AAE -- Twists of Fate

Part 1 -- Chapter 12

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

 

The Announcer 1 Team office is dark when Sun Mi steps inside. The room is still after the close of the broadcasting day. Hallway light spills across the carpet, but the office is mostly illuminated by the cold glow from the city's glass towers through the wall of windows.

 

She sits in her chair and swivels to face her desk. The celebratory acclaim of the Musical Postcards send-off party is a fading echo in her mind. In front of her, the morning sports daily is open to the headline that had been the goal of her career. A wan smile touches her lips as she rereads the words.

 

'Announcer Jin Sun-Mi to Anchor MBS News At Nine'

'Early Struggles, Setbacks Followed by Ratings Successes on Rise to Top'

 

The headline feels unreal, like it belongs to someone else. She stares at her own photograph -- smiling and composed. She has reached the summit, but the view is obscured by the memory of the brittle exactness of her voice when she told Hyung-Chul they were "just friends" -- a lie that was the price of this seat.

 

Tears blur the newsprint.

 

She slips out of her slingbacks, flexing her toes after the long night. Her bare feet rest on the carpeted floor. She lowers her head into her hands, finally allowing her mask to slip. Muffled sobs break the quiet.

 

The crisp click of stilettos telegraphs a warning just before the overhead fluorescents snap on. Sun-Mi flinches from the sudden light. She glances toward the door, wiping her eyes as she turns.

 

Yoo Joo-Hee is standing in the doorway. Coming off her news broadcast, she is relaxed and poised, her presence filling the room with professional gravity.

 

Sun-Mi scrambles to her feet, instinctively bowing. She stares at her toes, her cheeks flushing crimson.

 

Joo-Hee studies her -- disheveled, barefoot, and red-eyed -- with a flicker of concern sharpened by disapproval. "The News at Nine demands a certain level of composure, Sun-Mi. Even when the cameras are off."

 

"Senior," Sun-Mi manages, her voice thick. "I didn't think anyone was still here."

 

"I'm waiting for Manager Kim to finish a late meeting," Joo-Hee says, her precise, muted steps the only sound as she approaches. "You're not celebrating? I expected you to be with Director Yoon."

 

Sun-Mi, unable to meet Joo-Hee's gaze, watches the sharp, pointed toes of Joo-Hee's black pumps stop directly in front of her. "We... ended things, Senior."

 

Joo-Hee pauses. "Because of the scandal?"

 

"No. Because of... me..." her voice trails off.

 

Joo-Hee's expression shifts, but she doesn't pry. "I see."

 

She gestures for Sun-Mi to sit, then takes the chair beside her, crossing her legs with practiced ease. "So. How does it feel?" She taps a finger on the newspaper. "Your first night as the next face of MBS."

 

"Intimidated," Sun-Mi admits. "When I started here, this was all I wanted. I thought I'd feel proud. But now that I have it... I look at the expectations, and it feels overwhelming to think that I'm supposed to sit in your place in only three days."

 

She hesitates. "I wonder how I beat Young-Mi. She is stronger. More polished. Her skills are more developed than mine. She never doubts herself."

 

"Young-Mi is technically proficient, but she lacks the connection to the audience that you possess," Joo-Hee counters. "I cast the deciding vote."

 

Sun-Mi's head jolts up. "You?"

 

"Yes." Joo-Hee's tone is even. "I chose you because I believed you were ready for this role. But seeing you like this... I wonder if I was wrong."

 

"I'm grateful. Truly. I just… I don't feel ready."

 

"You rarely do," Joo-Hee says, her voice softening. "But that's never stopped you."

 

Sun-Mi looks down, unable to argue.

 

Joo-Hee folds her arms. "When you first joined MBS, it became clear how Hyung-Chul felt about you. I made a promise to look after you. Even though he rejected me long ago, I still loved him enough to want him to be happy. If he was going to choose you, I wanted to make sure you were someone worthy of him, not someone who might jeopardize his career."

 

Sun-Mi's breath trembles. "Senior..."

 

Joo-Hee lifts a hand. "I'm not telling you this to make you uncomfortable. I'm explaining why I did what I did. I didn't give you favors -- I gave you assignments that matched your strengths so you could succeed. I shielded you when you made mistakes that would've ended your career. And I pushed you harder than the others, because you needed to grow quickly."

 

Sun-Mi swallows. "I didn't know."

 

"You weren't supposed to." Joo-Hee's voice softens. "But now you're stepping into my seat, my desk, my broadcast. And when you walk in here on Monday, you cannot look like this."

 

She shakes her head at Sun-Mi's wilted posture, her bare feet, her tired eyes. "You're the leader of Announcer 1 Team now. The new face of MBS. People will take their cues from you. I will not have my successor looking defeated before she even begins."

 

Sun-Mi's voice is barely above a whisper. "How do I look confident when I don't feel it?"

 

"If you look the part, it covers the insecurities," Joo-Hee says firmly. "Confidence comes later. The image must be there from the first second. If you look like a leader, they'll treat you like one."

 

Sun-Mi looks at her, biting her lower lip. "I don't know if I can."

 

"You can." Joo-Hee rises, smoothing her skirt. "Come on. Put your shoes back on."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because you're not ending your first night hunched over your desk in the dark." She rests her hand on Sun-Mi's shoulder. "We're going to Makeup. We'll set your face, and you'll look at yourself in the mirror and see what I see."

 

Sun-Mi slips her shoes on and stands. She glances at the corner desk that will be hers.

 

 

As they walk toward the door, Joo-Hee adds quietly, "I'll make an appointment with Madame Kim's boutique. You need to see what it looks like when you dress the way an anchor should."

 

Sun-Mi stops at the threshold. "Thank you, Senior. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

 

Joo-Hee gives a faint, knowing smile. "You can do that by confirming I made the right choice. Start by standing up straight. The rest... we'll see when it comes."

 

Sun-Mi draws in a breath, lifts her chin, and follows Joo-Hee out. As they walk side-by-side down the long corridor, her heels begin to match the cadence of Joo-Hee's -- sharper, more purposeful -- carrying her toward a version of herself she is not sure of, but knows she has to try.