Yeri's heels click loudly down the hall as she walks with a confident gait regardless of the fact that no one is watching. Her hair is slick back in a ponytail and the black and grey coat she had dawned that morning made her feel especially powerful today. Something about today had her humming even when she did routine write ups for the website which she had always absolutely dreaded.
Perhaps her confidence is a facade. She has a meeting in the next five minutes where she's supposed to be presenting the BTS article she's responsible for. It's the first time she has been entrusted with such a massive task; they are the biggest boy group in the world and her officials expected her to have something new and exciting. Which she didn't, she had some minor news but nothing that was eye catching.
Her phone buzzes in her pocket. She takes it out, looks at the name, smiles the sort of smile a detective would when they've finally figured out a clue.
"Good news?" She says as soon as she swipes to pick up the phone.
"You were right," the answer comes from the other line. "She's the one."
The laugh that escapes Yeri's mouth is enough to make the white hallways of her office suddenly seem dull. "Perfect. Any proof?"
"I don't want to get in trouble."
Yeri scoffs. "Meet me tomorrow for lunch, we have a lot to discuss."
There's rustling and the sound of a door closing shut on the other end. "Fine. I hope you remember my end of the deal."
Yeri clicks her tongue. "Of course. Don't forget you're getting more than just money."
"Text me the address."
"Okay, see you."
Yeri locks her phone close. Her meeting is just about to start and she feels more confident than she did five minutes ago. She grins to herself again, her cheeks hurt from the smile but she can't help the loud thudding in her ears. She's finally got her chance. She'll be responsible for the biggest story to ever been published.
She knew today was going to be a good day.
—————————————————————-
Today had not really been a good day.
Hana woke up late for work and in her rush she forgot a very important document lying on her dressing table. She had gotten a look of disappointment from her boss which made her want to hide under her desk and later when she had decided to message Lucas just to see if he was doing okay (stupid of her, she knows) the message never got sent because as it had turned out, Lucas had blocked her. That made her want to just go home and cry.
Normally, Hana doesn't care if a particular person likes or dislikes her. But Lucas wasn't just any person, he was a part of her life. It made her heartache and her eyes well up before she closed them shut, counted to ten, opened them up again and moved on with her day.
When she got to the cafe that day, looking for Soyoung, it turned out that her best friend was gone to handle some shipment problems so she ended up seeking comfort from another familiar face she hadn't seen in a while.
Wonho.
"I can take a break." Wonho looks at her with soft, worrisome eyes. Today he had a beanie on despite the sun and no earrings which was unusual of him. Still, he placed a cup of tea in front of her and a very large cinnamon roll. Hana hoped she hadn't looked so miserable but clearly she was wrong.
"You're handling the register today even thought I know you're supposed to be waiting tables instead. That's more than enough," she smiles at him. She had noticed the gesture instantly when she had walked in, seeing him walking to and fro between tables until he had seen her, mumbled something to a fellow worker and then taken up the register on the counter where Hana sat on the bar stool.
"Do you need anything else?"
"A distraction," she mumbles after sipping her tea. "How's that girl you were with that day? You know the one you were going to ask out."
So Wonho launches into the story with bright eyes that make Hana smile. The girl is a literature major and when she speaks about her favourite plays she often shies away in fear of sounding boring. Wonho on the other hand wants to read all of her favourite plays just so he can feel what she feels and listen to her speak about them with a new perspective. Midway in the conversation, Hana can't help but glance outside the glass windows. She half expects to see someone she knows outside, that half knows exactly who she wants to see but slumps more when no one familiar stands out. There's a flash of light, almost not noticeable but the slowly dimming daylight made her catch on to it. She squints, still nodding along to Wonho, in hopes of finding the source. She sees nothing, a couple of girls walking, a couple sitting on the bench, a man in a black jacket and a mask, fiddling with what seemed like a fancy phone and a toddler pouting next to his mother.
She looks for a few more seconds before she turns back to Wonho who disappears to tend to a customer who has just walked in. Hana eyes the customer, it's the same man who stood outside. Now that he's standing closer, she can see him better. He's tall, blonde hair that have clearly been dyed, the brown roots close to his scalp are obvious. She can't see his face because of his mask, only that his eyes are brown that his eyebrows are the same shade. Wonho stands in front of him and she only notices the wide grin on his face when she actually focuses on the boy. The next second, black-jacket pulls down his mask and Hana's eyes involuntarily widen at the stark resemblance between the two; same sloping noses, same brown eyes and Wonho's brown hair mirrored in the dyed roots of the other.
Wonho says something and the man laughs, his smile is faintly like the boys but not exactly. Where Wonho carries a boyishness and innocence in his, the other carries a more refined aura of maturity, both equally charming.
"Oh," Wonho says when he notices Hana's staring. She knows what he's about to do and she instantly signals for him to stay quiet. He, of course, ignores.
"Hana," he says gesturing to her so that the man's attention is now on her. He gives her a polite smile, one that makes Hana nervous because it's a smile too perfect for a man. "Meet my brother."
The man reaches out his, she notices the way his eyes rake her face as if memorising her features. "Hana is it?"
Hana smiles, she hopes the tiredness of the day has now left her face. "Yup, I'm a friend of Wonho's."
He smiles. "He rarely talks about his friends to me."
She chuckles politely, to fill in any impending silences. "I didn't catch your name."
He takes a seat next to her, Wonho trailing across the counter. "Minhyuk. It's nice to meet you."
——————————————————————
Yeri is good at digging. She's always been good at digging. She knows exactly where what is, how to reach it and when to reach it. All it takes are the right tools, the right knowledge and maybe a little help.
Over the years, the line that distinguished her 'help' from good to bad blurred. It started out small, when she had asked her college boyfriend to write her college essays for her. Who would know better about what colleges were looking for than a college student himself?
It got bigger — faster —like a little drop of ink that spreads in water and eventually dilutes until one can't separate the ink from the water. In college, she had to be the president of the student body. The competition was tough, the guy against her was just as good as she was.
So she needed a little help.
It was easy to ask a friend of hers for something that would discredit him. It was even easier for the friend to do it. Why? Because she was ex who needed to get back at him for cheating on her. The rest wasn't her problem, only a few days before the election he had to withdraw. From here, she realised how much she loved digging. The rest was easy.
It happened from the first place she interned to now where she worked. Yeri always believed digging required help. She could do it on her own, but the thing about digging to the core is that it's best to keep your hands clean and let someone else do the dirty work. It's easier that way. And she loved easy.
Now, she needed help. She had dug and dug, and while there were details of Hana's life that were obvious, those same details were loyal. They weren't going to help her dig. She needed someone new, someone with a motive. It was always the ones with a motive who would get their hands dirty for her. And somehow, they were the easiest to find.
It was easy to go on Hana's Instagram and find a particular post with a particular boy. It was easy to stalk the boy separately too and even more fun to notice how her name had been removed from his followers and following list. She scribbled down the name and from there it was easy to find the rest of the details. All she now needed was a plan.
The man was cute, achingly cute that Yeri was almost reluctant to involve him. But he was her help, she had dug and dug and found him. He would help her reach the bottom, where the treasure lied.
She smiles to herself. She always knew she was good at digging.
——————————————————————
"So yeah, that family trip of ours wasn't the best idea. I'm pretty sure that's how Wonho ended up so weird."
"Says the guy with the fake blonde hair."
Hana laughs lightly at the two brothers. While a lot of her laughs had been polite to fill in silences, some of them were genuine. Minhyuk ended up having his take-away sandwich at the cafe, choosing to sit next to her throughout the entirely of the lunch. Hana didn't mind the company, she needed the distraction always and he proved to be a pleasant one.
"Excuse me!"
The next moment, Wonho is rushing to the register, only now realising the steadily growing rush and lunch hour aproaches.
"So," Minhyuk smiles at her, all charming eyes and friendly smiles. "You're having a long lunch break."
"Sort of pissed off my boss today," Hana says with a twinge of sadness. "I don't think she wants to see my face a lot today."
"It happens," he chuckles. "Where do you work?"
"Song Enterprises," she chimes. Her tea is empty and her cinnamon roll was long gone. "You?"
He hesitates a little, his answer taking a moment too long to come out. "My father has his own little start up. I help with that."
Hana furrows her eyebrows. "That's strange, Wonho's never mentioned his father having his own thing."
The blonde man simple diverts his eyes to look at Wonho. "It's relatively new and still growing. He probably didn't think it was worth mentioning."
Hana's eyes widen a little. She feels as if she might have offended him. "I see. But it's great, I think it's amazing when people have their own businesses. Doesn't matter if it's small or big. It's your own."
Minhyuk gives her a grin. "Definitely. That's what I tell my dad when it gets hard."
There's a short, awkward silence. Hana takes that as an opportunity to check her phone. She was hoping Soyoung would have called her back by now but there aren't notifications from her best friend.
"Anyway," Minhyuk says getting up. "My lunch break isn't that long. I need to get back."
Hana, partly relieved, smiles at him. "Of course," she says. "It was nice meeting you."
"You too," he replies. "I'll see you around?"
Hana can't imagine where else she would see him other than coincidental runs at the coffeehouse. Nevertheless, she replies. "Sure, I'll see you."
Minhyuk fiddles with his phone momentarily, mumbling a goodbye with a friendly rest of his hand on her arm before he exits the place.
Wonho appears a minute later, just when Hana was placing money on the counter.
"Woah," he says pushing it back. "I don't want to get fired."
"She doesn't have to know," hissed Hana.
"She has eyes everywhere."
"Ugh, just take it," Hana groans. "Please? She won't know if you don't tell her."
Wonho squints his eyes at her. She knows he's being dramatic for no reason and it helps to put a smile on her face. "Fine. Only because you've had a rough day."
"Thank you."
Wonho winks at her with a playful smile.
She gives him a grin. Now energised with caffeine and her mood a bit better, she leaves the coffeehouse, internally still dreading work.
—————————————————————
Soyoung huffs at the now broken down coffee machine. She tries not to lose her patience at the new employee who was responsible for this. She was already nervous enough on her first day and she didn't want to add to her anxiety by scolding her.
But still, Soyoung can't help but painfully clench her eyes at the mental exhaustion of buying a new machine and how much it would cost.
"I am so so sorry," the new employee chimes, her black her is tied away from her face and the shake in her fingers is obvious. "I understand if you want to fire me."
"No no," Soyoung does her best to smile encouragingly. "Honestly Mina, it's alright. Just be careful next time and always ask for help from one of your coworkers when you're confused."
The girl nods tightly and Soyoung, finding nothing else to say, gestures for her to get back to work.
Now, the blonde girl sits on one of the bar stools on the other side of the counter, going through websites for the right purchase. She's had a difficult couple of days as it with her work and this had very clearly taken a lot out of her patience.
And honestly, Soyoung thought she was done for the day. It was late enough and no other customer had entered the shop for the last hour. She had only begun to slouch in her seat until the door opened and in walked in a familiar face that made Soyoung realise the universe was not done with testing her patience.
Yeri walks in, her clothes clearly office attire and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She stands inside the shop for a moment, quick eyes scanning the area for something — or someone — she doesn't find. Her shoulders deflate only slightly before she goes and picks out a seat in the farthest corner. Soyoung, instantly deciding she was going to keep an eye on the girl, moves to shift her position on the chair in a way where she can still see Yeri from over her shoulder but she couldn't see her face.
Soyoung only momentarily thinks about how ridiculous she might look spying on her but she always trusted her gut instincts more than anything. She trusted them the first time Yeri walked into the shop wearing a friendly facade and she would trust them again especially when it came to her.
Twenty minutes pass and Yeri doesn't order anything. A waiter has come up to her twice and she has told him twice that she'll call when she's ready. Her eyes are quick and moving, constantly scanning the place, observing people already sitting in the cafe and people who are entering. Every time she looks at someone, the disappointment is clear on her face. Soyoung studies how she has her phone set on the table, her fingers constantly tapping against the screen so that it lit up even when she had no notifications. Yeri sinks into her seat even more, further blending against the background of the wall her table it up against. Another five minutes pass, her table still empty of any coffee cup or plate, and she finally gets up, readying herself to leave.
Soyoung can't explain the surge of anger that passes through it. It's the type or irritation and anger that makes her want to put Yeri in a boxing ring and punch her. She's not stupid, contrary to what Yeri thinks of everyone around her, she knows the girl was up to something and now this encounter had sort of justified her doubts.
Only problem is, Soyoung isn't the type of person who stays quiet when someone is being particularly vexing. Sometimes that's a con to her personality but she's always seen it as a pro.
"Yeri!"
Said girl, who was trying to slink away, turns at the acknowledgment. Surprise flashes on her face for a brief second before her features are schooled into a mask of friendliness.
"Hi, Soyoung. I didn't see you there."
The blonde girl returns a fake smile. "I saw you. I noticed you didn't order anything. Is our menu not to your liking?"
Yeri raises her chin, the mask still there. "I just needed some quiet, I wasn't in the mood for something to drink."
"Really?" Soyoung asks pointedly.
Yeri simply nods. "Maybe next time. Me, you and Hana can get together for coffee."
It's in that split second, when Yeri says Hana's name, that she snaps.
"You need to stay away from Hana."
The mask cracks. It's so easy to see through the reality beneath it. Soyoung knows people when she sees them, it's easy for her to read them. She remembered the amount of times she got fucked over by multiple people in the initial phases of her Cafe's opening. She had to learn her lesson the hard way and now she knew the way people hid their intentions behind a disguise, the way a snake slides close to the ground to hide or the way people change their words to suit their benefit.
"Excuse me?"
"I know you think you're so smart, that no one is watching you while you're watching everyone. I'm just letting you know that I am watching you," she says through gritted teeth. "I've dealt with people like you. If you think this pretence of friendliness will work then you're wrong. So it's best if you stay the fuck away."
Red flood's Yeri's cheeks. Her pale skin flushes with anger, hands shaking and yet, she smiles calmly. "It's not really Hana I'm after and if you haven't figured that out then you're not as good as you think you are..."
She steps forward, a little raise to her eyebrow and a clever smirk that makes Soyoung's fist clench. "You know, in dealing with 'people like me.'"
The girl turns around, the end of her ponytail almost brushing against Soyoung's face. Her heels click as she walks to the door, stops and then turns around.
"But I enjoy a challenge. You don't seem like you're winning anyways so try your best." And for the first time, Yeri shows her actual face, a grin of wickedness spreads across her features and for the first time, a beat of fear pulses through Soyoung's heart.
"Game on."
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heres a very lame but very important chapter. lots happening here so I'm pretty excited. Uni has kept me away from u guys but I'm so thankful bec everyday y'all kept commenting and voting and showing my books love so thank u <3 pls lmk what u guys think abt the new developments in this chapter