“You better have a good explanation on why there is no manuscript on my table.” A pair of ash grey heels holding a phone to her ear, stood next to the elevator door waiting for it to stop and open on her floor.

“I’m sorry boss.” The voice on the other line echoed.

The owner of the ash grey heels enters the elevator as soon as the door opens. “When you left the office earlier you said the manuscript would be waiting on my table when I get back from my meeting.” There were other office employees inside the elevator but she confidently stood in the middle, the phone still next to her ear.

“I really did try boss but you know how hard Mr. Lee is to deal with. And the traffic is keeping me.” The voice reasoned out.

“The elevator I’m in will reach the ground floor in about…” She paused and checked the Jaeger-Lecoultre watch on her left wrist. “…five minutes. You better be there or you can kiss that business trip to New York goodbye.” She ends the call and puts her phone back in her black purse.

The owner of the voice at the other end hurriedly steps out of a taxi and starts sprinting as if his life depended on it. “Boss I’m coming!!!”

She steps out of the elevator and heads toward the electronic entrance gate with her company id ready in hand. After exiting, she glanced at her Jaeger-Lecoultre again. The five minutes is up. She just stepped out of the building when she heard a shriek coming from the corner.

“Boss!” The man called out, still panting, almost out of breath. “Here’s the manuscript.” He then hands the document envelope to her.

She pushed her purse on the crook of her elbow and accepted the envelope with the name ‘Han Eri’ handwritten on it. She inspects it, making sure the contents that should be inside are inside. “You did well Hoseok.”

Hoseok, her assistant of five years, smiles at the approval and breathes a sigh of relief at the same time. “You scared me there boss. I thought you really will drop me from the trip.”

“I was about to, because your five minutes was up.” She replied, tone and face calm as usual.

“This is why I’m more scared of you than I am of Mr. Lee.” Hoseok said, though he intended for it as a joke but it ended up having a serious tone in it. “You really stand by your word boss.”

“You should’ve known me by now. And you should do the same.” She said referring to the words he said to her earlier that afternoon. “Don’t speak words you can’t stand by and live up to.”

“I was expecting Mr. Lee to be in a good mood, but boy was I wrong. But that’s a story for another time.” He moves toward the sidewalk to hail a cab for her. His boss actually owns a nice car but only uses it on rare occasions. And most of those rare occasions, he’s the one driving her around. “By the way boss, aren’t you going to your hometown this weekend? But that…” He points at the envelope she is holding. “…means you’ll still be working?”

“Of course.” She nods.

Before closing the door of the cab, he bid her farewell. “Have a safe trip boss. See you on Monday!” Seeing the taxi drive away, he couldn’t help but whisper, “Ah, you’re really the best boss” though she couldn’t hear the compliment anymore, he really meant it. A lot of employees in the company think his boss is strict and has an unfriendly personality, but that is actually not true. She really is just a professional and perfectionist. She never yells at him or the rest of her staff when they make a mistake but talk to them reasonably. Hoseok understands that she worked hard to reach where she is now and she expects the same passion and dedication from her team, who she protects and defends not just from other departments but from the higher ups as well. As her assistant, he doesn’t just admire his boss’ intellect but also her strong work ethic. It inspires him to work hard as well.

That, and of course the upcoming business trip to New York.

===

Eri takes a deep breath.

The train is slowly approaching Bunhong, her hometown, and there is only a few minutes left before arriving in the station. The feeling she has for this town is rather complicated.

Ugh.

Bunhong is three hours away from Seoul, a small town at the foot of the twin-peaked Mount Ssang. The bottom of the mountain is a flower field covered with pink moss, and is declared a national park. The surrounding countryside consists of agricul