Your Schedule Today; Minho/Yuri
There are many things that Kwon Yuri has to cope with as CEO of a leading clothing company but watching her secretary fumble around shouldn't be one of them.
Author's Note: written for this prompt over at smtheficathon. it's the first time i joined a fic event and i had my doubts. but i was just so inspired upon seeing the prompt and so i stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote this monster. ^^;; monster because everything about this was unplanned and slightly rushed? still, i absolutely enjoyed the writing process and i hope you'll enjoy the read too!
It isn’t even 8 in the morning but Kwon Yuri already has 125 unread emails in her inbox. As she steps into her large personal office with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the busy Gangnam district, the 25 year old businesswoman is reminded that this is just another day in the life of the CEO of BKY International. And if that isn’t a good enough reminder of her position in one of the top clothing companies in Korea, her secretary following her into her office with a pink planner in her hands will never fail to remind her about the responsibilities that come with her power in the company.
“You’re very early today, Ms Kwon.”
As she takes off her white blazer and hangs it on the back of her chair, Yuri rolls her eyes at her secretary that has been with her ever since she became the CEO of her family business immediately after she graduated from university. Obviously, it hasn’t been easy especially with every single person in the company having their doubts of her ability to take on such a huge role but over time, Yuri has ultimately proved her worth in the company. This, she could not have achieved without the help of Tiffany, her soon-to-be ex-secretary.
“Fany, stop playing.”
“Come on, it’s my last week in the office!” Tiffany laughs, “It’s my only chance to address you like this.”
“I’m happy that you’re getting married and running off to be a domestic goddess but please don’t remind me that you’re leaving.” Yuri sighs as she plonks herself down on the black leather high-back office chair, “I feel handicapped already.”
Tiffany comes to stand in front of her boss and gives her signature eye smile, “You know I won’t leave without making sure everything is taken care of, Yul.”
Yuri raises her eyebrows at her secretary who has grown to become her closest friend, “Have you found a perfect replacement for yourself?”
“Hello-oh? Ms Kwon, I know you’re busy but have you been living under a rock?”
“What?” Yuri answers distractedly as she tries to sort out the mess of documents on her desk.
“Have you not realised?” Tiffany is honestly surprised, “I’ve handpicked someone and been training him ever since I tendered my resignation.”
“You have?” Yuri is mildly interested.
“Mmhmm,” Tiffany replies, “His name is Minho and not only is he highly determined and hardworking, but he’s also the cutest thing ever.”
“Cutest… thing?” Yuri is clearly unimpressed.
Tiffany, on the other hand, is completely excited for her boss, “He’s hot.”
“Fany.” Yuri frowns.
“He really is.” Ignoring Yuri, Tiffany goes on to emphasise, “I just want to love him and spoil him like an older sister would with her younger brother.”
Yuri doesn’t know how to reply to that but it doesn’t matter since Tiffany clearly has more to say.
“You know…” All of a sudden, there’s a glint of mischief in Tiffany’s eyes that leaves an unsettling feeling in Yuri’s stomach, “He’s a good catch and most importantly…”
Yuri doesn’t like where this conversation is heading and so she cuts her secretary off, “Fany, are you sure you’ve been training him or have you been-”
“Single.” Tiffany doesn’t let her boss stop her from completing her sentence as she grins and wriggles her eyebrows suggestively, “Both of you.”
“Enough.” Yuri shakes her head and turns serious before Tiffany can continue, “We have work to do so please just tell me my schedule for today.”
Recognising the seriousness in Yuri’s voice, Tiffany knows when to stop fooling around and get down to business. And she does, but today, she has something different planned.
“Actually, Yuri… I promise this is not on purpose but,” Tiffany bites her bottom lip, “I was thinking of letting your new secretary take over my duties from this week on…”
Yuri looks at Tiffany for a long moment, trying to determine if her close friend is being sincere. When she sees no sign of mischief, she lets out a breath defeatedly and waves her hand to no one in particular.
“Send him in… if he’s even in the office.”
Tiffany looks at the time on her watch and smiles.
“Oh, he is.”
With Tiffany gleefully leaving her office to bring in her replacement, Yuri finds herself already a little impressed.
It’s been two weeks since Tiffany officially left the company but not once has Yuri felt her absence. The young CEO has to admit, Tiffany has found the perfect replacement in the form of Choi Minho… or maybe she has just trained the 23 year old extremely well. In just one week, Minho has proven that he is the best candidate for the job. In fact, he has worked hard enough for Yuri to feel like Tiffany has never left and is simply replaced by a male version of herself. They’ve established a good working relationship with each other that Yuri would be lying if she says she doesn’t like having Minho as her secretary. Yuri can’t say she has any complaints but of course, things can’t be smooth all the time. Just when Yuri thinks she won’t be able to find fault with Minho, she starts to see a new side of her secretary.
“Minho, please come in.”
Without even looking away from the document she is reading, Yuri requests for her secretary’s assistance as soon as he answers her call.
“Yes, Ms Kwon.”
In less than five seconds, Yuri hears a knock on the door and the footsteps that follow immediately after.
“Minho, I need-”
Yuri looks up and finds herself unable to complete her instructions, her mouth left open rather unglamorously mid-sentence.
Minho tries his best not to fidget awkwardly under Yuri’s gaze and puts up a serious front, “Yes, Ms Kwon?”
Yuri promptly closes her mouth and clears her throat before she points at the coffee stain, which she estimates is about the size of a kidney, on what is supposed to be her secretary’s pristine white shirt.
“You’ve got…” Yuri really doesn’t know how to go about saying this out loud and eventually lets her action speak for itself as she gestures at the noticeable stain.
Embarrassed, Minho rubs the back of his neck and admits, “I, umm… had a little accident just before I stepped into your room.”
“Did I shock you when I suddenly buzzed for you?” Yuri asks the first thing that comes into her mind.
Minho doesn’t answer but Yuri guesses that is a yes.
“Don’t worry about it, Ms Kwon.” Minho says instead, “What did you need me to do for you?”
With that, Yuri clears the image of Minho spilling coffee on himself out of her mind and gets back to work, somehow thankful that Minho reminded her of the time and place just before she could laugh at his funny mishap.
Yuri isn’t sure why but ever since the coffee stain incident, Minho starts getting rather clumsy around her. Or maybe he has been like this right from the start, but perhaps only begins fumbling in more noticeable ways. Truth be told, she finds it both amusing and endearing, and actually looks forward to these clumsy moments in the office. Somehow, it brightens up the atmosphere for her in the otherwise serious environment.
“Alright, I’m ready, what’s my schedule today?”
Just as Yuri glances at her secretary after turning on her computer, she catches how he loses his grip on his black planner but manages to catch it before it could fall out of his hands.
Yuri can’t resist smiling but she doesn’t have to worry about hiding since Minho has his face buried in his planner.
Pretending that nothing has happened, Minho quickly straightens himself and relays Yuri’s schedule to her.
“At 9am, you have a video conference with our suppliers from Japan. Please remember you only have an hour with them because at 10.30, there is the annual meeting with the board of directors.”
“Mmhmm…”
“Ms Kwon, I’m afraid you may have to take your lunch in the office today because at 1pm, you are scheduled to meet our designers to discuss the upcoming collection.”
“Alright.” Yuri nods before she mutters to herself, “Hopefully I’ll have enough time to get takeout…”
Minho pauses for a moment, as if making a mental note of something, as he looks at his boss thoughtfully.
Yuri tilts her head to the side in question, “Anything the matter?”
Minho shakes his head and then continues to inform Yuri about her remaining schedules. When he’s done, Yuri looks just about ready to knock her forehead repeatedly against her desk. Of course, she quickly regains her composure and smiles at Minho.
“Thanks Minho,” Yuri says as she multitasks and replies an email the same time she speaks to Minho, “Please set up the system for the video conference in the meeting room and make sure everything is working. I’ll be there 10 minutes earlier.”
“Sure, Ms Kwon.” Minho nods and quietly steps out of the office but not before stubbing his toe on the leg of the chair.
Minho’s back is facing Yuri as he silently winces in pain. He thinks Yuri doesn’t notice since her eyes are on the screen of her computer but in actual fact, she spots the way he stumbles a little and ends up laughing soundlessly to herself.
Stepping back into her office, Yuri groans as she checks the time on her watch.
12.35pm.
The annual general meeting with the board of directors dragged on for a tad too long and now, Yuri is left with no time to leave the office and grab some food. She decides to concede to her fate of eating whatever snacks she has stored in her drawers. It’s not unusual for her to skip a proper meal and it’s something she has gotten used to as a CEO. Hopefully though, she has at least one of her favourite granola bars left to fill her stomach for the time being. With her fingers crossed, Yuri is pulling her bottom drawer of her desk open to take a look at her food stash when a knock sounds on her door.
Yuri stops all movement as she looks towards the door and is surprised to find Minho standing there.
“Aren’t you supposed to be out for lunch?” Yuri asks, a little puzzled, because she didn’t see Minho on her way in.
“I was but…” Minho walks in with a brown paper bag that Yuri instantly recognises comes from her favourite salad shop, “Here.”
Minho takes out a clear plastic container from the bag and places it in front of Yuri.
“I remember Tiffany noona telling me you love this.” Minho says, “I hope I got the order correct.”
In a split second, Yuri’s whole being lights up.
“You did.” Yuri sighs in satisfaction as she looks at the chicken caesar salad but her interest is piqued when she notices that the paper bag doesn’t look empty, “Is there something else?”
“Umm… yeah,” Minho looks as uneasy as he sounds, “It’s my lunch, actually.”
“Oh.” Yuri laughs shyly, “Sorry, I might be a little too hungry right now.”
“I won’t bother you further then, Ms Kwon.” Minho replies as he smiles and bows politely, “Enjoy your lunch.”
Yuri hesitates for a second before she decides to stop her secretary from leaving, “Hey Minho?”
“Yes?”
“No pressure, but do you want to have lunch together?”
Yuri knows it’s every employee’s nightmare to have a meal with their boss but there’s something about Minho’s smile that makes her ask the question.
Minho looks a little confused at her sudden invitation but he doesn’t take long to say yes.
“Sure.”
“Great.” Yuri grins, “Well, sit down then.”
Minho pulls out the swivel chair that is directly opposite Yuri and moves to sit down. But something happens in between and before Yuri and Minho know it, the secretary has fallen on his butt and disappeared from Yuri’s sight.
In an instant, Yuri is standing and leaning forward to check on Minho with a concerned expression on her face, “Are you okay?”
Shocked, Minho remains sitting on the floor as he blinks and stutters, “I…”
“Minho?” Yuri is genuinely worried about her secretary right now.
To Yuri’s surprise, Minho bursts out laughing and finally picks himself up before he pulls the chair back and sits in front of Yuri.
“I think I didn’t realise how hungry I actually am.” Minho admits as he takes his own takeout box out of the paper bag, “I hope my food isn’t ruined...”
Seeing that Minho seems fine, Yuri smiles and sits back down in her chair, “Let’s get some food in our stomach then.”
“Oh and Ms Kwon, you have a visitor waiting outside...”
“This early?” It’s a new day and Yuri has only been in the office for less than an hour, “Who is it?”
“Well, she-”
“Yul!!”
As if on cue, the door to Yuri’s office flies open and distracts Yuri from her daily conversation with her secretary.
When she sees Tiffany waving frantically at her with both hands, Yuri returns her gaze to Minho who is now smiling helplessly.
“I’ll be on my way out then.” Minho closes his black planner and bows.
“Thanks Minho.” Yuri nods and watches her secretary leave while Tiffany comes in and also says her thanks to Minho.
After exchanging a few words with each other, Tiffany pats Minho on his shoulder like a proud older sister would before she walks further in. Wanting to make sure that they only begin talking once Minho has left, Yuri continues to watch her new secretary as he steps out of her office. As if feeling the stress that his boss’s eyes are on him, Minho duly falters under pressure and ends up tripping on air. He swiftly regains his balance in the next second, even quickens his footsteps after and is out of the office in no time.
Yuri isn’t give time to react to yet another one of Minho’s clumsy moments though because in the next moment, Tiffany demands all of her attention as she comes to sit in front of Yuri and fills up her entire vision.
“So?” Tiffany asks expectantly, “How is he?”
“This is the first question you’re asking me after we haven’t seen each other in months?” In the mood to have some fun, Yuri places her best kicked puppy look on her face and acts as pitiful as she can.
“Don’t change the subject.” Tiffany remains unfazed.
Yuri laughs, “Don’t you have better things to ask or tell me? Like your wedding plans and stuff?”
“That’s boring.” Tiffany shakes her head and grins, “I’m more interested about how things are going between you and Minho.”
“Umm, we work well together?” When Tiffany suddenly looks slightly too thrilled, Yuri sighs, “That’s all, Fany. What do you expect? He’s just my secretary.”
“And…?”
“Ah yes.” Yuri suddenly remembers what she has to tell Tiffany, “Thank you… you found a perfect replacement for yourself.”
“Of course I did.”
“There is one thing though…” Yuri doesn’t want Tiffany to get too smug.
“What?”
“He’s rather clumsy.”
“Who? Minho?”
“Yupp.”
“Are you kidding me?” Tiffany can’t believe her ears, “Minho? Clumsy? Wow, that’s two words I never thought would be in the same sentence…”
“I’m not joking, Fany.” Yuri continues to explain, “He fumbles a lot, thankfully not with work but with… how should I explain this? Like he spills coffee on himself, hurts himself with the most random things, loses his balance every now and then… even just now, he tripped on his way out.”
“He did?”
“Mmhmm.”
“There weren’t any incidents like those you mentioned when I trained him though.”
“Really?”
“Uh huh…” Tiffany answers and they go quiet for a few seconds before a thought strikes her.
“This could only mean one thing.”
“What is it?”
A smile tugs on the corners of Tiffany’s lips.
“He’s falling for you.”
Yuri can only blink at Tiffany.
“Get it?” Tiffany asks with a giggle before she repeats herself and drags the all-important word in a singsong voice, “He’s faaalling for you.”
Yuri narrows her eyes at her old secretary.
“Get out.”
Yuri hates that Tiffany’s words are having an effect on her. She starts to see Minho in a different light and wonders about the possibility of Minho actually liking her more than colleagues. Yuri has never even considered the idea of an office romance before this but now, all she can think about every time Minho fumbles around her is Tiffany’s annoying pun.
It doesn’t help that they have grown even closer after having that first lunch together. Yuri starts learning more about Minho through casual conversations and becomes more comfortable around him, relaxing herself in front of him and allowing Minho to see how she is when she’s not being the CEO of a top clothing company. This mostly happens when Yuri has late nights in the office and Minho, who isn’t obliged to stay, accompanies her and provides her with any assistance she needs until she decides she has done enough for the day. Yuri has long acknowledged that work can never be finished but she likes leaving the office feeling satisfied that she has had a good day in the office.
More often than not, Minho can’t lessen her workload much because most work fall solely under the CEO’s responsibility, but Yuri is still grateful for his company. It’s in the little things that Minho does for her that warms her heart; like how he makes sure Yuri is never left hungry by topping up her food stash with her favourite snacks, or how on numerous occasions he places a cup of coffee or tea on her desk to help her get through the long hours, and even how he tidies and organises her desk when the documents start piling up.
Yuri feels like Minho is doing more than is required for a secretary but she doesn’t want to draw the line. Whether or not it’s because Minho likes her more than a secretary should for his boss, she likes how things are and doesn’t want to change anything about it. Yuri hates to admit that Tiffany is right, but she is. Minho’s a great guy, and possibly every girl’s dream guy. Having been focused on her career and proving to everyone that she has the ability to be the CEO, Yuri has never been looking for love. But if she had been, Minho would reasonably be someone she could fall in love with.
The same thing can’t be said for Minho though. Yuri can’t think of a reason for Minho to like her, that is, if he even does. They’ve only been working together for a few months so it makes no sense for Minho to like her (as Tiffany believes) when he doesn’t even know much about her. Isn’t there always a moment that causes someone to fall in love with another? Yuri believes that there hasn’t been any chance for a moment like that to happen for Minho thus far. Eventually, she always concludes that Tiffany, and probably she too, is thinking too much.
“Yuri noona, the party has started…”
It hasn’t been long since Minho has changed the way he addresses her so Yuri still gets a surprise whenever he calls her in an affectionate way but it’s a pleasant one no doubt.
Feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, Yuri looks away from her computer and smiles, “What are you still doing here then?”
Minho frowns but Yuri doesn’t give him the chance to reply.
“Go. Have fun.” Yuri says before she lies, “I just have a few more urgent emails from our clients to clear… I’ll join you guys once I’m done.”
Minho hesitates, not liking the idea that Yuri still has to work when everyone else in the office isn’t, but he keeps that to himself, knowing it wouldn’t make any difference since he is not in the position to give orders to the CEO.
“Alright,” Minho eventually says and takes his leave, “I’ll go down first then.”
“Enjoy yourself!” Yuri says as she gets back to looking at her computer and making herself look as occupied as possible; though truth is, there are only holiday greetings for her to read that don’t actually have to be replied.
Christmas is around the corner and as CEO, Yuri has decided to give her employees half day off on Christmas Eve. To make things even better, she has organised a Christmas party during the half day that her workers has to spend in the office and unofficially declared that no work has to be done. However, not wanting to spoil the fun for her subordinates so early, Yuri decides to wait in her office until there’s only an hour left before the party is scheduled to end. When the time arrives, she steps into the function room and is immediately surrounded by hundreds of happy faces. If the joyous atmosphere says anything, the Human Resource department has done a spectacular job in planning and throwing the perfect Christmas party with the generous budget she approved for the party.
It’s awkward for Yuri to join the party because of her position as CEO. Most do not get to work directly with her and will understandably be intimidated or made uncomfortable by her presence. The handful who she works with is kind enough to engage in friendly conversation with her but these chats can never last for long so before things can get awkward, Yuri will take the initiative to leave and speak to the next person. There are only that many people Yuri can greet before she has no one else to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to and is left alone wondering how she should spend the remaining time without looking like a fish out of water.
Deciding that getting a drink and maybe some finger food is the way to go, Yuri makes her way through the crowd towards the makeshift bar. As she is about to reach the counter, she bumps into Minho who has just gotten his drink.
“Hey boss!” Minho greets with a wide smile, looking more festive than ever as he has gamely put on a reindeer antlers headband, “You’re here!”
“Yupp,” Yuri returns a smile and then points at his reindeer antlers, “That suits you.”
“Oh. Right.” As if suddenly remembering he is wearing a headband, Minho becomes self-conscious and fiddles with the antlers, “I was forced to wear it.”
Yuri thinks to herself that whoever forced him to wear it knows exactly how to make Minho cuter than he already is.
“Let me get you a drink?” Minho offers but doesn’t wait for Yuri to answer as he turns around and walks back towards the bar.
Yuri naturally follows behind, more than happy that Minho has showed up at the right time.
“What would you like?” Minho asks courteously as he looks down at the selection of drinks on the counter and picks a glass that he thinks Yuri will like with his free hand, “This- Oh crap.”
Yuri, whose eyes had been on the variety of cocktails in front of them, looks towards Minho and realises that his headband has fallen forward and completely covered his eyes.
“Umm, Noona? Some help please?” Minho naturally turns towards Yuri and asks for her help since his hands are full.
Yuri can’t resist giggling as she reaches to lift the headband off his nose and tiptoes to help him wear it properly back on his head.
“There you go.”
“Thanks Noona.”
There’s a tinge of red on Minho’s cheeks as he passes the drink he has chosen for Yuri to her.
“Here. Try this.”
“Thanks.” Yuri receives the drink and takes a sip, “Mmm, this is so good.”
It’s only natural when Yuri licks her lips to savour the taste but when she catches how Minho’s eyes seem to be following the movement of her tongue and how he blushes even harder when he realises he has been caught staring by her, Yuri feels like she has done something inappropriate.
That doesn’t mean she regrets her action though. In fact, she’s thankful that little incident happened or else she wouldn’t have seen how adorable Minho looks when he’s all flushed and embarrassed, truly resembling Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.
“You’re cute.” Yuri says to Minho with a beautiful smile before she finds herself relaying what Tiffany has said to her about Minho to the man himself, “Definitely the cutest thing ever.”
“Noona…” Frowning, Minho starts to get all fidgety, uncomfortable with being called cute, and he lets Yuri know his honest thoughts, “Firstly, I’m not cute; and secondly, I’m not a thing…”
“Oh shut up, Minho, it means I like you.”
Like a spell, Minho doesn’t say a word but it doesn’t really matter. The smile on his face says everything. It’s genuine, it’s charming, it’s blinding, it reaches his eyes and Yuri thinks she’s falling a little bit in love with Minho.
Yuri doesn’t know where things will go from here or what the future will hold for them but there is one thing, or actually two things, she’s sure about. One, she won’t be spending Christmas alone this year; and two, as long as Minho is in the office with her, she’ll never have to worry about feeling lonely at the top.
A/N: in case you don't find the last scene familiar, I'll just leave this here to help you picture what happens. ^^ also, it'll be lovely if you could let me know what you think in the comments below~ ♥