It took about ten minutes to get to High-cut headquarters, but I was still a few minutes late from running into T.O.P.. But it was worth it. I had always wanted to meet him. He had been in many photo shoots here at High-cut for our front covers, but I had never actually been offered the chance to meet him.
"Morning, Kiann." A cute, small woman greeted me from behind the front desk as I walked into the main hall of the headquarters.
"Good morning, Muri," I relpied, giving a small wave before hurrying to the elevator, and pressing the seventh floor button multiple times, hoping that it would make it work faster.
Thankfully, no one stopped the elevator doors from closing. I got up to the seventh floor, and rushed to my office, dodging my coworkers on my way there.
"Hello, Miss Khamphouy, I have five messages for you." My personal office assisant greeted me as I neared my office door.
"Good morning, Soo Min. I'll take those messages."
The young woman with long black hair that was pulled up into a tight bun handed me five note cards with short hand written on them. She looked at me only for a second before looking back down at her computer that she was frantically working on. She had bright blue eyes that were outlined with brown, which Koreans didn't normally have. That was only one of the many things I admired about her. Today she was wearing a tan pencil skirt with a light blue, ruffled tank top, and waist line, brown jacket. She always looked nice no matter what she wore.
I walked into my office and closed the door behind me. I made my way to my desk and sat down in my rather large, very comfortable, black leather chair. I relaxed myself in it, then held up the cards that Soo Min had given me. The first one was from one of the photographers (something about getting higher quality cameras that had just recently come out). The second was from my older sister, who was training for the Olympics in gymnasics (she called only to say hello). The third was from another magazine, claiming that we had taken their idea of using fashion tips from the American YouTube star, Bethany Mota (yeah right). The fourth was from my parents, also calling to say hello, and the fifth was the same. I pretty much got the same messages every morning, as soon as I walk in: a want or request, my sister, a complaint, and then quite a few messages from my parents, who were all the way in America, and worry all too much about me.
I heard a beep, and then the quiet, same-toned voice of Soo Min, "Hello, Miss Khamphouy. Sorry to interupt you so early, but your mother is on the phone, she says that she knows you are here and she demands to talk to you."
I let out a small laugh befre replying. "Put her on."
I heard another beep, and then the rushed voice of my frantic mom. "Kiann! I haven't heard from you in two days! Why is that?! Your sister told me that you hadn't been answering any of her messages either. Are you avoiding your family? You know how I felt when you first moved to Korea! You scare me when you don't answer me for that long of a time period! It makes me think that you're hurt, or that something happened!"
"Mom," I interrupted calmly. "I'm alive." She sighed loudly, then began breathing in and out slowly to calm herself down. "You okay, mom?" I asked.
I always had a hard time switching my languages everytime one of my family members called; from Korean to English, then back again. I would use one language at the wrong time, and everyone that didn't speak it, wouldn't have a clue what I was saying. And it didn't make Soo Min's work any easier, but she never complained about it.
"Yes, I'm fine. I know that you're alive." My mom answered slowly. "You just worry me sometimes."
"More like all of the time," I corrected her. She only laughed. "Well, I'm talking to you now, mom. So what's been going on with you?" I asked, beginning to log onto my computer and open up some documents that I was working on for the magazine.
"Since you and your sister are gone most of the time, it's been very dull. Nothing really ever happnes anymore."
"Wow, sounds great, mom," I laughed. "I'll have to come back for Christmas or something."
"Naomi is almost never let off from training," My mom continued.
"She is going to be in the Olympics," I said, holding the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I rolled the chair over to some file cabinets to my right. I began going through them, looking for some more information on an interview I had taken not too long ago.
"I know. I know. It just gets lonely here without either one of you."
I let out a small burst of what must have been laughter. "What about dad? He should keep you awfully busy."
"You'd think." I could tell she was probably rolling her eyes, by the tone of her voice. "What have you been up to then?" She said, urging on the conversation.
"Not much new here either." I thought to myself, trying to come up with something. "Oh! There was something this morning," I said, finding the interview papers, and pulling them out and rolling my chair back to its original place.
"Go on." My mom pushed.
"I ran into T.O.P.," I said and the line went quiet. I laughed, knowing that it was because my mom had no idea who I was talking about. "He's a Korean pop star, mom."
"Oh." She said, almost in a disgusted voice. "And you're a fan of his?"
"I like his band's music, yeah." I said, continuing to add things to my document. She sighed loudly once more, trying to make it obvious that she already didn't approve of k-pop bands.
"If the bands there are anything like the boy bands here in America, then I don't see why you would want to listen to them." The words came out very straight forward, but I was used to my mom being like that.
"Well then, why don't you tell me how you really feel?" I said jokingly.
"M-hm." She said, a little annoyed with my response. "Just don't become one of those overly obsessed fangirls."
"I never do, mom."
"Okay. Well, I'll let you get back to your work. You better call me tomorrow, as soon as you arrive."
"Sure, mom. Bye," I said, trying to quickly end the conversation, because she was right, I should be getting back to work. If I had wanted to waist my work time, I would have gone out to lunch with Seung Hyun.
"Bye, hun. I love you."
"Love you too, mom." I said, and then hung up before she could say anything else.
