Chapter 8: After The Storm.

Jung Group HQ.

Third Person.

"Ji Won showed how witty he was today and how thorough he can be with research," Mr Chang praised.

"He also showed a great deal of patience and tolerance. That in itself is a display of wisdom that should not be overlooked." Mrs Cho added.

"I must admit, it's nice to know that the company is in such capable hands." Mrs Kwon said joyfully.

"It looks like you're all willing to give my son a chance now." Chairman Jung grinned at the board. He wasn't sure what he expected of his son but it certainly wasn't this.

"We must give credit where credit is due and right now he deserves it." Mrs Cho responded. "She is right and to be honest I quite enjoyed how he handled everything." Mr Chang admitted.

"It's not every day you get to see someone go head to head with the devil herself. If he can do that much then maybe he is ready after all." Mrs Kwon agreed cheerfully. "I feel safer leaving the company to him than to that evil woman."

"In that case is everyone in favour of Ji Won taking on the role of CEO?" Chairman Jung asked.

"You most certainly have my vote." Mrs Kwon said.

"And mine." Mr Chang was quick to follow.

"Me too." Mrs Cho said.

"And me."

"You have mine as well."

The board members were quick to agree.

"I am glad to see you all agree. All that's left is his inauguration, it shall take place as soon as possible." Chairman Jung concluded with a smile.

"Thank you for giving me a listening ear and putting your faith in me. I will do my best to make you all proud." Ji Won said with a humble bow. "I apologize for my abrupt exit but I must take my leave now. There is a matter of urgency that needs to be taken care of." He smiled politely one last time and left before they could say anything.

Baek Jin laughed awkwardly as Ji Won exited the meeting room, he tried his best to gather his pieces of equipment as quickly as he could so he could catch up with his friend.

Ji Won was glad that he was able to handle a case as sensitive as this one but there was a certain vermin he needed to personally attend to.

Shin Chul Hee.

***

"I understand that you're worried but your constant pacing is starting to make me dizzy," Him-Chan complained.

Ae Ra paused and slowly turned to him. "How are you so calm?" She asked, amazed by him. "It's a skill I've come to master over the years," he replied.

Him-Chan had filled her in on everything they discovered along with a sincere apology for accusing her. She did not expect them to uncover so much, never in her wildest dreams did she expect Mr Ling would betray Chairman Jung like that.

The police dragged them out a while ago, shouldn't they be coming out of the meeting room about now? The board had voted her out of the meeting because they still had their suspicions. Now she was stuck out here waiting with Him-Chan.

Him-Chan was not a person of many words so she could not pass the time with him to distract herself. Leaving her very active brain more than enough peace to think of every worst-case scenario. She was extremely worried about Chairman Jung.

How would he react to Mr Ling's betrayal? Did he lose consciousness again? Are they still indoors because they discovered the truth? She squeezed her eyes shut as she groaned loudly, there were far too many nerves at work in her to simply be calm.

She turned around to resume pacing around but bumped into someone. The force of impact threw her off her footing but he caught her in his arms. "Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

She peered her eyes open, thankful to be caught in time. "I am, thank you." His stark black hair was slicked back neatly leaving her a lovely view of the most beautiful pair of silver eyes she had ever seen. His thick eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as he stared at her.

She couldn't help but admire his pale white skin and beautiful silver eyes; they suited his chiselled face perfectly. She stared past his eyes down to his high bridge nose and slightly full lips. The longer she stared at him the more familiar this stranger felt to her.

His eyes wandered all over her flawless smooth face. She had big brown eyes that were glossed over in curiosity and straight brown eyebrows that matched her long straight brown hair. His eyes trailed past her straight nose to her round pink lips that were slightly open, something about this was all too familiar to him.

Their eyes widened a fraction as a mutual dawn of realisation hit them. "You?!" They yelled simultaneously. He dropped her immediately and jumped away from the woman he thought he would never see in his life again.

"Ouch!" She yelled as she came in contact with the floor.

Did he just drop me?

She wasn't sure what shocked her more between being dropped and him being the man from that night.

She glared at him as she picked herself up. How could she forget those pair of eyes? They were cold and unflinching just as it was that night. It was the man she met from Inferno. The longer Ae Ra stared at his face the wider her eyes got, why does he have such a striking resemblance to Chairman Jung?

Why did he come from the meeting room? There was no way he could be who she thought he was right?

He glared right back at her, the memories from that night flashing through his mind. Without a doubt, it was the crazy lady he had met at Inferno that night. Who was she and what was she doing here? His eyes landed on Him-Chan, he said he was going to wait for them with Miss Ae Ra.

There was no way the woman who was the cause of this issue in the first place was her. The employee he did everything to protect, it can't be her, right?

"CEO Jung, why the rush?" Baek Jin asked sarcastically as he caught up with him. It was awkward to gather his things all alone in front of the meeting room.

Ae Ra turned slightly to the man who joined them. He had messy blonde hair with alluring copper-brown eyes that were shielded by reading glasses. He was extremely tall, around 6'2 which was slightly shorter than the 6'4 rude man that dropped her. He had high cheekbones, a sharp jawline and a wide pair of lips. He was extremely gorgeous and that's exactly why she recognized him.

Baek Jin looked between Ji Won and the unfamiliar woman wondering why they seemed so horrified to meet each other and then it hit him. He had only taken a brief look at her that night but he was certain that she was the woman Ji Won spent the night with.

Oblivious to what was unfolding before them, Him-Chan took a step forward. "Miss Ae Ra, this is Master Ji Won, the new CEO and Mr Choi, his assistant."

Baek Jin knew how Ji Won could be so he quickly jumped in. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Ae Ra, whom I've never met before." He chuckled with an outstretched hand.

Ji Won cocked his brow at Baek Jin, did he not recognize her? "What do you mean we've never met–" He was cut off by Miss Ae Ra.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr Choi, whom I've never met before." She laughed nervously as she shook hands with him.

Since they were going to pretend they never met, Ae Ra faced Ji Won with a polite smile. "It's an honour to meet you, sir." She bowed deeply.

"Watch where you're going next time." He replied curtly and left with Baek Jin hot on his tail. Her head remained bowed until she could no longer hear their footsteps.

"Miss Ae Ra, you can raise your head, they're gone," Him-Chan said.

She stiffly raised her head with an awkward smile. "Oh? I didn't notice." She forced a laugh, embarrassed by how he ignored her. He did not have to be so rude to her, she scowled as she sat next to Him-Chan.

The board members poured out of the meeting room happily, each too busy in their own world to notice both Him-Chan and Ae Ra.

"Chairman Jung!" Ae Ra called excitedly as she met him midway. "How did the meeting go, sir?" She asked.

He broke into a proud smile. "Much better than I could have possibly hoped for."

Ae Ra visibly relaxed upon hearing this. "That's a relief, sir." She was glad that the news of Mr Ling's betrayal did not hurt him too much.

"Indeed it is, my son did a great job. I can almost be at ease during my vacation." He sighed. "If you don't mind me asking, sir. Why 'almost?'" She probed.

"I couldn't admit it to the board but my son has no experience whatsoever, he's worse off than an intern. He may be smart but it's not enough to survive here." Chairman Jung sighed. "He'll need someone reliable and trustworthy by his side to guide him through everything." Ae Ra listened attentively to him.

"That's why I am thinking of making you my son's Secretary."