made with love. | 태현 √

35 ☆ the beauty of parallel lines

I chuckled, wiping away a tear as it came. "You shouldn't fire him. He was only doing his job–I kept being foolish and wasn't focused, so he was overwhelmed."

"But to say that to a model who is taking time out of her day to freely–oh, and that's another thing I need to talk to you about because never do gigs for free–help us with perfume advertising? I don't allow that at my company. That's verbal abuse!" Soobin defends me in the open air, hoping that I'd get the message. Soobin softly taps the seat next to him, beckoning for me to sit. I oblige by walking over and delicately sitting down. "We've been friends for so long, and you still haven't confided in me. I'm willing to hear you now, Sora, so please, tell me what concerns you."

"It's just my relationship."

"You're in a relationship? Wait, let me guess–Mr. Kang?" I nod, causing him to smile big. However, it falls. "You two must've argued, then. What happened?"

"Mr. Choi and him are in this big engagement that's supposed to decide who is the ultimate victor between them–or really, who's the better designer," I explain. "But, Taehyun... he's not very hands-on, and we fought over that a few days ago. He told me I didn't understand how he lived his life, and I agreed out of rage that I didn't understand him entirely. We haven't spoken since then."

Soobin frowns. "Seems pretty heavy, then," He sighs, looking at his feet. "The thing is, both of you are the same in so many ways one could imagine, Sora. Neither of you see it."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What do you mean?" I ask, tilting my head slightly. "I think we're different. Sometimes, I don't even think we belong together."

"You're overexaggerating. Are you serious? You haven't seen the behaviors between you both?" I shake my head as Soobin bites his cheek, hating that I'm oblivious to whatever the hell he was surely talking about. "You guys know how to make business. You guys know when to break the silence. You guys know how to move past someone's faults. You share a passion for creating something out of nothing. You guys smile when it comes to things you like, and when you're talking about something you know in, you never stop talking. Of course, it takes some time to break through that steel shell of yours, but I've never seen someone more fond of people than you and Mr. Kang–even if they're mean."

Then, Soobin adds, "It may seem like nothing. It may seem like insignificant details that attain to your overall, possibly differing, personas. But, they could mean everything to him, just like how his traits mean everything to you. You two do belong in the same world, hell, you're living in it! It may feel different because you two pursue different things and work in different careers–but at least there's something different that allows you two to learn from each other and become better."

I swallow, unable to push away my initial belief. It's simply not that easy. "I guess you're right."

"I am," Soobin, that stubborn CEO. He crosses his arms, leaning back. "Of course I'm right! Haven't you already changed? You used to ask me to pay you per hour, but now you're doing this favor for free. Also, haven't you heard about what Taehyun's doing?"

"If I did, do you think I'd be here, sulking?"

"Gosh, this was a few weeks ago," Soobin hisses. I raise an eyebrow, fully unaware of his words. "Oh. Well, maybe you're not supposed to know, but he was asking me and Yeonjun hyung to make stuff for you–I was supposed to make you a personal collection of perfumes, and Yeonjun hyung was going to produce heels under his design. He was going to pay us and all of our workers, although hyung and I told him we'd do it for free."

I widen my eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah," Soobin exhaled, cocking his head. "Usually, he'll take what he can get–at least from me since he hates owing Yeonjun hyung–but for the first time, he insisted. Don't you find that a little funny?"