Confessions of a Philophobiac ✓

Final

As the woman sits in her luxurious armchair made of pure black leather, a manila folder lays open on her glass desk. She doesn't know what to expect and soon enough her eyebrows start to furrow the further she reads into the contents of the file. She doesn't even have to go through every single word to recognize how terribly written this particular proposal is. Her current and honest thoughts? She hates it. It lacks intelligence and creativity to her and she is determined to reprimand the person responsible for handing in such rubbish.

A heavy and annoyed sigh leaves her lips as she slams the folder shut and reaches for the phone positioned at the corner of her desk. She dials her secretary's line and after exactly three seconds the call is answered. "Yes, President Cha?" Her secretary questions, slightly frazzled as she tries to keep her breathing steady. If she had taken even another fraction of second to pick up, she would have gotten her pay cut. It's safe to say that her boss isn't the most patient person she's ever met.

"Summon Jo Soeun-sshi from the marketing department to my office right now. She better get here in less than"-she flicks her wrist over and checks the time on her rather expensive and limited-edition Rolex-"two minutes or else you're fired."

The woman on the other end gasps loudly before she hangs up and contacts the leader of the marketing department, not daring to waste another second. He takes awhile to pick up the phone and this does not help the nerves rapidly multiplying and consuming the secretary at a fast rate. "Sorry for the disturbance but President Cha wants Jo Soeun-sshi to report to her office immediately. Please send her on her way and I beg you, tell her to run here as fast she can. She has less than a minute and thirty seconds before I lose my job."

"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. On-" the double doors to Cha Aemi's office burst open as a red-faced petite woman scrambles in. She is panting hard, indicating she has used a lot of energy to get there while a thin layer of sweat blankets her skin.  Adorning her round face are a pair of thickly framed spectacles which slides down her nose bridge as she quickly bows to her superior, showing her respect without reluctance.

"You requested for me, President?" She fibs ponderously as she stands up straight. She cannot see Aemi at all since her chair is facing the large windows and can only wait with a pounding and extremely uneasy heart. It's rare for workers to be personally called into the president's office and when they were it usually never ended too well for them. They either leave in tears or are dragged out by security as they toss and turn, cursing profusely at how unfair Aemi was being.

Everyone knows how cold, blunt and merciless the owner of their company is. Plenty of gossip concerning her has circulated through the immense institution on more than one occasion as they do in the other branches situated in different parts of the continent as well. And although many do not fancy or appreciate her rigid personality, they still respect her wholeheartedly. Why you wonder? Because despite the fact that she might not be the most pleasant person to have a nice conversation with, Aemi is a strong, ambitious and independent woman (and leader) who does not need to rely on other people. She is capable of taking care of matters on her own and that's what her employees find most admirable about her.

Aemi was only twenty-two years old when she had succeeded her father, the former chief in command of the company, who had been forced into a premature retirement due to his very poor health five years ago. Well, that was the excuse his representatives dished out at the press conference anyways. Therefore it was also what the media insisted strongly upon. Thrown into the corporate world at such a young age, Aemi had encountered a number of obstacles. She had been burdened and forced to bear the weight of a multi-billion dollar company and anyone in her situation would have been distressed and panicked. But Cha Aemi wasn't just anyone.