AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 117

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2017

 

"I'm sorry, Director Yoon, but I can't go on like this... forgive me... I want to resign." -- Huh Young-Mi

 

 

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF TV PRODUCTION, MBS YEOUIDO HQ, SEOUL...

 

"How is Young-Mi's training coming along?" Hyung-Chul, at his desk with suit jacket and tie off, asks Sun-Dal as he settles into the adjacent chair.

 

"According to Joo-Hee, Young-Mi is a star pupil, and could do the job in her sleep. It's only been three weeks, and she's looking like the pro announcer she was before."

 

"Great!" Hyung-Chul enthuses. "I knew her latent talent was still there, waiting to be tapped."

 

"The transition will start next week, right on schedule," Sun-Dal confirms. "I'll accept Jung Eun-Hye's resignation on Friday."

 

"And Joo-Hee?"

 

"She's finally made up her mind," Sun-Dal informs Hyung-Chul of the situation regarding his wife.

 

"To quit?" Hyung-Chul hazards a guess.

 

"Yep... but despite her daily morning sickness, she'll stay on until it starts to show," Sun-Dal replies, "but as it's two months already..."

 

"We'll need to have someone lined up to replace her by November," Hyung-Chul concludes unhappily, knowing Joo-Hee's unexpected departure will further strain their shortage of top talent in the announcers' ranks.

 

"Sorry," Sun-Dal shrugs. "But with two kids in the house now, she has her hands full already, besides the pregnancy."

 

"Hey... the Company will survive," Hyung-Chul resigns himself to the inevitable. "But it'll be a different place without Joo-Hee managing Announcer 1 Team. Any idea who you'll move into the slot?"

 

"Frankly, no," Sun-Dal answers, "By seniority, Lee Kyung-Hee is the obvious choice, but as she's getting married soon..."

 

"When did a woman marrying become an issue?" Hyung-Chul points out the situation is similar to Joo-Hee's.

 

"Except Company policy prohibits a manager from supervising a relative. Shin Ki-Jong would have to transfer or quit first, and I don't want to put them into that bind."

 

Hyung-Chul sees his point and nods in agreement, then prompts, "Anyone else in mind?"

 

"Frankly, the younger announcers haven't matured as fast as we'd hoped. So President Kim asked me to draw up a short list to discuss at the meeting tomorrow," Sun-Dal informs him, then adds gloomily, "A list of outside talent."

 

Hearing this, Hyung-Chul's mood darkens, and he grumbles, "Doesn't Kim understand that bringing in some high-priced celebrity will just hurt our corporate family? What comes next, retrenchments?"

 

Sun-Dal looks at him oddly. "Since when did you get so personal about business?"

 

"By hard experience," Hyung-Chul reminds him, thinking of his drawn out 'Cold War' with Sun-Mi that resulted after he'd attempted a similar business strategy. "So are you going to do it?"

 

"It's a direct order. Opinion doesn't matter, my hands are tied," Sun-Dal shrugs off any responsibility for ill consequences. "With four mouths to feed, I need this job, regardless of what happens."

 

The inflection in his voice makes Hyung-Chul wonder if something he isn't aware of is going on, as his friend had never seemed this edgy about his employment situation before... but he decides empathy is better than cross-examination for the present...

 

"As are mine, too," Hyung-Chul vents equal frustration in his powerless management position.

 

"I have some business with PD Shin in the News Center, before the 'News At Nine' airs, Sun-Dal excuses himself, seeing no benefit for himself in continuing the conversation on this line, and potential risk in inadvertently revealing too much.

 

 

After Sun-Dal's departure, Hyung-Chul turns off his laptop, gets up and puts on his suit jacket, hits the light switch as he leaves his office, and heads for the elevator lobby.

 

He is about to enter an arriving lift to go down, when he sees a woman, sporting a short chestnut brown bob, a familiar baby blue pantsuit, and black, open-toe slingback heels, briskly step out of the far lift and turn towards the executive offices. He startles at the sight, thinking at first the impossible ... she looks like -- Sun-Mi? ... as he instantly calls up pictures taken with his eyes to back up his supposition...

 

"Sun-Mi!" he calls out, certain of his identification, "wait..."

 

The woman stops at his command, then turns to face him, and he immediately sees his mistake...

 

"Er... Young-Mi?" he marvels in surprise.

 

Since returning to work, he'd deliberately avoided Young-Mi, so her new hairstyle is a surprise. But he hadn't mistaken her outfit -- the same pantsuit Sun-Mi had worn on her last day at MBS, when they'd parted in the middle of Apgujeong-ro.

 

... the night his hopes to propose marriage were dashed as she walked away, and he'd stupidly just let her go...

 

 

"Director Yoon, I was just coming to see you," Young-Mi answers with a polite bow.

 

Noticing that he's staring at her like he'd seen a ghost, self-consciously she pushes back a lock of hair from her face, while smiling nervously under his scrutiny...

 

"Yes, these are Sun-Mi's clothes," she admits, red-faced from embarrassment when she realizes the reason for his confusion. "She left them behind, and I can't afford anything until my first paycheck... I'm sorry to have misled you."

 

Hyung-Chul immediately moves to ease her discomfort. "The mix up is my fault," he apologizes. "But I'm on my way out. Could we talk tomorrow?"

 

... with the vivid reminder of Sun-Mi in front of him, his first thought is to head for the club to drown out the uncomfortable memories ...

 

 

Young-Mi doesn't reply, then he notices the tears rolling in her eyes...

 

"What is it?" he gently probes, guiltily wondering if his error of mistaken identity has caused her similar emotional distress, too.

 

"I... I'm sorry... Director Yoon, but I can't go on like this," the words spill out along with her tears.

 

Puzzled, he offers, "Is there something I can do?"

 

"Just forgive me..." Young-Mi sobs, "I want to resign..."