A/N: Hello everyone and merry Christmas. This is my last warning. This story is not as lovely and christmas-y (???) as you might think. If you're here for the fluff, then I'm afraid I must disappoint you. For everyone who decides to stay and read the whole thing, thank you a lot. <3 this will be uploaded in five parts.

It is stupid, really.

Out of habit, Sehun finds himself in front of the house he has once shared with his lover, his significant other, his soul mate. His everything.

Ex-lover, he corrects himself.

The last hours replay in his mind. He has been sitting in office, working off his share and even more than that. He has been overlooking other people’s projects, too, checking them for flaws and correcting minor mistakes. He is not at the spot he wants to reach yet. Though people tell him he is young, he still has time, he feels pressured to do better nonetheless.

Sehun is young, indeed, but he is also very ambitious, wishing for a promotion and a position as top manager, sitting at the conference table between the economic elite as soon as possible, though soon, twenty, thirty years, never seems to be soon enough. He wants it in half that time and less. He hasn’t been the prodigy or genius economy major for no reason, finishing off college years too early, marks over 100% if his professors had the option to reward him so. They didn’t. Instead he got some honorary letters and job offers even from overseas, promising wages a freshly graduate can only dream of.

He chose to stay in Korea though.

~*~

It’s 10:03PM by the time Sehun is satisfied with his achievements today and it’s 10:47PM when he decides not to knock on the door. He turns away instead, knowing he has no right to be at this place.

~*~

At present, Sehun is 23 years old and already manager in a branch office of Paekseol Corporation’s electronics sector. Paekseol is South Korea’s biggest Chaebol, yet unknown to many foreign investors and business people as it hides behind brand names in different industries. From food to cosmetics to electronics to information services – there is nothing Paekseol doesn’t offer. And to Sehun, the company offers a bright future.

Getting in the company as regular employee is easy, but to get promoted to a better position this fast is near impossible, especially with zero work experience. He is just a freshly graduete and even with connections it is very difficult, unless you are a member of the CEO’s family. Sehun is not related to any of them nor does he know any other important people. His poor possessions aren’t enough to blackmail personnel managers or people to write a letter of recommendation either. His brain is good though, far too good to let it be used by some conservative and highly hierarchical company under the reign of one family for too long decades. Yet he is still working there, because Paekseol translates as success and success is what Sehun needs.

~*~

There are talks to move Sehun up next year. He will most probably manage not only one store, but several ones in Apgujeong as an advisor to all the district’s team leaders and managers.

~*~