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A/N: So, disclaimer – All the information about the company and its workings are derived from the internet, so a few details might not match up or things may not actually reflect real life. If there are any glaring errors that can’t be ignored, please let me know and I will be more than happy to fix it. I am going to use the Korean Hierarchy terms for the corporate world, such as Chief, Deputy, Director, etc., as seen and heard in kdramas. Basically by Chief here, I mean the Head of a particular section. Hope you enjoy the story!!

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Chapter – 1: Girl On Fire

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Starship Advertising Agency’s Chief of Creative department, Choi Ji Hyun, paused and took a breath before pushing a door open.

‘Chief Shin, can I have the distributors list?’

The man at the desk stopped tapping his pencil on the wooden surface to quirk up an eyebrow at her.

‘What list?’

‘The list of distributors for our new product? The Jeju Sand Exfoliating Face Cream?’

‘Oh that. I don’t have it.’

‘I told you a week in advance!’

‘Well, it’s not going to happen today, I can tell you that.’

Her left eye twitched as she fought the urge to slam her fist into his handsome face. With his dark hair pushed up and to the side over his forehead, and his well-fitted pale blue shirt and dark grey slacks, he was almost ridiculously good-looking. Which just irritated her further as she glared into his sharp, dark eyes.

‘And what do you expect me to tell the director?’

‘I’m sure you’ll think of something, Chief Choi.’

‘We have to give the presentation today.’

‘And by we, you mean you. Good luck with that.’

He started to idly swivel in his chair as he tapped his pencil against his chin.

She could feel her blood pressure rising to a mental boil.

‘Shin Hoseok, I did not walk all the way here to listen to this so you’d better find a way to get me that file or – ‘

‘Wonho. And what?’

‘I. Will. Tell.’

He paused. The pencil paused too.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Yes, you do. I’ll give you three words – Coffee, client, tie.’

‘Nope, doesn’t ring a bell.’

‘You sat there, with the Head of Marketing from the EXO group, with the end of your tie dipping into your fancy coffee cup for an entire thirty minutes, and then you pulled it out and pretended that nothing happened even though it was dripping onto the carpet and – ‘

‘– Alright, alright, fine, but it’s probably gonna take a week – ‘

‘– That’s why I told you last week, you – ‘

‘– And that’s that. Can’t be helped. Have fun at your meeting.’

She gritted her teeth and forced a smile onto her face as the Chief of Media Buying, Shin Hoseok, or as he preferred to be called, Wonho, casually waved her out of his office. Ji Hyun almost screamed in frustration as she entered her own room, mentally cataloguing all the emergency measures she could take to avoid a thorough chewing out from the Board of Directors. She quickly sifted through the clutter on her desk, pushing away two days’ worth of leftover takeout, and reached for her trusty notepad. She had just begun to scribble down a list of all the people who could save her from impending doom when a knock on her door interrupted her.

‘What is it, Kyung Ah?’ she asked as the Media Buying department’s new intern cautiously scurried up to her desk.

‘Chief Shin sent over this folder.’

No. No no, no no no. It had better not be –

“Distributors for the J. S. Exf. Face Cream”

He had it the whole time that little – Stop.

There was a beat. She took a deep breath. The intern cowered. Then she smiled a bright smile that pulled her eyes up into little crescents. The intern blanched in horror.

‘Please tell Chief Shin I really appreciate his timely contribution.’

The intern vanished the second she was done speaking.

Ji Hyun gave out a long sigh and opened the folder to find a post-it stuck to the front page.

You should really ask more nicely. And you’re welcome for the exercise, btw. We all know you need it for your delicate constitution.

P. S. Everyone already knows about the coffee thing. You could do with better, Chief.

- WONHO

Slight hands viciously crumpled the post-it into a tiny ball of paper, which was then poorly-aimed and tossed at the waste-basket in a corner of the room. Once, just once, she had made the great mistake of feeling peaky enough to almost faint into a chair after a bad meal at a restaurant, and ever since then he had never let her live it down. The fact that people sometimes got sick seemed to be a foreign concept to Mr. Paragon of Health and Exercise, or maybe he just lived to push her buttons. Ji Hyun took a large sip from her go-to latte to calm herself as she devoted herself to her work again, firmly pushing away all thoughts of her arch nemesis and number 1 rival, Shin Hoseok, a.k.a, Wonho, but it would be a cold day in hell before she’d call him that.

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‘Was that the steam engine I saw choo-chooing away from your office?’

Wonho looked up from his screen to see one of his longtime friends – and one of the internal auditors – Yoo Kihyun leaning against the side of his desk.

‘Yep,’ he grinned, ‘You could probably see the vapor rising out of her ears this time.’

Kihyun laughed incredulously, ‘What is it with you and Chief Choi? Year after year, and you’re still going at her.’

‘She’s just so annoying!’

‘Or maybe you like her?’

Wonho grimaced and rolled his eyes.

‘Yes, very funny. Or it would be if this wasn’t the thousandth time you’ve said that.’

‘I just don’t get it. Yeah, she’s a hothead and a know-it-all, but to spend so much time and energy just to irritate her is a bit much, no?’

‘She’s ing infuriating! I needed this yesterday, Chief Shin. No, of course I wasn’t being sarcastic, Chief Shin. Why don’t you polish your shoes and tighten your tie and be a good little boy Shin Hoseok! She sounds like my schoolteacher, and not in a good way.’

‘There’s a good way?’

Wonho narrowed his eyes at Kihyun who just laughed at him again.

‘So, she nags you and calls you by your real name. Big deal.’

‘Who the gave her permission?!’

Kihyun rolled his eyes. This was becoming a tirade, one which he did not want to be a witness to.

‘Alright, alright. While you stew on that, I’m going to go get some work done.’

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“Here are the reports you wanted.’ A male voice said, and Ji Hyun smiled gratefully at the tall, slim man with model-like features. Chae Hyungwon was easily one of her favorite people. Smart, diligent, and sarcastic, three top qualities that she greatly treasured in an employee. The fact that he was amazing listener who was the only person she was able to rant about Wonho to may also have had something to do with her favorable impression of him.

‘Lunch is on me!’ she smiled.

‘Well, lead the way then.’

A stuffy elevator ride later, the two found themselves in line at the cafeteria.

Ji Hyun was practically bouncing in place. Kimchijigae days were always great days.

‘Don’t look now, but your mortal enemy is about two people behind you.’ Hyungwon whispered from in front of her.

‘Ha ha, I don’t actually care that much.’

He raised a disbelieving eyebrow up at her.

‘Okay, fine. Why did you even tell me then?’

‘It’s interesting.’

She narrowed her eyes at him, but then he practically saw the wheels turning in her head as they filled their trays and moved up to the des