AAE -- For Better For Worse

Chapter 11

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

 

That afternoon, Joo-Hee and Sun-Mi are taking a break together in the canteen near the Announcer 1 Team office.

 

As the only ones present at the moment, they have their choice of the half-dozen small bistro tables, sitting down opposite each other.

 

Sun-Mi can't help feel intimidated as she observes her Senior. Impeccably dressed in a signature Prada skirt suit and tall power stilettos, Joo-Hee is beautiful, intelligent, and talented, at the pinnacle of her professional career. She was lucky to be taken under her mentor's wing -- in Young-Mi's former place -- and groomed to follow her up the corporate ladder. But despite winning Joo-Hee's favor, Sun-Mi can't dispel a nagging sense that, like with Hyung-Chul, that she is a Cinderella here, too, and when midnight came the magic would end, crashing her dreams down to reality.

 

At the same time, Joo-Hee is taking stock of the woman sitting opposite, five years her Junior. As a rookie, Joo-Hee had to prove herself by sheer hard work and performance brilliance to put at rest rumors that her shareholder father had ensured her rise to become MBS' youngest news anchor. In contrast, it was no mystery to Joo-Hee how Sun-Mi, while clearly mediocre in appearance, smarts, and talent, was now next in line to her. The mystery was how had Sun-Mi captured Hyung-Chul's fascination to win both his backing and his heart.

 

 

Waiting as she defers to Joo-Hee lead, Sun-Mi wets her throat with a swallow of juice. She holds the bottle tightly in both hands, nervous that she'll be quizzed by her Senior on a topic that she is uncomfortable even thinking about, much less discussing.

 

"Have you decided about the Correspondent job?" Joo-Hee asks exactly the question Sun-Mi had wanted to avoid.

 

"Not yet. I haven't even told Senior," Sun-Mi admits, embarrassed at her indecisiveness.

 

"Let's see. If it's the Hyung-Chul I know, he'll love it." Joo-Hee remarks pointedly, then reaches for her juice to take a sip before she probes further, "Could it be that you don't want to leave?"

 

The question drives to the heart of Sun-Mi's dilemma. She smiles uneasily and lowers her eyes, so Joo-Hee can't see how close she is in her speculation, and changes the topic. "Are your wedding preparations going well?"

 

"They're driving me crazy. Why are they so complicated?" Joo-Hee cracks with an unsettled laugh. "Getting married is hard."

 

 

Sun-Mi laughs too, then sees a different expression on Joo-Hee's face -- that she isn't joking -- and tries to draw her out. "What is it, Senior?

 

"By tomorrow it will be in the news, so I suppose there's no point in keeping pretenses up any longer," Joo-Hee confides. "The wedding is off -- I broke up with Manager Kim. But you don't need to worry."

 

"Worry about what?"

 

"That I might take back the London Correspondent position. It's still yours if you choose."

 

"You really don't want it back?"

 

Joo-Hee shakes her head. "No, I have something more important now to do. So, when are you going to make up your mind?"

 

"That's the problem," Sun-Mi sighs. "Up here..." she taps her brow, "it's settled. But here..." she places her hand over her heart, "it's holding back."

 

"Perhaps because of Hyung-Chul?" Joo-Hee easily concludes.

 

Sun-Mi nods.

 

"Let me tell you something that may make your decision easier," Joo-Hee continues. "You know that Hyung-Chul is in line to be the next President of MBS, and after that, the CEO of Mun-Yung Group, and eventually, Chairman?"

 

"Yes, of course," Sun-Mi confirms, "everyone knows that."

 

"Before Hyung-Chul became Director, MBS was failing under the leadership of his uncle, General Manager Kim. Suppose that Hyung-Chul gives up his future as the next President of MBS, and GM Kim takes over? The fate of our Company, and the jobs of thousands of people, may be in serious jeopardy."

 

"Senior worked hard to turn MBS around," Sun-Mi observes thoughtfully. "Why would he give everything up to GM Kim now? It doesn't make any sense."

 

"But that's exactly what he intends to do," Joo-Hee states adamantly, "and all because of YOU!"

 

The accusation stuns Sun-Mi. "Me? How?"

 

"It goes back to his grandfather," Joo-Hee explains. "It's a complex story, but the essence is simple. As a youth, Hyung-Chul was betrothed, a promise made that must be kept if he is to retain control of MBS."

 

Hearing this, Sun-Mi's mouth drops open as she stammers, "W-w-what? It can't be!"

 

"You really are a naive one," Joo-Hee tsk-tsks. "Didn't you ever wonder why one of Seoul's most eligible bachelors never married, despite a long line of hopefuls?"

 

"Yes, I did," Sun-Mi confesses to one of her private concerns. "But he wouldn't have kept this from me!"

 

"Didn't he keep it secret that he was the Director of MBS, until you called him out?" Joo-Hee reminds her. "The truth is that Hyung-Chul won't admit it even to himself, living in denial and rebellion. Up to now, the family elders put up with his behavior, but they've finally given an ultimatum."

 

"How do you know all this?"

 

"Like Hyung-Chul, I'm a chaebol heir," Joo-Hee reminds her. "I rebelled too, wanting to determine my own fate, and was mercilessly put back into my place."

 

Sun-Mi immediately catches the connection. "That's why you ended your engagement to Manager Kim?"

 

"Yes," Joo-Hee confirms. "For people like us, marriage is not a matter of love. It's about family, responsibility, and destiny."

 

"And, what is Senior's destiny?" Sun-Mi asks as a growing knot of anxiety tightens inside her stomach.

 

 

Joo-Hee looks at her and states matter-of-factly, her voice reserved despite the momentous words, "To marry ... me."

 

Catching her breath, Sun-Mi's face blanches.

 

"I understand this must be a shock, for you to find out this way," Joo-Hee sympathizes. "But you need to know the hard, cold facts. There's no place for you in Hyung-Chul's future. You're a Cinderella waiting for a Prince who will never bring the glass slipper back to you. Any ideas you hold to the contrary are a fairy tale dream."

 

Sun-Mi refuses to accept Joo-Hee's message. "You're only saying this from envy that Senior loves me, and you want to break us up!"

 

"If you don't believe me, then ask him yourself," Joo-Hee throws down the challenge. "Wake up, Jin Sun-Mi, and face reality..."

 

 

She pauses, watching the light leave Sun-Mi's eyes as that reality leaves an empty void in her heart. Well knowing the despair that the loss of love can leave in its wake, she empathizes with Sun-Mi's plight.

 

"Accept the facts and stop clinging," Joo-Hee advises. "Go away to England and forget everything, for your sake, and for his!"