Call Me Noona

Chapter 5 - Coffee, Tea, or Me? (Edited)

I held my hand to my chest, like it really held his kiss. I was elated from the time with them, and I missed them already. I missed their hugs, their laughter, their playfulness... their sanctuary. I missed Minhyuk so much more than I would have expected. Jun put his hand on my arm and asked if I had a good time. I could not hold back the huge smile that formed on my face. It was like a fairytale, I told him. It was the best night of my life so far, and I'd had some pretty good nights in my time.

The ride to the lobby took me further and further away from Minhyuk and I could feel it physically. I couldn't explain it. I especially missed how comfortable we had been together. There was a chemistry between us, I hate that term, but it was exactly right. It was like he had known me for as long as I had "known" him. I wondered if he had felt it too. I missed all of them. They felt like family and that is something I had been missing in my life for a long time.

When I got back to my room, I showered and got ready for bed. I could still smell Minhyuk's scent on my shirt from our hugs, so I put it on Minggom and hugged him to my face. I propped up on the fluffy pillows and settled my laptop on my legs, Ming by my side. I transferred all the photos from the evening from my camera to my computer, and then scrolled through each one, treasuring each memory. There was one in particular that got my attention. Minhyuk was looking at me like I was the only one in the room. It was a sexy, yet sweet expression and it made my butterflies act up. I saved this one as my new phone wallpaper. I dreamt of Minhyuk when I finally slept.

Jun and I spent the next couple of days hitting some of the spots on my list. There was so much to see and so little time! I only had a little over a week left and wasn't even close to halfway through. One morning when Jun picked me up, he told me he had to stop by the company before we started our itinerary for the day. Apparently, there was something I needed to sign for the contest. He apologized for the delay, but I was excited about the possibility of seeing Minhyuk... even if it would have been just a sighting this time. Would he wave and smile if he saw me? Would he even remember me? I sighed and settled into my seat.

Jun parked the black sedan in the garage and opened the door for me. I was looking at every person around me, hoping for a glimpse. We were in a hallway, and I thought I saw him rounding the corner and my heart skipped a beat, but it was just one of the trainees with a similar hair color. Once I saw him more fully, I felt silly because he was not the same height or build. I felt my heart sink a bit.

We arrived at an office, and I was instructed to have a seat at a large conference table. A woman entered with a folder, I stood to bow and greet her. She bowed, smiled, and sat down across from me. She introduced herself and explained that there was a bonus part to my prize that had not been revealed, and she needed me to sign a confidentiality agreement agreeing that I would not share anything that I saw, heard, or otherwise became aware of while I was there. I had some questions, but she seemed a bit evasive in her answers. The smart-mature-businesswoman Me knew to read the contract first, but the fangirl-who-just-realized-she-was-going-to-see-Minhyuk-again Me just took the pen and signed. Score 1:0, hormones for the win!

She took the papers and with another bow, disappeared. I just sat there stunned. So many questions were going through my mind, not the least of which was how did this even happen? A moment later, Jun came back into the room, grinning from ear-to-ear. I teased him for not telling me, but he was just following orders. He escorted me to another room, which turned out to be a photo studio.

Jun and I were the only ones in the room at that moment. I asked him if I could look around before everyone came in. He nodded that I could. I went to the equipment first to see what they were using. As a professional photographer, the equipment setup and overall feel of the set met my approval. The props on the other hand, left a bit to be desired. The placement seemed a little awkward and staged. I mean, they were staged, but they should look natural. I reached out to move something and Jun cleared his throat and gave me a quick shake of the head. I stepped back quickly and bumped into someone behind me. It was a staff member that I had met the other night. I bowed, apologized, and went to sit down.