Monday. First day of the week. Hell.

 

Monday definitely is the day of the week that Jieun dislikes the most. Everything is so chaotic in a Monday, especially mornings. Everyone seems to be nervous, panicked and agitated. Everyone is rushing and cramming on a Monday and she doesn’t like seeing those rushing people because since she entered college, she learned how to keep calm and cool. She always avoided cramming and that technique pretty much succeeded and that’s what she now does on a daily basis. Keep calm. Don’t cram. Focus.

 

But this Monday morning, Jieun really can’t keep her cool. Today is her first day back to work and it seems like things won’t go good.

 

“There would be a shareholders’ meeting at 10am.” Jieun was informed by her secretary, Jung Wheein. Wheein has been her secretary ever since she started working at their company. She is cute, bright and cheerful but is definitely smart and reliable. More than a just a mere secretary, Jieun sees her as a sister and a friend whenever she wants to take a break for a moment and forget that she is Lee Jieun –director and  future heir of Lee Corporation and just be Jieun –a young woman who wants to enjoy her life to the fullest.

 

“And 2pm meeting with Park Industries.” Wheein added.

 

Jieun sighed. She doesn’t really enjoy meeting with Park Industries especially Director Park Chanyeol. That dude’s nice and all but she finds him creepy at some point. She doesn’t know if it’s because of his height or his constant attempts on hitting on her but whatever the reason is, she still isn’t comfortable with the guy.

 

“I know that you don’t really like meeting with Director Park Chanyeol. But it seems that he isn’t the one you are meeting with today.”

 

Jieun face lit up. “Really? Thank goodness.”

 

Wheein chuckled. “Don’t worry, I believe today will be fine.”

 

She’s really did hope that today would be a good day.

 

But it’s not really the case the moment she set foot on the conference room.

 

Jieun was staggered, dumbfounded, flabbergasted and everything that is synonymous to being shocked.

 

She is now sitting across Kim Myungsoo with a small smirk plastered in his lips. It irritated Jieun that instant.

 

“Why in the ing world is Kim Myungsoo sitting in front of me at this very conference room? And why is there such an arrogant aura radiating around him?”

 

She looked at her mom, the current President of Lee Corporation and took the liberty of asking while the other shareholders are still not around. “What is Kim Myungsoo of KS Group doing here?”

 

“So I guess you’re still not informed. KS Group is now a one the major shareholders of Lee Corporation and Director Kim Myungsoo would work with you on the KS-Lee Confectionery project.”

 

The Lee Confectionery was one of the subsidiaries of Lee Corporation and one of Jieun’s most beloved companies. She treasures it so much because it reminds her late of her grandparents and how they would always bring her at the factory and watch how her favorite chocolates are made and she begged her mom to assign her to the projects of Lee Confectionery.

 

But now, no matter how much love she has for the company, it seems that she can’t find the strength to work now that she’ll be working with Kim Myungsoo.

 

Does her mother not know what past she has with Myungsoo nor did her mother even considered that fact before she agreed on KS Group buying shares from them? No, obviously. Because if she did, she won’t be attending the same meeting and won’t be working on the same project with Kim Myungsoo.

 

She looked back at Myungsoo who looked back at her as well. She intently looked straight at his eyes and looked for any signs of awkwardness or hesitation to be involved on the project or just in the current meeting at least but no. His strong stares indicated nothing but confidence that he can do the job without fail and their past relationship doesn’t matter.

 

Jieun can’t do anything for now. She doesn’t want to do the job with Kim Myungsoo but she just can’t throw a fit and act like a total brat. After all, this is for work.

 

Right. Everything between her and Myungsoo now is nothing but business and they should keep it that way.

 

“If that’s the case then I hope we can make the project a success, Kim Myungsoo.”

 

Myungsoo smiled. “I hope so too, Lee Jieun.”

 

 

***

 

As soon as he woke up this morning, Kim Myungsoo knew that he would already face the catastrophe of meeting with Lee Jieun.

 

Yes, catastrophe. Just the thought of meeting Lee Jieun is already tragic for him but the fact that he needs to work with her is catastrophic enough. His plans of keeping their paths from crossing won’t happen anymore.

 

“What!?” Myungsoo asked with such violent expression.

 

“What’s with you reaction, Myungsoo? You can’t do it?”

 

His mom barged into his apartment at 6am only to tell him that he would have a shareholders’ meeting at Lee Corporation. That basically means that he would have to be in the same room with Lee Jieun.

 

“Mom, stop it. Your joke’s not funny. I want to go back to sleep.” Myungsoo doesn’t want to believe it simply because he isn’t ready to face Jieun yet and it will be awkward. Super awkward.

 

“Kim Myungsoo, I’m not joking. I said it clearly the last meeting that the project with Lee Confectionery would be pushed through and I assigned that to you.”

 

Myungsoo ruffled his hair out of frustration. “Mom, you can do business with Lee Corporation all you want just please don’t let me meet with Lee Jieun. She’s my ex for goodness sake!”

 

Myungsoo’s mom laughed. “Son, you’re not going to meet her as her ex boyfriend. You’ll be meeting her because you are Kim Myungsoo of KS Group. And even if I want you two to get back together so badly, I won’t involve business with your relationship.”

 

Really? He refuses to believe so. At some point, Myungsoo thinks that his mom intentionally bought shares from Lee Confectionery not because his mom wants to expand in the food processing business but because she wants him and Jieun to see each other often. It’s like his mom is him and Jieun’s number one shipper. She’s like a fan that would do anything just for the two of them to end up together.

 

“Fine, fine. I’ll be there.”

 

After his mom left, Myungsoo doesn’t know if he’ll go and start preparing for the day or he’ll go back to his bed and just sleep. He’d rather stay in his office and finish a lot of paper works than to meet Jieun.

 

He knew it. Something as uncomfortable as this would happen the moment Jieun is back. He can’t see himself talking about business to Jieun. He remembers how much they hated having to talk about business and money on their date or while on phone or in any occasion. It’s the topic both of them avoided but now they’ll be meeting each other after a long time for that reason. How ironic.

 

“Okay, Myungsoo. It’s just Jieun. This is business. Act professionally.”

 

***

 

“Let’s just drop the formalities, shall we?”

 

“Cocky bastard.”

 

“Thank you, Jieun. I’ll definitely look into this project thoroughly with that attitude of yours.” And he smirked. For the past five years, she found that smirk really y. But now, just like way back in high school, she hates that smirk again and it’s now probably the most disgusting thing ever.

 

Right after the shareholders’ meeting, Jieun’s mom insisted that she and Myungsoo should start working on the project between the two companies. Jieun really wanted to refuse because the mere thought of working with Myungsoo for the next couple of months exhausts her already. She even wants to cancel her meeting with Park Industries later that day and just go home to sleep or pass the time by at Jiyeon’s bistro. All she wants right now is to be away from office and the suffocating fact of working with Kim Myungsoo.

 

But she can’t just simply run away.

 

Kim Myungsoo, with all his glory, is sitting inside Jieun’s office while reading the project proposal. She was surprised that this whole meeting between just the two of them is not as uncomfortable as she expected. Just a few moments ago, she’s so hesitant on how she should approach Myungsoo but based on the latter’s attitude, she would just treat him like how they are in high school where she’s the president and Myungsoo’s the troublemaker.

 

It’s like they’re back to zero. Jieun’s sure that they are also not friends at this point. What happened between the two of them is just too awful for them to even stay as friends. She feels sad about that at some point but she can’t even have the courage to pretend they’re alright and act as if nothing happened. Then again, seeing Kim Myungsoo still hurt her a little bit and she just can’t hide that fact.

 

“Ah, this is so boring.”

 

Jieun’s forehead creased. “Excuse me?”

 

Myungsoo got up from his seat and started looking around Jieun’s office. “Can’t we do something more interesting rather than just reading bunch of papers the whole day?”

 

“Kim Myungsoo, you seem to be forgetting that we’re in the middle of our meeting.”

 

“Can’t we just do that some other time? I don’t really feel like working with Director Lee Jieun today.”

 

Jieun scoffed. “You’re pretty much getting on my nerves, you know.”

 

Jieun can’t understand what’s going on inside Myungsoo’s head right now. She’s a busy person and she doesn’t have time for Myungsoo’s antics.

 

Myungsoo just ignored Jieun’s comment and continued to look around her office. Honestly, Myungsoo can’t work properly with her. He can’t focus and he barely understands the whole proposal that he read. Playing around with Jieun is his way of easing up a little bit because he admits that it’s really fun teasing her especially when she’s being all strict and firm.

 

It’s becoming hard every second that passes and he needs some time to breathe.

 

“If you don’t have any business to do, you can take your leave.” Jieun said as she looks at him with much displease.

 

“You’re so mean.”

 

“I’m a busy person, Myungsoo. I don’t have time to play around with you.”

 

Myungsoo knows that they can’t just be like this and pretend that they can work properly with each other. He of course can feel how hard it is for Jieun to work with him as well. Her austere attitude towards him says it all. They are both still not comfortable seeing each other but he knows for a fact Jieun and him could just continue being like this to each other while working on the project together. That could just become harder for them and could even make things worse.

 

He sighed and looked at Jieun who is almost ready to push him out of her office any moment now. He at least need to do something about the two of them.

 

“How busy are you?”

 

“Too busy to deal with your .”

 

Myungsoo snickered. “C’mon let’s go.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere with you. And I told you, I’m busy.”

 

“I promise you this is work-related.”

 

“I still have a meeting at 2pm.”

 

But as if on cue, Wheein entered Jieun’s office. “Excuse me, Director Lee. Your 2pm with Park Industries is cancelled. They would just inform us when it will be re-scheduled.”

 

Jieun looked at Myungsoo who is now smiling because now there is no way Jieun won’t come with him.

 

“You promise this is work-related?”

 

Myungsoo nodded.

 

“Fine. “

 

 

---

 

 

CHAPTER 3 IS HEREEE!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS GUYSS!

 

What can you say about this chapter? I actually feel like it's a little bit off. I wasn't supposed to be like that, really.

 

Anyways,

Read.Comment.Subscribe.Upvote and ENJOY!

 

lovelots,

matoki_angel