Interns

Chapter 02: Yixing

Heads were turned when Yixing walked through the door. When he located Naeun after a quick scan of the room, he locked gazes with her, and just drew her in and won her over with his smile — all the others at the office would agree that it was a charming, polite smile, but she swore it was a smirk, meant for just her and no one else. What a mysterious and handsome stranger.

"Yixing, you're here! Ah, perfect," said Minseok, re-emerging from one of the smaller meeting rooms. He motioned for Naeun and Yixing to follow him to his office.

So this was Yixing. Naeun was sure she would be able to remember his name and his face without any difficulty. For obvious reasons.

She noticed that when Yixing walked, he had a sway with his torso that bore a different feel than a regular walk or even the way a model would strut on the runway. It was effortless to him, perfection in its finest form. If anything or anybody was better than perfection it would be him.

Naeun knew that she should be listening attentively to what her new boss had to say about his expectations of her on the job, but she just could not focus. She had zoned out and shot glances in Yixing's direction as often as she dared. In particular, her gaze lingered on the dimple on his right cheek. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but contained herself, of course.

After the briefing, Minseok brought Naeun and Yixing to the small room that the two of them would be sharing for the duration of this internship. The two interns were instructed to read through a stack of magazines and leaflets — they sure did look thick enough to occupy the entire morning.

"Don't be late for lunch though — it's the birthday of one of the managers and we're throwing a party for her," said Minseok. "So, I'll let the two of you get to work. If you have any questions, you know where to find me."

As soon as Minseok had exited the room, Naeun and Yixing reached for the pamphlet on the top of the stack right away, and that was when their hands touched. Her whole body froze and she could not even pull her hand back like she normally would.

"Sorry," Yixing smiled politely. See how he was able to act natural? "You know, these magazines are really gonna take a while. Why don't we get to know each other first? Since we'll be working together, I really hope that we can get along well and even be friends."

Naeun gulped and stared at Yixing blankly. "Y-yeah, s-sure," she croaked squeakily. How in the world was she supposed to EVER focus on her work if she had to be in such close proximity to someone so attractive? She was sure she would just spend her days gazing at this beauty rather than look through boring materials and documents.

Yixing inched closer to her, as if examining and inspecting her. "Pardon me, but you look pale. Are you alright?"

"Oh...I'm fine," Naeun lied. She actually felt dizzy and her cheeks were burning up. But she was sure that it was because Yixing was too handsome and her body could not handle it.

"Are you sure? Do you want me to get something from the pantry for you to drink?" He offered kindly, still staring at her intently.

"No, it's alright. Don't bother. Maybe it's just because I skipped breakfast," she shrugged and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Please don't be too close to me! I won't be able to breathe! She wanted to tell him, but could not. She just physically could not.

"Ah, don't you know that's unhealthy?" It sounded like a rebuke at first, but then he smiled. "Well, we can't work efficiently if you're not feeling well and I'm worried about you. From now on, we better meet up half an hour before work to have breakfast together so that I'll make sure you're in your best condition. Deal?"

Naeun could not find any reason to say no, so she just nodded slowly and awkwardly.

"Don't worry. I'll go get you some biscuits, and then we'll start working," Yixing said and stood up.

"No!" Naeun said loudly and assertively. "I'm not hungry, really," she explained. It was true, she had no appetite. "I'm sure I can wait for the lunch party."

~

"Time for lunch!" Minseok announced, signaling for Naeun and Yixing to join the rest of the office in the lounge for the birthday party. The atmosphere was great but the food sucked. In Naeun's opinion, at least. She was probably the only one who thought so, though, because the tray of chicken wings was cleared in just a few minutes' time, and the sandwiches were praised by basically everybody. The only thing that she was interested in trying was the prawn tarts that Baekhyun made as a surprise treat for the birthday girl.

"It's my favorite noona's favorite food, after all," Baekhyun grinned. "Happy birthday, Yunhee-noona!"

With a sweet mouth and a gorgeous smile like that, Naeun did need to be able to read minds to know that all of the women — actually, it was everybody — in the room were wishing that Baekhyun would do the same for them on their birthdays.

Naeun appreciated the effort but still, she felt so bad for disliking the taste. Why was it that no matter what food she tried, she still hated it and found it disgusting? She should probably consult a doctor about this...

An hour later, the party ended and everybody was ushered back to work, except for the birthday girl who had gone to have a word with Baekhyun in private...and Naeun bet they probably had more than just a word, based on how smudged Yunhee's lipstick was afterward and how messy and crumpled her clothes were. But Naeun got back to the task at hand. The stack of booklets sitting on her desk was not going to read itself, although she wished it would because the contents were so boring she really thought she was going to fall asleep. The only thing keeping her from dozing off was that today was her first day at work and she really did not want to leave a bad impression.

She was thankful when Baekhyun entered the room. "New interns! I need an extra pair of hands in my office; can either one of you help me sort out and arrange some brochures in chronological order? I have to shelve them by today, and there's quite a bit."

Naeun was about to jump out of her seat to offer her aid, but Yixing was quicker. "Oh, yeah, sure, I'll be happy to help," he said, getting out of his seat and swiftly following Baekhyun to another room.

Naeun sighed. "Looks like it's just you and me now," she muttered to the stack of leaflets.

~

"So, when are you going to graduate?" asked Baekhyun casually, unloading some boxes.

"Two more years to go," Yixing answered. "I'm hoping to work as an ambassador or at a nature reserve after I get my degree."

Baekhyun laughed. "That's not what I mean. I'm referring to your training in Hell," he winked. "Demon."