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In today's world, people give priority to makeup before breakfast.

You ask them to eat a bowl of cereal before they go, they would run out in a hurry to catch a train or bus saying they don't have time for that. But makeup? It is perfectly applied before they step out of the house, how much time it takes.

Jeongguk likes to travel by subway sometimes because he comes across a lot of office workers that are either in a hurry or too busy to look up from their phones. He doesn't want to sound like a creep but he likes to analyse what the person was thinking or how much time they have from how their makeup was applied.

Secretary Kim calls him JK Holmes, going around being a makeup detective.

"A lot of people have switched to heavy skincare these days." Jeongguk points out as soon as he enters the meeting room. Then he walks to the end of the table and leans with his both hands propped on the table. "Time to level up our game."

It took four years for BE to reach where it is.

Jeongguk started with nothing, with no intention than to just indulge in his interest of developing and studying cosmetics. The idea of the first product, the simplest of all— a lipstick shade— with the guarantee of lasting for nine hours, started in his college dorm. He discussed it with one of his professors who allowed him to use the lab for its making.

Twenty lipsticks of that shade— he sold it during the annual college gala with a demand for more. It brought him unexplainable joy and he didn't understand it.

Seeing people being happy with his products still brings him that joy, and even he can understand it now...he refuses to acknowledge it.

"Tomorrow, you have fifteen interviews with local media, magazines and one with the editor representative of Persona." Secretary Kim informs him. "As we had expected, the sales of the magazine doubled with this issue."

"Ofcourse, it has my face on it."

"Don't get cocky now." Kim scoffs but then hums. "But you know I was thinking how good it is to have you on the cover. Like sometimes models take all the attention, the audience hardly pays attention to the brand they endorse. But having the CEO as the model himself, they are going to end up here in some way."

Jeongguk grins, flipping through some expected questions at the interview.

"By the way, did you hear about the BU visit at Wings' factories?"

Jeongguk halts, "You are oddly talkative today."

He says, flicking his eyes up at the older, brows furrowed. He shakes his head, eyes curiously staring at his secretary to tell him more about it.

"Well, there had been some issues relating to illicit business practices and working conditions at Wings. That's why Ms Yoon hurried back from Jindo, she had to be in Daegu."

Jeongguk nods. "So, what's the status?"

"They're going to call her for questioning from what I know."

The younger nods again, looking back at the questions. He is curious, and confused. Minhee can be ignorant in general about minute details and overlook issues that she decides are insignificant but misconduct in business is something she won't do. She's Yoon Daejun's daughter, he can only imagine what kind of hold the man has on the entire industry and over Wings' management. It is not possible.

"It's pretty bad this time." Secretary Kim says, "They're going to bring up the smallest complaints about Wings' and try to escalate the issue. From what I see, they are collectively trying to take down her."

Jeongguk's shoulders tense. He gives a pointed look to the older, "Alright, and why are you telling me this?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you should know what's happening in the industry." Kim says, "Also, with your girlfriend, CEO Jeon."

Jeongguk licks his lips. It's the first time Secretary Kim has acknowledged Minhee as his girlfriend and god, it feels so wrong. He looks up at the man, trying to figure out why he felt the need to address Minhee as Jeongguk's girlfriend.

"You know we're in a pretend relationship, right?" he says. Secretary Kim pushes his glasses up and just shrugs.

Jeongguk knew he wouldn't get any reaction from him, it wouldn't change a thing. He sometimes hates that Kim is like that.

He dismisses his secretary, getting back to work when a thought passes his mind, out of blue. "Wait— Secretary Kim— will it be possible for you to bring in Wings' financial analysis of the past three years?"

...

Minhee can see it, how it unfolds in front of her eyes.

There's a hole in the system, or should she say small holes in the system that are enough to break the foundation of Wings. The legal team has been up and down the whole day, working through the accusations, the media, the possible solutions to get out of this situation and when Minhee comes back from the questioning, they are all over her, asking everything about it.

Minhee tells them honestly, discusses every issue they brought up whether it was a late delivery complaint from three months back to the current situation and by the time they draft a solution for everything, it's past one at night.

Dahyun offers her a drive but Minhee refuses. The former insists but Minhee just sits inside her car, driving away.

Her father had asked her to be at home right after work. She wonders if she should go this late. Instead, she decides to go back to Wings and sit on its rooftop, where she can see everyone but no one at the same time.

Interesting. Peaceful. Cold.

Minhee actually has a minor case of acrophobia, she hates heights. That's why her office is often covered in blinds, she feels nauseated if she ever looks down from the glass panel. But she sits there, three feet back, staring at the sky.

She has to attend a cruise dinner tomorrow with Jeongguk.

Thinking of him reminds her of the night at the seashore. The silhouette of two people sitting on the beach only inches apart, leaning into each other's breaths. She thinks if it was even real, was that the Jeongguk she knows? Or if she actually knows him? Then the silhouette crumples down to remind her of Jeongguk's eyes on the cover of Persona. She didn't look at it for more than ten seconds— but the image lingers. He probably got the Jung deal too, she assumes.

The thought brings her to go back down all the memories she has of Jeongguk. The first time she had seen him, the first time she had talked to him, the first time she had seen him at her house and every time how it ended with her dad preferring him over her.

...

It's five in the morning before she knows it, the sky starts morphing into colours of the rising sun and Minhee is back in her office after taking a shower in her private bathroom. Her dad's secretary texts her again about coming to meet the chairman today.

She decides she cannot avoid him for long and has to face him someday. If these are the bad days, then she would as well finish up having him criticise her right now than when she actually proves her capability and ruin her mood.

As if things can't go worse, then comes a call.

"CEO Yoon, we need you on the twentieth floor."

The twentieth floor is where the legal team has spread its whole office along with a small team of customer service. On some other day, Minhee would have caused a ruckus about having the nerve to call her down instead of reporting in themselves but the girl on the call was breathless, panicked even.

And she can see it. The panic.

When she steps on the twentieth floor.

Utter chaos.

A pandemonium.

Everyone is going crazy over various damage control procedures that need to be done. "Sir, this is a disaster," one of her public relations team members tells the managing director who is also standing there, scrolling through the iPad in his hand as he navigates all the trending blog posts.

"How bad is it? Give me a number," the managing director pipes in, eyes focused down the screen of his laptop, fingers tapping wildly on the keyboard. "We need to know so we can take down and report the posts as soon as possible."

"Has anyone seen the KOSPI update?" One asks in a panicky voice.

The PR team along with the legal team is currently working on the response due to the recent scandal that hit the general public mere hours ago.

It's only been a day since Minhee came after the questioning with BU, conjured solutions and she's still recovering from the whiplash she experienced all these days. Now, there's leaked information about Wings' sales ratio that exposes a significant gap in the tracking of sales. In simple words, it states that there is no record of 'how much was earned or spent' over a period of three months last year.

It's a disaster indeed.

People keep questioning about the records that are missing and the media keeps worsening the lack of trust.

Then Minhee is dealing with everything hands-on, directing each department on what they should do, asking her executives to give her hourly reports and updates should a new situation arise.

She should have known better.

Minhee rubs the bridge of her nose. She's tired, hasn't slept in days preparing for the campaign, then the scandals, the whole fake dating thing and whatnot and she's already dealing with another problem that's entirely different from staring at numbers the entire day.

The legal department should be dealing with this, frankly speaking. But she just can't...

"Any worst developments I need to know?" she asks, snapping his fingers in the air to catch the attention of the rest of his public relations team. When all of his employees shook their heads in unison, she turned towards one of the employees and asked about the stocks.

"There's a steady fall at the moment, CEO Yoon, and we're already expecting the worst for the next hour if the posts about you won't get taken down," he explains on autopilot, refusing to meet Minhee's gaze. "The lines are steadily decreasing, we're the green one, Ma'am, and the red is our competitors. At this rate, Choi groups will take the lead."

She clicks her tongue in annoyance before slapping her hand on the desk.

It's building up, the rage, the frustration, the disappointment, the—

"Fuck, it's this bad already? What are all of you doing for the past hour? I'm not paying everyone here to work half-ass on this!" Minhee fumes, and the employee before her shakes from where he stands.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, we're doing our best—" The employee stutters.

"Is this your best?" MInhee half shouts, nearly flailing. "Don't tell me it is because I know that all of you can do better!"

She feels the distant throb of migraine vibrating at the back of her head, and it's sending her over the edge. Mrs Lee made a mess and now Minhee is cleaning after something that isn't even related to it.

"CEO Yoon, a call for you."

Minhee takes the phone from Mina, giving her a pointed look as she tells her nothing about who or what the call is about.

"Minhee."

Her heart drops.

"Come home this instant."

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forget the schedule, imma update asap now