XVIII Cleaning Department

  Mum?" she heard from the backseat, it was her son Jeehyun but she did not mind still focused on her conversation,: "Yeah, tell Mr Lee to take care of it from now on, since I won't " "Mum?" she heard again, but she did not turn, instead she looked at  the green light indicating her to drive on, "Yeah, since I left he'll probably ask Siwon or Yunho oppa to take my place as Vice President,"  she said to her now former assistant Sulli. 

"Umma?!!" she heard, this time her son was screaming, "WHAT!? she finally turned to see what was happening in the backseat, "LEEHYUN AH HONEY!!!" she screamed realizing that her daughter was vomiting, Jeehyun trying to held back the vomit coming out from his little sister's mouth, half of it on his arm. "Mum! Leehyun is vomiting!"he finally managed to tell his mother, Seohyun stopped on the emergency line, throwing her phone on the passenger seat, not minding to see if it was still on communication. She quickly removed her seatbelt, and opened the backseat door, "Sweetheart are you alright? she asked to her daughter half knocked down, she put her hand on her forehead trying to see if she had any fever, "You're burning" she said patting her daughter back, but Leehyun broke the embrace, vomiting again this time on her mother chest. "Leehyun ah baby!", Seohyun said this time worried, "Mum the car is completely dirty now," complained Jeehyun,  "Mum it's hurting me here" managed to whisper Leehyun. Seohyun gasped realizing that her daughter was referring to her heart.  It was probably serious since Leehyun has always been the fragile one, she was only four but she had already been hospitalized more than any other healthy children, her fragile heart being the reason. "Remove your seatbelt and let Leehyun rest on your laps, we're going to the hospital" she said to her son, laying down her daughter on the backseat. 

                -Earlier in the day-

  She went into the elevator, pushing the -1 floor button. She waited for the doors to open,once,opened she walked into  dark corridors, she was in the basement, she could feel the hot breeze coming from the AC and some drops were coming down of the pipes. She kept on walking until reaching grey doors, she spotted the discreet button between the pipes, she pushed it, the door opened, she went in, she noticed a long line of trolley full of detergent, spray, tissue and carpet sweeper etc…, she checked some of them, trying to see if nothing was missing. Once done, she kept on walking until reaching another door, she could smell the coffee and hear the racket made by the washing machine. She pushed the door, "Good morning ladies", she greeted a group of women. "Seohyun ah!" one of them stood up hugging her "Please take a sit" she told her pushing a chair but Seohyun declined the offer, "No   Almoeni, stay sit at your place" Seohyun told her putting back the chair to its place. Seohyun ah do you  want some tea? one of them asked her, "I know you don't drink coffee" she smiled. "Yeah please." Seohyun gladly accepted. She leaned against the wall, watching as the lady was pouring water in a cup which probably belonged to her, her name being wrote on it, a beautiful little brown cup with flowers, in contrast with the cold white walls of the room, a simply honest piece of warmth.. "Seohyun ah, do you know if we can clean the offices earlier tonight? Since most of the employees will be leaving earlier ." one of them asked her, Seohyun turned her attention to her, "Yeah, I mean it won't be a problem, you can come earlier and  before 7.PM" she answered, "Thank you Seohyun ah" the woman smiled.  "It's nothing, I mean why would you wait until 9.PM if no one will be in the offices" Seohyun answered dringing her tea, "No, it's not nothing. Seohyun ah, you have done so much for us, from the schedule; the working condition to the cleaning product, choosing only the best one and organic moreover. It's not nothing, we could never expect a chief to do so much for us." the woman said on the verge of crying.

    Indeed Seohyun was in the basement, where the cleaning ladies have their "offices", she would visit them often and help them working in the best conditions since they had the most difficult work, who would want to clean behind spoiled rich and smart men? None. So they could at least, have the best product to clean, not one of these chemical product that drive you step by step  directly to death….

Moreover most of them, were mother like her and even grandmother, she could not imagine the pain theses women would feel, going home at past midnight, and coming back in the morning to clean again before the employees would come, not even having the time to share moments with their children and, family. So when Hyun&Co became successful they engaged a cleaning society, and the first thing Seohyun did was changing their working hours, their schedule, they would clean at the lunch break while the employee were out having lunch and keep on working until 7.PM instead of 12PM like the other companies. 

Just for them 

To have a decent work. 

To have time to enjoy their life. 

"I wonder if a man would have done the same?" Minah, one of them asked while having her breakfast; "I don't think so" a lady answered, she seemed to be the eldest here, "Does a man knows what is it to work outside and inside? No!, they only work at their office and once they come home, they expect their wife to do the laundry, the cook and to take care of the children alone. Am I not right Seohyun ah??" she asked her,  but did not let her answer, instead she kept on talking, "They want you to be a wife, a cleaner, a mother, a teacher, and of Course, a ual partner! They only have the 8 hours per day work while women have the 8 hours at work plus the 16 others hours at the house!" she stopped looking back at her colleague who asked if a man would have done the same; "A man does not know what being a woman means, thats' why he would never care about your schedule, and your cleaning product Minah."  The  service phone rang, Minah stood up reaching for it, the 24th floor  switch was flashing, "24th floor, they probably spilled some coffee on the carpet again" she sighed while picking up the phone, " Cleaning department,what can I do?" she answered like already sick of the task which will be ask to her.  Meanwhile the eldest turned to face Seohyun who until there remained frozen against the wall, listening to theses ladies who were all much older than her, like a grand daughter in the middle of a middle aged women conversation. "How's your children Seohyun ah? she asked  to her boss like she would ask to her own niece. "They're fine, Jeehyun is at school right now while Leehyun is with my mother-in-law" she answered honestly. But she caught the gaze of the woman, as if she knew something, starring at her bruise. Yeah maybe the bruise was not as big as it was, but even covered by make up, you could still see it.  

"Seohyun ah?" someone called her, it was Minah the phone in her hand, it's Sulli, your secretary, she wants to talk to you." she said giving the phone to Seohyun. "Sulli ah? Is there something? Do I have to go up?" she asked worried. "Mrs Cho, I'm trying to call you for now 10 minutes, you left your phone in your office, and something is happening." Sulli tried to say. But Seohyun did not hear, "Sulli ah, where is this noise coming from? Where are you?" she asked her trying to be heard by her. "Mrs Cho, I'm in front of your office, you should come to see it by yourself." she said before hanging up. 

   She could not wait any longer, the journey from the -1 floor to the 24th since to last eternity. What was happening? She did not manage to hear Sulli, her voice being covered up by a sound; like a pneumatic drill. But what a pneumatic drill would be doing in an office? Making a hole in the carpet? Or did the ceiling crashed? Were they any person injured, why would the alarm not ring? She stared to worry, did something happen to Kyuhyun was he injured? Finally the doors opened, allowing her to walk until her office, she pushed the first glass door, she could hear the noise, but it seemed still far away, she passed in front of the reception with the main secretary, she caught them starring at her then whispering. But she did not mind, she kept on walking trying to look for a familiar face one of her oppa or unnies; bur none. She pushed the second glass door, the last one before her office, she could now hear the noise perfectly, it was coming from the back of the corridor… from her office. 

As she walked she noticed the dust on the floor, she felt out of place with her high heels. She stopped walking when she saw a man, wearing  blue pants and white T-shirt, it was Mr Kim, the main technician, he was not alone, a young man was with him, probably an apprentice. She looked for Sulli but she was nowhere to be seen, She watched Mr Kim making a hole in her wall next tot the door of her office. "Mr Kim what are you doing?" she tried to ask, but with the noise he did no seem to hear her, too focus making a hole in the wall, Mr Kim!" she screamed, the apprentice noticed her, and patted his boss shoulder telling him that someone was behind. Mr Kim took off his helmet, facing her, "Oh Mrs Cho! I did not expect you to be here, they told me you will be out so I would be able to change the plates without disturbing you." he said smiling. 

She did no understand, "Who told you, and which plates are you talking about?" she asked him completely disturbed, "They did not tell you? I thought you were aware." he told her surprised, "One moment please" he said bending on the floor looking for something in his toolbox, he caught something shiny, like a golden plate, the same she had on her wall next to her door. She did not even read what was on it, that she already understood what was going on, she remained frozen, "There, the general council, told me to put these new plates on your door" he said giving her the golden plate; she took it, "I thought you knew about it." the technician told her. She did not turn back her gaze form the plate in her hand, too focus reading again and again what was written on it. Realizing that she wasn't expected the changement she was not aware of, Mr Kim talked to his apprentice, whispering for him to leave. 

The apprentice bumped into Sulli who seemed to be out of breath, the girl was walking in the corridor looking at her boss back, "Mrs Cho?" could she still call her like this? Seohyun turned, "Sulli  ah where you aware?" Seohyun asked like a lost child. Sulli bitted her bottom lip, looking at Mr Kim who remained silent. "No I did not, at the minute you left to see the cleaning ladies, a manager came a box in his hand. He said that a technician would come, I went to pick up the phone to call you, that Mr Kim and his apprentice Tao were already here" she said. Seohyun looked on the floor next to the toolbox  then at Sulli's desk, but nothing. "Where is the Box?" she finally asked her secretary. "I put it on your desk" Sulli answered.  Seohyun opened the door followed by Sulli, she went into her office, to find as expected the box on her desk, she stopped in front of it, "Have you looked into it?"she asked to Sulli not even turning to face her, "No I waited for you, I supposed it was probably personal" she shyly answered not even believing what she was saying; The truth was that Sulli knew what was in the box,but she did not say it, afraid to hurt or humiliate the boss she considered like a big sister. 

Seohyun guessed what contained the box, first the plate, then the administrative document, guess it was the rightful order. She finally decided to open the it, as expected, the Hyun&Co ID card, the same photo, the same logo, the same post as Vice President  but only ONE modification, that you would not even notice, but she noticed it, she noticed the three letters changed on her ID card and plate. 

   He was in his office, doing the inventory, but guess he was not totally focus since he was making the same error again and again.  It was only 10AM but it seems like he had been working for now 10 hours when he already started work at 8AM. He looked at his computer screen telling him that the calculation was wrong that he could not have 10 percent of benefice with 55 billions won invested in the capital. Something somewhere was wrong but he could say where and why? And it drove him crazy because he knew that it was right in front of him, but he could not see it, too busy trying to forget what was happening.  

    He suddenly raised up himself, the deafening noise he was hearing until now stopped, he swore Mr Kim was a good technician but even with an apprentice helping him none would work this fast. He did not even knew since when the noise stopped and why it would stopped, she was not even there, she was in the basement, chatting with the cleaning ladies instead of working. Suddenly the door opened, allowing the mother of his children to appear in front of him, he watched her putting the box she was holding on her hips so she could close the door with her free hand. Once done she walked towards his office, putting the box on the keyboard pushing some of them by error "Look at what you're doing! You just transferred 123 billions  won to the Malaysian sector!" he stood up scolding her while pushing the box on the other side of his desk.

  "What is this?" she finally asked him, he noticed a sob in her voice, as if she was trying to control it. "Your new plate and ID card" he told her sitting back to its chair. Why? Is there a problem with it?" he asked her but she did not answer, so he went on,  "I got it, maybe you wanted the administration department to write Jung?" he asked her chuckling, "Give it back to me, I'll ask them to change it" he told her taking the box from his desk, but she stopped him, putting her hands on his, he swore, his entire body vibrated from her touch,soft but strong as the same time.

 For the first time since she came in he looked into her eyes, they were glassy from trying to hold back her tears. "I never sent the papers for the divorce." she told him, he remained frozen, not able to say anything, "I never sent them because I expected that you were still in love with me, that you would come and fight for me. But you did not, and now you're giving me new plates and new ID card with my maiden name written on it…calling me Seo instead of Cho." she said tears now falling on her cheeks.  "I thought you would realize how much you count for me when I cameback to the company, facing all the glances, the whisper and the rumors coming from the employee.  I thought you would finally do something when Yonghwa asked me to marry him..but you …you" she stuttered  " I thought you would get how much I'm still in love with you even if you cheated on me, but guess I was wrong guess I was the only one still in love…" With her force she managed to put the box they were holding together back on the desk, "Don't need to change the name written on them" she said referring to the plate and ID card, "I"m resigning from my post" she said wiping her tears, taking off the ID card she had around her neck which was until now covered under her shirt, she put in the box, with the new one,  before leaving his office. 

   He watched her closing the door of his office, not moving, not having the force to. He looked at the box he was still holding, the plate shined with the sun ray of light that were reflecting on it, he took both of the Hyun&Co ID cards, the former one and the new one, he compared them, , same photo, the same logo, the same post as Vice President  but only one modification, a simple modification that meant everything, a modification it was not Cho Joo-hyun, anymore, it was now Seo Joo-hyun.  

  -"Minah, there's a lot of dust on the 24th floor, they called us, we have to clean. Yeah, again."-

-I wrote this chapter listening to a french artist called Jena Lee -J'aimerais tellement- I hope you would listen to the song,it's about a girl who loves a man but break up with him, at the end the man die." The title means "I wished". 

-Also SEOKYU COUPLE TIPLE SONG! OMG I was expecting for a CF but they gave us a song, can you imagine that? And Seo birthday is on 28th june, the same day as China-Korea song festival, Super junior and EXO will also be attending. "Praying for Some Seokyu moment"

-Kpop Scandal, have you heard about Se7EN and Sungchul scandal? They re currently on Army service, but they were seen outside their army dorm wearing casual outfit instead of uniforms which is not allowed, drinking beer and Soju. But the main SCANDAL is that they went to a Massage Parlor (es). I don't care about Sungchul but Se7en is dating for now 8 years actress Park Hanbyul. :( Don't know what will happen. But their career won't be the same as it used when they'll comeback from army; I just hope Leeteuk isn't one of the others "Top Celebrities"included. I"m  still not over the IU-Eunhyuk scandal…

-OF COURSE GIVE ME YOUR OPINIOS ABOUT THIS CHAPTER-. 

-Love Ali.