Anne stared up at the monstrosity that was the HYBE building and willed herself to chill the fuck out. Her stomach had been doing flip flops ever since she had landed in Seoul two weeks ago and it was driving her mad.
Gritting her teeth, she stood on the sidewalk and shaded her eyes against the late morning sun as she tried to take in her new workplace. It was huge–comprised of steel, glass, and cold calculation. It reminded her of everything she had despised when she was a teenager. Just how many hearts and dreams had been broken behind those pristine walls?
Not for the first time, she wondered how in the hell she had ended up right back where she had been just 5 short years ago. Life certainly had a funny way of yanking her round and round in circles. If she ever met the bastard who was pulling on her fate strings, she'd throat punch them.
Steeling her spine, she sighed and smoothed out her pencil skirt before ascending the steps to the entrance. You are a badass. You're a smart, strong, competent woman. Now, go in there and own it!
Once inside, she approached the front desk and greeted the receptionist, "Good morning, Anne Song, here to meet with Mr. Jang."
The attendant nodded and handed her a temporary ID badge as she gave her directions. "Please sign in here and then head up to floor 10. Once there, head to office 5B."
Anne nodded and slipped the badge around her neck. As she walked over to the elevator bay, she couldn't stop herself from glancing nervously around.
Calm the fuck down. He's not just going to be hanging around the lobby. He's a global superstar for Christ's sake. Get it together!
The elevator zipped her up to the 10th floor and she got off, quickly making her way to office 5B. She rapped her knuckles against the glass and grinned at the man sitting behind a giant oak desk. He immediately jumped up and ran over to open the door for her.
"Ah! My precious Annie! Welcome home!" he cried out as he engulfed her in a bear hug.
"It's good to be back in Seoul, uncle Ju-won," she lied, hugging him back.
He leaned back and peered down at her, his dark brown eyes twinkling behind his glasses.
"My, my, how you've grown up. You always were such a pretty girl, and now you're a beautiful woman, Annie Bell!" he said, squeezing her hands in his.
Anne blushed and ducked her head. "Aish, don't start! Let's go into your office, shall we?"
He nodded happily and held the door open for her, then followed her inside. Settling back behind his desk, he leaned back comfortably in his chair and folded his hands over his considerable belly.
"Welcome to ADOR, Annie! I can't tell you how proud we are of you and how happy we are that you're here. You're going to make a great addition to our company," he told her excitedly.
Anne smiled softly and inclined her head. "Thank you. I'm happy to be working again. I've felt a little adrift since leaving my last position, but I suppose that everything happens for a reason..."
Ju-won lowered his gaze and hummed sadly. "Your grandfather's passing wasn't unexpected but it hit us hard nonetheless. He would be proud of you too, you know? He always talked about his smarty pants granddaughter, out there conquering New York City."
"I miss him..." Anne told him softly.
"I know Annie Bell, I know. But your mother and I are just so glad that you're back. She's missed you terribly. She was beside herself with happiness when you told her you were coming home."
"I know," Anne murmured, feeling guilty.
"Well, enough of that," Ju-won said, clapping his hands together, "let's get you oriented so you can start slaving away for one of the biggest music industries in the world."
They spent the next hour going over her job duties and expectations. Once she finished signing her employment contract, she sat back in her chair and assessed her uncle. The years had been kind to him, even if the stress of her grandfather's passing still weighed heavily on him, giving him new worry lines around his mouth. His hair was thinning and he was not a slim man by any means, but his eyes still shone with kindness and empathy, making him appear almost 10 years younger than his age of 67.
He was also an extremely powerful man in Korea's financial industry. Jang Ju-won was the CFO of ADOR, overseeing all finances and strategic plans for the company. He had been an integral player in the formation of the company under the HYBE umbrella. Sharper than a tack, he had an almost uncanny business sense. Anne often wondered why he chose to stay on as the CFO for a major corporation instead of running his own business, but he would just idly wave his hand and claim that he didn't need that type of headache.
Anne had been hired to be the financial liaison between ADOR and Sony Records. While she would have a physical office on the ADOR floor at HYBE, considering the time differences between LA and Seoul, her work would be done mostly outside of the office. She relished the fact that she would be able to conduct business from home in her pajamas while she sat on the couch and watched trashy TV. The hours would be wonky sometimes but she enjoyed working outside of the typical 8-5 stretch.
She had briefly wondered if her hiring would be called out for nepotism, but here in South Korea, it was pretty normal, if not expected, for children to work closely with their relatives. She had come back to Seoul from NYC to be with her mom and uncle and help them settle her grandfather's estate. Things had been going well for her back in the states but she had felt strongly that it was time for her to come home.
"Any questions so far?" her uncle asked as he filed away his copy of her contract.
Anne twisted the ring on her finger nervously as she contemplated how to phrase her question.
"Yes. How often am I going to be expected to work with the other companies here? Like, for instance, Pledis? Or even...HYBE...at large?"
Her uncle's gaze softened a bit behind his glasses. "Not much.There will likely be some crossover work just due to the sheer nature of the job but you will mostly be dealing with ADOR."
Anne nodded her head, relief flowing through her body. She let herself relax marginally until her uncle's next question had her shoulders tensing right back up again.
"Annie Bell...are you worried about running into him? I thought all of that had been resolved years ago."
Anne tapped her foot against the carpet and shook her head. "It was. I'm not worried, I was just curious about my new position," she said dismissively.
Ju-won gave her a knowing look but thankfully let the subject drop. "Well, I think the next step would be for you to head down to HR and get your permanent ID badge. Come back up once you're done and I can show you where your office will be. Then your generous uncle is going to take you out to lunch!"
Anne laughed and shook her head. "Well I wouldn't dare say no to the boss man!"
-
The next morning, Anne breezed through the front doors of the HYBE building, holding a coffee in one hand and her tablet in the other. She had opted to wear one of her preferred power outfits that morning, a white pantsuit paired with her favorite louboutins. She really didn't like to spend money on frivolous things but shoes were her vice. She would go out of her way for a gorgeous pair of stilettos any day of the week. Her long brown hair was slicked back into a high ponytail and she had stacked several silver bangles along her wrists. She just loved how they sounded as she walked around. The clinking reminded her of armor, making her feel invincible.
She headed towards the elevator bay, sipping her coffee while she checked her emails. Frowning at an invoice from her moving company, she took a sip of her coffee and walked headlong into a brick wall.
"Holy shit!" the wall yelled as she fell backwards on her ass, spilling her coffee all over herself.
"Oh my god!" she screeched as she jumped up and began dabbing at her clothes. The coffee was spreading over her entire outfit, completely ruining it.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! You kinda came out of nowhere!" the wall apologized.
Anne clenched her teeth and glared up at the offender. She was just about to tell him to fuck off when she locked eyes with him and a bolt of recognition flew through her body.
"O-oh my god! Annie Song? Is that YOU?!"
Anne froze. Her brain suddenly short circuited as she stared up at one of the last people she ever thought she'd see again.
Standing there in front of her, waving his hand in front of her face like she was an idiot, was one Kim Namjoon.
He was dressed simply, in black sweat pants and a white long sleeved sweater. His caramel skin was shiny and make-up free, giving him a youthful glow. God damn, but he looked good. And here she was, covered in coffee.
"Uh, y-yeah. Hi..." she finally managed to stutter out.
Namjoon just shook his head, his eyes wide as he stared down at her. "Wow. Annie Song! It's been...years! I didn't know you were back in Seoul!"
"Uh, yeah. I just moved back..." she trailed off lamely.
Namjoon seemed to realize himself and his eyes widened further as he began falling all over himself to apologize to her. "Oh shit, oh your outfit! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!"
Anne stepped back from him and leaned down to grab her purse and tablet. "It's fine. I get it. It was an accident. I should go home and change."
"Hey! Wait, what're you doing here at HYBE? Did you come to see J–"
"I'm working with my uncle! But hey, it was great seeing you okay? But I have to go, so, bye!" Anne interrupted, backing away from him.
"Oh, uh, yeah...you too..." he responded slowly, watching her beat a hasty retreat.
Once she was outside of the building, she scuttled over to the above ground parking garage and hurried to her car.
Shit, shit, shit!
Her first day on the job and she spilled coffee all over her white outfit and ran into Kim freaking Namjoon! Literally and figuratively! Was the universe trying to fuck with her?
She leaned forward and pressed her head against the steering wheel, letting out a long frustrated scream.
After a moment, she leaned back up and took a deep breath. This was fine. After all, she knew going into it that they worked there too. This was inevitable wasn't it? Might as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later.
She clenched her teeth and pulled out of the garage, cursing herself for existing.
-
Namjoon frowned as he watched Annie practically run away from him and out onto the street. He hadn't meant to splash coffee all over her, but she seemed more upset by his presence rather than the mess he made.
He nibbled on his lip as he crossed the lobby, thinking about the possible fallout her return to Korea would cause. And shit, she was going to be working here? This wasn't going to go over well with Kook.
He made his way down to the parking garage, wrestling with himself the entire way. Should he tell Kook that Annie was back? Should he even get involved? Or should he let fate have its own way? Was he a bad brother if he didn't tell Kook that his ex-best friend was back in town and working at their company? What if they never ran into one another and Namjoon just stirred up old wounds for no reason?
As he climbed into the backseat of the company car, he sighed and pulled out his phone. His gut told him that he needed to tell Kook. Namjoon would never forgive himself if something happened and he didn't warn Kook beforehand.
Raising the phone to his ear, he waited for his youngest brother to pick up before he said, "Hey, can we meet up real quick? I need to talk to you about something..."
-----------------------------------
A/N:
The bitch is back y'all! I was gonna take a few days but i was itching to start this story. It's been on my mind for a while now.
I'm also experimenting with writing in 3rd person. Lemme know if yall hate it
Annie Bell doesn't look so happy to see joonie huh?
Wonder why