lotus || j.jk.

05

"Don't be obvious, alright? But he's definitely looking at you right now."

"Unnie, if there's anyone being obvious, it's you! Quit it!" Song-hee rasps at Se-young in a hushed tone, attempting to be discreet despite her growing apprehension.

The tips of her fingers press against her keyboard as she shoots the older girl, who hovers over Song-hee's desk languidly, a serious glare, a tad bit paranoid that maybe her friend is being a little too loud with her obnoxious teasing.

It's something Song-hee's had to deal with ever since she confessed to Se-young her frivolous crush on their boss.

From how relentless and obvious her friend can get, Song-hee's surprised that Dongmin or anyone else in the office hasn't caught on - and she really wishes for it to stay that way.

Ha.

As nice as it is to have someone other than a jealous man-friend to confide her juvenile infatuation in, it comes with a cost.

Just the idea of Dongmin ever finding out and their work relationship going all sour because of something so shallow made obvious by Se-young makes Song-hee grimace and that, in turn, adds to her current ire.

Buoyantly, Se-young chuckles at her friend's scowling face, waving her off because it's silly getting worked up over something as trivial as a crush.

"Relax," she coaxes her visibly irked dongsaeng, bringing a manicured finger up and planting it on the younger girl's creased forehead.

She pushes the folds down. "You'll get fine lines and wrinkles frowning at me like that every day."

Song-hee's stupefied expression quickly turns into a defensive scowl as she swats the trespassing hand from her face.

Self-conscious from the comment, she touches her forehead with a small pout.

"Then stop being a bad friend," she smacks Se-young's knees in a failed attempt to get her off her work space.

The older girl feigns offense and playfully berates the younger one for her lack of respect even though she was just a few months older. It makes Song-hee grin.

Cracking her knuckles, a mannerism of Song-hee's, she eyes her friend critically when she still doesn't get up. "Hey, don't you have better things to do, maybe like your work?"

Se-young ignores her comment to reach across the desk.

She grabs the half-empty to-go coffee cup beside the monitor and drips of condensation fall onto Song-hee's baby-blue pencil skirt, the wet spots turning a darker shade.

Song-hee makes a disgruntled noise while she wipes the moisture off, her friend apologizing as she brings the black straw to her mouth.

"I will, give me a minute. It's just so early," she whines with a perfectly-timed yawn, taking a swig of the bitter drink before putting it back down.

While Se-young stretches, Song-hee looks at the silver-plated wrist watch Jin got her some time ago as a celebratory gift for when her first major article was published.

Pushing the upsetting reminder that it's been over a year since her last big freelancing breakthrough, she exhales through her nose.

"It's 10 in the morning, unnie. It's really not that early anymore," she refutes, redirecting her attention to Se-young who is now standing up and straightening her olive-green palazzo pants.

"It's just 10? Ha," she cups a slender cheek, her pretty monolid eyes creasing in her genuinely disappointed expression.

Song-hee tsks at her.