Choi Young Do drank the 3rd cup of coffee of that morning and wished that it were a double shot of scotch instead. Given how besieged he felt from all sides, he wanted to escape his skin if he could. On a spur, he sat down and listed each and every issue, big and small, that had been reported from every corner of his business domain. There was a utility issue in Tuscany, a permit denied in Monaco, a staff complaint in Spain and a generator had broken down in Sri Lanka…again. He carefully curated those all and made an itinerary in his mind. Satisfied that he would be able to stay away for at least a month or more, he breathed a sigh of relief and texted David to pack his bags. That, however, did not make him feel any less stressed. He still had to live through the evening to catch his red eye. And he had a bad feeling that the evening will only make matters worse. He pushed his feelings aside and worked through lunch, carefully wrapping up everything that was pending. The unease killed his appetite and the continuous cups of coffee that he had downed only made his nerves jittery. At times he wished that he could simply press a button to fast forward his day to the flight time, skipping over the meeting with Kim Won and at other times he wished that it would get to 7 PM in the next instant and he would be able to get it over with.

By the time 6 o’ clock rolled around, Choi Young Do’s nerves were taut like an overstretched string, ready to snap. And snap he did…at the poor souls, who didn’t even know why their boss was crabby…that is crabbier than usual. Hapless before his ire, they took due note, walked on eggshells, tried not to breathe too loudly around him and generally stayed out of his way if they could help it. Even the ever patient David got an earful when he asked if Choi Young Do needed the usual 5 suits or more. David, for once in his life, had an itching to deck his boss and drag him to that sweet lady with kind eyes and just demand, “You…fix him! Before he becomes more of a monster than people already think he is.” Since it was all his imagination, he sighed loudly instead and dragged the other huge suitcase out of the closet. He made a mental note to buy a box of chocolates for his wife from the neighborhood convenience store. Boy, was he glad to have his wife! He packed and carried the suitcases downstairs to the car and noticed that it was time to report at the office to pick up his boss. A prospect that he did not particularly look forward to given Choi Young Do’s mood. He said a silent prayer to Jesus requesting patience and calm for himself and for his restless boss as he started the car.

The ride was eerily silent but that did not help David relax. The man sitting in the backseat exuded tension and anxiety that practically crackled in the air-cooled interior of the car. David was about to pull into the basement parking lot of the downtown headquarters of the Jeguk Group when a short command from the back rang out in a familiar baritone, “Pull up to the front. Let’s see what kind of reception awaits me.” David merely acknowledged the direction but was filled with dread at the unwise move. What if there were reporters and photographers? Was this a set up? Was the Director being foolhardy? But he was glad to see that his fears were unfounded. Except for the liveried valets, who bowed deeply as Choi Young Do emerged from the car, there was nobody around. That is nobody other than the usual few office staff, who were leaving late. They cast a quick questioning glance, a few eyebrows were raised but they all kept their lips sealed. Stiff bows were executed but Choi Young Do ignored them all. He strode into the lobby to find Director Yoon waiting for him, whose demeanor betrayed nothing. He didn’t smile or frown and his body language was unreadable. Director Yoon bowed respectfully and despite his dark mood, Choi Young Do acknowledged his gesture out of admiration that he had for the older man’s character.

Director Yoon said sincerely, “Director Choi, I hope you have been well.”

Unfortunately, his efforts at polite conversation was met with a sneer and a mocking question, “What do you think? Of course, just in case you have not had a chance to read the gossip tabloids, let me update you….I am having the time of my life! Now, shall we get on with it? I have an early morning flight to catch and trust me, there is no way am going to miss that flight.”

A little taken aback by the uncalled for aggression from the younger man, Director Yoon however did not let his composure slip. He had dealt with spoilt, temperamental and demanding chaebols for most of his career and it was his second nature not to react impulsively. Wisdom said that it was the privilege of the rich and the powerful. He merely ignored the outburst as if he had not even heard it and continued in the same even tone.

“Chairman Kim sends his regrets that he won’t be able to see you immediately. Something….of an urgency…has presented itself and he needs to attend to that before he can meet you. I have it on good authority that it shouldn’t take too long. Please allow me to you to a…more comfortable…and private….waiting area.” With that Director Yoon turned around and led the way towards the elevators, all the while pretending not to notice the expression of impatience and displeasure that was written large on Choi Young Do’s countenance. On the ride up in the elevator, he held off on the small talk, rightly guessing that Choi Young Do was in no mood for chitchat. He merely followed direction as he led him down the silent corridor, opened the door to the smaller board room and held it open for Choi Young Do to enter.

Choi Young Do took in the well appointed board room but it did nothing to mitigate his sense of doom. He had expected to be shown into the Chairman’s guest lounge, replete with impressive, showpiece furniture, luxurious furnishings, million dollar paintings or two and usually managed by a specially trained office manager, who attended to the guests’ needs or…if the host was late…their tantrums. Instead he was shown into a conference room which seemed bare and empty by comparison. It felt almost like a veiled insult. He was filled with the foreboding that the evening was going to get only worse. He remained standing even after Director Yoon had left after closing the door behind him. He paced around and tried to massage his stiff neck in a vain effort to relax. The more he thought about it the more he got worked up. Lost in his imagined doom, he didn’t catch the soft sound of a door opening at the far end of the board room and did not see her step into the room.

“Choi Young Do, what are you doing here?”

He whirled around but was so astounded to see Cha Eun Sang standing before him that he couldn’t find the simple words to answer her right away. It was difficult to say as to who was more surprised to see the other. Choi Young Do wasn’t sure if she was there for real or if he had just dreamed her up, given how much he had thought about her in the past few days……or rather how much he had missed her. There stood the woman he had risked his privacy for, only to open himself up to hatred from the public and yet she had not even once thanked him. He couldn’t help but take note of her impeccable attire, which befitted her nature. Dressed in a pin stripe grey pencil skirt and a ruffle neck white blouse with her hair tied in a neat ponytail, she looked as pristine as ever…..untouched by the sensational scandals and public vitriolic. Distant from the chaos of his life, she looked as cold as Choi Young Do felt inside. He gathered himself and answered haughtily.

“Not breaking and entering if that’s what you are thinking. And truth be told, Director Yoon failed to mention that you were occupying this room. Should I take myself elsewhere? I am waiting for….Chairman Kim….to see me. He….summoned…me.”

The inherent bite in the words that he chose sounded odd to his own ears but he was nearing the end of his patience and Cha Eun Sang’s appearance did not help the situation even one bit. Cha Eun Sang finished wiping her face with towel she was holding in her hand and threw it onto the back of a chair that was pushed up against the circular conference table. Only then did Choi Young Do notice that there was a slim, silver colored laptop on the table, next to a few files and papers. Cha Eun Sang looked accusingly at those as she explained in a toneless voice.

“I am working on a project. Trying to finish this presentation. But my eyes were so tired that I had to go wash my face before I could continue. I have been at it since the last few days. And yet, it doesn’t seem to be done.”

Choi Young Do smirked, “Welcome to the world of wealthy! What do you mean? The wealth is not created by magic?”

Cha Eun Sang had a good idea that Choi Young Do was not in a good mood and she couldn’t really blame him so she held her tongue. Instead, she looked him over and noticed that despite his designer clothes he looked worn out like an overworked man and asked in a soft voice, “How are you?”

Choi Young Do felt hollow inside. The words that he had so wanted to hear sounded flat after such a long anticipation. It was an anticlimax to the fevered frustration that had consumed him ever since the scandal had broken in public. He couldn’t believe that he had put himself through all that for these measly words of commiseration. He felt like a fool again. The worst kind of fool for he had fooled himself into thinking that she would care. And it was clear to him that she didn’t. Not more than herself…never more than her own circle of people. Choi Young Do hadn’t made the cut. A deep chuckle at his own delusion bubbled inside him and broke out in a mirthless, brittle laughter.

“What’s up with that? Why does everybody keep asking me that? What’s next? Shall we discuss the weather? Ummm…the stock market may be?”

Cha Eun Sang knew the signs well by now. This was Choi Young Do on the verge of a meltdown. Before she could think of a way to stave off the inevitable, there was a soft knock on the door. She relaxed at the chance of an escape. The office assistant peeped inside and announced that the takeaway order was just delivered. Generally, Cha Eun Sang instructed him to distribute the food but now, she told to him to just set the trays and to wait for her in the kitchen area. As soon as the door closed, she turned to Choi Young Do and addressed him in her best ‘mom’ voice.

“You look hungry. I am hungry. So, you and I are going to have dinner. Nothing fancy….just Chinese takeaway. We are going to sit down and eat like civilized people. You look like you could do with a wash up too.” She pointed to the door behind her and continued, “You will find fresh towels and toiletries in there. Wash up while I serve hyung his dinner first.”

With that she almost ran to the door and only exhaled when she stepped into the corridor. She looked up to see Director Yoon standing in the hallway, stopped in his tracks with a clear expression of apprehension on his face. He was obviously on his way to Kim Won’s office with a stack of old files in his arms. He looked startled and smiled with relief to see Cha Eun Sang.

“Cha Eun Sang, are you alright? Did he……bite?”

Cha Eun Sang smiled in spite of herself and answered with an eye roll, “Almost! Almost!”

Both of them shared a conspiratorial smile before Cha Eun Sang nagged like an old friend.

“I am sending your dinner on a tray. Eat and work. Remember, eat and work.”

Director Yoon good naturedly whispered, “Yes! Yes! I will. You just be careful of that…..angry tomcat…. in there.” He gestured towards the conference room before walking away.

Cha Eun Sang muttered under her breath, “One can hope” as she walked slowly towards the kitchenette, determined to take her time.

Choi Young Do seethed at her abrupt departure and her no- nonsense directive bristled him even further. But he could only ineffectually glare at the closed door when a part of him wanted to stalk her down the corridor and corner her for a good talking to. Instead, he fumed silently as his mind ran a thousand miles a minute, tumbling over the words that were dancing on his tongue, till his eyes fell on those files. Suddenly, he was curious as to what had occupied her so much that she had apparently forgotten everything else. He sauntered over to that side of the table where the papers and the file lay scattered. He carefully moved a few papers around to get an idea. It looked like a production issue that she was working one. There were old and new schedules, staffing numbers and costs. It was about a factory in Busan. Mildly intrigued, he opened the fat, yellowed file and turned over a few pages. And then some more. And there it was in one page after another, a familiar name and hand writing…..in official signatures and casually scribbled notes…..a name that he didn’t care for. He flipped a few pages hastily, hoping to see the end of it but pages after pages bore the same. On a yellow post-it, there were some names with doodles next to them. A moustache next to a name, a pair of glasses next to another, a bowtie next to yet another. Choi Young Do amusedly guessed that Kim Tan was trying to memorize faces to go with the names. He scoffed derisively at such childish antics but also felt a stab of jealousy.

“The idiot was all about cute stuff like a teenage girl! Seriously, who doodles on an official file? Unprofessional to boot! How did she fall for such nonsense? ” Suddenly vexed, he closed the file like it singed his fingers.

He kicked the back of the chair for good measure too. But the tension in his neck felt worse, if anything. He looked behind him and decided to splash some water on his face to see if he would feel better. The bathroom turned out to be pretty big and more than functional. Choi Young Do looked in the mirror and acknowledged that the day had not been kind to him. The pallor of his skin and the white of his eyes looked stark in the bright light. He leaned onto the cold Italian marble vanity that ran the entire length of the oversized mirror and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. A shower would have been better but since that was not possible, he took his white gold and diamond watch off and reached out to place it in the hand carved trinket tray that was next to the sink. Something shiny, lying right next to his watch in that marble tray, caught his eyes. He looked closer and inspected it with interest. A huge diamond solitaire set in platinum twinkled up at him. Despite himself, he felt compelled to pick up the ring. Choi Young Do knew stones and this was a very beautiful and very expensive piece of rock. The cut was magnificent, the stone was flawless and the setting was artistically simple to show off the brilliance of the stone. On the inside of the band was inscribed, “To my forever girl, with my eternal love”.

Choi Young Do felt the heat rise up his neck. He could feel his own breath become fire and his blood quicken in his veins. But in absolute contrast to his inner turmoil, he slowly and carefully laid the ring back in the trinket tray. He methodically took off his jacket and used the hanger to carefully hang it up before rolling up the stiff French cuffs till his elbows. He had taken off his tie in the car but now, with his body overheating like a revved up racecar, he undid a few more buttons. He turned the faucet on and waited till the water felt practically chilly to the touch. He lowered his upper body over the sink and splashed water over his face and continued doing so till his eyes hurt and turned red. He ran his wet palms along the back of his neck and behind his ears as well. Not satisfied with the result, he grabbed a hand towel and draped it around his collar, tucking in the ends under his shirt. Holding the ends with his left hand, he ducked his head under the faucet, letting the water run through his hair and soak his scalp. He closed his eyes and let the gentle rivulets of the sluicing water caress his skin. He stayed that way till he felt a little calmer and more in control of his emotions. He straightened to his full height and was dismayed to see that if anything, he looked more disheveled than before. He roughly dried and arranged his hair, leaving it mostly wet, hoping that the water will keep his nerves calm. He redressed himself and locked eyes with the ring again as he retrieved his watch. He turned to open the door but the true admirer in him couldn’t leave the beautiful piece behind. He picked it up and slipped it in his trouser pocket. He was going to return it to her….the girl.

He pulled out a chair and found to his amazement that the chair was actually very comfortable for a conference room chair. He allowed himself to relax against the cushioned backrest and closed his eyes to compose himself. But before he could do so the door to the conference room opened and Cha Eun Sang entered followed by the man, who had popped in earlier, pushing a small tea cart. The man positioned the cart and was about to pick up the tray when Cha Eun Sang relieved him of his duties and took over. The man left with somewhat of a perplexed expression after executing a stiff bow to the guest as well as the hostess. Cha Eun Sang carried the tray to the table where Choi Young had sat down and laid out the minimal fare of a working dinner. A huge portion of black bean noodle and a couple of stir fried side dishes.

Cha Eun Sang noticed Choi Young Do’s glistening hair at close quarters while laying out the dishes and was intrigued. At first she thought it was some kind of hair product that he had gone overboard with and felt amused. But then, she noticed the beads of water that that were still dripping into the stiff collar, wilting it slowly and leaving huge wet spots. Shocked, she dipped her fingers impulsively into the thick hair that lay brushed back from the broad forehead. Her fingers encountered the unmistakable telltale signs of soaking wet hair. But before she could say anything, Choi Young Do reacted first. He had been hungrily eyeing the foo