Chapter 1
A couple of weeks ago, my best friend, Wonhee, had introduced me to the concept of laws of attraction. Ever since she read The Secret, she'd been telling me that everything that occurs in life happens because you attract it and make it happen. Every person can attract negative or positive energy, depending on what kind of images you put in your mind and what kind of things you allow your mind to expect. I never really understood what she meant. Until today.
I started this day with a bad mood, all because my alarm clock didn't go off (or maybe it did, but for some reason, I didn't hear it or chose not to hear it). In my hurry, I stubbed a toe hard against the bathroom door, prompting me to utilize my limited vocabulary of profanities (all the sh!ts and the craps I could scream). So basically, I had filled my mind with unwanted negativity, and this unfavorable energy hovered around during breakfast, manifesting itself in a broken cup and a burnt toast. And when I got out of the house to leave for work, I was greeted with a flat tire that I apparently happened to miss last night when I pulled in the driveway. What a freakin' nightmare, and I wasn't even asleep.
I desperately wanted this day to start off right because it's the first day of my very first job (at least one that I applied for using my own personal credentials, not my family background), but unfortunately, it didn't. I wondered if it was a sign of more bad things to happen at the company I was about to work at, but I told myself otherwise.
Convincing myself that everything would be okay didn't stop me from crying, though. When I came back in the house teary-eyed because of the flat-tire, Wonhee demanded that I get myself together if I still wanted the day to turn out okay. She told me to take her motor scooter to work, assuring me that I would still get there on time. After wearing the full motorcycle gear – a black riding suit that covered every inch of my body, yellow gloves, and a yellow, dark-shielded helmet – over my work clothes, I went to work feeling a little uplifted. Who wouldn't when you're looking like a Power Ranger about to save the world?
But of course, the negative energy still followed me, even with the hideous outfit I was in. I was convinced that the negative energy was the reason why I got into a bigger adversity. A few minutes after leaving the house, when I tried to stop at a red traffic light, I accidentally pushed the accelerator hard instead of the brake, and then I hit the car in front of me. A Mercedes. The kind you don't want to run into when you have no car insurance and flat broke like me. I cringed after seeing the big vertical dent on the shiny silver bumper. I hoped the owner didn't notice that I just bumped into his car, but of course, with the kind of luck I was having today (or the lack thereof), I knew that wasn't going to be the case.
The car signaled to pull over, and when it did, out came a middle-aged man in a starchy black suit. He was kind-looking, to my relief, someone who looked like he would understand and be lenient on a penniless girl like me if I told him my financial situation. I thought maybe he would allow me to pay the damage in an installment plan or something.
I pulled over behind his car with high hopes.
As I was about to say something to the ajusshi, another man came out from the back seat of the car. This one was young, tall, well-dressed, and very handsome – the kind that you want to meet if you're a romantic person who constantly dreams about your handsome prince walking into your life. I almost melted as soon as he stepped out of the car. I thought this day had already turned to another direction – to a more positive one.
But, boy, was I wrong.
This one had an attitude, displaying a full-on rich-boy tantrum mode in the middle of the traffic-jammed street. He slammed the car door and ran to the rear of the car to check the damage, yelling a more advanced profane vocabulary than I had earlier, words that I didn't even know existed.
He was definitely not the kind you want to run into.
"God damn!" he yelled, slamming the rear hood of the car, and then turned to glare at me. "This is a fuckin' brand new AMG!" I could see the sides of his jaw twitching as he tightened his lips, probably to fight off more profanities that were finding their way out of his mouth. He turned to the ajusshi, who I now realized was the driver, and said, "Mr. Joo, my grandfather's going to kill me!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand on the hood again.
"Mr. Lee, it's not your fault, so I'm sure your grandfather will not get mad," Mr. Joo said in a calm and reassuring voice.
Tantrum Guy was not convinced, though. He jolted his head toward me one more time and pointed his index finger so abruptly that I had to jerk my head backward. "You! You give me your ID and your insurance card!"
I froze. I couldn't say anything. Of course I had an ID, but I didn't have insurance because it expired last month. What the heck am I supposed to do? I thought, panicking.
"Are you deaf or are you mute?" he said and then looked at me from head to toe. "How old are you? Are you even allowed to drive?" He turned to Mr. Joo the driver and said, "I don't think this boy has hit puberty yet." He looked at me again. "You don't have a license yet, do you? Is that why you can't say or do anything? Huh?" He was closing in on me. There was something about him that really scared me that I seriously considered hit and run. The idea would not be so hard to execute because, first of all, I had already hit the car. All I had to do now was run. And that was exactly what I did.
I heard him scream after me, mad, frustrated, and in disbelief. I would feel the same way, too, if I were him. I felt bad for doing a hit-and-run, but I didn't have a choice. I had to do what I did because I neither had insurance nor the money to pay for the damages right there and then, and I knew he was going to ask me to do just that. He looked like someone who would even send me to jail. I shuddered at the thought. I truly felt terrible, and I was even mad at myself for leaving the scene because, truth be told, it wasn't the first time that I had run away from a problem. But I believed I did the right thing just as I believed I made the right decision in running away from the biggest problem I had – my life before Korea.
As I stopped at the next light, I turned around and checked if he followed me. He didn't, to my relief.
I had four things to be thankful for that day:
1. The full motorcycle body suit that Wonhee insisted I should wear;
2. The dark-shielded helmet that covered my face;
3. My small body build that made the guy think I was a pre-pubescent boy;
4. Last but not least, my "almost A" boobs that were obviously not visible in the body suit, also making the guy think I was a boy.
It was a relief that amidst all the bad things that were happening, I still had something to thank for. Tantrum Guy would never know my real identity.
"Minjoo-ssi, I'm so sorry I'm late," I said as I approached my trainer's workstation, at the same time trying to straighten out my clothes, which got a little wrinkled under the Power Ranger outfit I had earlier. "I encountered some problems on my way here."
"Don't worry, Sunmi-ssi," Minjoo said, greeting me with a warm, welcoming smile. "I just got here myself."
Yoo Minjoo was going to be my job preceptor, in-charge of training me for a couple of weeks. She was about my age, maybe a little older, and a couple of inches taller than I was. She had a pretty face – big smiling eyes, small pointy nose, and a smile that reminded me of a celebrity but couldn't exactly remember who at that moment. She was really nice to me, too, and I immediately felt at ease in her presence.
"So, are you ready for your first day of work?" she asked, tidying up her desk for a few seconds, and then motioned for me to follow her.
"Yes. I'm actually very excited. I have never had a real job before..."
"Really? Then I hope I will be able to help you make this a memorable one then," she said as we approached a room with a keypad-locked door. She entered some kind of password. We entered the room soon after we saw a green light on the keypad. "This is the stockroom. We have everything in here... pens, papers, printer inks, etc., and the password to get in, by the way, is 19285, okay?"
"Okay, got it," I said and followed her. "Wow. This place looks like a warehouse. It's humongous!"
"Yup. And there are a lot of dark corners in here, too, making it a popular spot for making out." Her eyes looked around, and she lowered her voice. "Apparently, one of the President's grandsons was caught making out with one of the employees here."
"Really? Is that even allowed?" I asked, wide-eyed. "So, the company's president's grandsons work here?"
"Yeah. There's five of them, actually. But they're not here all the time though because they go to their other offices too. They just graduated from college and are being trained to run the company." Minjoo took out a drawer organizer, some pens and post-it notes, and a table calendar, and then handed them to me. "It's a good thing that they're not here all the time, otherwise this place is going to either be paralyzed or be turned upside down."
"And why is that?" I asked.
"For one, the female employees will not be able to concentrate on their jobs..."
"Huh?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention, those five are good-looking," she said, rolling her eyes. I couldn't help but notice how she made air quotation marks as she said the word "good-looking".
"You don't think they're good-looking?" I asked, curious.
"They are, I guess, but they're too conceited for my type. Of course, all the other girls go gaga about them, which is really beyond my comprehension. They have issues... especially the oldest one... ugh! I can't stand him. He's too bossy and such a perfectionist!" She went around a corner to get a box of paper clips from a bin. "The second to the youngest one is okay, though, I guess. He smiles a lot but flirts a lot too, so you better be careful."
"Oh, okay... thanks for the tip," I said, cradling the office supplies in my arms.
"Okay, let's go put these in your cubicle and then I will start orienting you with paperwork and computer stuff," she said, and then I followed her out of the room.
Outside the stockroom, the atmosphere of the office had become circus-like. Conversations were buzzing everywhere. Many female employees were rushing toward the restroom, and those who stayed put in their cubicles were busy applying or retouching make-up on their faces. Minjoo approached a female worker whose high, teased hair and bright lipstick made her look like she just time-travelled from the 80's. "Soonyoung-ah, what's going on?" Minjoo asked.
"Unnie! They're coming! President Lee's grandsons..." Soonyoung said with great enthusiasm.
"What? We didn't get a memo for this, did we?" Minjoo asked, obviously surprised.
"No, Unnie. I think I heard someone say they're going to have an emergency meeting with our department..." Before Soonyoung could finish what she was saying, the racket had suddenly piped down, and everybody's faces turned toward the elevators where a group of people, all dressed in suits, had just gotten off from.
The person walking in front of the group was very good-looking, and I wondered if this was the second to the youngest grandson since he had that very warm, friendly smile on his face as he slightly bowed his head around. The one following him was also very good-looking – in an intimidating kind of way. He only gave a slight, half-smile to his employees around, avoiding eye-contact most of the time. The one walking beside him was probably the most nonchalant of them all, talking on his phone the whole time, without even slightly acknowledging the people surrounding him. The rest of the pack was made up of middle-aged men in dark suits, reminding me of Men in Black, sans the sunglasses. I wondered where the other two grandsons were, and I wondered if they were as good-looking as the three who already arrived.
One of the older men separated from the group and walked over toward us; he was looking at Minjoo. "Yoo Minjoo-ssi," the man said as he approached her, "Mr. Lee would like to have you make coffee for the committee, please. Everything's in the boardroom already." He turned around and rejoined the Men in Black.
"Grrrr... Why do they always ask me to make the coffee?" Minjoo said in an exasperated tone. "Sunmi-ssi, you have to go there with me, too. You have to help me serve the coffee," she commanded, and I quietly followed.
In the boardroom, the atmosphere felt somewhat hushed as everybody's eyes were on the grandson – the intimidating one – who was talking on the phone so seriously and business-like. "Yes, President. I understand. I will make sure everything is in order... Yes... yes... they're not here as of this moment, but they will be here on time, before the representatives from the other companies arrive... Yes, I understand... I will make sure...We will see you tonight." He was sitting at the end of the table near to us, so I had a really good look at how perfect his hair and his skin were. I wondered what his name was.
I stood beside Minjoo, who was now concentrating on the coffee-making. She was murmuring something under her breath, and when I was about to ask her what the names of the guys were, she held a hand in front of my face, signaling me to keep quiet while she was making coffee. It looked like brewing coffee was a very serious part of her job.
"Yoo Minjoo-ssi, is the coffee ready?" Man-in-Black Number 1 asked, nervously glancing at the young bosses.
"Yes, sir, the coffee is ready," Minjoo replied, gave me a tray of cups, and told me which coffee was for whom. I started giving coffee to the right of the table while she started off with the good-looking, intimidating boss at the end of the table. At that moment, the door swung open, and in came another young, good-looking guy who was bowing and smiling apologetically to the people in the room. Then, someone followed behind him, and at that moment – the very same second I saw his face – I let out a sudden gasp that came out as a tiny, mouse-y sound, and unconsciously stepped backward in my surprise.
Tantrum Guy just came in.
The episode that happened thereafter was disastrous. Unknowingly, I had bumped my behind on Minjoo's back with such force that she lost her balance and accidentally dropped the cup of coffee on the legs of the intimidating boss, who jumped up and screamed "WHAT THE FU – HOT! HOT! HOT!"
Everybody in the room, including the two who just arrived, ran toward the burn victim. I stood there motionless, gripping the tray in my hands so tightly I thought I saw my fingers turn blue. Tantrum Guy – the one I ran into on the street earlier – darted past me without giving me a second look. Clearly, he didn't recognize me, and then I realized, of course, he couldn't. I was completely covered when he first met me. So I relaxed myself a little bit and turned around to take part of the commotion. I offered to get more paper towels while Minjoo ran outside to get the first-aid kit.
When the fracas died down a few minutes later, after Mr. Burn Victim refused to go to the emergency room, one of the Men in Black suggested firing Minjoo, to which Mr. Burn Victim said no. I was both surprised and relieved. If they fired Minjoo, I would have stepped up and admitted it was my fault, which I didn't really want to do because I wanted to keep my job. Mr. Burn Victim said since he was okay, there was no need to fire anybody. He just gave us a warning about being more careful next time.
I looked over to where Tantrum Guy was sitting. His head was hung low, reading some documents in front of him. He looked up, and our eyes met, making my heart jump (maybe because I was still nervous about being recognized). His gaze went past me though, as if he didn't even see me at all. He cocked his head to the side and looked at someone behind me.
"Jungho-yah! Can you come over here and help me with something before the meeting starts?" His voice was softer and kinder compared to the one I heard earlier when I first saw him. I wondered then what his true personality was. Was he really kind and sweet but just got frustrated with the accident earlier, the reason why he resorted to screaming profanities, or was he naturally hot-headed and spoiled? I guessed I would find out soon.
The Jungho Guy walked over to Tantrum Guy, pulled a chair, and took a look at the folder in front of them. I wondered at that moment what kind of special gene this family had that make them all look like they had just come out of a fashion magazine. I was watching the two guys go through the documents when I heard Minjoo whisper, "Sunmi-ssi, let's go. Let's get out of here before they change their mind and fire us." We sidled behind two conversing Men in Black, slowly opened the door, and got out of the room with great relief.
"Whew! That was close! I almost got canned," Minjoo said, walking briskly away from the boardroom to her station, fanning herself with her hand.
"Minjoo-ssi, I'm so sorry about that. I didn't realize you were right behind me..."
"It's okay... at least I didn't get fired, which was so surprising because I was so sure he would, you know, that Lee Youngwoo... he's always so strict. He must have eaten something good today that made him a little... humane." Minjoo looked at the ceiling, appearing to be thinking of something. "Oh, by the way, I was wondering what got you so surprised like that?" she asked when she finally snapped out of her little spacing-out moment.
I turned around, avoiding her gaze, afraid that if I looked her straight in the eye I might divulge my little secret. "Nothing," I said and walked to my desk. I started arranging the supplies Minjoo had given me earlier in my desk when I noticed that the ladybug pin I had on my lapel was gone. I looked around the floor at my station but couldn't find it anywhere. I thought I must have dropped it in the boardroom because I still remembered seeing it before we went in. I walked back to Minjoo's cubicle.
"Minjoo-ssi, I think I dropped something in the boardroom, do you think it's okay for me to go back in there?" I asked even though I knew what Minjoo would say.
Minjoo twisted her face as if the thought of going back in there was giving her a stomach pain. "I don't know Sunmi-ssi. The meeting hasn't started yet, so they will let you in, but you know, with the accident and all... Well, I guess it's okay for you to go back in there." She paused. "I wouldn't."
"Okay, I guess I'll wait..."
Before I could turn to walk back to my desk, a voice spoke behind me. "Did any of you, ladies, lose a ladybug pin?" I turned around and was face-to-face with the Jungho guy, who was holding out a small red pin in front of me.
"That would be... me," I said, smiling, and motioned to take the pin off his hand.
He quickly pulled back his hand and hid it behind him. "Not so fast," he said, wagging his index finger. "Tell me your name first," he requested, tilting his head to the side.
So, right now, I had a feeling this guy was the flirty one Minjoo was talking about. I could see Minjoo from the corner of my eye looking as if trying to mental-telepathically remind me of her warning from earlier. You have to be careful, he's a player, I could feel her wanting to say. "Uh... My name is Sunmi, Sir. Bae Sunmi," I said, avoiding his eyes.
"Sunmi," he said, now giving me the pin. "I'm Jungho. Choi Jungho," he stated and shook my hand even though I didn't offer it. "So, are you new here? I don't think I've ever seen you here before. It's so unlikely of me to forget such a pretty face."
"Uh... I'm new," I said, nervously clearing my throat. The last thing I wanted on my first day at work was to be hit on by my playboy boss.
"So, do you like it here so far?" he asked, obviously unaware that I wasn't interested in carrying on a conversation.
"Yes, I like it here," I replied as politely as I could.
"Do you like me?"
My head jerked up and our eyes met. "I beg your pardon?"
"Do you like me?" he repeated. I stared at him in disbelief. How could somebody just blatantly ask someone he just met if she liked him? He put on a smirk. "Be careful... I might fire you," he continued in a slightly sing-song voice.
What are you running here? A communist company? I wanted to ask but stopped myself. "Well..." I started, knowing that I had to tread carefully, "you're very handsome. There's no question about that."
A self-satisfied smile appeared on Jungho's face as he nodded in agreement. "Okay... okay... continue."
Conceited much? "And you're very tall... and obviously very friendly."
"Uh-huh... go on..." He placed his elbow on the ledge that separated us from Minjoo, whose jaw dropped lower and lower, unable to believe the overflowing narcissism in the air.
"But I don't like you... like that... like I'm not attracted to you," I said, finishing off the evaluation.
Jungho's smile disappeared instantly. "Why not?" he asked, brows furrowing.
I shrugged.
"You like Youngwoo-hyung, don't you? Most girls always prefer him at first."
I raised my eyebrows. I had no idea who he was talking about. I started walking back to my station.
"Oh, you don't like him? Then you must like Hyunki? Dang, that Hyunki always plays cute to get the girls..."
"Actually, I don't know who you're talking about... I'm new here, remember?"
"Oh, you don't know us? At all? We get featured on the news from time to time. We are known as the G5..."
"Huh? You mean F5... like F4 in Boys Over Flowers?" I asked, stopping to look at him.
"No... G5... It means five good-looking guys," he said, looking very seriously proud.
I snickered. Wow, he's really full of himself.
"So, you seriously don't know us? What planet did you live before?"
"Japan," I said.
"Oh... I guess we're not famous in Japan, huh... at least not yet."
"So, who's Youngwoo and who's Hyunki?" I asked, wondering which one is Tantrum Guy.
"Youngwoo is the oldest among us. He's the one who got burned with the coffee," he said. "Hyunki is the one that looks like a vampire," he continued and then laughed.
"Huh?" I don't remember seeing someone with a cape, a fang, and a bloody mouth.
"He has pale skin... really white. Actually, he used to have vampire teeth, too, but Grandpa had it fixed, so now Hyunki looks like a vampire without the sharp teeth, like Edward Cullen. Only he doesn't sparkle. All is well." He laughed again, as if he was really enjoying bashing Hyunki.
I tried to recall who had the super pale skin... "Oh, you mean one of the two guys who came in late?"
"Bingo!" Jungho said.
"So... who was the one... that came in behind him?" I asked, curious of what Tantrum Guy's first name was.
"That's Jaewoong-hyung. All three of them are the Lees in the family. Yisung-hyung is the one who was on the phone when we got here. He and I are not Lees, but our mothers are. We're all cousins, except for Youngwoo-hyung and Jaewoong-hyung... they're brothers. Their dad, Hyunki's dad, Yisung-hyung's mom, and my mom are siblings."
Oh, so his name is Jaewoong. I was tempted to ask what Jaewoong's real personality was but I kept my mouth closed.
"The question now is... who do you like among the five of us?" Jungho asked. He wasn't going to let me go unless I spit an answer out.
"Must I like somebody?" I asked. Was this interrogation standard procedure for new employees?
He shrugged. "It's just normal for a female employee to like one of us," he said nonchalantly, picking a pen off my desk.
"But I am not interested," I said.
"Why?"
Grrr... Why? Why? Why the heck are you so curious? "Because... I... uh..." I looked around to search for an excuse. I really didn't want to be caught up early in a love/relationship office drama especially with a playboy like Jungho, who has "heartbreaker" written all over his face. Then I saw two female employees talking near the window, one of whom wearing a rather manly suit, and then I finally found my excuse. "Because... I'm... uh," I picked up a pen as well. "I'm gay."
"WHAT???" he shrieked. "You mean... you're a lesbian?" I nodded, and his jaw dropped, his eyes had gone wildly big. "You're not interested in guys?"
I shook my head. What the heck. I'm just lying for my own good, I thought. "Sorry."
"Dang... you fooled me. I would never have known..."
It only took that one short phrase – I'm gay – for Jungho to lose interest. He excused himself from our conversation and finally let me be. When he disappeared into the boardroom, I heaved a loud sigh of relief, plopping on to my chair. I don't think he's going to be pestering me anytime soon, I thought, smiling to myself.