Beneath the Ice

chapter 11

It was Thursday, and for once, the office felt strangely calm. Lisa was sitting at her desk, flipping through a few emails, her mind somewhere else entirely. She had a meeting after work today—a personal one. With her father.

"No big deal," she told herself, though her stomach was doing somersaults. It wasn’t that she didn’t like meeting up with her dad—it was just that every time they talked, he would inevitably bring up The Question.

“So, when are you taking over the family business, Lisa?”

Lisa let out a soft groan just thinking about it. Her father was always pushing her to leave her job as Jennie Kim’s assistant and step into her role as the future CEO of the Manoban family company. It wasn’t a bad gig, but the thought of being her own boss—especially so soon—was terrifying.

And how could she explain to him that she was actually learning a lot from Jennie? Sure, Jennie was terrifying in her own right, but Lisa had come to respect her more than she ever expected to. Plus, working at Kim Industries gave her the kind of real-world experience that would help her in the long run... whenever she decided to face The Question.

"I’ll just keep it vague," Lisa thought. "A little sidestepping, some well-placed humor... I’ve got this."

Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced down at the screen to see a text from her dad: "Dinner at 7, right? Can’t wait to catch up, Lisa. Proud of you."

Lisa smiled despite her nerves. Her dad could be pushy, but he was supportive. She just hoped she could get through dinner without promising to take over the company tomorrow.

As she was lost in thought, Jennie’s voice pulled her back to reality. “Ms. Manoban, are you finished with the marketing revision?”

Lisa looked up, startled. Jennie was standing in front of her desk, her usual cool expression firmly in place.

“Oh! Yes, I mean, almost. I’ll have it done by this afternoon,” Lisa said quickly, gathering her thoughts. “I just need to add a few more details.”

Jennie raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp. “I expect it by 3:00.”

Lisa nodded, sitting up straighter. “You’ll have it by 3:00, no problem.”

Jennie didn’t respond, but her eyes lingered on Lisa for a moment longer than usual, as if she could sense something was off. “You seem distracted,” Jennie said, her voice calm but direct.

Lisa blinked, surprised by the observation. “What? No, I’m not distracted. Just... thinking. About work stuff. Very important work stuff.”

Jennie’s expression didn’t change, but her eyes narrowed slightly. “If you have something on your mind, it’s better to address it. Personal issues shouldn’t interfere with your performance.”

Lisa winced inwardly. "Of course she’d see right through me."

“Yeah, it’s nothing big,” Lisa said, trying to brush it off casually. “I just have a dinner with my dad tonight, and he’s probably going to ask me about taking over the family business again.”

Jennie’s expression remained unreadable, though Lisa noticed the tiniest flicker of something in her eyes—curiosity, maybe? “Your father owns a company?”

Lisa gave a sheepish smile. “Yeah, it’s a manufacturing company. Pretty big, actually. He’s been trying to convince me to take over for a while now, but I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Jennie’s gaze didn’t waver. “If he’s confident in your abilities, why aren’t you?”

Lisa blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Well, it’s not that I don’t think I can do it. I just... I feel like I still have a lot to learn. That’s why I wanted to work here first, you know? Get some real experience before jumping into the deep end.”