I'm back, guys! Did you miss me? I see I have a lot of new subscribers. 108 subbbies! Yay for that!

And as a reward for your patience, I give you the next chapter. This is the longest chapter by far so best be prepared. ^_^

Kim Tan waltzed into Jaeguk Tower 1 building a quarter past 1 in the afternoon not minding the stares of the employees. He was late. But then again, when was he ever not?

He walked straight to the elevator, not even sparing a glance at the employees who stopped to give him a polite bow.

Tan got to the lifts where a group of employees were also waiting. Immediately upon seeing him, the group dispersed and went to wait for the other available elevators. They greeted him with a polite bow but Kim Tan did not acknowledge their existence, his eyes remained fixed on the red digital display above the elevator doors.

When the lift finally opened, the group of people inside the elevator immediately rushed out to give way to him. He stalked inside the elevator and the elevator girl greeted him rather nervously. The doors closed and Tan leaned back leisurely against the metal wall of the elevator.

He could think of a hundred places that he would rather be at than this glass tower but he really didn't have a choice. He was the Vice President for Corporate Relations because his mother had insisted that he be part of the company despite his vehement refusal.

Following the divorce of his father and his second wife, the Chairman immediately married his biological mother, Han Ki Ae, and had the family registry amended. No longer was she the "Little Madame" and the Kim family's dirty little secret, and Ki Ae had made sure everyone knew it. She reinvented herself and proved to the world that she was worth becoming the Lady of the Jaeguk Empire. She didn't really care about the whispers of other rich wives behind her back. She had more than enough money to buy their silence, anyway.

Tan didn't really like the new version of his mother. The old Ki Ae was a perpetual drunk and always bordered on manic depressive but she had genuinely cared for Tan as her son. The revamped Ki Ae was a controlling and calculating woman who cared only of her social standing and the Jaeguk's family wealth. It did not help at all that she and Kim Won had gotten on good terms and were jointly controlling Tan's life.

When Tan's father died four years ago, Ki Ae had taken it upon herself to help Won run Jaeguk Empire, making sure that her step-son's wife could not take hold of any of the family's business other than those that were agreed upon when they were engaged.

Tan missed the old Ki Ae but he knew that he and his brother would have been overthrown from the company by their father's relatives if it had not been for her. So Tan had obeyed everything that his mother ordered him to do and that included having to work for the company.

Tan got off the elevator and walked towards his office. Employees and officials alike bowed to greet him but he continued walking as if not seeing anyone. Tan didn't even bother to look at his secretary who stood up to greet him.

He entered his office and was surprised to find a young woman, dressed in a short dress, seated in his office's receiving area. Upon seeing him, the woman shot out of her seat and gave him a polite bow in greeting which, of course, Tan did not return. Instead, he strode to his expensive leather office chair and sat down on it languidly.

"Good afternoon Vice President Kim. I was sent by President Kim to inform you that you are needed in his office. The meeting started two hours ago but he insisted that you attend it even if you are late," the young woman said in a clipped and condescending tone. Tan noted her commanding aura that was disproportional to her petite frame when she stepped forward and stood right in font of Tan’s antique wood office table.

"Tell my brother I will not attend the meeting. I'm not in the mood to entertain those old geezers of the Board," Tan said as he leaned back on his leather office chair. He made himself comfortable and closed his eyes. His head was still aching from a bad hangover and he was sure staying in a room full of annoying old men would not be the proper cure for it.

"The President insisted that you come to the meeting. He gave specific instructions that I wait for you here inside your office and take you to the conference room personally," the girl said, her annoyance was evident in her tone. Like she was too good to be doing menial jobs like fetching the Vice President of the company for a meeting.

Tan opened his eyes and stood up, causing the young secretary to flinch, but she remained her ground, which Tan found amusingly stupid. He walked around his desk and cocked an eyebrow as he eyed the young woman, scrutinizing her face, her clothes, all the way down her shoes. The dress was short and it was obviously too expensive for this young woman, who was probably fresh from college, to buy on a secretary's wage. He moved a few inches closer and got a whiff of her perfume. Kim Tan smirked. Chanel No.5. The perfume was what his brother had always gifted his mistresses.

"So, you're my brother's new secretary," Tan said, emphasizing the last word like it was some insult. It wasn't a question, he was sure this young woman was his brother's new plaything.

"That makes you the fifth secretary in a span of nine months. My brother is determined at setting a new record, huh? Tell me, how is it like to work for my brother?" Tan asked, his tone was suggestive as he emphasized the word "work" causing the woman to blush furiously. Bingo.

He moved closer causing the girl to back off slightly.

"What's your name?" Tan asked with a smirk.

"Park Chae Hee imnida, sir," she said in a shaky voice. Tan found her evident discomfort extremely amusing.

"Well, Chae Hee, listen well. It is best that you learn early on. My brother may favor you, for now, but you will never be anything more than another secretary he s on his office desk when he gets too stressed out with his work or too bored with his life. So you have to watch your tone when speaking, especially to me. If you want to keep this job, toe the line and make sure you serve my brother very, very well," Tan said as he looked at the petrified girl straight in the eye.

The young woman stood frozen in her spot, eyes bulging in surprise at what Tan had just said. Everyone knows what President Kim does to his secretaries and Tan honestly found it disgusting. Despite Kim Won's bravado, he was a scum much, much worse than their old man.

"You may go now," Tan said, waving his hand dismissively. The girl gathered her belongings off the coffee table, not even bothering to bow to Tan, before bolting out the room, her expensive heels (probably another gift from President Kim) clicking against the expensive granite floor with every hasty step.

When the door finally closed, Tan sat back on his chair and basked in the silence of his office room. He leaned on his chair and took a nap, not even cracking a single folder from the piles stacked on his table open. He didn't need to read or review any of the documents. He was only a Vice President on paper but in reality, he had an army of staff working for him and he only needed to affix his signature at the documents since they have all been pre-approved by the Board.

However, his peaceful nap was cut short when his office doors banged open and in walked his mother. The lady wore an expensive dress and equally pricey heels, her hair and makeup done perfectly but she did not look pretty. She was fuming mad as she stormed inside Tan's room and she slammed the door behind her.

"Where were you last night?!" His mother demanded angrily, slamming her expensive Hermes handbag on Tan's desk, the diamonds on her fingers glimmering under the noon sun that poured through the wide office windows.

"I was busy," he said, his flippancy evidently irked his mother even more. In truth, he had gone to the broadcast tower of SBN and waited in his car late into the evening until the petite girl he had been watching on the evening news came out. He watched her as she chatted amicably with her co-workers and the building's security guard as she waited for a cab. She was so near yet so far. He wanted to run out of his car and talk to her but the anger in him prevented him from doing so. He hated how she smiled like nothing had happened. She was living a perfect and free life while he was trapped in the life he so wanted to run away from.

"Busy?! With what?! I gave instructions to your secretary to make sure you have no appointments last night so you can have dinner with me and the Macau tycoons! Your absence nearly cost us the business deal that I have been painstakingly working on for months. Do you not understand the gravity of what you have done? That is $300 million that we nearly lost!" Ki Ae said loudly as she stood in front of Tan's desk. Tan just gave his mother a disinterested look, his headache had escalated severely the moment he heard his mother's shrill voice. He tried to find any trace of his loving mother in the woman standing before him and found none. He sighed heavily before speaking.

"Well, I'm sorry. It must have slipped out of my mind last night," Tan said, not really meaning it but he hoped that it would be enough to pacify his mother.

"If you are sorry, then make sure you won't let this one slip off your mind. I managed to make the Macau people to agree to meet again tonight and you will be there. I will send someone to pick you up and take you to the hotel later. You will not be late," his mother said strongly before turning around and storming out the room.

~~°~~

Eun Sang sat in her cubicle in the news room and read through the final draft of the script for a segment that she was going to record.

They were nearing the pilot of their magazine program Seoul Life and Eun Sang and the rest of the show's staff have been busy finalizing the segments to be aired for their first three episodes.

Eun Sang, in particular, had been on the edge because she was also doing the World Tonight on week nights while producing several segments for the new magazine program. The only thing helping keep her sane were her friends.

On Tuesday, Chan Young had called her up to invite her to his father's upcoming 60th birthday. Mr. Yoon had been living in Jeju Island after retiring from Jaeguk following the death of Chairman Kim four years ago. The old man had left a sizable inheritance to his loyal secretary so Mr. Yoon has been relaxing and enjoying his retirement ever since.

On Wednesday, Bo Na had dropped by the news room after a meeting with the network's bosses in the building's penthouse offices. Apparently, Mega Entertainment was planning on holding a talent competition to be aired on SBN. BoNa and Eun Sang grabbed lunch at a nearby cafe and for a brief hour, Eun Sang was able to relax and be carefree.

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