The Bitch & The Bastard | Jaehyun

𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒

'It is my privilege to announce the winner of the Young Entrepreneurial Spirit Award 2023,' the host beamed from the podium. There was no anticipatory murmur nor anybody holding their breaths. It was obvious who was going to win and the guests were waiting for their turn to cheer.

'Everyone! Give a big round of applause to none other than Mr. Jung Jaehyun,' the host announced and on cue, a wave of claps and clinks of champagne flutes overtook the decked hall with distinguished patrons getting up from their seats to encourage the young President of Jung Enterprises. But as they turned their heads round, they were met by an empty aisle and equally confused faces of others who had failed to spot Jaehyun.

'Mr. Jung?' the host called out amidst the slowly dissipating claps, his eyes scanning the hall just like the bright spotlight which was swimming across the tables in search.

'Mr. Jung?' he tried again, this time with less enthusiasm and more panic. 'Uh, looks like there–'

Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the back of the hall burst opened, hushing the room at once. For a moment, a little longer than a dramatic pause, nobody appeared on the threshold as the guests watched in anticipation, craning their necks to get a look at nothing. The host gulped audibly on the mic and the spotlight, that was whizzing past the aisle, stopped at the door. Then, as suddenly as the doors had opened, there appeared, like a sun on the horizon, two figures – a man, dressed in an expensive three-piece black suit and a woman, dressed in a matching evening gown.

But unlike the sun, that always seems eager to peek its head over the cusp, the expression these two wore was of annoyance mixed with an intense desire to be anywhere else but beside each other.

It was when the host called out, 'Mr. Jung?' that the man shivered to life and smiled his winning smile which he had practiced for days in front of the mirror, flashing the right ratio of teeth to gum. Beside him, the woman, who was wearing an equally unnerving grin, seemed much human-like and as some would say, much better at pretending to be interested.

'Ladies and gentlemen,' the host found his voice again as the two of them stepped onto the carpeted floor. 'Mr. Jung Jaehyun. Let's hear another round of applause for him.'

With a bow of apology which seemed more like a push from the woman behind him, Jaehyun walked in and towards the stage that awaited him, the woman following closely behind in tandem. Amidst the impressive cheers, they walked with a gracious smile, well, the best that they could manage after the fight they had just had outside the hall, waving at the guests and greeting the ones they liked, and nodding politely at the annoying ones.

Several tables across, at the remotest corner of the hall, a new intern turned to her manager in awe and gasped, 'Who are they? They look like royalty. Are they together?'

The manager snorted at the remark, unable to hold back her laughter. She gulped down her drink and said, 'Do you know what they are known as?'

The naïve intern shook her head.

'The bitch and the bastard,' the manager said. 'The guy, that's Jaehyun obviously. He inherited Jung Enterprises from his mother. Ruthless and deserves the title of the bastard.'

'So, the girl is the bitch, then?' the intern asked and the manager nodded, taking a large swig of her diluted drink.

'That's Haeyoung, his secretary. She used to work for his mother. Very loyal to the company. It was her first job out of college and his mother took her in. So, when Jaehyun took over, she came with the job and continued her role as the secretary to the President. But the truth is that they can't stand each other and it was apparent to everyone within the first few weeks.'

Under the spotlight, Haeyoung whispered to Jaehyun, her smile not faltering for even a second, 'This is so ridiculous.'

Jaehyun waved at a guest warmly before hissing at her, 'I told you already I was late because of the traffic.'

'Why didn't you leave early then?' she gritted through her smile. 'But that's not what I am talking about.'

'What then?' he asked, waving at a middle-aged man, who was standing on his chair.

'Why are you getting this award?'

'Then who should get the award? Your favourite Johnny?'

'Mhm.'

'Ugh, it's always Johnny this, Johnny that.'

'You literally brought him up.'

Jaehyun bowed to another guest, broadening his already wide grin. 'And I'll have you know that I too worked my way up to the top.'

It took everything in Haeyoung to not roll her eyes at this. 'Getting promoted from the position of Vice-President to President is not exactly working your way up to the top.'

'Oh, shut up,' he snapped. 'Your gown looks ridiculous, by the way.'

'Ha, good thing that I charged it on your card then.'

Somewhere in the background, the host had now started listing Mr. Jung's many achievements, that strangely started and ended with the conference he attended in Paris last year.

'What?' Jaehyun almost dropped his smile. 'Ugh, whatever. Did you write my speech?'

'Why would I write your speech?'

'You are my secretary!'

'And?' she deadpanned. 'It's your award. You've earned it, haven't you? Oh, don't give me that look. They are going to eat up whatever you say anyway. Ah, Johnny! Hello,' she said, spotting him in the crowd and walking over to his table, leaving Jaehyun by himself.

Jaehyun did not have a problem with Johnny, not one he admitted to anyway. Johnny's company was their biggest business rival and most days it was just that except when he could not stand the guy, which was the case more often.

'But why do they call Haeyoung the bitch?' the intern asked her manager.

'Hm... well, because she is a bitch. To him, at least, and probably the only one who is because everybody else practically worships him.'

'But I don't get it,' the intern sighed. 'If they hate each other, why are they still working together? She can quit or he can fire her.'

The manager's eyes twinkled. 'That's the thing,' she whispered. 'There are rumours that something happened between them when they went to Paris for the business conference last year.'

'You mean...?'

'No not that,' the managed snubbed her. 'They were at each other's throats before the trip. Everyone thought this was it. This would be the last trip before she quits or he fires her. But when they returned, everything had changed.'

'What do you mean?'

'They were... more civil, at least in public. People said that they had reached a settlement.'

'A settlement?'

The manager nodded. 'And before you ask me about it, no, I do not know the details. Nobody does but one thing was sure that he cannot fire her anymore.'

'Why do you say that.'

Emptying her drink, the manager spoke, 'People at Jung Enterprises say that Haeyoung completely changed. She refused to work, refused to listen. She would walk into the office when she wanted and leave whenever. It was like she treated the company as her own, spending his money, going on vacations when she wanted to. But Jaehyun never said a word.'

The two of them sat back down as Jaehyun started his acceptance speech.

'But how?' the intern whispered.

The manager shrugged. 'Isn't she living the dream though?'