Chapter 10 - Caffeine Monologues, Escalator Recessions, and the Desktop Collision

The sharp, rhythmic dripping of the kitchen coffee machine hummed quietly through the morning vacuum of the shared apartment flat. Park Chae-won was already stationed near the stove panels, her fingers occupied brewing a powerful, concentrated caffeine database to combat the heavy morning fog.Meanwhile, inside the adjoining bedroom clearing, Kim Han-eun slowly forced her heavy eyelids open. The exact millisecond her system regained consciousness, an absolute, splitting hangover headache violently shot straight through her brain charts. She staggered out of the sheets, her uncoordinated steps carrying her frame directly in front of the vanity mirror display—and her breath instantly hitched."How on earth... how did all of this unexpected wardrobe data happen?!" Han-eun gasped out in a sweet, heavily slurred morning voice, her hands frantically tracing the foreign obsidian crystals and smooth black silk fabric wrapped around her torso. "As far as my memory recall tracks, my system explicitly was not wearing this dark designer gown at yesterday's welcome gala parameters!"She aggressively slapped her palm flat against her throbbing forehead, collapsing back onto the edge of the mattress cushion casing. "Argh!!! Why on earth can't my brain execute a proper data-recovery loop to remember anything?!"A sudden, highly fragmented flashback of memory files violently surged through her consciousness: She remembered meeting that grumpy, arrogant old 'Kangaroo' CEO in the narrow corridor... then her boots marching directly to the bar counter to clear a shot glass... then Chae-won's vocal cords screaming at her to drop the drink... but her own stubborn baseline drinking the volume anyway."And what high-stakes event executed after that milestone?" Han-eun grumbled to her own thoughts, her teeth grinding as the headache throbbed at a higher frequency. "My retrieval system completely can't remember anything else, and my head feels like it's crashing. Did my mouth process entirely too much liquor volume last night?"She shot out of the bed frame with sudden, panicked velocity. "Yes! I know exactly what parameters my system will launch right now. I will mandatory interrogate Chae-won; her registry must know exactly what ridiculous scene my drunken frame executed inside that party hall last night. And oh God, please! My heart desperately hopes my actions didn't manufacture any wrong protocol violations that could permanently delete my architectural job registry today!"Moving with rapid, anxious strides, she ran straight toward the kitchen threshold clearing."Chae-won!!! Chae-won!!!" Han-eun yelled out in a hushed panic."What on earth happened to your system parameters?" Chae-won blinked, turning her torso around from the counter layout."Why on earth are your hands still executing kitchen duties at this hour?" Han-eun demanded, her breathing heavy."Look at your own profile first," Chae-won chuckled through her teeth, her visual radar tracking the messy hair and luxury black gown. "Haven't your vitals freshened up yet under the water grids? And don't your thoughts want to change out of that elite evening dress? But first of all, hold your coordinates right here—" Chae-won gracefully handed a heavy ceramic mug straight into her shaking grip. "—Take this drink. My hands manufactured some exceptionally strong, bitter coffee for your database; your head must be throbbing at maximum capacity right now.""Thanks!" Han-eun murmured slurrily, lifting the mug to her lips. "My system really, mandatory needed this exact liquid solution; my head charts are violently pulsing." She took a slow, heavy sip of the hot caffeine, letting the warmth stabilize her vitals before gesturing down at the obsidian fabric. "Hmm... By the way, whose expensive dress registry is this anyway? My memory tracks certainly confirm I wasn't wearing this piece when we entered the gala doors."Chae-won casually tossed herself onto the sofa cushions, a wide, thoroughly amused smirk breaking across her features. "Do your thoughts honestly possess zero memory recall of what your drunken build executed with Mr. Kang Ha-joon yesterday?""What?!" Han-eun panicked violently, her face flushing a deep crimson color from sudden, toe-curling embarrassment as her fingers gripped the mug like iron. "Did my system execute something terribly wrong or illegal against his executive character that forced my frame to undergo a wardrobe change?! Did a scandalous, chaotic incident happen between our two bodies?!""Wait, wait—execute a pause protocol and drop the panic loop!" Chae-won laughed heartily through her teeth, waving her hand defensively. "It is completely, absolutely nothing of that scandalous sort. Our own eyes don't know the entire hidden backstory, but Lee Min-juh and my system explicitly witnessed your arms tightly, securely hugging Mr. Kang Ha-joon's neck, and your vocal cords were loudly telling him to lift your frame up!" Chae-won broke into an uncontrollable giggle. "Honestly, that exact milestone moment looked incredibly, spectacularly sweet. I have absolutely, completely zero idea what intense data occurred between the two of you inside that private vanity suite before that frame.""Did... did my individual registry genuinely execute all that madness?!" Han-eun's voice trembled violently, her hands shaking so hard the coffee nearly spilled over the rim as she cursed her own behavior logs. Why on earth did my mouth process so much alcohol volume?! How on earth am I supposed to look directly into his strict, freezing executive eyes on the office floor today? Should my system just launch an absence protocol and mandatory not report to the company headquarters today?"Hey, don't even let your thoughts dare track that avoidance route," Chae-won chided with a serious frown. "Your build absolutely, mandatory has to report to the design floor. Otherwise, Mr. Kang Ha-joon's supreme authority will work our bones entirely to bone again—and his mouth will probably execute a brutal revenge loop for all the grumpy kangaroo insults your lips launched at his face last night.""No, no way... that catastrophic outcome cannot happen to my career files," Han-eun realized, a heavy feeling of total, resigned defeat settling over her shoulders. She let out a long, exhausted sigh. "There is absolutely, completely zero way out of this corporate trap now. My system has to go face the radar. I'm going to go freshen up my parameters under the shower." She turned her torso, heading rapidly inside the master bath clearing."Hurry up and get your wardrobe ready immediately!" Chae-won called out after her retreating back panel. "Or else our login metrics will be severely late again today!""Yeah, yeah..." Han-eun grumbled through the closing door vacuum.[INT. MIXXO FASHION COMPANY – ESCALATOR PA-VILION – DAY]The pristine glass corporate headquarters architecture gleamed under the bright morning sun as Kim Han-eun and Park Chae-won slowly cleared past the main security gate terminal. Han-eun entered the main lobby walking at an exceptionally slow velocity, her visual radar carefully peering around every single marble pillar to check if the supreme CEO had arrived on the floor yet."That grumpy, arrogant old Kang kangaroo hasn't shown his strict profile inside this clearing yet," Han-eun whispered through her teeth, a small sigh of temporary relief escaping her lips."Your system is going to have to face his freezing radar sooner or later anyway, Han-eun," Chae-won countered smoothly, nudging her side block.Both girls stepped onto the ascending steel steps of the grand central escalator terminal. But at that exact milestone fraction of a second, moving with rigid corporate speed from directly behind their backs, Kang Ha-joon and Park Seo-joon walked straight into the lobby entrance. The two young directors were walking forward, actively chatting and reviewing corporate metrics, when Han-eun casually rotated her head—and her visual tracking radar locked dead onto Ha-joon's looming, towering executive posture."Oh no!!! This is an absolute disaster loop!" Han-eun gasped in a frantic, high-pitched morning panic, instantly using her portfolio files to block her flushed face from his line of sight. "My system mandatory needs to get out of these coordinates right this second! You follow directly behind my heels!"Without dropping a single millisecond of her focus, she aggressively, frantically launched into a fast run, sprinting straight up the moving steel steps of the escalator to escape his proximity."Wait! What on earth just happened?!" Chae-won blinked her eyes in total, absolute bewilderment. She whispered in a hushed, confused frequency, "What high-pitched madness has gotten into her system files? Why on earth did her frame run off like a literal wild animal?!"Driven by confusion, Chae-won sharply executed a reverse movement, heading back down the moving escalator grid to check the lobby layout. But the exact microsecond her boots rotated, Kang Ha-joon and Park Seo-joon caught up to her coordinates from directly behind her stance."Oh!" Chae-won muttered to her own internal thoughts, her jaw dropping slightly as she mapped the CEO's freezing, stern profile. So that terrifying executive radar is the exact database reason why Han-eun's system just executed an emergency flight matrix!"Move out of the alignment!" Ha-joon commanded coldly, his deep voice carrying a low, menacing frequency that cut through the escalator vacuum. "Why on earth is your build standing right in the absolute middle of the transit lane like a blind wall?""Hey, what high-priority thoughts are occupying your brain charts today, Miss Park?" Seo-joon added with a wide, thoroughly amused smirk, his voice hitting a highly animated, playful frequency as he teased her frozen posture."What is it to your individual business registry, Director?!" Chae-won fired back in a stern, defensive whisper, pouting her lips aggressively at Seo-joon before turning her head to bow politely to the CEO. "My apologies, Mr. Kang. Please, go ahead past my coordinates." She stepped aside to clear the lane parameters.Ha-joon didn't drop a single syllable from his lips. He adjusted his customized suit cuffs, his long strides carrying his powerful frame rigidly past her stance as he ascended the steps. But as his boots tapped against the metal floorboards, his deep, dark eyes subtly darted toward the empty drawing desks ahead, his internal thoughts launching an immediate, private query loop.Why on earth is she not walking alongside Chae-won's coordinates today? Ha-joon thought strictly to his own chest, his jaw tightening with a hidden layer of protective masculine irritation. Is her stubborn build refusing to report to the design floor after last night's intoxication logs? Will her brain remember every single intense parameter that executed between our bodies inside that vanity suite yesterday... or is her database completely cleared?Meanwhile, Park Seo-joon turned his torso back around as they reached the landing, continuing to flash a highly mischievous, teasing grin toward Chae-won's coordinates as she glared at his face."You absolute, annoying idiot!" Chae-won gestured aggressively for him to leave her space, whispering in a hushed, furious frequency. "Can't his loud mouth just keep its speech parameters quiet for a single second?!" She adjusted her bag and marched onto the main creative department design floor.[INT. CREATIVE DEPARTMENT – CORPORATE CUBICLES – CONTINUOUS]Kang Ha-joon and Park Seo-joon stepped onto the main carpet layout of the fashion design floor. Every single designer, intern, and corporate employee immediately stood straight up to wish them a synchronized, respectful "Good Morning, Mr. CEO! Good Morning, Director!"Ha-joon maintained a flawless, rigid corporate filter, nodding coldly as he walked past the rows. However, beneath his professional sunglasses layout, his sharp eyes were covertly, aggressively searching the entire perimeter for Kim Han-eun's pastel pink or emerald desk space.Her station was completely vacant. She wasn't there.Ha-joon's mood subtly soured into a deeper layer of irritation. He pushed past the heavy double glass doors of the private executive cabin wing, tossing his leather portfolio onto the desk block. He sat down heavily in his grand leather chair, his dark eyes instantly fixing wider on the glass partition window that looked directly out toward Han-eun's empty desk alignment.Park Seo-joon stepped inside the cabin space, tracking his best friend's intense, brooding stance before clearing his throat to capture his attention. "Kang!"Ha-joon sharply startled for a fraction of a second, his head snapping around as his features froze into a strict mask. "What?! Why on earth are your vocal cords shouting at such a deafening, unnecessary volume inside my office?!""My system has been calling out your name for literal ages, Kang!" Seo-joon scoffed playfully, tossing himself onto the plush leather sofa layout. "Anyway, completely drop that distraction data. We have a high-stakes meeting scheduled with the international investors on the boardroom floor today." He reached into his briefcase, handing a thick stack of documents straight across the marble counter. "So, take an immediate look through these financial review files.""Alright, my system will go through the project parameters," Ha-joon responded with cold corporate discipline, his long fingers taking the sheets. "And who exactly is scheduled to deliver the main presentation files to the investors today?""Honestly, I don't possess that exact data log yet," Seo-joon shrugged his shoulders. "The Chairman mentioned the scheduling brief directly to one of the senior employees before we landed.""Dad handled it?" Ha-joon raised a strict, calculating brow. "Okay. You go immediately to your terminal and check the high-priority emails I sent to your directory this morning.""Alright, launching the tracking now," Seo-joon nodded, drawing his device out as he began checking his email inbox on the sofa, leaving Ha-joon to rigidly review the files while his eyes kept drifting back toward the empty desk outside.[INT. MAIN DESIGN FLOOR – CONTINUOUS]Outside the executive wing, Chae-won entered the main aisle, her visual radar actively scanning the high-walled cubicles to locate her missing sहेली."Where on earth did her uncoordinated frame go?!" Chae-won grumbled to her own thoughts, looking around in total bewilderment. Did her panicked brain actually execute a retreat matrix and head straight back home across the town lines?She sharply turned her torso, approaching Yoona's drawing desk block. "Yoona, have your eyes mapped Kim Han-eun's coordinates anywhere on this floor today?""Yes, her system went over to the breakroom corner to get a fresh cup of coffee a few minutes ago," Yoona reported, adjusting her design compass. "By the way, why on earth did your two builds execute such an early departure log from the welcome party venue last night?""Oh..." Chae-won stammered slurrily, her mind frantically wondering what fake corporate explanation to deploy into the conversation. "Our frames just... just left like that due to minor exhaustion logs. Alright, I'll go check on Han-eun's station immediately!""Okay, clear the files," Yoona nodded.Chae-won walked rapidly toward the breakroom alignment, her voice rising in a hushed whisper as she approached the coffee machine clearing. "Han-eun! Are your coordinates actually trapped in here?""Chae-won, I am standing right here next to the counter!" Han-eun responded, her voice carrying a deep, groggy hangover frequency as she leaned against the metal table cloth. "By the way... did that grumpy, monstrous Kang kangaroo CEO successfully clear past the gates and enter his private executive cabin wing yet?""Yes, his powerful build has already gone inside the suite layout," Chae-won reported, stepping inside her personal circle. "By the way, how many massive mugs of coffee is your system planning to process right now? Does your head chart still throb with intense pain?""Yes, my brain is desperately trying to remember the missing database blocks from last night," Han-eun groaned, her lower lip forming a sharp pout as she pressed the buttons on the espresso machine grid. "This strong caffeine solution is mandatory sure to jog my memory recall charts perfectly."She carefully hoisted the fresh, boiling mug of coffee in her fingers, taking a slow, deep thought-filled sip as she began walking slowly back toward her assigned cubicle lane, entirely submerged in her inner reflections."Go ahead with your exploration," Chae-won smiled, following right behind her heels. "See if your creative brain can successfully retrieve the data."But the exact millisecond Han-eun was about to lower her frame into her office desk chair with the boiling mug in her hand, a senior employee, Mr. Jang, moving rapidly from the opposite coordinate vector with a stack of files, stepped straight into her blind alignment. Neither system Altered their trajectory—resulting in a sudden, sharp physical collision as Han-eun's body bumped right into him!