Kiss & Clientele

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

The HYPE building was eerily quiet as the groaning of the door echoed through the entire ground floor. Saying hello to the security guard, the only other person in the vicinity, Nora walked with ease from the side entrance to the elevators on the opposite side of the lobby. During the week this simple process felt more like an arcade game. The hundred-foot walk typically involved dodging absent-minded business people with their faces buried deep into their phones. There were bonus points for evading said person who was also carrying a cup of coffee or a food item. If you managed to slink your way from point A to point B without bumping into someone then you had won and could advance to the next level.

Seeing as it was Sunday, Nora had not expected there to be as many people around the office. However, she did not anticipate practically being alone. Tomorrow she and the group would rise with the sun to depart for four days of on location filming before leaving for Colorado on Friday morning. Every spare second she had away from her clients was spent on ironing out every aspect of the upcoming trip. From transportation and lodging to food and activities, she was responsible for it all. The quietness of the headquarters had made her office a prime place for preparation. It had also allowed her body to feel the full effects of the lack of sleep.

Eyes fluttering, the battle against dozing off was being lost. Exhaustion would be deemed the winner, and it was all thanks to Han Jisung. After his speechless call and odd behavior, Nora was unable to sleep. After tossing and turning for over an hour she decided to use the newly found free time to be productive. By 5am she had packed for her trip, including double checking her purse for items like her passport and wallet. She had also used the floorplan of their extravagant cabin in Vail to double-check the essential amenities for their stay. Several cups of coffee later, she found herself sitting at the kitchen counter with a heightened feeling of worry. The emotion was confusing considering she had spent the last 3 hours combing over every little detail and found nothing out of place. Rummaging through her texts, she glimpsed at the ones previously sent to Jisung.

Re-reading her messages everything played back in her mind, especially the way he held her fist in his hand as he pushed her away from the door. Having rushed over there, terrified something was wrong, she had been shocked to find him so absent-minded. She had come to him completely stripped down, even crying in front of him for christ sake, and it seemed like he didn't even care. Nora had seen many sides to Han, from class clown to chilled out introvert. Indifference is not something she expected.

Over the last month she had broken so many of Ava's rules. In the moment, it felt right and natural, but in situations like these she feared she had made a grave mistake. After their one week evaluation with Mr. Kim, Halston had begun to take the backseat. Seeing that they were willing to work in cooperation with her, she had dropped her extreme defenses gradually. They all started to speak casually with her and she even felt comfortable joking around behind closed doors or in the van. She had even spent every Sunday with them too, changing her entire relationship with several members but especially with Han.

Everything in the office had started to become a blur and grow dark. Noras head rolled forward and hung over her chest while sleep took control. The upright slumber had only lasted a couple of minutes when text after text popped onto her screen. Each notification resulted in the phone dinging repeatedly. She was grateful for the unintentional wake up call.

Chan [7:45am]: Heading out for the day with Binnie, Felix, Seungmin.

Chan [7:46am]: We won't be back until after dinner.

Chan [7:46am]: Hyunjin, Minho, and Jeongin are going home. Not sure about Han..

The check-in saddened her slightly since she would be unable to enjoy this day off with them. She even turned down a lunch date with Gray in order to prepare for the week ahead. Truthfully, she was relieved to have the excuse. Since their meeting, they had gone on a few dates here and there. He was smart, kind, and handsome but their interactions outside of work were surprisingly dull. Nora had hoped he could at least become a friend to explore the city with, but his interests were elsewhere. Their conversations were dry and overly intellectual. He could go on and on about philosophers or some highly specific area of physics without letting her get a word in. While he rambled, she always wound up thinking about her boys and how much she'd rather be with them.