WELCOME

[Lim Jaejin]

It was one of those days again. A day of meetings and no dancing. Jaejin hated days like these - he was at Epika to dance and teach dance. If he had fucking wanted to be in meetings all day he would have gone to college or something and applied for an executive job. Luckily, these days were somewhat infrequent, though they had picked up as of late with all of the impending comebacks scheduled this month and next month. The last meeting had been particularly frustrating. They were attempting to get him to choreograph a POProcks song, but Jaejin had flat out refused. In fact, he had thrown such a fit that they had eventually given the job to one of the female choreographers who had wanted to do it anyways. While Jaejin had been surprised he had actually been able to avoid the job, he had been quite convincing in his argument in regards to his style and the song in question. They just wouldn't have mixed well. And the girls? They wouldn't have been able to handle what Jaejin would have wanted to put them up to. It was better this way.

It was cold outside, but Jaejin was still too miffed to notice. Dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and an oversized gray hoodie, the male wasn't exactly dressed appropriately to be standing out in the courtyard. It had snowed recently - just enough for a slight dusting to stick. Jaejin took in a deep breath, releasing it into a crystalline mist that floated upwards to haze his vision. He cast a glance up towards the sky, where the afternoon sun was just beginning to lower. It would be dark in the next hour or so. Jaejin suddenly realized he had no plans for the night - again. It was starting to look like tonight would be another 'watch a movie and drink until he passes out' night. Jaejin had been experiencing a lot of those lately. He knew the drinking was bad for him, but it was the only way he could sleep soundly at night now-a-days. The seventh anniversary of his brother's death was drawing closer and Jaejin always became exceptionally touchy in the preceding months. Most normal people may have gotten over it by now, but not Jaejin. After all, he still considered himself a murderer.

The sound of footsteps crunching on snow caught the males attention and he dropped his gaze down and to the side, shifting his body to get a better look at the approaching person. It was a woman, someone he vaguely recognized. Ah. Sooyun. He nearly smiled as he realized that he had only remembered the woman's name because it was the same as his best friend's. He could vaguely recall at some point meeting her, and knew she was the manager of Kaos. Unfortunately, he never choreographed for that group - they were better known for their ballads more than their dancing. Thus, Jaejin had never fully gotten a chance to talk to this particular Sooyun. He offered her a warm smile, his previous tension melting away at the prospect of being in the presence of a beautiful woman. Jaejin offered a nod in her direction as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, "Annyeonghasaeyo, SooYun-ssi." It certainly felt odd saying that name without his Sooyun standing in front of him.

[Wo Soo Yun]

Soo Yun was busy, but not as busy as she could have been. Kaos was in somewhat of a lull but she still had to arrange to keep them working so their skills wouldn’t get rusty. Then there was all the work at planning future events for the group. Still, she wasn’t as busy as she was normally and that gave her time to work on developing connections with others in the company.

She’d been interested in Lim Jaejin since he joined Epikas. It hadn’t taken long for her to recognize that he was talented. His skills as a choreographer made him of particular interest in her. Kaos wasn’t currently in need of those particular skills, one never knew if she might need it at a later time. She wouldn’t become friends with him if she didn’t genuinely like him, but assuming she did like him that wouldn’t stop her from taking advantage of their relationship.

She was dressed in a plain black dress under a warm grey trench and furry black gloves. As always she had on fashionable shoes, pretty black boots with fur lining and little inch and a half heels. All together the outfit was professional and feminine, just how she liked it. She smiled as Jaejin turned and greeted her with a smile. “Annyeonghaseyo.” She clasped her hands in front of her as she met his eyes. “I heard you put up a fuss about working with the POProcks. You were right that it wouldn’t be a good fit.”

She looked away as she considered her next words. The idea of trying to push his buttons had occurred to her as she first decided to talk to him. His dislike of working with girl groups was probably just due to personal taste, but it did kind of bother her sense of professionalism. She kept her smile in place as she continued speaking. “Can you choreograph girl groups? What I mean is, do you refuse to work with them because they aren’t your style or because you can’t come up with routines outside of you niche?”

[Lim Jaejin]

Jaejin rubbed the back of his head, stifling a yawn as she mentioned his little fit. Man, news sure did travel fast around here. The male didn't blame the gossip network though. After all, a lot of the staff were so busy that the only entertainment they managed to make time for was gossip. Luckily they could keep their mouths shut while outside of the company walls, otherwise some idols would be in serious trouble. The choreographer opened his mouth to agree with her, but was caught off guard as she bluntly assaulted him verbally. He was taken aback for a moment by her straightforwardness, half tempted to respond to it with sarcasm. Instead, he took a moment to scrutinize her a bit more, his brow furrowed ever so slightly. The look was out of place on his boyish face, which made it seem quite comical.

When he finally did speak, his voice was as playful as ever, with an underlying intensity that suggested he wasn't entirely too pleased to be called out on his personal preferences, "I can." He smiled, a suave little grin, as he removed his eyes from her and cast them out across the empty courtyard, "You've been in this business longer than I have, Soo Yun-ssi. I'm sure you've noticed the limitations of girl choreography in regards to what is well received by the general public." His tone remained light-hearted, even thoughtful, but his words were sharp - a side of Jaejin not commonly seen. He wasn't exactly known for his verbal brilliance.

"Men want to see sexy in their female idols - not powerful. Believe it or not, but we're intimidated by powerful women." He exhaled sharply, a gentle laugh, white teeth flashing in her direction, "Sex sells. I don't sell sex." Jaejin shoved his hands into his pockets and scuffed the ground lightly with one foot, "My trademark is power. Acrobatics, break dancing, strong freestyle are my strengths and I play to them. Men are better equipped to handle those types of moves - thus I naturally gravitate towards them. I like to push my charges - women simply can't handle my moves." He was generalizing. Jaejin knew of a few that could keep up with him in terms of choreography and dance, but generally speaking...his moves were not constructed to be used by women.

[Wo Soo Yun]

Soo Yun smiled ever so slightly as Jaejin responded to her little push. It was obvious that her words had an effect on him. She had known that her words might anger him, but had calculated that this approach would be the quickest way to get the answer she really wanted. He had pride in his work, and while she still thought that it could benefit him to step outside of his box as she suspected that if he ever did work with a girl group he could turn out an inspired performance, he wasn’t choosing not to out of some silly senseless reason.

She’d have little to no patience with him if it was just some stupid idea about girls versus boys. That would just show him to be lazy and she hated laziness in the workplace. When he finished she gave him an appraising look and a little nod. “You make some valid points. The sort of audience who would appreciate girls with the sort of powerful image you specialize in is a small one to say the least.”

She gave him a real smile then. “Your work is fantastic, no doubt about it. You push your dancers hard and get equally powerful results.” She meant her words. She wasn’t the sort to hand out compliments to those who didn’t deserve them. “I can see how perfect you’d be for one of those niche groups though.” In her head she could already see it. A small group of girls who were demanding on stage, strong and powerful. If marketed right they could have a strong following. They wouldn’t be the queens of the pop world, mostly because he was right, women who were too powerful would put off mainstream media.

The idea pleased her, and she filed it away as something to keep an eye out for. She was busy with Kaos at this point, but she always had her eye out and she loved helping new talent. If she happened upon a group of girls who could meet Jaejin’s physical standards and he was able to adjust slightly to get the proper style of power for a female.

[Lim Jaejin]

Jaejin laughed at her compliment, ”Believe me, I’d like to think so. The only girl group Epika has let me play with is Poprocks. I did the choreography for their single Hot Hot. They’re surprisingly limber. But Epika decided to take them down a more pop-like path. They’re the closest we have to an actual hip-hop inspired pop girl group and yet they’ve been muted.” To be honest, Jaejin also was looking forward to the day Epika produced a fierce girl group. Or even a Co-ed group. When it came to Pandora, Jaejin was sometimes called in to choreograph the boys dance scenes, but the girls were left to someone softer. After all, the girls in Pandora were a bit delicate – the look Epika had been going after. Out of the boys though, Hyeonwoo and Tatsuya really shined in their dance skills. Jaejin had been impressed and a bit disappointed that their talents were going to waste in a more subdued group.

”I’m not sure how well you keep in touch with our talent stores here, but there are some really promising trainees - one in particular. I’ve had a few one-on-one sessions with her. She’d do wonderfully in a strict hip-hop group.” He shifted his weight again and let loose a deep breath, eyeballing the mist his exhalation created. He was beginning to grow chilled, but he made no effort to move from his spot. By now the sun was just an orange and pink smear in the twilight sky. He watched it silently for a few seconds, ”Unfortunately, decisions regarding debuts are not left up to me.”

Jaejin suddenly broke from his period of lethargy and took a moment to stretch, again letting off another yawn. He sent a crooked smile towards Soo Yun, ”How are your boys by the way? Managing a group like that must be stressful at times.” They were, after all, Epika’s longest running group at the moment. There was a lot riding on them at all times.

[Wo Soo Yun]

Soo Yun smiled and looked up into the sky, having herself a little moment as she listened to Jaejin talk. There was just something about a person’s voice when they talked about something they had real feelings for. Whether it was a work, love, or any number of things, people’s voices just sounded better when they were on the topic.

“The POProck girls are talented. But I think it was the right move softening up their image. There is a, freshness, to them that holds a bit too much sweet. Maybe it’s their age.” She liked the girls, well she liked all of Epika’s music talent for the most part. The company may not be willing to put art before money one hundred percent, but they didn’t allow half hearted talent. It was part of the reason she’d been willing to leave the company she’d worked with while attending University.

When he mentioned a trainee with dance skills Soo Yun ran through her mental list. She actually kept notes on trainees, and other talents, in her phone. She wasn’t a hundred percent, but she suspected she might know who he was talking about. “Would that be Lee ChaeKyung?” She’d observed some of the girl’s practices and was impressed by her dancing, even if there was something just a bit off about it. She was actually on her list of talent to talk to.

Jumping to his comment about debuts Soo Yun shook her head. “If you want to have a more say in those sorts of things you just need to speak up. Any manager worth their salt knows to talk to the choreographers and stylists and such before planning an artist’s debut. It’s how we find out about a trainee’s strengths and weaknesses.” At least that is how she saw things. When she first started managing Kaos the first thing she had done was talk with the people who had previously worked with the boys.

When Jaejin asked about Kaos she beamed. She adored her boys. “It can be stressful, yes, but I love it. It is different managing an established group. Instead of getting their names known I have to focus on maintaining their image, making sure they don’t get too bored with what they do and the fans don’t get too bored either. It’s a challenge.” In fact she didn’t like the lull in their activity level right now and was working on scheduling some things for the upcoming months.

[Lim Jaejin]

Jaejin was surprised that Soo Yun automatically inferred who he was speaking about from little to no information. This manager was definitely beginning to grow on him. Her vested interest in the company talent was admirable – a quality he wished more would have. Then again, Epika picked the best to manage their idols. Soo Yun’s keen eyes had probably made her a great candidate for the job. Jaejin shifted his weight from side to side as he listened to her quietly inform him of his rights to speak up. He laughed softly, ”I believe you know by now how vocal I can be, right? I’ve brought up quite a few topics, including Chaekyung before, but I always get the ‘maybe later’ response. Jaehwan-nim tends to be annoyingly secretive when it comes to decisions about potential idols. You never really know if he’s listening to you, right? Even though it becomes obvious later.”

It was obvious by the tone of Jaejin’s voice that he very much adored the CEO. Without Jaehwan, Jaejin would have quite possibly committed suicide by now or wasted away in an alleyway by now. Even so, his job had pulled him out of the deepest depths of his depression but his alcoholism still remained. He was still slowly killing himself, whether Jaehwan knew it or not.

”They’re lucky to have you.” He took a long breath and exhaled sharply, ”I have to hand it to you. I don’t think I could do your job.” Jaejin was a fan of being lazy. Managers had the same schedules as their charges. That meant they slept when the idols slept, ate when the idols ate….and if they didn’t eat or sleep, the manager didn’t either. Jaejin was absolutely positive that he wouldn’t be able to handle that. Besides, he was seriously too immature to even try. ”I kind of like my flexible work week and all. Gives me time to do what I want to do, you know?” After all, life was short. He had learned that lesson a long time ago.

[Wo Soo Yun]

Soo Yun was more interested in the way he said what he said about the president than what he actually said. There was something in the tone of his voice and the phrasing that suggested a deeper fondness for their employer than the usual appreciation for a good boss. She didn’t know if the two men had any sort of special relationship but it was now something that she was curious to learn more about. She had no desire to dig into his personal business really, and even if she did learn some secret she wouldn’t be passing on tales, but it would be good to know if the relationship his tone suggested did in fact exist.

“Jaehwan-nim is a unique man. He seems to have a very good eye for talent, both in idols and staff. It makes Epika a great place to work.” Personally she respected their CEO, but also found him a bit, off perhaps. Honestly she hadn’t had too many one on one dealings with him. Her previous employer had seemed to like him well enough, though she never got a straight answer as to if the two men knew each other personally. She trusted her old boss explicitly and so she’d come to Epika with the honest belief that it would be a good place to work and had found herself more than correct.

“Gomawoyo.” She grinned, her eyes shining with a bit of mischief. “I think you have to be a little masochistic to become an idol manager. I know there has been more than one night where I find myself wondering why I didn’t just become an office worker so I could be home before midnight more than once a month.” She was joking of course, she adored the ultra busy schedule her work gave her. She actually enjoyed those nights where she barely managed to kick off her shoes before collapsing into bed, so tired from the rushing around that she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

“Though I’m sure you have the occasional late night in your work as well. I know my boys have gone through late night training sessions when learning new routines before big shows.”

[Lim Jaejin]

Jaejin offered her one of his signature boyish smiles as he rocked back and forth on his feet, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. The courtyard was darkening rapidly, the sun settling down below the concrete city. Jaejin found his thoughts drifting momentarily to Sooyun. His Sooyun. What was she up to now? Working? Working out? Dancing? E pondered wandering over to the dance studios in an attempt to find her, but dismissed the idea. Even if he did, what then?

”Of course I do, but those are the days I relish. The days I dance so hard I collapse afterwards. It feels good, you know? Those are the days I sleep best.” Jaejin lived to dance; it was the only other way besides drinking that helped alleviate his nightmares. The choreographer would do anything to escape reliving that moment over and over in his head.

He took in a deep breath and then glanced around, ”Should we move inside? It’s pretty chilly now. I think my toes are frozen.” He joked and glanced towards the door to the cafeteria, ”I’ve got some time if you want to grab some coffee or something. My treat. Unless you’re busy, that is.” He didn’t mind talking to her – it was better than the alternative. Besides, he was fairly attracted to her. Staying in her presence a bit longer wouldn’t hurt.

[Wo Soo Yun]

Soo Yun nodded. She understood the experience of working herself to the bone until she could barely manage to undress herself before collapsing onto her big, luxurious bed. There was nothing better for stress than the process of working yourself to exhaustion then getting a good nights sleep. “I know what you mean. There are days I’m running on nothing but fumes and by the time I make it to bed it is just blissful emptiness until I wake up again.”

She didn’t get cold very easily, partly due to a natural tolerance and partly due to her dislike of pants, but she could tell it was getting a bit nippy out as the sun began to disappear from the sky. So when he offered to treat her to a cup of coffee and a quick mental check showed that she was actually free for at least an hour yet, she smiled. “Well, I guess we can’t have you losing any toes to frostbite.” She shook her head very solemnly. “I’m sure I’d get in trouble if I let that happen.”

“A cup of coffee sounds nice.” Of course she would probably end up getting hot chocolate instead. She loved chocolate, especially hot. For every birthday she could remember she had gotten a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and strawberries for her guests, and a small chocolate lava cake for herself.

As for Jaejin, he was making her curious. She thought that they could perhaps become friends. He seemed dedicated to his work, which was a highly prized attribute to her. There was something about him though, something in the undertones of his words and his general air. She couldn’t say for certain, but she felt it was likely that the man had some issues.

[Lim Jaejin]

”Good.” He expressed his relief almost immediately after she voiced her agreement. Jaejin rotated lightly on his heels and immediately started for the door to the cafeteria, pausing to hold the door for her before they entered. The warm inside air triggered a speckling of goosebumps that spread out across the back of his neck and Jaejin shivered lightly in response. However, he quickly embraced the warmth, a lazy goofy dog-like smile encompassing his lips. It was the simple things in life that could bring Jaejin happiness; however fleeting it might be. Good food, pretty women, a roof over his head… Jaejin really didn’t ask for much. Even his living quarters attested to that.

The male rarely felt in the mood for coffee (he was an energy drink drinker), but a warm caramel latte was definitely calling his name. As he stepped up to the counter to order, the male paused briefly and glanced back towards Soo Yun, ”Ah. I almost forgot. What do you want?” He reached a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out his wallet in preparation of payment, shooting a quick, ”Caramel latte please.” to the woman behind the counter.

[Wo Soo Yun]

Soo Yun was taking in the little details. The way Jaejin went immediately for the doors, but stopped to hold them open for her was nice but could easily be more of a reflex than a testament to his gentlemanly manners. Even she held the door open for other people at times. She took in his little shiver and the charming look on his face as he quite obviously enjoyed the warmth.

She stripped off her own gloves, carefully tucking them into the pocket of her coat. She didn’t really mind the cold, but warming up was a nice sensation. She followed him to the counter and when he turned to ask what she wanted she ordered with a little happy smile. “I’ll have a white chocolate cinnamon latte with whip cream.” You could tell how formal she was feeling from her coffee orders. In a very formal situation she always wanted straight black coffee. In a formal but high stress situation she wanted straight black, with extra caffeine. As she got more relaxed her choices got sweeter and more chocolate. If she ordered straight up hot chocolate she was fully relaxed, if she got it with whip cream it meant she was completely off business, and if she wanted marshmallows with her hot chocolate it was usually a sign the date would end in bed.

Her mind was still on business on some level, as indicated by the latte, but the whip cream surprised her. She smiled wryly, Jaejin’s air of charm and flirtation had obviously bumped her mood up. If a conversation started with business related intents could lead her to wanting whip cream she knew she needed to fit some time into her schedule away from her boys and with a man. Despite his charm she didn’t consider Jaejin as a potential though. She didn’t like mixing business with pleasure to that extent.

It didn’t take long for their drinks to be made and when she was handed hers she selected a nearby table to sit, taking a slow sip of her still too hot coffee and enjoying the sweetness even as her sensitive tongue burned a little. “Whoever decided coffee and chocolate should be paired up deserves their own palace in whichever Heaven they go to.” She said with another happy little smile.

[Lim Jaejin]

Jaejin wasn't so much a gentlemen as he was simply smooth. He knew how to handle the ladies; it was his favorite past time job after all. As she offered up her order, Jaejin repeated it and the paid, as he had intended to do. While they waited, Jaejin stepped off to the side a bit. He noted the smile on her lips but refrained from prying. Had he had any personal insight into her mind, he would have quite possibly teased her about her coffee thoughts. After all, to know that she was comfortable in his presence would have served as a huge ego boost. And, to know that her mood could easily be deciphered by what type of coffee she partook in would be an interesting quirk to learn about. But, perhaps that would come in time. After all, Jaejin wasn't about to let this be their last 'meeting' together.

He allowed her to pick the table and dropped down into the seat opposite of her, setting his coffee cup down, untouched. Jaejin didn't particularly like scorching hot coffee, so he opted to simply watch her for a few moments as his latte cooled. He comment made him chuckle softly and he leaned back in his chair, an eyebrow raised, "Well, it's obviously easy to please you, isn't it?" He laughed again and wrapped his hands around his cup so that he could pull it closer to him. "I'm personally not a fan of chocolate myself - it's too sweet for me." Said the man drinking a caramel latte. However, he was telling the truth. Chocolate was not his favorite candy. In fact, the male didn't really have a sweet tooth. He was more into fried and spicy foods. The only reason he drank his coffee sweet was because he didn't necessarily like the taste of coffee either, and the sweetness masked that taste.

"So. I hear Kaos isn't doing much now-a-days. Ever since that one left." Jaejin didn't know many of their names - he had never had a reason to learn them. He did, however, keep up with the company gossip enough to know that a member had left the group and Epika had instantly replaced him. Jaejin found it interesting that the company switched out members so easily. Then again, to leave Kaos a four member group would have been a bit disappointing. An acapella group really needed a wide range of voices to work cohesively, and a fifth member provided that. "Any idea when activities might pick up again?"

[Wo Soo Yun]

Soo Yun shook her head very seriously. “Not really. I never settle for half hearted effort or ‘good enough’. It’s why I like my job. No one really succeeds in this business unless they are really committed to it.” The truth of the matter was that she only minimally cared for the results, as long as the effort put into a project was honestly the best a person could give. In her experience, this approach usually led to the strongest results anyways. She took another sip of her coffee, it was still too hot, but also very good.

At his comment about chocolate she smiled again. “I usually only like chocolate when it is hot. Like with coffee, or hot chocolate or fondue.” Her mind flashed on fresh fruit dipped in hot, melty chocolate. She unconsciously licked her lips. “But I do love dark chocolate spiced with cayenne pepper. That I will eat at any temperature.[b]”

She was glad when he brought up Kaos. If the conversation remained on chocolate for too long she was going to have to delve into her stash tonight. She only had one bar left of her spicy chocolate and it was expensive enough that she felt guilty when she bought more. “[b]We should be starting work on their next project soon. They have been taking the time to get used to their new member. It is always difficult when changes are made in a group. They have to figure out how the new member fits in the rhythm of things.”

She smiled, and this time there was a different sort of fire in her eyes. She had plots in mind for her boys. “I think it was a good thing for the boys. They are all talented, but I think they were getting too comfortable. They have been around for long enough that I don’t think they realize they still need to grow.” She gave Jaejin a considering look. “I’m not saying they should change their image or style, but they could each use this chance to expand on their personal talents.” Her business side started to creep into her smile. “I’ve been working on finding people to help them challenge themselves. Dance instructors, vocal coaches, choreographers, composers. I want to have the best people to offer them for whichever talent they choose to work on.”

[Lim Jaejin]

Jaejin remained silent for the majority of Soo Yun’s little rant on chocolate. He found it endearing – it was always entertaining to listen to someone rave about their likes and dislikes. Those were the attributes that made them human. Jaejin’s lips twitched at the thought and he scraped his fingernails against the outside of his cardboard cup. It was almost too much sometimes; knowing he had the pleasure of experiencing new things, developing new likes and dislikes, living life as it is it supposed to be lived – while Jaewoo was reduced to a pile of ash in a cubby hole down at the cemetery. In an attempt to rid his mind of such thoughts, Jaejin took a quick gulp of his coffee, wrinkling his nose as it burned on the way down. It brought a flash of moisture to his eyes, not entirely just from the pain, and Jaejin blinked quickly to clear it.

Though he had been keeping track of Soo Yun’s words, he wasn’t particularly attached to the details so he really only caught the gist of her ‘speech.’ He paused, his cup lightly poised on his lips as he watched her, one eyebrow quirked, ”Well, they’re pretty good kids. I’ve seen some of their talents. That boy Chanyu? He’s got a nice set of vocals on him.” Jaejin wasn’t one to hold back on praise. Even though he didn’t particularly care for Kaos’ music, he was more than able to admit that those boys were damn good at what they did. ”I’m sure the new one will settle in well. Jaehwan-nim’s pretty good at matching personalities in groups. I’m just glad their fans didn’t freak out. Fan girls –and boys- can get pretty nasty.” He wrinkled his nose and took another sip of his drink before resting it back on the table, ”So, at least you have that going for you.”

He cast his eyes out back towards the courtyard. By now it was dark. He didn’t have any place to go, but an odd anxiety continued to gnaw on his heart. Jaejin nibbled on his bottom lip as he attempted to suppress his nerves. He looked back to Soo Yun, ”If the boy’s ever want to give some extreme dancing a shot, send them my way. I’ll be glad to torture them.” He offered up an impish grin.