Mood Changer

"Hyun-joo! Finally!" My boss greets me at the end of the table.

Don't tell me I'm the last one....

I bow to him and look at the rest of the members. A woman focused on her computer screen, posture very formal and serious. In front of her, two men drinking coffee. They are familiar, but we don't interact often. If I am not mistaken, her name is Na-ra, and one of the guys is called Il-sung, the other... I don't remember.

Even though she doesn't look exactly friendly, I sit next to Na-ra. A female presence makes me less nervous. Na-ra gives me a small smile and goes back to her computer. Oh, I may be wrong about her.

Hmm, is anyone missing? Why haven't they started the meeting yet?

Not sure if I should ask, I look around the room. At that moment, a man enters. With a blank expression, he greets my boss, Jeong-ho, and sits down, not bothering to greet us as well. If Na-ra looked formal, he acts almost like a CEO. Wait... his face isn't strange... oh God, don't tell me... it's Lee Kyung-soo.

His name is known to many, he is cold and distant, but he is one of the best in this field. If you are going to work with him, you are lucky and unlucky at the same time.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's get started." Jeong-ho opens his laptop. "So this is the song... it's not finished yet, but we can make ideas from it."

Jeong-ho plays the demo of the song. It got me hooked right from the start. It's powerful and makes you dance with it. However, if they change the lyrics, our current ideas might not match. Shouldn't we wait a little longer?

The meeting was flowing naturally, maybe because they know each other, I felt like an outsider, just watching them. There was no space for me to express my thoughts. Even my boss, who knowns me for so long, barely looked at me.

What am I doing here…?

After a time that seemed like forever, the meeting comes to an end. They all start to leave one by one, leaving only Jeong-ho and me.

"I look forward to your work here." He smiled at me.

Is he being sarcastic? Mocking me? I'm not sure anymore...all I could do was nod with my head and smile back. A rather weak smile.

In the cafeteria, I see Seo-yoon raising her hand over one of the tables, waving at me. Just her face, even from a distance, was enough to make me feel a little less depressed.

I take my food and sit down in front of her. Her eyes are sparkling with excitement. Excitement I didn't feel for even a second.

"How was it?".

"Just like watching TV."

"What?" Her excitement changes to disappointment.

"That's all I did." I try to look like I'm okay, but Seo-yoon knows me too well.

"Hyun-joo..." She stares at me in frustration. "It was the first meeting, you don't know how it's going to be from now on."

Taking a deep breath, I nodded at her.

"You're right."

Seo-yoon smiled satisfied and we went back to eating.

"Excuse me..." A man's voice calls out to us.

Looking back, I see the blond guy.... Won-shik, the singer.

"Hey, you're still here. Is the recording over?"

"Almost, we took a little break."

"Oh, okay..."

He looks at Seo-yoon and then at me. Does he want to tell me something she can't hear?

"I was looking for you..." He takes a small box from his backpack. "To give this."

Won-shik hands me the box, which Seo-yoon grabs first. She looks all excited, as if he's giving it to her.

"A CD." She was about to open it when I took it back.

"Can't you be less rude? You're not even part of this conversation." I say serious to her, and then turn to Won-shik with a smile. "So, this is your CD?"

He watches us with his mouth slightly open, but snaps back when I change my tone. He returns with a sweet smile and hides his hands behind his back.

"Yes. I'm in a rock band, well, pop rock. It's called Gloria." Now he looks confident and a little proud, "Try listening to it, you might like it."

The cover showed five guys holding, or being close to their instrument, the CD entitled "With You". Opening the album, I see some photo cards. The guys all had a laid-back vibe, giving a good impression.

"Thank you, I'll make sure to listen."

"I'm the one who wants to thank you for helping me."

"Oh, I didn't do anything, I'm just glad you weren't late."

As we talked, I felt a look hovering over us. Fortunately, Won-shik didn't seem to notice. Seo-yoon... I can already imagine what she's going to say.

"Well, I should go." He glances at his phone and we say goodbye.

Now she's going to start. After stealing a meatball from my plate, she gives me a sly smile.

"Didn't you see a spark in her eyes? Is this the end of the glasses-couple?" She is almost jumping up and down with excitement.

"Because I talked to a guy that we're going to date? Don't be crazy."

"He's super handsome! I'm sure you two would be a good match."

Honestly, she is an expert at annoying me. It's a mystery how we are best friends. No, she always helps me when I need it, let's give her credit and thank her for being there for me even when her advice sucks and is useless.

"I'm not single, in case you've forgotten."

"Isn't it time for a change? You've been together for so long, why not try a new flavor?" She smirks.

"That's not how love works, but you don't know that. One day you will understand."

Since we met in high school, Seo-yoon has never been in a serious relationship. Within a few months she gets tired of him, always giving a different but similar reason. Also, she kept it a secret from others, telling them that her father can't know until they get serious because he would talk about marriage.

"Besides, we won't meet again, he'll record the song and adios."

"Who knows..."

I look back at the CD and remember his pure smile. This single, simple gesture changed my mood for the better.

"Can I have your dessert?" She changes the subject and takes the piece of watermelon on my plate without waiting for my answer.

"I didn't say yes." My eyes remained on the CD, now reading the track list.

Why waste my time when she is already eating...? Better to focus on what's good.