CHAPTER 13. Work and Play, Literally (Part1)

 

 

When Ha Ni was younger, it was never her dream to work in her family’s toy company. She never asked about any company matters from her father, except for a few very minor things which she did not really keep in mind. She did not even know the employees except for his father’s right-hand man. Thus, she never considered taking a business course in the university. Ha Ni had a different plan for her future, she wanted to study something related to design. Afterall, she liked beautiful things.

 

 

However, everything changed when they lost the company. She vowed to take it back for her parents and to protect her grandfather’s legacy. She promised herself that she would learn all the things related to the company. Getting a business degree was the first step. Working in the company itself was the next step.

 

After the talk with the chairman, Ha Ni proceeded to her room. Ha Ni felt very excited at the prospect of finally starting to work at her family’s former company. The only issue bugging her mind was that she had to work with Seung Jo. And as if that was not enough, he was to be her boss!

 

If I know, he will bully me to death. Now he will have the excuse to break my Rule # 4 frequently.

 

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At school.

 

“How was home, Min Ah?” Ha Ni asked her friend.

 

Min Ah rolled her eyes. “Aish… it was just my grandmother’s whim. I thought something serious happened to her. She said she just wanted to see me.”

 

Ha Ni laughed. “I like halmeoni. I remember she used to give me fruits whenever we went to her orchard.”

 

“She’s still the same, just older. But she’s getting childish as time goes by.” Min Ah then asked Ha Ni about her passing the advance placement exam.

 

Ha Ni smiled widely. “Yes, I feel great!”

 

Min Ah looked at her warily and asked, “I just don’t understand why you want to get that so badly. You were never even interest in business.”

 

“Well, people change… just think about it like that,” Ha Ni answered, but deep inside she really wanted to tell Min Ah everything. She needed someone to listen to her rants. Min Ah was just the right person for that. I’ll tell you about it later, Min Ah. Promise.

 

“So, what about we go out tonight. To celebrate your new achievement. We can invite Jin Woo if you want. He was offering to show us the best hang-outs around here.” Min Ah took to liking Jin Woo, who was really friendly and gentlemanly not just to them but to all.

 

“Hmmm… I can’t go out tonight.”

 

Min Ah raised a brow. “Are the Baeks not allowing you to go out?”

 

Ha Ni immediately shook her head. “No. Of course not. It’s just that I really have something to do later. Sorry, Min Ah. Another day maybe.”

 

Knowing her friend, Min Ah decided not to push it. “Okay, another day. We haven’t had any night-out since we got here. We need to go out and have fun, too.”

 

“Yes, another time, promise.” Ha Ni said.

 

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In the afternoon, Ha Ni met Jin Woo as she was on her way to the exit of the building.

 

“Hi!” Ha Ni greeted him with a sweet smile.

 

“Hey! I heard you’re now entitled to get higher courses. Pretty smart, huh? Looks can really be deceiving…” Jin Woo teased.

 

“Is that a compliment?” Ha Ni pouted.

 

Jin Woo smiled. “Of course, it is. It’s just refreshing to know someone who’s very pretty and smart at the same time.”

 

Ha Ni blushed and dismissed his flatteries shyly.

 

“So how about we go out tonight and have a little celebration?”

 

“Oh. Min Ah also suggested that earlier, but I have something to do. I’m actually on my way to go there.”

 

Jin Woo was persistent. “Really? Where? I’ll give you a ride.” He pointed his car which was parked just outside the building.

 

Ha Ni suddenly felt anxious to get away, worried that someone might find out about her secrets.

 

“It’s not needed. I can go there on my own. And I bet it’s really out of your normal route.”

 

Jin Woo suddenly touched her arm. “No, I insist.”

 

Ha Ni looked at his hand touching her arm, surprised by his gesture. Jin Woo dropped his hand.

 

“Oy! Oh Ha Ni!” Seung Jo called rashly as his car rolled in front of them. He had that habit of appearing from nowhere and giving Ha Ni a shock. “Are you coming or not?!”

 

Ha Ni looked at Jin Woo apologetically. Jin Woo nodded, as if understanding a certain situation. “Okay, Ha Ni. See you tomorrow.”

 

Ha Ni walked nervously to the silver car. A ride with the boss.

 

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“Mr. Lee, this is Miss Oh Ha Ni. She will be our new intern.” Seung Jo introduced her to his father’s chief personal assistant. “She will be working as my assistant during her free days from the university.”

 

The two bowed to each other politely.

 

“Hello, Mr. Lee. Please help me around here. I’m not very familiar with these things.”

 

Mr Lee smiled. “Baek Seung Jo is quite capable to answer all your questions. No doubt about that.”

 

“But he’s still a student in the university, right?” Ha Ni said.

 

Mr. Lee nodded. “But he has been trained to work in his father’s companies since he was young. He's already an expert about the ins and outs of the business. I’m sure you’ll have no problem if you’ll just follow all his instructions.”

 

Seung Jo chuckled lightly from behind Ha Ni. “Miss Ha Ni will have no problem if she will just FOLLOW ALL ORDERS.” He really emphasized the end part of his statement.

 

Ha Ni nodded and gave Mr. Lee a phony smile. Deep inside her, Ha Ni’s hopes sank. Now I’m sure he’ll take advantage of the fact that he’s my boss.

 

Mr. Lee and Seung Jo led Ha Ni to Seung Jo’s office. It was only a temporary office, and his true office was just waiting for him to finish his studies: the chairman’s office. Ha Ni was to share Seung Jo’s temporary office as an intern.

 

“Do you like it, Miss Ha Ni?” Mr. Lee asked, evidently proud of Seung Jo’s office. “Everything here is according to Seung Jo’s liking.”

 

Ha Ni looked around. Seung Jo’s office was very spacious, with a formal looking table on the center. One side of the room was walled with glass, overlooking the city outside. There were also couches and tables placed ornately in one side of the room which looked like for receiving guests. Then again, Seung Jo did not like taking visitors inside his office. He did not like people intruding his private space.

 

‘That intern must be a special one if Seung Jo made an exception for her.’ Mr. Lee thought when Seung Jo told him about the new intern. After Seung Jo introduced Oh Ha Ni, Mr. Lee smiled inside and sensed something that connected the two. Mr. Lee was just not able to pinpoint it exactly, but he was sure there was something, whatever it was.

 

 “Seung Jo likes to maintain his own private space here in the company. He does not even accept visitors here and just meet them in the receiving room. I was surprised when he asked me to prepare a table for an intern here…” Mr. Lee stopped talking when Seung Jo coughed behind his back. Clearly, Mr. Lee got the hint that he probably talked too much.

 

“I think that’s all for now, Mr. Lee. You can get back to your office,” Seung Jo said, and with this Mr. Lee bowed his way out of his office.

 

Finally, Seung Jo spoke to Ha Ni, a little too cockily. “So, how do you find the room? Great, isn't it?”

 

Ha Ni nodded to herself. “It’s wide and very neat.” She said the truth, she liked the room and furniture. However, she did not add that the room lacked decorations and fixtures to create a cozier working environment.

 

Deafening silence for a few seconds.

 

 “So… you will be working here with me,” Seung Jo said.

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“I hope you’ll like our office.”

 

Ha Ni did not know how to answer the ‘our office’ remark. “Uh-huh…so where do we start? I can’t wait.”

 

Seung Jo tried to break the ice and smiled. “So Miss Accident-magnet will be Miss Workaholic, too.”

 

“Aren’t you as well?” Ha Ni asked as she seated herself in her own table.

 

“Yep. So you’d better keep up with me and not be a disappointment.”

 

“I won’t.” Ha Ni felt a little irritated. I will show you, I will be deserving to handle our company.

 

Ha Ni spent that afternoon looking through all the stacks of readings Seung Jo mercilessly placed on her table. She was so hooked in trying to comprehend the things she read that she did not notice Seung Jo frequently glancing at her.

 

Seung Jo just smiled covertly at seeing her furrowing her forehead, obviously having a hard time as everything was new to her. Seung Jo decided to come up to her table to teach her some stuff.

 

“You see this? This shows the sales for the last 5 years. See the trend?” Seung Jo was leaning down her table, pointing at figures on a file Ha Ni was reading.

 

Ha Ni nodded. “Okay. So I need to read all the reports to find out the factors that caused the rise and fall in the sales…”

 

The two continued discussing some figures and tables from the files Ha Ni was reading. Seung Jo kept on giving useful information, which Ha Ni all absorbed like a dry sponge. They became so wrapped up in their conversation that they seemed to have forgotten the issues between them and just interacted like real business people do. Seung Jo did not even bother to pull a chair and just bent down on her table to point things out.

 

Ha Ni unconsciously looked up at him from where she was sitting and realized that their faces became too close for comfort. She also got a whiff of his perfume. Very manly scent. It was actually the first time she became aware of his perfume.

 

She suddenly looked down, pretending not to mind their proximity.

 

Seung Jo also noticed it and saw Ha Ni’s reaction. He then straightened up and causally said before walking back to his table, “Okay…Let’s call it a day.”

 

Ha Ni sighed with relief. Another close encounter that surprisingly made her butterflies flutter.

 

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The following day of her office work, Ha Ni noticed that Seung Jo barely talked to her. As in less talktime as compared before. Ha Ni was feeling a little relieved at that because there was no chance of another ‘close encounter’ that always made her nervous. However, she still felt a little confused at his mood swings. Yes, he was quick to change moods: serious to playful to rude to a bit nice to indifferent.

 

Am I going to marry someone with a personality disorder? XD

 

He just spoke to her to give some orders. Weird things he asked her to do which drove Ha Ni mad.

 

“Oh Ha Ni, photocopy these files for me. Ten copies. The copier is on the 5^th floor. And put them in folders. You can find the folders on the stock room, 6^th floor.”

 

Ha Ni immediately complied. What is he going to do with 10 copies of these at this time?

 

10 minutes.

 

“Oh Ha Ni, call Mr. Lee and ask him to give me a copy of the chairman’s schedule.”

 

Ha Ni dialed Mr. Lee’s office number. Doesn’t he know how to use the phone himself?

 

15 minutes.

 

“Oh Ha Ni, call home and tell ommoni we are coming late.” Ommoni was informed about her internship at the company, but she was still left clueless about the other arrangements.

 

Ha Ni followed.

 

5 minutes.

 

“Oh Ha Ni, order some take-out food for dinner.”

 

She called the café at the first floor.

 

10 minutes.

 

“Oh Ha Ni, get the documents I requested from Mr. Lee. He already went out and he left them on his table.”

 

Ha Ni was already feeling annoyed at his whimsical orders and for being disturbed continuously, but she followed them anyway. Am I a messenger? GRRRRRR!

 

Ha Ni had barely taken her seat when Seung Jo gave another command.

 

“Oh Ha Ni… could you prepare me a cup of tea? You could find them on the cupboard. Add some honey on mine, okay,”

 

Ha Ni was not able to control herself anymore. “YAH!!!! AM I YOUR PERSONAL MAID?”

 

Seung Jo smirked. “Why? Did you come here to work as a maid?”

 

“Then why in the world are you asking me to do those things?!”

 

Seung Jo’s smirk turned into a full smile. “Why are you mad? And stop shouting.”

 

Ha Ni wanted to fling the things on her table at him. Aish. “Because you’re so unfair! You’re breaking Rule # 4 and so much more!”

 

“I believe this is not under our rules. Think again… why are you here?”

 

“Because I need to learn everything about the company. That’s all.” Ha Ni said indignantly.

 

Seung Jo crossed his arms. “Exactly. You need to learn everything about the company. Everything.”

 

“What does it have to do with me doing errands for you?”

 

“For you to learn everything, just like you want. Everything starts from the bottom.”

 

Ha Ni thought to herself. But still… “I still think you are purposely doing these to bully me!”

 

“Was it me who asked you to work here? No, it was you. Was it me who assigned you to this position? No, it was the chairman.”

 

He’s got a point. But…

 

“And according to the chairman, who is your boss, Oh Ha Ni?”

 

Ha Ni hesitated, knowing she was losing her case. “You.”

 

Seung Jo smirked again. “ME. Then that settles it. Get back to work now before I report you to the chairman.”

 

“Fine!” Ha Ni stomped her way to the cupboard to prepare her boss’s tea, knowing too well that she had no choice but to go along with the jerk’s way of ‘training’ her. Aish! Why does it have to be me?!

 

Again, Seung Jo smiled from behind her back, enjoying himself immensely. He never imagined office overtime work was so much fun. For the first time in many more ‘OT’ days to come, he looked forward to working late.

 

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Ha Ni received a special package from Jeju. When she opened it, she was delighted to see a very pretty red dress coat. Red, the color that matched her the most.

 

“Ha Ni yah… so pretty like you.” Ommoni praised the coat.

 

Eun Jo and CEO Baek nodded in agreement. Seung Jo, as usual, was still not at home because of his scheduled night-out.

 

Ha Ni smiled happily. “My omma knows what I really want. She sent it as a present for passing my advance placement exam.”

 

“You inherited your mother’s good taste and sense of style, Ha Ni yah… I can’t wait to see you wear it.” Ommoni said dreamily.

 

CEO Baek nudged his wife. “Yeobo, you also have a gift for Ha Ni, right? Give it to her.”

 

Ommoni remembered and excitedly hopped to their room to get the gift. When she came back, she was holding a thin envelope. She passed it on to Ha Ni who looked at it curiously.

 

“What’s this ommoni?” she asked as she flipped over the packet, trying to figure out what it was.

 

Ommoni almost broke the envelope seal herself. “Open it. Go on.”

 

Ha Ni tore its end and extracted thin pieces of paper. When she read it, she jumped excitedly. “WOW! GOONG MUSICAL TICKETS!”

 

Ommoni gave her tickets to the play.

 

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A/N: Another chapter. But this isn't the full chapter yet, just PART 1. It just happened that I wrote too long and I decided to cut it into 2 parts (or maybe 3 parts) before I proceed to the next chapter title.

Second part will be posted tomorrow, as per request of a birthday girl (dedication to be in Part 2, dear...you know who you are).