TROUBLE x CHANYEOL

Part 3

Approximately three weeks had passed since that disastrous night out with my roommate Chae, her boyfriend Jongin and his friends. Jongin had come over to our apartment a few times and I made sure I apologised to him. I hadn't heard anything about Baekhyun so I presumed he was probably coming onto me only because he had been drinking and not because he was interested. I told myself that I didn't care and got on with my life. It wasn't like I was looking for a boyfriend. I was quite happy on my own.

My routine actually made me relatively happy. I had recently got a promotion in my job and was currently trying to work my ass off to prove that the promotion was deserved. I worked at a music publishing company and my new promotion was in the recording department: a coveted position. As I was new to the department, I was the general dogsbody who did everything and anything. Someone wanted a coffee from Starbucks? My job. The amplifier cables had frayed and needed to be replaced? My job. Corporate wanted studio time figures and expenses in a 20,000 word presentation? My job. I worked hard and wanted to impress my boss.

Well, I say boss like there was one but I actually had 2 bosses: QM and Wae. QM looked after the technical side of the recordings and Wae looked after the production. They were salt and pepper: couldn't have been more different if they tried. QM was young, sarcastic and obsessive whilst Wae was older, softer and more understanding. They were both good mentors and helped me when they could, even if it mean giving me tonnes of work and pressure. I knew they were doing it because they wanted me to excel in this industry.

I remember very clearly it was a Monday morning. There was a chill in the autumn air and it was about to rain. The sky was grey, cloudy and melancholy.  Driving in to the city was a nightmare because traffic was heavy. As I pulled up to the parking lot, I noticed there were no parking spaces as a gigantic silver Mercedes G-Wagon was parked stupidly blocking three spaces. I rolled my eyes. Whoever had parked there was clearly a brainless fool. After driving around the block for ten minutes, I found a space outside the Starbucks. Typically, it had started to rain and I hadn't brought an umbrella with me. Running like mad, I managed to make it into work looking like I had just taken a shower: not a good look.

"What on earth have you been doing?" Luci the receptionist asked me as I pushed through the double doors.

"It's pouring with rain and there were no parking spaces," I said breathlessly trying to reach for my ID pass from my bag.

"QM is with this morning's clients in the meeting room. They're relatively well known so don't be starstruck when you see them. Wae is setting up in the studio. He asked if you could go into him this morning."

I looked at her puzzled. A well known band? How exciting.

"He?"

"Oh yes, sorry, Wae."

"Right, yes, sure," I replied as I nodded and took my things up the stairs into our recording department. As I opened the door, I peered through the blinds into the meeting room where QM was although I couldn't see anything. I could hear the deep voices of men and presumed they were in the middle of something important. QM would probably fill me in later.

"Good morning!" came the happy voice of Wae as I saw him sat at his producer table/desk sipping a coffee. "Why are you so, erm, wet?"

"I've had to park two blocks away by Starbucks and got caught in the rain. I'm sorry, some imbecile in one of those awful Mercedes G-Wagons had stupidly blocked the car parking spaces. It actually shocked me that people who park like that are allowed to drive. Idiots."

"Ahh!" bellowed Wae as he leaned back in his chair. "That will be one of the new clients. I'm sorry about that. I will speak to them about the parking. They're just next door with QM discussing the schedule."