“Hanbin-ssi, is it true that the company lost millions because of an embezzlement caused by someone you hired? Will you take responsibility for it?”

“Sir, please tell us!! Are you taking responsibility for the loss?”

“Mr. Kim, is it true that the thief is one your close friends? How did this happen?”

All Hanbin could hear was ringing. Loud, obnoxious ringing that wouldn’t stop pounding in his ears. Cameras, microphones, and lights were all being shoved at his face as he tried to get through the big revolving glass doors into his work building, his representatives surrounding him almost like body guards.

But this was not a Hollywood movie and Kim Hanbin was far from an A-list actor. Though not of acting profession, Hanbin had his fair share of fame from being a newly 23 year old appointed CEO of one of Seoul’s biggest electronic companies— KIM ELECTRONICS CO. But the fame that Hanbin received, he decided, was not the good kind.

Hanbin’s world came crashing down when he was just 21 years old and his father died from pancreatic cancer, a case found out too late and thus had been untreatable. Hanbin had no other family left, his mom had left him early on, never having a clear memory of her. At 21, the world was pushed onto his shoulders and he was left to fend for himself, all alone and too goddamn young.

The world was truly too cruel.

Hanbin had been studying at Seoul National University when his father died. He’d been studying law for 3 years when he suddenly had to diverge his originally planned future in order to learn business and take over his father’s company. In two years time, he managed to continue the legacy his dad had left behind, building the empire to grow even more successful.

But being successful meant being known. Being known meant there would be people who loved you, worshipped you even, but then there were always be people who hated you. And Hanbin had been so young when he was thrown into the harsh world of capitalist, corrupt business owners. Malicious comments were made and there were people who tried to steal the business from right under him.

“He’s just a snobby rich college student. It’s a shame his father’s company will probably come crashing down.”

“At his age, all he knows is and drugs. I doubt he’ll know how to manage running a business that large.”

Calls came from old friends of his father and money hungry mongrels tried to convince Hanbin to sell the company to them. But Hanbin promised himself that he wouldn’t let his father down and within the two years that he passed away, the former had kept the company alive and running, prospering futilely as if the original Kim had never left.

Until now, of course. The company’s named was being printed on every tabloid and newspaper in all of South Korea. The attention that Kim Electronics was getting was massive and to Hanbin, it was definitely not the good kind.

Word had leaked out that the CFO has been stealing excess funds from the company for months, and had been stock piling the money in a private joint account shared with someone in the United States.  When it was discovered that a huge chunk of money was gone, the CFO had bolted before he was caught, changed his name and everything so not a trace was left behind. The worst part of the situation was that the CFO was someone, a friend, that Hanbin had appointed personally—Song Mino. When Hanbin first found out about the embezzlement and who the perpetrator was, he took the betrayal deep to heart. Mino had been such a good friend to him in college, why would he do this to Hanbin?

Money, Hanbin thought bitterly. Everyone goes ing insane for money. Would do anything for it.

Sure it that the company lost millions because of Mino, but it wasn’t a big enough dent for it to actually do any serious damage. And yeah it was bad that “KIM ELECTRONICS embezzlement scandal” was being published everywhere, but life would go on. In a few months, maybe even a few weeks, everything would go back to normal. No one would remember what happened when the company was up and running again smoothly, and frankly no one would care.

People were only interested in gossip and temporary entertainment. When things were messy and chaotic, everyone would write about it, typing furiously at their keyboards. But once everything was okay again, no one gave a damn.

When Hanbin’s world came crashing down around him, faceless people came to sympathize for him at his father’s funeral. People he’d never seen before came to give their regards, fake smiles and fake words. No one truly gave a damn about Hanbin when he was left alone in the world. He didn’t have anyone to lean on, to support him, when suddenly everything fell apart. All he had was himself. And to Hanbin, that was enough. I don’t need anyone else.

Life was about going through the motions. Everything was a routine, the end goal was to make it to the end of each day. Within two years, a once lively bright college student was pushed too fast, too early into the cruel adult world. And with that, he became a perfectionist. A perfectionist who had no true intent to live. He lived just to get through another day, but was that truly living? Hanbin lived vicariously through his work, and that was all he seemed to ever do.

All Hanbin saw was grey. Everything was grey. There were no shimmers of light, no bright colors flashing at him. Yes, Hanbin had an empire of wealth surrounding him. Living such an elite lifestyle would proclaim him to be the happiest person ever, right? But that was far the truth. Because no, Hanbin wouldn't classify himself to be living in the luxury of happiness, but he's not sad either. He knows that he's lucky he's not homeless and wandering the streets of Seoul, instead he basks alone in his beautiful pe