The frosty chill of a lack of emotion seemed to plague him now. His once blessing had become his curse - he had never intended to cause him any pain. He came as close as he could (in his own way) to being in love with him. And now he was alone with only his memories and the ghost of a name on his lips, threatening to spill out into the cold, December air.

During his time as Seoul's youngest active CEO of a business conglomerate, Oh Sehun had learnt that feelings (at least of the positive kind) most certainly did not equate to money. He also learnt (after his cold reputation managed to precede him, sparking illicit rumours and negative allegations against how he managed to work his way up in the world to the standard he was at in just six years) that it was better (and more practical) to fake emotion than to have none, or even worse, actually involve them. After more than one scandal had threatened to cause a vote by the leading executives to vote him out of his presidential position, Oh Sehun decided that a company facelift was long overdue. Starting with the headquarters; the Empire Industries HQ had moved out of three floors of some common skyrise to its own prominent, lavish building, including green-coated doormen and golden doors to a grand lobby, emblazoned with the striking logo of the company. Designed by him alone, Sehun found it perfect. Next, he revamped the board members. Out with the uncles and third cousins he had previously involved in the business due to the familial ties he couldn't escape, he now worked with some of the leading business minds in the country- Kai Kim, Kris Wu and himself were the 'golden trio' of the board. Kai's business savvy brain had brought a new viewpoint to the company and had already helped increase efficiency- as CFO, he was producing twice what the previous one had (this made Sehun's decision to fire his uncle a little less harsh, in his mind anyway). Kris' area was the public- consumers, potential clients, current clients, employees - and he knew how to handle them all. His official title was CMO, but everyone knew he was mostly just a Professional Manipulator. The three together were putting Empire on the map, and turning it into a real business empire, instead of just a fancy name. Along with replenishing the Board of Executives with fresh blood, the company started making itself more prominent in the general public's eye- newspapers couldn't wait to snap up the story that was every Empire employee voluntarily donating one percent of each month's earnings to a different charity each month, voted on by the employees themselves- it was unheard of, to most people. To Kris Wu, it was just the right publicity stunt to earn them a positive opinion. And the final change was that every employee (including senior management) had to reapply for their job- Empire wanted the best, and if someone out there was better at their job, that someone would find themselves working in the golden building that was Empire by Monday. This was also what lead Lu Han to applying for the position of Chief Revenue officer, and somehow getting it.

-

On a particularly cold Friday morning in February, Lu Han had the door opened for him by a polite yet stern doorman, before stepping into a gleaming, golden lobby that was probably bigger than his parents' house back in Beijing. He made his way awkwardly over to the front desk, trying hard not to cringe at how loud his shoes were as they tapped against the marble floor. "Hello, welcome to Empire Industries HQ. My name is Irene, how may I help you today?" An typically beautiful receptionist inquired.

"...Um. Hi. I'm here for the CRO interview with..." Luhan checked the name on the card quickly. "...Kai Kim?"

"Ah, yes. You'll want to take the elevator up to the twenty-seventh floor. His office is there, you'll understand when you get there." Irene smiled politely. "Do you need any further help?"

"No, thank you, madam. You've been a great help." Lu Han reciprocated her polite smile and bowed his head a little, as she let out a little giggle. "I'll be on my way though, but I'll be sure to see you around. My name is Luhan, by the way."

"Duly noted. " Irene smiled, winking at him before turning to the next in line. Luhan didn't mind as much this time about the sound of his shoes on the floor as he made his way over to the stairs. It would take him a while to climb them, but the thought of being trapped inside a tiny metal box that was packed full of people for over twenty stories was something that made his stomach lurch and threaten to regurgitate the Danish pastry he had for breakfast on the way. He had previously managed to perfect the brisk walk needed to perspire the least as he climbed the most flights of stairs possible within a given time, but even that wasn't enough for him to make himself the right amount of punctual- he had to get in the elevator. Steeling himself, he clenched his hands into fists, his left hand threatening to damage the handle of his briefcase, and pressed himself between an older man in his early-forties, complete with mysterious stains on his tie, and who appeared to be a security guard with a particular security concern for the inside of some lady's blouse as his gaze never drifted for the entire journey. Trying hard to keep his breathing calm, he took long, slow breaths and focused on singing an old lullaby in his head. It was a habit his grandmother had passed onto him (along with his paralysing fear of heights) but for once, it was doing nought to soothe the sound of rushing blood in his ears, to calm the storm inside his stomach. As he reached the floor specified by Irene, down in the lobby, he almost tripped in his mad dash to get out as soon as humanly possible. In doing so, he almost fell face first into a man in a suit that looked as if costed more than his rent, yet he caught himself at the last moment. "I am so sorry, oh god." Luhan apologised profusely, his Beijing accent increasingly more prominent within his speech as he got more and more nervous.

"Don't worry, it's fine." The man waved him off with an untroubled motion. "Are you here for the interview? With Kai Kim?"

"...Yeah, for the Chief Revenue Officer position." Luhan nodded, quietly shy. "Am I too early, or late, or something? Is he here?"

"No, you're just about on time. I was coming to get you, actually, hence the nearly smacking into you." The man chuckled warmly. "And as for 'is he here?', I can help you with that. You're looking at him."

Luhan's jaw dropped. "Oh, god, that was definitely the first impression I wanted to give you, s-sir. I-I'm Lu Han, it's nice to meet you." He extended his hand politely and Kai Kim shook it in return, smiling a little.

"Come on, Lu Han, I'll take you to my desk. We can talk there." Kai his heel and strode forward, confident as ever, Luhan following behind promptly. The CFO led the pair of them across the room and it dawned on the Chinese male that the whole floor was open-plan, as well as barren of any people apart from the two of them - the whole floor was this man's office? "Here we are." Kai sat behind a sturdy oak desk on a similar looking grand chair, that looked more like a throne the more Luhan looked at it. "Please, sit. Make yourself comfortable." Following his potential superior's orders, he took the seat opposite him, pulling up his briefcase onto his lap. "So, Luhan, you may begin by telling me why you want this particular job when you and I both know that this will be your first executive position." Kai Kim was known for getting straight to the point, without hesitation, as he dealt with facts and figures all day- he didn't dilly-dally and skirt around issues, he dealt with them.

"Well, sir, I feel like this could be the only opportunity I have to work in a company as promising as this. Unless I get a job here, I have to leave South Korea and return to Beijing to my family. I'll end up with a boring desk job where I slowly go out of my mind and thus begins my spiralling descent into madness." Luhan smiled a little, just to make sure that the fact he was joking came across. "Whereas this is the job that I could only dream of achieving. A CRO for a major business that is for once not in crippling debt. It would also allow me to reach new heights, take on responsibilities I've never been able to receive before. I know that I have the capability and potential to further bring this company to the forefront of the business world, to make our businesses be known like Apple, Google, Yahoo, Samsung. All of these huge companies that are prominent within the media. I want to be able to say I helped contribute to bringing Empire Industries even further. It's a long shot, but I want to pour my heart and soul into this company. If you'll allow me to, of course."

Kai pursed his lips, nodding. "Such... passion."

"And also, I believe that I have what is needed. My professors believed so too- if you'll look here on my references." Taking the resume from the candidate's hand, Kai quickly studied the piece of paper, especially one from a Mr S Lee, who spoke very highly of the male in front of his desk.

'Lu Han can work closely with others around him, truly analysing the situation, and then communicates the company’s vision, transforming that vision into a long-term strategy for pioneering new markets and opportunities, as displayed by his internship at Kingpin Communications, where for a week he was acting CRO in a test scheme between the company and the university. He also is able to see and clearly communicate the aforementioned company vision and the revenue strategy across all relevant functions and ensure the right goals are defined and met within half the time frame of his competitors. As a business leader first, a competent CRO must regularly measure and analyze productivity and effectiveness, form strategic product road maps, create market positioning and competitive advantages, and determine budget trade-offs with a goal of continually improving and developing sustainable results, all of which this student is more than capable of doing. It also also the general consensus that Luhan is data-driven, a wise arbiter and highly-results oriented, along with our top student for our department to date.'

"Well. It certainly seems like Mr Lee is a fan of yours, Lu Han." Kai mused. "If what he says here is true, theoretically you'd be perfect for the job. However... where is the area that displays your work experience?"

Luhan grimaced. "Well, you see, I don't have any other than the work that was required to complete my degree- I didn't have a job through college."

"And why was that? Surely you needed a decent income to support yourself? And you don't have any experience in the real world, yet you're applying for the job of CRO. Why on earth would I hire you when I have to train you up first? I could hire someone with half of your skills and start them at work on Monday." Kai explained, though his words had a slightly judgemental undertone.

"Because I had a rich boyfriend. Okay? Does that satisfy you?" Luhan grumbled, looking down at the floor.

"... I never took you for the sugar baby type. My mistake." Kai smirked smugly, leaning back in his chair.

"I was not a sugar baby! I wasn't even with him for his money!" Luhan snapped, astounded by the casual tone that Kai had used to insinuate his greed. "I liked him, okay? My personal relationships are none of your business!"

The smug look on Kai's face grew, but the CFO remained silent instead of offering an apology, as Luhan had expected.

"Well? What do you have to say?" Luhan inquired, jaw locked and hands curled tightly into fists in his lap.

"Nothing. I have nothing to say. Hence the fact that I was silent." The financier stated, his expression flitting between smug and bored on an irregular timer.

"Wow, you're a lot ruder than I would have guessed." Luhan fumed, gathering his resumes and stuffing them messily into the beaten-up, old, black briefcase that took many a heavy beating. "I change my mind. I don't think I could be a kiss- to someone without a trace of genuine, basic pragmatic and etiquette skills. Goodbye, Kai Kim." Standing up, he turned promptly on his heel, ready to strut out.

"... You're hired." A quieter voice behind Luhan made him freeze in his tracks. "You start on Monday. Tell Irene you've arrived, she'll sort you out with your identification badge and you can collect the lanyard that matches your department- not finance, the executives. We all have silver chain ones, don't let her forget."

"What? Are you kidding?" Luhan glowered, eyes fiery as he directed his (hopefully) fierce gaze at his interviewer. "You think I want this job when you've already insinuated that I mooch off of those I love, along with disregarding (even momentarily) my actual skills, stated by one of the best lecturers in finance in the world?"

"Yes. In fact, I know you do." Kai Kim smirked for the umpteenth time that morning. "Because we both know that if you don't take this job, you're getting deported, as you mentioned earlier. It's an eight o'clock sharp start, don't be late Monday morning."

Luhan cursed the memory of the finance specialist, but nodded, growling out a low "Fine. Anything else, boss?"

"Yeah. Don't call me boss. Call me Kai. The reason you just got hired is because I need your dedicated work and opinion, sometimes advice, not the best -kissing skills in the whole of Asia. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it... Kai. I guess I'll see you on Monday, then." Luhan nodded, slowly exiting the office after being motioned away by Kai. It was when he made it out of the building, into a cab and back home that he realised just how ed he could have been if Kai hadn't hired him- extremely and not even in the good way- then gathered his roommates into the communal living space to drink the last of some suspicious smelling alcohol from the corner shop, toasting whatever gods were out there in gratitude that Luhan wasn't going to leave.

For now.

This is the first thing I've written for a while, so sorry if it's a bit rusty. Also, I've crossposted this to my livejournal and ao3, links are on my profile if you want to read there. Please leave comments, I'd love to know what you think about the first chapter! Thanks to those who have already subscribed, it really makes my day. I'm writing chapter two now, so maybe next week I'll have it posted? But I also have to go back to school soon, so the posting schedule may be a bit erratic. I am looking for a beta, by the way, so if anyone is interested, please DM me on twitter ( @goldsehun ) !

Also, don't be afraid to send me a friend request, I'll accept any- I love talking to people who read my fics. 

- Cesca.