Secret

I

Prettily made tables and chairs everywhere, a buffet of various foods lined up on the side, waiters and waitresses around the place serving the people their food and wine, soft music in the background, and the people's chatter and laughter filling the air inside the cold room.

Being in the corporate world of businessmen and women with everyone wearing formal attire-suits and dresses-wearing their never been genuine smiles, as they were talking and listening to how each other bragged about their wealth with a sip of wine on their hand just to look fancy. They were entirely out of the plan Jihyo had made for her week. It was supposed to be productive but look at her, isolating herself with the wine moving in a circular motion in her glass.

Though it was really not a surprise, nothing really came her way since the very start of involving herself in the business world her family had been into since her father was not yet born. It really was still a bummer, and to think that she had just arrived and there was more time to endure, it only made her groan.

"Jihyo, greet our other partners."

Jihyo looked over her shoulder and saw her father looking at her with her mom beside him, hooked arm and exuding elegance and power. But she frowned upon processing what he said.

"You said I could isolate myself from everyone and that my presence is enough? That's what we agreed on," she complained, frowning as she took a sip on her wine.

She originally did not plan on coming to her father's organized meeting for business partners and their families. She much preferred to spend her time in her room pretending to read a business book that her father had been telling her to read but she always found her way on shrugging the book away and after five minutes she would be holding her phone and playing an online game with Mina.

But her father chided and her mother urged her to come because hello? Mr. Park Yonghwa, her father, was the host of the party and so the requirement of every Park family in the event. So coming up with a defeated sigh, she agreed but on her own term which was that she would stay away from these hypocrites.

"You're already here, lovely. Come on, you are the next to be the CEO of Park Co. you'll have to work with them soon so might as well meet them now," her father said, kissing the side of her head which made her smile a little but that didn't much make her good anymore.

The two were looking at her expectantly, and who was she to decline her lovely parents? So with a sigh, she stood up. "Fine."

Her mother beamed, going to her other side while her father on the other. They went around, and as more business partners she met, she was starting to feel her cheeks hurt with her fake smile, especially when she met this certain family.

Jihyo frowned slightly when they saw which table they were going to now. The grip on her mother's hand tightened but she didn't tear her eyes away from these families who were already waiting for them to get near with a wide smile.

"Yonghwa," the man greeted with a full smile. "Thank you for inviting us here."

"Of course, Mr. Kang, there's no way you would be excluded in my parties."

Her mother went to greet Mr. Kang's wife, while she stood there at the side and watched them. She didn't want to greet the man who was looking at her since they had arrived, they were not close and she's not planning to, but it seemed like the other had a completely different plan.

"Hi, Jihyo," he greeted, smiling at her charmingly with his eyes forming a crescent and barely seen. He also had this smile that could swoon girls—whatever their age was— within a second.