chapter 5

It was Thursday, and for once, the office felt strangely calm. Lisa was sitting at her desk, flipping through a few emails, her mind somewhere else entirely. She had a meeting after work today...a personal one. With her father.

"No big deal," she told herself, though her stomach was doing somersaults. It wasn’t that she didn’t like meeting up with her dad, it was just that every time they talked, he would inevitably bring up The Question.

“So, when are you taking over the family business, Lisa?”

Lisa let out a soft groan just thinking about it. Her father was always pushing her to leave her job as Jennie Kim’s assistant and step into her role as the future CEO of the Manoban family company. It wasn’t a bad gig, but the thought of being her own boss especially so soon was terrifying.

And how could she explain to him that she was actually learning a lot from Jennie? Sure, Jennie was terrifying in her own right, but Lisa had come to respect her more than she ever expected to. Plus, working at Kim Industries gave her the kind of real-world experience that would help her in the long run... whenever she decided to face The Question.

"I’ll just keep it vague," Lisa thought. "A little sidestepping, some well-placed humor... I’ve got this."

Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced down at the screen to see a text from her dad: "Dinner at 7, right? Can’t wait to catch up, Lisa. Proud of you."

Lisa smiled despite her nerves. Her dad could be pushy, but he was supportive. She just hoped she could get through dinner without promising to take over the company tomorrow.

As she was lost in thought, Jennie’s voice pulled her back to reality. “Ms. Manoban, are you finished with the marketing revision?”

Lisa looked up, startled. Jennie was standing in front of her desk, her usual cool expression firmly in place.

“Oh! Yes, I mean, almost. I’ll have it done by this afternoon,” Lisa said quickly, gathering her thoughts. “I just need to add a few more details.”

Jennie raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp. “I expect it by 3:00.”

Lisa nodded, sitting up straighter. “You’ll have it by 3:00, no problem.”

Jennie didn’t respond, but her eyes lingered on Lisa for a moment longer than usual, as if she could sense something was off. “You seem distracted,” Jennie said, her voice calm but direct.

Lisa blinked, surprised by the observation. “What? No, I’m not distracted. Just... thinking. About work stuff. Very important work stuff.”

Jennie’s expression didn’t change, but her eyes narrowed slightly. “If you have something on your mind, it’s better to address it. Personal issues shouldn’t interfere with your performance.”

Lisa winced inwardly. "Of course she’d see right through me."

“Yeah, it’s nothing big,” Lisa said, trying to brush it off casually. “I just have a dinner with my dad tonight, and he’s probably going to ask me about taking over the family business again.”

Jennie’s expression remained unreadable, though Lisa noticed the tiniest flicker of something in her eyes curiosity, maybe? “Your father owns a company?”

Lisa gave a sheepish smile. “Yeah, it’s a manufacturing company. Pretty big, actually. He’s been trying to convince me to take over for a while now, but I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Jennie’s gaze didn’t waver. “If he’s confident in your abilities, why aren’t you?”

Lisa blinked, caught off guard by the question.

“Well, it’s not that I don’t think I can do it. I just... I feel like I still have a lot to learn. That’s why I wanted to work here first, you know? Get some real experience before jumping into the deep end.”

Jennie’s eyes softened just the tiniest bit, though her tone remained neutral. “Experience is valuable. But if you’re capable, you shouldn’t underestimate yourself.”

Lisa couldn’t help but smile at that. Was that Jennie’s way of giving her advice? "A rare occurrence indeed." “Thanks. I think I just need a little more time to figure things out.”

Jennie gave a small nod, her eyes returning to their usual cold intensity.

“Make sure you don’t let indecision hold you back.”

With that, she turned and walked back to her office, leaving Lisa sitting there, more thoughtful than before.

"Jennie Kim, giving life advice? What’s next?" Lisa chuckled to herself before refocusing on the task at hand. She had reports to finish before 3:00 and dinner to survive afterward.

---

By the time Lisa left the office that evening, she felt prepared or at least as prepared as she could be. She had made it through the day without any disasters, handed in her reports on time, and somehow managed to get a tiny bit of wisdom from Jennie.

"Not bad for a Thursday."

She arrived at the restaurant a little before 7:00, spotting her father already seated at a table by the window. He looked as distinguished as ever in his tailored suit, his silver hair perfectly combed, and a warm smile on his face as he waved her over.

“lisa!” he said, standing up to give her a hug. “You look great, kiddo. How’s my favourite daughter doing?”

Lisa grinned, returning the hug. “I’m your only daughter, Dad.”

He chuckled as they sat down. “All the more reason for you to be my favourite.”

They ordered their food, and the conversation started light enough her father asked about her job, Lisa gave him vague but positive updates, and they caught up on family gossip. But as soon as the entrees arrived, Lisa knew what was coming.

“So, Lisa,” her father began, his tone shifting slightly, “I know you’ve been working hard at Kim Industries, and I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished so far.”

Lisa nodded, taking a sip of her water. Here it comes.

“But,” her father continued, “don’t you think it’s time to start thinking about your future with the family business?”

Lisa smiled tightly, trying to keep things light. “Dad, we talk about this every time.”

“I know, I know,” he said, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. “I’m not trying to pressure you. I just want to make sure you’re not waiting too long. You’re talented, Lisa. You’ve always been a natural leader. I just don’t want you to miss out on opportunities.”

Lisa sighed, playing with the edge of her napkin. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Dad. I just feel like there’s more I need to learn first. Jennie...uh, Ms. Kim is really tough, but I’ve learned a lot from her. She’s helping me see things from a different perspective.”

Her father raised an eyebrow. “Jennie Kim, huh? I’ve heard she’s one of the sharpest minds in the business world. Tough as nails, from what I’ve been told.”

Lisa laughed softly. “That’s one way to put it. But yeah, she’s kind of... brilliant. Scary, but brilliant.”

Her father nodded thoughtfully. “Well, if you think that’s what you need right now, I trust your judgment. But don’t forget when you’re ready, the family business will always be there for you.”

Lisa smiled, feeling a wave of relief. “Thanks, Dad. I won’t forget.”

They spent the rest of the dinner talking about more light-hearted topics vacations, their favourite movies, and family news. By the time they finished dessert, Lisa felt much better about the conversation. Her father wasn’t pushing her as hard as he usually did, and for once, she felt like she could breathe.

As they said their goodbyes outside the restaurant, her father gave her a fond smile.

“Take your time, Lisa. But remember....you’re capable of more than you think.”

Lisa smiled, giving him a quick hug. “I’ll remember.”

---

That night, as Lisa lay in bed, her father’s words echoed in her mind: You’re capable of more than you think.

She thought about Jennie’s words from earlier in the day too, about not letting indecision hold her back. Maybe they were right. Maybe it was time for her to start believing in herself more.

But for now, she still had a lot to learn. And as intimidating as Jennie was, Lisa couldn’t deny that working at Kim Industries was teaching her things she’d never get anywhere else.

One step at a time, Lisa thought as she closed her eyes.

Tomorrow was another day at the office. And with Jennie Kim as her boss, she knew it would be anything but boring.

.....

The day after dinner with her dad, Lisa arrived at the office feeling a strange sense of calm. The conversation with her father had gone much better than expected, and she hadn’t even needed to dodge The Question too hard. Her dad had seemed surprisingly chill about letting her take her time. And Jennie’s words of unexpected encouragement? They lingered in the back of her mind, pushing her to be just a little sharper today.

She stepped into the elevator, riding up to the top floor with her usual energy, mentally going through her to-do list. Today’s going to be smooth. She had learned that saying that out loud usually jinxed things, but thinking it? Totally fine.

As the elevator doors opened, Lisa stepped out and made her way to her desk, noticing that the office was unusually quiet. Not that it was ever chaotic, but this felt like the calm before a storm. She settled in, powered up her computer, and had just taken a sip of her coffee when her phone buzzed.

A message from Jennie: Ms. Manoban, I need the updated financial spreadsheets by noon. Ensure everything is accurate. - J. Kim.

Lisa stared at the screen, her coffee mid-sip. Spreadsheets. Of course. The bane of her existence. But, in classic Lisa fashion, she shrugged and smiled to herself. “How bad could it be?”

She pulled up the files on her computer, her eyes glazing over at the sheer amount of data staring back at her. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to handle spreadsheets, she was decent with numbers. It was just... a lot of numbers. And, knowing Jennie, everything needed to be absolutely perfect.

“Alright, Lisa, time to channel your inner finance guru,” she muttered to herself, rolling up her sleeves. “You’ve got this.”

---

An hour into working on the spreadsheets, Lisa was on her third cup of coffee and feeling only slightly more confident. The numbers were starting to blur together, and she had to triple-check every line just to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. The clock ticked toward noon, and Lisa’s usual casual attitude was slowly being replaced with panic.

She checked the totals for the tenth time. “Okay, that looks right. Wait... no, that can’t be right. Why are these columns so... aggressive?”

She sighed and leaned back, rubbing her temples. Spreadsheets were a whole different beast, and Jennie expected perfection. As she glanced at the clock 11:15, Lisa’s heart started to race. Time to kick it into gear.

She took a deep breath, rolled her chair closer to her desk, and got to work. The numbers swam in front of her, but she was determined. After all, Jennie had said she was improving, right? She couldn’t let this be the thing that derailed her streak of competence.

At 11:50, Lisa finally finished the last of the calculations. She checked the totals one last time and felt a wave of relief wash over her. I did it! She quickly saved the file and attached it to an email, sending it off to Jennie with a few minutes to spare.

Leaning back in her chair, Lisa let out a long breath. “Done. And not a single disaster in sight.”

As if on cue, her phone buzzed. Another message from Jennie: Come to my office.

Lisa’s heart dropped. Oh no.

She quickly grabbed her tablet and made her way to Jennie’s office, trying to remind herself that everything was fine. She had checked and re-checked the numbers. There was no way anything was wrong.

Knocking on the door, Lisa stepped inside, finding Jennie at her desk, as always, going over the spreadsheets with the same intense focus she applied to everything. Lisa stood there awkwardly, waiting for Jennie to say something. Jennie’s eyes flicked up briefly, then back down to the screen.

“Ms. Manoban,” Jennie said, her voice as calm and cool as ever, “you’ve missed a decimal point.”

Lisa blinked. “I... what?”

Jennie turned the screen toward her, pointing to one of the cells in the spreadsheet. “Here. Your calculation is off by a factor of ten.”

Lisa’s stomach sank as she leaned in to look at the screen. Sure enough, there it was an extra zero where it didn’t belong. “Oh no,” she muttered, feeling the colour drain from her face. “I...I must’ve missed it while I was double-checking everything.”

Jennie’s eyes remained fixed on her, her expression cold but not entirely unforgiving. “Mistakes like this can be costly, Ms. Manoban. You need to be more careful.”

Lisa nodded quickly, feeling like she had just been scolded by a strict schoolteacher. “I’m so sorry. I’ll fix it right now. I’ll go over the whole thing again.”

Jennie didn’t respond right away, instead watching Lisa for a moment. Her gaze wasn’t angry, exactly, it was more... calculating. Finally, she spoke, her voice softer but still firm. “There’s no need to redo the entire report. Just correct the error and send me the final version.”

Lisa exhaled in relief. “Right! I’ll fix it and have it back to you ASAP. No more rogue decimal points.”

Jennie gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod. “Good.”

Lisa turned to leave but paused at the door, glancing back at Jennie. “You know, I don’t know how you do it,” she said, her tone more casual.

“You always catch the smallest mistakes. I could triple-check something and still miss a decimal, but you just... spot it instantly.”

Jennie didn’t look up from her screen, but Lisa could see the faintest flicker of a reaction. “It’s a matter of practice. And focus.”

Lisa smiled, even though Jennie couldn’t see it. “Well, I’ll keep practicing, then. Maybe one day I’ll have your laser vision.”

Jennie’s fingers paused on the keyboard for just a moment, but she said nothing.

---

Back at her desk, Lisa quickly fixed the decimal error, double-checked the rest of the document, and sent the corrected version back to Jennie. It was 12:30 by the time she finished, and Lisa leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes. “Okay. I messed up, but I fixed it. Still no full-scale disaster.”

Her phone buzzed again, and she checked it to find another message from Jennie: Thank you. The report is acceptable now.

Lisa grinned. “Acceptable” from Jennie Kim? That’s basically a compliment.

Chaeyoung passed by Lisa’s desk and noticed her smiling at her phone. “What’s got you looking so happy?”

Lisa looked up, chuckling. “I just survived a spreadsheet battle with Jennie and came out with an ‘acceptable.’ I’ll take my victories where I can get them.”

Chaeyoung laughed, leaning against Lisa’s desk. “Jennie’s tough, but if she’s giving you anything that sounds remotely positive, you must be doing something right.”

Lisa raised an eyebrow, still smiling. “Yeah, well, I’m not sure if I’ll ever fully get on her good side. I think she has ice running through her veins.”

Chaeyoung smirked. “She’s a perfectionist. But I think she likes that you don’t completely fall apart every time she corrects you. Most people just panic.”

Lisa grinned. “Oh, I panic on the inside. I’ve just gotten really good at hiding it.”

They both laughed, and as Chaeyoung walked away, Lisa settled back into her chair, feeling a little more confident. Jennie was tough, but Lisa could tell that, slowly, she was starting to earn her boss’s respect. Even if Jennie never cracked a smile or gave her an outright compliment, the fact that Lisa hadn’t been fired yet? That was saying something.

One decimal point at a time, Lisa thought, opening a new file and getting back to work.

As the afternoon passed without incident, Lisa found herself glancing toward Jennie’s office more than once, wondering if she’d ever crack through that icy exterior. But for now, she was content with keeping things professional and with surviving another day as Jennie Kim’s assistant.

Because in Jennie’s world, survival was a victory in itself.

Continue....