One More Time

AN: I’ll be writing in first person from now on since the focus of the story is on Tae Yeon but will still be switching over to third person sometimes. 

Chapter 2

Two weeks later… 

“Yes, please don’t worry Mr Park. All my top executives will deal with all the pressing matters related to the operation of I Enterprises and I will personally oversee Project Roboarm via hologram.”

“Who will be in charge of the company in your absence?”

“I’ll temporarily hand my authority over to my mentor, Mr Lee Soo Man. Rest assured, my company will continue to grow and rake in profit, even in my absence.”

“It’d better Ms Kim, I do not like wasting my money on a failing enterprise. At least a man is taking charge, I feel more at ease.”

“Yes Mr Park, please rest assured. I will speak to you again if anything crops up.”

“Let's hope not. Have a pleasant trip Ms Kim.” 

‘That ist, wrinkly old prune. Why do I even put up with him. Oh god I wonder how he even breathes properly with his nose stuck so high in the clouds’ I groaned. Mr Park Jin Young, while a man with great ambition and foresight, he was was also in layman terms a royal pain in the . He would always be the first in line to kick up a fuss when `I Enterprises' encountered any sort of problem, offering no solution at all. It was no secret that he’s extremely keen on taking over `I Enterprises' if it ever went under, as if I would let him. Pushing thoughts of that erratic old man out of my mind, I began cross checking the items in my luggage. I wanted to be sure that I was prepared for anything during my travels.

“Suitable clothing, check”

“Suitable footwear, check”

“First-aid kit, check”

“Laptop, check”

“No-face figurine, check”

“Colouring books, check”

“Grappling hook, check”

I nodded in approval, having made sure that all of my necessities were packed. What's the use of a grappling hook you ask? You never know when you might need one.

I gave one last look at the exterior of my mansion. I had explored every nook and cranny of this building with Tiffany. The only reason I ever bought it in the first place was because I wanted her to have the best and live in luxury despite her protests of it being too over the top. Right now, I can't even take a single step without being reminded of her, living in my own home has become a torturous experience. Was I some sort of experiment for her to figure out her uality? I flinched as painful memories of our relationship surfaced. I still hadn't come to terms with the fact that she cheated on me, with a guy nonetheless. Calling me heartbroken was an understatement, my heart was brutally ripped out, shredded and stomped on, “heart-smushed” would be a better term. Despite all that, there was still a tiny speck of hope that what she said was true, that she really had no idea how she even got there… but who would even do that? I furrowed my brows and refused to let my train of thought go on any further. This trip was going to be about me, not some demanding business partner or my possibly ex-fiance. 

I strapped on my backpack and bid farewell to my serving staff. They were all rather surprised at my sudden long-term vacation and wished me the best on my travels. They also assured me that they would contact me as soon as any of my family member woke up from their comatose state. The drive on the way to the airport was silent, my driver had been with me long enough to understand when I needed space which I was deeply thankful for. Honestly speaking, I didn’t know where I wanted to go. Ever since I became the CEO of my company, everything had been scheduled out for me, even my dates with Tiffany. Now when I finally have the freedom to plan out my own activities, I am at a loss of what to do. All I knew was that the country that I really wanted to visit was America. Afterall, it is a lively country where things are bound to happen.

When I arrived at the airport, my driver helped me with my luggage and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He left with a knowing smile on his face. I entered the airport and  approached the ticketing counter. I asked for a budget-class flight to America with the shortest waiting time. I could have gone in my private jet but that would have defeated the purpose of experiencing the unknown while on this journey. The lady behind the counter passed me a ticket for the plane KE023 headed to San Francisco that was leaving in an hour. I thanked her while giving a small grin at an attempt to be courteous even in my melancholic state. What I did not expect was for her to flirtatiously wink back at me. I quickly around spun around and headed to Gate 9 where I would board my flight with a slight blush creeping up my cheeks. I passed my luggage over to security for a spot check, they quickly took out my grappling hook from my luggage bag and gave me an incredulous look. I shrugged my shoulders and said “Not as if I'm gonna kill someone with a grappling hook right?” The security officer holding on to my grappling hook gave me a once over and deemed that I was too tiny to be a threat. He then slowly placed my grappling hook back into my bag and warned me not to get involved in any funny business. I nodded and made my way to the waiting area to settle down and took out my laptop to check my emails. The hour went by quickly and I was in the midst of finishing up my reply to yet another email enquiring about my sudden leave when a peculiar announcement was broadcasted over the sound system.

“Hello, hello. Is this on? Welcome to Incheon Airport, please remember to declare your belongings before boarding your plane. Have a safe and pleasant flight! Woo! I did it! Time to cross out making an announcement at the airport in English off my bucket list. Hey short stuff! Did you hear that? Oh shoot, is the mic still on? Woops.”

I burst out laughing till my tummy ached at the slightly accented announcement, giving my mood a slight boost. Oh man, airport security must be going crazy. Another announcement was quickly made to apologise for the disruption and called for passengers for the flight heading to San Francisco, KE023. It was finally was ready for boarding. I quickly wiped the tears forming at the corners my eyes and stuffed my laptop into my backpack, not forgetting to hit send. I made my way towards the boarding site and took a deep breath. 

"Kim Tae Yeon, you’re gonna come back a different woman. A better one. You can do this, ASSA!” I muttered to myself, throwing a fist into the air in the midst of my excitement. People shot puzzled looks at me but quickly turned away when they realised who I was. I ignored them and made my way on towards the plane. With each step I took, more doubts clouded my mind, begging me to turn around. I heaved a deep sigh, conflicted with my internal dilemma. I was sick and tired of being the the same old Kim Tae Yeon that never had the courage to do anything spontaneous, it was time for a change. With my mind made up, I resolutely boarded the plane. Things are going to be different.

This is it, the beginning of my adventure and I’m never looking back. 

Author’s Note: Hello everyone, once again its another short chapter but thank you for reading. This isn't a very action packed scene but I hope the humour made up for it. The rest of the chapters will be way longer! Please feel free to leave feedback regarding my writing! Wonder who was the dork that made the announcement hmm? I will slowly be introducing each of the girls and other minor characters as the story progresses. Will Tae Yeon meet all of them in America or will she meet them elsewhere? You’ll find out sooner or later. 

Till next time  :)