Cinderella Story

Kim Ji Hyun walked down the halls of the Orange Orchard Incorporated’s building with her ponytailed long black hair swishing behind her with every step. People that met her gaze or saw her bespectacled face swiftly bowed in her presence and had their bows returned with a stiff nod. The twenty-eight-year-old IT Department Manager’s steps were even, precise, as she strode towards the President’s office with a serious look. When she arrived at the office’s imposing double doors, she took a deep breath. She nodded at the President’s secretary who let her in after three perfunctory knocks. Kim Ji Hyun stepped into the office like it was clockwork to her. And just like she always did, she looked at the nameplate with golden lettering before bowing at the man who sat behind the massive table that was stacked with documents that needed his signature.

Lee Yeong Jun - President & CEO of Orange Orchard Incorporated.

Although he had passed sixty years old and his hair had turned completely gray, the man was fit and had an imposing presence of a businessperson still in his prime. It seemed he had no intention of retiring and handing over the company to his adopted grandson who was the current Vice President of Orange Orchard, Lee Min Jun.

“Ah, no need for formalities. It’s not as if you haven’t been here to hear my whining before,” the President said as he pointed to the sofa set that sat in the side of his wide office. “This will be a long talk. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

Kim Ji Hyun could probably list at least five things she could be doing now instead of being in his office but instead she took a seat and shook her head. “I’m okay. The IT Department can survive without me for a few minutes.”

“Well then, I’m sure they’ll be fine.” Lee Yeong Jun sat opposite her and poured a cup of tea for himself. He poured another cup and handed it to her. “So, I looked into your attendance record, and I saw you haven’t taken any leaves or absences this year.”

Kim Ji Hyun nodded. “I’m saving it up for my brother’s tuition.”

The President rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “He’s going to college, right? And one of the most prestigious ones at that. However, I think you’re making enough for his tuition while still having quite a lot to put away for your savings. So, knowing you, you’re probably saving for something else.”

The usually composed female’s face turned pink. She tucked a few stray strands of her hair behind her ear and looked away. “I was thinking… of upgrading my current gaming setup at home without touching my savings.”

The President took a few moments to digest her words. He didn’t peg her for a gamer. But then again, he knew the IT Department would sometimes go out to PC Cafes on their days off for something called a LAN Party. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was their department head’s idea.

“Anyway,” He cleared his throat, “-the reason why I called you here is actually quite embarrassing.”

Kim Ji Hyun took a sip of her tea and made a guess. “Is it because of the Vice President again?”

Lee Yeong Jun sighed. He grumbled, “That ungrateful adopted grandson of mine really is a pain in the neck. When I adopted him when I was in my forties, he wouldn’t call me father because I was old. And although I settled for him calling me grandfather and doted on him like a parent would, he decides to run wild and is currently making one scandal after another with him dating models and famous pop stars.”

Kim Ji Hyun nodded calmly. This was something the entire company and its subsidiaries knew. It was probably the reason why their Marketing and Legal departments were currently working like their lives depended on it. It was nothing new. She stared at the President and asked, “Did he breakup in a flashy way again? Do you need the IT Department to do something?”

Lee Yeong Jun stiffened. Then, his usually stoic face had turned a bit sheepish – like a boy caught doing something wrong.

“No, not the IT Department.” He coughed. “Just you.”

The female blinked. “Me?”

“You see, we argued a few months ago about the publicity he was getting. Although it wasn’t affecting his work, I reminded him to be mindful about the Company’s image and the attention he was getting. And you know how aggravated Min Jun can be when it comes to defending his pride,” the President explained.

She nodded. Nevertheless, she had a hunch that the President had probably rubbed salt in the wound and that it had turned into a verbal sparring match between grandfather and his adopted grandson.

The room fell silent. Kim Ji Hyun thought about what the President wanted her for and asked, “Do you want me to assist the Marketing and Legal teams without the IT Department knowing?”

Again, the man’s face turned sheepish. “Actually, wouldn’t you join Cinderella Story for me?”

Kim Ji Hyun’s face turned blank. She repeated his words. “Cinderella… Story.”

“You see, the ungrateful bastard apparently went behind my back and used his connections to sign up as the next ‘Prince Charming’ for Cinderella Story – that reality show with eight girls trying to get the attention of the eligible bachelor within ten days. And when I heard about it, I impulsively decided to register someone who I thought was his polar opposite and would get on his nerves quite a lot,” the President began. The more he talked, the more embarrassed he looked. “Since Min Jun did come barging in my office last year demanding that I fire you because you saw him doing something indecent in his office in the middle of the day, I decided to fill up an application for you thinking it wouldn’t do much harm.”

The female’s face froze over and was as cold as Mount Everest. “President, I don’t think that’s part of my job description. And I don’t think I’ll get picked over the thousands of applicants who usually register for that kind of show.”

“Well, when my head cleared up, I thought so too.” This time, Lee Yeong Jun’s face had turned completely flush. “Unfortunately, I forgot that Executive Producer Cha Myeong Sun – an old friend of mine – is the head producer of Cinderella Story. And when he caught wind that I had sent an application for someone, he immediately approved it right away and asked the entire production team to keep it a secret so he could surprise me. He just called me this morning and apparently, the taping will begin next week so there’s no time to select a different candidate. Uh… He thought he was doing both of us a favor.”

Kim Ji Hyun’s eyebrows crumpled. “What do you mean by that, Mr. President?”

“Well, I usually contact him whenever problems about Min Jun arises, and he usually makes sure his broadcasting company keeps news about Min Jun quiet. He thought this was a similar favor. And he also thought that, well – maybe you like Min Jun so he’d be doing you a favor as well?”

The corner of Kim Ji Hyun’s lips twitched. “I despise him with my life and also, I respectfully decline.”

“I know you’d say that.” The President scratched the back of his head. “Unfortunately, when I told Myeong Sun he yelled at me saying there’s no way he could review more than ten thousand applications in a week and find a suitable replacement so he told me to convince you if I could.”

“Mr. President,” Kim Ji Hyun took a deep breath, “-the IT Department currently has two ongoing projects, and it is of utmost importance that I stay on top of both.”

“About that – I actually asked around, and your department is ahead of schedule by almost a week and with issues that the project team can manage without them needing your approval,” Lee Yeong Jun said.

She shook her head. “But my brother and the possible project turnover-”

Lee Yeong Jun didn’t let her finish. “I’ll be sending a housekeeper to take care of your house and your brother. And it’ll be a paid vacation treated as an incentive, so your leaves won’t be touched.”

Kim Ji Hyun was speechless. “What?”

“Also, I’m assigning one person from my administrative team to oversee the department for the time that you’ll be gone. You know I only pick the best, so you can rest assured that your department will be intact by the moment you get back to work.”

“But that’s-”

“I’m begging you. Just treat it as a mandatory vacation that I’m forcing you to attend since you’ve never gone on a long vacation before in the 8 years you’ve worked for the company.” The President humbly bowed his head. When he rose, he had a pleading look in his eyes.

“Won’t you do it? This season’s Cinderella Story will be filmed in Jeju Island. You don’t have to try to win his heart, and I’ll tell Producer Cha Myeong Sun to reduce your screen time as much as possible. Just enjoy the games and do what you want to your heart’s content. And my relationship with Cha PD goes a long way. He’s also a big help to us whenever Min Jun causes a scandal. The easiest thing to do would be to go along with the flow. Won’t you do that for me?”

Kim Ji Hyun sighed. She took a few moments to gather her wits. After a while, she spoke.

“President… can I take the rest of the day off then? I think I need time to process this.”

Lee Yeong Jun’s face lit up. “Ji Hyun, take the rest of the week off if you must. I’ll include it in your paid vacation.”

Kim Ji Hyun shook her head. “No. Just today. I’ll need to turn over my responsibilities and coordinate with your administrative team for the rest of the week.”

The President gave her a relieved sigh. “Ah… you really do your job well. I’m lucky to have you. But if your mind changes, tell me.”

The female nodded. Then, after a while, she said, “Is that all, Mr. President?”

Lee Yeong Jun smiled, “That’s all.”

“Then, I’ll be going,” Kim Ji Hyun replied. With that, she stood up, thanked the President for the tea, and left his room with the same serious expression she had when she entered it. Her steps were even, her head was held high, but there was a slight tremble in her hands that went unnoticed by everyone that passed her by.

***

Lee Min Jun exited one of Seoul’s high-class bars with a woman in his arms. As soon as he saw his signature black Subaru stopping by the entrance, he kissed the woman on the cheek and entered the car with graceful movements. He fixed his navy-blue suit and unfastened his tie the moment the car left. He unbuttoned the first two buttons of his crisp white shirt revealing his well-defined Adam’s apple that bobbed up and down every time he swallowed.

With a swift movement, he took his phone out of his pocket and called his secretary. His good-looking face scrunched up a few minutes into the call and his perfectly angled jaw dropped at whatever his secretary was saying.

“What!? That old geezer actually put in an application for Cinderella Story on behalf of Kim Ji Hyun? The IT Department Manager?! The woman who dared go into my office without knocking!?”

‘She knocked, sir. Three times. It was pretty loud we could hear it from the adjacent room,’ his secretary replied with a small voice from the other end of the call.

“That’s not the point!” The rage in Lee Min Jun’s voice was palpable. “You shouldn’t have let her in while I was-”

The man cleared his throat as he vividly remembered the IT Department Manager’s wide eyes while he was busy locking lips with his then-girlfriend. Lee Min Jun shook his head. “Ah, whatever! Anyway, find out what grandfather is planning. That old man won’t achieve what he wants and won’t get in my way.”

His secretary’s nervous voice rang from the phone. ‘What are you planning sir? What about Kim Ji Hyun?’

Lee Min Jun scoffed. “I don’t need to deal with her. Just find out what President Lee Yeong Jun is plotting.”

He swiped his finger over the screen and ended the call. He recalled the woman’s face who had brazenly entered his office while he was in the middle of doing something important.

Yes, he wasn’t going to do anything about her. He didn’t even plan on touching a single hair on her head. A devilish smile graced his lips as his thoughts wandered to what he was going to do once Cinderella Story began.

“If this is Cinderella Story, it wouldn’t be too surprising if there were stepsisters bullying the other candidates, would it?” Lee Min Jun mumbled to himself. “After all, jealous women can be quite scary sometimes.”

The man looked out the car window with a smile still on his face. He couldn’t wait to see how the frail-looking IT Department Manager would react to the game he was going to prepare for her.