Irene and her sister hangout at the café on weekends. After ordering foods and drink at cashier counter, they sit at the table near the window where they can see the beautiful view of Han River
"Why do you never bring me to eat here? This café looked so cool and relaxing" Irene looked around with a smile. She like the café vibe since first time she enter few minutes ago
The youngest gave a side smile "Do you have time if I ask you to hangout with me?"
"You know I am busy"
"Taeyeon unnie also busy but she still have time to go shopping with me and baby Minjeong"
"She is the boss, Bae Yerim. I just her employee even I am her sister"
Yerim rolling her eyes "As if I don't know you're workaholic"
A waitress came with their orders. She carefully put the food in front of the sisters. Unfortunately, when she want to put a glass of iced latte in front of Irene, her hand slipped making the liquid pour on Irene's white blouse
"Yah!" Irene shrieked gaining attention from customers and the café's staff
"I'm sorry, ma'am" the clumsy waitress try to clean Irene's blouse but the fuming girl push her away
"Don't touch me with your dirty hand! If you can't do your work properly, just get lost. Where is your manager?" Irene face turn red in anger
"Unnie, calm down" Yerim try to calm her sister but fail
"Shut up, Yerim! Yah, call your manager right now!" Irene shout at the other staff that come to check the situation
Few minutes later, another woman wearing a different shirt color ran towards them "Yes ma'am, may I help you?"
"Hey Park Sooyoung-ssi" Irene take a look at the manager nametag "Your staff is being clumsy and she dirty my shirt with that fucking latte. I want compensation for the damage on my precious shirt"
"I'm sorry on my staff behalf, ma'am. How much should we pay for the damage?" Sooyoung or well-known as Joy, slightly shivering when she looked into Irene's killer eyes
Irene laughed "Hey, do you think you can settle the payment right away? This blouse cost higher than yours and your salary combined" she pointed at Joy and the waitress
"We'll try to settle the payment no matter how much it cost" Joy answer confidently
"Alright" Irene smirk "I want you to pay twice the cost of my blouse in 48 hours. If you fail to do so, this café will be demolish right in front of your eyes"
"Unnie!" Yerim yells when she hears Irene's statement. It is too much for her liking. It just a small mistake but she take it too seriously
"Why Yerim? Is it a problem for you?"
"You don't have another way to settle this problem? Demolition is too much for a small mistake. She not doing it on purpose, unnie"
"Don't try to defend the wrong party, Bae Yerim. You know I hate it when someone ruins my precious belongings. Next time don't ever bring me to a low class café. The staff manners are low" Irene turns back to Joy and the staff "Remember, 48 hours. Call my secretary at Bae Corporation for my account number"
"Yes ma'am"
"Let's go, Yerim" Irene took her handbag and leave the table
Before she leaves, Yerim apologizes to the customers for disturbing their quality time. She also apology to the waitress, Joy and other staff for her sister behavior
"Sooyoung-ssi and..." Yerim looking at the waitress, asking for her name with eye signal
"Seulgi" the waitress said
"Yes, Seulgi-ssi, I'm sorry for my unnie behavior. I'll make sure she's not going to do something stupid. I'll let my parents know about her arrogant behavior so they could reprimand her and ask her to take back her words"
"No worry, Yerim-ssi. We'll do our best to settle the payment" said Seulgi
"May we know the brand of her blouse?"
"It is from Prada. The latest spring collection that just launched last week"
"Okay"
"Got to go now. Sorry again" Yerim bow her head
"No problem, Yerim-ssi"
...................
"Boss, are we going to pay the compensation as she wanted?"
"Of course, we should pay for the damage. No matter how rude she behave, she still our customer"
"Okay, when should we make the payment?"
"47 hours 58 minutes from the time of the incident. Pay three time of her blouse cost. Make her know that we're not a fucking poor café like she said"
"Noted boss. If there is nothing else, I'll go back to the kitchen"
"Okay, call Attorney Son to come here"
"Sure"
...................
Irene smiled when she saw her bank balance increase. She knows it is from the compensation that she received from the clumsy café staff two days ago. After few minutes staring at her phone, she found something strange
"Hm? Why is the amount not as I wanted? It is...three times of my blouse cost" then she just shrugs it off "Whatever, as long as she pays for it then I don't have a problem. It's good that she paid more than I wanted. Let her know who she deals with. This is Bae Joohyun"
Her secretary come with a bouquet of black rose and give to Irene
"Jen, who sent this?" Irene stare at her secretary, Jennie Kim
"I don't know. Front desk staff said it was delivered through a delivery service. They don't say anything about the sender or the florist"
"Hm, who could it be?" Irene tapping her chin
"Maybe from Park Bogum. He openly showed his interest to you during the gala dinner last time. Song Mino, maybe. That guy still has not given up on you. You know that he tries to gain your attention every now and then. Em, what if it is from the pervert businessman, Mr. Lee or Oh Sehun, the famous model that recently collaborated with us. He obviously set his eyes on you. I saw him in the lobby earlier. It could be him"
Irene lazily looking at Jennie "Now you're listing my fanboy"
Jennie grinned while scratching her nape "Just in case, unnie. You have a lot of fanboy but I only list out the handsome one minus Mr. Lee"
"I don't care. Hm, the sender put letter here" Irene took the envelope that she found at the flower bouquet
'Nice to meet you, Ms. Bae'
Jennie also read the message together "Do you think it is from your fanboy, unnie? You all meet a couple of times already. Why would they say such a thing?"
"I never said this is from my fanboy. It's you who making that assumption"
"You're right" Jennie cackle
"Bring this flower with you. Just put it in pantry or somewhere else"
"Aigoo, this flower is beautiful, unnie. Why do you get rid of it?" Jennie pouting
"You can have it if you want. Just take it away from my office"
"Okay unnie" Jennie said happily "Unnie, you have a meeting with an investor from the UK one hour from now. I'll call you again later"
"Alright, you already prepared our paperwork that we will give to Mr. William, right?"
"Yup, everything is ready. I made last review this morning to make sure no mistake that could make him hesitant to invest in your company"
"Good, you can go now"
Jennie leaving with the flower while Irene continue with her work while waiting for Jennie to call her for meeting
................
Irene shops for snacks for her little sister, Bae Minjeong, at the convenient store near her neighborhood. After she took everything she needed, she went to the cashier counter. She replying text from her secretary and her mother while waiting for the cashier to finish scanning the items
"Ma'am, the amount is xxxx won" the cashier voice startling Irene then she put her phone inside her pocket
She rummages through her handbag to get her wallet but sadly she doesn't find it. "Eh?"
When Irene is busy finding her wallet, someone speaks behind her "No cash to pay for those items?"
Irene immediately looks up towards the stranger that dares to mock her. Her eyes open wide when she saw a familiar face smiling to her
"Yah, you!" She remembered that person even though she was wearing a cap and a face mask. To be exact, she remember that monolid eyes because when she shout at that waitress last time, she stare at her face like usual when she talk with her client
"Yes, me. I thought you forget me, Ms. Bae" Seulgi chuckle
"It's just a coincidence that I remember you. I don't want to remember you either" Irene say nonchalantly
"Aigoo, this place is for a person like us. Someone like you should shop at the mall. Look, you don't have cash to pay for your stuff. I bet you pay with card most of the time that make you forget that not all place accept card"
Irene rolled her eyes annoyingly "Still have a gut talking to me after ruining my blouse. Shut up there. I want to call my sister"
"No need, I can pay for it. Paying for these things is a small matter for me. Go aside" Seulgi push Irene away with her shoulder "Unnie, include my goods with hers"
"Okay, cutie pie" the cashier reply with joke
"Yah!" Irene retaliates as she does not accept Seulgi pushing her away. Seulgi is bigger than her that make her stumble forward
Seulgi ignores Irene's retaliation. She is busy catching up with the cashier. Irene sulking near the front door because Seulgi make fun of her
"Here is your stuff. No need to pay it back. I sincere" Seulgi gave the plastic bag to Irene. She took it harshly then leave the store
Noticing Seulgi walk behind her, Irene turns around "Yah, why are you still following me? Are you stalking me?"
"Ew, this road is for the public so I'm free to walk here. I am not interested to know about your life. If I want to be a stalker, I'll stalk someone who is worth stalking. What do you think could make me have interest in you? Front and back bumper are small. Not attractive at all" Seulgi looking at Irene from head to toe
"You bastard! You sexually harassing me!" Irene raise up her hand to hit Seulgi
"I'm not touching you. I just give a sincere comment regarding your bumpers. I'll call police if you hit me" Seulgi pointed at police patrol car that pass by them
"Ish!" Irene groaned "Don't appear in front of me anymore!"
"I don't want to see you too" Seulgi grinned while watching Irene walk away to her car "Bye Ms. Bae! Don't forget to pump your bumpers to make you looked sexy" she playfully waving her hand but Irene respond with her small fist, threat to punch Seulgi
..............
Irene arrived at home with a grumpy face. A five years old girl run towards her hugging her waist successfully make her smile, forgetting her encounter with Seulgi
"Unnie~"
"My baby Minjeong" Irene bring her little sister to her arms then kissed her cheeks
"Unnie, what do you buy for me?"
"Unnie bought chocolate and ice cream for us"
"Yay!" Minjeong claps her hands happily
"Let's eat together with Taeng unnie and Yerim, alright?"
"Alright unnie!" Minjeong circle her arms around Irene neck as Irene walk them to living room
"Yah Hyun, what took you so long to buy snacks? Usually you only take 15 minutes" Taeyeon, the older daughter of Bae complain while take the plastic bag from Irene
"I met a psychopath, unnie" Irene grumbling
"Psychopath?" Taeyeon and Yerim shocked
"The waitress that ruined my blouse" Irene puffed her cheek
Yerim laughed "Unnie, she has a name. Her name is Kang Seulgi"
"You know her name, Yerm?" Taeyeon is not really surprised because she knows her sister is a social butterfly. She easily close with someone she just met
"Yes unnie, I asked before leaving their café. She is mentally and emotionally strong. I noticed that she not crying when Joohyun unnie snapped at her and embarrassing her in front of their customer"
"Wow, strong girl. I like" Taeyeon showing naughty smile
"I don't like her. She still have gut make fun of me when she know I forgot my wallet" said Irene
"Is it her who pays for our snacks?"
"Yes"
"Wow, Seulgi-ssi is so kind. I want to meet her someday" Taeyeon excited
"I'll bring you to their café when we're free, unnie" Yerim chirped
"Cool!" Taeyeon and Yerim high five
Irene sigh "I can't with you two"
..................
At Seulgi's house, she nagged by her sister because she took so long at convenient store
"You know I'm in an emergency state right now. Why would you go to a convenience store that is far away from our house? You can just buy it at Song ajumma's store" the younger Kang took the menstrual pad from Seulgi
"I'm sorry, baby. I suddenly feel like going to another store. I'm bored visiting Song ahjumma every day. She'll force me to eat foods that she made. You know how kind she is. I'll took longer if I meet her"
"Lame excuse" her sister stomp her feet leaving Seulgi at the hallway
"Katarina! Karina! Jimin! Baby!" Seulgi having fun teasing her sister who already leave to her bedroom
Another woman show up from the kitchen with three mugs of hot chocolate and cupcake on the tray
"Yah Kang Seulgi, don't tease your sister. She's having mood swing today"
"It's fun teasing her, Wannie" Seulgi took the tray from Seungwan or known as Wendy. Both of them go to living room
"If she cry again later, I'll twist your ear"
"I'll behave" Seulgi giggle
Karina joins Seulgi and Wendy in the living room. Since tomorrow is Saturday, they will spend their night watching movie on Netflix as usual
"What made you stuck at the convenience store earlier, Seulgi? Do you flirt with the cashier again?" Wendy interrogating
"I encounter a crazy woman"
"What?!" Wendy and Karina shout in unison making Seulgi cover her ears
"Is that crazy woman disturbing you, unnie?"
"Nope but I make fun of her"
"Ayy, it dangerous if she suddenly attack you" said Wendy
"Don't worry, she can't make it. That crazy woman is a woman that scold me at the café last time"
Wendy and Karina rolled their eyes "No wonder you're not scare at all"
"Is she scolding you again, unnie?" ask Karina
"No, I will make fun of her instead. She don't have money to pay for her stuff so I paid for her"
Karina showed a disgusting look "Ew, if I'm in your place, I'll not pay for her. Let her embarrass herself"
"I agree" Wendy and Karina bump fist
Seulgi caressed Karina's hair softly "We should not retaliate with badness even if the person treated us badly, baby. Unnie always told you to treat everyone kindly no matter how bad is their attitude"
"I remember, unnie" Karina puffed her cheek then Seulgi give a quick peck
Wendy speaks after drinking hot chocolate from her mug "I am curious how she looks. You never tell me about her features or any detail about her"
"She is Vice President of Bae Corporation, Bae Joohyun or Irene. You used to hear her name, I guess"
Wendy's eyes turn round "I heard a lot about that woman. Even though she is smart and hardworking, her discipline record is not really good. I heard from people who used to meet her, she is kind of arrogant, cold and rarely smiles. She is not hesitant to show her dislike if someone makes a mistake or displeases her. Her personality is different from her older sister, President Bae Taeyeon. President Bae is very friendly, humble and easy to deal with. Their client prefers to deal with her instead of the vice president. They don't like to hear her talking shit"
"Wow, you know a lot about her, huh? I'm impressed. Just mention a name and you come out with a lot of information. I'm not wrong when I said you're living Google" Seulgi eyes sparkle
"That is advantage of having wide connection" Wendy shrugs
"Unlike you who really secretive and small circle" said Karina
Seulgi pouting "Rina-yaa, your mood swings are really worse when you're period, huh? You keep cornering me since earlier"
Karina ignores her whining and focuses on the movie. She clingy to Wendy ignoring Seulgi throwing tantrum at the corner
.................
Bae sisters are at the roadside because their car tires flat when they are on their way back from a picnic at the beach. Taeyeon tried to call their parents but the signal in that area is not helping. Besides, none of passer by willing to stop helping them
"Ish, why does no one want to stop helping us?" Irene complaining every now and then
"I swear if they need help, I'll not turn my face to them" Taeyeon gritted her teeth. They can drive but none of them know how to change tire because they have assistant at home who doing service and maintenance for their car
"Unnie, how long are we going to stay here?" Yerim is already bored waiting for a kind human being willing to help them. She squatted on the pavement with little Minjeong beside her. The youngest is smiling playing with stones. She never experiences what other kids her age play because her family only takes her to the playground near their house or she just plays alone at home. Minjeong has her own playhouse at home. She never play with dirt, play tag or other game that played by toddlers like her
"I don't know. I already tried to contact appa but I'm not sure when he'll receive that text. Network connection here are so bad" Taeyeon hopeless
"Unnie, let play while waiting for rescue" said Minjeong
"What do you want to play, baby?" Yerim wiping sweat on Minjeong forehead
"Em, chasing each other. I saw kids play it on TV"
"Play tag?" Irene immediately understand what her sister try to say
"Yes unnie" Minjeong answer cutely making her sisters squeal seeing her adorable expression
"Yerm, you play with Minjeong while me and Joohyun trying to change the tire" said Taeyeon to her younger sisters
"Okay unnie!"
"Me? Change the tire with you?" Irene pointed at herself
Taeyeon nods her head "Don't tell me that you want to play with them. You're too old for that, Joohyun"
Irene whimpered "I am not going to play with them but doing all these is too much for me. I just do manicure yesterday"
"You can do it again tomorrow. Let's do this quickly. We have no choice. I don't want to sleep at this scary roadside" Taeyeon took the toolbox from the car trunk. Irene face already turn sour because she don't want to do those stuff but she also don't want to sleep at roadside
When the sisters are struggling with the flat tire, someone riding a motorbike stops behind their car. Irene and Taeyeon quickly looked at that person, hoping for help. That person opened the helmet visor and face mask. Irene immediately recognized that person. She is no other than Kang Seulgi that make Irene annoying even just in her thought
"Yah, you!" Irene yell
"Hello" Seulgi took off her helmet and face mask. She smiling childishly to Irene and Taeyeon
"Hyun, do you know her?" Taeyeon wondering
"She is that annoying Kang" Irene scoff
Taeyeon immediately pulled a big smile when Seulgi approached them. From her first sight, Seulgi looked so cool for a woman plus the outfit that she wore. She successfully make Bae Taeyeon fall for her charm
"Hi" Taeyeon quickly stretch out her hand after wipe it with tissue
Seulgi accepts Taeyeon's hand and they shake hands. She can feel Taeyeon holding her hand tight "Hi too"
"My name is Bae Taeyeon. You can call me yeobo" said Taeyeon
"What the heck, unnie?" Irene looked at her sister in disbelief. Taeyeon is flirt with a person that she don't like
"Alright yeobo, I am Kang Seulgi. Just call me mine" Seulgi flirt back
"Sure mine" Taeyeon eyes sparkle as she look into Seulgi's monolid eyes
"Yah!" Irene yell shocking Seulgi and Taeyeon who busy flirting with each other "If you two keep flirting, we'll definitely sleep at roadside tonight"
"Sorry Hyun, I just got carried away. I can't get enough of seeing my yeobo face. She is so cute and cool" Taeyeon said without guilt
"Aishh" Irene rolled her eyes "Why do you always appear wherever I go? You're just like a pimple. Showing up anywhere and annoying" she glare at Seulgi
"If I know you're in this area, I don't want to be here too. Your presence is also like a traffic light. Annoying"
"Em, can you two postpone the argument?" Taeyeon interrupt
Seulgi smiles again when she turns to Taeyeon "Yeobo, may I know what happened to your car?"
"The tire flat"
"Aigoo, it just a small matter" said Seulgi
"As if you can change it" Irene grunt
"It is a piece of cake. Even when I ride a bike, changing car tires is not a problem to me" Seulgi sits on the ground and starts doing the task. Irene and Taeyeon only watching her since they can't help at all
"Done!" Seulgi dust off her hand
"Thank you so much, Seulgi. If you are not helping us, I don't know what would happen. Signal here is so bad that I can call for help" said Taeyeon
"Not a big problem, Taeyeon-ah. I feel like recognize this car so I slow down earlier" Seulgi remember the car that Irene use when they met at the convenient store before
"Unnie!" Yerim walk to her sisters with piggyback Minjeong
"Done playing?"
"Yes unnie" Yerim nods her head then puts Minjeong down "Omo, Seulgi unnie!"
"Hi Yerim"
"Can't believe that we meet here. Do you help my sisters to fix our car problem?"
"Yes, I just finish fixing it"
"Thanks, unnie"
Minjeong stares at Seulgi's with cute eyes. When their eyes meet, she smile "Hi oppa"
"Oppa?" the older girls shocked
"She is a girl like us. Call her unnie" said Taeyeon
"She looked like an oppa. I want to call her oppa" Minjeong looking at her unnie with puppy eyes
Seulgi cackle "It's okay, you can call me oppa" she said
"Yay!" Minjeong claps her hands happily "Unnie, I'm thirsty" she whine
"Yaa, we don't have water stock in our car" said Irene
"Let's go to the nearest convenient store. It just 200 meter away from here" Seulgi say
"Sure thing"
"Oppa, do you ride that motorbike?" Minjeong pointed at the red motorbike parked behind their car
"Yes, why?"
"I want to ride with you. I never ride motorbike"
"Aigoo sorry baby, oppa doesn't have a spare helmet. You can ride with oppa next time, alright?"
"Promise?"
"Yes, I'm promise" their pinky finger linked with each other "Let's go and get something to drink"
They go to the nearby store following Seulgi. She asked the sisters to wait at the table that was provided at the store while she brought food and drinks for them. Yerim and Minjeong insist on going with her. Irene and Taeyeon stay outside get fresh air
"Hyun, why did your face look grumpy?" Taeyeon noticed her sister is not in mood
"I'm fine, unnie" Irene answer quietly
Taeyeon folded her arms on the table "Is it because of Seulgi's presence?" Irene not answering her so she assume it's true
"Hyun, don't hold a grudge. It is not nice. She already paid for your blouse so there's no reason for you to be mad at her. Besides, it's just purely an accident. She didn't know it was coming. If she knows it will happen, she'll be more careful. Cool down, okay? I don't like seeing you show that face whenever she's with us. She kindly helped us without asking for payment. We should appreciate her. She is also very nice to us, especially our sisters. She treats them well even though this is the first time they meet. We know that Minjeong is not easily good with strangers but she is different as soon as she sees Seulgi. It is obvious that Seulgi has a good personality that even a toddler can't resist. If possible, I want you to apologize to her for shouting at her and making her embarrassed in public. You may not be comfortable doing it now in front of us. Find a good time to go to the café and meet her"
"Okay unnie" Irene obey to her older sister who always the most understanding in her family
Seulgi come back carrying Minjeong in her arms while Yerim ahead of them holding plastic bags
"Wow, you guys buy a lot" Taeyeon excited seeing plastic bag filled with snacks
"Seulgi unnie buy all these for us"
"Unnie, Gi oppa said I can be her baby, can I?" Minjeong sits on Seulgi laps. Somehow, she is so clingy to that monolid girl
"Of course you can. Unnie also want to be her baby" Taeyeon show mischievous smile and wink her eyes
"No, you can't! You're old, not baby anymore" Minjeong hugged Seulgi's arm as if she worried if Taeyeon would take Seulgi away from her. Irene and Yerim laughing loudly seeing Taeyeon annoyed face because Minjeong said her old
"Remember your age, unnie" Irene pats Taeyeon shoulder
Taeyeon rolled her eyes "I know I am old. I can't be a baby anymore but I'll make a baby with Seulgi, right yeobo?" she blinked her eyes few times
"Yah!" Yerim and Irene yell hearing their unnie not-so-called joke
Seulgi enjoyed seeing the sister's interaction. They seem like a happy sibling "You guys are funny"
"We are always joking and teasing each other, unnie. I hope you comfortable with our joke" said Yerim
"No problem, I am open minded"
Seulgi's phone ringing in her pocket distracting them from eating. She quickly answer the call
"Hello baby...I am on my way home...I know, I'm sorry. I'm helping someone earlier. Their car tire flat so I offer help...I'll arrive before dinner time...alright, see you at home"
"Sorry, home calling" said Seulgi
"You must be late for important promise" said Taeyeon
"No, just a reminder to arrive before dinner time. We should leave before it gets dark. I'll follow your car"
"You're right, let's move"
"Oppa, will I see you again?" Minjeong asking when they stop in front of the car
"Of course, baby. We'll definitely meet again. Oppa promised already, right?"
"Yes"
"Till we meet again" Seulgi hugging Minjeong
"Bye oppa"
"Bye baby" Seulgi wave back to Minjeong "Bye Ms. Bae" she playfully wave to Irene but receive death glare in return
.............
Irene sat in her car for 30 minutes now. She is waiting for Seulgi in front of Bright Vision Café. Today she decided to meet with Seulgi to apologize for the past issue between them. She doesn't want to have an uncomfortable feeling with Seulgi. She knows she is going to see Seulgi again in future because her sisters seem to have a big interest in Seulgi, especially her younger sister. Minjeong bragged about Seulgi to their parents as soon as they arrived at home and the elders also looked forward to meeting with Seulgi.
From the parking lot, Irene can see Seulgi arrive with her motorbike. She quickly put on her hoodie cap then got out of her car. She run after Seulgi
"Yah" she called
Seulgi turned around, shocked seeing someone in all black walk behind her looked really suspicious. Without wasting her time, Seulgi turn back and run for her life
Seeing Seulgi try to escape, Irene hurriedly pulls her on her shirt "Where do you think you're going?"
"Ma'am, please don't kill me. I'm not married yet. I'm still so young to die. If you want to kill someone, I can show you the annoying person that you can kill" Seulgi saying nonsense things
Irene smack Seulgi's head "It's me, Irene"
Seulgi leans closer to check if that person is really Irene "Yaa Irene Bae, why on earth are you wearing this kind of clothes on this sunny day? You look like a sasaeng"
"Stop talking too much. I come here to talk to you"
"Let's go to the café"
"No, just here"
"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"
Out of the blue, Irene stretched out her hand. However, Seulgi did not give a response since she had no idea what Irene wanted. Irene gives her eye signal. Seulgi just do what her mind said, she took Irene hand and kiss her back hand
"Yah!" Irene yell as she pull her hand harshly and wipe it
"What happened again this time?"
"I want to shake hands, not kiss my hand!"
"Oh I see" Seulgi said innocently "You should say it straight forward if you want something from me. I'm not good at receiving signals. I don't know why you want to shake hand but let's do it again"
Irene did not give a response because she was upset "Come on, Irene-ah" The shorter girl shoves her hand again and Seulgi accepts it properly this time "May I know what with this sudden shake hand?"
"I want to apologize for shouting at you in the café. I lose control because that shirt is so precious to me" Irene speak softly right now
"It's okay, I don't take it to heart. Besides, it's my mistake too because I am careless and not being careful"
"You must be scolded by your boss, right?"
"No, Joy is cool. She only ask me to be extra careful, that's all"
"That's good then. I have to go back to the office now. Thank you for forgiving me" Irene bow her head
"No problem" Seulgi flashing bright smile
Irene excuses herself then walks to her car. Seulgi suddenly showed a mischievous smile "Bye goat!"
Irene's eyes widened when she heard Seulgi call her goat "Yah, what do you say again?!"
"G.O.A.T" Seulgi ran away after that while Irene left with anger. She suddenly apology to Seulgi when that annoying girl make fun of her again
..................
"Irene...Irene...I told you don't mix personal relationships and work but you're stubborn. Look what happened now. Our product is totally damaged because of your boyfriend confidently adding an excessive amount of chemicals without following standards. You trust your boyfriend blindly. You are not making a counter check when he said the product is ready to launch to market. Now we're facing major failure for the first time since appa and eomma built this company. Because of one carelessness from you and that bastard, it could ruin our business" Taeyeon walk back and forth in front of Irene who sit on the couch look down to her laps
"I'm sorry, unnie. I'll make Suho pay for his fault" Irene sobbing
"Hey, do you think he can pay for the loss that we are going to face? That does not yet include damages and fees to be imposed by the court. Your salary will not be able to cover all that. We're lucky that no one died after the customer using that skincare. If it happens, I could go to jail! This company will be destroyed!" Taeyeon shouted for the very first time to her sister. Her face is red like a tomato and her emotions are not in a good state right now. She badly want to slap her sister but she know her limit
Taeyeon's secretary come to the office with panic expression "President"
"Yes Ms. Seo?"
"Board members demand an explanation regarding the current case. They want to know the root of the problem as soon as possible"
The president sighs heavily "Arrange online meetings with the board of directors at 2 PM. Chairman will arrive in the afternoon so we can't do the meeting right now. We need to wait for him"
"Okay president"
Before Secretary Seo leaving, Jennie, come in rush "President and Vice President Bae"
"Yes Ms. Kim?" from Jennie expression, they know something is not right
"Our stocks keep dropping. Investors keep calling since the news about our product spread. They threaten to leave if the stocks keep going down. We're in a dangerous position because MY Finance is the first one to say so. Customers threaten to make police report if the company not taking any action to solve the damage and pay for their lost in 24 hours"
Irene getting scare when she noticed Taeyeon shoot murderous glare to her "If investor calling again, please tell them to hold on for a while. I'll try to figure out the way to solve the problem"
"Noted President"
"Make sure Kim Suho not leaving this building until this problem solve"
"He already detained by security in safety office"
"Good, I'm going to see him now. Secretary Seo, you call Mr. Jung to follow me to the security office. Irene, prepare yourself to answer the question from the board. You're the root of the problem so you must take responsibility"
"Okay"
Taeyeon and the secretaries leaving the office immediately. Irene cries herself out and regrets her mistake. As Taeyeon said, she is the source of the problem. If she does not appoint her boyfriend who just started working to replace the ex-manager, things will not turn out like this. She is blind by love that makes her confidently give him that position without thinking of the future effect. Taeyeon disagrees with her but she convinces her sister that Suho can do better based on his knowledge in university. She even declined the candidate that Taeyeon chose based on experience just to make Suho a manager. It's only been three months since that guy became a manager and he brought huge damage to Bae Corporation. She doesn't know how to face her family, especially her parents. She'll receive whatever punishment that her father will give to her later
.................
Somewhere is Seoul
"Boss, have you heard about a serious case involving Bae Corporation?"
"I do but not in detail. Please elaborate"
"The skincare product that they released recently contain chemical substance that could bring damage to skin if used excessively"
"Do they put the substance in their previous product too?"
"Yes, that chemical is a common ingredient in skincare. Other brands also used the same chemical. From the lab report, the said product contains an excessive amount of that chemical. To be exact, it was added not following the standard that was set in the health guideline. Insider said that the mastermind is their production manager. It's him who urges the staff to increase the amount of chemicals without considering the health standard. He made his own decision without discussing with superior"
"What the heck is that fool guy thinking?"
"According to a trusted resource, the production manager just started working with Bae Corporation for about a year. He is a freshman"
"Freshman?! He easily became a manager in just a year of his career?! Is he the son of Chairman Bae or their relative?"
"No, he is only a boyfriend of Vice President Bae Irene. It's her who appoint him to be the manager replacing the previous manager who retired three months ago"
"This must be appointment of love"
"It has been two days. Their situation keeps dropping. I heard that they are issuing a pretty large amount of money to compensate the victim. There are some investors also withdraw their investment following the fall of Bae Corporations"
"Hm, it's pretty common whenever serious cases happen. They are supposed to hold on and help the company when they face a big challenge. Not running away. What cowardly business people. They want profit but are afraid to lose a bit. They can work together to help Bae Corporations back to their track but those people have shallow mindset"
"Well, losing is everyone scare the most"
"I don't scared of losing. That's why I am here. I'm ready to go through ups and downs in business world"
"If every businessman and businesswoman have same mindset with you, business world will not be dirty and cruel"
"Yeah, I'm proud of myself for not being cruel and dirty to get what I have now. Alright, let's go to Bae Corporations tomorrow"
"Eh? Are we sending aid?"
"I'll brief you guys tomorrow. Inform Secretary Kim, Secretary Jung, Vice CEO Hwang, Manager Oh, Manager Lee, Director Lee, Director Manoban, COO Moon, CFO Kim and Manager Park about the urgent meeting tomorrow on 8:15 AM"
"Noted boss, I'll do it now"
"Good"
..................
Bae's sisters, including Yerim, gather in Taeyeon's office together with their father, working on some documents. Yerim does not usually come to the company because she is busy with her final semester but this time she insists on helping her sisters and father. Even if she can't help too much but at least she can assist them with something that she learn slowly from her father
Taeyeon and Irene already make peace. The older Bae is not angry at her sister anymore. Now they work together to solve the problem even they haven't found the way out
"Our stocks still dropping" said Yerim as she monitoring stock market on her Ipad
"Stocks keep drowning, investors leaving as well as shareholders. Everyone lost their trust in us. If this keep going, we could lost our company" Mr. Bae said with low tone, massaging his nose bridge
Irene feel guilty seeing her father look so sad "Appa, I'm sorry for making big mistake" she hold her appa hand tightly
"Don't say that, sweetie. Appa not blame you. Everyone make mistake and so does you. Right now we must focus on saving our business. I'll do whatever it take to protect our company. We're in this together. I believe sooner or later, we'll get out of this problem. Trust me, okay?" Mr. Bae comforting his daughter
"Okay appa" the girls said together
He knows Taeyeon has been working so hard day and night since this problem occurred. Dark circles are obvious around her eyes. His older daughters are very dependable. In tough situations, she still handles it calmly even though she shouts at Irene. The second daughter is also working hard like her unnie. Even though her parents said it was not literally her fault, Irene still feels guilty and responsible for everything that happens to their company. She has already broken up with her boyfriend. That guy also received the punishment he deserve
Taeyeon's secretary come to the office distract everyone from whatever they do "Sir, ma'am...there's someone want to meet with all of you"
"Who is it?"
"She is not saying details. She only said she want to meet with you guys"
Taeyeon looking at her father then he nods his head "Let her in"
After Secretary Seo goes out, a woman in a formal outfit enters. None of Bae family recognize that person but they still welcome her
"Ma'am, may we know who you are and what brought you here?" Taeyeon asking the stranger
"I am Wendy Son also known as Attorney Son"
"You're an attorney?" Yerim asked in shock. Other family member already insecure just in case Wendy is sent by the victim of their skincare
"Yes but don't worry, I not coming on behalf of the victim" Wendy said as if she can read their mind
"Thanks God"
"I am representative of Hexagon International"
Mr. Bae's eyes turn wide as well as his daughter's "Hexagon? The largest holding company in Asia?"
"Yes sir" Wendy nods her head "We heard about the problem involving Bae Corporation lately. Our boss would like to help you to save your company from bankruptcy"
"Your boss? Seriously, I never see leader of Hexagon. Not only me but other business people. We only heard about the company but not the person behind the success of Hexagon. Usually only representative coming to event or meeting that involve Hexagon"
"You're right, sir. Our boss keep identity tight from the public. There is a time where our boss will reveal it to the public. Our boss usually send us to be representative but this time, boss come personally"
The Bae family gasped "CEO of Hexagon is outside? Who is that person?"
Door open out of the blue shocking Bae family "It's me"
~TBC~