Chapter Text
I despised interviews. It was painfully awkward trying to sell yourself, exaggerating everything to try to make you seem like the most sought-after person in the world. It was ridiculous. But this interview was one I couldn't afford to blow. I dressed in a black pencil skirt that came just above my knees, a button up blouse and pair of black high heels. My hair was pulled into a bun, and I wore my sapphire earrings that my parents got me for my graduation. I tried to look professional, but I didn't want to look cold either. I sat there in the waiting room, my legs crossed, bouncing my foot nervously. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath only to have my slight bit of calm shattered when I heard my name being called. I stood up and followed the nicely dressed woman through a door and down a long hallway. She opened a large door and showed me into a big, windowed office where a middle-aged woman sat with a folder in her hand and a laptop in front of her. I swallowed hard and took my seat at the woman's request.
"Now, our interview process here is a little different than at most companies. If you meet certain criteria and gain our interest, you will be taken upstairs immediately following for a second interview, instead of being called back at a later time. Do you have any questions so far?" she asked, opening the folder.
"No ma'am." I said, folding my hands and placing them on my lap.
"Ok then, let's take a look, shall we? Let's see....hmm...I see you gained a scholarship to a pretty prestigious school. What is your area of focus?" she asked, smiling.
"My area of focus was specifically in business management." I replied.
"Excellent. I couldn't help noticing that you said "was" going to be your focus, not is. Did you change your major?" she asked, typing at her laptop, and peeking at me over it afterwards.
"No ma'am. Unfortunately, I had to give up my scholarship to find work to take care of my parents. My father is critically ill and unable to work any longer." I said, trying to maintain eye contact without showing any emotions.
"I am sorry to hear that. But it is very admirable that you are giving up on your future to support your family like that. It shows a strong sense of responsibility and sacrifice." she replied, typing more.
"Thank you, ma'am, but I didn't give it a second thought. My parents worked their whole lives very hard to raise me, and I am willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure they are taken care of in their current state." I added, crossing my legs. She nodded and typed some more before looking up at me.
"Now as you can well imagine, this position is one where many different things will be required of you. There are normal set hours, however, during events, when meeting deadlines, when traveling, or whenever the CEO requests, you must be available and flexible. Does this pose a problem?" she asked, looking at me over her glasses. So in other words, are you ready to not have any kind of life outside this job...that's what she was saying.
"No ma'am, not at all. " I answered.
"Also, this job will have a required set of tasks as a personal assistant, ranging from personal to professional, but shall the CEO need you for anything additional, you will need to be able to take those on as well. As you can well imagine, he is a busy man and doesn't have much time of his own to spare. Do you feel yourself capable of meeting those requirements?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am, absolutely." I replied. She nodded and typed a few more things before looking up again.
"And if you acquire the position, are you available to start immediately?" she added.
"Yes ma'am, right way." I answered.
"Well, after reviewing your information in your resume, I don't think I have any further questions. Do you have anything you would like to add or any questions of your own?" she asked.
"No ma'am, I think that covers it. Thank you." I answered. She typed for a minute or two until her laptop dinged for some sort of notification as she looked up and smiled at me.
"It looks as though you have been granted a second interview, so if you will follow Miss Lee here, she will lead you to the executive assistant's office." She said, standing. I turned to see a girl silently standing near the door that I didn't even notice when I came in.
"Thank you." I replied, shaking her hand and then following the girl out the door. She walked silently until we reached the elevator. She got in, swiped her badge and pressed the second to the top floor and smiled at me.
"When we reach the floor, the doors will be directly in front of you, just go on in and Mr. Park will take you through your interview." she stated. The doors opened and I stepped out in into a small lobby with a set of doors on the far side. I took a deep breath and walked in through them, and when I did, my jaw felt like it hit the floor. There was giant office with a large ornate desk in the center of it. Behind it sat a man who couldn't have been any older than I was. He was insanely good looking with full pouting lips, a fantastic figure and a bright smile.
He pushed back his blond locks and stood, offering me his hand.
"Good afternoon! Please, take a seat." He said, motioning to the chair across from his. I smiled and nodded as I sat down, crossing my legs. I couldn't help but notice him eyeing me up and down before opening his laptop back up.
"Now, before we begin, I just want to let you know that this interview process will cause me to ask some very personal questions. If at any time you do not feel comfortable answering some of them, please feel free to let me know. However, these questions were drawn up by Mr. Kim himself, so please, if at all possible, try to answer them honestly." He said as he started to type into the computer.
"Yes, sir." I replied quietly. He looked up quickly from his laptop, staring at me with dark eyes for a moment before looking back down with a slight smirk on his face.
"Alright. Well, it looks as though all the basic requirements are met so far, so let's continue. First off, do you have a boyfriend, fiancé, or are in any type of sexual relationship?" He started. I felt my mouth go dry. What kind of questions were we going to get to if this is where he was starting?
"No, sir." I responded simply, trying to keep my foot from bouncing.
"Excellent. Have you been in any in the recent past?" He asked, looking up at me with a blank face, like he was asking if I wanted coffee or tea.
"No sir. In the past yes, but not recent. It has been about two years." I replied, feeling my hands get sweaty.
"Alright....now...do you have any underlying physical conditions that could limit you in any capacity?" He asked next.
"No, sir." I responded simply. He nodded as he typed a little bit more.
"Now if we are to offer you this position, the contract will start for one year and extensions will be offered if Mr. Kim is satisfied with your work. During the duration of this contract, you will be restricted from entering into any romantic relationships. Mr. Kim has noticed with several of his last few personal assistants, that it serves as a distraction and a complication." He continued, watching me closely as he spoke.
"That won't be a problem, sir." I replied. In truth, if I was going to be at his call 24/7, when would I honestly have time for a relationship?
"Wonderful. Now is there anything you would like to add?" He asked, looking up at me.
"Only that this job opportunity is very important to me and I will go above and beyond the call of duty to do whatever is necessary to keep Mr. Kim happy." I said quickly. I mentally slapped myself for sounding so desperate.
"Excellent. Another small thing; Mr. Kim calls all of his assistants by the same name. It makes it easier than him trying to remember since the turnover rate seems to be so high lately. He calls them all Miss Kit, so please be sure to be attuned to that." He said as he continued to type away without looking up. We waited in silence for a few moments until I heard a notification ding from his laptop. He smiled a wide smile before standing up and straightening his jacket.
"Well, it looks as though Mr. Kim is satisfied with all of your responses and would like to meet you." He said as he walked behind me. I stood and turned to face him as he opened the door and led me to the elevator. I swallowed nervously, trying not to tap my foot. As the door to the top floor opened, I stayed frozen in spot when I saw the tall and serious looking man behind the desk.
"Shit." I whispered.