Knock knock.

“Come in.”

“Good morning, Miss Hwang.”

“Please, sit down. You must be Jung—“, Tiffany gets cut off mid-sentence as she looks at her guest.

“Sooyeon. Jung Sooyeon. Thank you. It was nice of you to arrange your schedule for me when I asked for the appointment yesterday. I am grateful that you were able to let me have a squeeze in at the middle of your precious free time.”

Tiffany just stared at her guest.

“..Did I say anything wrong?”

Tiffany couldn’t find the right words to say to her. She was staring at an entirely different person. It was not Jung Sooyeon. This could not possibly be her. This was not her former lover. This is not THE Jung Sooyeon she wanted oh so badly to impress and feel the regret of letting her go.

“Oh,um, nothing. Thank you for taking interest in our company as well.”

She tried her best to keep her composure. This was not how things were supposed to be. She wanted to gloat about her achievements, all the change in her life, all the improvements she has made all by herself.

This was not the day to do so, in front of a different Jung Sooyeon, in front of an actual client that could mean big business judging from the profile shown to her by Sunny, her personal assistant. They say that this woman manages a lot of different businesses, mostly from the private sector. She tries to handle the minor damage she has done.

“YOU’RE Jung Sooyeon?”

“Yes, I am. Why, have we met before?”

“No, no. It’s just that.. you have the same name as someone I once knew.”

“Oh, I see.”

The client seems to perspire a little. I must have intimidated her with my awkward glare, she thought.  Why wasn’t she the Sooyeon I expected?!

“I apologize. Now, let’s get down to business. What can I do for you today?”

“Your company has been slowly rising to the top since the early 2000s. SN Corporation was first known as a bank that evolved into a big company and eventually has now grown into different macro-businesses related to hotel and various restaurants. Now under your wing, it has flourished and is now one of the leading companies in the world. You have not only expanded it in Asia, but in America, and Europe as well. I became impressed with your company, especially under your supervision. Hence, I was interested in opening an account in your bank.”

“No problem. But surely that’s not all you want now, is it? If that was all you needed, you could have asked for assistance in the first floor, just beside the bank teller offices, where all the transactions can be easily made.”

“Ah, I’m awed at your straightforward attitude, Miss Hwang. You caught me red-handed; I had other plans in mind. You see, I was planning on opening a multi-million dollar account AND I also wanted to buy a share of some stocks in your company. Would that be possible?”

“I like to be direct in business transactions, Miss Jung. And I am pleased to say that yes, we are selling a few stocks in our company. The former head of finance has retired a few months ago and lucky for you, he recently decided to give his share of 5% to me.”

“Wow, 5%? That’s quite big. Who are the other stockholders in this company?”

“There are only 8 people who have a share in the stocks. The former owner of the company with 15%, five long-time associates with 8% each, the former head of finance, and me, as the new owner and CEO. And since the former head of finance has retired, his 5% share is up for grabs. You seem to be a good candidate buyer. I’ve read your profile, and you’re quite impressive too.”

“Really, I’m impressive? Thank you for showing interest in your client, Miss Hwang. But what do you call yourself then? You seem to be one of the finest in this field, no need to be humble about that. If the former owner has 15%, the associates have a total of 40%, and you’re selling the 5%... That leaves you with...”

“You can calculate that on your own.”

“I apologize for prying. Definitely, you are a straightforward woman and a very accomplished one. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Don’t worry, none taken. So, are you still interested in buying that share? I haven’t told you the price yet. But I assure you, it has a lot of zeros in it, you know”, Tiffany grins.

“Indeed I am, no matter how much its worth. It’s THE Tiffany Hwang’s 5% stock up for grabs. Who wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity like this? Would a cash payment be fine? I can ask my people to bring the truckloads of spare $100 bills I have in my garage right now”, the woman jokes and lets out a laugh.

“We can have that settled easily, I’m sure I could call those sumo wrestlers I hired on short notice to pick up the sacks of money in your trucks.”

What somehow started like a dead environment between the two was now a calm and relaxed atmosphere. They both laughed at what they’ve said. The barriers have started to crumble down.

“I didn’t know you’d drop the serious tone all of a sudden. You are definitely an interesting person. I’m glad to be making business with someone like you. When can we finalize this?”

“How about tomorrow? I have no meetings then. We could discuss the matters for a long period, I’ll just have to clear out this floor again. Maybe then, we could officially settle your account as well.”

“Tomorrow, after lunch would be fine. Around 1:30? I’ll swing by your personal assistant’s desk to direct me to our meeting place. Yes, I’d love the floor to be vacant like this. It seems really peaceful; I’ve had a great talk with you. It was nice meeting you, Miss Hwang.”

“No worries, I’ll instruct her later. It was nice meeting you too, Miss Jung.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, Miss Hwang”, the woman smiles and leaves.

Tiffany was quite disappointed that she wasn’t able to show off her good side as she planned, since this wasn’t the person she thought she would meet. Although she was disheartened at her lost chance to boast, she felt ecstatic. This Jung Sooyeon seemed to intrigue her.

“Let’s get to know each other, Miss Jung”, she says to herself as she shuts the office lights off.