Rhythm 「Jay Park Smut 」「AMBW」

Chapter 4

You had been avoiding Mr. Park all week.

The in prompt tu dance session and surprise kiss ending, as magical as they were, was nothing you wanted to be apart of.

He had backed away from the kiss, and grinned back at you, his pale skin illuminated shades of coral in the sunset light. He looked like a dream. That spark was like a dream. But you were, and still are, a professional. So without a word, you got up and walked out of the miscellaneous area.

The elevator ride back down was quick and you exited briskly before heading to your desk. Many of the other staff who were still present greeted you as you walked by but you were so absent minded that you didn't even notice. Slowly you packed your bag, grabbing your wallet and phone. You grabbed your sweater from the bottom left drawer and headed back towards the door.

ChaCha stopped you, blocking off the exit and grabbing you by your arms. His grip was firm. "I've been calling your name! Did you not hear me?"

You looked up. Eyes a mix of neutral, confused....and scared. ChaCha hadn't seen this look before. "Hey, are you okay?"

You shrugged out of his grip and continued toward the door, not hesitating even a little at the sound of his voice. You just needed to be alone and regain your composure. So you left the building and didn't stop until you got home.

And with that began your week long avoidance of Mr. Park.

The first day wasn't too bad.

You had spent the night focusing in your mental health. A nice deep conditioner, at home manicure, and phone call with your best friend were all you needed to get back to baseline composure.

You had come in with a full beat on your face to make up for your hair being put into long mini twists. The art of twisting your hair was somewhat like meditation. It was repetitive and didn't require thinking. With juicy twists and highlighter glowing you had come into work. You apologized to your office mates for being so cold, chalking it up to you not feeling well.

You dropped off your stuff and went to the studio. ChaCha had come in early, and was already working on high hats and snares.

You stood at the doorway and knocked on the frame. He turned and his face lit up at the sight of you. "What's all this on your face?" He stood up and crossed the distance between you both. He licked his thumb and started rubbing at your highlight.

"Ahhh! This is trophy wife!" You pushed him away laughing as he attempted to ruin your make up. It was a light hearted moment that ended with him holding you in a tight embrace. You looked up at him and he gave you a shy smile.

"I'm glad you are feeling better. I was worried because you just... looked so out of it."

You smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. I just wasn't feeling well."

"Did you get good results with Jay yesterday?"

You tried as best as you could to keep your face composed. "I'm not sure but you will have to ask Mr. Park." You weaseled out of the hug and took your seat at by the keyboard.

And like that you both worked. Time was flying by, harmoniously. Some of the beats needed to be changed. Some vocals needed to be tuned. Music was harder than people gave credit for. But just before lunch there was a knock.

Loco stood at the door, sheepish grin on his face. "Jay was wondering if y'all finished any tracks for him."

In truth you had, some other hip hop beats with the signature ChaCha style. You grabbed two discs off the counter and handed them to Loco. ChaCha was blasting music from his headphones, he was still unaware of Loco's presence. "Would you be so kind as to give these to Mr. Park."

"I think he was hoping that you would give them to him." And here was the trap.

"Please Loco." Your eyes were pleading. His resolve always cracked around cute girls.

But just before he could agree or disagree to your request, ChaCha's tan fingers stole the CD's from your hands. He had been listening after all. Without saying a word he continued down the hall and a stunned Loco was left to follow.

And that's how the days went, you sherking delivery duties to interns and other staff. You tried as hard as possible to remain a background character but it wasn't easy when you were visually the odd wo-man out.

On Friday, however, you received a different request. One of the new interns came to the door. You were lost in the music, playing jazz chords and recording them for the newer tracks. The intern stepped up to you, tapping you on your shoulder and ruining the magic. You sighed hard before turning around to face her. Your glare must have been a little strong because the poor girl flinched when you turned to her. You softened your eyes before responding to her.

She was here to tell you that Gray was requesting your opinion for one of his beats. He was on the 5th floor in the studio area.

This sounded suspiciously like a set up.  

You waved to ChaCha before heading up to see Gray. Upon exiting the elevator, the sight of the miscellaneous floor made you question who designed the space. You walked over the the room you had gone to before. Beats were bumping and you knocked loudly.

Whatever was happening inside stopped and within seconds the door was being opened. Gray stood before you, again his good looks proving to be a distraction. He smiled, grabbing you hand and dragging you in, letting the door slam behind you.

"Thank god you are here. What wrong with this track." He played it at max volume and you closed your eyes to listen. Your foot began to tap and your head began to nod. The chorus hit and your eyes flew open. You pushed Gray to the side and looked at his computer. You clicked the section you wanted and turned nobs again, making the synthesizer go higher in pitch. You then clicked the bass and brought it up. He watched you fiddle with his track, making small changes that made a big difference.

Finally you stood back and hit play. It came booming through the speakers and this time when the chorus hit he felt it. "Wow."

You pushed some of your twists, that had fallen loose from your bun, behind your ear and nodded.   He pulled you in for a bear hug, something you knew Koreans weren't really known for. You were grateful nonetheless. "I'll be right back. Tweak anything else if you need."

He ran out the door and you sat down again in front of the computer. You placed the headphones on and listened to the third verse. In traditional RnB style, you go up a third of an octave to show feeling. The underlying melody had done so but it wasn't quite right. Why was he being so uncharacteristically lazy with this track. You had seen Gray work and you knew that he was meticulous and a perfectionist when it came to his looks and his music.

In your music induced focus you didn't hear the door open up. You didn't hear whoever it was chuckle at the sight of you in the zone. They placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Gray, I made a couple more changes but if I'm honest I think this track needs a lot more work. I know I'm still new and if I'm over-stepping boundaries I apologize." You turned down the music and took off the headphones.

"It's okay baby girl. This was a throwaway anyways."

You turned your head so fast it almost hurt. Jay stood there, hand on your shoulder gazing down at you. You opened your mouth and no words came out. He winked. "You can't escape me that easily."