CHAPTER 13

“What are you doing here…?”

“I work here you dummy.” Said Seulgi while she approached Irene to give her a hug, which Irene received with confusion.

“You...work here…?”

“Yes, I am part of the tech department...you are still a trainee, right? Fighting!” 

Irene´s face passed to be one of confusion to be one of annoyance. “You were here the entire time and you didn't tell me you work here?! I lunched with awkward strangers on my first days and you were here the entire time?! If not because of Wendy I would have died of social anxiety.”

“I...did not tell you…?”

“No, you idiot walnut. Last time we talked about work was because you told me they were opening positions here and that I should try but you never told me you were here already!”

The poor Seulgi was very smart and logical, but her memory could be really bad sometimes. She was sure her best friend was gonna keep going if not because one of the cleaning staff appeared in the hallway.

“I´m so sorry, please don´t kill me.” Seulgi went to the cleaning staff as fast as she could only to escape Irene´s rage and also to bow in apology to the guy from the staff for spilling her coffee.

Irene was still annoyed but a chuckle interrupted her thoughts, she noticed Wendy was picking up Seulgi´s empty coffee cup to throw it in the garbage can.

“So...a friend of yours?”

“A stupid friend I would dare to say.” Irene was saying it lightly, with a smile on her face. “She is my best friend, we met in college but we both change jobs from time to time so we never talk about this stuff anymore.”

Wendy just nodded taking the new information in. 

Well, at least is not an ex girlfriend...that would be kinda awkward.

Seulgi came back with the cleaning guy behind her, bowing again in apology to him. Irene made a motion for them to keep moving so they didn't interrupt him. The three of them walked again through the hallway.

“Oh I almost forgot!” Seulgi took out a USB from her pocket and gave it to Wendy. “Here are the documents that Ms. Sunmi needs from the death computer.”

“Thanks God! You saved our asses Seulgi, I will make sure Sunmi treats you to a fancy lunch for this.”

Seulgi laughed. “Well, I would normally say it's just my job but it would not be polite to decline free food, right?”

Wendy laughed with her. Meanwhile, Irene was walking at their side with a little pout. 

They already have conversation topics that I don´t understand, not fair!

Suddenly Seulgi stopped her steps, confusing the other two women.

“Oh! By any chance is one of you free right now?”

Irene and Wendy looked at each other, since the USB got the documents Wendy and Sunmi were on time, and Irene was bored in her desk so she decided to break her pen to have an excuse to see what took Wendy so long in the bathroom…

“I am free” “Me too.”

“I need to give another USB to the CEO office but...I don't want to go alone…” Seulgi looked a little scared and Wendy offered a reassuring smile.

“Is understandable, don´t worry, I can go with you.”

Irene did not understand. “Why can't you go alone?”

“You are a trainee here and you have not heard the rumors?” Seulgi said while guiding them to the closest elevator.

“Seulgi, not here.” Wendy said with a serious face, Seulgi understood and they waited to get an elevator just for the three of them, when the doors closed Wendy pressed the button to the highest floor and took the lead of the conversation. “Nobody knows who the CEO is.” 

Irene´s face changed to one of surprise. “What?”

“Is confidential to the public, everyone can search online for the names of the executive board but you can´t find anything from the CEO. The new recruits like to invent a lot of weird rumors and speculations about that topic so a lot of misinformation is circulating inside this building. That's also the reason why some people get worried when they have to go to that office…” Wendy looked at Seulgi while the girl just offered a nervous smile that made her chuckle. “Anyway, some claim the CEO is a rich erted man that calls women to his office so he can abuse them, others say the CEO doesn't really exist and that we are part of a gubernamental project just to traffic illegal stuff or something like that, so anyone that has to go up there gets quite nervous.” 

“Then why have I never heard of this?”

“Because you are always with us, and we never talk about the CEO at lunch, or at any time. We can´t talk about it.”

“Why?”

To this, Wendy just smiled smoothly at Irene, like there is going to be a secret inside her next words. 

“You will see…”

The elevator doors opened, they arrived at the highest floor, and when they got out the first thing they saw was a giant glass wall at one side that showed the view of the city and one big desk in one corner where they could see someone was typing on what looked like a really expensive computer. Next to the desk there was an elegant double wood door that was closed, presumably leading to the CEO´s office if open.

They walked towards the desk in the corner, Wendy was a little ahead of them since Seulgi and Irene now felt kind of intimidated just for the size of the room. Wendy proceeded to interrupt the woman and her typing in a polite and professional way.

“Boo.”

The woman lifted her gaze and smiled at Wendy.

“What´s up loser?”

Irene recognized that voice, she took the couple steps she was behind Wendy to get a closer look at the desk. “....Yeri?”

“Hi Irene.” Yeri lifted her hand to say hi both Irene and the other woman. “Good day, may I know the reason for your arrival? Do you have an appointment?”

It was turn for Seulgi to talk now. “Oh, yes. Not an appointment but I am from the tech department and the CEO asked for a USB from my boss.”

“Ah, yes. Well, as you can see the CEO is not receiving anyone right now but as the secretary, you can leave it with me.” Seulgi complied in giving her the USB. “Thank you, would that be all?”

“I...I guess.” To be honest Seulgi was expecting to have at least a glance of the CEO and got a little disappointed that her chance was already over. Irene was too.

Yeri conversed a little while with Wendy, offered some coffee that they gladly accepted and before they knew it, they were already in the elevator going down.

Irene was still a little dumbfounded. “How?”

Wendy answered to her since Seulgi was busy drinking her new coffee. 

“How...what?”

“How did Yeri get to be the secretary of a secret CEO? And isn't she even younger than Joy?”

“The company did a sort of raffle when it came to the positions of the secretaries, Yeri got the lucky shot to be there but since she is still a student they don´t pay her more than the other older lady in the reception of the first floor.”

“That is...kinda weird...I mean, if you have an anonymous boss and I would be the only one with them in that room I would be scared.”

“Yeah, I think they also took in account Yeri´s attitude to how she managed things. Or probably the fact that she is studying Business Administration.”

“How does she do that? She is always here and this is the first time I actually see her working!”

“She is studying online with a program her college just opened, so she takes classes on her computer during the weekends.”

“Damn, I have new respect for Yeri now.” Irene could not avoid a motherly instinct to activate in her. “I am going to make sure that kid eats well.”

Irene got occupied in her mind about how to take care of Yeri while Wendy smiled at her like a fool, finding this side of Irene really adorable. But it didn't last much since Seulgi decided to get in the conversation as well.

“That is why you guys never talk about the rumors?”

Wendy nodded. “Yeah...like I said, some stupid recruits like to just invent stuff and some of them include Yeri, some of them think she is sleeping with the CEO just because of her position....and on top of that we don´t really touch that topic because is part of Yeri´s contract to not give any kind of information. The only fact we know for sure is that the CEO is a woman.”

Seulgi was the one nodding this time, “Your table sounds cool, can I lunch someday with you guys?” She genuinely asked with a smile.

Wendy returned it. “Sure, be my guest.”

But Irene looked incredulous. “Are you not gonna forget? Like you forgot about me?”

“Soooo dramatic Bae Joohyun.” Seulgi replied, which made Wendy laugh.

The elevator doors opened again and this time it was Sunmi to enter as well. “Hi honeys!”