Chapter 4: Breaking News.

Lie Blu’s Apartment.

Ae Ra’s POV.

I jumped from the offensive sound of my alarm, it was unusually loud this morning. Scowling with my eyes still half-closed I searched for the stop button and slammed it aggressively with an irritated grunt.

An action I regretted immediately as pain shot up my palm.

"Ouch!" I whined as I rubbed the spot. "Stupid alarm," I muttered as I rubbed my tired eyes.

To think it was just yesterday that the Chairman told me he was terminally ill. To wake up one morning mad at your alarm clock only to find out that soon you won't need an alarm clock anymore because you'll be permanently resting.

I got out of bed with a heavy heart. Life was so fickle, it makes me wonder... if I were to find out I had limited time left on earth, what would I do? I wondered as I got into the shower and turned the warm water on.

Have I lived a happy life? Sure, I have a great job with a roof over my head and enough money to go on vacation if I need to but I wouldn't say I have a happy life. I don't think I have any dreams or aspirations now that I think about it.

I washed my hair thoroughly still deep in thought as to how I'd feel if I were in the Chairman's shoes. Love... have I properly experienced love? My lips threatened to tug up in a sadistic smile. I've never been lucky with love.

Ha Na always makes fun of me because I've only ever had one boyfriend back in University but that's not the only reason why I believe I'm unlucky. To be quite honest I firmly believe I'm the luckiest unlucky person to exist when it comes to love, no matter the form.

Except for Ha Na though. I think God blessed me with her to make up for all the other miserable moments I've had. I wrapped myself in a big fluffy pink towel and walked with mincing steps to my pink vanity.

Yes, I love pink!

Without wasting time, I pulled the drawer out and brought out my skin care products. My skin was my pride, I'd have a mental breakdown if I had so much as a bump on it. Now that I've thought about how much my life sucks it's all the more reason why my physical appearance must be flawless at least.

I massaged the essential oils into my face, dried my hair and combed it neatly. There was no styling involved because I always wore my hair straight. My makeup was minimal, might sound weird but it made me feel more professional. I had big caramel-coloured doe eyes with long eyelashes and full pink lips and they were pretty easy to work with with little makeup.

I wore a peach two-piece suit paired with beige heels. Satisfied with my fit, I grabbed my bag and went straight to the kitchen to get some toast and coffee and left my apartment with a smile, ready to start my day.

"Jung Group HQ. please." I direct politely as I step into the taxi.

I munched on my toast as I scrolled through Chairman Jung's appointment. Thankfully, he did not have much to do today. The meeting with the investor went well yesterday but there was not enough time to take him to the hospital, it should be possible today.

The headquarters came into view as the taxi pulled over. "That'll be ₩3500, ma'am."

"Here." I handed it over and stepped out. With my lips pulled into a smile, I discarded my paper bag and walked confidently into the building that was a second home to me.

"Good morning Ae Ra, you look stunning in that suit." Suzy, the front desk manager, greeted me warmly.

Suzy was a pure ray of sunshine, it was impossible to not love her. Her 5'0 bubbly form stood behind the desk with brown eyes filled with every-growing curiosity. She was dressed in a black dress that accentuated her adorable round face. Her short black bob hair swayed as she flashed me a smile as wide as a Cheshire.

The positivity radiating off of her caused me to give her a smile of my own. "Good morning Suzy, you are as cute as a button."

"Thank you." She blushed with a dismissive wave. "Have a lovely day, Ae Ra."

"You too." I waved as I sauntered past her and headed straight to the elevator.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and I stepped out. Expensive black marble tiles lined the floor. The demarcation between the waiting room and Chairman Jung's office was made up of huge crystal clear glass panes making the entire floor room bright.

The demarcation also offered a magnificent view of the sky and the city. The rest of the walls were Snow White and had huge expensive paintings hung on the walls. Tall intricate vases adorned with the prettiest of flowers stood in between the paintings, each calling out to you to sniff them with every step you take.

A small open waiting room was to the side of the elevators. Grey lush soft sofas sat opposite each other with a small table between them. A soft plain Snow White rug was underneath the table. The table had a small bowl of sweets and magazines featuring the company. A water dispenser was by the wall with a small shelf for plastic cups and mugs.

Further down to the left was my office. The warm, reminiscent summer colours made my office calming and made working here much easier. My desk housed an Apple PC with a white LED keyboard. Resting on the wall was a humidifier for moisture and clean air. A small mirror was next to my PC along with a long cup filled with stationery. The office phone sat at the other end of the table.

My glass nameplate stood in between the phone and my private computer. A printer was in the corner to the right along with a small file cabinet and a single-person sofa which was next to a small glass table that is currently decorated with sticky notes and a small pile of paper.

I smiled at the sticky notes. When I first started working here I was super bad at remembering tasks. It was Suzy who suggested using sticky notes, it made task sorting easier too. That simple suggestion was also what led to our friendship. I walked further into the office.

A pale oak bookcase lined half of the left-hand wall. The other half was made with tall glass planes. The view through the glass panes was the clear sky and ever-bustling city. I dropped my things on the sofa and went ahead to prepare Chairman Jung's favourite dalgona coffee.

***

"Good morning, Chairman Jung, I hope you had a wonderful night?" I greeted him as we walked side by side. I politely smiled at Him-Chan who in turn gave me a stiff nod.

"I most certainly did, the Chamomile tea you recommended for me worked like a charm." He beamed.

"That's good to know."

"I noticed the news didn't mention anything about our response last night." He stopped with a frown.

"About that, it was initially meant to be reported during the night news but the reporter said he'll have it during the 10 o'clock news instead. It's the most tuned-in hour so a very good number of people will hear about your response. You have nothing to worry about, sir."

"Worried? Hardly! You never disappoint me, you've always been good at everything you did."

"You're so kind, sir." I blushed proudly.

He grinned. "I am just being honest, Ae Ra. I figured I should appreciate the people around me more with me dying and all."

My eyes widened at that. "Sir! You should not say that so casually." I hushed him and frantically scanned the area.

"Oh relax, will you? Now that you two know, I can speak about it more freely. Besides, other than my office and yours no one else is on this floor." He patted my shoulder and resumed walking.

I sighed as I joined him, he was right but still... I was still unsettled about what happened yesterday. Him-Chan held the door to his office open for us. "I'll be right back, sir" he dismissed himself.

Chairman Jung's eyes lit up at the sight of his favourite Dalgona milk coffee. He took his seat and motioned me to drop his things. His back relaxed into the chair as he savoured the taste for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"Ahh, this is my favourite part of the day, Ae Ra. I must admit you're good at making my coffee." He sipped it again, satisfaction evident in his eyes. I couldn't help but smile. "I am happy to hear that, sir."

I did my best to make it perfect today. I've decided to put even more effort into the things that concern him. The shocking news from yesterday had completely wrecked me but being sad wouldn't change anything so instead I'll serve him even better than I already did.

The door burst open to reveal a frantic Him-Chan. "I'm sorry for coming in like this, but there's something you must see immediately." He rushed in and picked up the remote.

"It is indeed quite shocking to know that Mr Jung Joo Won, Chairman and founder of Jung Group is terminally ill, isn't it Mr Iseul?"

"It sure is Miss Sook, The rumours had been going around for some days now and no official word had come from them to deny it. The silence gave room for the speculations to blow out of proportion with all sorts of illnesses flying around."

"That's right Mr Iseul, you can imagine just how shocked I was this morning when the article from his Executive Secretary Miss Lee Ae Ra came in confirming the rumours. After all our waiting, we received devastating news."

"Truly devastating news, a lot of people are worried about the fate of the company and how his son, Jung Ji Won, the most popular rake, would continue his father's legacy. But before we dive into that, here is the official article released by Jung Group."

An uploaded article entailing a couple of things we spoke about was shown on the TV. The loud crash of shattered glass against the tiles made me jump.

"Chairman Jung!" Him-Chan rushed to his side.

I urged my trembling fingers to stop but they had a mind of their own. My head shook slowly from side to side along with every fibre of my being as I faced him. His eyes held mine briefly before looking away. He slumped into his seat with a disgruntled groan.

"This is not what it looks like."

That was what I wished to say but I couldn't bring myself to speak, no matter how much I wished to do so the lump in my throat blocked me from speaking.

The disbelief and disappointment his eyes held were all I could think of as the media's words kept ringing in my head. "...article from his Executive Secretary Miss Lee Ae Ra..." My stomach churned and my knees weakened, unable to hold myself up any further I grabbed the edge of his table for support.

The ringing of Him-Chan's phone reverberated through the office, pulling me out of the trance I was violently thrown into. With a heavy sigh, he answered the call. "Now's not a good time, Miss Suzy."

He took some steps back. "What? Right now?"' He turned to me with annoyance but I could not understand what he was trying to convey.

"Hold them back as much as you can." He ended the call. "Miss Suzy has been trying to reach you for a while. There are reporters downstairs and the shareholders are making their way up here as we speak."

"W-what??" I stuttered, my grip on the table tightening. I was anxious, shocked and confused but there was something more important than my feelings and that was my job.

I have to snap out of it.