Boss Complex

1. Time-minded

The precision of the stroke of the clock is beautiful. The dutiful way that it moves: on time, present, never a step too far, it moves one breath every second. Park Chanyeol likes to spend his moments of reprieve watching the second hand on his Cartier wristwatch, a gentle reminder that obedience was never too far from where he stood, though incompetence seemed to forever shroud his life. His mother, young and beautiful in her pearl necklace, is seated on one side, his father in a dark suit to the other and there across the table are two strangers and an empty chair.

"She said that traffic was detaining her. We're so sorry for the inconvenience." The gentleman offers.

Chanyeol notes the sweat on his brow with disinterest, thoughts pulled from the perfect golden second hand obeying his unspoken demand for order. He sweats because of panic. Panic, an unfamiliar emotion to Chanyeol, is useless. Sure, he finds himself getting pulled into stressful situations at work, but there's no need to panic. Panic steals precious moments that could be used towards problem solving. Seconds that tick dutifully on as they should, disregarding panic and other such trivial emotions.

"Traffic can be the good business man's worst enemy." Chanyeol's mother says with a gentle smile that suggested she was unphased by the situation, but Mr. Park was growing more irritable on Chanyeol's other side.

There was a tightening of his fingers, though they did not curl into fists, and a sternness in his deep breath. This was probably the cause for the panic on the other side of the table but Chnayeol didn't care enough to defuse the situation.

"That's so true." The gentleman comments with a small stiff laugh, pulling out his phone to check the time once again.

This is the third time he's checked his phone, yet another bad sign in Chanyeol's book. So this would be the first meeting of the potential in-laws. This would be the first time he met his future wife. And here they are, sitting across from one another as they tried to lie with excuses stacked one atop the other. Chanyeol's father looks worn thin of this situation, it's doubtful that the engadegement will even hold with his short temper being as it is. Chanyeol knows that temper well, in possession of a matching temper of his own. Should have been on time, my lovely, would-be-bride...

"I understand that this has little to do with her ability to be on time, and perhaps more to do with external forces, but for today, this is all the time I can spare." Chanyeol says, looking back to his trusty Cartier.

"P—please forgive us! Sh—shes's usually not late!" The woman across the table finally stands and Chanyeol holds up a hand to stop her babble.

"It's fine. Understandable, even. It cannot be helped. However, there are certain inconveniences to being in charge of so many lives as I am. That would be the utter lack of vacation time. I was under the impression that you were aware of just how busy I am and will be een after the marraige." He says, standing to his full height across the table and buttoning his two blazer buttons with a polite smile.

He towers with his height and the woman slowly sits back down with a mixture of admiration and intimidation.

"Yes, but..."

"Madame, please." Chanyeol eases her mind with a wink that her husband doesn't fail to catch. "I'm sure she's as lovely as you, and plenty more occasion will secure our inevitable meeting. I look forward to the day she finally graces us with her presence."

He really didn't care either way whether they met or not. As he walked around the table to shake the hand of each of the hopeful in-laws, he gave the same professional bullshit smile that he gave to the man he fired last Tuesday. And then he spoke the same words "Thank you for your time."