Mina arrived at the company building quite earlier than she should like she always does. She’s wearing black pantsuit with white blouse underneath which she pulled off perfectly with her stilettos. Today, she will be moving to a new department: her department, she wanted to claim, but there’s only too much the world can give to a girl who came from nothing.

“Mina,” Jihyo calls the girl out of her reverie. Jihyo had just entered the elevator Mina was in. “Congratulations on your promotion.”

Mina smiled back at her friend. Jihyo is Mina’s friend from her previous department. Mina initially wanted to recruit Jihyo on her new team but Jihyo already expressed her intention not to, saying marketing is what she is best at.

“Thanks, Ji.” Mina pursed her lips, quietly nervous about today.

“What time is she coming?” Jihyo pried.

She. Mina lets out a small laugh. She doesn’t even know her name. But here she comes entering Mina’s life, altering her every day, but she’s entitled to do so because, apparently, her parents own the company.

Everybody (well, at least in her previous department) knows Mina deserves to be the department chief. Mina knows it too and painfully so. She spent months trying to conceptualize the department, weeks to get the ‘big bosses’ to listen to her and allow her to present in front of them and honestly, she could not even remember the amount of time she devoted in preparing all the paperworks and presentations needed. This department is her brainchild and she labored long enough for it to be just taken away from her like that.

“I don’t know,” was Mina’s soft response.

“I hope she’s nice.” Jihyo takes a quick look at her friend.

Mina sighs. “I hope she’s not.” Jihyo creased her brows in confusion. Mina tilted her head towards Jihyo and pouted a little bit. “It’s going to be hard for me to hate her if she is.”

Jihyo chuckled. “Hate is not something you do.” Jihyo winked and raised her closed fist in an attempt to cheer Mina up. “Fighting!” And off Jihyo went to her floor.

“Hate is not something I do,” Mina muttered to herself bitterly. Is it really not?

The sound of the elevator signaled Mina had reached her floor. She was told of the new office for their department but had no chance to check it before today. On the door, it reads: Graphics and Digital Design Department. Mina smiled, genuinely this time. Feeling of accomplishment surged inside her and she can’t help but grin. This is my department, she finally claims.

Mina breathed in before finally finding the courage to push open the door but what she saw shocked if not disappointed her. It was too small a room for a department. It wasn’t even half the other departments’ and Mina can only shake her head in disbelief seeing that the room is practically empty. She cannot believe what she’s seeing. Isn’t this supposed to be the company heiress’s department?

Just then, Mina heard footsteps towards her. She turned around and saw another girl entering the department. Mina made a quick scan of her while she closes the door. She was taller than Mina, has a blonde shoulder-level hair, wearing just some oversized black shirt (just a shirt!), faded black jeans and worn-out sneakers. Mina doesn’t judge (okay, maybe, for a moment) and remembered that perhaps the employee chose to work in comfortable clothes. Dress codes were not emphasized, especially in this department, anyway.

“Hello,” Mina greeted and bowed. “I’m Myoui Mina,” she introduced herself, placing her handbag on the obviously used (read: worn out) sofa near her.

“Myoui Mina,” the girl repeated. “I’m Jeongyeon.” The blonde girl grinned at her.

Mina was silent. She doesn’t know what else to say. It was her first time seeing the girl. Probably, a new hire. Thankfully, Jeongyeon continued to speak.

“I do digital design. How about you?”

“Graphics,” was Mina’s short reply. Mina smiled, not wanting to look intimidating especially after she remembered the way she was dressed. Mina paused to think if maybe she was overdressed. Pantsuits were common at the Marketing Department but she should’ve known better than to expect computer nerds like her to do the same. (No judging! She prefers working wearing comfortable clothes, too.)

Jeongyeon looked around, bit her lower lip and shook her head. “Mess.” She scrunched her nose and looked back at Mina.

Mina frowned. “It is.”

“It’s all we are going to do this week, huh?”

“It seems.”

Thinking about it, maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to hate the department chief. How the hell did she let the department look like this anyway? Mina’s quite sure this was part of the chief’s job description or maybe she doesn’t know since all she ever did was mess Mina’s plans anyway. If it were up to Mina, they’d be working on their first day as a department, impressing the boards instead. But that idea seems far from happening when the workplace doesn’t seem one at all. Not at all.

“I’m sorry?” Jeongyeon cut off Mina from her trance.

“Huh?”

“You kinda rolled your eyes at me. Did I say something wrong?” Jeongyeon seems quite scared and Mina was quick to deny her conclusion.

“Uhmm, no! I’m sorry I was just thinking of something.” Actually, someone but Mina doesn’t want to discuss her beef about the chief (whom she is yet to meet) with Jeongyeon.

Jeongyeon placed her closed fists on each side of her waist and grinned. “Setting this place up should be fun.”

Mina found herself smiling at the sight of Jeongyeon. She seems really optimistic and Mina wondered how she would be as a co-worker. Mina was glad to. At least she thinks she’ll like this Jeongyeon girl.

Mina took another look at the empty room and tried to see it the way Jeongyeon does. Maybe it would be fun to set it up. At least this means she can voice her input about how she envisioned the department would look like. Mina was however kept wondering how ten to fifteen employees could work in such a cozy room. She proposed twenty, actually, but Mina should have known by now that not everything goes her way.

Mina walked towards the wall and tapped it lightly with the back of her hand, checking to see if it’s made of wood, thinking of possible expansion. However, to her disappointment, it was a concrete wall. Mina thinks the heiress should use her 'blood advantage' not only to snatch the chief’s post but also to get the place be conducive enough for them. The least she could do, Mina says to herself.

Mina was shocked when a hand reached to tap the wall like she did. It was Jeongyeon who chose to reach the wall while standing just behind Mina. Mina gulped nothing after literally feeling Jeongyeon’s breath just behind her ear, suddenly feeling conscious about the distance between them.

“It’s concrete,” Jeongyeon confirmed, more to herself.

The moment Jeongyeon pulled her hand back, Mina thought it would be safe to turn around only to meet Jeongyeon’s face just a breath away from her. Thanks to her quick reflexes, Mina was quick to pull back and faked a cough.

“Mina,” Jeongyeon paused and searched for Mina’s eyes which seem to avoid hers. “Is it okay if I just call you Mina, by the way?” It was a casual question and thankfully it was because Mina doesn’t know what to say if Jeongyeon addresses whatever it was just now.

Mina nods nervously, not looking at Jeongyeon. “Yeah." Mina shrugs. "Sure.”

Before Jeongyeon could say another word though, two women came in rushing. Thanks God, Mina thought.

“We’re so sorry,” were their first words.

Mina immediately distanced herself from Jeongyeon by pretending to move towards the two girls. Interestingly, they were bowing to Mina.

“Chief Yoo, we got lost and we tried to ask around but nobody seems to know about this department yet,” the raven-haired girl was quick to explain.

“You’re not late,” Mina tries to say. “And I’m not Chief Yoo. I’m head manager Myoui Mina. She’s not here yet,” Mina confidently clarified.

The blonde girl held her hand to her chest in relief. “Ms. Myoui?” She exhaled. “Head manager Myoui?” Mina nodded with a soft smile. The blonde nudged the other girl and they paid Mina another bow.

“I’m Minatozaki Sana,” the blonde said.

“Hirai Momo.”

Just as soon as their eyes meet, realization hit them.

“You’re Japanese too?!” they asked each other in Japanese at the same time: Sana and Momo to Mina and Mina to the two of them. Shy giggles filled the room.

“Uh-oh,” Jeongyeon tilted her head, confused and smiling at the same time while walking towards the trio. “Seems like I will be having a hard time keeping up with this team now.”

Mina rolled her eyes while smiling. Mina turns towards the two girls. "She's Jeongyeon." Mina introduced the short-haired girl before looking at her once more. “There will be more Korean in our team, don't worry. They should be here any minute now.”

“I don’t think so.”

The trio turned their eyes to Jeongyeon, not really understanding what she meant. Mina, especially.

“This is actually it,” Jeongyeon speaks further. Mina looked questioningly at her. “The four of us. This is the Graphics and Digital Design Department.”

“How about Chief Yoo?” Mina hurriedly asked. Four persons! How can a department be only composed of four persons?! Mina was fuming inside. She swears she’s ready to confront that Chief Yoo the moment she enters the room.

“About that…” Jeongyeon cleared .

“I’m Yoo Jeongyeon.” She hung her head low and pretended to scratch her nape before looking back at the trio once more.

“I’m actually your chief.” Jeongyeon pursed her lips, waiting for their reaction.

Sana and Momo’s eyes widened at the same time and were quick to bow at their chief but Mina was left staring at the girl for a few more seconds. She was searching for it in Jeongyeon’s eyes. A laugh, a giggle, anything that would tell her that this whole ‘I’m Chief Yoo’ thing is a prank but there was none. This girl right here is deadass serious. She is that heiress.

Mina exhaled loudly in disbelief, making sure Jeongyeon would catch it. Mina was sure Jeongyeon purposely left out saying her name was Yoo when she introduced herself. Maybe this is what she wanted, to catch Mina off-guard, like seeing the shocked look of her employees is some sort of entertainment for her. It must be that. Maybe this whole dressing down is some sort of a dare or something. Mina has a lot to say but for now she has to bow. Because she is just Myoui Mina and this girl right here is the Yoo Jeongyeon. “You’ve got to be ing kidding me,” Mina whispered to herself.

Mina actually likes company employee Jeongyeon but Chief Yoo? She can dream.

--

a/n: short chapters only because idk how to write anymore (not like i ever did but it's been a while). anyway, comments feed me. 

@thisismeshunky