VII.

“And those are the plans for the coming winter season. Thank you for listening,” Irene said. She swallowed the last of her nerves and kept her posture straight, trying to show confidence. Having a hangover before a shareholder’s meeting was not helping very much.

There was a crawl of an applause, unsure and hesitant. One of the shareholders cleared his throat before speaking up, “That was very nice, Ms. Bae. We would like to discuss this amongst ourselves before we make a final decision. Is a ten-minute break alright?”

“Yes, of course. Let’s meet back here in ten minutes then,” she said. She gestured for Wendy to get her things, the Macbook and the other papers, before taking her leave.

Irene heaved the sigh that she had been holding since she had entered the meeting room. Meetings with the bosses still proved to be a difficult task, despite having it done for almost three years now. The unnerving tension under the gazes of people who held more power than her was suffocating. Did Irene exude the same atmosphere when she was at the office?

“You did great, Ms. Bae,” she heard Wendy say.

Irene turned around to see Wendy, her good-for-nothing servant…er…personal assistant, smiling at her, almost beaming, with her perfectly straight teeth. Very white. Wendy had a nice smile, comforting, soothing. Irene fought the urge to smile back.

“Do you want a drink?” Wendy asked.

A drink would be nice. “I’m okay. I don’t need it.”

“Oh. Uhh… then is it okay for me to get a drink? I’m kind of thirsty.”

“Hmm,” Irene shrugged. Talking to Wendy felt uncomfortable. “Do what you want.”

Irene watched as Wendy walked away, turning a corner, towards the cafeteria of the building. There was this feeling of uneasiness that latched onto Irene whenever Wendy was there. A feeling that was hard to shake off. Irene shuddered.

What Wendy had done and seen, what Irene had done and said, all a frustrating mystery. Even though Irene had no memory of last night, there was a feeling that her body remembered. There was an urge that brewed within her, the urge to get closer. Physically. Emotionally.

If only Seulgi was here. Seulgi knew Irene well, of her habits, of her tendencies, of her allergies. Seulgi was the one who went with her to meetings abroad, winning shareholders over with her bright, approachable personality. She would be the one to take care of Irene after a night of drinking too much, drowning her thoughts with useless alcohol.

Not Wendy. A mere stranger. Just an employee who saw too much, knew too much.

You’re allergic to peanuts, right?

Irene scoffed. Seulgi probably told her. Seulgi spent all her time chatting with the employees, befriending them instead of pushing them to do their job. Now, giving Wendy a plane ticket to Korea. Just how close were they?

“Seulgi, you are dead meat when I get back, I swear,” Irene said, her voice almost a croak. Stupid parched throat. Couldn’t her body endure and cooperate for now? She sighed and headed for the cafeteria.

The cafeteria wasn’t far off from the meeting room. It was through a set of double doors after turning a corner from the main hallway. The whole building was immaculate: polished floors, walls made of glass that acted as windows, modern abstract art pieces could be seen every now and then. The place showed its importance, its weight on the coming months for Aeris. Her grandmother would not be very pleased if a deal was not made after today.

“This whole plan Aeris has for the coming winter season seems like too far of a stretch. It’s too ambitious.”

Irene paused from where she stood, hiding behind the doors. She could see two of the shareholders from the meeting, talking, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and the presentation printouts on the other.

“Yes. The designs are too flamboyant. Women may not wear this sort of thing. We could lose a lot of profits.”

“And I’m not really sure about Ms. Bae, you know? She doesn’t seem to be so sure of what she’s saying as if she doesn’t trust her own plans herself.”

“I agree. But she is the granddaughter of Chairwoman Bae, the one who owns multiple shopping malls around the world. We shouldn’t doubt her.”

Irene composed herself. The expectations were always too hard to meet, too far to reach. But she was used to this. It was what her grandmother had told her. A bit of convincing was all that was nee—

“Pardon me for intruding, but I think you both are wrong about Aeris, especially with Ms. Bae.”

Who—just now. Wendy?

“Who are you?”

Irene’s hand remained on the door handle. She continued to listen in on the conversation.

“I think she is Ms. Bae’s employee. A secretary, perhaps?”

“I’m her personal assistant. Son Wendy. Pleasure to meet you.

“Hmm. Quite a bold one, aren’t you?”

“What makes you think we’re wrong?”

Irene leaned closer, her ear now on the door.

“Because Ms. Bae is a great boss. A great leader. She may be the type to be hard on her employees, not giving them any compliments or kind remarks, but she knows how to push everyone to their very best. She perseveres and never fails to be ahead of everyone else. And that’s her charm, what makes her admirable. That’s what made Aeris a top fashion brand. Pure hard work and dedication. You can trust Ms. Bae on those.”

Irene dropped her hand from the door handle, then she felt it move upwards, towards her chest. Because there was that feeling again. And Irene wasn’t exactly sure what it was nor what to do with it.

* * *

“Aren’t you glad that the meeting is over now, Ms. Bae?” Wendy asked.

They were on their way out of the building, Wendy scuffling her feet, trying to catch up to Irene’s pace.

“H-Huh?” Irene stopped for a moment to glance at Wendy then she continued to walk. “Y-Yeah, I guess.”

“And it turned out well too. You’re very impressive, Ms. Bae.”

Irene smiled, half a smile. A smile that she couldn’t show Wendy. It was all thanks to you, you idiot.

“Uhh…Ms. Bae?”

“Y-Yeah?” Irene turned around.

“You see...uhmm…” Wendy was fidgeting with her fingers.

Irene looked at Wendy now, properly. She could feel her eyes soften at the sight of Wendy and Irene didn’t know why, couldn’t understand why. “Go on.”

“Well…I’m not exactly sure if this is okay but I hope it is because I’ve been worrying about it since this morning, apart from the meeting of course—”

Did Irene’s voice come out too sharp, too…harsh? Maybe if she toned it down slightly… “You can say it, Wendy. What is it?” That was much better, right? It should be.

“A-Ah. Yes, uhm, my family in Daegu is sort of looking for me.”

Irene gave a questioning look, then she made a face as if she was thinking, trying to remember something, then realisation struck her. “Oh, right. Yes, you can go, Wendy. I-I’m…hmm…” I’m sorry. For bothering you.

“Hmm?”

“H-huh? Oh. N-Nothing.” Irene must be out of her mind. Sorry?! Wendy was her employee. Just her personal assistant. It was Wendy’s job to ‘assist’ Irene. To help her.

And that was what Irene thought, believed, wanted to believe yet here she was doing what she didn’t usually do, what she had been indoctrinated not to do by her grandmother. To feel. To cling. To clutch a hand of someone because that was pleading. Rich people never plead. They never feel. Because to feel was to be weak. And weakness meant losses.

But her body was stubborn, moving on its own, clutching the hand of Wendy, her own employee. Someone she paid every month. Not even someone of equal footing as her. Literally. As soon as Wendy bowed, turned around and started to walk away, Irene couldn’t just bare to watch. Irene’s hand insisted, and she watched it as it grabbed Wendy’s hand.

Don’t leave. Stay with me. Just for a bit longer.

Thoughts that Irene couldn’t fathom but her body adamant on saying. Irene wanted to deny it, tried hard to let go of Wendy’s hand, but she just couldn’t.

She couldn’t stop this feeling, whatever it was.

* * *

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then, Ms. Bae. At the airport.” Wendy bowed and turned around. The amount of missed calls left on her phone were overwhelming. A scary amount. But Ms. Bae was scarier. Except