House Of Cards

The New CEO

I wake up at six, like every morning. I do my usual mundane routine and wear my bland uniform. It's simple, a long black pencil skirt, black heels, a white blouse, and my hair pulled into a tight bun. It's not the most appealing, but it's mandatory.

My phone dings loudly, the notification coming from my company's group chat. In all caps is the message, "EMERGENCY STAFF MEETING AT 8. ALL EMPLOYEES MUST ATTEND."

The message reads more like a warning. My heart stops as I re-read it. In the two years I've worked there, we've never had an emergency meeting.

After grabbing my purse, I make my way outside and walk to the bus stop. Dohyun, a coworker of mine who happens to be my best friend, is waiting for me. His wire framed glasses slide down the bridge of his nose as he looks at his phone.

"Emergency staff meeting, what do you think it's about?" he asks, not even looking up.

Our routines are never changing. We always meet here at the same exact time, so it's not surprising he knew I was here before seeing me.

"Maybe layoffs? Most companies start them this time of year."

He shakes his head, "They've never done layoffs before."

I give it some more thought. It would be unusual for them to start now, but back in America meetings like this usually have negative motives. My position doesn't have the same job security Dohyun's does. I'm only a few tiers above the janitors, so I can't help but be anxious.

I do my best to push my negative thoughts away and fix Dohyun's glasses. He finally looks up as I push the glasses back into their spot higher on his nose.

"You have to promise me that whatever happens today won't affect our friendship," I say, immediately cringing at the shakiness of my voice.

He swats my hand away, "Nothing bad is going to happen. Stop talking like that."

The bus pulls up, two minutes later than normal. Dohyun shakes his head in annoyance and mumbles under his breath, "We're two minutes behind schedule now."

We step into the bus and take our usual seats at the front. The driver looks at us through the rear view mirror, a warm smile on his wrinkled face. "Don't you two get tired of the same seats?"

"Familiarity is key to having a successful day," I reply, giving him a small smile back.

The driver's smile drops, and he mumbles to himself, "Foreigners are weird."

Dohyun snickers next to me, his shoulders jolting up as he laughs. I punch him in the arm, and he stops.

When the bus pulls up in front of the company building, Dohyun and I rush inside. The two of us scan our ID cards before going our separate ways. He goes to his office while I go to the grimey break room for all of the other errand runners.

The official title of my position is "personal assistant," but I'm often referred to as "errand girl," or my personal favorite, "hey you!"

Dohyun is the head engineer, meaning he gets the bigger paycheck and his own office. I get to share the break room with twelve other women.

"Everyone make yourselves presentable before the meeting please, I'd hate to be embarrassed in front of Mr. Choi," says Mrs. Cho, the woman in charge of us.

She looks me up and down, her eyes scrutinizing me. "You might want to start tidying up now."

Mrs. Cho leaves the room, slamming the door behind her. The other girls in the room let out sighs, their posture relaxing now that the older woman is gone. I use my selfie camera to check my face. There's nothing wrong with my makeup, and my hair is smooth.