A/N : A very longgg chapter. At least it looks like it hehe... Enjoy ^ ^

제13회

Her favorite ringtone blasted from the phone while she was drying the cups. It was odd to receive a phone call at this time of day, unless it was from Yejin or important. Refusing to lift a foot, she stretched her left arm to reach for the phone sitting on the shelf. However, her assumption proved wrong when she saw the caller ID. "Hel-"

"Are you messing with me?"

"Come again?"

"Admit it. You didn't make this coffee, did you?" That lifted her eyebrow. "What do you mean?I made it myself. With my own two hands!" Seolhee nearly lose her composure. He did not respond yet his scoff was enough to irk her.

To think that Seolhee was usually calm and collected, Sungkyu ruined it in a few seconds.

If this continues, I might develop hypertension.

"Baek Seolhee, are you listening?" Not wanting to entertain him further, she puts the phone down on the counter top. Putting on a pretty yet playful smile, she diverted her attention to the customers instead.

“Is she ignoring me?”

Meanwhile, somewhere across the room someone else is also experiencing the same thing. 

“What? Did he just hang up on me?” Yejin stared at the phone receiver for a long time. She usually doesn’t take a call from strangers, because sometimes they’re prank calls or from the insurance company. She picked up this one because she accidentally pressed the answer button while playing a game.

The phone number belonged to Hoya.

I am picky when it comes to exchanging numbers or any contact information. Friends and families are an exception, also clients and colleagues. Seolhee and I chose our acquaintances very carefully. Especially guys.

I don’t have to worry about my number, but I have to watch out for Seolhee’s. There’s always a person using me to get to her. That is shady.

If you ask me, why did I give it to Dongwoo easily?

He’s no exception actually. I doubted him at first. When he opened up about Howon, I mean Hoya, his story intrigued me. About how Hoya’s personality was different from Howon. I thought, interesting.

Since day one, he is never been nice. Well, except that one time at the convenience store. Other than that, all I can see was his serious face. Like he’s ready to get angry or something.

I don’t need another serious guy. Kim Sungkyu was enough.  

“Yejin,” The latter looked up. “These are the lists of models for the Secret Garden photoshoot. Get these to Director Kim so he can review them, okay?” She nodded after Manager Han finished his order. Opening the portfolios one by one, they were catalogues of models mainly from top agencies in Korea.

“These guys are no joke,” She mumbled. Lee Sungkyung, Nam Joohyuk, Do Sangwoo, Song Kyung Ah… they’re all here. Picking a model out of these will be hard. 

But again, Kim Sungkyu proved himself to be unpredictable.

He rejected them. All of them. Too skinny, too tall, too fierce and the list went on. He refused every single one of them naming their flaws as his excuse. “What about idols? They’re photogenic as well. Actors are fine too. I’m sure they can pull it off.” Yejin spoke, taking back the portfolios back to her side. Sungkyu, who was sitting on his chair, tapped his pen repeatedly while thinking very hard. “Give me your phone.”

“My phone? Why do y-“ He interrupted when he snatched the device from her and scrolling for the gallery. “Y-you can’t do that! That’s private!” As expected, the director ignored her and continued looking at the pictures stored in her phone. It’s a good thing that she never take any provocative pictures. She walked up to behind him, peering over his shoulder to make sure he didn’t see anything he wasn’t supposed to.

He stopped at a picture of her and Seolhee taken during her cousin’s wedding day. Yejin tagged along and they took a picture together. Seolhee wore a sunflower printed dress and while she put on a ballerina dress. “Director Kim…”

“Did you not understand the concept of this photo shoot?” He turned the chair around and Yejin nearly stumbled from the sudden movement. Fortunately, she held on to the wall behind her thus regained her footing.

“Secret Garden; a mysterious place surrounded by nature built as an escape. For that, I need someone who looks pure and youthful. Someone like her.” He pointed at the girl in the picture.

Yejin could not stop smiling.

= = = = = = =

I should’ve known. Seolhee mentally groaned.

Last night, Yejin asked her friend to accompany her to scout a location for her photo shoot and gave her opinion. She didn’t expect to be casted as the model of the photo shoot. The moment they arrived, the makeup artist greeted them happily and almost dragged her to the makeup booth.

“Please…” Yejin made her plea. “Can’t you do it for me?”

“I would if you ask me nicely.” She gritted her teeth. She had some experience, but that was only promoting school uniforms back in the day. Posing for a high fashion pictorial like this was out of her league. “I have to go back to the café. No one’s looking after it.”

“Jaehoon oppa got it covered. We made arrangements earlier.” She finds it hard to believe. As far as she knows, the boys were not fond of Yejin’s boss ever since the day he stepped into Café Bloom. How did he agree so easily? Yejin read her expression and she decided to reveal it to her friend. “I told him the same thing I told you.” She finished her sentence with an awkward grin. Seolhee let out a sigh. Yejin knows the right button to push. “But…”

“I really need your help. Director Kim requested you. My job depends on this. Just this once, please?”

Her friend’s job is on the line. Damn it. He used Yejin to get to her. Is this payback for hanging up on him the other day? I should’ve put salt in his coffee instead of sugar.

“I don’t know…”

“It’ll be fun. I promise…”

Yejin was indeed the queen of persuasion. In the end, Seolhee agreed to it anyway. While letting the stylists attend to Seolhee, Yejin goes around the set making sure everything is ready. The photo shoot starts in half an hour and she wants to impress Sungkyu this time.

“Big trouble!” Haera, one of the stylists, drew attention with her cry. She ran to Yejin with worry written all over her face. “The model that was going to partner up with Miss Seolhee can’t make it today. She had a gig in Jeju.”

“What? But we already booked her. I confirmed it yesterday!”

“There has been a mix up on their side. Her manager accepted our booking while unaware that she had another one on the same day. What do we do now?” This is the time that makes her want to cry. Why now? Yejin bit her lip. God, is this karma for forcing Seolhee come today? If that’s so, forgive me my lord! She grabbed her hair in frustration. To her dismay, Sungky