Round 14: Employee of the Month
Title: Employee of the Month
Team: AU
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: 2NE1
Pairing: gen; CL/Teddy
Summary: CL is a mall cop. When a parrot escapes the pet store, CL goes on a mall-wide search to find it. As she does, she meets various people that work inside the mall.
Author's Note: love for the team ♥
Prompt Used: IU - Good day
Chaerin wishes that she hadn't used extra starch for her uniform today. She looks like a military officer and the only thing that she does approve of is her extra edgy shoulders.
After shifting uncomfortably in her clothes for a minute, Chaerin looks around. Kush sits in the back of the employee lobby with his feet up on the jet black coffee table. He has a cigarette in his fingers and though the manager points to the "no smoking" sign, Kush just laughs good-naturedly and keeps on puffing.
Seungho and Hyunjung practically hang off their plastic folding chairs, sitting with their legs sticking out and their heads thrown back.
“Gimme that" Seungho says, grabbing at a plastic lego model of Superman in Hyunjung's hands.
Hyunjung just laughs. He isn’t obnoxiously loud, but it grates on Chaerin’s ears nevertheless. Chaerin maintains her eye smile though. Because the manager, only known to Chaerin as Mr. Kwang, shakes her hand and passes Chaerin the blue, gold embossed folder that holds the paper-stock printed award.
“Employee of the Month. Chaerin Lee” the paper says in brown, almost fading, calligraphy ink.
“And this month’s employee of the month is, once again, Miss Chaerin Lee” Mr. Kwang announces to the rest of the mall security guards. Kush, Seungho, and Hyunjung clap disinterestedly and in an off, syncopated beat. And while Mr. Kwang coughs loudly into the cloud of smoke that Kush has just blown, he still insists on taking Chaerin’s picture for the “wall of fame”. Chaerin does her best not let her annoyance show on her face and grits her teeth hard.
# # #
Two hours later, Minji clocks in five minutes late, but she still remembers to congratulate Chaerin. Seungho and Hyunjung slap Minji high five as Minji relieves them of their shift.
“And your uniform looks extra spiffy today, Chaerin Unni” Minji remarks with a shy smile.
It brings a grin to Chaerin’s face and she stands a little taller. Her shoulders are a little heavier what with the little tacky badges that Mr. Kwang insists that the employees of the month should wear like flairs on their shoulders. She has her baton and her taser gun tucked in her utility belt; she feels invincible. Besides, she has a utility belt. Like Batman.
But as Chaerin gives Minji a “good luck” sign with her hand, she sees something from the corner of her eye. It’s tropical green and there’s a resounding squawk from the ceiling. It’s not until a mall-goer cries out, “Oh look! A bird got inside!” that Chaerin grips her walkie-talkie.
“Don’t worry Minji” Chaerin says into the speaker. “I got this one.”
She hikes up her pants, which are a little too long even though they’ve been hemmed. She wishes she had some heels for some height to make her look as fierce as she feels. But the flat, yet comfortable boots go with the job description. Luckily, she has her handy dandy “Soldja Boy” with her. And she’s not afraid to use it.
# # #
Technically, only two mall cops (on on the upper levels, and the other on the lower levels) are allowed to use Segways. However, Chaerin uses the weight of her “employee of the month” status in a perfectly calculated manner. And really, this particular perk is the only reason she puts up with Mr. Kwang and his idiosyncrasies.
She had named her Segway “Soldja Boy” right off the bat. It was brand new; she had been the one to break it in. And though she knows it isn’t technically hers, she takes care of it like it is. It’s her baby. Strong, sleek, amazing, and basically just wonderful, Soldja Boy really reminds Chaerin of a certain someone else. But she keeps it to herself. Right now, she can’t tell anyone even if she wants to. Chaerin is a busy girl. She is in hot pursuit.
“Ey-yo” comes Kush’s voice crackling through the walkie-talkie.
“Not now, Kush oppa” Chaerin hisses.
“Er--but I spotted the thing near the food court!”
“Roger. CL out.”
“What?”
“Just. Nevermind.”
Chaerin sighs and puffs some air into her bangs, upward. Sometimes, a girl’s got to do a job solo if she wants the job done right. She hangs a sharp turn and almost slams into Hyunjung and Seungho who are fighting over a purple Slurpee near the concessions stands.
“Whoa there Miss Employee of the Month. Don’t want to run innocent shoppers over.”
Chaerin growls. Really growls, then segways down the aisle of tables and chairs.
# # #
Chaerin loses sight of the bird when it goes diving into the first floor, under the escalators. She hops off Soldja Boy and cranes her neck down to Level 1. There, next to the pretzel stand, is Kush.
He waves to her from the first floor.
“Ey-yo!” Kush says through the walkie-talkie. “What’s hangin’?”
“The bird” Chaerin deadpans through the speaker. “It’s above the nail salon. If you could just-“
“Yeah, birdie’s on my turf now. Chillax, girl!”
Kush waves half a pretzel at Chaerin and some cheese dip peeks out of the corner of his mouth.
“I got this. Don’t worry.”
And with that, Kush strolls over to the nail salon, chatting up customers and looking at through their purchases as he goes.
# # #
Chaerin knows it’s unprofessional, but she let’s out an angry and frustrated yell anyway. A girl from the pogo stick shop comes running out.
“Is everything okay? I heard there was a bird loose somewhere...”
The girl looks apprehensively toward the ceiling, ducking her head unnecessarily. She has a pretty face, Chaerin notices. But she’s wearing this god awful orange make-up and her hair is in ringlets. Tiny ponytailed ringlets.
“Um. It’s safe for now” Chaerin tells her, patting her shoulder sympathetically.
After all, it is her responsibility to keep peace in this mall. Besides, when Chaerin looks up at the store the girl’s come out of, the sign reads: “Pogo-holics!”
“Oh good” says the store girl, breathing a sigh of relief. “My name is Sandara by the way, but you can call me Dara.”
Dara smiles and Chaerin notices how her chubby cheeks press inward. Damn. Chaerin hates it when her weakness (to cute items) is exposed. She clears her throat.
“Ahem, I’m Lee Chaerin. I’m the Level 2 Mall Security.”
“Oooo,” Dara suddenly coos. “You’ve been employee of the month, three times???”
Chaerin coughs behind a closed fist. It’s not like she likes to brag or anything, but...
“Yeah” Chaerin replies. “Mr. Kwang, you know?” Chaerin says like it should explain things, shrugging.
Just then Chaerin’s walkie-talkie crackles.
“Ey, CL” comes Kush’s voice. “I lost sight of the bird. Oops.”
“CL Unni” comes Minji’s voice. “Mr. Kwang wants you to check the pet store. There’s been a call...”
There’s slight worry and excitement in Minji’s voice and that gets Chaerin’s adrenaline pumping again.
“So your friends call you CL, huh?” says Dara, but Chaerin’s already hopping onto her Segway.
“Sorry, can’t talk. I have a parrot to find.”
As Chaerin goes rolling down the mall way, Dara shouts behind her, “Good luck CL-roo! And be careful!”
CL-roo?, wonders Chaerin, but the thought immediately escapes her as she sees the two workers of “Fur-vacious” flagging her down.
# # #
“Oh em gee!” Daesung exclaims when Chaerin comes to a halt, as she leans forward on her Segway. “Our Nokdoo, our pretty Nokdoo has flown the coop!”
“Nokdoo? The parrot?”
Daesung nods furiously and it’s then that Chaerin notices Seungri sauntering out from the back room. He scratching the back of his head, looking, as always, pathetic and perpetually partied out.
“Find her yet?” Seungri asks.
Both Chaerin and Daesung seethe, almost devouring Seungri with their angry eyes.
“Do you know much effort it takes to catch a bird in this huge mall?!” Chaerin shouts.
“And who’s fault is it for leaving Nokdoo’s cage open?!” shrills Daesung.
“Ack” Seungri says, covering his ears with the palms of his hands. “Okay, okay. I get it. The thing is... well, our shift ends in about an hour or so.”
Of course, Chaerin remembers belatedly that the pet store closes early. It’s either she finds the parrot within the hour, or she’s stuck with said parrot until tomorrow when her shift starts.
“Great. This is just fucking great” says Chaerin, chewing her gum into Seungri’s face.
The walkie-talkie crackles to life again.
“Unni” comes Minji’s disembodied voice. “Nokdoo’s been spotted in the south corridor, next to ‘Ladies Do’.”
“Ladies Do?” asks Chaerin.
If Chaerin remembers right, it’s one of those girly stores that recently came in, advertising skinny girls with plastic faces and similar looking wannabe store clerks.
“It’s, um. I think it’s the make-up store next to the pogo stick shop” says Minji, hesitantly.
Daesung steps in just in time.
“Yep. Hair and make-up products. Basically it’s a beauty supply store” he says expertly. “Right next to Pogo-holics.”
There’s an eye smile waiting for Chaerin when she looks into Daesung’s face in wonder. Sure, Daesung’s been working at this mall longer than Chaerin has, but still. Boy’s got skills. Or... just very odd hobbies.
Chaerin gets back on her Segway and bids Daesung a thank you and goodbye. She blatantly ignores Seungri.
As she wheels away, Daesung cries out behind her, “Tell Bom Noona that I say ‘Hey’!”
Chaerin has no idea who this ‘Bom Noona’ is. But she has bigger fish (birds) to fry. She spots the lime green tail feather slipping into the back of the Ladies Do store sign.
# # #
There’s this kind of distracted air to the pretty girl who works the register at Ladies Do. She walks in really nice and really high, pointy heels that has Chaerin doing a double take. This girl has really nice legs.
“Oh sure” the girl says. “Dara told me all about it. She gets lonely you see.”
“The bird?” asks Chaerin, confused. But that just makes the clerk laugh.
“Oh no, not the parrot. I meant Dara. She gets lonely working in that silly pogo store all by herself. And recently, the guy who works the shifts with me at this store came down with a really bad disease. So I’m stuck working here alone and Dara’s alone too. So Dara visits frequently.”
The girl smiles like she’s just told Chaerin some good news. There's a temptation to become really confused by this lovely girl in front of her, but instead, Chaerin focuses on surveying the interior of the store. This place is supposed to be a beauty supply store, so why would it attract birds?
It’s then that Chaerin notices a peculiar smell. Five seconds later, something beeps from the back room.
“Oh!” exclaims the clerk. She looks a lot more livelier than before. “There’s my corn!”
The girl skips to the back and opens what appears to be a miniature microwave. There’s a tupperware bowl in there, piping hot with steam. And the girl is already rubbing her hands excitedly in anticipation.
It’s then that Dara decides to visit the beauty supply store.
“Oh! CL-roo!” greets Dara. Chaerin just waves as she gets ready to move on. The bird has most likely flown away by now.
And when Chaerin turns to bid the clerk of Ladies Do farewell, Dara stops her.
“I wouldn’t if I were you” Dara tells her, hand on Chaerin’s arm. “Bom doesn’t get too happy when you bother her corn eatin’ time.”
“Corn eating time?”
Dara nods enthusiastically.
“Bommie really likes her corn.”
# # #
Though Chaerin would never admit it, she’s a little freaked out by the weird unnis that man the stores on Level 2. She makes a hasty goodbye and quickly follows Minji’s tip about the parrot.
“Nokdoo is heading downstairs again!”
This time, Chaerin doesn’t want to leave the matter to Kush. Not only does he not care, but he’s off duty in about half an hour. This only means that Kush’s apathy level has increased tenfold.
Chaerin hops on the elevator with Soldja Boy. Mall Employee regulations state that elevators should be for the exclusive use of mall patrons, but Chaerin’s a little pressed for time. Fur-vacious is set to close real soon.
When she finally follows the parrot’s trail, she ends up at a mall cart. It’s one of those stands in the middle of the aisles where they sell little trinkets and such. This time, it’s a stand that sells tops.
“Best tops in the world” says the cart attendant. “Wanna try one, Miss Cop? They spin for hours. Seriously.”
Chaerin turns to the employee, who is decked out in a purple suit. He has this flashy hair, bleached white, and it looks as if he’s sporting some smokey eye make-up.
“Uhm” Chaerin says, a little dazed. “Have you seen a green parrot flying around here?”
“Oh” says the employee. “Not one for manners, I see.”
The guy cocks his eyebrow and it makes Chaerin feel like she's being made fun of for a long second before she realizes that she hasn’t even introduced herself.
“I’m Chaerin. Lee Chaerin. I’m the security on duty right now. We’re having a small problem with a green parrot from Fur-vacious. Have you seen--?”
“Well, nice to meet you Lee Chaerin. I’m T.O.P. You can call me TOP.”
TOP smirks, smug.
“Now” he continues. “I’ll tell you about your bird, if you’ll do either one of two things. One.” TOP holds up a pointer finger. “Buy a super deluxe, battery operated top from this stand. Two.” Another finger goes up. “Tell me something about Park Bom.”
# # #
“Excuse me?” Chaerin asks, because she’s not quite sure she’s heard this right. “Buy a top or what?”
“Tell me something about Park Bom. You know, the one that works at Ladies Do? I hear that her boyfriend who used to work with her got sick. So basically she’s single. But I need some other inside info to really up my game. Help a guy out?”
Chaerin stares, incredulous.
“I know where the birdie flew” he reminds her. “You need that birdie, correct?”
Chaerin sighs.
“Look. TOP, was it? I just met Bom unnie today. I don’t know anything about her except for that she works at Ladies Do, has some killer shoes, and will practically do anything for corn. I need to catch this parrot, like ten minutes ago, so that I can return it to the pet store. So please, can you just--?”
“Corn huh?”
TOP smoothes his chin with his thumb.
“Alright. Good intel.”
Chaerin watches as the guy reaches above the cart on his tip-toes. When his arm comes down, Chaerin sees...
“Nokdoo!”
“Yeah, caught him a while back because I was afraid he’d shit all over my suit. Take him. He’s yours.”
“He’s yours!” the parrot screeches. And Chaerin’s never been so glad to hear such a racket.
# # #
Chaerin races to Fur-vacious as fast as she can with a parrot on her shoulder. But when she arrives, the doors are locked and the windows are dark.
“Damn it” she mutters.
“Damn it” the parrot echos.
There’s a note, tacked to the corner of the door and Chaerin rips it off. It reads something about how Daesung has a concert to go to and how Seungri is miffed at her for ignoring her. Chaerin crumples the note and sighs. It looks like she’s going to have to keep the parrot with her all night.
Normally, it wouldn’t be such a hassle. Chaerin likes animals after all. But a parrot means losing her ability to blend in because who can be stealthy when there’s a tropical green fowl on your shoulder?
She kicks at the door in frustration.
“Teddy Oppa...” Chaerin sighs.
“Teddy Oppa” the bird repeats.
“Shut up!”
“Shut up!”
Chaerin gets back on her Segway. There’s no point in arguing with a living, breathing echo. She supposes she won’t be able to do what she does every day towards the end of her shift. She supposes that, for once, she’ll have to forgo the thing that has been her main reason for working at the mall in the first place.
Teddy Park.
# # # #
When Chaerin gets back to Level 2, Dara is the first to run up to her.
“Oh my gosh!” she cries out, keeping a 3 meter distance between herself and the bird. “You found it!”
“Yeah” Chaerin replies glumly. “Whoo-hoo.”
“You don’t look so happy. Is the parrot scary?”
Chaerin shakes her head. “Nothing like that. The bird’s actually pretty tame once you get to know him. But I’ve got a loose string around his leg band just in case.”
Dara looks more relieved after hearing about the string. She draws closer and even ventures to stroke the bird’s feathers.
“Pretty” Dara coos.
“Pretty” the parrot repeats back.
Dara goes pink with pleasure.
“Where’s Bom Unni?” Chaerin asks, trying to get her mind off of her failed plans. “Did her shift end already?”
“Oh no” Dara says, suddenly a little wilted. “She works full-time. But...”
Chaerin follows Dara into Ladies Do. Dara has already gone and closed up shop on Pogo-holics. She explains to Chaerin that, since Pogo-holics closes early, she’s offered to help Bom with the work at Ladies Do.
When Chaerin and Dara walk into the store, Chaerin spies Bom, looking as distracted as ever.
“Oh hello” Bom says when they enter. “See you’ve found the birdie-boo. Good job.”
But her words sound far off and distant. Chaerin looks to Dara for an explanation, but Dara just looks as if she can’t decide whether she is angry or about to cry.
“What--?” Chaerin starts to ask, but before she can get the whole question out, she notices that Dara is glaring at a large basket on the counter.
When Chaerin looks closely, she notices that it is a huge basket of corn, arranged in the shape of a top.
“With love” it says on the card inscription. “From your admirer.”
Chaerin raises a brow. She knows who this is from and this is partially her fault. She hesitates, wondering if she should explain this to Bom and to Dara.
“I see you have a secret admirer” Chaerin carefully says to Bom.
“Yeah” says Bom dreamily, a little smile playing on her lips. “Isn’t it lovely?”
“More like creepy” pouts Dara. “It could be an old perverted man for all we know.”
“Well... I guess the idea of having an admirer is kind of romantic...?” says Chaerin, fidgeting uncomfortably. “I mean, I wouldn’t know though I hope it’s true for the person being admired...”
“No, not the admirer. I mean the corn” says Bom. “Have you ever seen such golden kernels?”
There’s a silence of about three seconds. And then Dara bursts out in giggles, hugging Bom’s neck, saying things like, “Of course, that’s our Bommie for you.”
But suddenly, the spotlight is turned on Chaerin.
“What do you mean by ‘hoping it’s true’?” asks Bom, suddenly,
Dara, still hanging on Bom’s neck, perks up.
“Yeah, who did you mean?” Dara asks, grinning. “Are you in the process of secretly admiring someone?”
As if a lightbulb had suddenly went off, Dara stiffens.
“You wouldn’t be the person who sent that corn basket, would you?” Dara asks sharply.
“No” says Chaerin, side-eyeing the corn basket. “No, I wouldn’t ever think to send a corn basket.”
“Then, who?” asks Bom, eyes wide and focused on Chaerin for once. “Tell us.”
“Yes, tell us!” Dara says excitedly.
And Chaerin doesn’t know if it’s because she’s had a long day, or if it’s because these weird unnis have some kind of effect on her, but she ends up spilling the feelings she’s never told anyone before.
# # #
“The first time I saw him” Chaerin starts, “is even before I worked here. I don’t know if you two know, but there is a large music store here on Level 3. Not many people know this, but that music store is owned and operated by one of the greatest record companies around here, called YG.”
“Did you know that?” Dara whispers to Bom.
“Shh...so what happened then?”
“He was working at the music store here at this mall. And on the day I met him, YG was holding a huge event for audition tapes and CDs. His name...is Teddy. And he was the most wonderful guy I had ever seen.”
There’s a collective sigh from the two unnis. And when Chaerin stops, they goad her to continue, so Chaerin does.
“He still works here. But on that day, I only managed to hand him my tape and tell him my name and number in case I was chosen by YG... I haven’t heard from them though and it’s already been three months. I started working here on a whim, really. Just so I could be close to Teddy Oppa. I hear he works as a producer now. But he’s still manager of the music store and he comes in every day at 4:30PM to pick up the sales receipts of the day before.”
“Four thirty?” asks Bom.
“Yeah” Chaerin tells her sheepishly. “Every day at four thirty, I stake out near the music store to catch a glimpse of him.”
“Four thirty!” squawks the parrot.
The three of them flinch, having forgotten the presence of the bird. Then, they laugh as the bird keeps repeating “four thirty” and “Teddy Oppa”.
“That’s so romantic” sighs Dara, her hand supporting her chin. “You’re younger than me, but this story makes me want to make you my romance role model.”
Chaerin blushes at her neck.
“I’ve never told anyone all of this before...”
“Don’t worry” says Bom, a firm set to her lips. “We won’t tell a soul, will we Dara?”
Dara shakes her head firmly.
“Not a soul.”
# # #
There’s a saying that says something along the lines of “you dig your own grave with the friends you make”. She’s sure of it.
Because when Bom and Dara remind her that there is a employee party this Saturday, Chaerin agrees to go with them. Minji, who Chaerin had introduced to Bom and Dara, is included as they all decide to go as a group.
It’s at night at the mall, after all the shops close down and the theme, they are told, is “A Tropical Paradise”. So when Daesung arrives with Nokdoo in hand, Chaerin is kind of surprised at how friendly she feels toward the bird even though she had had to go through hell and back to catch the darned thing.
“CL!” yells Daesung, spotting her through the crowd. “You came!”
“Yeah” Chaerin says gruffly. “I did.”
“You never come to company parties” Daesung accuses. “That’s why Seungri stopped after a while, saying that you were never going to be cooler than him or something like that.”
Chaerin scoffs at the mention of Seungri, but reaches up to stroke Nokdoo.
“Hey” she whispers to it softly, “how you been?”
“Four thirty!” squawks Nokdoo. And Chaerin, realizing the significance, blushes red.
Bom and Dara titter behind Chaerin, but Chaerin composes herself. Surely the bird doesn’t remember everything. And even if it did, it wasn’t as if Teddy was going to be at the party. He was too busy for these kinds of things.
But just as these thoughts pass through her head, there’s a small ruckus at the entrance. Chaerin goes to look, her duties as security officer running on auto-pilot.
The first person she sees is Kush. He’s grinning and is whispering into the ear of some girl who works at the ice cream store. Chaerin rolls her eyes. Then she sees Seungri and laughs a little. It looks as if he’s imitated TOP’s purple attire while TOP, in the flesh, wears a white linen suit ensemble. But the next person to enter the room, takes Chaerin’s breath away.
“Teddy Oppa” Chaerin breathes. And before she can stop herself, she’s pushing through the crowd and backing away. She’s mortified and, though running away isn’t in her character, she feels like she’s been caught stalking him or something. There’s a heat rising heavily through her top and towards her neck. Her heart thumps like it’s playing several songs at once.
# # #
“I have to get out of here” Chaerin tells Bom and Dara. “I can’t stay.”
“But why, unni?” asks Minji, who’s just come from the dance floor, sweaty and slightly out of breath. “It’s just getting fun...”
“Sorry Minji. I have to go, I...”
Chaerin catches the glint in Dara’s eye.
“Dara unni” says Chaerin carefully. “What have you done?”
She turns her wide eyes to a certain corner of the room and Chaerin’s eyes follow. There’s Bom looking spacey but happy as she talks with Teddy Oppa nearly ten feet away. There’s something that burns within Chaerin’s chest. Because Chaerin knows that Bom unni has many admirers, because she knows that Teddy has probably heard that demo tape sent to YG way back when, because Teddy oppa probably has never had a second thought about Chaerin nor her skills...
“Nothing” replies Dara innocently. “I just mentioned to the music store employees that there would be some fresh meat here at the party. And that...some people may be performing their own stuff...”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh but I did” says Dara smiling. She holds up a familiar looking CD. Chaerin’s own name is stamped to the front. “I have your audition files and the MR is ready for you. All you have to do is go out there and do your best.”
Chaerin pales. It was one thing to encounter Teddy Oppa at this party. It was an entirely different one to perform without prior notice in front of him.
“If it helps” Dara says to her. “Bom will be performing too. I didn’t want to make it obvious that this was my scheme to get Teddy to notice you.”
Naive as always, it’s Dara’s ridiculous plan that makes Chaerin laugh. Chaerin looks at Minji’s worried eyes and glances at the people around her having a good time. She supposes there’s nothing to lose. So what if she makes a fool of herself? She had never been anything to Teddy Oppa anyway. It was just a silly bout of infatuation...
“I’ll do it” says Chaerin, fists clenched.
Minji whoops in cheer and Dara pumps a fist in the air. And when Chaerin looks back to where Bom had been standing, there Bom is smiling the largest Chaerin’s ever seen. Dara goes to tell the DJ that the gig is on. And in a few minutes, Chaerin hears her name being announced and called up to the stage.
Chaerin grips the mic given to her tightly. The first intro notes to her performance piece come on and she takes a deep breath. She can do this. She’s done it many times. She closes her eyes tight, makes a quick prayer and stalks up onto the stage.
When she starts rapping, her eyes find Teddy’s first. She holds his gaze for the first verse of the song. But after that, Chaerin realizes she has the crowd in the palm of her hand. She quickly takes a breath before the second verse and begins to really perform.
Later, Minji and Dara are the first to come up and hug her while everyone claps her on the back to cheer. Bom unni is preparing to go up on stage, but even Bom is grinning at Chaerin.
“I knew you could do it” someone says but it’s not a familiar one.
Chaerin turns around.
It’s Teddy.
“I recognize your voice” he says in that unique voice and lilt of his. “From the audition tapes. You’re CL right? I’m Teddy Park.”
And before Chaerin can say, “I know. I’ve kind of just always known”, a parrot comes sailing down onto Chaerin’s shoulder.
“Teddy Oppa!” Nokdoo squawks. “Teddy Oppa!”
Poll Round 14: Employee of the Month
Team: AU
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: 2NE1
Pairing: gen; CL/Teddy
Summary: CL is a mall cop. When a parrot escapes the pet store, CL goes on a mall-wide search to find it. As she does, she meets various people that work inside the mall.
Author's Note: love for the team ♥
Prompt Used: IU - Good day
Chaerin wishes that she hadn't used extra starch for her uniform today. She looks like a military officer and the only thing that she does approve of is her extra edgy shoulders.
After shifting uncomfortably in her clothes for a minute, Chaerin looks around. Kush sits in the back of the employee lobby with his feet up on the jet black coffee table. He has a cigarette in his fingers and though the manager points to the "no smoking" sign, Kush just laughs good-naturedly and keeps on puffing.
Seungho and Hyunjung practically hang off their plastic folding chairs, sitting with their legs sticking out and their heads thrown back.
“Gimme that" Seungho says, grabbing at a plastic lego model of Superman in Hyunjung's hands.
Hyunjung just laughs. He isn’t obnoxiously loud, but it grates on Chaerin’s ears nevertheless. Chaerin maintains her eye smile though. Because the manager, only known to Chaerin as Mr. Kwang, shakes her hand and passes Chaerin the blue, gold embossed folder that holds the paper-stock printed award.
“Employee of the Month. Chaerin Lee” the paper says in brown, almost fading, calligraphy ink.
“And this month’s employee of the month is, once again, Miss Chaerin Lee” Mr. Kwang announces to the rest of the mall security guards. Kush, Seungho, and Hyunjung clap disinterestedly and in an off, syncopated beat. And while Mr. Kwang coughs loudly into the cloud of smoke that Kush has just blown, he still insists on taking Chaerin’s picture for the “wall of fame”. Chaerin does her best not let her annoyance show on her face and grits her teeth hard.
# # #
Two hours later, Minji clocks in five minutes late, but she still remembers to congratulate Chaerin. Seungho and Hyunjung slap Minji high five as Minji relieves them of their shift.
“And your uniform looks extra spiffy today, Chaerin Unni” Minji remarks with a shy smile.
It brings a grin to Chaerin’s face and she stands a little taller. Her shoulders are a little heavier what with the little tacky badges that Mr. Kwang insists that the employees of the month should wear like flairs on their shoulders. She has her baton and her taser gun tucked in her utility belt; she feels invincible. Besides, she has a utility belt. Like Batman.
But as Chaerin gives Minji a “good luck” sign with her hand, she sees something from the corner of her eye. It’s tropical green and there’s a resounding squawk from the ceiling. It’s not until a mall-goer cries out, “Oh look! A bird got inside!” that Chaerin grips her walkie-talkie.
“Don’t worry Minji” Chaerin says into the speaker. “I got this one.”
She hikes up her pants, which are a little too long even though they’ve been hemmed. She wishes she had some heels for some height to make her look as fierce as she feels. But the flat, yet comfortable boots go with the job description. Luckily, she has her handy dandy “Soldja Boy” with her. And she’s not afraid to use it.
# # #
Technically, only two mall cops (on on the upper levels, and the other on the lower levels) are allowed to use Segways. However, Chaerin uses the weight of her “employee of the month” status in a perfectly calculated manner. And really, this particular perk is the only reason she puts up with Mr. Kwang and his idiosyncrasies.
She had named her Segway “Soldja Boy” right off the bat. It was brand new; she had been the one to break it in. And though she knows it isn’t technically hers, she takes care of it like it is. It’s her baby. Strong, sleek, amazing, and basically just wonderful, Soldja Boy really reminds Chaerin of a certain someone else. But she keeps it to herself. Right now, she can’t tell anyone even if she wants to. Chaerin is a busy girl. She is in hot pursuit.
“Ey-yo” comes Kush’s voice crackling through the walkie-talkie.
“Not now, Kush oppa” Chaerin hisses.
“Er--but I spotted the thing near the food court!”
“Roger. CL out.”
“What?”
“Just. Nevermind.”
Chaerin sighs and puffs some air into her bangs, upward. Sometimes, a girl’s got to do a job solo if she wants the job done right. She hangs a sharp turn and almost slams into Hyunjung and Seungho who are fighting over a purple Slurpee near the concessions stands.
“Whoa there Miss Employee of the Month. Don’t want to run innocent shoppers over.”
Chaerin growls. Really growls, then segways down the aisle of tables and chairs.
# # #
Chaerin loses sight of the bird when it goes diving into the first floor, under the escalators. She hops off Soldja Boy and cranes her neck down to Level 1. There, next to the pretzel stand, is Kush.
He waves to her from the first floor.
“Ey-yo!” Kush says through the walkie-talkie. “What’s hangin’?”
“The bird” Chaerin deadpans through the speaker. “It’s above the nail salon. If you could just-“
“Yeah, birdie’s on my turf now. Chillax, girl!”
Kush waves half a pretzel at Chaerin and some cheese dip peeks out of the corner of his mouth.
“I got this. Don’t worry.”
And with that, Kush strolls over to the nail salon, chatting up customers and looking at through their purchases as he goes.
# # #
Chaerin knows it’s unprofessional, but she let’s out an angry and frustrated yell anyway. A girl from the pogo stick shop comes running out.
“Is everything okay? I heard there was a bird loose somewhere...”
The girl looks apprehensively toward the ceiling, ducking her head unnecessarily. She has a pretty face, Chaerin notices. But she’s wearing this god awful orange make-up and her hair is in ringlets. Tiny ponytailed ringlets.
“Um. It’s safe for now” Chaerin tells her, patting her shoulder sympathetically.
After all, it is her responsibility to keep peace in this mall. Besides, when Chaerin looks up at the store the girl’s come out of, the sign reads: “Pogo-holics!”
“Oh good” says the store girl, breathing a sigh of relief. “My name is Sandara by the way, but you can call me Dara.”
Dara smiles and Chaerin notices how her chubby cheeks press inward. Damn. Chaerin hates it when her weakness (to cute items) is exposed. She clears her throat.
“Ahem, I’m Lee Chaerin. I’m the Level 2 Mall Security.”
“Oooo,” Dara suddenly coos. “You’ve been employee of the month, three times???”
Chaerin coughs behind a closed fist. It’s not like she likes to brag or anything, but...
“Yeah” Chaerin replies. “Mr. Kwang, you know?” Chaerin says like it should explain things, shrugging.
Just then Chaerin’s walkie-talkie crackles.
“Ey, CL” comes Kush’s voice. “I lost sight of the bird. Oops.”
“CL Unni” comes Minji’s voice. “Mr. Kwang wants you to check the pet store. There’s been a call...”
There’s slight worry and excitement in Minji’s voice and that gets Chaerin’s adrenaline pumping again.
“So your friends call you CL, huh?” says Dara, but Chaerin’s already hopping onto her Segway.
“Sorry, can’t talk. I have a parrot to find.”
As Chaerin goes rolling down the mall way, Dara shouts behind her, “Good luck CL-roo! And be careful!”
CL-roo?, wonders Chaerin, but the thought immediately escapes her as she sees the two workers of “Fur-vacious” flagging her down.
# # #
“Oh em gee!” Daesung exclaims when Chaerin comes to a halt, as she leans forward on her Segway. “Our Nokdoo, our pretty Nokdoo has flown the coop!”
“Nokdoo? The parrot?”
Daesung nods furiously and it’s then that Chaerin notices Seungri sauntering out from the back room. He scratching the back of his head, looking, as always, pathetic and perpetually partied out.
“Find her yet?” Seungri asks.
Both Chaerin and Daesung seethe, almost devouring Seungri with their angry eyes.
“Do you know much effort it takes to catch a bird in this huge mall?!” Chaerin shouts.
“And who’s fault is it for leaving Nokdoo’s cage open?!” shrills Daesung.
“Ack” Seungri says, covering his ears with the palms of his hands. “Okay, okay. I get it. The thing is... well, our shift ends in about an hour or so.”
Of course, Chaerin remembers belatedly that the pet store closes early. It’s either she finds the parrot within the hour, or she’s stuck with said parrot until tomorrow when her shift starts.
“Great. This is just fucking great” says Chaerin, chewing her gum into Seungri’s face.
The walkie-talkie crackles to life again.
“Unni” comes Minji’s disembodied voice. “Nokdoo’s been spotted in the south corridor, next to ‘Ladies Do’.”
“Ladies Do?” asks Chaerin.
If Chaerin remembers right, it’s one of those girly stores that recently came in, advertising skinny girls with plastic faces and similar looking wannabe store clerks.
“It’s, um. I think it’s the make-up store next to the pogo stick shop” says Minji, hesitantly.
Daesung steps in just in time.
“Yep. Hair and make-up products. Basically it’s a beauty supply store” he says expertly. “Right next to Pogo-holics.”
There’s an eye smile waiting for Chaerin when she looks into Daesung’s face in wonder. Sure, Daesung’s been working at this mall longer than Chaerin has, but still. Boy’s got skills. Or... just very odd hobbies.
Chaerin gets back on her Segway and bids Daesung a thank you and goodbye. She blatantly ignores Seungri.
As she wheels away, Daesung cries out behind her, “Tell Bom Noona that I say ‘Hey’!”
Chaerin has no idea who this ‘Bom Noona’ is. But she has bigger fish (birds) to fry. She spots the lime green tail feather slipping into the back of the Ladies Do store sign.
# # #
There’s this kind of distracted air to the pretty girl who works the register at Ladies Do. She walks in really nice and really high, pointy heels that has Chaerin doing a double take. This girl has really nice legs.
“Oh sure” the girl says. “Dara told me all about it. She gets lonely you see.”
“The bird?” asks Chaerin, confused. But that just makes the clerk laugh.
“Oh no, not the parrot. I meant Dara. She gets lonely working in that silly pogo store all by herself. And recently, the guy who works the shifts with me at this store came down with a really bad disease. So I’m stuck working here alone and Dara’s alone too. So Dara visits frequently.”
The girl smiles like she’s just told Chaerin some good news. There's a temptation to become really confused by this lovely girl in front of her, but instead, Chaerin focuses on surveying the interior of the store. This place is supposed to be a beauty supply store, so why would it attract birds?
It’s then that Chaerin notices a peculiar smell. Five seconds later, something beeps from the back room.
“Oh!” exclaims the clerk. She looks a lot more livelier than before. “There’s my corn!”
The girl skips to the back and opens what appears to be a miniature microwave. There’s a tupperware bowl in there, piping hot with steam. And the girl is already rubbing her hands excitedly in anticipation.
It’s then that Dara decides to visit the beauty supply store.
“Oh! CL-roo!” greets Dara. Chaerin just waves as she gets ready to move on. The bird has most likely flown away by now.
And when Chaerin turns to bid the clerk of Ladies Do farewell, Dara stops her.
“I wouldn’t if I were you” Dara tells her, hand on Chaerin’s arm. “Bom doesn’t get too happy when you bother her corn eatin’ time.”
“Corn eating time?”
Dara nods enthusiastically.
“Bommie really likes her corn.”
# # #
Though Chaerin would never admit it, she’s a little freaked out by the weird unnis that man the stores on Level 2. She makes a hasty goodbye and quickly follows Minji’s tip about the parrot.
“Nokdoo is heading downstairs again!”
This time, Chaerin doesn’t want to leave the matter to Kush. Not only does he not care, but he’s off duty in about half an hour. This only means that Kush’s apathy level has increased tenfold.
Chaerin hops on the elevator with Soldja Boy. Mall Employee regulations state that elevators should be for the exclusive use of mall patrons, but Chaerin’s a little pressed for time. Fur-vacious is set to close real soon.
When she finally follows the parrot’s trail, she ends up at a mall cart. It’s one of those stands in the middle of the aisles where they sell little trinkets and such. This time, it’s a stand that sells tops.
“Best tops in the world” says the cart attendant. “Wanna try one, Miss Cop? They spin for hours. Seriously.”
Chaerin turns to the employee, who is decked out in a purple suit. He has this flashy hair, bleached white, and it looks as if he’s sporting some smokey eye make-up.
“Uhm” Chaerin says, a little dazed. “Have you seen a green parrot flying around here?”
“Oh” says the employee. “Not one for manners, I see.”
The guy cocks his eyebrow and it makes Chaerin feel like she's being made fun of for a long second before she realizes that she hasn’t even introduced herself.
“I’m Chaerin. Lee Chaerin. I’m the security on duty right now. We’re having a small problem with a green parrot from Fur-vacious. Have you seen--?”
“Well, nice to meet you Lee Chaerin. I’m T.O.P. You can call me TOP.”
TOP smirks, smug.
“Now” he continues. “I’ll tell you about your bird, if you’ll do either one of two things. One.” TOP holds up a pointer finger. “Buy a super deluxe, battery operated top from this stand. Two.” Another finger goes up. “Tell me something about Park Bom.”
# # #
“Excuse me?” Chaerin asks, because she’s not quite sure she’s heard this right. “Buy a top or what?”
“Tell me something about Park Bom. You know, the one that works at Ladies Do? I hear that her boyfriend who used to work with her got sick. So basically she’s single. But I need some other inside info to really up my game. Help a guy out?”
Chaerin stares, incredulous.
“I know where the birdie flew” he reminds her. “You need that birdie, correct?”
Chaerin sighs.
“Look. TOP, was it? I just met Bom unnie today. I don’t know anything about her except for that she works at Ladies Do, has some killer shoes, and will practically do anything for corn. I need to catch this parrot, like ten minutes ago, so that I can return it to the pet store. So please, can you just--?”
“Corn huh?”
TOP smoothes his chin with his thumb.
“Alright. Good intel.”
Chaerin watches as the guy reaches above the cart on his tip-toes. When his arm comes down, Chaerin sees...
“Nokdoo!”
“Yeah, caught him a while back because I was afraid he’d shit all over my suit. Take him. He’s yours.”
“He’s yours!” the parrot screeches. And Chaerin’s never been so glad to hear such a racket.
# # #
Chaerin races to Fur-vacious as fast as she can with a parrot on her shoulder. But when she arrives, the doors are locked and the windows are dark.
“Damn it” she mutters.
“Damn it” the parrot echos.
There’s a note, tacked to the corner of the door and Chaerin rips it off. It reads something about how Daesung has a concert to go to and how Seungri is miffed at her for ignoring her. Chaerin crumples the note and sighs. It looks like she’s going to have to keep the parrot with her all night.
Normally, it wouldn’t be such a hassle. Chaerin likes animals after all. But a parrot means losing her ability to blend in because who can be stealthy when there’s a tropical green fowl on your shoulder?
She kicks at the door in frustration.
“Teddy Oppa...” Chaerin sighs.
“Teddy Oppa” the bird repeats.
“Shut up!”
“Shut up!”
Chaerin gets back on her Segway. There’s no point in arguing with a living, breathing echo. She supposes she won’t be able to do what she does every day towards the end of her shift. She supposes that, for once, she’ll have to forgo the thing that has been her main reason for working at the mall in the first place.
Teddy Park.
# # # #
When Chaerin gets back to Level 2, Dara is the first to run up to her.
“Oh my gosh!” she cries out, keeping a 3 meter distance between herself and the bird. “You found it!”
“Yeah” Chaerin replies glumly. “Whoo-hoo.”
“You don’t look so happy. Is the parrot scary?”
Chaerin shakes her head. “Nothing like that. The bird’s actually pretty tame once you get to know him. But I’ve got a loose string around his leg band just in case.”
Dara looks more relieved after hearing about the string. She draws closer and even ventures to stroke the bird’s feathers.
“Pretty” Dara coos.
“Pretty” the parrot repeats back.
Dara goes pink with pleasure.
“Where’s Bom Unni?” Chaerin asks, trying to get her mind off of her failed plans. “Did her shift end already?”
“Oh no” Dara says, suddenly a little wilted. “She works full-time. But...”
Chaerin follows Dara into Ladies Do. Dara has already gone and closed up shop on Pogo-holics. She explains to Chaerin that, since Pogo-holics closes early, she’s offered to help Bom with the work at Ladies Do.
When Chaerin and Dara walk into the store, Chaerin spies Bom, looking as distracted as ever.
“Oh hello” Bom says when they enter. “See you’ve found the birdie-boo. Good job.”
But her words sound far off and distant. Chaerin looks to Dara for an explanation, but Dara just looks as if she can’t decide whether she is angry or about to cry.
“What--?” Chaerin starts to ask, but before she can get the whole question out, she notices that Dara is glaring at a large basket on the counter.
When Chaerin looks closely, she notices that it is a huge basket of corn, arranged in the shape of a top.
“With love” it says on the card inscription. “From your admirer.”
Chaerin raises a brow. She knows who this is from and this is partially her fault. She hesitates, wondering if she should explain this to Bom and to Dara.
“I see you have a secret admirer” Chaerin carefully says to Bom.
“Yeah” says Bom dreamily, a little smile playing on her lips. “Isn’t it lovely?”
“More like creepy” pouts Dara. “It could be an old perverted man for all we know.”
“Well... I guess the idea of having an admirer is kind of romantic...?” says Chaerin, fidgeting uncomfortably. “I mean, I wouldn’t know though I hope it’s true for the person being admired...”
“No, not the admirer. I mean the corn” says Bom. “Have you ever seen such golden kernels?”
There’s a silence of about three seconds. And then Dara bursts out in giggles, hugging Bom’s neck, saying things like, “Of course, that’s our Bommie for you.”
But suddenly, the spotlight is turned on Chaerin.
“What do you mean by ‘hoping it’s true’?” asks Bom, suddenly,
Dara, still hanging on Bom’s neck, perks up.
“Yeah, who did you mean?” Dara asks, grinning. “Are you in the process of secretly admiring someone?”
As if a lightbulb had suddenly went off, Dara stiffens.
“You wouldn’t be the person who sent that corn basket, would you?” Dara asks sharply.
“No” says Chaerin, side-eyeing the corn basket. “No, I wouldn’t ever think to send a corn basket.”
“Then, who?” asks Bom, eyes wide and focused on Chaerin for once. “Tell us.”
“Yes, tell us!” Dara says excitedly.
And Chaerin doesn’t know if it’s because she’s had a long day, or if it’s because these weird unnis have some kind of effect on her, but she ends up spilling the feelings she’s never told anyone before.
# # #
“The first time I saw him” Chaerin starts, “is even before I worked here. I don’t know if you two know, but there is a large music store here on Level 3. Not many people know this, but that music store is owned and operated by one of the greatest record companies around here, called YG.”
“Did you know that?” Dara whispers to Bom.
“Shh...so what happened then?”
“He was working at the music store here at this mall. And on the day I met him, YG was holding a huge event for audition tapes and CDs. His name...is Teddy. And he was the most wonderful guy I had ever seen.”
There’s a collective sigh from the two unnis. And when Chaerin stops, they goad her to continue, so Chaerin does.
“He still works here. But on that day, I only managed to hand him my tape and tell him my name and number in case I was chosen by YG... I haven’t heard from them though and it’s already been three months. I started working here on a whim, really. Just so I could be close to Teddy Oppa. I hear he works as a producer now. But he’s still manager of the music store and he comes in every day at 4:30PM to pick up the sales receipts of the day before.”
“Four thirty?” asks Bom.
“Yeah” Chaerin tells her sheepishly. “Every day at four thirty, I stake out near the music store to catch a glimpse of him.”
“Four thirty!” squawks the parrot.
The three of them flinch, having forgotten the presence of the bird. Then, they laugh as the bird keeps repeating “four thirty” and “Teddy Oppa”.
“That’s so romantic” sighs Dara, her hand supporting her chin. “You’re younger than me, but this story makes me want to make you my romance role model.”
Chaerin blushes at her neck.
“I’ve never told anyone all of this before...”
“Don’t worry” says Bom, a firm set to her lips. “We won’t tell a soul, will we Dara?”
Dara shakes her head firmly.
“Not a soul.”
# # #
There’s a saying that says something along the lines of “you dig your own grave with the friends you make”. She’s sure of it.
Because when Bom and Dara remind her that there is a employee party this Saturday, Chaerin agrees to go with them. Minji, who Chaerin had introduced to Bom and Dara, is included as they all decide to go as a group.
It’s at night at the mall, after all the shops close down and the theme, they are told, is “A Tropical Paradise”. So when Daesung arrives with Nokdoo in hand, Chaerin is kind of surprised at how friendly she feels toward the bird even though she had had to go through hell and back to catch the darned thing.
“CL!” yells Daesung, spotting her through the crowd. “You came!”
“Yeah” Chaerin says gruffly. “I did.”
“You never come to company parties” Daesung accuses. “That’s why Seungri stopped after a while, saying that you were never going to be cooler than him or something like that.”
Chaerin scoffs at the mention of Seungri, but reaches up to stroke Nokdoo.
“Hey” she whispers to it softly, “how you been?”
“Four thirty!” squawks Nokdoo. And Chaerin, realizing the significance, blushes red.
Bom and Dara titter behind Chaerin, but Chaerin composes herself. Surely the bird doesn’t remember everything. And even if it did, it wasn’t as if Teddy was going to be at the party. He was too busy for these kinds of things.
But just as these thoughts pass through her head, there’s a small ruckus at the entrance. Chaerin goes to look, her duties as security officer running on auto-pilot.
The first person she sees is Kush. He’s grinning and is whispering into the ear of some girl who works at the ice cream store. Chaerin rolls her eyes. Then she sees Seungri and laughs a little. It looks as if he’s imitated TOP’s purple attire while TOP, in the flesh, wears a white linen suit ensemble. But the next person to enter the room, takes Chaerin’s breath away.
“Teddy Oppa” Chaerin breathes. And before she can stop herself, she’s pushing through the crowd and backing away. She’s mortified and, though running away isn’t in her character, she feels like she’s been caught stalking him or something. There’s a heat rising heavily through her top and towards her neck. Her heart thumps like it’s playing several songs at once.
# # #
“I have to get out of here” Chaerin tells Bom and Dara. “I can’t stay.”
“But why, unni?” asks Minji, who’s just come from the dance floor, sweaty and slightly out of breath. “It’s just getting fun...”
“Sorry Minji. I have to go, I...”
Chaerin catches the glint in Dara’s eye.
“Dara unni” says Chaerin carefully. “What have you done?”
She turns her wide eyes to a certain corner of the room and Chaerin’s eyes follow. There’s Bom looking spacey but happy as she talks with Teddy Oppa nearly ten feet away. There’s something that burns within Chaerin’s chest. Because Chaerin knows that Bom unni has many admirers, because she knows that Teddy has probably heard that demo tape sent to YG way back when, because Teddy oppa probably has never had a second thought about Chaerin nor her skills...
“Nothing” replies Dara innocently. “I just mentioned to the music store employees that there would be some fresh meat here at the party. And that...some people may be performing their own stuff...”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh but I did” says Dara smiling. She holds up a familiar looking CD. Chaerin’s own name is stamped to the front. “I have your audition files and the MR is ready for you. All you have to do is go out there and do your best.”
Chaerin pales. It was one thing to encounter Teddy Oppa at this party. It was an entirely different one to perform without prior notice in front of him.
“If it helps” Dara says to her. “Bom will be performing too. I didn’t want to make it obvious that this was my scheme to get Teddy to notice you.”
Naive as always, it’s Dara’s ridiculous plan that makes Chaerin laugh. Chaerin looks at Minji’s worried eyes and glances at the people around her having a good time. She supposes there’s nothing to lose. So what if she makes a fool of herself? She had never been anything to Teddy Oppa anyway. It was just a silly bout of infatuation...
“I’ll do it” says Chaerin, fists clenched.
Minji whoops in cheer and Dara pumps a fist in the air. And when Chaerin looks back to where Bom had been standing, there Bom is smiling the largest Chaerin’s ever seen. Dara goes to tell the DJ that the gig is on. And in a few minutes, Chaerin hears her name being announced and called up to the stage.
Chaerin grips the mic given to her tightly. The first intro notes to her performance piece come on and she takes a deep breath. She can do this. She’s done it many times. She closes her eyes tight, makes a quick prayer and stalks up onto the stage.
When she starts rapping, her eyes find Teddy’s first. She holds his gaze for the first verse of the song. But after that, Chaerin realizes she has the crowd in the palm of her hand. She quickly takes a breath before the second verse and begins to really perform.
Later, Minji and Dara are the first to come up and hug her while everyone claps her on the back to cheer. Bom unni is preparing to go up on stage, but even Bom is grinning at Chaerin.
“I knew you could do it” someone says but it’s not a familiar one.
Chaerin turns around.
It’s Teddy.
“I recognize your voice” he says in that unique voice and lilt of his. “From the audition tapes. You’re CL right? I’m Teddy Park.”
And before Chaerin can say, “I know. I’ve kind of just always known”, a parrot comes sailing down onto Chaerin’s shoulder.
“Teddy Oppa!” Nokdoo squawks. “Teddy Oppa!”
Poll Round 14: Employee of the Month