➟ corporate building

@Im Jinah The male's jaw dropped at the mention of paperwork then he snapped it shut, face scrunching up like he just ate something foul. "Ah no, thank you. A mountain of paperwork is something I'm not looking forward to.." the model nodded, "and it's 2020, there should be no more paperwork. Just staring at a monitor and typing away." he added with a chuckle, glancing at the older briefly. Once outside, Baekho's senses were overwhelmed for a few seconds until he adjusted, eyes squinting slightly as he observed his surrounding before focusing on Jinah- making sure that he wouldn't lose sight of the woman.


"Oh? You have a great taste, Miss Boss." His lips twitched then curled up into a smile of amusement as he brought up a hand and counted off his favorite Japanese food. "Okay, there's sukiyaki, yakiniku, ramen, katsu, yakitori, gyudon, tonkatsu, shabu-shabu, aaanndd nikujaga." He paused for a breather, grinning widely like a kid talking about his favorite toys. "And most of them has something in common. Guess what? Aside from being Japanese food, of course."

@Kang Baekho At the notice of the younger male’s offer, Nana frowns playfully at his cheeky attitude before mentioning her own retort,”For every teasing remark, I’ll give you another round of paperwork to do. Is that fine?” A grin then adorns her visage as they get out of the building. Her orbs glimmered at the fast-paced environment hugging her very being: the honking of cars, the shuffling footsteps of office workers, and the brightly lit buildings holding the hope of the future—all of which were to strengthen her will to drive about change with her line of work. She snaps out of her thoughts at his question, musing in between meaningful hums before she responds with the brightest of her smiles, “My top picks would be sashimi, karaage, tempura and sukiyaki. What about you, Baekho?”

@Im Jinah "Keep this to yourself," Baekho's ears perked up at that, and he became more attentive. He was excited at the prospect of some tea spilling especially from his boss. "Uh huh.." he trailed and nodded, waiting for Jinah to continue then blinked slowly. Okay, that wasn't exactly what Baekho had hoped but Baekho understood. With Jinah's position, the burden placed onto her shoulders came with it. Baekho knew better to judge. "Oh really now? You wouldn't say," he chuckled then in an attempt to lighten up the mood, he joked, "the price of my silence is to be allowed to tease you about this from time to time. How's that?"

It was quite an amusing sight to see the older woman being proud of that solution to Baekho's nightmare because he was sure that was kind of impossible? Maybe. He was a model, not an engineer- he hadn't figured out yet how elevators work. "Well, thankfully, we don't have to find out about that today." He snickered, following the woman behind. "So, Miss Im. What's your favorite Japanese food?" He matched her pace casually, head tilted and eyes brimming with curiosity as the two stepped out of the building.

@Kang Baekho "Keep this to yourself," She spared him a hopeful look, clasping her hands together before chuckling shyly, "It doesn't look like it, but for someone like me, every day is an off day." Which was for the most part true as she had a lot of things to deal with on top of her work-related responsibilities. Not like she was making an excuse to slack off, but with the level of expectation entrusted to her right off the bat—balancing her priorities was close to impossible at this point. Mentally noting that the male was possibly claustrophobic, she folded her arms as though she was proud with what she was about to suggest, "Then I'll have the guards leave the elevator's doors open for us while we have lunch. That should be fine, right?" It was a rhetorical question, and she was relieved that an answer wasn't heard when they arrived right on time on the ground floor. "That's our cue," she gestures for the male to follow her through the building's lobby, having themselves blend through numerous individuals rushing out for lunch.

@Im Jinah Tension in Baekho's shoulders melted away when there was no comment of his parents relationship and Jinah didn't seem uncomfortable with it. He chuckled along with the older woman, stashing this moment in his ammunition for teasing for the future.

"Heh. It's alright. We all have our off days." He nodded, elbow brushing against hers gently in a playful manner then turned his eyes to the metallic door. "Lunch in the elevator, huh? As long as we aren't stuck inside it. That is like, my worst nightmare." He shuddered. Being stuck inside of a metallic box was a big no-no for the man who was claustrophobic.

@Kang Baekho Her tiers quickly pursed into a fine line as she caught his non-verbal cues. Choosing to push it all aside as she wasn't the type to pry on personal issues unless voluntarily trusted with the pieces of information, Jinah simply offered a grateful smile his way at the acknowledgment of her work. "A vocal activist? That's really admirable. I bet I could learn a thing or two from her since I'm in the same boat, too." Nodding briefly, Jinah's attention was disrupted when the male stepped forward to press the button. She broke into a peal of heartful laughter, lightly hitting her forehead with her palm at the oversight that she normally would not have done. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this, but thank you, Baekho. Lunch in the elevator doesn't sound like a bad idea, though?" She joked, having her laughter die down slowly as the lift started transporting them to the ground floor.

@Im Jinah Baekho was caught off guard then he felt the twitch of his eyebrows and the clenching of his jaw when the word 'abused' rolled off Jinah's lips. The air left his lungs for a second before he take a deep breath and smiled slightly, hoping that the older woman didn't catch that.

"Oh, really? That's amazing!" He exclaimed, turning slightly to his side, and titled his head. "I think both of my moms would love to meet you especially my mama. She was a really vocal activist back then, in her hometown..." He nodded, trailing off as he glanced at Jinah hesitatingly. Baekho was proud of his moms and would gush about them sometimes but considering the nature of their relationship, he couldn't help but to be wary and cautious especially with people he just met. Not everyone was accepting and open-minded even though it was 2020 already.

Then he realized something. "Whoopsies. We forgot to press the number." He snickered as he pressed the button, shaking his head at himself. No wonder why they weren't moving.

@Kang Baekho "With the way you were startled with my little prank earlier, looking cool was already long gone, dear," She playfully retorted, laughing at how secretive the younger male was playing. As the lift came into a close, Jinah could only hum meaningfully at the intern's story, recognising that they may not be far from each other's circumstances. Sure, adoption was a different case, but it wasn't isolating the fact that they both struggled but still managed to pull through because of strong-willed individuals that placed them back on track. "I look up to women like them, too. Tell you what? I'm running a small organisation for abused and divorced wives." She nodded, hearing the lift elicit a high-pitched ring before its metal wings flew open. As she got inside the lift, with Baekho following her right in, Jinah's smile was unmatched as she thought of the brave women under her care for the past couple of years, "Women are amazing souls. I'd love to meet your supermom. I'm sure she's really proud to have you as her son."

@Im Jinah "Now now," he chuckled as he closed the door behind him and matched Jinah's stride with a grin. "Why would I show you those pictures? I need to keep up my cool image in front of you. Somehow." He lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, both hands stuffed into his pockets as the two stood in front of the lift. He stole a glance at the older woman next to him and pursed his lips. So asking about her childhood is a no-no. Duly noted. Though Baekho had no problem talking about his. "My family, hmm? Parents separated, father is an who cheated. I'm not in a speaking term with him since.. years. It's fine though, I was raised by a supermom. Things were a little rough for a while but we got each other." He nodded, unconsciously rocking on his heels, and followed Jinah behind once the lift arrived. "I look up to women like her, like you, y'know?" The male's smile was a little sheepish as he scratched his cheek.

@Kang Baekho "It wasn't that bad! I can't have you going on that happy moment freely, you know?" She playfully responded, recognising his joking gesture before she could muster to shake her head in disbelief. "A chubby kid, huh? You should show me photos of that sometimes, yeah?" Bowing her head towards the male as she led herself out of her office, she waited for him to shut the door behind them and have him stand beside her, making their way freely towards the elevator. "You miss being a kid, huh? I wish I could say the same thing, but if given a choice, I'd never go back to my childhood," she calmly responds, vaguely revealing bits of her past as they waited for the lift to arrive, "How's your family like, Baekho? Did you guys live in good terms?"

@Im Jinah The shimmer in Jinah's orbs was concerning but Dongho wasn't going to push. Maybe she was just touched that he was going to be under her wings. His lips twitched at the thought, eyes bright with amusement. "Yep yep, a treat after making my heart pause." He nodded in confirmation, facial muscles set in a most serious he could muster up before it broke and a bright smile painted his handsome features.

"Oooh Japanese. I love Japanese food." He voiced out his approval, head bobbing up and down absentmindedly, "I love food in general. I was a chubby kid back then. All I did was eat, play, sleep, and repeat. Sometimes I miss being a kid." He added with a chuckle and stepped forward first to grab the door, letting the only lady to walk out first with a flourish.

@Kang Baekho As his sturdy arms pulled her in for an embrace, Jinah found herself melting into a hearty chuckle with how much she has caught him under her spell for a few moments. Ah, he was a softie, after all, she mused. Despite being younger than her, the businesswoman felt as though she was more under his care than the other way around. The little gesture made her heart flutter and a little expectant of what else the male had tucked under his sleeves throughout the internship program. "I was trying to lighten up the mood, but I guess it went on a different turn." She laughed once more, leaning back as she was released from his hold—the smile on her face unwavering while a tear threatened to fall from one of her liquid pools. "A treat, huh?" She calmly states, knocking her head to the side as she surveys the rest of her office while thinking of a place to eat in. "I think I know just the place. I hope you like Japanese food." Darting her orbs back to the male, she quickly reached out to ruffle his hair before returning to her seat to grab her stuff—linking the handle of her bag just by her shoulder, "Let's go?"

@Im Jinah The stern look coupled with that blank stare froze Baekho, looking like a deer caught in the headlights as he slowly withdrew his hand from the air and crafled it close. Jinah might be just messing with him but he couldn't be quite sure. The couple seconds of silence felt like an eternity to him and he swore he could hear the ticking of a clock somewhere in the office because he was holding his breath. Fortunately for Baekho, Jinah didn't keep up the act that long and he could finally breathe again.

With eyes narrowed into slits, Baekho stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jinah for a bear hug. He gave her a little squeeze, just a treat for the stunt she just pulled. "That was mean of you, Miss Im. My heart stopped beating for a second." He grumbled then stepped back, "just for that you have to treat me. Heh." He added, eyes sparkling with amusement.

@Kang Baekho A faint o shapes itself on her lips as she watches her newest addition to the team go bonkers with the announcement, fondly reminded of how she was when she first started as an industry newbie. The unexplainable joy found in the male's crescents triggered a trip down memory lane leading towards a hopeful Jinah who had so much to look out for in the future. And with her sitting in a spot where she was so vulnerable to be trampled upon, she vowed to shape her fears as platforms of strength to further transform dreams of people like Baekho as workable goals.

"No, I'm not." Her soft semblance becomes heavily stern as she stares blankly at the cheery male, quickly retracting her hand from his and not sharing a word for a few moments, jokingly. "Of course, I am, Baekho! Welcome!" With a gentle, excited voice, she stands up from her seat and quickly shuffles towards where the male was, opening her arms for a hug. "I'm excited to work with you! This calls for a celebration, yeah? What do you say we go out for lunch?"

@Im Jinah Baekho recognized that look. Jinah could try but Baekho had been painfully familiar with the pain that flashed briefly across those warm chocolate pools. He used to see it on his mother's face, then his whenever he looked at his reflection. The younger flashed her an apologetic smile, resisting the urge to pull the woman into a bear hug.

He nodded along with Jinah's words, completely in agreement before blinking slowly at the outstretched hand before him. His brain hadn't registered what happened yet. "Huh?" He blinked once. Twice. Then his jaw dropped. "Wait! I'm in? Are you serious?? I- woah. Really??" His eyebrows furrowed, completely baffled, then with both of his hands, he shook her hand eagerly. "Thank you! Thank you so much for this opportunity!" The happiness on his face was palpable and he was bursting with joy. In that moment, Baekho felt like a dog with two tails.

@Kang Baekho As she listened intently to the story that was freely unfolding in front of her, the composed female couldn't help but break a little, recalling how much she missed out in having a family of her own. Envious, she was, but in the circle of life—she never had a choice. Whatever she was born into was already dictated, and it was just a matter of her redirecting that steering wheel into a path she'd bloom into than otherwise. She could only manage to tug an end of her lips to a rather pained smile, nodding briefly as she understood what he meant. It was stories like these that kept reminding her of why she was persevering despite already having so much; being of aid to another doesn't stop with one person, after all.

"That is true. Situations, regardless of their nature, follow a similar pattern. It will always be a question of your what, your why and your how," she starts off, now smiling meaningfully at the male in front of her as she takes in every little bit of his features, "Don't apologise for something that clearly has contributed to who you are right now, Baekho. If anything, these are the stories I would love to hear more than anything. It helps me determine the areas you'd improve on and the circumstances that you'd best work yourself with." Slowly, she reached her hand out for a handshake, and in a few moments, the magic words were heard: "Welcome to the team, Kang Baekho. I'm excited to make wonders with you."

@Im Jinah Baekho's broad shoulders tensed up for a fleeting moment before he took a deep breath. Those were the hardcore questions he had been preparing for but unfortunately for him, his brain decided to short-circuit the moment his eyes met Jinah's unwavering orbs. Gosh, the woman beauty was intimidating. Subtly, his gaze shifted to the spot between those eyes as he regained his composure. He definitely would laugh at himself after all of this was over.

"We are always under some kind of pressure our whole lives, I think. My first personal experience of that kind of situation is when my parents separated. It wasn't easy, but my mom is a wonderful woman. She had taught me well. I was taught the first thing I should do when I'm under any kind of pressure is to never panic. When you panic, your brain will not be able to work properly and then you won't be able to assess the situation and think of a solution. It's that simple. Don't panic, take deep breaths, then assess the situation. What happened? Who's involved, the five Ws and one H.." he trailed off, nodding slowly, and squeezed his thighs gently as he flashed the older woman a small smile.

"I was an athlete..." Baekho continued, ".. a soccer player. When our captain got his knee busted, I had to slip the captain band on. Inside, I was a mess, but I didn't panic. I took a deep breath then looked at my teammates and worked on our strategies. The next year, I got promoted to captain and scored a scholarship for my performance. Working in an office like this is not that much different than being in a sports, don't you agree, Miss Im? It's the same with my modeling career. I'm with a team consisted of stylists, make up artists, photographers then models." He pursed his lips, feeling heat traveling to the tip of his ears from embarrassment. "Uh, sorry. I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to give you a monologue about my life."

@Kang Baekho A meaningful hum radiates from the female's figure as she intently listens to every string of words that rolled off the male's tongue. Contrary to how he looked, Nana would have never imagined he would act as a mediator under any circumstance. However, the convincing tone and passion brimming within the lad's orbs were enough to relieve her of that thought and ultimately trust that the agency would be in good hands with Baekho's help. "A model, huh? That's impressive." She starts to comment, nodding her head briefly as she recalls what may be a few placements where she has probably seen the male.

"How will being a model help shape you better in this field then, Baekho? What top three values would you be able to contribute to us?" Her arms gently drop and rest themselves on her desk, cutting herself off of the rather imperceptible barrier as she starts to relax under the younger male's presence. "Working under pressure is a given event, but one can only do so much to have it injected as a "normal" thing in their lives. And so my question is, what type of situations test the only Kang Baekho and how does he deal with them?"

@Im Jinah "Um, really? Thank you. That's nice of you." He chuckled, fiddling with his thumbs absentmindedly. He used to feel a little bit silly for having such a vision while being surrounded with people who only cared about artificial things like parties, designers clothes, sporty cars, etcetera. Baekho was raised with family values despite having had a broken one before.

The male cocked his head to the side, studying the older woman in silence while working on his answer. He needed to get this one right. "I'm a model, Miss Im. I've worked with difficult people before, and my reputation can vouch for me. I never let them hinder me from doing my job, I often have to play the mediator." He shrugged nonchalantly, eyebrows furrowing slightly before they relaxed as Baekho smiled and continued, "and working under pressure is nothing new to me."

@Kang Baekho A fond smile starts to form on her lips as she listened to his answer—quite satisfied that she was getting an honest response more than anything. "That's a lovely dream, Baekho." Knocking her head to the side gently, a soft hum echoes through the room as she thinks of another question—the lad was obviously keeping her interest at a high level, and she was more than eager to know more about her soon-to-be intern. "How do you work under pressure and with colleagues who have a contrasting personality with yours?" It was one thing to be highly skilled with what you do and another to make use of those skills to form meaningful bonds that transcend beyond the four walls of the workplace.

@Im Jinah Baekho's lips formed a perfect 'o' shape, the man definitely not expecting that kind of response. He swallowed thickly, fists clenching briefly before he will them to relax and started rubbing his knees absentmindedly. "Oh well, hopefully in five years I'm all settled down. Maybe with a daughter or a son on the way. Be happy with a couple of furry babies too. I'll always be hungry for knowledge, picking up more practical skills, just being the typical future father to be, y'know?" He shrugged, orbs shifting down to his lap briefly as a soft smile formed across his visage.

"Um, maybe the right and short answer to your question is... I see myself as a father in five years. Yeah. And definitely happy with that." He nodded and confidently met her gaze once again, clasping his hands together.

@Kang Baekho Classic answer, she mused as she straightened her back, shifting her spine to arch itself a little as she leans forward and props the points of her elbow on top of her desk, intertwining her fingers together to form a bridge strong enough to cradle her chin as she gazed upon the young male. "That's impressive, but beyond the intricacies of what society would want us to be, where do you see /yourself/, Baekho? In five years, do you see yourself happy? Hungry for learning? Settled?" The string of words serenading the room lingered upon her plump tiers as they pranced towards the male's being, hoping he would be able to think beyond the walls of the internship and view the bigger picture of why he was here and why he continued to live. A soft smile adorned her face, not wanting to pressure the male any further than he already was, and so she let out a soft chuckle before shaking her head, "Relax, darling! More than the job which I know you're capable of delivering, I'd want to know you more above all. A person's character is important to me, more than anything."

@Im Jinah His fingers had never stopped clenching and unclenching from the moment Jinah appeared till now- it was one of his cute habits which earned him the nickname "Doraemon" because whenever he did that, his fists would remind friends of the cute character. However, strangers would think that he was itching to punch someone in the face. Poor guy, he was just nervous.

Resting his Doraemon fists on his knees, Baekho distractedly followed Jinah's action then quickly shifted back to the older woman's warm orbs, smiling tightly before taking a deep breath. Slowly, he felt the tension on his broad shoulders melting away as he exhaled slowly before answering the question. This is it.

"Five years, hmm? I see myself running my own business while adding a PhD on my credentials. I really want to go back to school. I'm hoping with this internship program I'll get a much better idea of what kind of business I'm going to build and how I'll go about it." He nodded slowly, lips quirking up slightly.

@Kang Baekho Her soft hands lightly play with the objects lined on her desk before they stop at the hint of his baritone, gently resting themselves atop the wooden surface before she turns her attention to the words of gratitude floating in the room. "You're selling yourself short, dear. I've seen a great amount of potential upon reading your credentials, so this opportunity really was meant for you." She calmly answered, offering him a soft smile as she tucked a few strands of her long, black locks behind her ear before she cleared , signalling the start of the interview. "I'm not one to dive deep into the technicalities, because I believe with a great relationships come excellent work. And so this little session will really just be a casual conversation between both of us." Chuckling lightly, she rests her back against her chair with one arm propped atop the arm rest and the other resting by her lap, her gaze staying glued onto the younger male's orbs. "Where do you see yourself in five years or so, Baekho?"

@Im Jinah It was definitely normal for Baekho's heart to flutter like crazy in the presence of a woman such as Im Jinah, right? Right??? The male screamed inwardly, pushing back a memory of watching in admiration as the older woman gave a talk in his college back then.

He kept his mouth shut but the corners of it quirked up into a sheepish smile as he nodded, Adam's apple bobbing slightly. Baekho straightened himself and kept his posture upright with confidence, just enough to show his professionalism and the respect he had for Jinah- giving the woman a nod as he strode inside of her office and waited for her to take a seat before settling down across her. "I uh, want to thank you again for this opportunity. To be honest, I wasn't expecting this at all." He started, still with the same sheepish smile plastered across his face as he patted his knees.

@Kang Baekho A brow arches itself out of fondness for the rather innocent male who seemed to contrast the way he carried himself. The string of sweet nothings pushing themselves free from his core only managed to warm her heart and earned a hearty laughter from the maiden. "Thank you, sweetheart. You look great yourself, but please, don't be nervous. It'll make me feel bad." She calmly answers, detaching her body away from the door frame as she gestures her hand towards the hallway leading to her office, "Shall we? I'm already excited to know more about you."

With the softest smile carved on her visage, Jinah could not help but see her old self in the face of the male's presence. The universe truly had its own ways of showing her how far she had come, and this was one of the many magical moments it had to orchestrate.

@Im Jinah Baekho should really stop burning holes on the carpeted floor with the soles of his shoes but he couldn't help it. This was a huge opportunity and he couldn't mess this up. He would be devastated if he did. He groaned inwardly as insecure thoughts started to swarm his head.

"Ah!" He yelped and jumped on the spot like a spooked kitten when a soft voice belonging to a woman snapped him out of it then spun around. And there she was, Im Jinah in the flesh before him. "M-miss Im!" The flustered male bowed deeply then sheepishly straightened himself, ears red from embarrassment. "Hi, good morning to you too. You, uh, you look great. I mean, of course you look great, you're Im Jinah..." He trailed off as heat covered his face. "I'm sorry, I tend to ramble when I'm nervous."

@Kang Baekho Sipping the last bit of her cold brew, her palms push themselves against the wooden surface of her desk as she stood from her place. Gentle footsteps sauntered towards her office's door, a hand pushing the towering entrance open before she graces the floor's vicinity with her presence. A swarm of pleasing greetings chorused through the horizon, earning the softest smile from the director herself wherever her almond orbs turn their attention to. As she reaches the lounge, her plump tiers part ever so slightly, a light chuckle escaping past the little dent at the sight of her guest drawing lines with his footsteps over and over.

Gently, she leans her body by the door frame, keeping her amused gaze locked on the male before she calls out to him, "Good morning to you, Baekho."

@Im Jinah Humming softly to himself, Baekho tuned out the woman's conversation with Im Jinah herself and distractedly took in the interior of the building. It was no different than any of the "fancy" building he had visited before- crisp and clean, just the way they liked it. His lips twitched at the thought and turned his attention back to the receptionist just in time to catch the tail of her conversation with the other woman on the line.

"Thank you." Baekho bowed after receiving instruction and made his way upstairs. The guest lounge was surprisingly deserted, and Baekho didn't know how to feel about it. His nerves decided for himself. He paced around instead of taking a seat, mumbling under his breath the answers to questions he had reviewed last night while fiddling with his cufflinks.

@Kang Baekho Slender digits were restlessly typing away multiple emails lined up for the morning driven by the strength of the caffeine running through every fiber of the woman's being. It was the only dreadful consequence that she has earned after the show's season has concluded on her end: the calm before the storm. The stoic visage of the female was painted with a hint of surprise as the ringing of her telephone broke the deafening silence of the room, "Good morning, Ms. Nana. There's an intern applicant named Kang Baekho waiting for you in the lobby." A patchy voice of a female receptionist touched the chords of her ear, causing the ends of her coral tiers to curve into a pleasing crescent.

"Please tell him to come upstairs and wait in the guest lounge. Thank you."