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Jo Yi-Seo.
She was multi-talented power blogger and a social media influencer. Also, smart, with an IQ of 162, and graduated as a valedictorian from one of the top South Korean Universities, which she entered on scholarships. An inspiration to over 1.5 million followers, she was the most sought out girl by various major organisations.
Also, she was a high-functioning sociopath.
Life for her had been hard. Absentee father, hard-working mother and an ever-present judgement from people who had no business judging her was the norm for her. Growing up in the States and shifting to Korea had been difficult too.
Moreover, the sociopath thing was a bit of a problem. She was, in simpler words, socially inept, incapable of sympathy, un-understanding of the ways of the society, impulsive, manipulative, etc. Not so many simple words. But, what she was capable of was planning, strategizing and being independent.
Not that her mother hated her. It was just that she had always been a burden on her mother, what with her obsessive need to win. God, her mother had her hands full. So, she had been independent, at least money-wise from the age of eighteen.
Basically, she had made a name for herself. Restaurant owners invited bloggers like her to promote their business, also, because of her social media presence, she was model for various upcoming products from small scale start-ups to some large established corporations.
All this, at the age of twenty-five.
So, her life had been hard, but she had made it. To her, living life had felt like such a chore. All everyone ever says about life is that, through hard-work, you can achieve anything. When a baby is born, the mother works hard to keep the baby alive, when the child grew up, they work hard at school, then at university, then at their jobs, then on their marriage and then on babies again. It is a never ending circle. Work, work, work. Life was a predictable mess that everyone encouraged you to take part in. You tried and tried to clear the mess only to fail again and again.
At least that’s what she had always thought.
Oh, how wrong she had been.
Her views on life had changed when she had met him.
Park Saeroyi.
Daepyo-Nim Park of IC Co. He was expelled out of High School for punching a rich boy. He was sent to jail for assaulting the same rich guy. He was a worker for deep-sea fishing vessel and manual labourer. He was someone who just owned a not very successful pub on the streets of Itaewon.
And now look at him, Daepyo-Nim of the biggest corporation in whole of Asia. Seriously, the level of dedication she had seen in him, made her realise that she was being such whiny teenager.
She had always followed the names in the food business. President Chen of ChinaWei Corp., Chairman Ahn of Ahn Group, President Jang of Jangga Co., are some of her role models. But Chairman Park of IC Co. was somewhat of a role model, idol and celebrity crush, all rolled into one. When she had read about him, being the most successful Chairman while also being young, she had been impressed.
She had read about him, his failures, his successes, his past with Jangga Co., his motivations, his hardships, everything. She was a fan.
Also, she wanted to apply to IC Co. for a job. Her life was finally on track. She was earning enough through her little side projects, but a real job at the most coveted corporation was her mother’s dream for her. And she had worked hard to achieve that dream.
And working at IC Co. would be a challenge. She has seen countless interviews, and done research. Apparently, IC Co. did things differently than any food company in the market. Daepyo-Nim Park has always been different than other successful Chairmen and CEOs. It was widely known fact that while other companies focused on profits to succeed in the business, Daepyo-Nim Park valued people.
Known for his unconventional ways to solve problems and find solutions, his way of handling things was totally opposite of that of her. This was also the reason she respected him more than anyone else.
However, even though it felt like he could do no wrong, it seemed like initially his business was doomed. And that he thought more with his fists than with brains. And also that he was considered an idealist in a world of realists.
And an idealist he was. Only an idealist would plan revenge on a corporation the size of Jangga Co., hoping that he would succeed. And he did. The day IC Co. had taken over the market, taking lead, even over Jangga Co., was the day he had succeeded in his revenge. He had then moved forward to buy Jangga Co. out when its share value had plummeted because of another blunder by the elder son of President Jang.
Now, by all means, she had planned to apply for the job like any sane person would. Through proper channels and procedures. She had always been a rule-breaker. She liked to call it being eccentric. Her mother called her extreme. But this had been the one thing she had wanted to do properly. It was her mother’s dream, after all her mother’s done for her, she would say that this is the least she could do for her mother.
But alas, she was also an opportunist. So when she saw Park Saeroyi at her cousin’s wedding, she jumped at the opportunity to make an acquaintance. He was alone, at the bar, nursing what looked like whiskey on the rocks. She approached him, and sat down beside him, one bar stool between them. She ordered a glass of red wine.
“Daepyo-Nim Park? Pleasure to meet you. I’m one of the Bride’s Cousins.” She offered her hand.
He looked at her hand, then at her. Slowly, as if sizing her up, or checking her out, his eyes moved head to toe and then back. He turned and shook her hand, “Park Saeroyi, one of the Bride’s friends.”
She turned to look at Unni, who looked like she was having the time of her life. She turned to look at Daepyo-Nim, to notice the weird look he had in his eyes. She turned to see Unni too, looking at Daepyo-Nim with a kind of sorrow. Understanding the scene, even though not having a clue as to the full history, she turned back to the bar and looked at her drink.
Without turning, she asked, “First Love? The elusive ‘One’ that got away?”
He turned back to look at her, eyebrows raised and questioning eyes.
She looked at him, glass of wine pointing to her Unni, she said, “I know that she was in love with someone for a long time, but she said she dumped him because, and I quote, ‘He could not look past his fucking differences with people he had no chance of defeating.’ So I assume you are the guy.”
The look on his face was indescribable. He looked at her, sighed and said, “Soo-Ah-Yah. She was my first love, and we kind of dumped each other. She asked me to give up my revenge against Jangga Co., live with her, build a life with her, and at that time it was the most important thing in my life, so instead I rejected her and she didn’t think that I would ever succeed, so instead, she gave up waiting for me and moved on. And since my friends were her friends, and we kind of kept in touch, the next thing I knew was that she was marrying this amazing Chef she had met at one of the many competitions she attends to scout for talent, and well she is happy. No point reminiscing.”
He stopped and looked down at his drink. He looked up at her and said, “I guess I’ve had too much to drink. I should probably stop if I want to prevent a scene from taking place.”
She laughed and looked at him. “Imagine the headlines. Daepyo-Nim Park, drowning his sorrows, drinks after drink, at ex-girlfriend’s wedding. Passes out. The press would have a field day. Your share value might even get affected. And the Guanxi in China with Masa Distributions, well trust and faith in relationships are important right?”
She turned to look at him, and he had the look of a man who finally realised what this was about. Obviously, one had to be smart to lead a failing business to the most successful corporations in Asia. He looked at her in a new light. He raised his eyebrows and questioned her, “And what would you know about that Miss...? Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”
“There would be time for introductions later on. At this moment, I am pretty sure you have a board full of members who want to build Guanxi with a new partner. And, I’m pretty sure, since Masa Distributions was the one that helped IC Co. to enter the Chinese market, Daepyo-Nim Park is reluctant to let go of them just because Masa is, currently, a falling empire.” She smirked.
Noticing she clearly had more to say on the topic, he urged her to continue. “Instead of investing, I don’t know, probably two to four billion won in a new partner, you could point out that the eldest son of the Chairman of Masa Distribution is getting married. To the second daughter of the Chairman of the huge online platform, Tancent Inc. That way, you get to keep the relationship, while at the same time, you get to point out that being connected to a huge online platform, well, would lead to a more advantageous situation instead of investing in some new partner.”
At this, she raised the glass in cheers and proceeded to move back to the event, leaving him to his glass of whiskey and contemplating. She had played her move. Now it was up to him.
Park Saeroyi was a little annoyed, but more impressed. He knew what the girl had done just now. She had piqued his interest, but left, so that instead of being appreciated immediately, he would have to follow her.
He quickly contacted the appropriate channels to confirm whether the tip he had received was right or wrong, and when it was confirmed, he drank his whiskey in one shot, and got up, to find the girl.
It didn’t seem hard. She was, after all, dressed like a siren. Wearing a dark green dress, darker than the forest, with the highest golden heels he had probably seen in his life. Her dress had fit her body deliciously, and if she hadn’t mentioned the company, he was sure that it was more looking for a hook-up than an introduction to Soo-Ah’s family tree.
He was all prepared to reject her when the time came, but then she had intrigued him. He knew she had manipulated him to follow her, it was clear, but well, someone so well-spoken, well-informed and beautiful had had a conversation with him, that had managed to, after such a long time, intrigue him into looking for her.
He finally found her at the dance floor. She was dancing with some guy, and it looked like she was bored out of her mind. So when the song came to an end, he moved towards them and politely interrupted to ask for a chance to dance with her.
The guy seems reluctant at first, but soon stepped aside when he realised who he was. Apologizing, he backed off and he had the girl in his arms.
He looked down at her, because even with heels, she was tiny compared to him. He said, “How did you know about the marriage? Not even my staff In China knew about it.”
She looked up at him, through her eyelashes, “Come on Daepyo-Nim, we are at a wedding, you are dancing with a beautiful girl, do you really want to talk business.” And she raised her eyebrows, which was somehow both cute and dare he say it, sexy.
He looked at her, as though he could just stare her into submission, but alas, she didn’t budge. She just smirked, and looked as though it was just easy, to get information like that.
What was more incredulous was that she did the complete opposite of what he expected her to do. When he had expected her to flirt, she had dropped a bomb of information on him. And now that he wanted to know more, she was flirting with him.
She whined a bit, attracting his attention back to her. “Since this wedding is clearly a pain for you, and now that you’ve made an appearance on the dance floor, you think we could get out of here?” and raised her eyebrows in the universal sign of a come on.
He was surprised of her bold approach and said, “Yaah, I don’t even know your name. How can you, don’t you have to stay as the Cousin of the Bride?”
At this she just laughed and said, “Unni would be glad if I left early. And what’s the rush, haven’t you heard, good things come to those who wait.”
The look on her face would deceive anyone of her innocence, those puppy eyes and pouting lips. God, she was perfect.
As soon as he nodded, just once, approving of her idea, she grabbed his hand and dragged him through the venue to the door. They left without anyone noticing them. Before he could even ask what she wanted to do next, she was hailing a cab and they were both headed to Itaewon.
This girl was as unpredictable as they came. He turned to her and said, “Park Saeroyi. Thank you for getting me out of that wedding and also for taking my mind off the obvious pining I had going on in there.”
She turned to him and said, “Jo Yi-Seo. Welcome for the above and also thank you, for letting me drag you out of the wedding of the cousin who hates me the most.”
He was about to ask what she meant by that, but before he could, she had stopped the cab and was getting off. Before he could recognise the area, he leaned forward to pay first. As he got off the cab, he noticed where he was. The first building he had bought. The third time he had to open DanBam.
He looked at her astonishingly, and she just shrugged and went inside. He sighed and followed her. The manager of the place instantly recognised him and came forward to greet him. He exchanged a few kind words with her, before finding Yi-Seo at a corner table.
Suspecting the need for privacy, he asked to manager to place them on the terrace, hoping it would be empty at this time. And when it was confirmed, the manager made the necessary arrangements. He went to Yi-Seo and informed her that they would be dining out. To this she raised her eyebrows again, but got up from the seat she was occupying.
He placed his hand gently on the small of her back to lead her to the stairs. She paused as she felt it, but did not comment.
Saeroyi didn’t know what was making him so bold, but, there was just something about her that was refreshing to him. He had met his fair share of women who were lionesses, but Yi-Seo felt different. Also, it was probably the tension between them.
What with his need to get this strange woman and her need to impress this impressive man.
He hoped, for some inexplicable reason, that this would turn into a long night.
They shared conversation over drinks and food. Their ideas, opinions, views, everything was different. They could not agree on even one thing, and would debate about each and everything. If Saeroyi agreed on something, Yi-Seo would disagree with it, and vice-versa.
The atmosphere was cackling with their chemistry. And as much as Saeroyi would like to deny the tension between them, it was ever present.
“Well, I am glad I went to university, the life, being a college student was somewhat of an experience. At some point, I was going to give it all up, but my Mom, she is the most important person in my life. I would do everything for her. She is also the reason I applied for a job at IC...” Yi-Seo stopped suddenly, she did not want him to know she had applied for a job at IC Co. But the cat was out of the bag. She had made a genuine mistake mentioning it.
Saeroyi caught onto what she was about to say and looked at her calculatingly, determining whether it was her aim to get him interested in her, so that he could help her with the job, or whether it was a genuine mistake. His look made her cheeks heat up, and she said, “Sorry, it wasn’t my intention to let you know about my job. This isn’t some ploy to get you to give me preferential treatment. Your HR department would no doubt give me preferential treatment after looking at my resume. I’m really sorry.”
The look on his face did not change. He leaned his elbows on the table, and settled his head on his hands and asked her, “Well, if it wasn’t that, then why would you give me such an important tip regarding what had been a very distressing matter? And why would you go to all the trouble of taking me to dinner, at my own pub? And also, why would you try and have such scintillating conversation with me and add that topic out of nowhere?” He stated all of this very matter of factly.
Now Yi-Seo, like a deer caught in headlights, realised that she had not exactly been successful in hiding all her intentions. Deciding that now was the time to come clean she looked him in the eyes and said, “Initially, it was my plan to get you hire me if my name came up when you were looking to fill that Assistant Director of Operations that had just been vacated in your comapny. But then, I’ve always had a crush on you. And you and I are having the most intellectual conversation I’ve had in months. And also, you were sad because of Unni. Now I don’t know much about love, but heartbreak hurts. You looked lonely, and as any interested female would, I took the chance to make you feel good.”
Now Saeroyi was off base. A crush on him. He had been going along to get to know her motivations, because no one that good at manipulation wouldn’t not have hidden intentions to pursue a guy like him. When she had said that she was pursuing a position in the company, he had relaxed, but when she pointed out the crush and helping him get away from heartbreak he knew they had exited the business route towards something more personal.
He looked at her, she looked young, and if he were to believe her when she said that she completed university last year, it would make her just over twenty-five years old. Entirely too young for him to even consider dating.
But she was very mature intellectually. Also, she was interested in him. He looked up at her again, and asked, “You do know that this comes with a lot of baggage.” And pointed at himself.
She chuckled and leaned forward, “That’s what makes you attractive.”
He had to applaud her guts. No one he knows would admit to liking someone like this. He gets up to lean across the glass panel at the edge of the terrace, overlooking the view of Itaewon. This was too much. This girl was too much. She was so much like him, but totally opposite. Direct, set on her beliefs, and driven, but their beliefs were totally different. And by their earlier tryst regarding the little issue in his company further proved that she was more profit oriented, but could also accommodate other values into her solutions.
He felt more than saw her lean beside him. He looked at her, and felt like he hadn’t even shed one layer of the mystery that was Jo Yi-Seo. She looked back at him. And she was beautiful, standing there. One would even say angelic.
He didn’t know what possessed him, but he leaned forward and cupped her cheeks, her full cheeks, and leaned in to kiss her. Slowly, hesitant, as if to give her room to back away, he pressed on her full lips with his own. And he wasn’t disappointed when she grabbed his hands and kissed back.
Excited even, when she slowly started moving her hands up his arms, and continued kissing him.
Before he knew it, she was biting on his lower lip, causing him to moan, and open his lips, welcoming her tongue. She tasted of chocolate and champagne. Her hands moved from his shoulders to his back and she pushed him forward. Into her. He went voluntarily. His hand moved from her cheeks to her neck, to her hair. He tugged on hair and she moaned deliciously. The need to kiss was a whole lot more than the need to breath.
It was messy, and fast, and whole lot of perfect.
So imagine his anger at the waiter when he interrupted them. They parted, and he immediately dismissed the waiter.
They leaned their foreheads together.
It had been amazing. It was amazing. She was flushed, her eyes closed. He looked at her and planted a peck on her lips. When she opened her eyes, he kissed her again. She chuckled, but kissed him back.
After a series of small kisses, she leaned back a bit, looked into his eyes and said, “I guess we should take this somewhere else.” He nodded in agreement but made no movement to follow her words. Kissing her again, he leaned into her again. She chuckled again, grabbed a hold of his face and with determination in her eyes, said, “Now!” and grabbed his hand again, for the second time this evening, and dragged him out of the pub.
It did turn into a long night. And long days. And long weekends. And long weeks. And long months. And long years.
Mostly, he was happy when it turned into a long life.