Chapter 6. The Chase

A few minutes later he came back with a helpless submission written all over his face. Joohyun smiled wickedly planning another attack so she spun her revolving chair facing him, “Yonghwa-ssi, do we have another meeting today?”

Yonghwa put on his earphones and adjusted the volume to where he could not hear the background noise. Busying himself with the financial statements sprawled all over his table instead then he decided to call Hyoyeon inside the room.

She started doodling on an empty sheet of paper when he paid no attention to her.  Joohyun was liking the whole idea of bullying him this way. His assistant came in and they talked for a minute and she ignored them since they were talking in hushed tone. To her surprise, however, the other woman walked towards her and placed a stack of folders on the table. She shifted her look from the woman to the folders.

“Director Jung wants you to study these. They are financial reports for the past five years. He said you should familiarize yourself with it so you will understand how the department works,” Hyoyeon mumbled as she tried hard to smile at the Chairman’s daughter, “And make a report after.”

“Hey, loosen up, Unnie! I don’t bite…” Joohyun gave her Miss Congeniality smile when she noticed that the other girl was dead nervous then she creased her brows, “He’s like twelve feet away from me. Why does he have to call you just to tell me these?”

Hyoyeon shyly shrugged, “I’m sorry miss, but it’s my job, actually.”

“Yeah right…” she muttered then took a quick spin to look at the intimidating face. Despite those earplugs shoved in his ears, Joohyun knew he could hear them well so she declared even louder, “Is he really like that? A slave-driver?”

She clicked her tongue as the woman just gave her a knowing smile and excused herself. “My dad is really blind taking in this kind of person. One day, I will be running this place and I know exactly who to fire first.”

Yonghwa held in his laughter by coughing. The nerve of this woman to even assume that she could run this company. He could not believe the Chairman has this kind of daughter. She is nothing but a brainless that all she knows is how to make herself look good and her nerves to be imagining taking over the company one day. If he came to see that day he’d surely be the first one to resign.

He realized that the Chairman was punishing him when he came to his office and asked—no, begged that Seo Joohyun-ssi should be transferred to other department like the Marketing or the Human Resource.

“No, my decision is final. She will stay in your department as long as I want her to. Make sure she learns while she is with you. She can be hard at times but she is a good girl,” the Chairman said with a glint of fatherly pride in his eyes.

Cursing deep down inside, he muttered to himself ‘Yeah, you can say that because she’s your daughter,’ then he tried to reason, “But Chairman, the Finance Department may be tough for her. She will just have a difficult time.”

“When do people learn the most, Yonghwa? On difficult situations, right? It’s high time for her to see what I’m working for and she should realize that the money she wasted is a hard earned one that’s why I sent her to you.”

“Sir, I hate to say this but yesterday—“

“I know about it. She told me,” he reclined on his seat.

What other lies did she say? He could only wonder, “I’m so sorry, Chairman.”

“No, it’s me who should apologize to you,” he retorted, “Joohyun… she is accustomed to have things her way and the more you fence her the more she would defy you to get what she wants. That’s why I did not put her under me... or else she would end up running this company.”

He still could not understand why it’s who should bear that big burden called Seo Joohyun but he knows that he can’t do anything about it anymore.

“Yonghwa, you may wonder why,” the Chairman studied his pensive look, “But I have all the best intentions.”

“Yes, Chairman,” all he could do is to accept defeat.

“Try to loosen up a bit. As time goes by you’ll see that she’s not bad at all.”

‘I can say that about Euna too.’

“If you found out what I’m asking you, before you know it you’ll be free from her.”

False hope.

“Yonghwa-ssi, do we have any meetings today?”

The annoying woman was sitting across him now and distracted his thoughts. Yonghwa didn’t even notice when she walked towards him and he couldn’t give any bit of a damn. He pretended not to see nor hear her despite the fact that she now perched on the edge of his table.

“Yonghwa-ssi, how was your meeting with Mr. Tomo… hmmm… what’s he called again?”

If he was not careful he would surely be laughing out loud. She is worse than Euna.

“Honestly, I don’t like him… he looks like he’s going to strip me or something…”

Is she dumb? Can’t she feel that he doesn’t like her at all?

“Hmmm… oh well… I’m really confused with all those stuff you gave me. Can you at least tell me what those are? Haven’t seen a pile like that since I cleaned my dad’s library five years ago.”

That’s all you’re good at? Cleaning? Oh good… I should have suggested maintenance to the Chairman. He pushed the intercom and Hyoyeon hurried in, “Ms. Kim, tomorrow morning please EDUCATE Joohyun-ssi about those PILES I gave her.”

“Oh great! You heard me,” she muttered dryly rolling her eyes, “Appa, I mean the Chairman, did not inform you that I can’t report every morning? I’m not a morning person.”

“Ms. Kim, tomorrow AFTERNOON, please EDUCATE Joohyun-ssi about those PILES I gave her,” Yonghwa seriously continued, “And give me the reports I was asking you about.”

“Yes, sir,” Hyoyeon nodded.

“So I’m not going to do anything right now, Yonghwa-ssi?”

“Ms. Kim, please tell Joohyun-ssi to start reading the documents.”

“Ms. Seo, the Director wants you to start reading the documents,” Hyoyeon fidgeted feeling so dumb at that moment.

“Yes, Ms. Kim, I heard your boss, I mean, OUR BOSS,” she smiled, “Yonghwa-ssi, do we need to go out today?”