I looked up and saw two women who peaked their heads by the door frame.
Mr. Kim briefly turned around before he returned to me. He said, "I brought some friends from the National Children's Welfare Association. They will be responsible for comforting the children with what happened tonight. You will need to come downstairs with me to decide on what to do with those guys tonight." He signalled for the ladies to enter the room.
The women slowly entered, careful not to make any brash actions or sounds.
The children suddenly grabbed onto me. Some of them whispered in fear. My heart broke as I heard that. That was the very thing that I wanted to prevent from happening: for them to have fears of the outside world. To experience horrifying scenes that they shouldn't be even thrown into, especially at such a young age.
Narae then turned to me with a scowl. "You did this!" she pointed at me as she headed towards me. Mr. Kim put his arms out and prevented her from coming nearer. She continued, "You spoiled our fun! You ruined the night! Why do you have to ruin everything that we do?! You embarrassed us in front of everyone! Our friends, the police and more random people that we don't know!""If I didn't do anything, Narae!" I shouted. "And even if I did call the police, it was for the best! Your children were in danger! And all you can still think about is being embarrassed?!" I continued. "Your children were offered drugs and were almost assaulted. And you still think about your so-called friends here?!" I exclaimed as I pointed at the men. "True friends don't harm their friends' kids, okay?! Get that through your head!""Oh, stop it, Mingyu," Jaeyun entered the conversation. She looked to our direction and continued, "We already know how high and mighty you are. You don't have to act that way."My b
"Yeonseok, have you taken a bath already?" my voice echoed as I spoke from the kitchen. I was in the middle of preparing breakfast whilst the little ones were preparing for the day."Ahra is still giving Yeonghee a bath," Yeonseok replied from the stairs."Kindly tell her to hurry up. You might miss the bus," I said as I put the final pancake on the plate.Usually, it was Mama who made breakfast for the children. But for some reason, she didn't arrive home early today. Most of the time, once I woke up, she was already making breakfast. And if she would be a bit late, she would give me a call. However, she didn't do even that. I had to do everything quick so the kids could go to school early and for me to be ready before my shuttle arrives.I was preparing the table when the backyard gate opened. I turned to the window and saw my sisters arrive. I sighed as I returned to what I was doing. I had a feeling that they would say something because of last night. Frankly, I didn't have the ti
The elevator door finally opened and I stepped out without a fuss. I greeted the receptionist and she replied, "Good luck for today."I stopped before the glass door and turned to her. "What do you mean?" I asked.She gestured for me to come closer so I walked back to her. As soon as I reached her, she said, "Someone from the lower department just left and said that the office was in a bit of a chaos.""Really? Why? What happened?" I asked."He didn't say. But he just said that something went down inside," she replied.I nodded and answered, "Thank you for the early morning. At least, I'll know how to react and avoid further trouble.""No worries," she giggled.I headed to the glass door again. I grabbed onto the door handle, took in a deep breath and entered the room with caution.---*---*---*---I walked into the office and as expected, everybody was on their best behavior because Mr. Nam was in. All eyes were on me as I walked over towards my desk. Soyoung and I smiled at one anoth
Instantly, my head shot up. As soon as I looked directly at him, I nodded."Are you sure? You looked like you were worried with something. What's going on?" he asked. "Was everything too much for you."I shook my head before I replied, "I was only thinking about the kids, Mr. Nam.""Why? What's wrong?"I bit my lower lip before I continued, "You see, my mother works on the weekends as well. As for my sisters, they have their own agenda during weekends. I'm the only one who looks after them because of that. Since your business trip lands on a weekend, I can't think properly on who can take my place."He asked, "Can't your mother take the weekend off for this weekend?""She won't agree to that, unfortunately," I said. "Even though I'm working in the corporate world, she's still uneasy about our finances. Because of that, she doesn't take days off that much.""What about your neighbors? Can't they look after the kids while you're away?" Mr. Nam asked."I don't really trust our neighbors.
"Uh, can we help you?" Soyoung asked sarcastically.One of them turned to me and remarked, "Are you happy now? You got our friend suspended for a week. I hope you're satisfied.""For your information, I never intended to get anyone suspended. I come to work, solely to do the job I was told to do. It's not my fault that your friend acted recklessly," I replied as I rolled my eyes."Well, if she's not happy that Minju got suspended, I am," Soyoung interrupted with a smirk.My eyes widened as I turned to her.She smiled at me before she looked at Minju's friends. I turned to them as well and they were even more furious because of what Soyoung said. Soyoung continued, "With all honesty, her suspension is long overdue. After everything she has done in this office to Mr. Nam's previous employees - especially the secretaries - I'm surprised that she wasn't removed yet."She continued, "You should be thankful that Mr. Nam still had mercy on her. You don't have to be angry. Your almighty leade
"Oh, hi, Miss Ryuk," he stopped on his tracks, surprised. "What brings you to the twenty-fifth floor?""I just dropped off some documents for photocopying," I replied as I stepped out of the room. Closing the door behind me, I asked, "What about you? Shouldn't you be working right now?"He said, "I was working but I had to take a quick vape break. Which is why I have this," he lifted the coffee-filled paper cup he was holding. "Will you be heading back now, Miss Ryuk?"His sudden formality came as a shock. He didn't speak in this manner when he apologized for his friends' behavior. Being called Miss Ryuk by my co-workers was foreign to my ears and a bit uncomfortable. Even though I was Mr. Nam's secretary, I didn't want to create some kind of barrier between them and me."No, I'm waiting for my photocopies. And please, there's no need to call me Miss Ryuk. That's too formal for the two of us," I replied."But you're Mr. Nam's formal secretary. I can't just call you by your name. That
---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---"Born in the same atmosphere as one another, we were destined to be in the same circle of friends. It just so happens that her mom and my dad used to be college buddies. Therefore, our families were really close."Right from the get-go, Minju was the friendly one. In every party that we went to, she was the one who had a lot of friends. I was happy being alone most of the time. But after all of our friends moved out of the country, I was left with her."Needless to say, I followed her around because I had no one to talk to. And she was more than happy to accomodate me at school. And she would always defend me from students who bullied me for my silence."Over time, our friendship grew and I couldn't help but develop stronger feelings towards her. However, my parents had to move to a different continent for an expansion of the business."But my feelings for her never went away. It actually got stronger as I spent more time away from her. I longed to see
"How is everything, ma'am?" the staff asked as I scanned all the photocopies. The last thing I would want to have was unclear copies of the documents. Especially, when it was a contract.I finished the last paper and nodded, satisfied. "Everything's good. Thank you," I replied, smiling towards her. I carefully compiled everything and slid them into the brown envelope with caution. I then headed out of the room and Haesung smiled upon seeing me."How are your documents?" he asked as he moved away from the wall.I said, walking towards him, "That's all for me today. Time for me to hand this over to Mr. Nam.""Let's go, then."But before we could proceed any further, my phone vibrated in my pocket. We came into a sudden halt as I scrambled to get my phone out of my pocket. I opened it and saw an e-mail from Mr. Kim.Without any hesitation, I opened it and it read,"Hi, Miss Ryuk!"How are the photocopies going? If you're done with them, kindly pay a visit to the Mail Department. A parcel
"Ugh, ugh, do you like that, huh? Do you like it when I pound you?""Oh, I love it. I love it, I love it. Fuck me harder. Fuck till I come.""With pleasure. I'll hump your brains out!"Moans and curses filled Taeyoung's room as he did his usual rendezvous with his receptionist. It was the normal scene in his office once lunch time has arrived. His secretary, bent over on his table with her skirt down whilst he pounded her from behind. And for the longest time, no one has ever caught them.Until today.The door suddenly opened as Taeyoung's assistant entered. "Mr. Nam, you need to-- Oh!"Taeyoung and the receptionist immediately turned their heads in his direction.His assistant cleared his throat and turned around. He kept his composure as hard as he could but that was extremely difficult. You wouldn't want to see your girlfriend under some other guy, right?He held his breath for a moment before he continued, "Mr. Nam, I have something to tell you."Taeyoung chuckled as he pulled out
He was thrown onto the table, breaking it with his body.I looked up and it was Mr. Nam and Hyeorae. Mr. Nam had death in his glare as he looked at the board member.Hyeorae quickly helped me up whilst Mr. Nam headed to the weakened man. And when he stood before him, he punched him without mercy. And there was no sign that he was going to stop."Sir, sir, that's enough," Hyeorae rushed over to Mr. Nam and pulled him back towards us. Mr. Nam resisted against Hyeorae but Hyeorae maintained his composure and held him back. He continued, "Mr. Nam, that's enough. People are watching."We looked around and the rest of the VIP section were staring at the commotion we started. Mr. Nam shook off Hyeorae's hand and fixed himself. "Take Miss Ryuk out of here and start the car," he gritted."Yes, sir." Without a moment to lose, Hyeorae gently led me out of the VIP section. He held me by the arm, his hand on my waist as we rushed our way out of this place.My heart pounded continuously as I became
Whilst we waited for the board director, I stood in between Mr. Nam and Hyeorae. Mr. Nam stood before me whilst Hyeorae stayed behind me. This position was supposed to make me feel secure. However, I was still wary of my surroundings. Random men had been eyeing me since we got here and the presence of Mr. Nam and Hyeorae wasn’t doing anything to scare them away.I stepped back and Hyeorae was quick to step closer to me. He moved closer to my ear and asked, “Is there something wrong, Miss Ryuk?”I shook my head and replied, trying my best to push through the loud music, “I’m very uncomfortable. Some guys here have been staring at me and I hate that.”Suddenly, someone held my hand and I immediately pulled away. Thankfully, it was only Mr. Nam. I was quickly relieved and he stepped closer to us. “Did something happen?” he asked.“Miss Ryuk said that some dudes were staring down at her because of her dress,” Hyeorae answered. “She’s a bit uncomfortable, sir.”Mr. Nam looked at me and ge
“As you can see, we still have more areas to expand our business. For now, we want to focus on what we have right now and make sure that we cater to everybody that we have,” Mr. Ho explained as he stood before us. On the whiteboard, the projector showed a map of the whole area of their vicinity.Today was the final day for us to meet with Mr. Ho and his board of directors. And he saved the best for last. He actually had a conference room behind the lobby and it was professional beyond professional.I knew I made the right decision in bringing my business suit.I looked to Mr. Nam anticipated for his response.Quietly, he tapped his fingers on the table as he looked down to his notes.The room was dead silent. The atmosphere grew thicker and thicker as we waited for Mr. Nam to say something. I shared brief glances with the directors and with Mr. Ho. And everybody had the same expression.Anxious. Nervous. It could be seen in their eyes. Their formal smiles couldn’t hide it from me.Fin
“Alright, you two. You’re up,” the staff said to us as he opened the gate.“Come on, Jinho,” I said, stepping onto the platform. Immediately, I took a seat in our designated cart. As I got settled in, I was shocked to find Mr. Nam, frozen in line. Irritated, I asked, “Jinho, what are you doing?”The staff entered the conversation, “You need to move, sir. There’s a long line behind you.”Mr. Nam looked at him with frightened eyes. His hands gripped tightly onto his leather jacket.After a long sigh and a groan, I stomped towards him and grabbed him by the hand.“Wait, wait, Mingyu,” he stuttered, fighting against my pull. He continued, “Stop for a second, give me a moment to breathe–”Immediately, I sat him on his spot in the cart, not allowing him to finish. I replied, “There’s no time. People are waiting to get on the ride. You can’t just stand there, make a fool of yourself and shake to death.” I sat beside him and allowed to lock our seatbelts.The seatbelts weren’t that tight but
“So, how’s everything there?” Soyoung asked on the other line.“Mr. Nam and I are currently waiting for the clients to arrive. We’re supposed to be in the middle of a meeting right now. But for some reason, they’re still not here,” I explained.“Oh, how manners dissolve when you become rich,” she remarked after a sigh. She asked another, “How was your first night in Jeju? Were you able to enjoy yourself?”I replied, “It was a chill start for the weekend. I shared dinner with Mr. Nam. The resto bar here has such a delicious shrimp cocktail. And—““Hold on. You did not just say that and simply brush it off like it’s nothing,” she said.I stopped for a second before I asked, “What do you mean?”“Replay just what you said.”“About the shrimp cocktail.”“No, not that.”I took a moment and retraced my words. “Oh, okay,” I replied, realizing what she meant. “What about that?”“Did you just go on a date with Mr. Nam?” she whispered over the phone.“No, Soyoung, it wasn’t a date. We somehow bu
“Oh, um, hi,” I replied, stuttering. “I didn’t know you’d be here, Mr—““Call me Jinho,” he interrupted as he whispered in my ear. He continued, “Remember, outside of work, you call me by my name.”“You know this girl?” the girl asked behind him. She continued, “You’re going to choose a plain dish rag over me?”Mr. Nam moved away from me and faced the girls. He then replied, “I’d rather be with a girl who’s a dish rag rather than a girl who’s an all-out buffet.”My eyes widened, looking up at Mr. Nam. He didn’t just say that. It wasn’t even directed to me but I felt how hurtful those words were.“Ah, Mr. Nam,” the bartender called out as he returned with the shrimp cocktail. He continued as he arrived with us, “I see you already found your lady. Here’s your shrimp cocktail, ma’am,” he gently put the cocktail in front of me. He then turned to Mr. Nam and asked, “What can I get you tonight, sir?”“A martini and a pineapple vodka for Mingyu over here,” he said, briefly pointing towards m
“You’re going somewhere, Miss Ryuk?” Hyeorae asked as I headed to the door.I turned around and replied, “I’m just going for a walk.”“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked, quickly standing up from the couch.I quickly answered, “Oh, no, no, Hyeorae. There’s no need for that. I want to go by myself. At the same time, the day has already ended. You’re off duty.”“That’s not how my job works, Miss Ryuk. I was told to watch over you here in Jeju. I need to follow orders,” he insisted.“Hyeorae, Mr. Nam told me to enjoy the place. And I won’t be able to do that with a bodyguard,” I explained. I continued, “And besides, you worked well today. It’s time for you to simply sit back and enjoy the rest of the night. Like what you’re doing right now.” I then pointed at the television, which was at the sports channel.He glanced over at the television before returning to me. He asked, “Are you sure you can handle yourself, Miss Ryuk? You don’t know the place. What if something happens to yo
Immediately, I turned around and my eyes widened upon seeing Mr. Nam was standing behind me.“Mr. Nam,” Hyeorae and I greeted in unison.“It’s wonderful to see that you arrived safe and sound, Miss Ryuk. But may I ask, what in the world are you wearing?” Mr. Nam asked as he looked at my whole outfit.“Um, well–”He interrupted, “Why are you wearing a suit? Didn’t Hyeorae tell you what I said?”“He did, Mr. Nam,” I replied right away. I continued, “It was me who chose to wear this outfit. When Hyeorae said you were in a meeting, I thought it was the usual business kind.”Mr. Nam chuckled. He then said, “Miss Ryuk, we’re at a beach resort. We don’t do formal business meetings unless deemed necessary. But not to worry, you can always change your outfit. The meeting hasn’t started yet.”“But I don’t have a beach outfit, Mr. Nam.”His brows furrowed. He asked, “Where’s the luggage that I sent Haru to give to you?”“It’s in my room, Mr. Nam.”“Have you opened it?”I shook my head. I replied