GROWL - EXOM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AAKi1OLZzQ

Standing by the glass window that overlooked all of Vancouver city, Kris stood in front of it with a cup of gin and tonic in his hand as he watched the setting sun fade over the horizon. He wasn’t sure how long he had stood there for, just staring at the clouds that were slowly passing by but it was quite obvious that he had stood there for some time now. The blue sky he had remembered staring at had now become nothing more than a blended pool of purple and pink haze, washing away into the distance. It had been a long while since Kris had the opportunity to just stand here and study the surroundings of downtown Vancouver, considering that all he had been doing lately was attend board meetings and travel back and forth between here and Beijing.  With all the shipments that’s due to arrive in his company and new employees to train, Kris had no time to indulge in free play.

With CEO Wu, his father, set to retire by next year, all the responsibility had now fallen onto Kris’s hands. At the tender age of 24, Kris wasn’t sure whether or not he should be happy that he was lucky enough to receive this privilege or to cry in acceptance that he would soon have to give up his entire freedom so that he could dedicate his life towards the company. It was bittersweet, really.

From the very beginning, the ownership of the company and who it would be handed down to after CEO Wu retires was blatantly obvious. Try as he might to pretend none of this was happening Kris knew  on the inside that he couldn’t run away from his responsibilities forever. Soon, he would have to catch the bait and let his Dad reel him in. Seeing that it had always been his father’s dream to pass down the company to him, Kris had no choice but to stand by his father’s side until the very end. Who would've expected the company to grow this large over such a short period in time?

Originally, the company was a small air conditioning business that started with Kris’s father and mom, and somehow it became more than just air condition—it became convenience. With the lack of power required to use the machine, customers would save hundreds of dollars a year by using evaporating water to thin out the air instead of compressing gas into liquid for the cooling to occur. By the end of the first year the product was released, it had soared through the roof in sales in every department store, making it the top must-haves for every family around east asia and America. Although Kris was not a fan of running the business, he did however, admire his parents perseverance to stick by their invention through thick and thin. Since they were second generation Asians in Vancouver, it was a lot harder to get your ideas across to the people of the Western world but he was glad his parents had never given up on their dreams.

Despite their stern and cold exteriors, on the inside they were very warm and intelligent people who could create just about anything if they were given a pen and paper. Just seeing how hard they worked inspired Kris to work equally as hard, and as the years went by, the company grew bigger and bigger. It wasn’t until recently since the company had become more mainstream by placing ads on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and launching a website to bring awareness of the product to social media. With all the customers that were pouring in and demanding for the product, the company’s net worth and stocks all rose up along with the demands.

As business goes, this was a highly demanding job that required a 24/7 watch to make sure all of the products that were created will leave the factories without a single flaw. Not to mention, working in this field meant that phone calls are consistently constant. Kris used to wonder why his parents never slept a wink, taking only power naps and then getting up a few hours later to drive from city to city. Now, all grown up, he understood completely why they did that. They had a family to support, a company to run, there was not time to dilly dally around. Sleep can wait, a company cannot.

Bringing the cup of gin and tonic to his lips, Kris scowled at the idea that this was what his life is going to become once the torch would be passed down to him completely. He had expected that he would have at least done one thing on his bucket list before sitting down on the throne to sign his life away, but he was too much of a Mother’s boy to disobey her wishes. He sipped on the drink, noting that all of the ice had melted by now. As he was swishing the watered down gin and tonic back and forth in his mouth, a loud knock came at his door.

Ah yes, the calm before the store… I was beginning to think that the office was way too quiet this afternoon anyway. I had not been bothered for the last two hours so I suppose it’s about time I return to reality and deal with the issues on hand now.  “Come in,” called Kris, his tone strict and authoritative as it should be whenever he was in the office.

Through the wooden door, a man appeared from it with squared glasses and curly hair. He had on a grey suit, with a navy trench coat over it as he sauntered towards Kris with a few files in his hands. “Good Afternoon Mr.Wu, how are things going for you today?”

Kris raised an eyebrow, but made no reaction of surprise when he saw the man. Instead of replying, he finished the rest of the gin and tonic and walked over to his desk and sat down, waiting to hear what’s on the agenda today. The man with curly hair and thick glasses followed after him, unfazed that his boss had not replied to his courteous question.

Once Kris was comfortably seated, the man who goes by the name of David Kim, continued to stand impeccably straight as he pondered in his head as to how he would address the issue. After some time, he placed the folder down and cleared his throat. “Things don’t look like they are doing particularly well in Seoul. From the photos that you see here…” said the man as he opened the file, pointing to a girl with long brown hair. “Miss. Hayoung seems to have paid Miss. Hari a visit not too long ago. The photograph shows Miss. Hayoung going in and out of the home on March 23rd at 6:49PM and leaving at 7:37PM.”

Marcg 23rd? That was only two days ago!

Upon hearing the news of Hayoung visiting Hari, an instant frown appeared on Kris’s face. There were a series of photos that was now sprawled out in front of him of Hayoung inside the home, but none indicated whether or not the pair had