Soo Emi

The next week came and I was so happy to go to work. For the first time, I actually woke up on a Monday and felt excited for the day.

I'll be able to see Joon during work too!

My father found out we were friends, so he allowed me to give him a quick tour of the building before letting the janitors take him.

"Ok! That's pretty much all you need to know right now. It can be overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it soon. Um," I check the time on my phone. "We got finished kind of early. Anything else you want to know?"

"Can I...go on the elevator again?"

Joon has never been in a building like this before, nor has he even worked in one.

I giggle. "Go ahead."

As I was showing him around, he tells me brief stories about his past careers and how none of them are as sophisticated as this.

The more he spoke about himself, the more I wanted to hear.

"Oh, Joon, I almost forgot to tell you. There's a uniform that you have to wear during your shift. You saw what the janitor was wearing last week, right?"

He suddenly frowns. "Oh, yeah."

"What's wrong?"

He looks at me for a moment with eyes that wanted to tell me something, but he hesitates and drops his gaze.

"Joon," I place a hand on his arm. "If you want to tell me something, go ahead. I'll listen to you."

"It's...embarrassing."

"I will not judge you, Joon. You let me tell you things, right? So I want you to be able to tell me things too."

"I-I don't have a home."

I freeze.

I did not expect that.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"Well, I sort of...do. My mother and I live in a small abandoned 'home' that's hidden in an alleyway across the street from here." His cheeks visibly redden as he turns away. "That's why you see me at the fountain a lot. I go there to relax."

My heart aches as I notice him frowning after he mentions his mother.

"I know a lot about cleaning because that's what I do almost everyday. Mom gets sick easily, so I try to keep our space very clean. I also get small cleanup jobs once in awhile, but I haven't been getting those lately."

"Joon..."

"Ah, I'm sorry!" He covers his face and looks up. "I said too much! I made things weird! I'm sorry!"

I reach up and take his hands in mine. "I will help you, Joon!"

"Wh-What?"

"That's what friends do, right? I will help you as much as you need!"

"How will you help me?"

"I will get you the uniform you need...AND WHATEVER CLOTHES YOU NEED TOO!" I ball a fist with determination. "On my break, we can go shopping."

"Oh, Mr. Jae actually offered the uniform for me, but I had to decline because I just couldn't afford it."

"I'll help you with that too!"

"Emi, I don't know if I could accept that." He covers his face again. "That's too much! You don't need to!"

"Joon, please let me help you. I really want to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

He slowly uncovers his face, revealing a shy smile. "You're the best, Emi."

°

"I'm going on my lunch break now, sir." I tap Hoseok's desk lightly to get his attention. "I organized the files for and they're on the table over there. I also prepared all of the members in your division in your contacts, so you can get in touch with them more conveniently."

And not have me go to all of them individually.

He looks up from his desktop. "Are you going to see that Joon guy?"

"Yes, I am."

"Did your small head forget already? I forbid you to see him."

"Sir, Joon is an employee here now." I politely argue. "It will be impossible for me to not see him when he works here, don't you think, sir?"

"What do you plan on doing with him anyway?"

"We're going to go out."

"Go out?" He snaps his neck to me.

"Yes, go out for lunch."

"Is packed food not good enough for you?" He scoffs, narrowing his eyes.

Can I not live?!

I keep a tight, twisted grin on my face. "Just for lunch, sir."

"Fine."

Silently cheering, I head for the door. "Goodbye, sir."

"Don't be a minute late back."

°

I meet Joon outside by the fountain. He was sitting on the ledge and his eyes were closed.

He must have a lot on his mind right now.

I can't help but feel so sympathetic around him.

I'm going to help him as much as he needs!

I tap his shoulder. "Hey, Joon!"

He just smiles without opening his eyes. "Hey, Emi."

"You can tell it's me?"

"How can I not know my own friend's voice?" He beams, standing up to hug me. "Besides, I don't know anyone else here who would greet me."

I let out a small laugh before linking arms with him. "Let's quickly get some food, then we can go buy some clothes. We have to make sure we have enough time to walk back here or else my boss will never let me live it down."

"Hm. He doesn't like me, huh?"

I jump up, letting go of his arm. "H-Hoseok? No, no, no, he's just a really strict boss! He only acts that way because he doesn't like how much I spend time with you. Not because of YOU! Please don't worry about him!"

He smiles lightly, linking back up with my arm. "You're a really good person, Emi."

A smile sneaks on my face as I hug his arm closely. "Thanks, Joon."

°

"Let's look for some nice T-Shirts." I scan through a clothing rack. "I personally think guys in just a simple tee is attractive."

Why is shopping for men's clothing more enjoyable than shopping for myself?

I'm actually having a lot fun right now.

"You mean for work?"

"I can get the uniform for you tomorrow. Let me buy you some clothes for outside of work." I pull out a shirt and held it up against his torso.

Whoa. I didn't realize how big Joon's figure was.

My face burns as I turn away from him. "Do-Do you work out?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "I guess you could say that. If you count carrying boxes and scrubbing floors."

"Oh, well, if it works it works, right?" I nervously chuckle. "L-Let's go look at the pants section!"

°

Joon and I finish our little shopping trip with a good 4 minutes to to get back to the building.

"Thanks again, Emi." He wraps his arms around me. "Seriously, I appreciate this a lot."

"You're welcome, Joon." I hug him back tightly. "Don't forget to take the bag after your shift. It'll be with Jennie at the front desk."

"Alright."

We part and I notice Hoseok standing by the elevator, waiting for me.

"Were you waiting this whole time?" I ask, asking walking towards him.

"No, just got here." He grunts, pressing the UP button. "I wanted to make sure my assistant remembered to be early for once."

Psh.

He walks into the office first and lets the door almost slam on my face.

"Jerk." I mumble under my breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sir!"

"I have a small project for you to do." He informs while handing me the thickest folder I have ever seen in my life. "I hope I can trust you to do well."

I take the folder with my mouth wide open. "I-Isn't the folder going to break?"

"I want ALL of these papers filled out and sent to the Tri-Company in Daegu by the END of the day tomorrow. Those papers are important and make sure you do it in PEN. Don't mess up. With this, you cannot make copies." He flashes a cocky smile while handing me a pen. "Good luck, assistant."

"Stacks of papers, front and back."

He nods. "Correct."

I scoff, taking the pen from him. "This will be done by the end of the day tomorrow, sir. You can count on me!"

I don't want to assume because I'm still new to this world of business, but doesn't this sound like a job for the boss rather than the assistant?

Hmph, I might need to a wear a cast on my hand after this.