Love Under Pretenses | Winrina

11.

I'm in the meeting room at the building to accompany Jimin as her assistant, of course. They're holding yet another meeting about their product line.

I watch Jimin as she speaks, standing out in her iconic pink dress, her black silky, wavy hair cascading perfectly.

Jimin's visuals are truly something else. She's not only a brilliant and intelligent CEO, but she's also incredibly stunning. It's only now that I realize she's not just known as the famous CEO who owns YUnique Fragrance Corp, she's also famous for her beauty.

Imagine if she worked on her attitude a little more? She'd be absolutely perfect.

“Miss Yu, I’ve noticed that our floral and sweet scents are selling much better compared to our other fragrances with spicier or stronger notes. The floral and sweet scents are more popular, particularly because most of our customers are women,” one of the stakeholders said.

“Thank you for bringing that up. I’ve also noticed that our floral and sweet scents outperform the others, but don’t worry, we’re conducting a thorough market analysis to better understand consumer preferences when it comes to perfume scents,”

Jimin responded seriously, her face showing her intense focus on the meeting. It’s truly impressive how she speaks, how she uses her hand gestures, and how she thinks. Even though I’m not related to her, I still can’t help but feel proud watching her.

I wonder why her parents don’t appreciate this side of her.

“However, this doesn’t mean we should solely focus on the scents that are more popular, especially among women, and neglect the other fragrances that have a loyal customer base. We can explore enhancing or adjusting these scents so they evolve and better match the preferences of our customers. Additionally, we need to invest in further research to understand the fragrance preferences of men, allowing us to expand our appeal and ensure more of them are drawn to our products,” she added.

"We need to put in more marketing efforts to introduce our less popular products to a global audience. Do any of you have suggestions or ideas on how we can make that happen?" Jimin asked the stakeholders, anticipating who would offer suggestions first.

"I have a suggestion, Miss Yu. We could collaborate with companies that represent popular celebrities and make them the endorsers of our less-known perfumes. That way, more people will get familiar with these products," one of the members suggested, and Jimin nodded, signaling that she found it a good idea.

"I also have an idea. We could implement a bundle and sampling strategy. We can pair our less popular perfumes with our best sellers in value bundles. People love deals like these, and it would encourage them to experience the less-known perfumes included in the bundle, helping them gain more recognition," another member added.

Jimin smiled brightly, clearly pleased with the cooperation among the stakeholders and their productive suggestions, which could help both improve their marketing efforts and boost the company’s overall performance.

"Thank you for your suggestions; I really appreciate them. We’ll definitely try out your ideas because I trust your input, and I’m confident these strategies will help improve our sales performance. Meeting dismissed. Thank you all for your cooperation," Jimin said, as she began tidying up her laptop and documents.

"Thank you, Miss Yu!"

"Thank you as well, Miss Yu."

"See you in the next meeting, Miss Yu."

As the meeting concluded, I quickly approached Jimin to help her with her documents.

"I’ll take care of those for you. You did great in the meeting, so let me carry them," I teased, giving her a playful look.

She stared at me for a moment, as if checking if I was serious or just joking.

"Excuse me, Miss Kim. I’m just organizing the documents, but you’re definitely the one who will carry them. Now, please bring my bag as well and take it to the office, now." Jimin ordered before walking out toward her office.

I rolled my eyes. She’s being so serious again, as usual.

She loves teasing people, but the moment someone teases her, she acts like you’ve committed some major offense.

Oh well, who can understand what goes on in her mind?

"You were fantastic earlier when you spoke with the stakeholders! Honestly, I almost had goosebumps," I complimented her as I finally reached her office and neatly placed her documents into the organizer.

"I’m just doing what’s expected of me as their CEO. You’re giving me too much credit for something so simple. And don’t think I haven’t noticed you slowly falling for me, Miss Kim. Remember, I’m paying you to be my fake girlfriend," she replied, causing me to snicker sarcastically at her boldness.

"You assume too much! Just because I complimented you doesn’t mean I'm falling for you! Tsk! That’s never going to happen!" I shot back, but she seemed unfazed by my retort.

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 6:50 PM. Just ten more minutes, and I could finally head home, so I decided it was time to say goodbye to Jimin.

"Oh, Miss Yu, it’s 6:50 PM. I can head out in ten minutes, just so you know," I said, making my way to my desk, but she quickly stopped me.

"No, you need to wait for me. We have plans," she instructed, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

"You’re so bossy! Who said I was cool with going wherever you want?" I retorted with a hint of annoyance.

"I did, and that’s final. Is there anyone else who gets bossy with you besides me?" she asked, her tone serious, which made me feel a little flustered.

"W-well, no. Just you," I mumbled, and she smiled as if she was pleased with my response.

"Good."

"Wait, where are we going, and why am I included in your plans again?" I questioned, my curiosity piqued.

She cleared her throat and looked at me before saying, "This is a last-minute thing for you, but we’re going out to eat with Yeonjun."

Huh? We’re eating with Yeonjun? Why?

"Hold on, why are we having dinner with Yeonjun? Are you seriously going to make me the third wheel? No way!" I exclaimed, feeling a rush of panic at the thought.

"Stupid! How can you be a third wheel when you’re my girlfriend?" she said, and it suddenly clicked in my mind that she was right.

"Our parents set us up to go on a date and eat at a restaurant. I didn't really want to, but they insisted it was just a friendly date for now. But I'm not dumb, I know they want to see me with the CEO's son, Yeonjun, from CHOI Corp. You know how the media is—they'll jump to conclusions and think I'm cheating on you if they see us together. That’s why I thought to bring you along," she explained.

"Also, I’m pretty sure Yeonjun won’t be able to stand having you around on our date, so he’ll bail on us quickly," she added.

I was just staring blankly, lost in thought.

"Quit staring like that. It's just Yeonjun joining us, not my parents. Besides, I’ll take care of your food later, so just come along. We need to leave now, so follow me" she ordered, and all I could do was comply.