“Where is she? She’s supposed to be here one hour ago,” a tall tanned woman glances at her watch while she casually sips her cocktails at the bar. “Don’t tell me she actually forgot. I’ll smack that head of hers, for real.” 

“We always frequent this invite-only bar, so there’s no way she’d forget about today.” 

Suddenly, the people in the bar started flocking towards the entrance. Everybody tries to get a glimpse of the person who just arrived at the valet area. A man catches sight of the car being driven away by the valet, “Oh damn, it’s the latest 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider! Whoever drove that car must be loaded.” 

Now more than ever, the noise from the crowd has gotten much louder. 

Curious to see who drove the car with the famous symbol of its Prancing Horse, the person wearing a navy bespoke three-piece suit finally turns around. Gasps and whispers are evidently heard across the hall as they see an individual approaching the entrance. The person sports a perfectly combed sleek short hairstyle and anyone can see how this person makes a statement with every stride. 

The woman from earlier looks to her left and sees the emerging commotion, she chuckles, “...this always happens. What a scene-stealer you are, my friend.”

“Hey, Yul!” The person waves to the woman sitting at the bar, pulls up a high stool and sits next to the person who witnessed everything. The woman snickers, ‘Sigh. This rascal… so dense, she doesn't even have a slightest idea of what she caused.’ 

Yuri’s POV

I’m “Hey, Yul!” Yuri Kwon, pleasure to meet you. 

And you got it right, she’s the one I’m supposed to meet here since the last hour. Meet my best friend, Amber J. Liu. My charming (don’t tell her I said that) yet dense (for this one, do tell) as hell bestest bud. 

“Yah, Amber! You took long enough to get here. Let’s hear your excuse this time.” 

“Sorry, Yul. You know how things are in the company, Liu Group and Corporation is planning for further expansion. Complacency has no room in business, you know that.” She smiled faintly.

“Yes, yes. I know, kid. I was just messing with you,” I said to Amber. “I just thought I’d be more in touch with your secretary than you. She mentioned you’re busy. Well, I’d expect nothing less for a Chief Operating Officer (COO).” 

“As if you’re not the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Kwon Automotive Company and Dealership yourself,” she just rolled her eyes at me. “And mind you, I’m vying for the highest position. Adding ‘Chief Executive Officer’ (CEO) or ‘Chairman’ to my name doesn’t sound so bad, don’t you think?” Amber beamed her wide annoying grin. 

Realizing she hasn’t ordered anything yet, she called the bartender and ordered “one Glenfiddich 12.” The bartender nodded, ‘Got it. Coming right up.’ 

She glanced at me and asked, “do you want another one?” I waved my hand. “I’m good, thanks. Still finishing this one.” I smiled.

Come to think of it, it has almost been a decade since I became friends with this llama-faced dork. 

Flashback and Yuri’s internal monologue

It was the beginning of my Masters of Business Administration program when I first met Amber. I was 23 and she just turned 21 at the time. I finished college in South Korea, while she received her Bachelor’s degree in the States. 

After college, I did not immediately enter a business school in the USA since I wanted to become fluent in English first. So I deferred a year, in order to familiarize myself and become well-versed with the language. The following year, I’m about to take up my Masters. 

We met in the Harvard Business School. One of the best Ivy League schools for business programs, if not THE best. 

I was there to learn about the complexities of business work and how to develop skills needed for keeping the business sustained. Amber, on the other hand, has already been equipped with everything there is to know about the business framework of their company; she was there to excel with the goal of taking over Liu Group and Corporation in mind.

You see, Amber is one of the brightest minds I’ve ever come to know. She’s one of those people you’d vouch for to succeed in whatever they set their mind to achieve. 

But mind you, we didn’t bond over careers and businesses only. That’d be incredibly dull and boring haha. 

In fact, we became best friends because we think alike, especially when it comes to our interests and sense of humor. We perfectly understand the line: ‘work hard, play harder’ so every time we feel stressed with school work, we de-stress with games, sports, and cars. Not the actual expensive ones though, just the cars you’d see on Formula 1 and Gran Turismo 7 on PlayStation. 

We, Amber and I, are both heirs to the companies of our parents. But the thing is, our parents didn’t–and they still don’t–believe in the saying: ‘hand something to someone on a silver platter’. 

That is why, when we both graduated from Harvard, we didn’t land the supervisor or managerial positions as one would think. Our work experience did not come easy with our surnames. We had to start at the bottom and make our way to the top where we currently are: Chief Operating Officers. The second-in-command. 

So, you’re asking about the luxuries we get to savor now? Those are fruits of our hard work. 

Hmm, I think I know what you’re thinking of next… experiencing all of that, it must’ve been lonely… 

To tell you honestly, it was. Yet, our situation was not a question of ‘if’ but more of a ‘which’. The rumors are true, people naturally gravitate to us both men and women, but we don’t simply say yes to anyone. 

Compatibility, after all, is still a matter of concern. Whether the personal and career goals are aligned, whether a vision for a future together is possible, and all of those things. 

Throughout our MBA program, I only had two relationships within the span of two years. Right now, I’m single. 

Amber? She only had one. I really thought they’d tie the knot eventually, but when I asked her one-time what happened, she just answered me: it didn’t work out. 

After that, I did not ask her again. 

Now, our other best friend’s getting married, Taeyeon Kim, with the love of her life, Tiffany Hwang. We actually received our wedding invitations two weeks ago. I already RSVP’d.

I’m wondering, will Amber open her heart to someone? It’s been years since she chose to stay off the dating world and remain single to focus on the company. 

End of flashback and Yuri’s internal monologue

Finally remembering the thing I was supposed to ask her, “by the way, Amber. Did you clear your schedule on February 14th?” I asked Amber.

She looked at me blankly, “why? What’s with the date? I’ll check with my secretary first.” 

“Yah! It’s Taeyeon and Tiffany’s wedding, my god. I’m so telling Taeyeon about this!” I threatened her. Oh, you’re so dead, Amber. 

Amber gasped then she had the face of ‘I’m-dead’, “Oh . I forgot! Please don’t tell midget about this.” 

“...since you forgot, then it only follows that you haven’t RSVP’d yet… So that's why Taeyeon’s been bugging me, because she couldn’t reach your phone.” Haha, good luck, Amber. It’s been nice knowing you, bud.

Amber gulped then laughed worryingly, “hehe, I hope her heart is bigger than she is, so that she could somehow forgive me. If that is even possible.” 

 

Hi, guys! What do you think of the first chapter? Let me hear your thoughts. 

Sorry for being away for a long time. So much has happened, life happened haha. How are you? I hope everyone's well and safe, please take care. COVID is still around, it never went away.

I'll try to update as frequent as I can, but I can't promise anything, hence, the word "try". But who knows right?

This story came to me while I was experiencing a writer's block for an academic paper. I guess, since my mind is blocked, the only way to overcome blockage is to open the dams and let the words flow like water. So that's what I'm doing, maybe it might prove itself useful in the long run.

Stay safe, guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Chapter 2 will be up soon.