Chapter 2

The Announcement

Kris put his hand along the small of your back and led you towards a part of the room with dim lights.

 

“You seem to be slimmer now, have you been eating anything at all?” he spoke softly as you were walking.

 

            You nudged him on the side trying to stop him from talking non-sense.

 

“I started working out a week ago, oppa. Now will you please quiet down? We both know Appa doesn’t like much noise in his room.” you replied.

 

            Kris looked at you smiling, and then let his tongue out. His cute but manly gesture made you smile, so you reached out to his nose and tried to pinch it.

 

“Not today, Li Na.” he said as he caught your hand in mid-air. He let out a more charming smile, which made you smile even more.

 

            As you reached the end of the room, a nicely arranged home office was in front of you.  A man in his late 50’s was sitting on a high office chair, while holding a glass of wine in his left hand.

           

“Good morning Appa.” you said and bowed to him. You walked along the side of his working desk and drew nearer to him.

 

“Isn’t it too early to be drinking alcohol?” you said with a voice of concern.

           

“Hahaha.” your father laughed. “You and your eomma told me the same exact thing when she went in here a while ago.” he continued while he held your hand which was on the bottle of wine he was drinking.       

 

“Well I’m her daughter, so it’s natural that we might be saying the same thing sometimes.” you replied with a little awkwardness in your voice.

 

            You were never that close to your father, as you grew up virtually without him helping your mother in raising you.  Nonetheless, you respected him, and you were still looking forward to the day that he saw you as her daughter, not just someone he can order around if he wants to.

 

“Well that is indeed correct, Li Na.” your father said with a slightly louder voice, as he stood up his chair.

 

“Sorry about the alcohol, the company is in a pinch right now. I can’t just sit around idly while everything I’ve worked for is crumbling into pieces right my very eyes.” he said with a sense of authority.

 

            He took the bottle from you and picked up another glass. He slowly poured some wine into the empty glass and offered it to Kris.

 

“You know I don’t drink, Appa.” he declined with much poise.

 

“You’ll learn how to drink once you run this company, Kris.” your father responded as he lowered the glass into the table.

 

“You both know that your grandfather and me have been working like dogs from the very start just to bring this company to where it is standing right now.” he continued.

 

“… and I’m not letting all that work go to waste.” he said as he gulped the wine in his glass ‘til the last drop.

 

“So what’s in your mind, Appa? It’s not like you to not have a contingency plan for anything that comes up.” Kris asked while as he leaned into a wall.

 

            Your father remained speechless for a while but aft