"A newsroom without chaos is nothing but a graveyard of facts," a woman donned in short copper hair, and plain white tees mockingly read. She browsed through her laptop, reading the headline of a blog. "I think you overdid it this time," she chuckled.
"I cannot afford to look too dense or naive. You know they will see that." Therese countered. She was sitting straight with her back leaning heavily on the backrest, and her feet were pushed hard against the floor, toes overhanging from her open-toe sandals. "What's taking this plane so long to take off?" she added, slightly fidgeting her hand.
The sun was blazing hot when the passengers boarded the plane. Even inside the aircraft, they could feel the heat outside due to the sudden heatwave. The skies are clear with thin clouds. And even in this weather, flying does not get easier for Therese. She never got used to it, even if she had been traveling all her life. She never flies if she is not in first class. Not because she is a cheeky spoiled brat, but flying makes her do quirky things that a person in her standing is not supposed to do.
"Why do you have to suddenly come back, though? You were having such a great run with ABN." Jin, Therese's assistant, asked with her eyes not leaving the laptop screen.
"I know there will be a time when I just have to," Therese replied.
Therese Kang. An international news correspondent of the most revered news channel, ABN 6, and the heiress of SDC 43, a local controversial news company in her country. The polar opposite of where she worked. She is currently featured in an international blog, Young But Powerful.
Her coverage in ground zero of the 2021 Chemical War opened great opportunities for her, making her the top-caliber anchor she was at a young age.
"Have you seen this? They called you an extraordinary pillar of truth and justice!" Jin whispered in excitement.
"Don't you think they just want to get on my good side? They'll probably ask me to say a few good words about them in exchange for that article." Therese replied nonchalantly.
Therese was no longer fond of receiving compliments. She used to enjoy them when she was younger. But as she gained influence, she lost her ability to appreciate recognition and compliments. Along with it was her capability to be genuinely happy.
She started to firmly believe that every good thing has its cost.
"Hand me my pills. I need to take them now," Therese anxiously demanded Jin. Her forehead started sweating heavily when she began to feel the plane moving. The flight attendants finished performing their pre-flight safety demonstration and going around for their final check before taking off.
"Nah, I don't think so. You should have taken it a while ago. It's not like it'll get you to sleep in seconds." Jin argued.
"Then give me two! It will be faster!" Therese grumbled.
"Everything okay, ma'am?" The stewardess asked Therese. She then looked at Jin and asked her to temporarily fold her table for safety.
The captain asked the flight attendants to take their seats, which agitated Therese even more. That was a cue for her that the plane was about to take off. She started to feel dizzy and even more uncomfortable than a while ago.
"You're so useless!" she hopelessly complained as she threw up before the plane took off.
*****
It was a very humid Monday morning in the city; too early to see the streets bustling with people in business attire. Some walk so fast that they would run if not wearing something too formal. Definitely understandable in this crowded city if you want to catch your ride. Most especially because the result of the presidential election is coming up.
Alec Adler, a young and attractive newswriter and reporter, entered what's supposed to be a more chaotic scene than the streets: the SDC 43's newsroom. The silence inside their office was unsettling. But that scenario was very much preferred by their editors. It did not look like they were expecting any election results that day. He was not used to it because newsrooms were battlegrounds in the early days of his career, particularly in crucial times in politics. And for Alec, being in that company was a curse and boring as hell, except that the pay was good.
Upon reaching his table, Alec opened his work email. It should have been everyone's habit, but it somehow seemed like he was the only one in their company doing it. The first three emails are from their acting editor-in-chief, reminding everyone in the news department about the end of the election canvassing and the news chief who will arrive within the week. The third email announced that Alec was charged with training the new researcher.
A brawny man with a thick patchy beard peeked over Alec's station while he was scratching his cheek in frustration, "Coffee for the new master?" Ralph teased. He is SDC 43's senior researcher and Alec's best friend.
Alec scratched his head and sighed, "You should train the rookie! He will work in your department, for Christ's sake!" he complained.
"I'll take him in if you're willing to pay house rent for two," Ralph handed him the coffee he was hiding while laughing. "Seriously though, I think the kid will learn more if you take him to the field with you."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Alec defeatedly dismissed Ralph.
"But have you heard? There's a rumor that the new editor-in-chief was the CEO's daughter," his friend whispered.
Alec took a moment to respond, "Sabrina Kang? The entertainment reporter?!"
Ralph hushed Alec as their colleagues started to look at them, "Yes, yes, I know. But calm down, will you?"
"This network is doomed! The heck will that woman do here?! Does she even know anything about news?!" Alec bleated.
They stopped talking at the sight of the acting editor-in-chief. She glanced at them and raised her left eyebrow. Ralph whispered as he walked away, "Willing in exchange for a month's rent, okay?"
Alec threatened to hit Ralph with a rolled newspaper. He never liked training rookies that won't impress him because he believed their performance had something to say about the person who trained them.
Their acting editor stood by the front of the elevator, calling everyone's attention with a fake cough. "Listen, everyone!" she said in a high-pitched tone. She was in her late 50s and having difficulty speaking in a louder voice.
Standing beside her was a petite woman with long dark wavy hair with half of her face covered with a surgical mask and the upper half with thick eyeglasses. Even from afar, Alec observed that the woman looked pale. "She won't make it past a week," he said to himself.
"The new chief will arrive this week. I want everyone to do their best to impress her. As you may already know, she is the chairman's daughter," the old lady announced.
"Ooof. Nepotism much?" one of the employees joked. Everyone in the office shared a laugh as if it was right to judge someone they barely knew. The worst thing is that everyone seemed to hold a grudge against the administration.
"Who's she, chief? Looks like the cub lost her way to the operating room," another employee chimed in, pointing at the woman wearing long white sleeves and black trousers.
The senseless jokes made the chief tightly grip the paper she was holding. It made everyone quiet, but most were still grinning.
"Sorry about that. But, uhm... can you kindly introduce yourself?" the chief told the woman beside her.
"Uh, I'm Eun. Just call me... Eun," the woman timidly introduced herself. "I will work here as a researcher from now on. Please look after me."
"We don't look after babies—" another employee jeered. But their chief cuts him off before he finishes the sentence.
"You will be trained by Mr. Adler. He is one of our field reporters," she pointed to the lean and tall man wearing a plain white shirt topped with a dark blue racer jacket. "Mr. Adler, I'll leave her in your care." The chief smiled at Eun and walked out of the newsroom.
"Hi," Eun greeted Alec. He was sitting in his office chair and reading something on his phone. She looked around and observed everyone in the room while settling in her station. She saw people in different age ranges, but most were in their late 40s.
"Grab your bag. We're heading out," Alec ordered. Eun was surprised but moved right away.
They were about to head out when the chief ran into the newsroom screaming.
"Who the fuck posted the presidential congratulatory message for Senator Bell?!" she yelled in horror.
"I did. What's up?" the employee who called Eun a lost cub casually replied.
"He fucking lost, you idiot!"