Monday morning rolled around much too early for Luhan's taste - he hated early mornings at the best of times and if you added the anxiety of starting a new job, he wasn't feeling too great. However, he wasn't one to give up- Luhan woke up on time, showered, got dressed and made the walk that was his first commute to work, grabbing some form of pastry and a latte on his way as a hasty breakfast.

Briskly walking through the double doors ahead of time, Luhan sent a flirty grin and a wink in Irene's direction, causing her to hold back a giggle as she carried on with her phone conversation. Rather than risking being late on his first day, Luhan decided (very reluctantly) to take the elevator up to Kai's office, praying to every god he could think of that he would be okay, with his fists clenched tight (his left around his briefcase, his right around a stress ball he'd managed to dig out of the back of his desk at home after coming to terms with the fact he was working in one of the tallest kind of buildings that humans had created). Singing along to the same lullaby in his head as the last time he had been forced to take the elevator high into the Empire HQ building, Luhan squeezed his eyes tight shut every time the elevator gave the slightest jolt, before once again exiting the cage as fast as he possibly could. This time, however, he didn't almost shove over his new superior, but attempted to keep his cool as he strode over to Kai's heavy oak desk.

Looking up from his flashy computer, Kai gave Luhan a quick nod of the head as acknowledgement of his presence before a voice behind Luhan chuckled and said "Don't bother trying to talk to him while he's like this. He gets 'in the zone' and doesn't come out of it until he's finished his work and can either mess around for the rest of the day or go home. Or both, if he can manage it."

Turning around, Luhan set his eyes on a tall, attractive man with ear piercings, part of his eyebrow (that reminded him very much of an Angry Bird) shaved in a way that he assumed was to make him look cool and was wearing a suit that looked fancy to the point where it probably cost more than the rent Luhan was splitting with his roommates.

"Uh, hi. I'm Luhan... I'm the new CRO?" Luhan stuttered out, unnecessarily awkward when meeting the taller male.

"Luhan? Is that a fellow Chinese citizen's name?" The man raised his Angry Bird eyebrows at the shorter man, tilting his head a little.

With a nod, Luhan confirmed his observation. "And what's your name...?"

"Oh, you don't know who I am? Interesting." Giving a cocky smile, the man introduced himself as "Kris" but mentioned in quieter voice that his Chinese name was "Yifan". Speaking in Mandarin, he went on to say "It'll be great to have another Chinese person here, we can speak in our own language all day like a secret code. That will be so fun, just like those spy films. I'd be James Bond, of course... you could be Short Round from Temple of Doom."

A loud bang occurred as Kai made his presence known again, launching his stapler over at the tall man to "get him to shut up" he later explained to Luhan.

"Kris, go away. The meeting isn't for another half an hour so I don't have to be going anywhere." Kai rolled his eyes, but he wasn't really annoyed at his friend.

"Ah, but are you forgetting that it's your turn for the coffee run?" Kris raised his eyebrows expectantly, prompting the man engrossed in the company figures to groan.

"Okay, so maybe I forgot." Kai grinned sheepishly, but turned his gaze over to the newbie in the room.

And that was how Luhan ended up being sent (with a company card) to go fetch an extensive list of coffees for the other senior executives in the pouring rain that had conveniently decided to torrentially hammer down onto the city. Bracing himself, he pulled the hood of the jacket up over his blond hair and power walked down the street to a cafe he knew well.

Stepping inside Blossom Tea, Luhan shook the rain from his hair and greeted his roommate-slash-favourite-barista, Yixing with smile.

"Morning, Xing. I have a list of coffees for the execs, could you whip them up for me?" Luhan asked, handing the (slightly damp) list of drinks over.

"Yeah, sure. Take a seat, I'll be done in a second." Yixing was one half of Luhan's two roommates, the Zhang twins, along with one of Luhan's favourite people in the world. Being from China in a South Korean university was a difficult jump for Luhan to make, but once he'd made friends with Yixing (and his twin, Lay) it became much easier. Taking Luhan under his wing made Yixing feel like he wasn't just mooching off of his brother's scholarship, too; Lay wanted to study at college, but Yixing didn't, yet the twins made the move from Changsha to Seoul to stay together. Giving Yixing a project (aka Luhan's social life) made him very close, very fast to his 'Lu-ge' and the two of them, along with Lay, formed a tight friendship within a few months alone. Now they had been friends for close to four years, with Luhan gaining his new  job and Yixing still working at the trio's favourite cafe, Blossom Tea, as manager and barista.

Sitting quietly, Luhan doodled on a spare napkin with a pen emblazoned with his new company's logo (a crown, just in case anybody had any doubts about the company's vision of success) and waited for Yixing to fill the order. He sighed, resting his chin in his hand, grumbling quietly to himself about not wanting to be stuck getting coffee for everyone forever.

With a tap on his head, the waitress Seulgi told him to cheer up, that not everyone got opportunities like this, which he supposed he had to agree with.

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks Seul." He smiled at her, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear affectionately, as he always did- spending 90% of his time outside of the college lectures meant that he got close with the staff and Seulgi was a little sister figure to him.

"No problem, Lu-ge." She smiled, zipping over to an empty table to clear up the left over cups and saucers.

The only problem was that Luhan didn't exactly know how to make a good impression on his new colleagues and seniors- the two people he had met already (Kai and Kris) had both reacted to his presence in different ways; Kai seemed to either not care or want to mess with him, but Kris was somewhat nice to him, even if he did come across a little self-centered at the time. There wasn't really any indication from either of them that they accepted him as the CRO, apart from being given the job by Kai, but even that seemed like a game to Luhan. How would he make sure that the people he answered to didn't, well, hate him? How would he-

Luhan was snapped out of his panicky thoughts by a hand waving in front of his face, and a chuckle as his name fell from the person's smiling mouth.

"Lu?"

Stuttering, Luhan shook the thoughts from his clouded mind and resurfaced into reality, looking at the figure in front of him- Yixing. "Oh, yeah?"

"Your order is ready, Mr Fancypants." Yixing responded in his lilted Korean. "You can go back to work now, but let me know if whatever was bothering you then is still a problem when you get in tonight, hm?" Yixing gave him a look and a clap on the shoulder, handing over the variety of drinks ordered by the senior executive board.

Luhan smiled, nodding. "I will. Thank you, Xing. And thanks for the coffee!" He called, making his way out of the coffee shop, hurrying to get back before a) he was entirely sodden and dripping with rainwater and b) the coffees were cold before they even got into the meeting.

It didn't take him long to hurry back to the grand HQ building, into the lift and up to the boardroom (he was grateful that the floor numbers in the lift had the names of the departments on them, if they hadn't he would have been screwed for sure), where he knocked on the door due to his hands being filled with the bags filled with the treats he'd fetched for his new colleagues. The door buzzed open, revealing Kris with that same cocky smile he'd given Luhan earlier, back in Kai's office. "Here he is. Come on in, Luhan."

Luhan offered a small smile to the tall CMO, stepping inside the impressive, black and white boardroom and placing the bags on the table.

Murmurs sounded around the room, making Luhan's posture shrink slightly, meeting the seated Kai's eyes for confirmation. Tilting his head, he silently asked what was wrong but all Kai did in response was smirk infuriatingly and glance down at the bags.

"We always go to 'Jumping Beans'... you went to 'Blossom Tea'. Why was that?" A deep and slightly familiar voice chuckled beside him.

"I wasn't aware that there was a certain cafe of choice that you'd agreed on... my apologies." Luhan said, turning around only after he'd spoken. Once he had turned to the man who had addressed him, he realised why the man was so familiar and evidently, so did he. Standing in front of Luhan's shocked face was Park Chanyeol, his rival from college who always managed to rub him up the wrong way. Or the right way, as in the case of the end of year party at the close of his senior year, where Luhan and Chanyeol had been invited to join / forced into the very drunken game of Seven Minutes In Heaven, because apparently they were at a fourteen-year-old girl's birthday party.

Park Chanyeol seemed just as surprised as he did to see the other male there, frozen up, blinking a few times before sitting down at a random seat at the table.

"It's okay, Luhan, sit down over here." Kai piped up, saving Luhan from awkward looks from those who had witnessed the exchange between him and Chanyeol by indicating the chair at his right hand side. Luhan didn't hesitate to remove himself from the attention of the other executives as quickly as he could without sprinting around the desk. Within a few minutes, the executives were far from complaining about the coffee run, with even one man going as far to say that Luhan should be in charge of bringing the beverages every week, to which Luhan promptly declined, earning himself a chuckle from the others in the room and diffusing the tension he had previously caused in the room.

Luhan knew that he had been hired about six months after everybody else in the room had started their jobs after the company's regeneration, which made things slightly awkward because he was the newest of the new executives. However, what he couldn't understand was why a CRO hadn't been hired before Luhan's appearance- he assumed it was because of Kai's infuriating interview tactics, but who could really be sure with that man?

Analysing the rest of the executives confirmed Luhan's thoughts that he was the least experienced member of the board (it was hard not to be, with his record of zero work experience placements outside of those required by college), which meant that he was probably at a disadvantage if he didn't hit it off with his colleagues and make a good impression.

'Okay, Luhan. Don't screw this up. It'll be okay if you act naturally and not like an idiotic imbecile. You can do this. You can-'

Luhan's internal pep talk was suspended by the sound of the door opening and closing, which was surprisingly noticeable for the minute sound it made. It caught his attention, which was rapidly stolen away by the man who entered. He was tall- not too tall that he appeared stringy, but tall enough that he would tower above Luhan, he noticed. He was also young- he didn't have a baby face at all- and his jaw was chiselled and sharp, his eyes were narrowed as his gaze flitted around the room, his hair was a stark platinum blond which gave him an even colder appearance. Luhan's gaze, however, was fixed on his mouth. His lips were firmly set, lacking any particular emotion, but full. Not like Kai's which were thick and plump, or like Luhan's own which were pouty and pink, but they were enough to grab Luhan's attention. In a brief moment of un-professionalism, Luhan envisioned what it would be like to kiss someone with a mouth like that- a thought he harshly forced from his brain as he hurriedly relocated his gaze to the thick, dark oak of the large table that spanned the room. He made sure to focus his gaze on the grain of the wood for a few long moments before once again looking up and glancing at the man with the kissable lips. With the second look at him, Luhan noticed that he walked with a certain confidence, bordering on arrogance, as if he owned the place. The CRO also noticed that the man didn't acknowledge anyone in the room, save for Kai and Kris, who had down on the left hand side of the head of the table, whereas Kai was sat on the right, opposite him. At the head of the table, with only Kai to provide some sort of physical barrier, was the man Luhan had spent the time since he'd entered the room (hopefully, subtly) gawking over like some kind of child with a crush. Reading the golden name plaque in front of him, Luhan discovered who the man was.

Oh Sehun.

The youngest active CEO around, the head of some of the best up-and-coming companies around, one of the best businessmen in South Korea, if not in all of eastern Asia. Also known as one of Luhan's career inspirations, if he's honest with himself (he's not).

The only thing that really surprised Luhan was the way Oh Sehun looked. He was in his early thirties, around nine years older than Luhan himself, but looked the same age, if not slightly younger than him. He was also quite handsome- Luhan would never admit anything more than that- which was strange, because most of the CEOs Luhan had come into contact with were balding, rotund men that were a foot shorter than him and getting smaller each time Luhan saw them. None of them were even passable, whereas Oh Sehun was more than that. Shaking the improper thoughts from his mind once more, he managed to tune back into reality as the meeting began.

The intense man at the head of the table didn't seem to find it necessary to begin the meeting with a message, like in those dramas Luhan knew Yixing liked to watch, or even a word at all. He simply looked over at Kris, who began to speak.

"As we all probably know now, the public's opinion has definitely changed for the better. Nobody remembers the old Empire, the one that tests on animals, reportedly has links to the triad, the tax evasion schemes. Thanks to my, of course, amazing work,  people view Empire as the environmentally conscious, charitable company that is headed by one of the most generous humanitarians in the present economic climate." Kris begins, remaining in his seat as the room turns to look at him, paying all of their attention to him. "Of course, the less than legal activities are still going to carry on, but we've squashed the 'rumours' about how legitimate the company is. Our mission now is to continuously give our company a good image, not just here in Korea, but overseas in our other branches, like in Beijing, New York, London, Berlin. We need to carry on bringing the company into the limelight. I guarantee that we can further expand our business ventures without serious obstacles from the media if we carry on with the charitable donations, the television appeals and so forth."

"How long before we can dissolve Wangja? We need their broadcasting company's assets as soon as possible, Kris." A man a few seats down asked.

"As soon as we can sign their entertainment company's idols and trainees over to ours. A month, maximum, a clause in their existing contract says so." Kris answered. "We're also trying to poach the deal they currently have with the former girl group member, Goo Hara, now that her contract with DSP is up. She's already famous enough, so we're handing her over to you to deal with, is that alright Jiyong?"

A different man, with pierced ears, brightly dyed, crimson hair and tattoos to go with his thick eyeliner nodded with a tiny smirk. "I'll take care of the precious pop-princess, don't you worry about a thing."

"Good. There isn't much else we can discuss- it's over to you, Kai." Kris directed his gaze over to the CFO, who in turn looked over at Luhan.

"You're up, Luhan. You've looked over the report, right?" Kai asked, a barely noticeable smug smirk distorting his otherwise friendly face into one that made Luhan tense and shrink a little in his chair.

Nodding a little, Luhan cleared his throat and looked down at the report in front of him, refreshing what he knew about the current situation.

"So, first of all, as we all know we have just launched our newest smartphone. Thanks to the marketing department, opening day sales were ten thousand higher than with the previous model, which also breaks the record for the largest amount of sales within the opening week for a smartphone this year. Also, the newest branches of the broadcasting company have also just acquired the rights to the new Lee Minho drama after the previous company was acquired, so we can expect to see a rise in ratings and in user traffic, which will again boost our net profit for the broadcasting firm by two percent. It should mean that the rookie actors at the entertainment company get the debut they need to springboard themselves to the forefront of the acting community, further opening opportunities to increase profit by commercials and magazine pictorials. The publishing company's latest release stormed the bestseller list, which in turn has brought in a new wave of writers who are dying to be published by Empire... there are more requests for the CEO to do pictorials for TIME magazine on the next trip to the US, which, if Kris agrees, would boost the presence of Empire abroad as well as at home-"

"No." The firm denial in the voice that rang out across the room uninterrupted meant that was the last anyone was supposed to say on the matter. 'Should' being the pivotal word in that sentence.

"Why not?" asked Luhan in a perfectly calm, naive, polite voice, yet the reaction he gained from the room was as if he had yelled for hours at his superiors. A small chuckle sounded from Luhan's right hand side and, thanks to Kai's lack of control over his reactions, that was the moment it sunk into Luhan he'd done the unmentionable.

"Why not?" repeated the stoic CEO in a calm yet authoritative voice. "Why not? Because I said so. And what tends to happen, at the conglomerate that I am head of, is whatever I say, goes. So, newbie, do you understand that clear enough?"

Bowing his head, Luhan nervously apologised, but halted upon Kai's elbow smacking into his ribs with force, getting him to shut up. Refusing to meet the harsh stares of some of the executives, he merely stared down silently into the lukewarm hot chocolate in front of him. Kai (thankfully) carried on with the report, listening to input from the heads of the various businesses to listen to their needs and formulate strategies to provide it for them. Luhan only looked up again once the meeting ended, where he caught the stern CEO giving him a curious yet critical gaze before the dark, empty eyes were torn from his gaze. As Luhan settled his gaze back among those on the table, his eyes met those of one of the few familiar faces on the table once again- Chanyeol.

Luhan's cheeks heated up in embarrassment as he realised that the other had witnessed his major cockup. The other gave him a sad smile, but didn't mock him as he would have done if they were back in class, instead choosing to discreetly nod at the door, giving Luhan an excuse to leave. Luhan gratefully accepted, fleeing the scene of the cringe-worthy mistake by following Chanyeol with some excuse muttered to Kai under his breath. Chanyeol lead him down a few flights of stairs to a floor filled with offices in a comfortable and considerate silence, guiding Luhan silently into the safety of his office from all the judgemental eyes, most of whom Luhan was making up in his head. Chanyeol knew that Luhan didn't take to embarrassment as other people did, it made him uncomfortable and freeze up, which never helped him deal with it, so he sat his former classmate down in a chair, turned the lock on the door so they weren't disturbed and sat across from him.

As Chanyeol looked over at the other man, he held back a smile. 'Finally, Luhan, we meet again. And now we can pick up where we left off...'

so hi there

I told you the second chapter wasn't far away

please enjoy this 3.6k chapter of trash and rude rich people c:

I'd love any comments! Also, what do you think Chanyeol wants to carry on with? as if it isn't obvious smh

please don't be afraid to message me with any questions or anything, i'm always ready to answer them! my various platforms are here: click me!

I'll see you next time! -Cesca.