The Other Girl

Chapter 7(Embarrassment)

Hyo

Hyo Jin sat at an outdoor table of the local coffee shop right outside the SME building. Sipping from her cold chocolate java frappaccino, she glazed over her phone checking the time or any text messages from Seo Hee. It was nearly thirty minutes past five, the time Seo Hee instructed Hyo Jin to meet her at the designated coffee shop. Unbeknownst to Hyo Jin, Seo Hee had purposely decided to show up late for their meeting.

When she finally came, Hyo Jin stood up, exuberantly waving her hands to greet Seo Hee.

"Hi!" She exclaimed, once Seo Hee approached her.

"Oh, um, hi," Seo Hee replied tentatively, aware of the weird looks she and Hyo Jin were receiving from the other coffee shop customers because of Hyo Jin's over enthusiasm. Seo Hee took a seat as Hyo Jin sat back down.

"Aren't you going to order something?" Hyo Jin asked her.

"Later."

"Oh, okay."

"I just came to get my point across as quickly and painlessly as possible," Seo Hee began, folding her hands on the tabletop, sternly looking at the other girl. "I understand that you and Taemin were given a new project to work on... together."

Hyo Jin nodded. "Yup, it's the ballad duet. Isn't that exciting? The company has finally let him do a song outside of SHINee."

"It sure is," Seo Hee replied, her tone mutual. "But I see that you two have gotten quite close for this duet."

"I know that sort of bothers you because he's your boyfriend, but it's for the duet, you know? I can't just not hang out with him. We have to be together a lot. Except lately... he's been ignoring me."

"I don't see that as my problem," Seo Hee said brashly.

"But you had something to do with that, didn't you?" Hyo Jin challenged.

"I didn't tell Taemin to ignore you. Anything he's done so far was all up to his own discretion. It's just a shame that sometimes his own choices fail to prove him as a responsible man. But that's only when a bad influence shows up." Seo Hee cocked her head slightly to gesture what that bad influence was.

Hyo Jin's cheery mood was quickly replaced with dislike. Any hopes of her trying to put on a happy face and be friends with Seo Hee were now long gone.

"Is that the only thing you've got against me? So what if I offered him alcohol? Maybe this whole time he wanted to try it, he just couldn't do it with you in the way. I think it's time Taemin finds a girl who won't ruin his fun. Tell me, are you really his girlfriend or just his mother?"

Oh, this girl certainly has guts. Seo Hee narrowed her eyes at Hyo Jin, clearly unhappy with the way she was talking to her.

"Alright, listen close," Seo Hee finally demanded, her tone firm and unyielding. "I don't care if you and Taemin have to do a stupid duet together. Whatever you and him have got to do for the company, go do it. But get one thing straight: he's taken. So don't try to come up with any funny business with him outside of your work schedule. You can talk to him and all that while you're with him for work. I understand that's part of the job. But don't go beyond that. I don't want to hear any nonsense about you trying God knows what to try and get him to like you. If you respect me as his girlfriend, then I'll probably respect you as just his friend."

And with her final say, Seo Hee shot the other girl a look of disgust and got up to walk away.

***

"Whoa, things just got heated up back in Korea."

"I know, that's why I made sure that our cleaning lady waters our plants at least twice each day now so that they don't die in the heat," Onew replied pointedly. "I'd like for our perennials to actually live up to their names for once."