“Hi!” he said in English. 

Noelle could only stare, unable to speak. 

“Do you speak… English?” he asked, raising both eyebrows. 

A thought flashed through her mind. He thinks I'm dumb. There were probably a handful of people on this planet who didn’t t know what 'hi' meant, and he believed she was one of them... That thought alone helped her find her senses, and she managed to mumble: “Hi… Yes, I do.” 

“Sorry, did I scare you?” he continued. 

“No. It’s okay” she responded. What was she saying? Her heart was skipping beats. 

Wasn’t he supposed to be at a photo shooting? He’s so close. I could touch him… 

“Going in?” he asked again. 

“Yeah...” she replied, still standing perfectly still. 

He smiled widely and gestured with his right arm toward the office. She was practically enveloped by his presence, his face beaming down at her. “That way, then!” he suggested. 

“Right…”Noelle spun around and hurried inside, quickly scanning the room. It was empty. 

Where do I stand? What should I do? 

She decided to lightly lean on the edge of a vacant desk, still clutching the contracts in her arms, her bag still on her back. 

“Where the fuck is everybody?” he said in Korean. 

She turned to look at him, but not knowing the answer, she could only stare blankly. 

“I'm wondering where everyone has gone” he repeated in English. 

He thinks I don't speak Korean... Should I tell him? Nah, I’d better play along. 

She was too confused to think clearly, especially in that moment, as she watched him approach and sit on the edge of the desk next to her. He turned towards her and asked, in English of course: “Who are you he is here to see?” 

“Ms. Pyo” 

“Ah! Chloe. That's her office, but she’s not here” he said, raising his shoulders in a playful shrug. 

He then reached out his hand. “I'm Yeong Ye-Jun” he introduced himself. 

She knew that. For years. 

I'm supposed to touch him now, right? Isn't that what people do in situations like this? She just needed to find the strength to lift her hand. 

She took a deep breath and extended her right arm. His hand was so warm, and he held hers lightly but firmly. “I'm Noelle. Noelle Auclair” she replied. 

“Nice to meet you, Noelle! Where are you from?” he asked, letting her hand go to Noelle's great disappointment. 

“France” 

“Oh, Paris!” he said excitedly. “I've been there as a kid. I don't remember much, but I liked it a lot” Ye-Jun said in a stargazing manner. 

She smiled effortlessly. She had learned something new about him. 

He’s never mentioned that before. 

“What are you doing here, so far away from home?” he asked. 

I came to meet you… 

“I'm studying” she muttered. It was the reason she gave everyone. Especially him. 

“What are you studying?” 

“Business Administration. My Master's.” 

“And how is that going?” 

“Good, I guess” she said, finally managing a smile. 

It was surreal. They were just sitting side-by-side, talking casually. This surpassed all her expectations. 

She wasn't sure what kind of person he really was. All his videos and interviews were staged; she knew that much. His public image was flawless. She was pleased to discover he seemed like an approachable guy, not a snobbish and distant star. 

“You don't sound certain, maybe you didn't get straight A's” he said, laughing lightly. 

Is he teasing me? 

She laughed back, immensely surprised that they were just laughing together over something he said. 

“And what are you doing here?” he asked, spreading his arms to indicate the office. 

“I'm an intern” 

He was about to throw her his next question, but Noelle's eyes caught a movement in the hallway and she looked over. He followed her gaze, and they both saw the rest of the team walking down the hall. 

Mi-Suk noticed them first. She halted instantly, causing Dan-Bi to collide with her. They all turned to see what had happened, their expressions confused and slightly alarmed. 

What’s wrong? 

“There they are!” Ye-Jun said. He raised his hand and beckoned them in. 

But they didn’t move. 

Chloe was the first to march and enter the office. “Good morning, Ye-Jun” she said calmly in Korean, though Noelle could tell she wasn’t as relaxed as she had been half an hour ago. “What a surprise for you to drop by.” 

In the meantime, the others filed in. 

“Good morning, Chloe! Good morning, everyone!” Ye-Jun said in Korean. “Do I not have the right to drop by whenever I want? Do I need an appointment?” 

“Of course you can come whenever you want, but you have obligations today” she replied. 

“Yes, my schedule is pretty heavy this period. I wonder why” Ye-Jun replied, shooting a look at Sang-Jun. “Where were you all?” 

“In the meeting room down the hall. We had a… briefing” Chloe said. 

“And I wasn’t invited?” 

“It was about office issues.” 

“That’s so unfair!” 

“Why are you here, Ye-Jun?” Chloe asked, having regained her composure. 

“Sang-Jun told me to pick him up!” 

“I told you to call me and meet downstairs” Sang-Jun intervened. 

“I did. You didn’t answer” Ye-Jun shot back. 

Sang-Jun patted his pocket and obviously realized something was missing. He then glanced toward the desk where Ye-Jun was standing. His mobile was lying there. 

“What’s going on?” Ye-Jun said. “You are all acting very strange.” 

“Everything is okay, Ye-Jun” Chloe said. The rest nodded in unison, looking foolish. 

“No, it isn’t. And on top of that, you left that poor girl looking for you in vain” Ye-Jun said, pointing at Noelle. 

Me? A poor girl? Is he… sympathizing with me? 

“I can see you met Noelle” Chloe commented, her voice cool. 

“You know her?” he said. Since they were speaking in Korean, he probably assumed she didn’t understand a thing. He turned his head and smiled at Noelle. 

“Yes...” Chloe replied. 

Mi-Suk took a step forward. “But now that you’ve met her, you’re okay, right? You don’t have any problem? We need a bit of help.” 

Chloe bit her lip. 

“Help? Problem?” Ye-Jun wondered, his brow furrowing. He was silent for a moment, thinking  hard. Then he asked cautiously: “Chloe… Why would this girl be a problem for me?” 

Chloe planted her feet firmly and raised her chin in a gesture of strained defiance. “I took in Noelle as an intern” she proclaimed. 

“You got an intern? Without asking me?” he inquired, his eyes flashing with anger at Chloe. 

What just happened? Why is he angry? Who is he angry at? Me? Chloe? 

“My office. Now” Chloe said, and started walking toward that direction. Ye-Jun followed without another word, but not before he glanced sideways at Noelle. The friendly guy from moments ago was gone, replaced by a cold, reserved stranger. They closed the door behind them. 

“Well done, Mi-Suk! All plans—A, B and C—were just ruined” Sang-Jun said. 

“You forgot your phone! How is that my mistake?” Mi-Suk fired back. 

“Stop accusing each other. It would have happened eventually” Dan-Bi said. 

“I agree with Ms. Si. Better now than later” Mr. Kim added. 

Noelle was lost. “Excuse me… What’s going on?” she asked modestly. 

They all looked at her. Dan-Bi was the one to explain. “Well… Ye-Jun, let’s say, he doesn’t like changes.” 

It was hard to think of him as someone who resisted change. He was constantly changing… everything. How could she forget the ‘rainbow year’, when he was determined to try every color of the spectrum on his hair? 

“What do you mean, changes? What changed?” Noelle asked. 

“The team. What else?” Dan-Bi said. “He doesn’t easily approve of new people. You have no idea how difficult it was for Chloe to persuade him to get Mi-Suk on board four years ago. And since then, nothing else has changed.” 

Shit! He doesn't want… me.