“H
ey everyone, I have an announcement to make...”
Three heads bent over an iPad simultaneously looked up. In the middle was Yihwan, now with unkempt auburn hair he had yet to get used to. He was holding the gadget in his hands while red-haired Steven had his chin perched on the band leader’s right shoulder. Minchan sat on Yihwan’s left, munching on some chips while watching the newly edited batch of AVPs they were planning to show during their upcoming concert showcase. They all looked at Justin with varying levels of curiosity, but only Steven spoke up.
“Are you dating that girl from Marketing? The one with the blonde hair and pretty eyelashes?”
Justin’s jaw hung for a quick second before he cleared his throat. “As of today, I have been permanently assigned to Silverazzi and will be taking on the task of being their senior manager.”
“Wait, don’t you think this is a bad time to transition?” Yihwan said, apprehensive. “We’re having a concert showcase in a few weeks, hyung!”
“I know. I know. You don’t have to worry. My replacement is very efficient. Quick thinker. Very hardworking.”
The boys groaned, and Justin laughed at the collective sound of frustration. He went to open the door and poked his head out, nodding to someone in the hall. “They’re ready for you, I guess.”
With a resigned sigh, Yihwan put the gadget away and got up from his seat as the door opened wider. Steven and Minchan did the same, but only halfheartedly.
But all that changed when Fi walked into the room, wearing a wide smile. “You sounded disappointed from behind the door.”
All three yelled like South Korea had just won the FIFA World Cup Series, and Justin took this opportunity to slip out of the room unnoticed. Steven almost tripped over his own feet trying to get to Fi, while Minchan made a dash toward her for a hug. Yihwan couldn’t believe his eyes. He was the last one to approach her, taking in the sight of her like he couldn’t get enough of it.
“Nice hair,” was the first thing she said to him.
“I hate it.”
“It suits you.”
“Stop flirting with Yihwan while I’m hugging you!” Steven protested, clinging to her tightly. This time, it was Minchan who called for a group hug, and they all but mugged her happily.
“We thought you’d never come back!” the youngest whined.
“And miss the chance to do this?” Fi reached up to pinch his cheek. “Never.”
Minchan’s eyes disappeared into uneven crescents as he smiled, and he pulled her close, hugging her tighter.
“Welcome back, Fi.” Yihwan reached over to ruffle her hair, a gesture he used to do a lot during their debut days so he could annoy her. He grinned when the telling crease on her brows appeared, and the promise of a fresh, new start made his heart drum loudly against his chest.
Fi raked her hair back in place with her fingers. “Thanks, you guys…I really appreciate this very warm welcome,” she said. “But we can celebrate later. We have a 3 o’ clock at Jamsil—why aren’t you ready yet?”
“Look at you being so tough on us on your first day back,” Steven teased.
“Parking lot, five minutes! Last one to get inside the van buys dinner for the entire week. Go!”
All three scampered to pick up their things, mumbling and grumbling about how Fi had changed so quickly. Yihwan was first to head out the door, surprised to see Fi had already left the room.
* * *
It was almost noon, but Gabriel didn’t feel the need to stand up and grab lunch with everyone else on the floor. Not when he had Singapore on one line and Thailand on another. It was thankfully not a matter of damage control, just opportunities that come a-knockin’ at (somewhat) inopportune times.
He saw movement from the partly frosted window of his office and wondered if his sunbae had already gone to the cafeteria with the rest. One of the PR staff members was celebrating his birthday and had promised to treat everyone to a meal. Gabriel wished it wasn’t lunch, because he might just get the scraps when he finally showed up.
“Yes, we can arrange for a contract to be drafted between the two agencies, but it’s not for me to decide. All I can offer at the moment is—” He paused when he heard something. Did someone knock?
“Mr. Park?” he heard the voice on the other line say.
“I’m sorry, uh... hang on, I think the signal’s getting choppy.” He heard it again—it definitely was a knock, and he got up to see who it was. Probably someone from the team reminding him to get some sort of sustenance.
But the figure he saw was already leaving. When his visitor turned back to look in his direction, his heart raced. There was no way he could be wrong.
“I can offer a recommendation to marketing so they can review your proposal, and I or someone from that department will get back to you as soon as we can.” He wondered for a second if Singapore noticed how he was suddenly rushing. And Thailand...Thailand could wait ten more seconds.
Gabriel rushed to open the door. A takeaway bag from the coffee place he likes sat on the carpet, as though it had been deliberately left there for him to see. He picked up the bag and peeked inside, and the soothing aroma of his favorite poison quickly filled his senses. There was even a serving of his favorite grilled chicken sandwich in there.
A note was stapled on the paper bag:
Hey, Mr. Pushover.
See you around. <3
-Chopstick
A grin slowly spread across his face. He probably had more than eight hours left in his work day, but it didn’t matter now that he had coffee, his favorite sandwich, and his favorite girl out there somewhere, in the same city he’s in, waiting to be said hello to.
Hey, thanks for lunch.
Figured you’d skip again, you workaholic.
I learned from the best.
Oh no. Are you turning into the old me?
Depends. What’s the old you like?
Works too much. Needs to be reminded to breathe a little.
And the new you?
Probably still the same, only less severe.
Welcome back to AmEnt, Chopstick.
Very happy to be back, Mr. Pushover.
Dinner tonight?
If you don’t mind the caf, then yes.
Awesome.
♥
THE END