“It’s her!”

“Omoomoomoomoomo…”

“Hurry! Hurry, get to your desks!”

“ - so I told him, to last only three minutes isn't long at all - ”

"Yaaah! Pabo! Look who's coming behind you!"

 

My heels click rhythmically against the cold floor of Hwang Industries (now a subsidiary of Kim Corporation), Seoul. I’m wearing a black dress that swishes at my knees. Everywhere I go employees scamper to their desks, diving into their work.

Which is a strange sight.

Because the working day has just ended and it’s actually time for people to go home. I spot a man trying to subtlety wriggle out of his jacket. A few quick thinkers swipe up random pieces of paper and intently scrutinize them.

I sigh. Do they think I want them chained to their job?

I stop and address the room. “Thank you everyone for your hard work. Now, please get some well-deserved rest.”

All of them freeze in place. Their gazes darting uncertainly at one another. Who is going to be the first guinea pig?

The manager approaches me, bows and dollops on a modest smile. “It’s okay Ms Kim. We enjoy working and usually stay an hour or two extra anyway.” His coat is halfway on with the remainder flapping behind him.

Aish!

I beckon him closer towards me and say sternly, “I insist. By the time I return, everyone should be either on their way home or in the process.”

He opens his mouth probably to feed me another saccharine line but I cut him off. “Otherwise, I will have no choice but to think of this as highly inefficient behaviour.”

His smile drops immediately and he nods in apprehension. As I depart, I hear him rallying the staff to leave for the day.

 

 

I make my way to the secretary’s desk and frown. It’s not someone I recognize. Jieun, Tiffany’s usual secretary must not be in today. This girl looks very young and inexperienced. At the moment she has a phone receiver pressed to her ear, frantically jotting down a message. Without looking up, she holds out a well-manicured finger and waggles it in my face. The corner of my lips twitch in amusement.

She is new.

I place my hands on her desk and lean in. She turns to me already poised with an annoyed expression which instantly melts into pure terror. The phone drops with a clatter on the polished wooden surface.

“Ms Kim!” She jumps up from her chair and bows. “I – I am so –so – sorry!”

“I’m here to see Ms Hwang.” I say wryly.

“Of c-c-course!” She stammers. She attempts to show me to Tiffany’s office but her whole body is trembling so much, it looks like she’s having an epileptic fit.

“It’s okay. I know the way.” I brush past her to enter the room. It appears empty at the moment so I look around for a place to sit.

And this seems to be a problem.

All the chairs, except the one behind her desk, have numerous folders piled on it. I’m hesitant to move anything in case it’s arranged in any specific order. So I resort to sitting in Tiffany’s chair and check the time on my phone.

Tonight, we are dining with the Barrons. Due to the traffic, it is best for us to leave right after work. Thankfully, my office has an attached bathroom where I could shower and change into my dress. Tiffany’s office is the largest one in the building and it has its own bathroom as well. Speaking of which, I think I hear some rustling coming from behind the bathroom door.

“Tiffany?” I tentatively ask.

The door swings open and Tiffany breezes out clutching an eyeliner in her hand. She’s wearing a cream coloured off the shoulder dress, looking stunning.

“Good! It’s you!” She beams her usual smile. The eyeliner gets tucked away in her handbag. “I’m sorry about the mess. There has been a minor issue at work.”

“What happened?” I sit up in interest.

She starts rummaging for something on her desk. “One of guys up in accounting made a mistake on several financing documentation drafts. I’ve had to recheck a few things.”

She produces a file and opens it out. “I just need to sign this and we can leave.” She adds apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it. Take your time.” I begin to dial Janet’s number. “Who is the employee?” I ask.

Tiffany stops what she’s doing and peers at me with suspicion. “Why?”

“Hello, Ms Kim.” Janet’s voice sounds crisp and clear on the phone. Being my secretary she is always the second last person to leave work. The last person tends to be me.

“Janet, I need you to leave a message for human resources. There is an employee at the Hwang Industries offices in Seoul whom I want them to handle. Hold on for a moment.”

I look expectantly up at Tiffany, waiting for her to answer. “And the name is…?”

“No way.”

I raise an eyebrow. “That’s an unusual name. Is that spelled w-a-y or w-e-i?” 

Tiffany stares at me incredulously. “I'm not telling you who it is.”

“A mistake like that could have cost the company dearly.” I explain matter-of-factly. “This is not the time for any problems to rare it’s head. It would reflect badly on the merger. That employee is a risk that needs to be dealt with.”

Tiffany folds her arms to her chest. “I’ve spoken to him. He’s having some problems at home.” She throws me a compelling look. “I’ve arranged to get him some counselling.”

Since I am the head of the company, I make the final decision. There is silence for a bit.

“Never mind, Janet. Forget about human resources.” I say into the phone.

“Okay, Ms Kim.” She replies.

“And Janet?”

“Yes?”

“You should head home soon.”

“Yes, Ms Kim.”  

I end the call and Tiffany quietly sighs.

“I can’t believe you were about to do that.” She props herself against the desk.

“To be the best relies on not just me but everyone who works for the company.” I state. “So if they start making mistakes, they become unreliable.”

“They are not machines, Taeyeon.” Tiffany reproaches. She moves closer and it takes me two seconds to realize what her intentions are.

Tiffany walks over to me and in a side-saddle fashion, sits on the only place available.

My lap.

“You are not a machine.” She whispers softly, facing me. Her fingers lace themselves into my hair and she pulls my face close to hers.

I draw a breath. We are a few inches apart. I can discern each individual eyelash. Just play this as nonchalantly as possible, I firmly instruct myself. Regain some control –

“You are being…too lenient.” I manage.

"You are being too harsh." She counters. "He doesn't deserve to be fired."

Wait a minute. What?

I tilt my head back, astonished. "Who said anything about firing anyone?"

"You did!" Now it is Tiffany's turn to be stunned. "You were contacting HR."

A smile escapes before I can supress it. "Yes, I was. To organize a disciplinary meeting. He wasn't going to be fired. Just a formal telling off plus a warning. Keeps things on the records."

"Oh thank God." Tiffany exhales with relief. She holds my face in her hands again and studies me with an expression I can't yet place.

"Now, if he messes up again - " I start to say but Tiffany brings her lips over mine, silencing me. 

Never in my entire professional life have I cancelled on a business meeting.

Right now, I’m sorely tempted to.

This is the first time since that blurry, alcohol filled night that we have kissed ...like this.

The intensity of it gradually deepens. The inside of is warm and inviting. Her tongue feels slick and wet. Tiffany shifts her body to get more comfortable. Instinctively, reach out to help steady her. But the moment I do, three things become painfully aware to me.

Firstly, I have failed to notice a vital feature of Tiffany’s dress – it has a leg slit.

Secondly, the leg slit conveniently opens out when she is sitting.

And finally, my hand is now not so appropriately pressing down on her bare skin. 

I move my hands to grip the armrests.

“Keep them there.” Tiffany breaks our kiss. Her eyes have darkened. “We are legally married, you know.”

She takes my hand and guides it back to her thigh. “You are allowed to touch me. And I am allowed – ” A finger trails softly from my neck, down between my collarbones and tugs at the dip of my neckline. “ – to touch you.”

Okay.

I will.

My grip tightens and I pull her down for a second kiss. 

My whole body feels as though it's vibrating.

Wait it is vibrating.

"My...phone..." Tiffany breathes inbetween kisses. She reluctantly gets up and plucks the buzzing culprit from the coat draped over the back of the chair. After saying a few words into the mouthpiece, she turns to me.

“The driver has brought the car around.”

“Let’s go then. We shouldn't be late.” I stand up and smoothen my dress.

“We’ll be down in a minute.” She informs the person on the other end.

I'm at the door when Tiffany suddenly remembers something and disappears under the desk for a second. She comes back up holding a little blue paper bag with a teddy bear imprinted on it.  

"Oh Tae, before I forget. To help with you woeful attempts at interacting with your employees." She passes me the bag. "A gift for Lisa, I hear she's having a little boy."

I mentioned my little episode with 'Ann' to Tiffany. I had to pause a few times during the story to allow Tiffany to gain air back in her lungs from laughing too hard.

"Thanks, Tiffany. When did you get this?"

"Yesterday. Just one thing..." She hesitates. I stop and gaze at her. "...don't give it to the wrong person okay?"

Aish! I continue walking. 

Her attempts at keeping a straight face are failling miserably. "If you need to, take someone with you to make a positive identification."

As we walk past, the secretary hops up with a tiny yelp and bows.

“Quite twitchy isn’t she?” I ask innocently.

“Strange.” Tiffany ponders as we reach the lifts. “She wasn’t like that this morning.”