Yeong Ye-Jun was banned from the office. It was a fact, one that Mi-Suk had already relayed to Noelle in exhaustive detail. 

How Chloe announced it to him, how he reacted, what he told her on the phone, who miserable he was when Mi-Suk met him on the set. 

Mi-Suk told her everything about anything happening in the office. Noelle had learned all the gossip, every conspiracy theory, and every possible scenario for any given situation. Mi-Suk was a firehose of continuous information, although Noelle wasn't yet certain how much of it was accurate. 

True to the ban, Ye-Jun hadn't made an appearance. She'd been told he still visited the building, but only for specific appointments, and he was always accompanied by Chloe or Sang-Jun. Noelle thought the measure was extreme, but then again, so were his own actions. 

It had been almost two weeks. Two weeks without seeing him. Noelle's office life was splendid. That was the narrative she chose for herself. 

Following the shock she had endured, her pride compelled her to scorn him completely. 

I wish I never met him! Him, the despicable creature! 

That was what she told herself. And she was focusing on the one thing she new well: learning. 

She had the opportunity to see the practical applications of the theories she was taught. Unfortunately, there was little learning to do. She was mainly tasked with picking up lines, copying and filing documents, proofreading and formatting texts—along with other miscellaneous chores. Noelle felt lucky that at least she didn't have to make coffee for visitors. 

The most valuable part of her day was her hour-long meeting with Chloe to work on her thesis. Chloe was deeply involved, actively assisting and guiding her. Noelle found Chloe's enthusiasm almost amusing; she exhibited so much excitement, it was as if she were the one preparing the final assignment. Maybe this mentorship was the very reason Chloe had agreed to take on an intern in the first place. 

After their meetings, Noelle would gather data: marketing strategies, business plans, project initiatives, financial figures—anything that was shared.  

And of course, she had to pretend she knew very little about Ye-Jun's career. To that end, she would let Mi-Suk narrate long stories about his past, taking notes on his work as both a singer and an actor. 

Noelle would then go back home and try to make a sense out of all these. She had planned everything from before, but she was struggling to make her paper even more interesting. She would ace that paper no matter what. She was so preoccupied with her work that she had little time to think of what happened.  

Though, he-who-should-stay-out-of-her-mind was not so easy to get blocked. 

Ye-Jun was inescapable. 

She was stubborn as a mule and had truly hoped she could just delete him, but how could she when she worked in an office that bore his name? Besides her thesis, every day she had to learn about his new assignments, his new deals, about his schedule. Even if he wasn't there, the place was full with his pictures. His face was almost in all documents. And what she hated the most was that every time she was picking up the phone she had to say: "Yeong Ye-Jun unit. How can I help you?". 

Noelle couldn't wait for the summer to end. Her original plan—to find a job, gain experience, and travel beyond Seoul—was now completely cancelled. All she wanted was to get her diploma and go home. She was trapped, and the thought of the long summer ahead was suffocating. 

That weekend she had worked her ass out. It was Sunday afternoon and time to cool down. She stacked all her notes and books, and turned on the TV. A string of commercials was playing. How much she had always enjoyed watching commercials. Ever since she was a kid she thought it was something magical. How so many messages, so much information could get packed into just a few seconds! Later, when she found out about the hard work needed to make a commercial, it deepened her admiration. At that specific moment, they were the perfect distraction. 

The first commercial was for a cereal. It was an animated, funny and cute ad. When that one was over, another one began featuring a beautiful girl promoting a new skin product. She was happily applying a cream on her skin. Noelle thought she would like to try it. Afterwards, another started filmed in a dark studio. It featured a car, that she soon realized it was for a new electric model. The commercial drew attention to the car's strong points. It seemed sporty, but not overly aggressive. The lines and curves of the car were well-designed. A quick look at the interior highlighted the quality of the materials. 

In the background, a man appeared, approaching the car. His figure was blurred and then the perspective changed. The viewer could see his back, as he was walking towards the driver's side. He was wearing an exquisite and rather expensive suit. The lens focused on his shoes for a moment. What elegant shoes he had on! He walked by the car, carefully fondling its outlines. He stopped by the driver's seat, and he opened the door. After getting inside, the camera focused on the steering wheel, the dashboard, and then the lens focused on the rearview mirror. She could see a pair of teasing eyes. 

Those eyes… It can't be. 

Next thing the lens closed up his smile. 

That smile... 

The scene winded and the screen was full with Yeong Ye-Jun's smiling face. He started the engine and said with a seductive look: "Let's go!''. 

Frustrated, Noelle just changed channel. She knew that he had done many commercials. This one was the most recent. Chloe was very proud about this one, because she personally landed the deal. Due to his popularity, Ye-Jun was a top choice for ads. More popularity meant more ads and more ads meant more money. Chloe had emphasized that point twice. 

Noelle remembered his first commercial -  for a juice brand. Ye-Jun had gone a long way ever since. Now he was making commercials for luxury brands and cars. It made no difference to her. She just didn't want to see him anymore.  

The next channel she tuned in to was airing a new drama, the talk of the town. Noelle hadn't seen any of it yet, so she decided to take a look. It seemed good, so she mentally added it to her watchlist. With about ten more episodes to air, she would probably have time to watch it all before returning home. After all, her master's degree issues wouldn't be wrapped up until October, or even November. At least she would be home for Christmas this year. 

It would be nice to spend time with her brother during his holiday break. She knew she might regret the thought—he had a talent for irritating her. But then again, he had grown up. He was fourteen now. He had talked so little with her online this past year. Maybe he didn't care, as her mother said, or maybe he missed her terribly, as her father insisted. Whatever the reason, she was dying to see him and give him a big hug. He was her baby brother, after all. 

Lost in her thoughts, she soon realized that commercials were on again. A trailer for an upcoming show popped onto the screen—a dark, atmospheric Jeoson-era set. It was impressive, filled with action scenes, stunning outfits, and gorgeous sets. But before the series title even appeared, Noelle felt a wave of helplessness. She already knew the name. 

Broken Wings. 

Yeong Ye-Jun was on her screen once again. The most frustrating thing was how compelling he looked in those scenes. The series was still filming, set to air in September, and yet the promotion had already begun. Of course she knew about it; Mi-Suk had told her everything. 

How didn’t I notice which channel this was? Time to turn it off! 

She was afraid he would appear again at any second. He was everywhere. The next channel could play an interview, a music video, or even one of his movies. Ye-Jun had invaded her house. He had been there long before, but then it didn't matter. Now, she desperately wanted to keep him out. 

She decided the best way to relax would be to go for a walk. Noelle knew she was risking coming across him on a billboard or the side of a bus, but that risk was lower than on TV or her phone. Outside, she could just look away. It might take a few seconds to wrench her gaze free, but she would look away. 

She had to look away.