ISABELLE
"It's a surprising thing to see you here today miss Byun. What can I do for you?" Mr. Kim says after I settled into the unique chair he chose to decorate his office. It is surprising that I am here, after all this is not something I would have thought to do in a million years. But I have lived through the repercussions of avoiding my problems, I can't let my sister suffer for my own negligence. "Nothing really, I have realized my mistakes and my own foolishness. It shouldn't be surprising that I would come here today after all our families have been in business for generations now, I should have come to say hello long ago." I reply.
He smiles, I can sense the reluctance in his smile and I can not blame him. If a twenty-something-year-old party girl with no sense of judgment walks into your office and begins to talk about generational business your smile would be stiff as well. But once bitten twice shy, I don't care how many more people I am going to have to make uncomfortable but I need to get the shareholders on my side from now. And Mr. Kim is one of the largest shareholders in the company holding three percent of the company. If I manage to get him on my side, along with a few others what happened in my past life wouldn't dare repeat itself. In my past life by the time I realized what my uncle and aunt really were about they had already managed to ruin my image and get all the shareholders on their side. So even with my fifteen percent there still outnumbered me and cast me out of my father's sweat and blood. That would not happen this time, I swear it.
"Why are you really here miss Byun?" Mr. Kim asks and I smile. Of course, the fifty-four-year-old business tycoon wouldn't be the successful man he is if he can't see through my obvious lie.
My smile comes off as I start to speak. "I will be turning twenty-five in a few years and I thought to myself if I am going to inherit my parents' company then I should start to familiarize myself with the workings of the company and formally introduce myself to the people that have been keeping the company steady in my absence and my parents' death."
His brows rise in surprise, "so you have finished mourning then?" Mr. Kim says "What?" I ask as I am struggling to understand what he means.
"Isn't that the reason you have failed to fulfill your duties and have continuously neglected the company?" Is that what they told everybody? I was still mourning?
"What duties? I am not supposed to work in the company until I inherit it when I turn twenty-five, that was my parents' will." I reply.
"Is that really how you think?" He sighed, "how my friend must turn in his grave."
"I really do not understand what you mean, uncle and aunt said that my parents wanted me to live freely as a youth before I would have to inherit the company is that not true?"
"What do you think? Do you think this company is some child's play that we would just step aside and let some groupie spoiled brat with a bad reputation come and destroy all we've all worked hard for?"
I opened my mouth to speak but words fail me, I knew he disliked me but I never thought this was really how he thought of me. Mr. Kim was not exactly my father's closest friend but he was someone my father always admired. To hear him say all those things about me made me feel extremely bad inside. Was I really this stupid?
"Leave, I have nothing to say to you." He says and immediately I get up push the chair backward and kneel on the floor in front of him. "What do you think you are doing?"
Bowing my head I apologize, "please forgive me, I must have been mad to behave this way all this time. I don't know why I believed my uncle and aunt the way I did but I am truly sorry and ready to change."
"Is that it?"
"Also, I am ready to turn a new leaf and act accordingly to do all that my parents expect of me. I am lacking so I hope you would offer a hand of guidance to this ignorant youth. I will do anything to fix my reputation and make myself worthy enough for you all to believe in me as you believed in my father." I add, hoping this is enough to pacify his anger.
SABINE
I cannot get over what happened earlier with Asher, my heart keeps thumping in my chest and I can simply not understand why? I keep thinking thoughts I shouldn't I can not deny the simple fact. I am attracted to the young master. Is he attracted to me too? He must like me right?
"Oh please, you haven't heard my story" A loud clear voice attracts me as I walk into the maid's quarters in the pantry. "Earlier today I was trying to reach for the china on the top shelf. Even though I was standing on the chair you know you would still have to stretch to reach it right?" A lot of hums sound across the room and I stand to the side watching the group of maids standing in a group listening to the owner of the voice who was explaining her story. "I lost my balance and while I was expecting to actually die because I was falling towards old madam's shelf of china's" another round but this time gasps. Even I gasped, the old madam's shelf was more precious than all our lives put together, was it right? No bur was it a fact? Yes. She continued "a strong firm hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me back up. And when I turned to look it was the young master, he reached up and grabbed the china and handed it to me!" She squealed. And the whole room erupts in cheers and hands shooting up eager to retell their own recount of how the young master saved them. Wow… just wow.
"Oh, it's Sabine, aren't you coming from the young masters' room?" The storyteller asked causing the attention of the room to fall on me.
"What happened to your tights?" Another one asked.
"What tights? I wasn't wearing anything today and don't you all have work to do? Instead of gossiping about someone that isn't even that great." I spit, with clear annoyance. I don't give them a chance to comment as I turn around and walk away.
"What's with her?"
"She's probably jealous cause nothing like this has ever happened to her."
"I'm pretty sure I remember her in tights"
I hear as I walk away, absolutely annoyed. So he is a womanizer, oh how foolish I am, falling for someone like that. My eyes have definitely opened now