“Miss Jung, please take a seat here. You will be in charge of welcoming reporters, answering phone calls, and responding to any questions that don’t relate to company matters. Remember if anyone comes up and asks about President Kim, or his family, you are not allowed to respond. Failure to comply with these rules will result in your eviction from the Kim Medical staff.”

While I looked at her blankly, stunned by the formal way she spoke towards me, and by her seriousness, she ignored my surprise. Right after her lecture, the prim woman gestured at a sleek, mahogany curved desk that jutted out from the wall. A flat-screen television was mounted right above the silver “Kim Medical” logo behind the desk. I realized its purpose-whoever came near would be able to see what was happening in the press conference from ten feet away. When I walked behind the desk, and took a seat, I found that a computer and another smaller television were set up, also relaying the events of the conference. It seemed that everyone was getting ready, and I stared intently at the man who sat at the head of the platform.

“That’s Jaejoong’s father. He’s the CEO of a huge medical company in America. He rakes in millions of dollars everyday and spends twice of that in research to cure diseases.”

“Is that-President Kim?” I said hesitantly. The woman frowned at me, giving me a strange look-after all, how could I not recognize my own boss? But she let out a sigh and nodded curtly. “Yes. Is that all, Miss Jung?”

“Thank you, Madam Park. I’m very sorry for wasting your time.”

She looked at me sympathetically, and that was when I knew-I’d gotten this job because no one else wanted it (who wanted to be bombarded with pesky questions and take on the risk of letting something slip in frustration?) But I was determined-I needed this job so that I could see Jaejoong and Jonghyun again. And I wasn’t going to let this chance run away from me. Silently thanking Ha Jae in my mind, I felt guilty for making her risk herself in order to get a job as a secretary.

“So here’s the plan, ________. You’re going to be President Kim’s personal secretary.”

“WHAT? How could I get such a high position?”

“I’ll recommend you to him. He always listens to me, part of the reason why being his only and favourite female niece can really score points.”

“Are you sure? What if he finds out about the relationship between Jaejoong, Jonghyun, and I?”

“Do you guys even have a relationship?”

Ha Jae laughed, looking at my face, which showed an expression of utmost disbelief.

“Jaejoong’s not nearly that stupid to create commotion between you and him in front of his father, especially if you’re his new personal secretary. He might, however, ask you to become his own secretary.”

“WHAT?”

“It may happen. It’s a possibility. But you have to be careful, because President Kim goes through secretaries like a starved man at an all-you-can-eat-buffet: once he’s content, he’ll dispose of the remainders. The longest time he’s ever had one secretary is three weeks, and he often yells and gets frustrated at them, too, so you’re going to have to brace yourself.”

I looked at her, feeling worried and nervous.

“So, do you want the job?”

“Yes.”

However, though I’d said those words a week ago so confidently, I currently felt like I was going to faint. I had to keep pulling my black skirt down so that no one would see my knees shaking, and I kept staring at the screen frantically. If Jaejoong and Jonghyun caught me here right now, there’d be chaos. And if I didn’t perform my job as President Kim’s secretary properly, who knows what would happen to me? Trying to relax by closing my eyes, and opening them up again, I stared at the television screen. I had to focus. Looking at the crowd, I instantly spotted an extremely handsome face-a face that I hadn’t seen for a while. 

Jaejoong.

He looked so professional and certain-like nothing could possibly go wrong during this conference. With his black suit and tie, he looked like a chaebol from a Korean Drama-destined for a brilliant future-even though I knew better. While staring at him, I wasn’t sure if he was a singer, dancer, model, or heir of a famous company, because his appearance seemed to prove that he could pull off all of those professions.  I could already see some female reporters whispering frantically into each other’s ears, and felt a slight tinge of jealousy. Moving my eyes away from his face, I looked at the seat beside him, and wrinkled my eyebrows in confusion.

Why was the seat beside him empty if everyone was already there?

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