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she sat back and smiled at the final work. she had checked plenty times before realizing it was finally done, in the same day she started. a big smile was drawn across her face as she stood from the chair to stretch her extremities.

her clock marked 4:35 p.m and she still had 25 minutes until her first day of work as an intern was done. she thought about calling wonho to show her work but she wanted someone else's opinion first.

seol walked out of her cubicle and walked towards the cubicle 8. a dirty blonde sat in front of a desk that looked exactly like hers. in his glasses, the big mac screen was reflected, it looked like his eyes were squared and white.

after knocking the door softly she opened it and walked inside. "excuse me... i am ha seol, i am the new intern, wonho told me that if i ever-

"i know, he told you to come here, right?" he said without taking his eyes off the screen, his voice sounded totally unamused. she just nodded.

"go on."

"he told me to come to cubicle 8 if i needed help with my job-

"he called me cubicle 8?" he looked at her for the first time. his eyes were brown and soft, humble. even if his face had a severe expression, as if he was super tired and needed a 3 year vacation, his eye expression was soft and somehow trustworthy.

"yes." she said nodding. he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, letting go of the graphic tablet's pen he was holding.

"i can believe it... even after 5 years he still calls me cubicle 8..." he mumbled shaking his head.

she cleared her throat, confused over the boy's expressions. "excuse me?" she mumbled, nervous of what he could say.

"and you do?" he asked, sitting back, crossing his arms on his chest. "i do... what?"

"you need help with your job?" he asked tilting his head, she just shook her head. "mm no, i mean... i just- i finished it and i would like to know your opinion since you're the veteran intern in here- she stopped talking when she noticed the boy's shocked expression.

"is that what he said? that i was a veteran intern?" he expressed as he stood from the chair. his face looked shocked as if he couldn't believe his own ears. she took a couple of steps back and finally hit the door.

"what else did he say?" he asked, trying to look menacing but his eyes were too soft to actually make her feel threatened.

"nothing else."

"aish.... i can't believe it." he closed his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval. "i am not a veteran intern just to let you know. i am a hired graphic designer, full time, he just hates me enough to even give me a decent office, that's it. but we went to school together, he's just a pain in the ass." the blonde said as he shook his head and opened the door.

she swallowed hard, standing there, not knowing what to do or say. "after you?" he said as if he was waiting for her to lead the way.

once she showed him the video, he nodded. a short but sharp nod. "it's good. it's good stuff... where did you attend?"

"seoul's art and design institute." he nodded in approval. "nice. you did great and... extremely fast for being an intern. good job." he said standing from the desk and giving her a thumbs up.

"it's going to be approved so... call hoseok."

she tilted her head. "hoseok?"

"yeah... wonho." he said moving mockingly as he mentioned his name. the pair laughed. for the first time since she met cubicle 8, he laughed. "is that-

"yeah... his real name is shin hoseok, he just fakes his name saying it's wonho. he doesn't say his real name to anybody."

she laughed, covering her mouth. "only i know it because we went to school together." he said pinching his own nose.

"thanks god he changed it to wonho though..." he added. they both laughed, her shoulders relaxing finally. after having cubicle 8's approval, she felt a bit more confident about her job.

"anything else you need?" he asked, she finally shook her head but then changed her mind on the way.

"actually... what's your name? i mean... it can't be cubicle 8."

he simply laughed. "that's the name wonho gave me... but the name my father gave me is im changkyun." he said smiling tenderly as her as he opened the door. her lips formed an "o" after realizing that cubicle 8 actually had a name.

"good luck ha seol." finally closed the door and disappeared through the corridor.

"changkyun." she mumbled his name, it was nice and rolled easily on her tongue. she wondered why wonho would put such a stone on changkyun's way by calling him cubicle 8. still, she thought it was cute nickname.

•

"well you did a good job, i must admit i am impressed." floor's supervisor surely made her feel more and more confident. she wasn't really expecting good words from him, he didn't seem to be the type to praise other people's work, especially if they were bellow him.

"i think we should show him, to know his opinion." she turned around, eyes widened.

him?

"uh- excuse me... who is him?" she asked confused, an innocent expression crossing her eyes. he chuckled as he walked around his office, grabbing the tablet and walking towards the door.

"well the boss of course." he said between a wink as he opened the door and waited for her to go out first. she pushed down the paws of her sweater and did what was expected. he soon followed her out of the office.

"i'll let you know what he thinks but... it's good news already." he said moving his hands as if he was indicating her to go home.

she nodded and bowed slightly. "thank you. have a nice day." she said but soon was stopped by him. "by the way... next week we have a photo session... i would like to see your skills with that too, do you think you can manage?" he asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

her eyes grew big. she had done photo sessions before but nothing too professional. "-y-yes." she cursed herself mentally for stammering, that was a sign of weakness work-related.

he only laughed. "alright... prepare for next week's photoshoot then." with that he simply turned around and walked away, leaving her there alone and confused.

even if she was good at almost everything she did, her records proved it, she still was nervous about that day. she watched plenty video tutorials and read lots of entries in different kinds of photography blogs just to make sure she had the knowledge needed to complete the task.

"calm down, you're going to do just fine." jooheon said from the couch, hands busy on the playstation remote, eyes focused on the big screen. she was sitting next to him, macbook on her lap, as she watched different tutorials.

"you're always encouraging me. i don't deserve you."

"that's what i am here for... also, i know." the dimple attack was visible again, she ignored it since it was always something that made her feel weird inside.

"yah!" she called him, he hummed, not removing his eyes from the screen. "what happened with that girl, your "friend" hyerin?"

she turned to look at him. his soft profile suddenly got tense, he swallowed hard and faked his attention, full on the screen. "jooheon!" she shook his arm, trying to get his attention.

"what?"

"hyerin? the girl from the coffee shop? what happened with her?"

"uh- i... i don't know. she hasn't called."

her eyes widened at the sudden confession. "what? why?"

"maybe she's busy, i don't know-

"why don't you call her? what is wrong with you?"

"hey, look – he said pausing the game and turning to look at her – you were the one who forced me into that date, i didn't even want to go in the first place."

"she seems nice for you!"

he only looked at her, a sarcastic face. even if he didn't know her personally, he had listened to rumours before and they weren't exactly good ones.

"just forget it." jooheon's words made her groan in frustration, she closed the macbook, turning her attention to the black haired sitting next to her. "when will you listen lee jooheon?... stop making assumptions on people you don't know, give her a chance-

"how do you know i am making assumptions-

"your face. it's really giving you away." she crossed her arms on her chest. jooheon only looked at her with widened eyes.

"you're my best friend, i just want to see you happy." she added, her tone softened after jooheon's eyes stared into hers.

"jooheon..." she breathed out his name but he returned his eyes to the screen.

"i'll call her..." he simply said as he pressed play and kept playing. a smile formed on her lips as she extended her hand to ruffle his long black hair.

•

the day was finally there. it was monday and the photoshoot had been scheduled at 2:00 p.m.

to say she was nervous it was really an understatement. she heard the boss was going to be around and the only thought of it, mortified her.

she wanted to give her best performance so they could put her into good words with graphic nation and maybe, just maybe, when she finished her internships there, they would offer a permanent position.

"is everything ready?" wonho's voice echoed inside the big and overly bright studio. it was all white, walls and floors and it had big windows that provided plenty natural light.

she just nodded. "alright, i'll bring the models in."

seol waited as she set up the cameras. the place was cold and it was only her and a few other people around, just supervising.

suddenly a familiar face appeared out of nowhere. "hi."

"minhyuk." she greeted him with a funny bow. he just laughed. "i came because i have free time, is everything ready? you need help?"

she shook her head. "uh no, it's okay. i have everything under control."

"really?... what a great addition to the team. i knew you were a self-sufficient one." he crossed his arms on his chest, looking at the studio set with proud eyes. "it looks good."

"oh, thank you." she giggled as she finished to set up the cameras. the models were visible as they came inside the studio.

her hands began to sweat as she recognized some of the faces. she had seen them before in perfume and tennis commercials. "please this way." wonho indicated the way, they followed.

after what seemed days of work, only 40 minutes transcurred before wonho said it was time to finish since the models had to go back. her nervousness grew when he said that they needed to see an advance today, at the end of the work day.

that meant she had only an hour or so to edit at least half of the pictures to show them to the  ceo. it was nerve wracking for her. she was not exactly used to work with deadlines, or maybe not as severe as the ones given there. but she knew if she wanted a permanent position in graphic nation, she would have to exceed their expectations.

she ran back to her cubicle and started working. no wasting time, she organized all the pictures and started editing. always checking the clock to make sure she was on time.

when the clock marked the end of the day, she quickly transferred all the pictures she edited to the tablet and walked towards wonho's office, but he wasn't there.

she noticed a blonde woman sitting on a desk, outside of his office and she assumed it was his secretary or personal assistant. "excuse me..." she started.

"yes miss ha?" her eyes widened when she realized the woman knew her name. "uh- i am looking for wonho-

"yes. he's at the ceo's office, waiting for you."

her knees grew weak and her temples started throbbing. her face turned a poem at the thought of her being late. "am i late?" she spoke her thoughts. the blonde only chuckled.

"no... but if you're done then you should go, they might be waiting."

"okay.. where's the ceo's office?"

"it's... at the top of the building. last floor." the woman said with a sympathetic look, as if it was so obvious that she actually felt bad for the new intern, for not knowing where the ceo's office was located.

she quickly rushed her feet towards the elevator. her hands sweating as she pressed the last floor aka penthouse button. it was funny it was named "ph" since it wasn't exactly apartments.

the doors finally opened and luxury surroundings hit her face.

the floor was really different from the ones bellow. they all sure were nice and probably way too beautiful for being an office but this one exceeded the concept of beautiful and elegant.

in fact, it didn't look like an office at all. floors were black marble, they shined so bright, almost blinding her. walls were different tones of white and light grey. the roof had a mesmerizing platinum material, unknown to her, that reflected the light so beautifully. lights were simple white bulbs covered in steel. different from the other floors, this one lacked intern gardens. there was no color around, only black, white and silver.

all furniture was made of either glass or steel and the place looked colder than the rest of the floors. the view was still stunning, but probably even more since they were in the last floor, at the top of the building.

first thing she noticed was the lack of people around. as soon as she walked out of the elevator and took a turn on the right, she found a big desk, black and silver, and a black haired woman with a high bun, perfectly combed, behind the counter, eyes focused in what seemed to be a screen or computer.

she cleared her throat, her eyes still wondering around, looking for other people. "excuse me, miss..." she mumbled. the woman lifted her head, her dark specks fixing on her.

"yes... miss ha?" apparently everyone knew her. she thought maybe before an intern comes in, they prepare the people around and show them their faces and names.

"i am here because wonho-

"yes. they're waiting, please this way." she gracefully stood from the desk and walked around, leading the way.

she noticed this woman looked different from the ones in the floors below. women downstairs, looked like herself, simple. but this woman looked really elegant. this whole floor looked like it was detached from the rest of the building. everything was overly elegant and unnecessary fancy.

after walking around, they reached a big double silver door. she pushed one open and pointed inside. "you may go inside now." they both walked inside, she noticed that place didn't look exactly as an office but more like a whole floor.

there was a glassy room with a big table with lots of black chairs around, like a conference room. there was also two different living rooms. one with black couches, three of them and a big silver coffee table. and other with white couches, two of them with a small black table. they were separated and it looked like they were to be used giving the situation, or the guests.

at the back there was the big glassy wall that acted like a window. natural light filtered from it, lighting the perfect view of the glassy desk, three or maybe four times bigger than hers.

there was giving his back, sitting in one of the white comfy chairs, wonho, she recogniced him for the bright purple hair and the assumed ceo was sitting across the desk in a high black presidential chair.

the woman cleared her throat and bowed. "president yoo... miss ha is here." she said pointing at her. suddenly she felt small and cold in such a vast place.

wonho turned around and faked a smile. "we thought you weren't coming miss ha."

"you can leave now, thanks inha." the ceo said, eyes focused in the new arrival. "sorry, i was lost in- she motioned her hands, pointing at her surroundings but then she changed her mind and stopped talking.

wonho looked at her, amused, as the room filled with silence. "this is is miss ha, our new intern." wonho said extending his hand, as if he was asking her to give the pictures. she nervously bowed after being introduced.

"here are the pictures." she said handing formally the tabled to her superior, glancing at the silver haired man sitting across the desk. she noticed a glassy tag on his desk with the words ceo yoo kihyun on it.

kihyun.

wonho quickly gave them a look and nodded in approval. the silver haired eyes diverted from the girl to the purple head between them. "may i see?"

"of course president yoo." he said handing him the tablet. she bit her cheeks as she tried to control her hands. still mesmerized by the size of his office, she couldn't stop looking around. she found shelves around with awards, they all looked fancy, just as him.

he didn't say a word, he only looked at the pictures. nodding now and then.

she let herself sunk in the view. he was wearing a dark grey suit that day, a white shirt and a black tie. his silver hair was parted in the middle and it looked like it had been combed but not too much, it gave him a natural look.

seol noticed the ceo's eyes had a dark grey tone. she had never seen eyes like those before. "president yoo... what do you think?" wonho's voice

"good stuff." he simply said, nodding and putting down the tablet. his eyes focused on her, a serious look in his face.

she swallowed hard and took a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "i think we're going to use them, let's not waste more time." he clearly said to wonho, addressing an unknown matter for her. wonho stood from the chair and bowed. "yes president yoo – he said to the ceo and turned to look at the intern - seol, let's go."

she was starting to bow when the ceo's voice suddenly stopped her. "no. i would like to talk to miss ha for a minute... you can go now wonho." the dark silver orbs shined bright, drunk in prepotency.

the purple head bowed and quickly did his way outside of the office. the place suddenly felt bigger than before. it was only the two of them.

she blinked several times and waited for him to say something since she didn't know exactly what to say. after a few seconds passed, she felt so uncomfortable that she cleared her throat and forced herself to talk. "president yoo-

"how old are you miss ha?" she was soon interrupted by his cold voice. she swallowed hard, a visible frown on her face. confused she answered. "i am 25 sir."

his eyes narrowed as if he was trying to put together pieces. as if he was trying to figure her out. "interesting." she wanted to ask what was exactly interesting about her age and she was about to ask but he spoke again.

"where are you from? you're not from seoul."

her eyes widened. she couldn't believe how he noticed she wasn't from seoul. "uh- i, i am from busan sir."

he put his lips together, nodding in approval. he knew she was exactly from there. "i see... why are you here?" his menacing look was getting into her bones. he tilted his head. the tone of his voice was as cold as the temperature in that floor.

"i- i- she didn't understand why he was asking such questions. she was there because of the photos she took. she was there because she wanted a permanent position at graphic nation.

"excuse me sir-

"it was because of school, right?" she frowned. confused over the fact of why he was still insisting in asking such personal questions. "yes." she then understood he was referring to where as seoul.

he nodded. "do you like it? here?" she thought it might be personal questions, but always looking for the bright side, she hoped they were questions he asked to all interns, first time they arrived there.

she just nodded. "it's alright sir."

a fake smile crossed his lips, like a shooting star. he swallowed and leaned back comfortably on his big chair as he entwined his fingers and looked at her as if he was analyzing her.

"do you have a partner miss ha?"

"a partner?" she tilted her head, confussion all over her face. "i don't- i... my cubicle is only for one person-

"that's not what i meant." his tone was almost sarcastic. "i mean... do you have a boyfriend?"

she blinked twice. already hurt by her future answer. she wanted to change the subject but she didn't know how to without being disrespectful. "excuse me president yoo, but i don't think my personal life-

"matters to me? it does in fact." he said, tilting his head to the other side, eyes fixed on her like a predator's.

she swallowed hard, hands holding onto the hem of her skirt. "you're working for me now miss ha, it is my duty to know everything about you." his voice was still cold, a shade of sarcasm and mock behind it all.

seol thought it was a weird statement. maybe bosses should know some information about you, but basic information, not private. this was the first time seol encountered a boss who asked such personal questions. she didn't know what to think of it. 

but it was satisfying for him, to exercise power over other people. he loved it. "so... do you...? have a boyfriend miss ha?"

she bit her tonge, pushing her words away, she only shook her head. she thought about how much she wanted that permanent position at graphic nation and if swallowing her words would get her to do it, she would just swallow them.

his eyes smiled but the smile didn't reach his lips. he leaned back to the desk and stared at her. "alright... - he mumbled as if he realized it was enough with the personal questions and making her feel tense, since he was aware that was exactly the effect he had on her - i see you did a good job miss ha." he added as if he admitted with his eyes that he had been playing with her all along. his calmed yet low voice was mixed with something else she couldn't quite figure out yet.

"thank you." she quickly bowed in respect and gratefulness. even if he was a bit out of line, asking personal questions, he was still the ceo of that company and a senior to her. "i think you're a great addition to the team. have you been discussed about the payment?"

her tutor at graphic nation mentioned something about them giving her a monthly payment, but nobody, since she arrived, had told her anything about it. "no sir."

"alright... we can offer you $40.000 is that alright?" her eyes widened for a moment, thinking about how high the number was, especially for an intern, it was a ridiculous amount.

"uh- dopunim, isn't that too much-

"is it okay?" he asked, tilting his head, interrupting her. "i mean, yes, but isn't it too much-

"alright, then it's settled. i'll tell inha to fix you a corporate bank account, it'll be all done by tomorrow morning, don't worry."

"president yoo- she started but his voice was steady and dominant. "we're having another photoshoot next week. do you work with video edition too?" she nodded, still wanting to clarify the situation, express that it was an unnecessary amount of money, but apparently the ceo didn't care enough about her opinion referring the salary.

"i would like you to shoot a backstage video and put it together for our campaign, to show how things are done, do you think you can manage?"

her heart raced at the request, especially coming from the ceo himself. she almost couldn't believe it. "absolutely." soon the whole salary polemic was soon forgotten.

his lips were put together in a smile. it wasn't a genuine one but it did its job. "good. say no more, i'll email you the details so you be ready next week."

her confused eyes drew his attention. "do you have any questions miss ha?"

"uh- i mean, yes, uh... i don't know how to-

"say it?" he said, moving his head as if he was a predator, staring at its prey. she hated already the fact that apparently he had her all figured out and finished all her sentences.

"just say it miss ha, i don't bite." a bold wink sent cold shivers down her spine and down her legs. she found herself widening her eyes at the sudden and very much unexpected reaction her body had.

"i thought wonho was the one who was going to give me the job orders."

a bitter chuckle scaped his lips. "oh but you do realize i am the one who gives wonho and the rest of the people around here the orders... right miss ha?" she soon realized how stupid her comment was since she was talking with the ceo of the company.

a sharp nod scaped her head. "i am the one in charge... is that okay with you?" his tone had changed from modest and calmed to a cold and distant one.

he didn't appreciate the fact that she mentioned wonho at all. "if i have petitions for you miss ha... i assume i can give them directly to you since this is my company, right?"

her cheeks turned from a bright pink to a deep red tone. she was soon ashamed of her own words. she couldn't believe how reckless her comment was. "thank you president yoo." she bowed deeply, she only heard a chuckle.

"it's okay... you can leave now." his tone was severe, changed quickly. she wouldn't have expected it, not after that chuckle.

she quickly stood from the chair, glanced at him, bowed once more and did her way towards the office's door.

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