"What was that about." They were now back inside the car with a Jinsol still boiling with anger. Haneul had struggled quite a bit to get them back to the vehicle without her friend returning to the coffee shop to deal with the redhead once and for all. While seeing her, usually passive, friend decked it out with the barista would have been something of a spectacle to be seen, with all that folk, someone would have taken it on video. The last thing Jinsol needed was to make the headlines for murdering a waitress. Her father wouldn't have been pleased. So, as the good friend she was, Haneul had to put on her mother's outfit and scold Jinsol.
Jinsol looked at her friend, confused. "Wait, you're mad at me?!" She asked. "She's the one who spilled coffee on me. She's the one that started it."She let out in frustration. It hurt her a little that her friend could take the part of a total stranger rather than hers. She knew her reaction had been a tiny bit exaggerated, but the other woman had been all but an angel.
Haneul rolled her eyes. Jinsol could be overly dramatic. "Maybe, but you didn't have to attack her like that from the jump." Jinsol wanted to protest, but one look from her friend deterred her from doing so. There was no use fighting Haneul; she knew so much. Deep down, she knew that her friend was right and that she most likely saved her from more problems with her dad, but it still stung. All she could do was brood in silence.
That aside, she needed a change of clothing. Out of the question for her to show up to her dad as anything but perfect. She had no desire to be criticized on her first day home. They drove to a public bathroom and quickly had to pick a shirt from her bags. Five minutes later, they were back on the road to the Han's residence. Quickly a huge old-style villa, which spread over several acres north of the capital, came into view. They drove to security, parking the car close to the main building. Jinsol took a big breath. This was it; she was home for the first time after nine years, running on no sleep with no caffeine to help her with it, about to face her father.
The blonde received a sympathetic look from Haneul. Who put a hand on her arm and told her that she could take all the time she needed, but they both knew that wasn't the case. By now, her father must have been alerted of her presence. If she didn't show up soon, it'd be something else he'd berate her for. So she took another big inspiration, but on a confident mask, and got out of the car.
They were immediately welcomed by the house personnel. Some she recognized from her childhood, but most were foreign to her. Before they'd even made it through the hall, a woman in her forties appeared, dressed in the finest clothes, exuding authority. The mistress of the house. She shooed away the staff, walked towards the blonde with a big smile, and took her into her arms. Jinsol remained stiff. Seeing that she wasn't going to reciprocate the gesture, the woman ended the awkward embrace. "I'm so happy you're back. We all missed you tremendously." She flashed Jinsol her brightest smile. One that the blonde knew to be fake
To say that Jinsol had a disdain for her would be an understatement. Yoon Sora was her father's second wife, making her Jinsol's stepmother. At first, little Jinsol had been thrilled at the prospect of having a mother. Her biological having died giving birth to her, the sole mother figure she'd ever had was Haneul's mother. So, at first, she'd desperately hoped that the two of them would develop a relationship, but it quickly became apparent to her that that wouldn't be the case. While Sora attempted to put Jinsol on her good side,in the beginning, the second she realized that her father couldn't care less about her, her attempted mellowed.
Things didn't get better with the birth of the twins. If anything it pushed Jinsol more in the background. No matter what happened, the woman was always on her father's side, and while she wasn't particularly mean to her, the blonde had started to loathe her for her passive attitude through the years. She hadn't even bothered to reach out during her years abroad. Yoon Sora could act as a loving stepmother as much as she wanted, but to Jinsol, it would always just be a performance coming from an A-lister actress.
Understanding that Jinsol wouldn't answer her, Sora turned to Haneul. "Haneul, you didn't have to drive her all the way. We were planning on sending a car to fetch her."
Haneul shook her hands. "It wasn't a problem at all. Besides, Jinsol and I had a lot of catch-ups to do." While her friend entertained her stepmother, Jinsol stayed silent, not in the mood to partake in the masquerade. Finally, it came to the point that Haneul had to excuse herself. Before leaving, she turned to Jinsol and made her promise that they'd meet up after. Haneul left after giving her one last look of worry.
Without her friend to act as a buffer, the vibe quickly became awkward, with neither woman knowing what to say. Her stepmother opened her mouth, but Jinsol interjected before she could get a word out. "I have a meeting with father."
Sora's smile faltered a bit, but she resumed it quickly. "Oh yes, of course. You can go. He's waiting for you in his study." Jinsol didn't wait for her to continue and went directly to her father's office.
Han Jaehyun, chairman of Han Media and Entertainment, one of Korea's largest broadcast stations and entertainment companies. He was one of the most influential men in the audiovisual field, having produced some of the most well-known shows, actors, and presenters. Therefore, it wasn't a secret that the man was relatively influential and wealthy. He made it a point for all his children to be as successful as possible to further Han's name. But out of all his children, Jinsol was the one he'd always least shown interest in. The fact that he suddenly had great plans for her was highly suspicious.
Jinsol knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter. Once granted, she entered the room. Behind a large wooden office desk sat Jinsol's father, a magazine in front of him. Jinsol recognized the magazine as the same one she'd been studying on the plane. Mr. Han laid the paper carefully back on the desk and indicated for Jinsol to sit. Jinsol did as told and waited for her father to speak. She already knew what it was going to be about. It was, after all, the sole reason for her return to Korea. Unsurprisingly, her father didn't even bother to ask her how she'd been, directly speaking business. "I presume you went through the documents I sent you."
You wouldn't believe this was a father who hadn't seen their child in over a decade. Years in which he never called, the one she received three weeks ago being the only one he'd ever made through those years abroad. Jinsol nodded in turn. "Yes, I already reviewed them. However, there is something I don't quite understand."
Her father frowned, already looking irritated. "What is it?" He asked sternly.
"Why me? You don't shy away from expressing your discontent with me. Why choose me for this project? You could've perfectly asked anyone else."
Her father leaned back against his chair, clasping his hands before him. "Trust me, you were my last choice, but, for some reason, she was hell-bent on it being you. Something about finding your previous work interesting. I do recognize that your experience overseas could be essential for the magazine's expansion and launch on the international market. See this as a way to finally prove me your worth."
Some may say that Jinsol was ungrateful or insane for not wanting such an opportunity. Atypical was HM&E's new acquisition. Or at least would become, as nothing was yet finalized. The magazine was popular, especially with Genz and young Millenials. Often, The magazine would cover controversial topics, going out of its way to deliver quality content. It managed to imposed itself on the market in a short amount of time. It was no secret that after it started gaining popularity en mass, several major media companies wished to get their hands on it. But none had ever succeeded until now.
So yes, one could dream about becoming its editor-in-chief, but not Jinsol. It had never been her dream, none of it. And while her previous jobs in the industry had been interesting enough, she wasn't sure if she wanted to embark on this project. Besides, saying yes would mean working for her father's company, her worst nightmare. But did she really have a choice? It was what was expected of her and nothing less. So, despite her internal protest, she kept quiet.
Her father took it as a sign that the discussion about the 'why' was closed and continued. "Good. Now that that is clear, we have some more negotiations ahead. The next meeting will be in two days. Tell me what you already know about the situation?"
They talked about the finer details for about an hour, with her father mostly quizzing her on her knowledge of the situation. When Jinsol finally exited her father's office, she could only think about getting out of there and catching some sleep. The thought reminded her that she had to start looking for an apartment soon. There was no way she was going to sleep at the family estate. The blonde sighed. "Home sweet home, I guess."