::
"The game's simple. Clear the missions and gain stickers." The GoSe PD explained, pushing a strand of hair behind her ears. She was always sharp with the missions she gave out so Hoshi gave attention to what she was saying. "If she recognises you or speaks out your stage name, you're out. But if you wait it out for three days, you win. Got it?"
"Yeah." Hoshi nodded, looking at the crew with an idea in mind and a grin on his face. "What do I get if I win?"
The staff glanced at each other for confirmation, "If you win and collect over 100 stickers, Seventeen gets an all-paid cruise trip."
Hoshi gasped, the smile returning to him at the thought of the prize, "That's BIG! Was Going Seventeen always of such large a scale?"
The GoSe PD smiled knowingly, "We're prepared but can you win?"
Handing him a list of missions, the PD waited for Hoshi to realise the trap he had set into. Reading through the intense list of missions, Soonyoung was surprised, "Talk to the target about idols? That's only worth 7 stickers? She'll figure me out!"
The PD shrugged, not saying anything. That itself was all the good luck Hoshi could've gotten and he took it. After all, Hoshi had never started a project he could not finish. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.
"I'll win."
::
"Uh... Mina?"
Soonyoung stumbled over his step as he approached her desk. She was searching and packing a few papers by hastily placing them into a file, pushing them into her bag. She looked up at the sound of him, "Yeah?"
Hoshi paused, hesitant to intrude when she was busy. But Mina had expected him to speak while she was still packing. Closing her small pink haversack she stopped to look at him, confused.
"What is it, Soonyoung?"
They'd decided to drop honorifics since they were the same age and in a free office environment. Hoshi scratched his head, looking for an excuse to bring up the topic. "Are you going somewhere?" He asked, looking at her bag.
"Yeah." Mina followed Hoshi's gaze, "I'm going home to freshen up. I'll return before lunch break ends. I have a lunch meeting as well."
"Ah..." Hoshi frowned. What was he going to do while his target was away? Realising he had nothing to do, he asked, "So, do I come with you?"
"At my place?" Mina looked at him like he was crazy, slightly flustered at the thought of it.
Hoshi's eyes widened as he realised the meaning, "No no no! I meant the lunch meeting. I don't exactly know what I have to do." He tried to explain himself with his frantic gestures and movement of hands to show that he was not some pervert.
Mina laughed at his cute behaviour, shaking her head, "I'm sorry. I should've briefed it to you earlier." Raising her shoulder slightly, Mina apologised, "The first thing every newbie does is fill the form on the company's community board and submit it to the HR. Why don't you do that first?"
Hoshi nodded although he hadn't quite understood what she'd meant. Did he have to go to a boardroom and brief the HR people? What?
Mina, thinking the conversation was over, began walking towards the door when Soonyoung stopped her suddenly by appearing in front of her. He crossed over the room within a second. She blinked, "Wha— you're fast. What is it?"
Soonyoung scratched his head slightly, awkward. It always took him time to get comfortable in a new surrounding, "Do you... Like idols?"
"Idols?" Mina was confused. Idols? All of a sudden? She decided to humour him and answer him anyway, "I don't really know a lot of idols. The last time I saw an idol performance on TV was when Shinee debuted."
"That was over 12 years ago!" Hoshi was surprised.
"Yeah." She laughed at her own sweet memory of sitting between her two parents on the couch, watching TV. They hadn't done that in a long time. Mina shook off the memory and tuned back into reality, "I studied abroad. It hasn't even been a long time since I returned... I joined here only last year, you know?"
Soonyoung watched Mina's unwavering sweet smile and wondered how simple she made things be. It made sense why she didn't know his name now or that she couldn't recognise him the moment he had stepped into the office.
"Soonyoung-ssi? Soonyoung?" Mina waved a hand to bring him back to reality. "Can you go to the archive room and get the recordings of all the Chuseok episodes that came before us? After you finish with the form that is..."
Hoshi nodded, "Yeah, sure."
::
"So, she didn't recognise you at all?" Seungkwan laughed, biting on a French fry at the expense of his hyung. The two had met up for an early lunch at Seungkwan's request who had discovered much amusement at the latter's situation.
"Yeah yeah." Soonyoung stared at the computer screen, trying to figure out how to get to the community board for that form. "Now, that you've heard the story, can you help me with this, please? I still have to get all the recordings from the archive room."
Seungkwan asked Hoshi to show him what he needed help with when it hit him, "Why are you even doing this? You're not even actually employed there."
"Mina asked me to. I should at least try, no?" Hoshi countered.
"You call your fake boss by her name?" Seungkwan raised his eyes, "Interesting."
Hoshi rolled his eyes, knowing Seungkwan's antics. What was interesting to him, was the possibility of teasing Hoshi with it. "We're not that close."
"But you're already on a first-name basis." He grinned to see Hoshi had bit the bait. "What's next? First-base?"
Hoshi looked away, hiding his smile. Mina was his type, definitely, with a cute warm smile and the friendly attitude. But there was no way he was gonna admit it just yet. He pretended to focus on his computer instead, "Are you helping me with this or not?"
Seungkwan let it go then, turning to the computer. He found the board Hoshi had been talking about and clicked on the new employee form that they needed. Passing the laptop within a minute and a half, he spoke, laughing, "The staff sure are smart though. They gave the spy game to the one member that sucks at lying."
"Yah! I was a great spy in Don't Lie! Did you forget?"
"No, hyung, you were really good there but think about it," Hoshi stole a bite from Seungkwan's burger while he was speaking, "How did it work out for you? Keeping the secret or telling it out?"
Seungkwan had a point, Hoshi knew. But the burger he had was just far too delicious to remember words. "Seungkwan-ah, what's that burger called? I'm gonna order the same one."
"Ah hyung! Stop eating my food."
Hoshi laughed guiltily, "Sorry, sorry." Being around a member was a lot more relaxing than he had thought seeing how different it was for him at the office. "I miss you guys, you know? It feels so lonely with just me, shooting."
Seungkwan smiled, "You say that but you're excited to go back, aren't you?"
"Ayyy, its too early to judge." Hoshi tried to brush it off, "To tell you the truth she is so innocent and cute though—wait, Mina?"
Seungkwan followed Hoshi's gaze, who no longer was focused on their talk but staring out the restaurant, looking at the hazy silhouette of a girl, dressed in a backless top, hugging the man in front of her. "That's your fake boss?" Seungkwan was confused. The woman in front of them looked nothing like how Hoshi had described her. "... She'd bold."
It was general knowledge that Koreans found reavleaing tops uncomfortable. Even idols kept care of that unless they were targeting an overseas audience. It was bold. She had a great figure, her face covered by a mask which made it difficult to discern who she was but Hoshi was sure her eyes looked like Mina's.
He was surprised, slightly because the image and dressing that Mina had shown in the morning was simple and sweet, the complete opposite of the woman that had stepped out of that BMW. Hoshi didn't care about dressing much but looking at the girl, Hoshi wondered out loud,
"Is that really Mina?"
::