“It’s nothing, Jules. Not a problem at all. I’m happy to help.” She’d heard him saying these words to the people in the neighborhood all the time. The man loved being needed. “It’s the kind of work I actually like doing, ya know? Stuff with my hands, building. Plus, I like getting the chance to spend time with you.”
He shut his mouth immediately.
“Oh,” she responded in surprise. She couldn’t think of what else to say. That was really nice. She liked that he seemed happy with the work. And she liked spending time with him too. She could actually just say those words. But...
“You sound like you did when we were kids, knocking on my door asking if I wanted to come out and play.” She smiled at the memory.
“Yeah, I had a pretty massive crush on you growing up.” He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled.
“Knock knock. Julia, I’m dropping off the design mock-ups for the new product launch before our meeting this afternoon. Take a look. I’m still not sure the team nailed it, to be honest. But I’ve been looking at these designs for days, and my eyes are crossing.”
Julia wasn’t sure if she’d just been rudely interrupted or gratefully saved by work.
The problem with a company and products suddenly in the spotlight, every angle was under a microscope. They had to get the new packaging right. It had to convey everything the company was about, clean cosmetics, organic products, Korean-inspired. And that was something the entire team was struggling with.
“Thanks, Jess. I’ll take a look.”
Jess’s eyes did a double-take as she reviewed the office. “It looks incredible in here. It’s the perfect blend of functional yet chic. I can’t believe how much bigger it seems. I heard the team talking about the bathroom reno too. It actually feels like a cosmetics company, not just a corporate office. Oh, and is the lighting replacement for the makeup stations? I’m obsessed with these.” Jess picked up the frosted-glass canisters that would hang over each workstation. Julia loved this version so much more than the ones originally installed. She was glad Jess seemed to agree.
“Well, you can thank this man here. Tae, this is Jess Kim, Starlight’s design director. Jess, this is Tae. He’s an old familyfriend but has helped out a ton with the renovations. He deserves all the credit.”
Tae reached out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Oh yes, Tae.” Jessica grabbed his hand and shook it. “Your name is famous around these parts nowadays. You’re really talented. You’ve got an incredible sense of function and design. Spatially too, the way everything’s been laid out is impressive.”
Tae tucked his lips in trying to hide the smile. But the corner of his mouth rose just as he dipped his head to hide it. Julia wished she could see if his cheeks were blushing too.
“Thanks, appreciate the kind words,” he said.
“Listen, I’d love to talk to you about some of our new brick-and-mortar stores,” Jess said. “We work with small spaces and limited square footage, but with the right design layout, they’re gonna draw the crowds. I assume you’re probably already working...”
Julia saw Tae stiffen. She got the sense that he hated engaging in these types of conversations. For some reason, any talk about jobs or his future made him uncomfortable. Julia didn’t want to pry, but she also wanted to help if she could. Tae was talented in so many ways. She’d love to be able to open up doors for him.
“Thanks, that’s really nice of you to say. But I can’t imagine you not having access to people way more qualified than I’d be at this,” Tae said.
“We could use a fresh take on it. Maybe our problem is we’re asking the same people with the same ideas and same methods to come up with something new.”
Tae looked to Julia, and she gave him a small smile, trying to encourage him to try.
“If you’d be interested in some freelance projects, we should talk. Can I get your contact info from Julia?”
“Talking can’t hurt,” Julia chimed in.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Tae said.
Jess turned to Julia. “Send me his info? I’m pumped.”
“Will do.” Julia tried to play it cool, but she couldn’t help turning to Tae with the brightest smile.
“That was cool,” Julia tried to say casually. Julia didn’t do casual. She was fishing for Tae’s interest level, and based on his expression, she wasn’t fooling him. “We could really use your help, Tae. We haven’t nailed the design for the store footprints yet, and it’s been pretty stressful determining how we want to grow. We know we want small stores, which will help us be more deliberate about our growth. But we also want to make the best use of the space, showcasing the product in a way that makes sense. You’ve done such great work at the office already. We could just hire you on a project basis. But you’d have to promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You can’t lowball us on the price of your services. You’re not billing Julia Song, your childhood friend. You’re billing Starlight—”
“The behemoth new cosmetics company,” he interrupted.
“Not quite behemoth, but I appreciate the confidence booster,” she said. “So what do you think?”
