Chapter 1
Picture Perfect_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bae Suzy stepped outside Gimhae International Airport, Busan, at noon on Friday. She found her glasses and put them on before looking around for the taxi stand. As soon as she spotted it, she walked to the nearest taxi stand and turned over her suitcase to the driver. Once inside the cab, she gave the driver the name of the hotel where she had reservation for the weekend. According to Si-yeon, her assistant, the hotel was located in downtown Busan.
She settled back in the seat and watched as the driver guided the car smoothly through the congestion around the airport. She mentally reviewed her dilemma for the umpteenth times in hopes of uncovering a glimmer of a solution before that evening.
Two years ago she’d succeeded beyond her wildest imaginings. She’d been promoted to management, that magical area that placed her in the corporate echelon of decision-making and implementation for Park Ltd. future.
It was at that time in her career that she chose to invent white lie imaginable. It should have in no way impacted her life, or so she’d optimistically thought at that time. Now, twenty four months later, she could recognize the fallacy in her thinking. A great time to discover she’d made a disastrous mistake that now threatened her entire career.
When she heard that she was being considered for the promotion into management, she was taken aside before her interview and warned that there was a reason why she might not receive the promotion. The reason was the silliest thing she had ever heard in this day and age.
Park Chan-ho, founder and president of Park Ltd., strongly believed that, management personnel should be chosen for their stability as well as their ability. Yes, she had the impressive work history. Yes, she had shown herself to be loyal to the company. And yes, she was the most qualified for the position.
However, and this was what had thrown her a curve when the unspoken rule was whispered to her – she had serious handicap in Chan-ho’s view – she wasn’t married.
What did being married have to do with her qualification for the job? Was Chan-ho was out of his mind? Later, she found out that Chan-ho’s reason was simple – an executive weighed down with responsibility was an executive who would work harder to keep the job.
Suzy was shocked and disappointed when she heard this piece of revelations. For one thing, she had no social life from which to flirt. For her, her job wa
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