Disclaimer: pinkberry ü does not own the Korean drama 'My Girl' from which BD's storyline is inspired. (For readers who've watched it, don't worry I won't copy the exact events from the show ;p)

Chapter 3: Job Interview

"HELPPP!!"

That was the first thing Cagalli did the moment she found herself in an unknown dark place with her wrists roped behind a chair and her ankles tied against its front legs.

"Where am I?"

In an instant her question was answered as soon as the place lit up revealing a dazzling four-walled room. Cagalli stared dreamily at the sight in front of her. And for that single moment she forgot the situation she was in.

There was a dinner table for two with a bouquet of red roses and a lighted candelabrum, rose petals carpeting the entire floor, soft music gracing in the silent air and…

'A bed?'

It wasn't cold but the thought of having a bed beside her made her shiver.

Suddenly a chilling voice snapped her out from her trance…

"Welcome to my lair, Cagalli Yula Athha" A man clad in a black cloak and holding a long scythe sprout in front of her.

"Wah! Who- who ar-are you?" Cagalli asked trembling while trying to wiggle her wrists free from its tight knot. She tried to see his face through his hood but there was nothing— he seemed headless!

"Wahahaha!" Then a wicked laugh stained the peacefulness in the air. "Oh boy did you just ask who I am? Well—" with that, he removed his cloak with one swift move of his scythe. As the scythe and cloak flew grandly at the far end of the room, the man spoke…

"I'm your new friend!" He smiled and Cagalli was able to catch the glint from his last remaining white tooth.

"Wha- What a-are you gonna do to me!" Cagalli stammered and shuddered after seeing the old man's crook nose, abominable owl-like eyes and aged wrinkled face.

"Oh Cagalli-baby relax… just one night of pleasure and you no longer have to pay your one million debt! See? Isn't that fantastic?!" With that he caressed Cagalli's cheeks, held her chin and tilted it towards his face… "Come on, my little lovely dove, let's not waste our time! We're going in a thrilling adventure! But before that… let start this night with a kiss you surely wouldn't want to miss."

And all poor Cagalli could do was to gape as the old man's face neared hers.

"NNOOOO—"

XXX

"— OOOOO!!"

"CAGALLI! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" A girl with curving chocolate tresses shouted as she tried to rouse her friend who was clinging on her shirt for about half an hour.

"Miriallia, help me! We must get out of this room! There was this dirty old man who wants to rape me in exchange of having him paid my debt!" Cagalli panted, she was sweating very hard.

"Cagalli, you were just dreaming! There was no old man. And didn't you just tell me that you still haven't met the person who paid your debt? Besides you're here now in my flat, remember?"

Cagalli looked around her. There were no roses, candles, or old man. Mir was right. She was just dreaming and she'd been at Mir's place for three days since she was discharged from the hospital.

"But Mir…this just really bothers me. Why would someone who hardly knows me pay my debt and let me repay it anytime I want like he doesn't care whether I pay it or not!? You see Mir it's understandable if it just some lousy ten thousand but a MILLION?! Whose sane people would do such charity for a lady just passing the street?! Maybe he really wants something from me right? Something like… er like the one I've just dreamt?" Cagalli uttered these in one breath.

Miriallia stared at Cagalli, her eyes droopy due to lack of sleep. "You know what Cagalli, during the past three days of your stay here you've keep on repeating and repeating that same thing on me- starting from morning, noon, midnight and now even in my sleep! You're becoming paranoid! Why can't you just accept the fact that you've been the luckiest girl in Earth and Plants since of the thousands of vehicles passing on that road you ended up with Mr. Rich Good Guy's car who willingly paid your one million debt and saved your life? Yes that's it! Just stick to that fact!

"But what if-"

"-I said stick to it. And don't think of anything else." Mir got the pillow beneath her head and slumped it hard on her head. She was about to return to sleep if only her alarm clock did not start ringing. "One more minute please…" but it continued roaring even louder so Mir woozily stood up and got ready for work.

After an hour of preparing, Miriallia went back to her friend who was still in bed and said, "Cagalli, I have to leave now. Don't overslept it's your job interview today. Be there on time okay?"

"Sure Mir."

XXX

Cagalli was thirty minutes early when she arrived in front of the company where Miriallia worked. Although Miriallia had accompanied her there twice, Cagalli still couldn't help but to be amazed every time she saw how the glass-covered skyscraper stunningly reflected the surrounding high-rises, clouds and midday sun. She wished to stand at the top floor and marvel at the whole city of Aprillius. But Cagalli knew that she must first get the job before she does that.

Cagalli looked around the building; to her right she saw once again the intimidatingly huge golden 'Z' symbol with an intricately designed bronze wall as its background. From its four corners, small spot lights were left opened in broad day light. "What a waste of energy," Cagalli commented.

Shifting her gaze at the far left, a breathtakingly beautiful garden with a huge fountain contrasted the plain, dull symbol of power on the right. Cagalli planned to spare some of her remaining time to it but after seeing that she already spent so much time viewing around, she decided just to do it after the interview.

With that she proceeded through a gigantic sliding door and walked towards another but to her surprise it didn't open. She touched it but it didn't budge.

"What's the problem with you?" Cagalli mumbled but instead of starting a fight with the door she just considered asking the lady at the reception area.

"Miss, sorry to disturb you but it seems that the door over there doesn't like me." Cagalli said to the lady behind the desk. She was a pretty girl with straight brown hair and well-trimmed bangs hanging above her eyes.

She chuckled and said, "You must have an appointment, miss-"

"Just Cagalli, and yes I have a job interview with your personnel manage Mr. Yzak um… is that ghoul? Sounds like." Cagalli frowned, her memory failing her again.

She laughed again but this time teasing, "Unfortunately it's Mr. Yzak Joule."

"Yah that's it! Hmm… He doesn't sound that pleasant to you, huh?"

"Well, he's arrogant. Thinks himself as everyone's boss like he's the one paying us all here…" The brown-haired girl said her jovial mood turning sour.

"I guess we're going to like each other. We both hate arrogant people, umm—"

"Shiho Hahnenfuss." Shiho offered her hand to Cagalli.

"Shiho." Cagalli finished her sentence as she shook Shiho's hand in return.

"Oh by the way here's your id. Just bring it with you and that door will open. Mr. Joule's office is the door at that corner." Shiho pointed at a door across a huge hall where ladies who seemed to be other applicants gathered outside. "Good luck to you, Cagalli. I hope to see you around here more often."

"I'd be glad to see you too, Shiho." Cagalli winked at her and walked towards the door.

XXX

"NEXT!" It hadn't been a minute and the door flew open once again, a girl whom Cagalli remembered entered smiling went out looking harassed. It seemed odd because the same thing always happened. Cagalli asked them why but they all seemed to have a common answer:

"He's horrible! I will never ever come back to this place again. I'll just think of another way to get close to him…"

You might wonder who was the 'him,' the girls were pertaining. Well allow Cagalli to tell you that it wasn't the personnel manager, Yzak, because from what she had heard a while ago…

XXX

"No matter what happens… I must get a job here at Z.E.! I'll take whatever job!" A lady said, clenching both fists.

That was the first thing Cagalli heard as soon as she reached the applicant's waiting area. Cagalli stared at the speaker's eyes and saw the burning determination in it. As the thought that she and the lady might be in same difficult situation struck her, Cagalli couldn't help but sympathized with her.

But as she observed everyone around, she slowly noticed that almost all applicants were not just eager to have a job but were actually DYING to get a job. Cagalli also noticed that ALL applicants were ladies and they were all wearing daring clothes. Some can't even be disturbed from brushing their over-brushed hair or applying cosmetics on their clown-like faces.

"He might pass any moment now…"

"What do you think of my hair should I tie it or left it undone?"

"Oh shit I forgot to bring my blusher! D'you have a pink one there… can I borrow?"

'What's the matter with these ladies?!' Since Cagalli's curiosity was taking her to the edge, she asked one of them.

"Excuse me… er is… you know 'total makeover' a requirement for this interview? And why are you guys so eager to get a job here where in fact there are a lot of companies in Aprillius city that have job openings?"

"Oh don't you know Athrun?!" She asked shocked.

"I've met a lot of Athrun… it's a common name you know."

The lady rolled her eyes and said, "Athrun Zala!?"

When Cagalli didn't respond, the lady hastily continued, "OMG! All my life I haven't met a single woman who doesn't know Athrun Zala! Tsk… tsk… anyway let me share to you the greatest blessing god has given to us ladies! Well… Athrun is just one of the most handsome and most eligible bachelors here in PLANTs. His family belongs to the ten most influential families in Earth and Plants! And he's also the president of this corporation that's why everyone here is dying to get a job because getting a job corresponds to getting close to him! Oh He's just so perfect how I wish I could be blah…blah…blah" Cagalli suddenly had an unnerving feeling about these girls and somehow she felt sorry for whoever Athrun Zala was.

XXX

So to cut the story short, they wanted a job just to stalk a guy.

XXX

"Close the door. Come here. Sit down. Faster. Don't waste my time." Those few words were the ones that welcomed Cagalli the moment she entered a gloomy disordered office that was even worsen by Yzak Joule's infamous scowl.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Joule" She greeted with a fake smile as she handed him her application form.

The guy snatched the form not even minding to look at her. Then he began reading it.

"What a lousy course! You didn't even acquire a major degree! And what's this school you've graduated in! I don't even know such school exists! With that spiteful background of yours do you really think you can meet the standards of our company! Do you even know what company you're applying in now?"

"Shiho was right." Cagalli mumbled unintentionally.

"Do you know you've just mentioned that witch's name in front of me?" He muttered darkly under his breath.

"Oh Shiho? Shiho Hahnenfuss! Yes SHIHO told me that-"That was invitation enough to hell.

"I don't give a damn whatever that witch says! Now get out. I can not tolerate another witch in this company!"

XXX

"I hate him! I hate him! I HATE HIM!" Cagalli cursed the innocent fountain at the garden outside the building.

"I'm going to choke him to death until he vomits all those vile insults he told me!"

Passers-by began whispering behind their hands and shooting crazy looks at her. Cagalli, who became aware of it, began to feel her self disintegrating into itsy-bitsy pieces.

"Hmmm… I wonder if you might consider telling your problem calmly over here?" Cagalli's eyes fell upon a handsome blue-haired man behind one of the round tables.

"Athrun?" She blushed after knowing that he was able to witness the indecent thing she had done.

"Here take a seat." Athrun tapped a seat beside him. "Now will you tell me the reason why such a beautiful blonde have such an awful mood today?"

With that the embarrassment at Cagalli's face vanished the moment that incident with Yzak played back to her.

"That GIT! Yzak Joule, the personal manager of this company, is LOATHSOME! You know I went here to be interviewed for a job but what did he do?! He insulted me! He thinks of himself as so fine… so great! Great enough to insult my alma mater and my academic achievement! He didn't even give me a chance to be interviewed just because I didn't have a good background! And what can I do I can't afford to educate myself in a prestigious school such as his! Come on tell me! Do you think that's fair?!"

"Seemed like Yzak hasn't changed a bit…" Athrun laughed.

"You know him?" Cagalli couldn't believe it.

"Umm… actually he's a coworker…"

"And now you're telling me you also work here!? Athrun you always surprise me— starting from the shuttle, the hospital and now here! I wonder what's next. Though I must tell you I love surprises." Cagalli even winked at him.

"Let's see if I can make Yzak consider you for a position here…" Athrun said, changing the topic before it led to something else.

"You'll just waste time. He doesn't look like someone who takes favors especially from just a co-worker… but thanks anyway. Hmm by the way what are you doing here? Aha! Don't tell me you're skipping work? Hmm I think I must tell that to your manager so he will fire you and I can take your place." Cagalli warned teasingly.

"Hey don't do that! But if you want here…" Athrun opened his laptop and moved it closer to Cagalli. "I can let you watch Lacus' live concert with me." He bribed her.

"LACUS CLYNE! The PLANT pop star! She's also my idol and you know what I even talk to her in person when she went to Orb for a benefit concert for the orphans. I can say that she's a really kind person. And yes I also have a CD with her autograph. Too bad I left it in Orb but promise I'll show that to you one day! And you'll going to beg me just to let me have you touch it." Cagalli bragged.

"Oh really…" was all Athrun could say.

He couldn't wait to see her reaction once she discovered his real identity and found out that Lacus Clyne waswell just happened to be his personal friend.

'That would be interesting…' Athrun snickered evilly.

XXX

"Lacus, you simply did great!" The brown haired lad complimented the lady beside him as he maneuvered his blue sports car- the latest Strike GAT-X105 model. He was Kira Yamato an established matinee idol in PLANTs and Lacus' childhood friend.

"Kira, you never miss any of my concerts. Thanks a lot for the support." Lacus smiled appreciatively.

But Kira caught the sadness in Lacus' smile, "Athrun hmm… where was my bastard best friend, anyway?" Kira saw Lacus' head turned away. "Lacus don't think much about him. You know him… he's a very busy person but for sure he'll find a way to watch your concert even if it's only in TV! You'll see he'll call you later."

"I hope so…"

"Hmm… Lacus," Kira started as he began searching his pants' pocket for the two opera tickets he bought a while ago, "What do you think if we get out tonigh-"

Suddenly Lacus' cell phone rang and with the cheerful tone in Lacus voice as she excitedly received the call, Kira already knew who it was.

"ATHRUN! I know I know you don't have to tell me! But have you at least watched it on TV? Really! A dinner at 7 pm… Of course I would love to! Okay see yah! Take care!"

Kira glanced at Lacus as she talked to his best friend. The smile on her face was simply beautiful. And it hurt to see that it wasn't him who made that smile.

"Kira! You're right! Athrun just called me and he said my performance was fantastic though he wasn't able to watch it fully because he had a scheduled meeting but it's alright because he just asked me out on a dinner! Um… Kira you were saying something before Athrun called, right?"

"Oh that one… it's nothing." Kira forced a smile as he crumpled the tickets inside his pocket.

--To be continued--

pinkberry ü