December 2008

            “As a secretary, you are what your boss is. What you wear, reflects what the boss wears. How you behave, reflects how your boss behaves. Do you get what I’m trying to say here?” Yoo Eun Hee paced in front of the room, as she continued to precede with her lecture.

            Across the room, I spotted Jong In eagerly jotting down notes. I sighed, as I eyed the neatly tied bun on Eun Hee’s head. Big corporations were never my cup of tea, nor were stern ladies who thought they were the boss of anything.

            Yet, here I was, listening to a lecture on Golden Flame’s company rules. I felt like a dog being tamed, or possibly, even worse. I sighed another time, before shooting a discreet glance at Jong In. It’s all for him.

            Somehow, I agreed to Mr. Oh’s conditions and terms. He would pay both Jong In and I a considerable amount of money each month based on my oath to the Oh family. I would not betray them in any way by telling the whole world Oh Sehun attempted to commit suicide.

            Hearing this point, I was aghast. In situations like this, one does not simply announce to the whole world that their friend attempted to commit suicide. It’s unspoken of, until they actually execute the action. As a suicidal person myself, I knew what privacy meant. Apparently, privacy in wealthy people’s dictionary wasn’t defined. Reputation was the only thing that mattered to aristocrats.

            Nonetheless, I agreed, not because I wanted to, but because of Jong In. At the end of the day, what really mattered to me the most was ultimately Jong In. If he was happy, I would be too. As cliché and cheesy that may sound, I really meant it. Once you love someone, you’re happy for them when they succeed in life. And if it means sacrificing a few things to help them succeed, then so be it.

            I sighed again, as I began counting the wrinkles etched on Yoo Eun Hee’s wide forehead.

            One…two…three…

* * * *

            After finishing our lecture with lovely Yoo Eun Hee, Jong In and I were obligated to report to the Mr. Oh’s office for a brief but urgent meeting.

            “This won’t be good, having a female secretary for CEO Oh,” Lee Ki Bum – the head attorney for the hotel corporation – stated. “What we need, is to have someone citizens can count on. By having Hana-ssi as the secretary, our partners will become wary.” I stifled my scoff. Did the wealthy really think about reputation solely? They couldn’t even trust a young female secretary to work under a fifty-year old man, thinking there would be an affair. In any case, they should hire all men for their employees of they really were so insecure.

            “So what are you trying to imply, Ki Bum?” Mr. Oh asked. His son, who sat across from me, shifted in his seat. It was as if he wanted to speak, but didn’t have the courage to. Sehun certainly looked awkward in that too-large of a suit for him.

            “Make Kim Jong In your secretary. We’ll designate a position for Hana-ssi soon,” Ki Bum instructed.

            “That makes my son secretary-less. Did you put any advertisements up regarding that?”

            “No, but I will after this meeting ends,” Ki Bum shook his head.

            “Alright. In the meantime, we’ll have Hana assist Jong In with organizing my paperwork,” Mr. Oh suggested.

            “As you wish, President Oh.” Ki Bum nodded. “If that’s all, I’ll be going now.” Hearing this, both Jong In and I stood up, formally bowing to the lawyer.

            “Wait.” A strange voice stopped Ki Bum in his tracks. We all turned to locate the owner of the voice – it was Sehun. Since my being here, I hadn’t heard him speak within the company walls.

            “Instead of complicating things,” he glanced down at his hands, “why don’t we just make Hana my secreta