Another Life With You

The Beginning

Yoon Seri – founder and CEO of Seri's Choice, estranged heiress of Queen's Group, occasional public figure – liked to take the straightforward approach to life. Seri didn't mind that life did not take the same straightforward approach with her.

Over the past ten years, she had long accepted that growing her company would require some measure of fame on her part since it was, after all, an eponymous fashion-focused company. She had accepted that fame would attract jealous stares and covetous whispers. She had conditioned herself not to take it personally, to see things through the lens of numbers such as revenue and stock prices rather than feelings.

Today, however, the jealous stares seemed too venomous. More so than usual.

Seri resisted the urge to glance around the department store as she made her way towards the exit. Today was the first day she was being followed by a retinue of bodyguards. Normally, Seri would have discarded them by the time she was out the door, but today she didn't have the time to argue since she had a full schedule touring the Seri's Choice sections in the department store.

"I feel like I'm getting way more attention than I usually do," she said to her managers. "Why did you hire these bodyguards?"

"Oh," Team Manager Hong responded behind her. "In case Cha Sang-u's angry fans attack you."

"Angry fans?!" Seri protested, hackles raised. She thought of the spiteful messages she had received on social media and e-mail from these so-called fans. "Why? I'm the one who should be angry, not them!"

"Daepyonim, please calm down," Purchasing Manager Kwon spoke up from where he flanked her other side. "We earned half of our yearly revenue in just one day. Our stock prices went up too."

Right. Seri swallowed her follow-up complaint. That's all that should matter.

Still, she would have to complain to Cha Sang-u later. So far, the actor was proving to be tolerable company. He was warm, accommodating, mature. Dining with him was surprisingly more enjoyable than eating alone, as was usually her habit. However, knowing how much the entertainment industry valued reputation, Seri wasn't certain as to how seriously Sang-u would receive her complaints.

Well, she would hold that thought for later. For now, Seri had an important dinner to prepare herself for.

---

Seri stepped out of the marbled halls of her family home, feeling breathless and exhilarated beneath her calm facade. Her abeoji's words still echoed in her ears: "I want you to take over my position. You left home and started your own company ten years ago. I've definitely seen what you can do. I want you to run the company in my place."

And her omma and her brothers' faces! Seri couldn't help doing a little twirl of celebration on the front steps. She might even have let out a little squeal. If only she had taken a picture so she could frame their shocked looks and hang it on her bedroom wall.

When she had first founded Seri's Choice a decade ago, Seri had admittedly had this moment in mind. She had been driven by the childish urge to prove them wrong – her omma, who had never thought Seri should belong to the Yoon family in the first place; her oppas, who saw her as both undeserving and as competition; her sisters-in-law, both of whom schemed behind her back to varying degrees.

Somewhere along the way, that toxic drive had faded. Seri began to immerse herself in the actual work of building a company, of creating a dream team of staff, of research and pitches and product development and investor meetings and marketing and sales numbers. Somewhere along the way, she learned that the fruits of genuine labour were much more satisfying than the desire to one-up her family members. She was proud and content with what she had accomplished on her own.