"So I came up with three options at the moment," Subin told Gayoung as they walked down the street together. "Well, I didn't come up with them, two of my other friends did. I'll have to introduce you. You might meet one of them today! They're-" 

"Hey there, slow down," Gayoung laughed. "You said you had three options. Tell me that first." 

"Oh right," Subin said sheepishly. "The animal shelter where I work, the daycare my friend Seungsik works at, or the hotel Seungwoo works at. Which one do you think you'd like the best?" 

"I think..." Gayoung said, trailing off as she considered. She cast her eyes to the sky as they walked, thinking. "I think I'll take the daycare." 

"Okay!" Subin said brightly. "That's the closest, actually," he said, turning the corner and leading her down another street. "It's on this block. I'll have to go home, but I'll leave you in Seungsik's care, okay? He's really nice, you'll love him. Or at least I hope you will." 

"I'm sure I'll like all of your friends," she assured him. 

"Here we are!" Subin exclaimed, stopping in front of one of the buildings. With all the colorful children's drawings in the window, it looked bright and cheery. 

"Why do I feel nervous?" she muttered, wiping her palms on her jeans pants.

"I don't know, but you shouldn't," Subin said, grabbing her arm and pulling her in. 

"You're dragging me all over the place as if you've known me for more than a day," she complained. "My arm is going to be sore because of you," she whined. 

"Welcome to the club," a boy's voice said teasingly. He came out from one of the other rooms, a kind smile on his face. "You must be Gayoung right?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Seungsik. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she said, hoping that her nerves weren't showing too much. 

"Well, now that you two met, I have to go!" Subin said. "Bye!" 

"What?" She squeaked, turning around and wanting to stop him from leaving. But he was out the door in a flash. 

"You're nervous, aren't you?" Seungsik said kindly, patting her shoulder. "Don't be. You'll be just fine." 

"I was hoping my nerves didn't show," she admitted softly. Somehow, she felt suddenly shy around him. He was just so nice. And not to mention how handsome he was. Seriously, how was it that Subin and his friends got blessed with such good genes? "I don't even know why I'm nervous," she said, shaking her head and laughing at herself.

"Well, you came here to meet a new person and apply for a job. It's natural to be nervous. Here, you want to come with me to the office to fill out the job application? And then you can tell me a bit more about yourself?" 

"As... an interview? Or getting to know me since I'm Subin's friend?"

"A little bit of both?" he admitted. 

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "First question?" 

"It's really just a conversation," he assured her, handing over the application. "Please take a seat," he said, pulling out a chair for her to sit. 

He was truly a gentleman. 

"I am actually curious about this," he continued. "But are you planning on pursuing a career in education or with children? Why do you want to work here?" 

"I want to be a political journalist," she told him honestly. "But education is such a huge part of politics. Politicians make decisions that affect the lives of so many children. Children's education is the future of our country, and politicians do things that can either have positive or negative impacts on children. As a political journalist, I will be able to show the public how these politicians are either helping or hurting our children. Though I may not be pursuing a career in education or childcare, it's still something that's very important to me, and I hope you'll give me the chance to work here."

She was surprised at herself for coming up with that answer so quickly. Up until he'd asked that question, she'd given it no thought. But as she'd started to speak... everything she said was sincere. Education was important. 

Seungsik nodded. "Okay. Fill out the application and leave it on the desk. You're hired." 

She gaped at him. "This has got to be a trick. There's no way this was that easy." 

He shrugged. "We really needed a new hire, so the manager told me that if you seemed sincere, to just put you to work right away. You seemed sincere, plus you're friends with Subin, so you're hired." 

Gayoung laughed. "If only getting every job was this easy," she said, shaking her head. "Okay, let's get to work!"

***

A/N

He's so cute omg😭