The buzzing noise in the humongous conference room was a tedious din that Cha Eun Sang was getting used to. It seemed like a very long day to her with no end in sight. Her nerves were frayed, mended and frayed again. She had soared on bursts of confidence and fretted in moments of panic a hundred times over since that morning. She was carefully, and by design, attired in a knee length skirt suit in steel grey that was handpicked by Madame Yang on a special request from Kim Won. Simply but elegantly cut, it fitted her perfectly, showing off peeks of her collared royal blue silk blouse underneath. She had worn comfortable wedges over her opaque stockings because she knew that she had to be standing for the greater part of the day, if not all of it. Her hair was secured in a low ponytail and her face was bare except for a coat of mascara on her eyelashes. She maintained a rigid, shoulders back stance to make up for her lack of stature in a room full of mostly men and a few women, who stood head and shoulders above her, literally as well as metaphorically. Though her face was politely impassive, she was acutely aware of the several pairs of eyes that were scrutinizing her and not all of them were kind. She had to win over the ones who were on the fence.

Her presentation on the proposal to solve the workforce crisis in Busan had been received without any ugly hostility by the audience of the board members and majority shareholders but the questions aimed at her at the end were no less piercing. She had answered honestly, acknowledging that it was not a foolproof plan because, after all, it dealt with human beings and their lives.  There were murmurs, whispers and a few sarcastic comments. However, the toughest questions were posed by the representative of the Zeus group. She had swallowed her indignation since she knew that Chairman Choi had never liked her and had probably sent over his representative, a legal counsel, with special instruction to make every effort to humiliate her. Nonetheless, she had managed to hold her own. She had worked hard and had invested her heart and soul into this project and it showed. After the initial reluctance, her natural inclination to persevere had kicked in and the more obstacles she had faced, the more determined she had become. She had visited the homes of the workers, lunched with the union leaders, walked around with grease on her face and dirt in her nails to understand the people and the machines that they operated. If successful, the Busan factory would break new grounds and reinvigorate the workforce. But it needed a solid chunk of investment in new machinery and training. The board meeting was convened to seek approval to sanction the said investment since the Busan factory had been a known lame horse for a while in the vast Jeguk portfolio.

During lunch, she answered more specific questions from the attendees, still in her elements. Kim Won stayed by her side, smiling and nodding approvingly but mostly allowing her to lead the conversation and answer the questions. Before the presentation, he had introduced her to the gathering with a quiet conviction in his voice, which had at the same time, inspired and frightened Cha Eun Sang. She didn’t want to fail him. As she sat waiting in Kim Won’s office, she could barely eat the few pieces of food she had on her plate. She was instructed by Kim Won to abstain from post lunch discussion and decision making process. She was to wait for the board’s verdict on her proposal to inject an unprecedented amount of financial infusion into an ailing unit. Cha Eun Sang tried not to think of the worst. She sneaked a peek at her phone and was dismayed to see that the screen was blank. This morning, out of the blue, she had an impulse to call Choi Young Do. She wanted to confide in him about just how nervous she was. She was too tired of being strong, logical and brave in front of hundreds of judging faces for the entire last month and she was about to face even sterner ones. She wanted to hear that drawling, deep and confident voice, always laced with a trace of amusement, tell her that she would be fine. Or to get her worked up with his teasing words, just to get her adrenalin flowing and challenge her to prove her worth. He had always had more faith in her abilities than she did. But like always they had parted on a bitter note and just like before, Choi Young Do had stormed out, obliterating any chance of reconciliation. She loathed to acknowledge it but she missed him and couldn’t understand why she felt upset at his absence. She wanted to get back to the time before that bloody interview….when they were becoming friends.

She closed her eyes and saw a tableau in her mind that had revisited her many times before. There were many nights when she had fallen asleep exhausted in a luxurious hotel room in Busan. She had missed home for the first time in a very long while. She had often hit the pillows with a wish on her lips, “I want to go home”. But it was not the picture of Kim Mansion that had fleetingly visited her dreams but a softly lit late spring evening in Jeju. A smiling and attentive Choi Young Do and a giggling, squealing Sunny pushing a football around as she had sat watching them, clutching his jacket in her lap, her finger stinging from the jab of her bobby pin. She was pretty sure that the tears she saw in her own eyes were different than the ones she had shed for Kim Tan. Bone-tired and frustrated, she was only greeted by the cool silk sheets and cloying solitude in her hotel room. As she had stood peering out of the windows, she had seen the brightly lit but empty streets of the downtown below. Saddened and homesick, she had felt an empathy for the man who had only known a hotel room as his home. She had broken the silence of her room as her lips had voiced her heart’s concern into the night air, “Young Do-ah, are you well?”

It was over so soon that Cha Eun Sang had difficulty believing that it had happened at all. She was summoned to the board room and was told by the board that her proposal to revive the Busan factory was accepted by the board. Then, Kim Won had shocked the daylight out of her by declaring formally that he was going to appoint Cha Eun Sang as his executive assistant and special representative. The audience seemed to take the announcement with far more equanimity than the newly appointed incumbent herself. Immediately aware of the new expectations of her conduct, she tried to show her gratefulness and not the panic that she felt inside. She even gave an extempore short speech about working hard to live up to her new responsibilities, which was received kindly, if not enthusiastically, by all. And then began the parade of faces, congratulating her and imparting encouraging words, some more sincerely than others. It was clear to her that the test of her abilities was just beginning.  And then at the very end, the gentleman, who represented Zeus, came up to her and formally bowed to her. Straightening himself, he politely introduced himself as lawyer Park and congratulated her on her appointment.

Suddenly, filled with hubris, Cha Eun Sang felt emboldened to remark, “Thank you, lawyer Park. Please convey my gratitude to Chairman Choi for his kind support. I will work hard to prove that his faith is not misplaced.”

Lawyer Park smiled and corrected her, “You mean Director Choi? Of course, I will do so. But I am sure he is well aware of your capabilities….and your ambitions. I was under his directive to live stream the entire presentation and the question-answer session. I merely posed the questions that he texted me to ask of you. He was technically present the entire time. I was merely the…..cameraman! He is a very prudent and capable man. And I have never known him to back a bad idea.”

Cha Eun Sang’s mind was in a whirl. She managed to ask through her confusion, “Director Choi? Choi Young Do? Why…how did he…where…..?”

Lawyer Park smiled and patiently explained, “Director Choi currently holds power of attorney over Zeus’ stake in Jeguk. He is in town but I am attending on his behalf since he was unable to attend in person due to other engagements.”

Feeling unreasonably slighted, Cha Eun Sang answered formally, “I am glad that I could prove my abilities to him. I must say that his was a very hard won approval.”

Lawyer Park smiled enigmatically and disagreed, “I could be wrong but I don’t think so. Upon my arrival this morning, I was instructed to hand over the sealed envelope, which contained his vote…on behalf of Zeus’ group….. to Chairman Kim. Something tells me that it was cast in your favor, even before you took the podium. But I see why he has such confidence in your abilities. It is nice to see fresh ideas, fresh faces and fresh blood gaining ground in tightly controlled familial spaces. I wish you every success.”

Before Cha Eun Sang could respond, Kim Won’s voice called the room to attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am much relieved and proud today. I have found a newly minted ally in Cha Eun Sang, who will help me shoulder my ever increasing responsibilities from now on. Let me tell you that the last month was undoubtedly difficult for her. She overcame many challenges, but she never wavered and was determined to complete her task. To celebrate her success, I am happy to invite you all to a last minute a black tie cocktail party, to be held this evening at the Grand Marchioness Ball Room at Zeus’ flagship hotel. It is only 3 PM so I suggest that we all repair to our homes right away and reconvene this evening at 7 PM, to partake in the festivities and the fine hospitality that is Zeus’ hallmark”, he extended his arm to his right and continued, “My wife, Madame Yang, has kindly offered to host the event at a very short notice and I am grateful to her.”

Cha Eun Sang almost got a whiplash injury as she swiveled her head and was astonished to see Madame Yang, standing near the far end of the room, having entered unnoticed, bowing politely to the gathered attendees with