March 30, 2015

Wendy Son. 21 years old. The only heiress to the Son Industries, which dominated market for cars, appliances, clothes, and even foods not only in South Korea but the rest of the world as well.

It could be said that Wendy Son did not even need to lift a finger for the rest of her life and she would still be one of the richest people on earth.

But Wendy's parents knew better, they focused on hiding Wendy's identity from the public and trained the girl even from such a young age. "Nothing is permanent, Wendy. There may come a time where all these things may disappear in a flash, but the knowledge and experiences you would have, they will never go away," Wendy's dad once remarked during a family dinner at Son's house.

Therefore, at age 7, young Wendy already accompanied her dad to various meetings all around the world, listening intently and taking notes on the corners of board rooms.

At age 16, teenager Wendy shadowed the VP for International Operations for a year. Wendy's dad noticed the young woman's interest and skill in talking to people and negotiation. It was at that age where young Wendy, together with her team, closed her first deal worth $850,000 with an American investor.

At age 19, Wendy was already leading her own department as co-VP for Business Relations. Wendy's parents decided that she should temporarily work alongside with Mr. Lee, Wendy's uncle, since Wendy was about to start her university life and things were sure to get busy for the young heiress. Mr. Lee was one of Wendy's trusted mentor from when she was young. He accompanied her in the office most of the time and guided her in work as well.

Throughout the years, Wendy's parents paid a hefty amount to the media just to keep the young heiress' identity a secret from the public. "Wendy's safety always comes first. Who knows if she is already the target of one of our rivals?" Mrs. Son once noted when they were in the office.

Therefore, every single person in Korea was curious as to who was the only heiress of the Son Industries since not a single trace of photos or videos were found in the internet about the mysterious 'Wendy Son'

When Wendy got into Seoul National University and majored in Business Management and International Relations, her parents objected at first knowing that Wendy could have easily went to Ivy League Schools in the States but the young heiress reasoned that the heart of Son Industries was Korea therefore, she should learn in her own country.

As part of precautionary measures, her name was listed as "Seungwan Shon" to avoid suspicions and only the President of SNU knew about her real identity.

"Are you nervous, Wendy?" Mr. Son asked. The Son family was at the breakfast table for Wendy's first day in University. "Should there be any trouble, let me know immediately. If something's bothering -- "

Wendy laughed lightly after taking a sip of her orange juice, "I'll be fine, Dad. I'll have everything under control." She reassurred but the frown on Mr. Son's face remained.

Mrs. Son butted in, "Yeobo, stop fussing over our daughter. She's a grown woman now who probably already knows a lot about business than those people there."

"Mom!"

Mrs. Son chuckled, "What? I'm just telling the truth. Our beautiful daughter even got us new clients last week."

Wendy smiled at the recollection, proud of the achievement her team had done. She remembered how it took them long hours of planning every day for the past few weeks to land on those big clients.

"It's the team's effort, Mom. Wouldn't have done it withouth them."

"Aigoo, my humble daughter." Mrs. Son cooed. "SNU should be ready for you."

Mr. Son coughed to get the two women's attention. "Joy will accompany you as usual. Don't hesitate to tell me should you need additional body guards, okay?"

Wendy nodded, "Of course, Dad. But don't worry, I'm already fine with Joy. It's a good thing that she was able to enroll in advanced classes as well."

"Athletic and brainy, indeed." Mrs. Son noted. The Son continued with their breakfast until it was time for the young heiress to leave for university.

Wendy felt a single tap on her shoulder, "Miss Wendy," the young heiress already knew that voice. "We need to leave now as there is already a traffic jam on the way to SNU."

Wendy wiped with a napkin and stood up in a swift motion. "I'll get going now, Mom and Dad."

"Have fun, honey!" Mrs. Son cheered as she smiled at her daughter.

"Do well, Wendy," her father added. Wendy  nodded to both of her parents and left the dining area with her body guard.

"Are you excited?" Wendy asked Joy as they walked to go outside of the house where the van was waiting for them.

"I couldn't sleep well last night, unnie," Joy whined. "What if I embarass myself or what if I'm not smart enought to be there?"

Wendy stopped in her tracks. She was about to step inside the van when she heard Joy's worried voice. She turned to her side and finally noticed how Joy's demeanor was different from her usual. "Joy-ah, don't worry too much. SNU accepted you because they know you're smart enough to take those advanced classes. They wouldn't have accepted you if you're not, okay?"

"I can't help it, Wendy unnie. I'm just 19 for gods sake."

"You're 19 and got accepted at SNU. That's something to celebrate and not worry about. You even mastered martial defense skills when you were just 16. What's the difference?" Wendy asked jokingly. "I'm sure you'll do well, Joy. Besides, I'm pretty sure that you did some advance reading last night."

Joy sighed as she mulled over what the young heiress had said. "Aish, Unnie. You always know what to say. Let's just go."

Wendy chuckle