Chapter Text
"Is it really that bad?" Jinsoul asks over the phone with curiosity.
Chaewon sighs to herself at the question. Maybe if she was asked last night, her answer would be "Absolutely" or "This is the most ridiculous thing to ever happen to me". But a day later, and a gaze around the small pile of clothes on her bed waiting to be packed, Chaewon blinks slowly to prepare her response.
"No, of course not. I should be thankful for this opportunity. It's not every day your parents make you go on a forced vacation."
Jinsoul hums in response to the answer. Chaewon props the phone between her cheek and her shoulder as she prepares to sort more things into her large suitcase. She struggles with the pile of clothing that's starting to tower out of the bag, pushing it down with a grunt as she prepares to zipper it shut. If she was going away for a while, she would have to take everything she possibly could.
"I just don't know why they can't be adults about the situation. They need to send me away so they can still argue without me hearing. As if I don’t know they’re fighting."
Chaewon rolls her eyes at her own words. Jinsoul gives a sympathetic but unsurprised hum, as if the news of her best friend’s parents fighting and sending their daughter away wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to hear.
Chaewon's parents don’t see eye to eye about most everything. Arguments are not, and have never been, uncommon. Even though the cushy, multi-million dollar home she and her parents inhabit was grand in size, Chaewon could still always hear them from across its long halls. In reality, she was old enough to move out on her own; she certainly had the money from her family to be able to buy a home of like size and value if she wanted to; even nestled in the same, rich district of Gangnam. But the importance of the family’s public image meant everything to her father, and kept her at home close to him at all times.
The Park family has a large, well-known international reputation. Chaewon is the one and only heir to the family business, which has dealt in all kinds of trades and affairs across the world for many generations. She is required to learn the business and its transactions, and her father feels that she can do so the best living at home. Now, as if turning on a dime, her father is demanding she take a long vacation away from home and come back when he feels it's best for her to return, which translates into ‘whenever things at work are no longer as stressful, and he stops picking fights with Chaewon’s mother’.
"I think your mom agreed because she doesn’t want you to be impacted by what's going on. And any chance somewhere new and not stuck with them is always a good one, right?" Jinsoul says, trying to make an optimistic point to lighten the mood.
Chaewon sighs, defeated. "Yeah, I know they both don't want it to affect me. But is our family reputation really that high, that he can't let something personal and unrelated to the business interfere with living my life?" Chaewon pauses, pulling the suitcase off of the bed and putting it on the carpeted floor for tomorrow's venture to the airport. "I was supposed to spend the weekend in Jeju with Heejin, and I had to call her yesterday and tell her to bring someone else last minute."
Jinsoul could tell her friend, despite saying that the vacation wouldn't be bad, sounds very unhappy about the situation. "Hang in there Chae, you can always call me if you need someone to talk to, you know that right? Also, you're fucking loaded, just fly me out and let me join you. I've never been to America". Chaewon rolls her eyes, smirking at her friend's words. Jinsoul always knew how to bring a smile, even if it was a small one, to her face.
"Please come and visit me. I might die if I have to be alone in a hotel room for too long". Chaewon smiles to herself. Maybe it won't be so bad if she could get to spend the time with someone else.
Jinsoul knows this, and decides to add more layers to her response. "If you hate being alone so much, go to the clubs there and pick up a hot girl, you know that place has a ton of clubs and, I'm sure, a ton of hot girls". Jinsoul emphasizes the last two words of her point with a flirty tone. Chaewon blushes at her friend's teasing, rolling her eyes.
"We'll see, I doubt I'll stoop to that level though. That's not how you find people". Chaewon says with a frown, and a hint of disgust. "Plus, they're Americans. No thanks."
Jinsoul bursts into laughter, making Chaewon wince as she pulls the phone away from her face, only to return it with a frown. "Now stop cackling and let me prepare for the worst. Bye Soulie!" Chaewon says with a sarcastic, but friendly tone.
Jinsoul laughs again, a clear rolling of her eyes happening on the other side of the line. "Yeah yeah, I love you Chae, don't have too much fun by yourself, or, not by yourself!" Jinsoul says cheerfully, and then abruptly hangs up. Chaewon scoffs to herself and shakes her head at her friend's words.
With a large sigh, Chaewon double checks her belongings. She has four large suitcases and a carry on, still feeling like she's missing half her stuff. Living with money privileges goes to her head sometimes, as she remembers she is already bringing way more than she needs to. What other person needs to bring 800 thousand Korean won worth of makeup with them? She disregards her thoughts. Thinking about it too long will only make her feel bad, and that's the last thing she wants to feel, given what her life has come to right now. It’s the first time she was being sent so far away.
After double checking her things and then settling into bed, she hears it. Checking her phone, she confirms it to be what she knows: 10:00 on the dot. She hears her father start up with the shouting, followed by her mother's tired voice muffled through the many walls of the large house. With a sigh, Chaewon grabs the headphones on her bedside table and puts them in quickly, immediately playing her music. Oh My Girl, her favorite group, fills her ears as the shouting dissipates. She will at least be glad to get away from hearing this every night.
She recalls Jinsoul's flirty words in her head, groaning. Ever since she came out a few years ago, everyone in her life has been waiting for her to get married to another respectable and wealthy young girl and extend their reputations and family honors together. It was a lot of stress, but only the best was expected for the reputation of the family name. She should just be grateful that they're okay with her sexuality, not a lot of people in her situation could say the same.
Around 12:00, she finally takes out her headphones. She puts them on her bedside table, then droops her head down on her pillow with an exhausted sigh. The deafening silence fills the now dark, large bedroom. As Chaewon drifts off to sleep, she can't help but feel confused why her father is sending her to Las Vegas, of all places. She hears that all the worst kinds of people usually flock there and make a fool of themselves. With her eyes closed, she sneers at the thought. Maybe it'll just be a fun time to watch other people act like idiots, she thinks. Preparing to rest for an early flight, Chaewon finds herself in a sweet slumber, dreaming of all the stupid, funny drama she will witness when she gets there.
Son Hyeju screams after she hangs up the phone.
Her boss has been really aggravating her, and she isn't sure if she can take it anymore. Miss perfect CEO Jo Haseul seems to do everything she can to make Hyeju's life harder. Even though all she asked was if Hyeju would send out a company announcement while she was on a business call, the CTO still felt irked by the request. She thinks Haseul should send out her own stupid email announcements. Hyeju massages her temple in frustration at her desk as her angry thoughts swim in her brain.
She then stares at the sign over her office door: 'Son Hyeju: Chief Technology Officer'. What a waste of a job title, having to be asked to send out emails, when any intern could do it with their eyes closed.
With a huff, she turns back to her computer, and exaggerates a long groan as she opens her email application. She lets out even more groans of frustration as she types out a sickly sweet reminder for the staff to log out of their computers for the weekend so that her team can perform a much needed update. With a final huff, she hits the send button, dramatically throwing her back on her black computer chair and staring at the paneled, corporate ceiling. She's done enough work for the day, and just wants to count the amount of black flecks on the ceiling rather than look at another set of codes or another email.
She doesn't get that luxury, as she receives a quick knock at the glass door.
Immediately sitting up straight and opening up a random tab with some updated codes for the new update, pretending to be hard at work, she clicks at some random lines of binary code.
"I know you're not actually working, Miss Son". Comes the voice at the door. With a defeated sigh and a caught expression, she looked up to see the one woman who makes her life so much harder.
Haseul, dressed in an expensive cream pantsuit, gives her a forced smile, taking a deep breath. "I have something important I need to discuss with you, and I can see that you're not too busy, may I sit down?" She asks, already approaching one of the two large office chairs in front of the CTO’s desk.
Hyeju sighs, forcing a smile back. "This couldn't have been another phone call? Or perhaps an email?" The pain is evident in her voice.
Haseul forces herself to not roll her eyes. She loves her staff, but Hyeju was a stubborn, dramatic coworker, most of the time. She sighs in defeat, knowing that Hyeju is one of her longest and thorough employees, amidst all the complaining. She will put up with the dramatics just this once. "I have a tech convention in the schedule for tomorrow, and our usual salesman is out on sick leave". Haseul tries to drag out her request, knowing Hyeju won't like it.
Hyeju narrows her eyes at her boss in concentration, wondering where this is going. If it's what she thinks, she isn't going to be happy. "What does that have to do with me? Can't you send someone else?" Hyeju starts to fidget with one of the buttons on her black collared shirt.
Haseul swallows, then proceeds to continue. "No, our other salesman is on probation, remember? The copy room incident?" Haseul says with hesitation. Hyeju sighs, remembering well. That probation meant she was on call, and she cannot say no when she is on call.
"Okay, so you are asking me to go to the convention and promote White Dove then?" Hyeju asks with fear. She really doesn't want to take a work trip, one at such a last minute. She's hoping it'll at least be nearby and close to home, and it’ll get her a day out of the office.
"I'm more so telling you to go to the convention." Haseul says with exasperation. Hyeju nods, the feeling of disappointment filling her system. She can't say no if she is on call as the substitute, so she just nods in defeat. Haseul tries to give her a smile, but it looks like a forced one, full of fear for her next words.
"Great! With that being said, I need you to leave early and go pack your bag. It's in Las Vegas. I'll get the information to you before you take off so you can go over-" Hyeju cuts her off with a weird noise in her throat, her eyes wide and confused.
"LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES? TOMORROW?" Hyeju cannot help but raise her voice a little at the request. Haseul sighs, rubbing her temples with the pads of her fingers.
Hyeju still stares at her, waiting for a response. Haseul looks up, visibly not in the mood to put up with the outburst. "Miss Son, I need you to do this for me, okay? I'll make some deals with the people in HR to get you another day off this year for it. Please? White Dove needs this convention really bad." Haseul is practically pleading with her. Hyeju cannot say no anyway, but she feels even more discouraged from doing so now.
"Okay, I wanted to leave early anyway." She says with her eyes glaring at the cheap, gray carpet below them. Haseul lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding in.
"Wonderful! Now, get out of here, I have a lot of documents to send your way!" With a cheerful disposition, Haseul stands up abruptly from the chair, walking backwards towards the door in a rush to get out. Hyeju watches with a twitching eyebrow as she closes the door, walking back to her office with a wave and an eye closed smile at her through the glass walls of her office. Hyeju feels like she really better get that day off, and more, as she packs up her company laptop and mentally prepares for a long, unexpected trip.
What's a few days? Hyeju will grind through it with ease. Maybe she can even go out and see how cool the lights and the people are there, she thinks to herself with optimism, heading forward down the hall. A quick packing trip is all she really needs, just a small bag and maybe a carry on. She's never been one to need a lot of stuff, even with a nice paying job. Hyeju tugs on the collar of her shirt as she makes her way to her car, ready to go home and pack, as well as wait for her trip info.
Las Vegas. Hyeju isn't sure that she's ever been anywhere as exciting and fun before. She hears that Americans really know how to party, so she hopes that's true when she spends her time away from work hours. A new excitement fills Hyeju, despite the drag of a business trip and the annoying thought of talking to strangers about tech software. However, the thought of talking to some pretty American girls on her own time makes Hyeju swoon. She's going to make this a fun time for herself, taking advantage of her situation. All she wants is a little bit of fun, nothing serious. She doesn't see the appeal at the moment.
With all these positives tacked onto a very negative work trip across the world, Hyeju is ready for the Vegas nightlife and its people. Who knows what will await her when she gets there?