

 

From where she was walking she could already make out he elevator was cramp packed with a blur of faces, Hayi had a minimum of a few seconds to decide whether to jump in or not. But from the peripheral of her eye, she could make out another lift to the right of her and by the time her eyes returned back, her decision had been made once the metallic doors drew to a close.

 

I guess I’ll use this one then. With that final thought, she stepped inside once it dropped down to the ground level. And what surprised her was that it was completely empty, but she thought it was best to disregard this minor detail and focused on getting her act together. The last thing she needed was become nervous and when that happened, she had a strong tendency to stutter.

 

As the elevator progressively moved through each floor, there was still no one getting on. Hayi busied herself by taking a glance backwards, only to blink in surprise when she realised that the walls were transparent. While the lift was rising upwards, the view was increasingly becoming more and more appealing to watch. By this point, she had fully turned around to gaze around, her eyes hungrily looking as far as her eyes capacity would allow her. She couldn’t help but continue staring out the glass window that she failed to realise the elevator was pulling to a halt. The doors swished open and the sound of footsteps filtered inside, though Hayi had yet to break away from her daze.  

 

“There must be something spectacular out there that’s got you enraptured.” It was only at the last minute that she realised that someone was addressing her, she slowly turned her head to the side to see a smiling man clad in an all-black suit. When she came to the abrupt conclusion she had been starting for longer than needed to without uttering a single response, she blinked then returned her gaze back to its original place.

 

How to explain the fact that people watching is a hobby of mine to a complete stranger without coming across as a weirdo? She briefly entertained the idea for a few seconds, then realised that there was a very slim chance that she would ever see this person again. The only business she had in this building was to simply debrief a customer on the condition of his vehicle and that was it. Any other time, hopefully will be dealt with through a phone call, courtesy of Dara.

 

“I like people watching.” It was blunt and straight to the point because she knew that if she were to elaborate further, there was no doubt in her mind that she would turn into a rambling mess.

 

He seemed to chuckle at that comment. “It makes me glad that I’m not the only person who has a habit of doing that.”

 

Oh, I didn’t think I would find common ground with a stranger. She merely hummed, taking a quick look over her shoulder to check which floor they were on. The golden arrow hanging over the top of the door was pointing towards 19.

 

“So, I haven’t seen you around before.” He paused, as if to gauge her reaction. She didn’t humour him as she remained silent. “Are you new here?”

 

New? As in first time coming here? Yes. But she had a feeling that’s not what he was answering her.

 

“We don’t have many female employees, at least not to my knowledge. Our customers on the whole mostly stem from the female demographic.” He provided her with the fact, something she didn’t really take in as she willed for the elevator to hurry up and get to whatever floor this guy’s meant to be at already.

 

“This elevator’s only meant for special workers, are you a transfer from another branch perhaps?” He continued to prod her with a seemingly endless list of questions. She could feel her annoyance approaching closer and closer to boiling point that he was evidently incapable of being quiet. Until a thought came into her head. ‘Special’ workers can only use this elevator? She felt her eyebrows furrowed together, thinking back to the other lift she was going to enter before, seeing how many people were stuffed in there.

 

And there was enough room in here to fit a dozen more people.

 

Oh…bugger. She blanched slightly. I should probably tell him that I don’t work here before he gets any ideas. “Ah, about that—“

 

He clicked his fingers together, a grin suddenly taking up the vacant space on his face. “There are some exceptions to the rule, gold customers can use this elevator too. Do you have an appointment with one of our employees, by any chance?”

 

Well…I don’t have an appointment. Hayi her dry lips. “I’m here to deliver a message.” It would be better to state my purpose rather than lie. Hayi had always been terrible liar, she would get nervous to the point where she would either reveal the truth or the other people would have guessed themselves.

 

The grin faltered slightly until it became somewhat strained. “You’re not some kind of stalker, right?” She blinked, perhaps her statement was implying something sinister—in his eyes, anyway.

 

“No, I don’t have a tendency to invade people’s privacy. Sorry to disappoint.” She threw in with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. At that, she could see his chest deflating slowly as he subtly released a sigh of relief as if he was holding his breath whilst waiting for her response.

 

“I had to check, you wouldn’t believe some nutjobs we’ve come across here in this line of work.” He reached out his hand to scratch the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. She inclined her head to show her understanding.

 

 “What if I was a nutjob? For all you know I might just be good at keeping character.” She raised an eyebrow to which he returned with a smile.

 

“I have a good judge of character and I always go with my gut feeling.” Then the door suddenly opened up, he made a move to leave but turned his head. “It was nice meeting you, I hope that our paths will cross in the future.”

 

“Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet whilst people watching, Mr Special.” She felt a smirk pull at the corner of her lip as she lifted two fingers to salute him off.

 

“I look forward to it, Miss Gold.”

 

                                                                   

---

                                                                                                         

 

Lee Hi dreaded looking at the time. She already knew she was going to be late going back to work.

 

It shouldn’t be too hard to tell him the condition of his car kept for longer than initially thought, whoever burst his tires and damaged his windscreen must have known it would have been difficult to replace on an expensive car. She mused to herself, feeling sympathetic towards whoever this Mr. Song was. Either he was just an extremely unlucky individual or there was someone out there who must have despised him enough to commit an act upon the poor car.

 

She could remember walking from the garage office towards the area where all the cars were kept and the look on her face when she saw the smashed up Lamborghini Huracan Matte Black dropped instantly. It was uncommon to see such a flashy and luxurious vehicle amongst the standard other cars littering the room, she nearly believed she was hallucinating for a moment.

 

“—you alright there? You’re not lost are you?” That’s when Hayi was ripped from her reverie, her eyes slowly blinked before the focus came back to her. She found herself standing just outside the elevator, her mind must have been on auto pilot whilst she was dreaming away.

 

She turned her attention towards to lady who was shooting a curious look at her. She was clad in a white button up shirt covered by a fitted blazer with a grey pencil skirt. Hayi didn’t even want to contemplate on how terrible she must have looked in comparison dressed in denim overalls with the Krunk eared snapback in place.

 

The job of a mechanic wasn’t the most glamorous.

 

“I’m here to see Mr. Song?” Hayi decided to try to repair any ruined first impressions by releasing a smile. However, the lady merely raised an eyebrow looking as if she was a few seconds away from alerting security.

 

The card. Remember the white card. Silently, she raised the item in question up to eye-level, the other woman caught onto it with a nod of what Hayi hoped to be understanding.

 

“Come along, I’ll show you the way to their shared office.” She motioned for her to follow on, her black stilettos tapped against the floor. The auburn haired girl took the opportunity to have a nose around, her eyes trailed around the walls and again the faces of the employees assaulted her vision encased in fancy frames as her own converse shoes which had seen better days squeaked against the tiles. The design of the floor had a special touch of black walls throughout the hallway, but when you got to the section with the offices rooms, each were painted in separate colours.

 

The ebony haired woman finally reached a room at the end of the hall, briskly knocked twice and waited for a response. And like clockwork, the noise that was erupting from the other side instantly diminished only to be hurried replaced with the sound of shuffling around. Hayi could have sworn she had seen the woman roll her eyes, as if this happened on a regular basis.

 

Then, the door opened to reveal a face Hayi thought to have a slight resemblance to her Dara unnie. But she quickly dismissed such a thought. He was pretty looking though.

 

“How can I help you, ladies?” He revealed a pearly white smile, his voice soft as his gaze travelled from the oldest, recognising her to be a fellow employee to herself to Hayi.

 

“This client’s here to see Mr. Song,” She replied in a clipped tone before turning her gaze into the youngest of the trio. “He shouldn’t be too long, he’s currently on his way back from a business meeting.”

 

“I’ll leave her in your capable hands, Mr Kim.” Was the last thing she stated before sauntering around the corner and out of sight. He nodded as he opened the door wider and ushered Hayi to come in, the latter politely refused. “I’m sorry to bother you but this shouldn’t take too long.” But the doll faced male wasn’t having any of it until she was sitting on a plush sofa seat which she could literally sink into.

 

“Would you like any refreshments? We’ve just had an order come in for fruit scented teas or we have coffee if you prefer?” He waited until she was settled before he bombarded her with questions.

 

“I’m fine, thank you—“ Upon that, his face dropped slightly. To which she inwardly cursed herself knowing that she was going to give in to the cute expression, her gaze looked towards the selection on the counter. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind some camomile tea with honey.” He looked ready to jump up and whip up the requested beverage when she held up a hand.  

 

“Please, don’t feel like you have to. I’m the one who’s bothering you, I’ll go make it myself.” She bowed her head, going off towards the kitchen counter, having a brief moment to try to locate where everything was before she got started. “Would you like a drink while I’m here?”

 

“I don’t mind at all making the drinks—“ Hayi shot him a deadpan expression as he immediately backpedalled. “A-Ah, a plain black coffee will suffice, thank you.”

 

In no time at all, the pair found themselves in silence nursing their drink of choice. There shouldn’t be any harm in telling this guy the message, right? I mean he seems to work with Mr Song…She pursed her lips in thought. I don’t really have the time to be sitting here drinking tea while I’m supposed to be in work. No doubt I’ll have my lunch time cut.

 

“Penny for your thoughts?” He smiled invitingly over the rim of his mug, to which the auburn haired girl nearly lost concentration upon staring at his long eyelashes. It wasn’t every day that she found herself within close proximity with such a handsome man.

 

“I was just thinking that I have to go back to work as soon as I’ve relayed the message to Mr Song, I’ve already been away long enough.”

 

“Oh? What do you work as? I’ve heard that there’ve started hiring waitresses and bar staff around these parts.” Perhaps it was just small talk, but he genuinely appeared interested to know.

 

“No, I’m a—“ Then the arrivals of—whom she could only expect to be additional employees—came through the door, the sound of hyena-like laughter broke into the air.

 

“Jinwoo-hyung, are you on an appointment right now?” As if they shifted from one spectrum personality to the other, they became more serious looking once they realised that Jinwoo wasn’t alone, she would even go as far as say they were intimidating.

 

“No, she’s waiting for Minho-ah.”
 

“Ah, he always gets all the cute ones.” There was a sound of disappointment. Yet Hayi frowned at hearing such a statement. What was that supposed to mean?

 

“Behave yourself, remember the rules maknae.” The stoic one of the two rolled his eyes as he made his way over to the opposite end of the room, grabbed one of the magazines and started to flick through as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

 

“I was just making an observation, don’t act as if I’ve harassed her.” He scowled for a moment before he made his way over towards the seat opposite from where Hayi was sitting. She didn’t know why but at the pit of her stomach, she didn’t feel entirely comfortable being so close to this stranger.

 

“Is there anything I can do to fill in for Minho, should he be held up?” He leaned forward, raising a delicate eyebrow.

 

She stood her ground and shook her head with—she hoped—came out as a polite smile. “No thank you.” The auburn haired girl’s eyes missed the hooded look in his eyes.

 

“Oh, are you guys having a party and didn’t invite me again?” Hayi’s eyes flew straight over the door in expectant that any moment Mr Song would walk through that door—so she could finally leave. She smiled towards the brown haired male in the hopes that he was in fact the customer in question she needed to talk to.

 

“Looks like either your clients are getting worse at dancing or you’re just a teacher,” The one with the middle parting decided to make a comment, at a closer inspection the newcomer seemed to have a limp in his step. Hayi shot a look of disbelief at the rude maknae. What a disrespectful guy.

 

“At least I don’t sneak out of my client’s houses with my tail in-between my legs.” Is he suggesting what I think he’s suggesting?

 

The chocolate brown haired male let out a low chuckle. “I’m getting some action, when was the last time you got some, huh? Oh right, that’s because you have no game.” Jinwoo was the first in his attempt to stop anything before it escaladed further but like many other times, was merely pushed to the side. Seunghoon’s eyes narrowed in slits as he grabbed his collar with a clenched fist.

 

“Don’t tempt me into rearranging your face, I’ll be more than happy to do so.” Taehyun’s gaze to harden as he shoved the older male backwards with surprising strength. How on earth did this trivial argument escalade so quickly? The petite girl remained baffled at the illogical event.

 

“Do you all need to be reminded that you don’t discuss such matters with a client present, nor is it appropriate to act in such a manner.” That’s when the heated atmosphere instantly dropped down to icy. Hayi could feel the hairs on the back of her head raising at the insanely baritone voice, she slowly diverted her attention from the pair, who by this point had released their holds respectively of each other’s collars leaving them ruffled towards the new arrival.

 

It’s like I’ve died and gone to flower boy heaven. She dryly thought to herself.

 

“I apologise on behalf of my colleagues, it was very unprofessional of them.” He shot a dark glare towards the group of men before aiming a somewhat strained smile towards her.

 

“Is there anything I help you with?”

 

“Yes.” She placed her cup and saucer onto the coffee table—her tea had already gotten cold with her attention diverted on many of occasions—standing up as she looked towards the—surprise, surprise—devilishly handsome man standing idly by the doorway.

 

“I’m afraid that we can’t go any further until we sort out something.” Taehyun folded his arms over his chest, the air around him went cold as his stare bored into her. As if he didn’t just mercilessly taunt his co-worker merely moments ago.

 

Don’t tell me they’re all criminals who keep people hostage? Was the first irrational thought to dawn in her mind, which she didn’t hesitate to brush off.

 

“What you witnessed earlier, it’s not something that we can afford being leaked into the press.”

 

She frowned, not once did the thought of her going to the news about this cross her mind. They wouldn’t take her seriously on such an accusation, especially if unequipped with evidence. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere near the broadcasting station, whatever that argument was about is your business not mine. So I would appreciate it if you let me say my peace and leave.”

 

“See, as much as we would like to trust your word. It doesn’t mean anything in the legal world, you could go away from this building and who knows? Maybe you’ll find a reason to sell that story, the bottom line is that we can’t allow you to leave without signing a form of confidentiality.” The dancer, Seunghoon continued on from where the maknae left off. No longer did she feel the carefree aura emitting around him from earlier.

 

“What sort of business do you need such a form for? Are you the CIA or something?” She couldn’t help but scoff at the idea. Of course they weren’t.

 

“…We’re high class escorts.” Seungyoon finally looked up from his magazine, his stare unwavering as if he had an inkling that she wasn’t fully aware of the fact. Then, like clockwork, it all started to sink in. The throng of girls waiting in line, Mr Song’s card with the company—sleazy—slogan, and the little hints here and there during her time spent here. But she wasn’t in a position to judge, a job was a job at the end of the day. It was controversial, yes, but these men made the decisions for themselves to join this industry regardless of their reasons for doing so.

 

“And that’s your jobs, I can understand that you need the money and can’t afford to lose yours. If something were to happen and I lost my job, I wouldn’t know what I would do. If I have to sign the form, then I will. I won’t say anything else on the matter.” She looked expectantly towards Mr Song, who blinked out of his surprise to fetch the form only to see that Taehyun already had on in his hand. But the next action got her confused as he crumped it up and chucked it into the bin.

 

Seunghoon threw an arm around the youngest shoulders with a grin as he snuggled his face closer causing a disgusted expression to arise from the latter. “Sorry for assaulting you before, Taehyunnie~”

 

“This is just something we do before we agree to any new clients, it’s just routine you understand.” Jinwoo was the first to reassure her.

 

“That’s fine…” That was all she could manage before she returned back to her train of thought, the main reason why she was there in the first place, her gaze returned back onto the tanned male. “I’m sorry to intrude on your time for longer than expected but this should only take a few seconds. I’m only here to talk about your car.” And it must have been a record for the fastest reactions it was more than evident that that none were expecting her answer.

 

“It’s in Krunk’s Garage at the moment, we’ve been trying to get in touch with you earlier but there must have been a problem with the line. I’ve only come here to tell you that your car is in need of essential maintenance and the replacement of the tyres and windows have been ordered but once they are fitted in and tested, you should have your car back as soon as possible.” Once that was said, she bowed forward, placing one hand over the other. “I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.” There you go, you’ve done what you were meant to do. Now come up with some kind of excuse. She inwardly sighed in relief, now all she had to go was say her goodbyes and take her leave.

 

“Ah, you’re some kind of secretary then?” It was Seungyoon who shot the question in her direction, being one of the first to break away from his stupor.

 

Of course, no one would ever expect someone like me to be a mechanic. It’s always been considered a guy thing. She slowly shook her head, most likely only fuelling their confusion.

 

“No, I work as a mechanic there.” She revealed with a sly smile, knowing that none expected such an answer, she took their reactions as the time to take her leave before any more questions were thrown her way.

 

“Now if would please excuse me, I’ve got to get back to work.” She bid her goodbyes but remembered Jinwoo at the last second as she was nearing the door. “Also, thank you for the tea, Mr Kim.”

 

Then, she was gone and silence eluded into the air.

 

 

 

“Krunk’s Garage, huh?”

 

 

---

 

Part One, perhaps? 

 

I have no idea with the inspiration came with this one, I just like the idea of little Lee Hi being doted on with guys. It's cute! 

/during Taehyun's bit, I cringed so much while writing it, I can't ever imagine writing haha

I'm meant to be doing uni work, but I wrote this instead. Top student, obvs.

There were a number of routes I could have gone with this, but I decided to leave it there. Believe it or not, this was meant to be a one-shot, whether it remains as one is another question. (With different boy groups? Who knows, it's still early days)

(And whether they're as lengthy as this one would be debatable)

Oh and Krunk belongs to YG! He's the blue bear featured in Lee Hi's 'It's Over' MV!

So I'll go now...hope you guys enjoy the newest installment to my ever growing collection of unfinished work~