CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER#1: The Heir

[Jacob's Point of View]

꧁❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎❄︎꧂

-THE CALENDAR YEAR 2006-

"Son," daddy said, and it drew my attention to him.

So, despite being completely engrossed in the game, I placed my iPad down.

With his well-toned but commanding voice, he said, "Stop playing video games inside the car. You must have good vision."

I cast a glance in his direction, but he's still engrossed in whatever he's reading on his iPad.

"Yes, Daddy," I murmured regretfully as I hesitantly looked at my nanny, who was seated in the passenger seat.

My nanny gave me a friendly smile since she knew I was ready to hand over my iPad. I don't have a choice and nothing else to do, so I just stare out the window and count the automobiles that pass by. I noticed a few children playing along the roadside as we were driving. They appeared to have just gotten out of school and were having a good time.

“They all seemed to be having a good time.” I observed, smiling as I looked at them.

“You're not like the others. You're not like them, who can play whenever and wherever,” daddy replied, pausing his reading.

“You want to be like Daddy, right?” he asked. Then, with no expression on his face, he asked me.

“Yes,” I said nicely before smiling at him.

"As a result, you must pay attention and obey my instructions. When we arrive at the Aromatized building, I'll show you something big,” he said before returning to his reading.

Do I wish to follow Daddy's footsteps? But I want to be like those kids that can do what they want. I want to be happy and also have fun. I want to be like Daddy because he's a tough, smart, and a powerful man... but I don't want to be like him because he doesn't know how to smile...

Mommy believes that kids should have fun, be cheerful, and always smile since they are the ones who will brighten up the older ones' day. Who will lighten their day if they always see children who are always frowning, sad, and crying? If this occurs, many adults will feel sad and lonely.

"We just arrived in time," daddy replied, looking out the side window.

The chauffeur came to a complete halt in front of a massive and tall building. The nanny opened the door for me and assisted me out, while a man dressed like Men-in-Black opened the door for Daddy.

He glanced at me and said, "Son, this will be yours eventually."

That was the first time I saw Daddy smile, and it made my heart so full of joy.

Once I enter this building, I have no idea what awaits me. In a building full of grownups, what can a 5-year-old do? Is this where Daddy's money came from?

"Young Master, I'm afraid I can't get any further inside," my nanny remarked, releasing my hands.

I have a sad expression on my face when I look at her. When daddy patted my shoulders and cleared his throat, I felt like I was about to cry.

As we entered the building, he replied, "Little Man doesn't cry."

I observed some individuals staring at me and whispering to each other as I walked.

Perhaps they are wondering what a 5-year-old child is doing inside the building. We take a short stroll to an elevator with a VIP sign on top.

The MIB person from earlier asked, "Young Master, may I have your bag?"

"But," I argued, "my toys are there."

But as I looked around and noticed Daddy's face turning red, I stopped what I was doing and handed him my bag.

"You're not supposed to be here to play!" daddy whispered to me angrily.

"I'm sorry," I said as I bent my head.

There were already four individuals inside when the elevator doors opened.

A tall, slim man with a gold tooth stood in the elevator's left inner corner, dressed in a metallic dark blue suit. Like Daddy, he appears to be an adult.

A gorgeous lady with naive eyes stood next him, dressed in a khaki floral dress with a black blazer that held a pen and some documents.

A short lady stood in the elevator's left forepart corner, pushing the elevator's buttons.

A slim and attractive lady in her mid-twenties stood in the right inner corner of the elevator, dressed in a white skirt and a black blazer. She appears to be holding the same items as the other lovely lady.

As we entered the lift, the four of them greeted us and grinned.

"Chairman Seo, you have such a cute heir,” the tall, slim man murmured, his voice scratchy, as he looked at Daddy.

Daddy didn't even make a flinch. I turned to face him and gave him a hesitant broad smile.

He went on to say, "I'm very confident he'd grow up to be just like you."

“Enough with the flattery, Vice-President Moon. I didn't bring him here to receive your compliments," daddy nonchalantly said, “The only reason I brought him here is to introduce and teach him about OUR business,” without glancing at him, he added

So, daddy refers to him as Vice-President Moon. Should I also call him as that? Or is Mister enough?

The elevator came to a halt on the 15th level. Daddy motioned for me to join him. As he began to speak, I walked alongside him.

“The Executive Department or Executive Office is located on this floor. This is where the stockholders' offices are located," he stopped for a while and faced me, “This floor is rarely visited by the general public or employees,” he stated.

I was astounded by how the executive offices were divided into proportionally divided rooms by the hallways. From the outside, the offices do not appear to be extremely spacious, but once inside, they appear to be rather large.

My father's office was on the right-end wing of the floor, while the Vice-President's Office was on the left-end wing. Because of its huge size, the rooms appeared to be unoccupied.

We then proceeded to the 14th floor. He claimed that it was here that significant decisions were taken regarding conferences, meetings, and other topics.

The Sales Department Offices were located on the 13th, 12th, and 11th floors. He said that it is the department in charge of selling our items. They are the ones who allow money to flow into the company.

The Finance Department Office was located on the 10th and 9th floors. He claimed that everything related to money was listed or recorded in the finance department. They deal with revenue, budgeting, deficits, expenses, and even loans in their financial statements.

The Marketing Department Office was located on the 8th, 7th, and 6th floors. That's where our items are introduced to the market, as well as where advertising and endorsements are made. The product was allocated to the marketing department to merchandise.

The Human Resources Department was located on the 5th, 4th, and 3rd floors. They are the ones who decide whether or not candidates are allowed to join the company. They are in charge of the company's compensation allocation and other internal conflicts.

Last but not least, the Operations Department was located in the opposite building. They claimed that this department was responsible for the creation, testing, distribution, and export of all items.

We went to a five-story building. We must put on a protective suit before entering the lift. When the door opened, I immediately noticed the Extraction Area sign.

"Do you have a sense of smell, son?" daddy asked.

In response to his question, I nodded.

"What do you smell?" he asked again as we peered into those massive machines.

"I get a whiff of grass, flowers, and..."  I added after another sniff, "I also smell something sweet."

I noticed that the pretty lady and Mr. Moon behind me were whispering something into each other's ears. I turned to face them so that I could see them clearly. They just smiled at me and kept talking quietly.

"This is how we make scents," daddy explained.

"Those machines extract oil from the flowers, grasses, and other materials," he explained.

I simply nodded at him as I observed the machines that pressed, stirred up, and scraped the materials.

"Extraction can be done in five different ways: expression, solvent extractions, steam distillation, effleurage, and maceration," he continues, but everything he says is so foreign to me that I have no idea what he's talking about.

I accidently yawned while he was talking, which irritated him to the point where he hissed violently at me and refused to speak to me for the rest of the day.

I was sent inside one of the conference rooms on the 14th level right after the tour and fundamental stuff that I needed to know, according to daddy. It looks like an empty room with a long oval table and a smattering of seats. It even has a large screen, similar to the one we use to watch movies at home. Despite the attractive patterns on the walls, the room appears to be empty for a kid like myself...

"Hello," Mr. Moon from earlier appears at the door and approaches me.

"Hello, Mister," I said cheerfully.

"You appeared to be dissatisfied. Have you ever been so alone?" he stated.

I nodded, my gaze darting around the room. This large, air-conditioned room appeared to be deserted.

"Would you like some sweets?" he asked sweetly, despite his hoarse voice.

He placed several packs of candies and junk foods on the table in front of me.

"That's all yours," he said, smiling.

"Does an adult smile frequently?" I asked him as I took a candy from an open pack.

"They do, but because they are adults, they forget how," he said as he gently touched my shoulders down to my hands.

"You know they call me the Nose of the company here," he said as he began caressing and putting pressure on my arms, "I have the most stocks, second only to your father. I'm here as the perfume company's life. Your Daddy's world will collide without me," he was whispering into my ear, and his lips were close to my ear lobe.

"Without my nose, this company's scent will never be marketable as it is." I felt trembling and shivers down my spine as his breath touched my nape.

"I know you'll be like me one day, darling," he says as he laughs.

I look at him, a little scared and frightened.

"You, my little bud. I am confident that you will blossom sooner than I did," he laughed again, and now he speaks in a high-pitched tone, as if he were a woman.

He took something from his small bag. He then gave me lipstick.

"Mister, what am I going to do with this?" I was perplexed when I asked him.

"Put that on your lips," he said, pointing to mine.

"Only girls use that, and I'm not a girl," I said innocently to him.

He laughed loudly, which scared me even more.

"The poor little gay. You'll never come out of your shell," he said in a high-pitched tone, then went out still laughing like a woman.

Why are adults like this? I don't get it.

_____________

At 4 p.m., we returned home. Daddy was enraged at me because I fell short of his expectations. My older sister approached me as soon as I arrived home and invited me to join her to watch movies. I heard daddy's angry voice before we left.

"Teach that jerk how to behave properly! He humiliated me in front of everyone!" he yelled angrily at mommy.

"Hey, Jacob, do you want to play before we watch a movie?" my older sister asked with a smile on her face.

I nodded, my eyes twinkling. I was overjoyed that after a long day, I could now play and have fun, especially with my sister.

"Let's try something different. You will tell me about your day as if you were telling me a story, and I will do the same in return. Understand?" she stated.

So I got up.

"Hi I am Jacob Seo, a five year old kid. Earlier this morning my daddy and I went into a humongous building. On our way, I saw some kids playing and I said I also want to play like them. But he said I'm different from those kids. He also said that I will be the owner of that huge building. Daddy wants me to be like him... but I don't like to, because daddy don't know how to smile or maybe he rarely smiles because of problems. I still want to be like Daddy but I want to be happy and have fun," I said happily but felt sadness inside me.

"While waiting for the time, I stayed in an beautiful empty room with a long table and chairs, then a tall man that named Mr. Moon gave me candies. He is, however, a little frightening because he laughed like a woman. He claimed to be the nose of the company that daddy owns. He claimed I smell like him and I'd be also just like him," I said to my older sister, shaking with fear.

I came to a halt and sat down on the ground.

"Y-your turn, sis," I mumbled.

My older sister frowned. She appears irritated because I stop talking, but she instead informs me that we will no longer be watching a movie and that I must go to bed.

_______

[Hae Soo's Point of View]

I went straight to my mother's sleeping quarters after Jacob fell asleep. Daddy and Mommy don't share bedrooms not because they don't love each other, but because their schedules are so different.

“M-mommy,” I cautiously knock on her door.

I don't want Jacob, my poor little brother, to have a bad childhood like mine. Ahjusshi (middle-aged man), that pervert! He has no right to mess with my brother.

“How come you're still awake? It's nearly midnight,” mommy said, yawning and rubbing her eyes, in a sleepy voice.

"It's all about Jacob, mom,"  I said it, and the tears I'd been holding back nearly spilled out.

“What happened to him at 2 a.m.?” Once more, Mommy asked.

“Mr. Moon, the Daddy's company's perverted Vice President...” While saying it to Mom, my voice nearly broke.

She looked left and right outside the door to see if anyone was still awake. She motioned for me to enter her room and requested that I take a seat.

"Tell me what happened," says the narrator. She was serious when she said that.

“I asked Jacob to play with me—a game where he would tell me the things they did all day at daddy's building—as if he was a storyteller,” I said, and tears began to flow from both of my eyes. “He stated that he had a boring day because of dad and because he does not smile. He's not having any fun,” I croaked, and my body began to shake as I cried.

“I thought he was done telling me about what happened today, but then he brought up Mr. Moon. For him, he was a terrifying man who laughed like a woman. Mr. Moon gave Jacob some sweets,” I explained. I can't stop the tears from falling from my eyes.

“Did he give Jacob sweets? Jacob must abstain from all sweets. Especially if the candy contains milk.” Mom expressed her deep concern.

“That's not the point here, mom. Mr. Moon is not a straight man, as we all know. He's also a child molester."  I cried once more. "A bisexual child molester...” I said.

“I don't want my brother to go through what that perverted Mr. Moon did to me back then.” As my anger grew, I said.

“That old gay told my brother that—Jacob smells like him and will be like him someday!” I screamed.

Mom was staring at me with a gaping mouth.

“How dare he do the same thing to both of us!” I can't believe I'm losing patience at 3 a.m. "In front of my brother, how dare his filthy mouth utter such filthy words?” I sobbed.

"Return to your bed," mom said, "I've got a job to do right now. I'm going to make that old knucklehead pay for what he did to you both!” I saw anger in mommy's eyes as she spoke calmly.

I stormed out of mom's room, stormed into ours, and slammed the door. I cried as I sat by the door's threshold.

“What a filthy fag...!” I yelled angrily out of nowhere, "He really knows how to guess someone's weakness."  I continued to think as I said...

“How did he figure out Jacob was a bit of a softie?”

He must not approach him again. You old fag, I'll fight for the sake of my brother.

➪➪➪➪➪☝︎︎☝︎︎ʀᴇᴀᴅ|ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ|ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ|ʟɪᴋᴇ☝︎︎☝︎︎➪➪➪➪