Chapter Text
"Call Mark-hyung and tell him we got it covered."
"Got what covered? Yah," Donghyuck tries to wiggle himself out of the four-seated compartment, but Jeno's body squished him back against the rear window that he couldn't stand a chance getting away from him. "You guys are not supposed to be here."
"Says the one who decided to do a spontaneous expedition to SMTown on Mark-hyung's first day into his job." Renjun rolls his eyes as he tries to dial the boy's number.
"I went off to visit him and Doyoung-hyung! Do you not trust me that much?"
"No." Renjun and Jeno say in unison, causing Donghyuck to throw his head back in frustration.
Doyoung, on the other hand, looks like he had his priceless freedom taken away from him. He gazes at Jeno thoughtfully, back to the devil's spawn sitting right next to him, then curses under his breath. "I left office so that I'd minimize the chances of me bumping into Mark but what are the odds... it led me to more of you." He sighs. "That creature sitting beside my stepbrother is nothing but a pain in the ass, and then you... what's your name again?"
"It's Renjun," The boy answers, holding down his emotion until the last straw. "And trust me, I'm the only working brain cell in this friend group, and that you should put most of your trust on."
Doyoung scoffs. "Questionable."
"Yeah, whatever. Mark-hyung?" The beeping sound from the end of the call stops, replaced by a certain familiar voice. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, yes. Injun-ah," Mark sounds flabbergasted, and Renjun couldn't help but feel like it's caused by none other than Donghyuck's passive antiques. "Have you heard from Donghyuck? He told me he's coming here to meet Doyoung-hyung—"
"He's here, don't worry." Renjun glances at Donghyuck and mutters, "you called him already?" He was replied by the latter's signature smug look.
"Lee Donghyuck? Caught me in the wrong place and the wrong time, his voice appeared on speaker when I was in the same room as my colleagues, also at the exact moment Kang Seulgi was checking out on us."
"Kang Seulgi? The creative director? Dang, just hit a jackpot with that one!" Donghyuck chirps in delight. "So what did she think of me? Any chances of her asking for my presence in the programming team in at least, next week?" Jeno stomps him by the foot in the attempt to shut him up.
"Did you get away with it? How'd it turn out? Where are you now?" Renjun swarms him with a bunch of questions without thinking.
"Thankfully the seniors were kind enough to cover it up for me. They knew Donghyuck? As the YouTuber who's close with Doyoung's stepbro, apparently. They're starting to label me as that, too. Minus the YouTuber status, of course."
"You're friends with the programming team?" Jeno asks Doyoung out of the blue, who just proceeds to answer him with a shrug.
Renjun sighs in relief. "That's great to hear." The thought of his best friend almost getting in trouble in his first week— no, day of work had triggered some kind of a sense of responsibility within him, now adding up the fact that the person who put Mark in such situation turns out to be his other best friend.
"You should keep an eye on Doyoung-hyung too, if you can. It's dangerous to put him and Donghyuck in the same room."
"Actually.." Renjun's eyes met Doyoung's, who was consciously smiling on such ironic statement. "Doyoung-hyung's here with us now."
"What?"
"We're off to Jaemin's cafe, it's the best place for the two to have their settlements." Renjun informs him briefly. "I don't trust these two alone."
"Me neither." Jeno comments.
"Alright, keep me updated." Mark abruptly closes the call and plunges forward to keep up with broad steps Yeri. "Where are we going, exactly?"
"SMTown Cafe. You said you had no idea where to have lunch, right?" Her pointy heels resonates sharp noises against the marble floor.
"But SMTown Cafe's that way.." Mark points at the building behind them, the one's open for public. He went there a couple of times with his friends just for the sake of his fanboy self, even if it means he has to pay a three course meal's worth just to have a single red velvet cupcake.
"No silly, they got one for the employees." Yeri increases her pace, which results to Mark having to place an effort to make sure not to lose her. "Come, we're meeting a couple more of my friends. It's their first day here, too."
How many friends does Kim Yerim even have? Mark doesn't even have the time to ponder the thought because before he even realized it, he was already in front of the said cafe, the entrance enameled in a glossy shade of pink Mark only thought existed in early 2000s chic flicks. Though it isn't as grand as the one on the other building, the visible notice on the wall is enough to assure him that he prefers this one better.
"It's free??" Never in his life did he expect the most capitalistic company in Korea would give out things without an open transaction. "Employees get to eat here for free?"
"Yup, and it's also self-service. You can get as much as we want." Yeri doesn't bother to hide her satisfied grin. "We might not get paid for our services, but at least we get free lunch."
Lunch that costs a fortune. With the all-you-can-eat system implemented on luxurious dishes, Mark knows that a week's spent in this cafe costs a lot more than his monthly wage, if he ever gets one.
"Kim Yerim, what took you so long?" A brunet young woman his age approaches them, her tedious garments implicitly shows that she's a risk-free novice like he is. "You didn't mention you brought a friend.. hot stuff, that is."
Mark blinks a few times. "I'm sorry?"
"Mark, meet Kang Mina. She's a part of the human resources division, under Kim Sejeong's supervision." Yeri introduces him briefly, fingers still aggressively tapping on her phone. "And sitting right there is Boo Seungkwan, just a year above us."
"Please, call me Boo." The blond grabs Mark's hand assertively, startling him. "Law graduate, currently working with Johnny Seo."
"Ah, yes, I know him." Mark remembers his name from few of Donghyuck's anecdotes. If he's not mistaken, the said professor is also Doyoung's best friend. "My name is Mark Lee-"
"One of the two rookies accepted in the programming team. The aces of SM." Boo does a worshipping gesture, raising both of his hands and tipping them off to the sides.
Mark shakes his head and laughs. "That's too much.."
"It's busy hours, gonna be hard to find empty chairs if we let go of these ones to order." Yeri points out.
"Yeah, we should definitely just let one person go." Boo nods.
"I suggest.. the youngest?" Mina grins.
"Well then, I'm definitely out."
"March. You?" Yeri glances at Mark.
"Uh.. August." Mark answers in a heartbeat.
"Shit, I thought he looked like a late December guy for me." Mina stands up from her seat, grunting. "Shouldn't have trusted my gut feeling too much. Tell me your orders."
"Actually, you know what? I'll take them for you." Mark stops Mina from getting any further, taking his phone to and immediately start writing notes.
Mina looks at him confused. "Wait what, really?"
"What is this about, Makgeolli?" Yeri glances at him, stunned.
"Nothing in particular, wanted to see the process myself." Mark writes down his order then passes his phone to Yeri. "If you're planning to go extra, please be specific."
After a round of his phone circling the table, Mark heads towards the counter to place their orders. To some extent, it is true that he had no intentions as to why he volunteered, he just thought that he needed time to process everything that just happened the previous hour. But his daydream agenda easily met its end when he unexpectedly encounters a figure he both expected - and did not expect - to be there, precisely lining up in front of him.
"We meet again," the girl says out of the blue, unexpectedly initiating the conversation first.
"Ah yes," Mark smiles. "Though you technically work here, I thought it would've taken an effort for me to bump into you again."
Mark can vividly recall the name of the girl in a plaid blouse. Uchinaga Aeri, was that it? Her hair is now tied up in a ponytail, her gaze less hostile than their first meeting. "I see you're making friends quickly."
"I would say it's the perks of befriending a social butterfly." He clicks his tongue. "How about you? Are you supple?"
She shrugs. "Let's just say my position in this company isn't compatible enough for me to gain friends."
"What division are you in, anyway?"
"You're prying too much with that one. Try again."
"Is it wrong for me to ask such simple question?" He asks nonchalantly. "Wouldn't hurt for me to know where you work."
"Let's just say that the division I'm in... is not exactly stated explicitly in the organisational structure." She sighs. "It's not I who chose to get in, it is them who chose us."
"So you're either a scouted model, a freelancer, or an illegal stakeholder."
She chuckles. "Those are such contrasted choices. Which one are you leaning to the most?"
"The last one," Mark bites his lip in deep thought, "For I have a feeling I'm not exactly allowed to talk to you right now."
"Really? Why?"
"Because that girl right there is staring at me with a grim look on her face and I do not like it."
She turns around to have a look on the person Mark pointed out and then proceeds to laugh. "You mean the blond fella?"
"Yeah, what's her problem?" Mark doesn't bother to hinder from making eye contact with the said girl sitting across him, her eyes grazing like sharp knives. Though her expressions are ruthlessly hostile, Mark notices that she has soft features on her face and extremely pretty eyelashes.
"Let's just say she's one of my colleagues in the said division," the girl twirls around to fetch her order, the tray enough to carry two meals. "And you're right, I'm not supposed to talk to you right now. She knows that damn well too, so I should head off before I get scolded." She gives him the slightest of bows and then proceeds to leave the counter.
"See you soon, I guess?"
She wheezes without sparing him a look. "Better not."
Mark smiles cheekily when it's too far for her to notice. He couldn't help but feel that she's the first person he's comfortable talking with despite her icy demeanor and his awkward facade. He's not intimidated by her even the slightest, and her mysterious image she's desperately trying to put on just makes her seem a bit more approachable. Whatever this is, whoever this Uchinaga Aeri person is, Mark Lee has grown a little fond of her.
Waiting for his and his colleagues' orders wasn't as long as he expected to be especially when he's distracted himself with his own thoughts. He balances himself with two food trays and heads towards to his table, hoping that he wouldn't have trouble keeping up with the ongoing conversation.
Turns out he didn't have to, because they were actually discussing about him.
"You didn't tell us you were friends with Uchinaga Aeri," Mina pats his back with strong pressure, causing him almost lose balance. "How many cool friends do you even have?"
Mark puts the trays aside and sighs. "I wouldn't say we're friends, I just met her this morning."
Boo furrows his eyebrows. "Well, it's kind of obvious now he got into the hardest division—"
"I got in because I am worthy," Mark cuts him off, "also, I don't get the catch. What's so special about.. her?" He steals a few glances to the two girls sitting at the far edge, enjoying their burgers and pink pringles. To some extent, they look like perfectly normal young adults to him.
"Uchinaga Aeri and Kim Minjeong, quite the hidden primadonnas of SM." Mina explains, though in a faint whisper enough for only the three of them to hear. "No one knows what they actually do though, but it's confirmed that they have a high position in the company."
"No way, they look like our age." Yeri scrunches her nose. "They can't just waltz into one of the world's biggest game manufacturers and immediately gain a name for themselves."
"But they did, and that's what makes this place a bit sus." Boo leans closer to the table, wary of distant eyes catching them tripping. "There are a lot of young faces like them in the company wandering around, whether it were be during my early attempts of applying into this job roughly two years ago even until now. I don't know what to expect from them but their moves are thoroughly covered up in curtains. No one knows why they're here."
"Hell, even my boss doesn't know, and she leads the Human Resources division." Mina grits her teeth in disappointment. "For all we know, there are dark secrets amidst this company, even within the board of directors. Sejeong, Doyoung, and Sehun seem to be the only ones worth trusting."
"No but you're right, I am curious with what they're hiding too," a voice naturally strikes into the conversation, one that wasn't a part of it just moments ago. Kim Sejeong glides into the table alongside her ingenious sidekick. "Sehun-ssi, what's your thoughts?"
Without them realizing, they have invited two directors into the table.
-
Jisung has the tendency to befriend the weirdest individuals. Even so, it didn't bother Chenle as he merely tolerated them. His immediate response to introduce these pals of his to the hyungs however, is what creates his positioning frankly insufferable.
"So you think that... Keybe Entertainment, The agency that handles the Girls Generation, pledges to continue their line of talented artists by... cloning them?" Jaemin perks up by the thought, his arms worked up as he stirs a cup of dalgona.
"Yup," Sungchan leans forward and ruefully nods. "Kim Kibum has a lot of explaining to do."
Chenle scoffs into his drink. "What, you're expecting a clarification over such groundless conspiracy theories?"
Jisung nudges him by the shoulder. "Don't be too harsh on him, Lele."
"Yeah, you're just ruining all the fun." Jaemin throws him a skidded look before returning back to Sungchan, letting him have his stage. "I'm hooked. Tell me more about this cloning thing—"
The jingling of the front door bell interrupts his sentence, signaling that someone has just entered the shop. The barista quickly looks up and grimaces at the sight. "Well, look who we got here.."
The three highschool students turn their backs to get a glimpse of who he is referring to. First one by the door's Renjun — still on his lab coat and some messy pink hair — followed by Donghyuck and his screeching heels (Renjun had to drag him all upfront). Trailing not far from the back are the contradictory siblings, Jeno and Doyoung.
Doyoung rolls off his sleeves and sighs exasperatedly. "Can we please get this over with, I got an important meeting coming up with a few investors and I can't miss it— what are they doing here?"
Jisung chuckles nervously as he quickly gets up his seat, pulling the hem of Chenle's shirt as he did so. "Doyoung-hyung! Uh, we can explain—"
"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" Renjun has both of his arms crossed like the typical mom friend he is.
"Aren't you supposed to be at campus?" Chenle repeats his sentence but in a rather taunting way, earning an irritated glare by his fellow Chinese friend.
"Zhong Chenle." Renjun tries his best not to cuss in both languages.
"And who's that kid?" Doyoung points at the tallest of the trio. As if it helps him recall information about Jeno's strange set of pals, he squints his eyes comically.
Listening to Renjun and Doyoung's back-to-back nagging session, it is noticeable that the two are on the same frequency, squabbling and muttering all about. Jeno keeps a mental note for himself to always separate them before they get comfortable with each other, because god knows what'll happen they ever join forces, it's like setting Donghyuck up closer to his deathbed. Jeno was about to go and calm them down when all of the sudden Donghyuck raises his voice. "Yah, Jung Sungchan!"
Sungchan waves at him excitedly, his grin wider than ever. "Donghyuck-hyung!" Lower by stature but not by age, Donghyuck runs across the room, ignoring the breathless atmosphere, as he embraces the boy like he hasn't seen him for decades.
Jeno coughs loudly out of reflex. Renjun stares at them blankly. "You know this kid?"
"Yeah, he's Sungchan, my Sungchan. We were in the theatre club together."
"But I thought you were in the MUN club, hyung..?" Jisung blinks his eyes in confusion.
"A person could enter as many clubs as they want! Well, of course, if that person is me~" Donghyuck pats the kid's back with a certain proud look on his face. "You know, they had a certain nickname for us both. 2Chan, that's what they called us, right?"
Jeno bends down and coughs harder, which led to Doyoung coming over himself to pat his brother's back. "Jeno-yah, you're okay?"
Jaemin tries his best to hide his smirk (though, eventually he completely fails). Renjun rolls his eyes, not having any of it. Donghyuck clears his throat as he awkwardly lets go of Sungchan, leaving a probable amount of distance between them. Jisung grabs Sungchan's arm by the back, signaling him to stay at the back unnoticed so that he wouldn't be bothered by his hyungs anymore.
"Anything I can get for you guys? Don't worry, it's on the house." Jaemin steps towards the cash register, eyes and ears open.
Chenle shamelessly raises his hand. "Actually, yeah. Can I get another Namericano—"
"Not you, you're leaving this place." Renjun cuts him off, his eyes shifting towards his younger affiliates. "You're all leaving this place. Isn't your lunch break ending soon?"
"We actually have no classes after this," Jisung informs him casually. "We're seniors hyung, we can do whatever we want now."
"Jisung-ah," Jaemin does an x sign with his fingers. "You're still a baby to me."
"Alright, you know what? Fine. Just stay here." Doyoung aggressively grabs a seat for himself in front of the barista stand and uses his other hand to massage his forehead. "But I want the theatre kid to go, this is for close connections only."
Donghyuck quickly objects. "No, he's staying."
"Yeah, that's not fair!" Jisung garners all his bravery to call the director out.
Jaemin seems like he wasn't having it either. "I respect your high position in SM, Doyoung-ssi, but in this cafe, I am the one in charge. I'm the one who can choose who comes and goes."
"No guys, it's fine. I'll just leave." Sungchan quickly packs his things and takes the last sip of his drink. "I was about to leave after lunch break anyway,"
"Why so soon? There's no classes after this..?" Chenle tilts his head, puzzled.
"The midterms are coming soon.. and.. I'm not as smart as you guys." Sungchan sighs. "I had fun here though. Jaemin-hyung, thanks for the treat. Never in my life I've ever thought I'd be able to hang out with you guys. Jeno-hyung.. Renjun-hyung and Donghyuck-hyung.. even you, Mr. Director, it's a pleasure for me to finally meet you in person."
The change of emotion in Doyoung's face show how he's starting to regret being too rough on the kid. "Yeah, great to see you too."
"I really can't wait for Kwangya's release, I'm sure it'll be sick. I'm personally a big fan of the butterfly girl, the one with gray and purple hair?" Sungchan opens the door and turns his back to them. "Okay, that's enough stalling, I'll go now."
As the door sways open and proceeds to close by itself, Donghyuck has already made his way to Doyoung, feeling a lot irritated than he already was this morning. Something about Sungchan complimenting Doyoung in such polite way only made it worse, because he now knows damn sure that this game is nothing but a huge pr scheme. "Take this, I don't even think it works." He slides the Kwangya gears back to its manufacturer.
"What's that?" Chenle asks nonchalantly. "No way. That's the Kwangya game? Just a pair of lenses and some earbuds?"
"Why are you returning this back to me?" Doyoung raises his eyebrow. "You're not done with this yet. You haven't sent us the review for the last few days—"
"Because it doesn't work." Donghyuck tells him off in a callous manner. "It worked fine the first time I tried it — though I really wasn't able to do anything because all features were strictly limited at the time — but after it, the girl, told me to wait for the next update, I haven't been able to open it ever since."
"You've talked to the AI? What is it like?" Jisung asks, his eyelids flutter in excitement.
"Very animated, I guess that was the look they were going for." Donghyuck answers without getting his eyes off Doyoung. "Just take it, I've lost my patience with this game to even find it entertaining anymore."
Doyoung glances at the gaming case and back to Donghyuck. "What's the point? It's useless to me now."
"Why?"
"The device is fixated to one person. Once you've tried it, no one else can use it other than you." Doyoung answers lightly as if it's something he's supposed to know by now. "That's good hygiene."
"You're kidding me. A gaming gear that could only be used by one person." Jaemin sneers. "That my friend, is the truest form of capitalism."
"Besides, I doubt he knows those stuff anyway. Shouldn't you contact the programming team if it bothers you that much?" Renjun grabs Chenle's drink without his consent and drank it without even giving him a chance to argue.
"The programming team?" Doyoung seems confused at first, but he shakes his head afterwards. "Ah yeah, that makes sense."
"Mark-hyung's unit." Donghyuck bites his lip, thinking. "Now that we're talking about it, I don't think I know a single person from that bunch at all. You never talked to us about 'em, eh? Not even to Mark."
"I don't think I have the need to do so..?"
"I don't think you're friends with them, hyung." Jeno says softly as if it were to give clarification.
"Yeah, I'm not friends with them," Doyoung clears his throat uneasily. "I mean, I'm not friends with Seulgi either, their director. Why should I?"
"Because they're basically the content creators of the company and you're supposed to make sure their works sell..?" Chenle looks at him in confusion. "You even gave Mark-hyung tips on meeting people from other units but not even for the unit he's interested in, i always found that weird from the start."
"It's because I don't know them well? Why are we even having this conversation, I—"
"Nakamoto Yuta, Head Programmer." Renjun reads out the unfamiliar name from his phone, possibly the organogram of the gaming company. "Moon Taeil."
"Stop." Doyoung cuts him off abruptly.
Shon Seungwan— wait, hold on. This is the old structure, not the updated on-"
"Renjun-ah," Jeno's voice tightens, which basically is his way of telling him to shut up. "That's enough."
"But—"
"I said, STOP!" The director closes his ears with the palms of his hands, body trembling in distress. As if the boy had just scraped a thin layer of his sensitive skin, Doyoung has now gone quite unstable by the wave of emotions flooded upon him. "I don't know them, okay?"
Jeno quickly takes cover from the back, holding him tight. "Hyung, hyung, it's alright."
"I don't know them. I don't know them." He mutters in an exasperated tone. "I don't remember them, I don't know them. No."
Donghyuck sprints his way towards the director, putting his hand on his as he did so. "Tell us what you need."
"His bag, his medicine. Take it." Jeno gestures at the bag stranded at the seat Doyoung sat in earlier. "Blue pills."
Renjun quickly takes initiation and grabs the pill fast, before realizing what it is. "No, this is too strong, it'll mess up his nervous system real time."
"Huang Renjun, just give it to me." Jeno's voice now more demanding, a scary contrast than how he usually is. "Don't make me ask you twice."
"These pills have been discontinued for a reason, Jeno! These are not good for him long term ."
Donghyuck groans. "Jesus Christ, just give that to me—"
"Doyoung-ssi. Listen to me." Jaemin walks past Renjun and heads towards the latter himself. "Now concentrate on your breathing. Stay in your present."
Doyoung's fast breaths were straining him, his eyes dilating just as they speak. Jaemin puts both of his hands below the latter's and gestures him to hold them tight. "Breathe in and out, focus on my breathing. Focus on my pulse. You can get through this."
Doyoung nods slightly and does as what he says. "I'm not okay..."
"It's okay if you're not. You're doing a great job, I'm proud of you. Now breathe."
With Jaemin's help, Doyoung was able gain control of himself again, following the very simple steps. Renjun gradually steps back, feeling like all of this was technically his fault. Donghyuck returns to his seat, taking the Kwangya device alongside with him. Jeno clicks on the notes widget on his notes and writes down 'programming unit' as one of his brother's major triggers.
-
The unanticipated appearance of the two directors have left the herd of rookies in great shock, impotently incapable of rebounding from the situation. Boo mushes his cheeks with both hands, his pale complexion turning bright pink. "Director-nim! We're sorry, we didn't notice your entrance."
"Well that's because Sehun and I are experts of unforeseen entries, aren't we, hyung?" The petite woman nudges her gawky friend by the shoulder. "The Detective Duo, that's what we are. Lurking beneath the shadows, scarcely detected by no other."
Yeri clears her throat politely. "I think you meant spies..?"
"No, I'm pretty damn sure we're detectives." Sejeong repudiates, staring right back at the novice with no ill intentions. "You know why? Because we kick crimes and solve ass." She backs off in realization once her eyes shifted to the boy sitting next to the pink-haired Yeri. "Mark Lee! Mark Lee, you remember me?"
"Of course I do, Sejeong-ssi," Mark bows further down than he ever did the whole day. "Thank you, for recommending me during my interview. There's nothing I can do to repay your kindness."
"Trust me, Mark Lee, you got shortlisted because of your potential, nothing about your acceptance is on me." She replies to him with a warmhearted smile. "And you know what? I'm glad to see you today! You truly fit in like a missing puzzle piece. I bet Seulgi thinks you're magnificent, too."
"Ah, he's the one you told me, yes?" Sehun examines him from top to bottom, Mark felt like he was being ushered into another job interview with Sehun as his accessor. "Doyoung's friend?"
Mark lets out nervous laugh. "In all honesty, me and Doyoung-hyung are just mere acquaintances."
Sejeong seems to ignore the last bit as she rambles on, "we usually hang out here together as a trio, too bad Doie wasn't able to come with us today, he would've loved to bump into you, I heard you're friends! He said he wanted to go and get some fresh air."
Mark could barely hide his grin. He finds it ironic how the marketing director went out to get some 'fresh air', only to be held captive by his friends with no other than his major archenemy, Lee Donghyuck. He's probably regretting his choice by now.
Sehun coughs into his diet coke. "Did you just call him Doie?"
"Yeah, Doie. I always call him Doie. What about it?"
"Oh, and does he call you Jeongie in return?" Mark could notice the slight change in Sehun's voice, it got a little more strained than it was before.
"No, he calls me SB." Sejeong answers dully, not expecting for a followup question. "Kim SB, short for Kim StarBlossom. Or just Blossom. It's sort of an inside joke."
Mark was no expert at human nature, but he can definitely tell people's gestures when they're helplessly jealous. Additionally, he can also confidently assume that the rest of the table have read the situation. Everyone except Sejeong.
"Anyway, you guys were having the juicy talk right there before Sehun-hyung and I interrupted, care to elaborate more, please?"
"Unnie! This is not the place." Mina hushes her boss in a friendly manner, her finger tapping on her limb as an early warning sign. "They're from other divisions, what if we get caught?"
"Isn't that a good thing? They're from other divisions, that means more intel!" Sejeong shoves her subordinate's hand away and proceeds to pry information for her juniors. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"Actually, yeah. I've got a lot." Boo pushes his beverage by the side just so he can lean forward, eyes staring right into Sejeong's. "There's got to be something wrong with the board of directors, huh? I just feel like something's... not right here. You've never had a group picture together, nor there was a proper, formal ascension event for your positions as directors . Don't get me started with the strange purchases this company have involved itself in. As someone with a law background and a demanding curiosity to be reckoned with, I am indeed suspicious."
"And so you should be." Sejeong sighs. "Because everyone here, they all have secrets."
Her statement has gotten Yeri intrigued. "What kind of secrets?"
Sehun shrugs. "Your guess is as good as ours."
"To understand the bigger picture, you need to know our table of hierarchy first. I'm going to need your phones for demonstration." Sejeong gestures at the rectangular devices everyone was holding unto for dear life. "Relax, I'm not going to compensate them or anything. Sehun-hyung, pass me both."
"Wow, two phones." Mina grins.
"Why would you even need two phones anyway?" Yeri asks a little too casually to a person thrice her position, but Sehun lets her talk to him like that as he wasn't quite fond of the rigid seniority culture the company still maintains.
Sejeong has a smug look on her face when she grabs Sehun's phones and says, "the guy's a brand ambassador of Samsung. He gets money just by owning the phone."
"Really? That's sick!" Boo raises his hand up to give the latter a high five. "I know for sure I got the coolest boss, no one else could ever."
Mina throws him a look. "Not when there's me and Sejeong-unnie who's just.. hundred times better!"
"Aw look, Sehun-hyung, they're fighting for us~" Kim Sejeong surely has a contagious smile, for Mark couldn't help but share the happiness just by looking at her.
Sehun sighs as he slumps into his seat. "Kids, know that we're not the ones capable of giving you a raise. Don't waste your time trying to flatter us."
"You know who's in charge of your career? This guy over here." Sejeong slides Sehun's Samsung phone to the centre of the table, tapping its screen with her painted nails. "This.. is TY. Lee Taeyong, the CEO and executive director of this godforsaken company. He's been here for as long as we can remember."
The man doesn't even need a detailed introduction, for everyone in the table are definitely aware of who he is. Lee Taeyong, one of the most influential businessmen in the country. It was not only because of his million assets, but also his sculpted face and his respected philanthropy. He's the reason why SM succeeded, and still prevails.
"Lee Taeyong is accompanied by six other directors. To show our respects, I'm going to tell you the ones who've been in this company longer first." Sejeong grabs Yeri's red velvet-colored iPhone and places it below 'Taeyong'. "So this is strategic planning director, Jung Jaehyun—"
"Is he the protagonist here?" Yeri asks.
"I'm sorry?"
"You're holding an iPhone. There's this some sort of a law that says you're not allowed to have the bad people use iPhones in movies. I had to make sure that you're not using my phone to portray.. a bad person."
"Yah, Kim Yerim, does it even matter?" Mina sneers at her. "We're not even in a movie."
"Excuse me? My life is a movie. I'm the main character." Yeri shoots back at her.
"Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever. So!" Sejeong swaps the phones anyway, much to Yeri's request. "Jung Jaehyun. Strategic Planning Director. Used to work at McKenzie, has a doctoral degree, super super smart— you get the jist. After that, there's also another guy with a pretty face," Sejeong takes a random phone and places it next to Jaehyun, "Cha Eunwoo. Director of Treasury and Finance."
"Of course I know him. He's HOT." Mina has trouble breathing just by the thought of the latter.
"Yup. Beautiful." Yeri nods.
"That man? Woo!" Boo uses his law school transcripts to fan himself. "Drop dead gorgeous."
Mark winces. "Am I the only one who doesn't know him?"
"Don't worry, he is not as popular as his other peers." Sejeong sighs. "The fourth and last son of the Cha family corporation, he sits nowhere close to his brothers and is last in line for the company's succession. No wonder he left the scene and started a career here for himself." She rests her fingers on the 'Eunwoo' phone. "He's also the youngest from all of us. And to those who's interested, yes, he's single at the moment."
"That statement's going straight to my Twitter!" Yeri was about to search for her phone in her bag when she realizes that her phone's still up for demonstration. She pouts.
Mark glances at her briefly. "You know you don't have to say every single thing you think about to social media, right?"
Yeri glares at her. "No, but I'm gonna do it anyway."
"Next is Kim Doyoung, Director of Marketing." Sejeong continues on with a new phone. "He tries his best to look scary and intimidating but honestly? He's a snowflake. Give him a sad dog movie and he'll bawl his eyes out."
"He's also Mark Lee's friend~" Sehun adds.
Mark looks down and chuckles. "No, he's not..."
"Didn't he get into an accident, like, a few years ago?" Boo asks the latter without thinking it through, and by the look on his face it is obvious that he regretted asking that the moment it slipped away from his mouth. "I mean... if you don't mind me asking. Actually, forget if I ever asked that at all."
Mark gulps, for the topic of Doyoung's accident clearly hits home. Sejeong tries to contain herself by giving Boo an ambiguous look. "Yes, that's him. But he's okay now. Which brings us to our fourth director, Kang Seulgi. Creative Director." Sejeong purposively took Boo's rainbow-cased iPhone for the woman's representative, possibly accentuating her 'creative' status with a bunch of splashing colors. "Built her career from the ground up without a strong background. She's known as a quite harsh boss, but is also strong and determined. She started as a Human Resources Director before getting transferred to Creative."
"I can't blame her for taking the offer, the creative division is indeed the most important division, after all." Sehun points out. "All the magic starts from there. It all starts.. from you guys." He glances at Yeri and Mark as if they were some sort of an office prodigy.
Yeri curls her lip. "Wow, talk about burdening us with such high expectations."
"What? It's true." Mina revolts. "We wouldn't have our jobs if it wasn't for the programming unit, right?"
"Yeah, you're kind of the real deal here," Boo hums. "You're not earning anything at the moment because you're interns, but wait until you become a fulltime employee, damn, the amounts of zeros in your paycheck—"
"Is all worth it if you work hard to keep SM relevant. Try to do that for us, will ya?" Sehun smiles. Though his intentions were to comfort the two, his words have somewhat came out intimidating. Mark tries his best to work out the load of expectations he was getting on his first day and nods.
"And the last but certainly not least are these two," Sejeong takes Sehun's other phone and put it next to hers, a bit below the others. "Kim Sejeong, Human Resources Director, and Oh Sehun, Corporate Director. We're also known as the coolest in the group."
Sehun wheezes. "Or the outcasts."
"So you're new here, then?" Mark asks. That probably explains why he hasn't heard about them from Doyoung too much.
"Yeah, we've pretty much gotten our jobs a year ago? I think?" Sejeong grimaces. "A year into this mess and yet we still don't know anything."
Boo swiftly looks around before he turns to them and whispers, "And do you think they keep the same secrets, all of them?"
Sejeong clicks her tongue and shakes her head. "Afraid not. If this is the seniority diagram we're looking at here, then we have the circles diagram. Who hangs out with who, who has the most power based on their friend groups. Hyung, care to do the honor?"
"Well, i would say it's relative depends on everyone's perspective," Sehun shrugs as he starts moving around a few phones with his hand, "but if you ask me, it's pretty much like this."
He first moves Eunwoo closer to Jaehyun, then he drags the two all the way up to Taeyong's league, tightening him over. He then slides himself closer to Sejeong — a little bit too close — and he grabs Doyoung to their side of the table, close but not close enough. Seulgi remains in the middle, alone with no allies.
Sejeong looks at his work and gives the fellow director a thumbs up. "Yah hyung, this is EXACTLY what I imagined it to be, we really do share the same braincell, huh?" Sehun answers her enthusiasm with a prideful grin.
"Why didn't you pull Doyoung-ssi closer to your side?" Yeri asks curiously.
"Doie's... um.. he's kinda a corporate slave."
"Sejeong!"
"What? It's true, right?" Sejeong blurts out. "He dismisses himself everytime we're having this talk, when we're suspicious of our peers and what they're actually doing here. It's like he wouldn't spare a second to just.. criticize TY and his minions. It's like he vows to himself not to talk badly about this place."
Yeri furrows her eyebrows. "Maybe he just avoids office gossip?"
"But think about it, he's been here for quite long." Boo points out. "Aren't Taeyong, Jaehyun and Eunwoo the people he's been working with ever since the beginning? I could safely assume they entered the same year. Wouldn't it be more logical for him to befriend them instead?"
"If that's the case, then shouldn't Seulgi-ssi be friends with her peers to? What brings her going around in solitude like this?" Mina asks as she circles her finger around the Seulgi phone.
"It's safer that way." Mark mumbles to himself.
"What did you say?" Yeri blinks a few times.
"Mark, care to elaborate?" Sejeong asks, putting her full attention to the boy.
Mark couldn't believe his faint comment was able to be heard when he didn't want anyone to notice. Nevertheless, he proceeds to give them his input. "I mean, if you're all convinced that, let's say, the programming unit — a unit under the creative division — is the most important component of SM Entertainment itself, then wouldn't it be reasonable for Seulgi-ssi to at least, not make relations? To be free from any relation-heavy favors?" Mark stutters in his breath. "I m-mean, not that I'm siding her because she chose me or anything—"
"No, but you're absolutely right." Sehun says, expressing his agreement. "I don't know much about this place, but I do know that the last time they had a creative director taking things personally, things rather went.. downhill."
Mark pauses. "What happened?"
"Well—"
"Lunch break is over. All shops close now." They were interrupted by a programmed voice from the speakers that clearly had a specific agenda of its own. "I repeat, lunch break is over. All shops close now."
"Well I guess that's our cue to leave. I suppose you all don't mind cleaning up the table..?" Sejeong asks politely as she hands out everyone's phones back.
"It's fine, Sejeong-ssi, we'll take care of it." Mark answers almost immediately as he gets up and collects the paper plates.
"Boo Seungkwan? Meeting with Johnny at 10. Tell em don't be late." Sehun instructs him attentively.
"Yes, sir."
Mark catches a glance of Aeri and her blonde friend on their way out of the cafe. He keeps to himself the thought that maybe, perhaps maybe, the programming unit isn't the most important component of SM Entertainment.