It is Monday.

And to tell that Seulgi definitely hates Mondays. It is the start of another hell-like animation episode, it feels like the day was not real or either yourself are not real. Monday, if Seulgi describes it to be, is uncanny. It has the vibe of being eccentric or offbeat. It is just a freakish day of the calendar.

Seulgi was still sick but not that much anymore. Maybe if one had thought it will get worse or something, then that is a wrong assumption. She is Kang Seulgi, not even a cough and a cold can knock her down. 

It was just a sore throat and colds, well add the cough as well, but she was fine! She can still work, it was not an abundant matter to lay hold of.

At the minimum, she got the list. 

All right, hold up. There are ten candidates, and to tell that, it was no surprise nor anything! All of them is lacking something. 

Breathe, just breathe.

“Okay, she got to choose one. I mean, she have no option than to choose, right? And, a hundred and twenty days is long, but…” Seulgi whispered haplessly, “… she will not like them!”

Okay. What the actual hell?

Seulgi rubbed her brows and scrutinized the list, then released a long breath that she has been holding since the morning she woke up.

Okay, Seulgi. It’s ten people, it’s not like she won’t pick one… 

The monolid woman groaned audibly. “This is demoralizing.”

An abrupt knock was heard in the middle of my musing. She looked up and thought about not having guests at the moment, but she was not a disdainful human being to ignore it, hence, she still let whoever that is.

“Come in.”

The door opened and revealed a petite woman with dark locks and goddess features.

Jisoo.

“Jisoo-yah?” Seulgi fixed herself. “What brings you here?”

“These–” she waved the papers in her hand, “–needs your signatures.”

In an instant, her pen was already on her dominant hand. “What are these?” Seulgi surveyed the papers closely.

“It’s about the new design.”

Oh, right.

The secretary then signed what is needed to be signed before she handed it back to her colleague. 

“Early in the morning yet you look standoffish.”

“I am not standoffish.” The monolid woman corrected.

She simpered. “I know. All I said was, you looked like one.”

She takes the papers and goes for the door and Seulgi released a small breath while playing with her pen…

“And by the way–” she snapped her neck to look back but her hand is already gripping the handle of the door, “–you’re not good at hiding.”

Seulgi glanced up and raised a brow. Jisoo then opened the door, “you’re sick, don’t even try to deny it. Maybe take a sick-leave or something.”

Before she left completely, she left a wink just as the door was shut close. 

Monday.

If Irene was being asked what is Monday, it is a perdition. Maybe some are saying, ‘you’re a CEO, you got nothing to do’, then that is absolutely invalid. 

Monday means a lot, lot of jobs. It means: double the appointments, triple the meetings, and crappy endless papers to sign and review.

Wonder all they want, but being a CEO is not what some think of it—they do not chill nor just sleep their works away—no. It is stressful and requires a great deal of demands.

And being a CEO is also not safe. The business world is a hungry place; every one wants power—Irene do wants power, and no one can snitch that out of her portrait, but the difference is that other powerful men is covered with their own grimy and dirty secrets. They will do everything to be on top, even though it costs lives… and Irene does not do nor tolerates that. She is definitely not some psychotic to lose her sanity above all.

Irene created her own name, not her father nor her brothers, especially not her sister. It does not even count. 

In the middle of thoughts, all of a sudden, her desk phone rang: 

“Yes?” She answered.

“Miss Bae, Mrs. Bae is here.”

Irene narrowed her brows and stopped whatever the hell she was currently doing. Let her say it, her mother is the only one she is fond of. Perhaps no one has not known the story why they divorced, well, she is here to divulge that.

Her father and her mother never did love each other since they were forced to marriage just to strengthen one’s bond. Both of their fathers agreed to just betrothed them so that their empire will unite. It was sickening whenever she thinks of it. The latter's mother is so much different from her father: she was lovable and caring, she does respect her as her child, and same goes with respecting her as her mother. Unlike her dad, who just used us them just like a puppeteer for his satisfaction or rather, it was just how their kins are. 

They divorced because, of course, it was their status. Would someone live a life that has been repugnant since the first day they knew about it? No, her mother had nothing to do with it, but her father did not take part in it as well. Just as Irene has told, he is a possessive scoundrel; he do likes things to go by his way only, but her mother was already set on.

Now, the big question is, why is she here? No clues were presented, and sure she will love to see her, but she would call the raven right?

“Let her in.”

After a minute, the double doors opened and a woman in pink outfit entered. 

“How many times do I have to tell them–” she said, “–I’m not Mrs. Bae anymore.”

Irene grinned at the comment. Sure, she is not and that was definitely a good thing. 

“Won’t you greet your mom?” She spread both of her arms. “Come here!”

The raven stood up with a smile on her face and hugged her. They have not seen each other for months but they kept in contact somehow. 

“What are you doing here?” Irene asked when their hug broke.

“Just checking you out.” She sighed. “I know what’s going on...”

Of course she will know.

“… Hyun, what are you doing?” She placed her hands on my shoulder. “I can't bear to see you like this.”

Her mother is Tiffany Hwang.

She was the heir of the Hwang Enterprises. It deals with cars, that is why a partnership was made between the two parties. It was clearly strictly business. 

Irene sensed the worry in her eyes. “My own company is at stake here. I don’t know what to do rather than that.”

“Then talk to him!” She was already agonizing.

“We both know that he won’t listen. Look, I don’t want this.”

She shook her head. “I will talk to him.”

“It would be a bad idea, and you know that.”

“But this is madness!” She frustratingly said. “Hyun, you are my daughter, I care for you!”

“I know.” I nodded. “I know you do, but I got this.”

“Seokjin told me about this.” She uttered. “If he didn’t say it to me then I shouldn’t have known. Why didn’t you say a word?”

“I don’t know what to say.” Irene gestured . “He won’t hark to—”

“Did you think I won’t listen to you?”

The raven shook her head in an explicit way of showing her disagreement. “No, of course not!”

“Then why didn’t you? I’m your mother, you should’ve told me. The next thing I know, your dad is already caging you.”

“You are sounding like him.” 

She then softened. “Joohyun, I can’t stomach you seeing your everyday life while repenting this decision.”

With this, Irene became mum. She was right, the raven will surely regret this, but she would regret more if she lose her company—this was all that she has left to show.

“Ma.” She whispered weakly, “… I don’t want to…”

I don’t want to do this, really.

“… but, what choice do I have? Also, harabeoji is asking for it. I only have limited time, so please, I don’t want us to argue about this.”

She just nodded understanding and the raven went back behind her desk and sat on her chair, rather a throne she considered, while her mother was on the settee.

“How are you doing?” The former asked.

“Just fine.”

“I know, you’re not.”

“You know me too well.”

There was a long pause before her desk phone rang once again:

“Yes?”

“Miss Bae, Seulgi is here.”

Oh, right.

“Let her enter.”

Seulgi was watching Sooyoung talk to the other line while she held her notebook tightly—her boss got to choose, it is all right.

The secretary took a deep breath before Sooyoung placed the telephone back to the its place.

“Go on, idiot.” She said arrantly and gestured for the door.

Seulgi walked towards the double doors and heard a parley inside the room, then after a second, a lady in pink outfit came out.

She looks familiar.

She smiled at Seulgi then walked pass by as the latter tailed her back until she stepped inside the lift and was out of sight.

She is definitely overfamiliar.

“Are you just gonna stand there?” An icy-cold voice greeted her arrival.

After hearing that, Seulgi forthwith walked inside and closed the door shut behind her. Irene motioned her secretary to come close and, as an obedient employee, she indeed came close in a comfortable distance.

“CEO-nim, I got the list.” Seulgi announced.

She looked up in an instant from her book and all at once, she became interested.

“Where is it?”

She extended her hand while gesturing me to give it. Seulgi gave it to her straight away then cleared her throat while fidgeting with my fingers as she is becoming anxious while her boss was continuously reading it. 

After she was done, she looked up to Seulgi with a frosty demeanor.

She looked away and raised a brow. “I want to see them.”

“In p-person, CEO-nim?” Seulgi was unsure. There are two types of how to see them, whether in person or picture.

“No.” She replied stiffly. “I don’t have time for that.”

Picture it is.

She tried to find her device with her unfortunately, damn she had left it. 

Seulgi pressed her lips together. Okay, just say it to her, goddamn it!

Irene sensed the monolid woman's twitchy behavior and raised her brow like she always does whenever she was in question. 

“I said, I want to see them.” She repeated but in a more, more dreadful way.

 I might pee in my pants.

“Can I… get it from my office?” Seulgi uttered.

Irene just sighed in irritation and brushed her hands, allowing Seulgi to get it. The latter then sprinted once she was out of her boss' fancy workroom, and Sooyoung frowned at her for the sudden exertion.

Once Seulgi reached her office, she immediately grabbed her laptop and she did not care if would wreck or whatsoever. 

She counted her steps and the minutes of her truant. Two minutes, and seventy-four steps—not bad. 

Maybe I’ll make an extra rule.

Rule number four: Never make Irene Bae wait.

That sounds convincing enough for Seulgi to not make her bide one’s time again. What it