This is a romantic-comedy Crash Landing on You canon-divergent AU that tells the story of dancer Yoon Se-ri falling in love with musician Ri Jeong-hyeok. But, more than anything else, this story is about friendship.
WARNING: contains mature content...
On top of not getting enough sleep the night before, having to deal with cold showers in the morning, and being caught in a heavy traffic jam caused by a vehicular accident (man, what is up those?!), she finds herself flinging about in her office as she looks for a missing folder.
It's not enough that she had been faced with the impossible dilemma this morning of dealing with two different yet equally irate dance groups who, it seems, had been booked for the same dance coach at the same time.
Thankfully, a compromise was reached, and the two groups had ended up being friends with each other at the end of the class.
Se-ri, of course, had reprimanded whoever was responsible for the mix-up, using her very calm yet very effective manner of admonishment – by talking quietly.
This method would freak out her employees so much more than if she were to scream at them, but the resulting effect would almost always be positive.
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She uses that very same quiet yet commanding demeanor now as she tries to keep her cool.
"Well?"
Ju-meok feebly shakes his head, trying to catch his breath as he had just arrived on the top floor after combing every single room in the building, trying to find the missing folder.
"I'm sorry, Daepyonim."
Se-ri sighs, trying not to seem too agitated lest she frighten her loyal innocent assistant.
"You only apologize if you did something wrong, Ju-meok," she replies in an almost automatic tone.
She realizes what she had just said and stands up straight, un-crossing the arms that had been folded in front of her in a tight bundle. "And how many times do I need to tell you not to call me that."
Though her expression doesn't quite soften, the young assistant visibly relaxes upon hearing this. "I'm sorry, I mean, uh, I'll keep that in mind, Noona."
"That's better. And it's alright, I'll deal with it."
Ju-meok promises to keep a lookout for the folder before bowing to take his leave.
Left with no other choice, the Seri's Studios CEO approaches the bookshelf behind her office desk. After scanning the contents from top to bottom, she eventually picks up a framed photograph of herself that had been taken during one of her first theatrical plays.
She takes out the photo from the glass and smoothens it, looking at herself with a mix of pride and humility.
What a long way we've come, she thinks, running her fingers all over the glossy front. She remembers the day she found out she had been cast as a lead dancer in the play.
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Feeling sentimental, she studies the shelves again to view the many trophies, plaques and certificates, bearing the immeasurable recognition of her hard work and talent. There are other photos of herself, too, in various milestone events of her dancing career.
She feels the first signs of nostalgia bubbling over, and she can't help but laugh at herself, finding it hilarious that her emotions had just gone from rage to annoyance to guilt to pure sentimentality - all in five minutes.
It's like you have some kind of happiness-sad disorder, she inwardly admonishes herself.
She shakes her head, then takes her phone to take a copy of the photo in her hands before sitting down to write a message on it.
"Knock, knock."
Se-ri looks up to find Lee Mu-hyeok standing by the doorway to her office. The handsome choreographer had obviously just finished a coaching session, with his newly-showered hair still slick from wetness.
She grins at him and nods, beckoning him to step inside.
"Hi," he starts.
"Hello," she replies.
"I'm sorry I didn't get to say my congratulations personally yesterday," he says, approaching her slowly. "You had been out for lunch for a while, and I was locked inside with Blackvelvet for a closed-door rehearsal all afternoon."
The CEO's eyes disappear at the same time the smile on her lips appear. "Thank you, Mu-hyeok," she says sweetly.
The dashing man smiles right back at her, his own eyes twinkling, making his grown-up face appear bright and boyish. He keeps his hands behind his back.
"Did they give you a hard time?" He asks gently.
She laughs out loud. "No. If anything, I gave them the hard time. At least I think I did."
She vividly remembers the look on a certain Mammoth executive's face as she had tried to negotiate the terms of the investment. A surge of pride bursts through her insides, along with something else she can't quite decipher that's putting pesky little butterflies in her tummy. These guys again.
Mu-hyeok gives an amused chuckle, looking down the floor as he does so. "Somehow, I don't find that hard to believe." He peers at her.
Se-ri scoffs, pretending to be offended. She narrows her eyes, turning her head sideways as she leers at him. "What, that I'd give someone a hard time?"
"More like... that you'd always get what you want," her employee explains. He confidently holds that seemingly threatening gaze of hers he knows is just a front.
She immediately goes back to her smiley self. "Ah well, I learned that from you, you know."
He frowns. "What do you mean?"
"I mean you always get what you want."
"Not always."
"Oh yeah? Name one thing you wanted that you didn't get," Se-ri challenges him.
Mu-hyeok pretends to think, looking up at the ceiling of her office. He lowers his head, sighs, then raises his head, looking at her meaningfully. The smile on his face is attempting to keep itself steady, only to fall as its owner continues to stare at the beautiful woman in front of him.
Se-ri silently questions him for a second, her eyebrows knit together and eyes straining to look through him. After a beat, understanding dawns on her.
She pulls back, biting her lip.
Unlike the man before her who's struggling to keep it together, she is able to maintain her bright smile while making sure to adapt a perfectly neutral expression. But the ring on her middle finger is screaming in protest as she unknowingly rotates it around and around with her thumb.