PROMPTS

Of Mergers and Marriages - 4

"Ms. Yoon, please. The sequins works for this dress! Can't we keep it?"

Yoon Se-Ri's favorite designer had been pleading with her for the past hour to keep it. The black dress fit Yoon Se-Ri perfectly -- its square neck showed off her shoulders and clavicles that all fashion magazines commented on when she would appear in red carpets; then it cinches her small waist before it flared on her hips and plump behind to drop into a structured column to the floor.

The only details the simple gown had were that it did not have a back and there were sequins on the back part to draw even more attention to Yoon Se-Ri's beautiful skin that will be revealed.

"Make it into a mesh or velvet or faux fur... there are so many things that would work. I am not wearing anything with sequins!" Se-Ri declared.

Seeing that Yoon Se-Ri was not going to budge on these issues, the couturier decided to drop the argument and find another option that was more palatable. After all, having Yoon Se-Ri wear your gown was a sure way to get more clients from celebrities and other individuals who belonged to that sector in society.

Once the couturier left, Yoon Se-Ri turned to Hong Chang-Sik and asked, "Why do I have to the gala again? Why can't I just send my donation like I do in previous years?"

"Your father requested that you join him this year, Ms. Yoon," Mr. Hong said. "He wanted to discuss something with you."

"And we couldn't do that anywhere else but in a charity ball?" Yoon Se-Ri sarcastically commented, rolling her eyes.

"Should I decline the invitation, Ma'am? I can inform your father that you prefer to meet somewhere else," Mr. Hong offered.

Se-Ri sighed. "Nevermind. I might as well go. It's not as if I had anything to do on Saturday anyway."

Mr. Hong told her about another order of business that was important. "Ms. Yoon, we lost the slot at the corner mall for our high-end fall line. Another group paid the rent in full for the year so the prime spot was given to them."

"WHAT?! We promised our partners that they would be featured in that specific spot in the mall," Se-Ri screeched. "What's an equivalent  location that's available?"

"There's one at Mr. Kim's store."

"Which Mr. Kim?"

Mr. Hong flinched before saying, "Mr. Kim Joo Won."

*

Kim Joo Won stared at the shoe now perched on one of the slots in his shelf.

He didn't know what possessed him to take it, but now he had no idea what to do with it. His pride would not allow him to return it. After all, what did he say, "Sorry for being childish"? No, he was not going to say sorry to that woman.

But what on earth did one do with a shoe that did not belong to Cinderella and when one wasn't Prince Charming?

He used it as a bookend.

Im Jong-soo walked in Kim Joo Won's office and saw his best friend/boss staring at that mysterious shoe again. "Will you ever tell me what kind of kinky sh*t did you pull off to get some woman's shoe that you can't stop staring at?"

Kim Joo Won rolled his eyes but did not answer. "Why are you here? Have you solved those numbers from the department store that don't match? I'm telling you. There's something fishy going on there."

"We're looking at it," Im Jong-soo replied. "Give us a few days. Not everyone is a numbers genius like you."

"Fine. What's my schedule for the next days?"