She narrows her eyes at her screen, her eyebrows furrowed. She swings her feet as she lets out a contemplative hum. She stares for a while longer before she pushes herself away from her desk and lets out a loud groan of annoyance. Right on time, her phone starts to buzz.

 

With a sigh, she picks it up.

 

“Hey.”

 

“How are you coming along with your novel?”

 

“Yah, Park Sooyoung, do you think I can churn out the ending in the span of a few hours?”

 

“Chill, Seungwan-unnie, I was just asking,” Sooyoung grumbles, “Sheesh.”

 

Seungwan covers her worn eyes with her hand, “Sorry, Sooyoung. It’s just— Nothing I’m coming up with is any good.”

 

“One of those dry days, huh?”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

“In that case, I shouldn’t have called.”

 

“Hmm? Why?”

 

“…The editorial team’s asking if your final draft of Falling will be ready by the end of this week.”

 

“Can’t say I’m not surprised,” the blonde feels her head start to throb painfully, “But who do they think I am? Some superhuman writing machine?”

 

“Well, you are celebrity writer Wendy Son after all,” Sooyoung continues, “Of course they’re gonna think you have miraculous writing powers.”

 

“Unfortunately for them, that’s not the case.”

 

“Maybe your characters are the ones giving you a hard time with the ending,” Sooyoung offers, “What are you planning for both your main characters?”

 

“They struggle till their happily ever after.”

 

“That’s the vaguest ending I’ve ever heard, but who am I to judge? You are one of the world’s top international bestselling authors.”

 

Seungwan can somehow sense her manager rolling her eyes at the other end of the line.

 

“Stop it. I really hate that title.”

 

“Okay, well, what about that secondary character? What was her name again? I…Irene?”

 

Seungwan swallows thickly, “She’s alone.”

 

She hears a sigh over the phone.

 

“Seriously? That’s what you came up with?” Sooyoung hisses.

 

“What’s the issue? She’s a CEO. She has money. Looks. Power. Everything! What more does she need?”

 

“She needs love. Look, it’s become quite a pattern in your stories. Why don’t you try something different?”

 

Seungwan snorts, “You’re telling a bestselling author to write something different?”

 

“You just said you hate that title,” Sooyoung counters swiftly, “Anyway, what about… Oh! You know that online novel by Chan Naegwa? The one about an idol and her manager braving the odds of Korea’s entertainment industry and its corporate big bad?”

 

“What about it?”

 

“Naegwa didn’t have any secondary characters vying for any of the two mains’ affections.”

 

“Are you telling me to get rid of Irene’s character completely?”

 

“Well…” Sooyoung hums.

 

Seungwan hears the manager tap her pen.

 

“In Chan Naegwa’s novel, it was just the both of them against the world,” Sooyoung continues, “Is there really a need for a love triangle? Why not a system that works against them? In Falling’s case, you could explore a corrupted corporate system!”

 

“I hate stories like that.”

 

“Eh?”

 

The novelist spares a glance at the pile of drafts sitting on her desk, “A broken system can only do so much to stand in the way of two people. But another person? That changes the game. Also, where is that raw tension in a heart that longs for someone they can’t have?”

 

“Well, there was that soloist’s junio—”

 

“That soloist’s junior was just playing those two into each other’s arms,” Seungwan cuts in, “What truth is there if everyone supports your relationship? That’s not reality. That’s delusion. And it’s predictable.”

 

“It’s fiction, for goodness’ sake, Seungwan-unnie! People read fiction as an escape from reality,” Sooyoung scoffs, “And sure, it’s predictable, but so is your new novel.”

 

Seungwan’s hand balls into a fist, her breaths short and fast as annoyance fills her.

 

“What? Am I wrong?” Her manager asks, “Your two leads end up together, and your secondary character ends up alone. Predictable. To. The. Core.”

 

“Sooyoung, you—”

 

“Look, Seungwan-unnie, if you wanna keep Irene’s character, by all means, please do. Just don’t make her only a catalyst for someone else’s budding romance. She’s a person too.”

 

“She’s a character, Sooyoung.”

 

Her manager lets out a sigh, frustration evident in its volume, “And good characters are dynamic like real people, not just vehicles for other characters to get what they want. Come on, you know this.”

 

Seungwan feels the pounding in her head grow more pronounced.

 

“Someone has to say this, so it might as well be me,” Sooyoung’s tone takes a solemn turn, “If the ending’s not coming out right, it might be because something’s off mid-story. Somewhere down the line, perhaps you…started forcing things. I think…your dry spell started way before you even began writing the ending.”

 

With a sharp pang to her heart, Seungwan realises that maybe what her manager is saying is true. But she doesn’t want to admit it. There would be way too many unpleasant implications to be drawn if she acknowledges it.

 

“Your art imitates life, Seungwan-unnie.”

 

“…What do you mean?”

 

“What I mean is…maybe it’s time you wrote something that your life can imitate instead.”

 

The novelist’s eyes wander to the pile of drafts on her right. A sealed envelope sits on top of it. She tightens her grip on her phone.

 

“What do you want me to do, Sooyoung? Rewrite Falling? The deadline isn’t that far off, even if we don’t push it forward like the editorial team’s request.”

 

“I’ll tell them to push back the deadline,” Sooyoung ignores her, “I’ll sort out the delay with the other investors. So don’t worry. I just want you to come up with something you can actually look at without hating yourself.”

 

“Since when do you decide these things, Park Sooyoung?” Seungwan stands from her chair, raising her voice a little.

 

“Since I became one of your major investors, Seungwan-unnie. Now stop being so dramatic and get some sleep. You can continue writing in the morning.”

 

Click.

 

“S-Sooyoung? Yah, Park Sooyoung!” Seungwan pulls her phone away from her ear, only just realising that her manager had just hung up on her.

 

With a huff, she tosses her phone back on her desk. She paces around her room, her nerves on edge. She pauses to glare at her laptop, her incomplete manuscript taunting her. She storms back to her chair and sits back down. She pulls herself back to her desk and focuses her stare on her screen once again. She slowly raises her hands to her keyboard, resting her fingers on the keys.

 

But nothing comes.

 

No matter how much she urges her fingers to move, she finds herself at a loss of words.

 

Her mind struggles to come up with something, anything, to no avail.

 

A sudden rage filling her, she snatches the envelope off the pile. She glares at it with accusing eyes, as though its presence were the cause of her writer’s block. She almost wants to rip it to shreds. With shaky hands, she’s tempted to crush it, but as suddenly as it came, her anger evaporates like mist.

 

She opts to toss it into the bin next to her instead.

 

Her tearful eyes return to her manuscript. She rubs them haphazardly, willing herself not to cry in frustration over her writer’s block. She takes a deep breath and steels her heart.

 

It’s okay.

 

Happens all the time. I’ll get over it.

 

Eventually.

 

She proceeds to stare at her screen. She isn’t sure how long she looks at it for, or if her fingers actually move in the course of that time, until her heavy eyes fall shut.

 

The alarm blares in her ears, shocking her awake. She tumbles out of her bed, falling to the floor with a thud. She lets out a pained groan. She blindly for her phone, fumbling with until she switches it off. She’s about to fall asleep again, barely registering the sound of muffled footsteps growing louder. The door bursts open.

 

She jolts awake.

 

“My lovely Seungwan, it’s time to wake up!”

 

That…sounds like her father’s voice. It’s strange. Because even in her sleepy state, she remembers that she’d moved out more than ten years ago. And she lives alone.

 

She sits up with a start, turning to look at him with wide eyes.

 

“W-Why are you looking at me like t-that?” Her father is taken aback, looking mildly surprised to see his daughter this awake.

 

She studies his face quizzically.

 

He…looks like…Dad. Am I dreaming?

 

She looks around her bedroom. It’s nothing like she’s ever seen before. Everything seems foreign to her, though every object in the room is very much her.

 

What’s happening?

 

“Ah, it must be because today’s a big day for you, huh!”

 

Big…day?

 

Seungwan frowns.

 

For what?

 

“Anyway, stop lazing around, I’ll drive you there today.”

 

“W-Where?”

 

Her father turns to look at her in confusion, “What do you mean where? To Jewel Corp, of course!”

 

Jewel Corp? That sounds familiar. Where have I—

 

Seungwan scrambles to her feet, “Jewel Corp?!”

 

“Yeah! You have an interview there today,” Mr Son takes a step back from his dishevelled daughter, “Did you forget? Aish, my airheaded daughter. How are you going to become the CEO’s secretary like this?”

 

He grumbles to himself as he shuffles back downstairs.

 

Jewel Corp? CEO’s secretary? That means…

 

Seungwan sinks to the floor as shock overwhelms her senses.

 

This is Falling.

 

She covers with her hand in shock.

 

I’m in the world of Falling.

 

I’ve become so obsessed with my work that it’s become part of my dreams. This won’t do.

 

I have to wake up.

 

She shuts her eyes and reaches to pinch herself. A sharp pain shoots up her arm. She winces a little before opening her eyes to check.

 

Nope, the room hasn’t changed one bit. She’s still stuck here.

 

She lets out a sigh. Looks like leaving isn’t possible at the moment.

 

I must be so tired that that I can’t even wake up.

 

She gets up once more and stretches. She pauses mid-stretch as her brain starts to whir to life.

 

Well, since it’s a dream, it won’t hurt to stay a little longer. Maybe it’ll help me figure out Falling’s ending.

 

She glances down at the calendar on her bedside table to find a large red circle on 13 July 2020.

 

For this to continue, I guess I have to meet Irene. But knowing her…it’ll be like walking into the lions’ den.

 

She takes a deep breath and strides over to her wardrobe, throwing it open.

 

If I’m to survive, I need to get my head in the game.

 

She’s halfway stuffing her face with her mom’s delicious cooking when she gets a call.

 

Seul?

 

She wonders if she should pick up.

 

“Yah, Son Seungwan, pick that up,” Seunghee snaps at her in annoyance, “It’s too early in the morning for this.”

 

“You’re just jealous I have a life. And friends.”

 

“What did you say, you—”

 

“You two are already adults and you’re still fighting like little kids,” Mrs Son chides them as she sets down her plate, “Behave.”

 

Mr Son peers at Seungwan over his newspaper, “You’re not gonna pick up?”

 

“Yeah, did you fight with your bestie or something?” Her sister asks.

 

Ah, so she’s also my best friend here.

 

She answers the call.

 

“Hey, Seul…?”

 

“Yah, Wani, why did you take so long to answer?!”

 

“I’m having breakfast,” Seungwan stuffs a piece of rolled omelette into , “Whash shup?”

 

“Oh, I was just calling to wish you all the best with CEO Bae later!” Seulgi replies, her voice half an octave higher than usual, a classic marker of her excitement, “I’m so excited for you!”

 

Even in this world, Seulgi is as pure and loveable as ever.

 

Seungwan smiles, “I can tell.”

 

“Ace the interview, Son Seungwan! Then I can proudly tell everyone we’re working in the same company and I’m best friends with the CEO’s secretary!”

 

So Seul’s in Jewel Corp too? Well, I’ll be damned.

 

At least I’ll know a familiar face.

 

If I get in.

 

If.

 

That’s a big ‘if’.

 

“I’ll do my best, Seul.”

 

“Not with that energy, you’ll hardly make a dent on her.”

 

If the Seul here is the same as the one in the real world, then what she’s really asking me to do is…

 

“Fighting,” she whispers.

 

“Aye, that was so weak.”

 

Seungwan glances up at her family, growing a little more self-conscious by the second.

 

“Fighting!” She shout-whispers, jabbing the air lightly with her fist.

 

“Still not good enough! Do you even want the job?”

 

Ugh, screw it.

 

She stands and punches the air with a yell, “Fighting!”

 

Three pairs of eyes immediately land on her judgingly. She awkwardly scratches the back of her neck before letting her hand fall back by her side.

 

“That’s more like it,” Seulgi’s voice betrays her amusement.

 

With heated cheeks, the blonde sits back down, cursing her best friend’s enthusiasm internally.

 

“As I was saying, don’t be nervous,” Mr Son casts a side glance at his youngest daughter in the seat next to him, before returning his gaze to the road ahead, “Bosses these days like their employees to be a little more assertive and less of a yes-man. Or. Well. A yes-woman.”

 

“That’s like the fourteenth time you’ve said that, Dad,” Seungwan chuckles, “I’ll be okay, you don’t have to worry.”

 

“I know, I know,” he sighs, “But this is such a big thing for you, you know? Especially seeing how you’ve been preparing so much for this day…I’m hoping and praying that you’ll find all that hard work worth it.”

 

Seungwan feels her tears well up. She blinks them away and sniffles.

 

That…sounds like something Dad would say.

 

In real life.

 

“Ah…is my precious daughter crying?” Her father smiles softly at her, “Please don’t cry. You spent a lot of time on your make-up, didn’t you? Make-up to dazzle CEO Bae.”

 

“Stop it, Dad,” she punches her father’s shoulder lightly, “I’m not going to dazzle her with my looks.”

 

“Oh?” He muses, “But you look really pretty like that now. I’m sure the CEO will be so impressed that she’ll hire you on sight.”

 

“Nah, I’m gonna dazzle her with my brain.”

 

Mr Son grins and reaches over to shake his daughter by the shoulder, “Now that’s what I’m talking about, my brilliant daughter!”

 

“You called me airheaded just now!” Seungwan feigns offence, shrugging off his hand playfully.

 

“Yah, I was just joking!”

 

“I don’t think so!”

 

It isn’t long before Seungwan finds herself standing in front of front doors leading to the office of Jewel Corp’s CEO. She scans the five other faces who have applied for the position.

 

They’re all beautiful women. For a moment, it makes her wonder if she should even be here. She shakes her head, ridding her mind of those thoughts.

 

If I go in with that defeatist attitude, I’m never going to impress Irene like that.

 

“Bosses these days like their employees to be a little more assertive and less of a yes-man.”

 

Suddenly, the lift doors slide open and another individual rushes out. She turns to look at the new arrival. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little stunned by his striking good looks. He looks like—

 

She blanches.

 

It’s him.

 

One of Falling’s main characters.

 

His name is—

 

Wait, what was his name again?

 

It slips her mind like an eel through hands. She tries hard to remember, but her mind remains blank.

 

Huh. Strange.

 

He walks over, bowing to everyone politely. Seungwan sends a polite nod his way. He settles down on her left quietly, combing his fingers through his hair then straightening his tie. His suit fits him, tailored perfectly to his sharp frame. Feeling self-conscious, she glances down at her own outfit.

 

A simple light blue blouse and black dress pants. Maybe she should’ve put more thought into this. She looks dull and boring next to him. She adjusts her golden framed glasses nervously.

 

It isn’t long before she’s called in. But if the face of every applicant before her were to tell her anything, it’s that CEO Bae is next to impossible to impress. Seungwan casts a brief side glance at the only male candidate.

 

Well, I did write that she ended up hiring him.

 

Standing up resolutely, she inhales sharply.

 

Whatever. Since I’m going before him, I’ll just…give it a shot.

 

“Ms Son, it’s your turn,” Yoona, the CEO’s current secretary, calls out to her.

 

Nodding in polite acknowledgement, Seungwan stands and walks towards the CEO’s office. She pushes the door open, striding through as confidently as she can. She tries not to flinch at the sound of the heavy doors shutting behind her. Her eyes are locked onto only one person. Irene. She looks just as jaw-droppingly breathtaking as she’d imagined.

 

Maybe more.

 

Just a tad more.

 

Her heart picks up its pace a little, as she drinks in every detail and feature of the CEO.

 

The way Irene’s slightly wavy and lush black hair falls over her shoulder. Her impeccable and expensive sense of fashion in her pure white pantsuit. Bright red lipstick on lush lips that somehow pulls the wealthy CEO look together.

 

And most of all, her doe-like eyes that pierce so sharply that Irene does not fall short of being a living, walking paradox.

 

That face… Seungwan gulps, urging her eyes not to waver.

 

Irene stands slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she assesses the newcomer. The woman looks no different from the previous applicants who’d walked in. Perhaps those golden-framed round glasses give her a softer, nerdier look, but other than that, she’s not supposed to stand out.

 

Still, there’s something different about the way she carries herself. And maybe she finds that slightly intriguing. Irene glances down at the application on her desk.

 

Son Seungwan.

 

21 February 1994.

 

“Welcome, Ms…Son.”

 

“Ms Bae,” Seungwan dips her head in greeting.

 

The older woman raises a brow.

 

She enters without knocking, she calls me ‘Ms Bae’ instead of ‘CEO Bae’ and she doesn’t bow.

 

Sitting back down, Irene gestures to the seat opposite her, “Please, sit.”

 

“Thank you,” Seungwan takes the offered seat.

 

“A tall decaf vanilla latte, one sugar, two extra shots of espresso, soy milk,” the CEO suddenly says, “That’s what I drink in the mornings. Repeat my order back to me.”

 

Seungwan stares at her for a while, before the right corner of her lips tugs up into a knowing smile.

 

“I think not.”

 

Irene fixes her with a quizzical look, “Excuse me?”

 

Seungwan takes a deep breath, “First of all, you said ‘decaf’ plus two extra shots of espresso, which doesn’t add up. It’s an order you made up on the spot.”

 

“Second of all,” Seungwan’s eyes dart down to the cup on the CEO’s desk, “You don’t drink coffee. You’re a tea kind of gir— I mean, person.”

 

Because that’s how I wrote you.

 

Irene hums thoughtfully.

 

Interesting…

 

“You’re observant. That’s good,” the older woman continues, “That said, being my employee means your time belongs to me. There’ll be emergency meetings and spontaneous flights and you’ll be accompanying me to every single one of them. Are you ready to subject any remainder of your social life to my whims?”

 

Social life… What a joke. Seungwan scoffs internally.

 

For a celebrity, I surprisingly have none to begin with.

 

“That’s another trick question, Ms Bae.”

 

“Do elaborate.”

 

“You’re someone who cares about the well-being of your employees, which led you to restructure workplace ethics and policies in the office to provide a better work-life balance for them,” Seungwan explains, “It’s true that as your prospective secretary, I’ll be accompanying you most of the time. But it also stands that you’d think these spontaneous events through before getting me to follow you outside working hours. If you do require me to be there, you’ll arrange for the appropriate compensation.”

 

The CEO leans back, “I see you’ve done your research.”

 

“I know who I’m talking to, Ms Bae.”

 

“So, where do you live?”

 

Seungwan is caught unaware by the sudden question.

 

I…I don’t actually know.

 

Maybe it’s Seongbuk-dong? That’s where I live in the real world. But…it might not be the case here. Damn it! Why wasn’t I paying attention earlier?

 

Come on, Seungwan! Think!

 

Dad and I left the house at 7.00am and arrived at 7.50am. That’s…

 

“U-Uh, it took me fifty minutes to get here.”

 

“By car? Or train?”

 

“Car.”

 

“So you drove.”

 

“No, my dad did.”

 

“So you can’t drive.”

 

“N-No! I can!” Seungwan waves her hands, “It’s just…it’s my dad’s car and he wanted to do something nice for me today.”

 

“Ah, what a loving father.”

 

Seungwan notes the flash of sadness in the CEO’s eyes.

 

And she knows why.

 

How did we end up here?

 

Seungwan swallows thickly, “U-Uh, why are we talking about this?”

 

“I just wanted to know how long it would take for you to get to the office,” Irene picks up her cup of tea and sips from it, “Fifty minutes by car, but you don’t have a car…”

 

“I’m sorry, does that mean you’re hiring me?”

 

The CEO smirks, “That depends on your answer to my next question.”

 

“Fire away, Ms Bae.”

 

“What are your thoughts on moving in with me?”

 

Seungwan freezes.

 

What…the hell?

 

“I mean, you currently live quite far, and I’d hate for you to have to wake up at ungodly hours for work,” Irene stares up at the ceiling in deep thought, “If you live with me, you’d have more time to rest, which will make up for any overtime as my secretary. This is my compensation, Ms Son.”

 

“We’ve only just met, Ms Bae.”

 

“Rent-free, Ms Son.”

 

“Is that supposed to convince me? I live rent-free with my family too.”

 

“Well, if you don’t want the job, then…”

 

No, wait—!

 

Seungwan is up from her seat as quick as lightning, “I’ll do it! I’ll move in with you!”

 

Without missing a beat, the CEO reaches for her intercom and presses the button, all the while maintaining eye contact with the woman in front of her.

 

“Secretary Im, please send the remaining candidate home.”

 

“Noted, CEO Bae.”

 

Irene releases the button and stands up, walking over to her.

 

She stops in front of her newest hire and holds out her hand, “Welcome to Jewel Corp, Ms Son.”

 

Seungwan cautiously takes the CEO’s hand, aiming to give it a firm shake. But the moment they make contact, electricity singes her nerves. She almost yanks her hand away, only for Irene to tighten her grip.

 

The CEO tugs her close, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “I look forward to working with you.”

 

Seungwan feels a shiver run down her spine.

 

What have I gotten myself into?

 

“Wait, so you got the job?!”

 

“Y-Yeah,” Seungwan stammers, still a little shaken by her first encounter with the CEO, which left her feeling rather on edge.

 

She looks around the ground lobby cautiously.

 

“That’s the best news I’ve heard this year, Wani!” Her best friend’s voice assaults her ear through the phone, “I’m so proud of you!”

 

“T-Thanks, Seul.”

 

“So…what was she like?”

 

“Frankly, quite terrifying,” Seungwan swallows thickly, “One of her conditions is that I have to move in with her.”

 

Beat.

 

“Sorry, what?”

 

The blonde draws in a sharp breath, “I said, one of her conditions is that I have to move in with her. Something about compensating for overtime and whatnot.”

 

“Huh, I thought I’d heard wrongly. Sorry about that, Wani.”

 

“Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn’t believe it either.”

 

“What did you do at the interview that CEO Bae made her move so quickly? Could it be—” Seulgi gasps, “Son Seungwan, you didn’t!”

 

“What? What did I do?!”

 

“Don’t tell me you—” Her best friend drops her voice to a whisper, “You seduced her? Wow, I didn’t think you had it in yo—”

 

“WHAT?! NO!” Seungwan can’t help but shriek at the sheer ridiculousness.

 

Her voice echoes through the lobby, gaining the attention of several other employees. Embarrassed by her own outburst, the blonde dips her head to them apologetically. They move along and she returns her attention to her cackling best friend.

 

“I literally just told you she wants to compensate for any overtime and save me the traveling time too,” Seungwan hisses.

 

“Okay, okay,” Seulgi chuckles, “That’s really…nice of her.”

 

Seungwan grunts.

 

Actually, she’s suspicious as hell, but I guess I’ll only know once I get there.

 

The novelist sighs, “Actually, that’s why I called you.”

 

“Hmm? Why?”

 

“I need a ride asap,” Seungwan admits, “She gave me up till 8pm to move my things to her place tonight.”

 

Several hours later, Seungwan finds herself outside her new and very expensive-looking accommodation. She’s torn between beaming with excitement at seeing her world truly come to life as she’d always imagined it to be and cursing herself for impulsively taking up her new boss’ offer without thinking things through.

 

Though…it was more like an order.

 

She rolls her eyes and presses the doorbell. Next to her, Seulgi bounces on her feet excitedly. The intercom screen lights up and Seungwan almost gets a heart attack from seeing Irene’s face up close on it. She staggers back a step.

 

“Oh, Ms Son. You’re here,” The CEO greets her through the screen.

 

She hears the padding of footsteps as Irene pulls open the door, greeting the blonde with a small smile, “Welcome to your new residence.”

 

Irene’s smile falters slightly as she realises her new secretary hadn’t come alone.

 

Seulgi bows deeply to her, “Hello, CEO Bae.”

 

The CEO folds her arms and takes a step forward, holding the door open with her foot, “Hello, Ms Kang.”

 

Seulgi turns to look at her best friend, an excited grin plastered to her face, “She knows me, Wani!”

 

Seungwan can only manage a tight smile at Irene before looking back down at her feet again.

 

“I make it a point to remember the faces of my staff, Ms Kang.”

 

Seulgi gapes at her, impressed. The CEO, on the other hand, remains expressionless.

 

Reading the atmosphere, Seungwan nudges her best friend, “I’m fine from here, Seul. You should go.”

 

Seulgi’s gaze swings between the two, her mind working. Her eyes light up as she arrives at a conclusion. She heaves Seungwan’s duffel bag on top of her light blue luggage.

 

Seulgi proceeds to ruffle her best friend’s hair, “See you when I see you, Wani. Let’s catch up soon.”

 

She waves politely at the CEO and takes her leave.

 

“She’s…lively,” Irene remarks as the woman disappears into the lift.

 

“A-Ah yeah,” Seungwan dips her head, neatening her mussed hair, “Seul may seem overwhelming at first, but she’s really sweet once you get to know her.”

 

“Just because I know her face and name doesn’t mean I want to know her, Ms Son,” the CEO sounds a little cold, but Seungwan chalks it up to her new boss feeling tired from work.

 

“Come on through,” the older woman steps aside, holding the door open for the blonde.

 

Seungwan nods wordlessly and enters, pulling a luggage along with her. She busies herself with taking off her shoes by the shoe racks. The CEO releases the door and it shuts. Irene turns around to look at her, curious about the blonde’s reaction to her new home. But her newly-hired secretary doesn’t gape at the grandeur of the Irene’s house. Seungwan eventually looks up, only to simply regard the space with a contemplative hum.

 

It comes as no surprise to the celebrity writer—she’d designed it with her own words after all.

 

“You don’t look impressed.”

 

Seungwan snaps out of her thoughts, “O-Oh! U-Uh, wow! What a nice place you have!”

 

“Too late, Ms Son,” Irene folds her arms, “You must be used to living in luxury.”

 

You’re…not wrong. Perks of being a bestselling author, I guess.

 

Seungwan smiles, “Not as luxurious as yours, but I’ve been fortunate enough.”

 

“How humble,” Irene clicks her tongue and gestures down the hallway, “Anyway, your room is down the corridor on the right. Leave your belongings in there and meet me out here. We’ll discuss the terms of your contract first.”

 

“Right,” Seungwan spins deftly on her toes and heads to said room, tugging her luggage along.

 

Irene settles down on her couch, watching her secretary’s small back disappear into room.

 

Not long after, Seungwan reappears. The CEO gestures to the seat opposite her. Seungwan sits down, crossing her legs as she leans back, almost as if she’s already taken to the new place in the span of several minutes. Irene studies her new housemate.

 

It’s like she owns the place, not me.

 

Irene raises a brow, “Comfortable?”

 

The blonde nods coolly. While she might have found the younger woman’s calm countenance to be refreshing at first, the CEO feels slightly unsettled. If Seungwan had noticed her own strange behaviour in her boss’ house, she doesn’t show it.

 

Irene clears , “Let’s get straight to the terms of our contract, Ms Son.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Irene shuffles through her work bag and fishes out a file. She hands it over to her new secretary. Seungwan’s eyes scan the document with the utmost care.

 

THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered as of 13 July 2020, by and between BAE IRENE, the Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the “CEO”) and SON SEUNGWAN, an individual (hereinafter referred to as the “Executive Secretary”).

 

She frowns as she reaches the last few clauses.

 

SECTION 5.              PERFORMANCE REVIEW

            The Executive Secretary and the CEO shall meet at the CEO’s discretion for the purpose of reviewing the Executive Secretary’s performance of her duties and responsibilities.

…

SECTION 6.              HOURS OF WORK

            It is mandatory that the Executive Secretary must devote a substantial amount of time outside normal office hours to perform the business of the CEO. In exchange for living in the CEO’s residence free of charge, any compensation for overtime to the Executive Secretary will be duly decided by the CEO at her discretion.

 

This doesn’t make sense… This is far from what I wrote for the contract I had her give to him.

 

She looks up from the file, “You…really weren’t kidding when you said my time is going to belong to you, huh. Is this whole moving in with you just a ruse to subject my life to your every whim? The terms of this contract are insanely unreasona—!”

 

“Well, I did say it’s my compensation,” Irene shrugs, “My compensation from you, Ms Son.”

 

What’s happening?!

 

“W-What do you mean?”

 

“Because I know who you really are.”

 

Seungwan’s blood runs cold.

 

S-She knows…? T-That can’t be.

 

Okay, calm down, Son Seungwan. She might not really know.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ms Bae.”

 

“Don’t play the fool now, Ms Son,” Irene leans back as well, crossing her legs to mirror the blonde, “Or should I say… famous celebrity writer, Wendy Son?”

 

Seungwan sits up straight with a jolt, “H-How did you know?!”

 

“How could I not recognise the person who decided to hurt me?” The CEO answers, her soft gaze turning into a hard glare, “You entered my office without knocking. You call me ‘Ms Bae’ instead of ‘CEO Bae’. You didn’t bow. You weren’t surprised by my place and you act like you own it. Am I wrong?”

 

“You—”

 

“No, I’m not,” Irene cuts her off, “And you just confirmed it yourself.”

 

Seungwan facepalms internally. Okay, so I gave myself away by acting too quickly, but how is she that self-aware in the first place?

 

Wait, this isn’t the time to ask that. There must be some law that if creation meets its creator, there’ll be some kind of paradoxical error which could result in—

 

Wait, this is just a dream, right…?

 

Then all I need to do is to wake up.

 

She starts patting her cheeks lightly at first. It doesn’t work.

 

Come on! Come on!

 

She squeezes shut her eyes. She slaps her cheeks. Hard.

 

Ugh, it’s not working!

 

Again—!

 

Cold fingers wrap around her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face. Her eyes snap open and she finds herself staring right into the CEO’s eyes, their faces barely inches apart.

 

“Don’t hurt that pretty face of yours, Ms Son,” Irene coos patronisingly, “As your boss, I must insist you stop.”

 

The CEO leans in even closer. While Seungwan is tempted to pull away, it’ll only give Irene the impression that she’s afraid.

 

And she’s not afraid…is she?

 

“I should punish you…” Irene’s voice drops to a whisper, “But…what’s the best way, I wonder?”

 

“Just fire me!”

 

“Fire you?” The CEO scoffs, “Why would I do that? I just hired you.”

 

“Just let me go on my way, and you be on yours and we don’t have to cross paths ever again and—”

 

“If I fire you like that, what will people think of me? Either I’m fickle-minded or a poor judge of character. No can do, Ms Son.”

 

“Then why did you hire me?!”

 

“Why?” Irene releases her wrists, “Because I want revenge for all that pain you put me through. To think you’d walked right into my office just like that. Today must be my lucky day.”

 

Everything about the CEO drives her nuts. Then again, she can’t blame Irene. She did put her through hell in her writing. If this isn’t a dream, she wonders when that paradoxical error will come into play, now that her second lead knows who she is and is acting out against her.

 

“So, what are you gonna do? Kill me?”

 

“Kill you?” Irene laughs, “Can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, but seeing how frustrated you look right now…this is far, far better than any of my initial plans.”

 

Seungwan stands up, “That’s it. I’m leaving.”

 

She’s about to step away when Irene grabs her by the arm, stopping her in her tracks.

 

“Where to?” The CEO tilts her head, “You seem to think that this is a dream you can leave, so you’ve tried. And you’ve failed.”

 

“So this isn’t really just a dream?” Seungwan asks, flabbergasted.

 

“Well, you just tried to slap yourself awake, didn’t you?”

 

Seungwan swallows thickly.

 

“Now…do you understand the situation you’re in?” Irene relaxes her hold on the younger woman.

 

I guess…the game’s up, huh. Seungwan sighs.

 

“What do you want…Irene?”

 

“Calling me by my first name? I’m older than you. And I’m your boss. Show some respect.”

 

“I created you.”

 

“And now you’re living in the world you created…which makes you a character just like me, don’t you think?”

 

Seungwan falls silent, unable to object.

 

“For now…” The CEO releases her hand, “You’ll do whatever I ask of you. Until I figure out your due punishment.”

 

Seungwan’s eyes dart around the house. There’s really no way out, huh?

 

“If you’re thinking of running away, you’re welcome to try,” her words dripping with sarcasm, Irene steps away from the younger woman and gestures towards the door, “Just know that I will find you again.”

 

Seungwan doesn’t need to see the older woman’s face to understand the hidden threat in her words.

 

I will find you and make your life a living nightmare.

 

“So, are you going to stay and do your job?”

 

With a defeated sigh, she nods, “Yes…Ms Bae.”

 

To say that she deeply regrets taking up the job as the Jewel Corp CEO’s secretary is a gross understatement. Her first night gives her enough hints to know that she will downright hate it. It’s 11.00pm when Irene tosses a pile of folders on the desk in front of her.

 

“Sort these out according to which ones require urgent attention,” the CEO says nonchalantly, as she hadn’t just entered Seungwan’s room without knocking late at night to dump work on her.

 

And it’s not even her first day.

 

The blonde scrambles to her feet, “W-Wait, how am I supposed to know which ones ar—”

 

“You’ll figure it out.”

 

“But it’s late!”

 

“So?” Irene remains indifferent to the younger woman’s plight.

 

“So?!” Seungwan is aghast, “We have to be at the office early tomorrow morning so I need rest to get us there safely.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll drive us.”

 

“But as your secretary, aren’t I supposed to dri—”

 

“As my secretary, you do whatever I tell you to do. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

 

Seungwan sighs and returns her gaze to the ungodly amount of paperwork on her desk. It’s not like she hasn’t had her fair share of organising work, especially when she’d first started out as a writer. She hadn’t grown enough to have her own manager then, so she had to sort everything out on her own. Then again, she still hates the fact that Irene knows this well enough to use it against her.

 

“Whatever, it’s not like I haven’t done this before,” the blonde grumbles under her breath.

 

“Well then, all the best, Ms Son,” the CEO smirks, “I’ve only just begun after all.”

 

Seungwan’s eyes struggle to stay open as she stares out at the buildings passing by. It’s not long before she dozes off, her head resting against the car window. Suddenly the car jam-brakes and she finds herself thrown forward violently, her only saving grace being her seatbelt. Her eyes to fly open as she lets out a terrified shriek. She glances around wildly, only to realise she isn’t in any immediate danger.

 

She turns to glare at the culprit. Irene gazes back at her, expression smug.

 

“What was that for?!”

 

“For falling asleep on the job.”

 

“You insisted on driving last night,” Seungwan grounds out, “So remind me again how this is my job, Iren— Ms Bae.”

 

“Your job is to stay awake and keep me company, Ms Son.”

 

The blonde groans.

 

Today’s really gonna be a long day.

 

“Here’s your tea, Ms Bae,” Seungwan sets the teacup down on the glass table.

 

She makes a move to leave, only for the CEO’s voice to stop her.

 

“I didn’t say you could leave, Ms Son.”

 

With her back turned to Irene at first, the secretary rolls her eyes. Taking a deep breath and reminding herself to stay cool in front of the older woman, Seungwan forces a bright smile onto her face.

 

She then turns to face the CEO once again, “What else can I do for you, Ms Bae?”

 

“Do you see any issue with this?” Irene gestures towards her cup, “Because there’s one.”

 

Seungwan’s eyes dart down to the cup.

 

Nothing…out of the ordinary.

 

“…I don’t see the issue, Ms Bae.”

 

“You didn’t give me tea. You gave me hot water and a packet of tea. Does that not strike you as a problem?”

 

“All you have to do is open the packet and put the tea bag in the water, Ir— Ms Bae.”

 

“Precisely. That’s all you needed to do.”

 

Seungwan feels a feral kind of rage that she barely holds back. It doesn’t change the fact that she really wants to strangle the CEO though.

 

Irene sighs, “Sometimes…I wonder why I hired you.”

 

“Sometimes, I wonder why I created you,” the younger woman mutters under her breath.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“It better be,” the CEO regards her with suspicious eyes before pointing at her cup, “Well, what are you waiting for? Make the tea.”

 

One day I’m gonna spill it on you. Seungwan hisses inwardly as she reaches over to open the tea packet.

 

Just you wait, you stupid—

 

Irene takes the opportunity to seize her hand. The secretary nearly yelps. She looks up to meet the CEO’s sharp gaze.

 

“Take a little more pride in your work, why don’t you, Ms Son?” Irene’s voice is low and husky.

 

And she doesn’t miss the way the novelist shudders at her words.

 

Seungwan clears and shakes her hand off. She proceeds to rip the tea packet and dump the tea bag in the cup haphazardly. She crumples the empty packet with shaky hands and exits the office hastily.

 

Irene smirks. This is a lot more fun than I expected.

 

Seungwan lets out a groan as she slams her tray down in front of her best friend. She drops down onto her seat and covers her face in exasperation.

 

Seulgi looks up from her food calmly, swallowing her mouthful of meat and rice, “That bad, huh?”

 

“She’s a monster,” the blonde grumbles.

 

“She can’t be that bad,” Seulgi tries to reason with her.

 

“It’s like everything in her ‘revolutionary’ workplace ethics framework applies to everyone else but me.”

 

Revolutionary because I wrote it. And I know she’s deliberately breaking it because she’s got a personal vendetta against me. But she was never supposed to go this low with anyone—

 

Two nameless faces flash in her mind.

 

Except for them.

 

A man and a woman. She recognises the man as the one who’d arrived shortly after her on the day of the interview.

 

And I took his place as her secretary, which means—

 

She freezes.

 

Oh no, no, no, no, no.

 

This can’t be happening!

 

“Hello? Earth to Wani!” Seulgi waves her hand in front of her frozen best friend.

 

Seungwan’s mind races.

 

The moment I said yes to her…the story changed and that’s why I’m—

 

Is that why I can’t leave?!

 

“Yah, Son Seungwan!”

 

The blonde snaps out of her thoughts and she stares at her best friend with wide eyes.

 

“Your phone,” Seulgi points at said device with her chopsticks.

 

Seungwan looks down, only to find Irene’s name lighting up her screen. With a sigh, she accepts the call. Irene’s stern voice greets her.

 

“Ms Son, to my office.”

 

“B-But I haven’t even started eating yet.”

 

“We have no time for that. There’s urgent business to attend to. Up. Now.”

 

The call ends.

 

Her grip tight on her phone, Seungwan lets her hand fall to her lap as she stares at her curious best friend in disbelief.

 

“You have to go?” Seulgi asks, feeling a little sorry for her.

 

Seungwan nods, her brows furrowed with irritation.

 

“In that case…” Her best friend pushes aside her tray, having finished her meal, and drags Seungwan’s tray over to herself, “Let’s not waste food.”

 

She starts digging in with vigour.

 

“Yah, Kang Seulgi!”

 

“Chill, I’m pretty sure she’ll take you out for a nice meal to some fancy restaurant after whatever business you have to attend to,” Seulgi waves her off, “To compensate for taking you away from lunch time.”

 

Seungwan doesn’t know who she wants to curse more. Whether it’s Seulgi for straight up eating her lunch the moment she gets summoned back to the CEO’s office or Irene for calling her up for the urgent business that is selecting her business attire for the upcoming board dinner the following two days from now. And a fresh set of files to sort. She glares at the stack of folders, wishing for them to burn.

 

Then maybe she’ll hurl the entire flaming pile at the CEO, who’s busy comparing two pantsuits of the exact same cut, except that one’s black while the other’s navy blue.

 

“So which one, Ms Son?”

 

The blonde looks at her with narrowed eyes, “You called me up from lunch for this? Really? Real mature of you.”

 

“I suppose black would be the more mature colour between the two,” Irene smiles and holds up the black pantsuit, “I’ll go with this then. Thank you, Ms Son.”

 

No words can describe how badly the novelist wants to slap the smugness off the older woman’s face. But before she can bring that fantasy to fruition, the CEO drops the blue pantsuit on her lap. Seungwan glances up, startled.

 

“Wear this one to the board dinner.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I can’t have you walking in dressed like that, can I?” Irene raises a brow, gesturing to the blonde’s current outfit, “They’ll eat you alive.”

 

Seungwan looks down at her cream-coloured button-up blouse and black pencil skirt.

 

What’s wrong with what I wear?

 

“Nothing wrong with it, I just want to remind everyone who’s in charge.”

 

“I’m just a secretary, Ms Bae.”

 

“You’re my secretary, Ms Son,” Irene counters without missing a beat.

 

“What does that mea—”

 

A loud growl interrupts her. She knows where it came from. Her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

 

The corner of the CEO’s lips tilts up, “Looks like your stomach’s questioning me too.”

 

Seungwan refuses to meet her eyes.

 

Irene lets out a light chuckle, “If you’re done asking questions, let’s go for lunch.”

 

Fancy restaurant, my . Seungwan feels a tinge of annoyance spike in her as she recalls her best friend’s words.

 

Irene had opted to eat at Hyeonsil House, a regular diner with the classic noisy atmosphere and all. She tries not to think of how she’d been the one to write the noodle joint into existence. Now, she just tries to focus her annoyance on the fact that the older woman had gone ahead and ordered for the both of them without asking the novelist what she wanted.

 

“The black bean noodles and spicy rice cakes here are the best,” the CEO had said after returning the menus to the owner.

 

“If you say so.”

 

Irene raises her brow, “You don’t look very happy.”

 

“You wouldn’t be either if you got dragged away from lunch to settle ‘urgent’ business that is your boss’ indecision over a black or blue pantsuit.”

 

“It was urgent business, Ms Son.”

 

“For you. Not me.”

 

“My business is your business, Ms Son,” Irene waves off her complaints dismissively, “Therefore, whatever I consider urgent will be urgent for you too.”

 

Seungwan growls and lurches towards the older woman from her seat, “You weren’t like that with him. At least, not at the start.”

 

Unperturbed by her secretary’s angry advance, Irene leans in until their breaths are mingling, “Well, you’re not him, are you?”

 

She notices the way the blonde’s pupils shake as she tries to maintain her glare.

 

Mesmerising… The CEO notes, as she stares into those warm honey orbs.

 

Seungwan feels a shudder run down her spine at Irene’s unwavering gaze.

 

No.

 

Don’t look at me like that.

 

A fresh wave of fear rears up within her, going dry. Any retort she has dies in . She blinks and drops back down on her seat in defeat.

 

Just then, their food arrives, two piping hot bowls of black bean noodles and a plate of spicy rice cakes.

 

The elderly owner serving them greets Irene fondly, “It’s always so lovely to see you here, Irene-ah.”

 

“Of course, everything you cook is delicious as ever, Mrs Park,” the CEO smiles brightly.

 

“Oh you,” Mrs Park replies bashfully, before turning to Seungwan, “And who do you have here?”

 

“She’s my new secretary.”

 

“Oh! She’s really pretty!” Mrs Park pats the blonde’s shoulder affectionately, “Well, what’s your name, young lady?”

 

“S-Seungwan.”

 

“And you have a pretty name too!” The elderly owner beams at her, “Since this is your first time here, it’s on the house today!”

 

“Thank you for your generosity, Mrs Park,” Irene says, before nudging her secretary’s leg under the table with her foot, “Say thank you, Ms Son.”

 

“A-Ah, thank you,” Seungwan nods her head politely, caught a little unaware by the owner’s friendly gesture.

 

“Enjoy, girls,” Mrs Park bows and ambles away.

 

The novelist swivels her head to look at the CEO, “You brought me here knowing she wouldn’t charge you a thing, didn’t you? What a cheapskate.”

 

“Mrs Park is very kind like that,” Irene shrugs, “Besides, she’s been feeling a little lonelier nowadays since her only daughter moved overseas to work. I like paying her a visit every now and then.”

 

At the CEO’s unabashed admittance, Seungwan feels a little embarrassed for being too hasty in her assumptions. In her annoyance with Irene, she’d forgotten that the CEO had started out a kind, genuine character who had been good friends with Mrs Park’s daughter.

 

Before him.

 

Guilt flooding her, Seungwan wordlessly seizes her chopsticks and plucks a spicy rice cake from the plate. She stuffs it into and proceeds to mix her bowl of noodles haphazardly. Just as the secretary’s about to dig into her noodles, she notices the CEO’s eyes trained on her yet again.

 

She looks up and finds Irene’s lips pulled into a tight line, “What?”

 

“Who said you could start eating before me?”

 

Ugh, how old-fashioned. Seungwan dumps the noodles back into the bowl in annoyance, slamming her chopsticks down on the top of the bowl.

 

She leans back, folding her arms, “Fine. I’m sorry for starting before you.”

 

Irene leisurely picks up her own chopsticks and mixes her bowl of noodles. Staring her secretary down, she slowly brings a mouthful of noodles to her lips. She witnesses the novelist’s jaw clench, her face growing redder by the second.

 

The CEO finally takes her first bite.

 

She chews, almost languidly, revelling in her secretary’s annoyance.

 

“Calling your boss a cheapskate… You must’ve thought your first meal with me would’ve been at some fancy restaurant,” Irene chuckles after swallowing.

 

Seungwan doesn’t wait a