Structural Damage

Chapter 16 - Revelation

It had been nearly four weeks since Se Ri had said goodbye to Seo Dan and Jeong Hyeok. Nearly four weeks since the wheels had come off of what had seemed like an almost perfectly moving train. Se Ri had been unable to concentrate since they were gone, her workload had increased exponentially. To say she was drowning did not even scratch the surface. Her days were an endless cycle of meetings and phone calls, barely having time to think in between. She was forced to spend the evening hours catching up on all of the things she couldn't do during regular business hours because of her schedule. This meant excessively long hours in the office, rarely going home. Which was okay with her, the apartment only served as a reminder of Jeong Hyeok and the happier moments with him. Of course, it also brought back the horror of what Cheol Gang was doing to her with the photographs. Her apartment was no longer her sanctuary, so staying in the office provided that, even if it did mean she was working.

She would sleep at her desk, head down, face plastered to papers that were scattered about. Or, if she had the energy and could catch herself ahead of time, she would make it to the couch first. Either way, the options for getting shut-eye in the office were not comfortable and did not provide peaceful, restful slumber. Since she had a full-service bathroom in her office, Myeong Sun was kind enough to help make sure she had clean clothes so she could shower and change. Myeong Sun had gone to the apartment to get a supply of suites, that way clothes could be rotated through the dry cleaners and Se Ri still had things to wear. Myeong Sun even took care to bring casual wear for the weekends, because Se Ri was, of course, working through every weekend.

Her schedule wasn't good for her diet, she was losing weight, and not in a healthy way, she was barely eating. She was primarily getting by on Red Bull, water, and the occasional salad that she would barely pick at. While Myeong Sun was in charge of her schedule, she would make sure that the meetings around lunchtime would have catered food. The problem was, Se Ri wouldn't eat it. She might make a plate for appearances, but she would take a bite or two, move it around on her plate and be done. She wasn't fooling anyone, everyone noticed she wasn't eating. Her eyes were starting to get dark circles, and she was taking on a thin and unhealthy look. It was noticeable, but no one dared bring it up to her.

Se Ri had underestimated the amount of time the Legal team would occupy on her calendar. While they were able to understand the landscape, as Seo Dan had put it, there were many things they could not address on their own. The absence of a General Counsel was a bigger deal than even Se Ri could have predicted. She was regularly reviewing documents that required approval, while the team had redlined them, based on guidelines that had been set forth, none of them had the authority to approve the final drafts. They also did not have signatory approval on anything, which meant that even the most insignificant document or change, would have to go to Se Ri. The log jam on her desk was massive. On more than one occasion, Se Ri questioned why these things were being brought to her, the response was always, "Well, Ms Seo handled this."

The first few staff meetings after Seo Dan left, the question, was always asked, "When will she be back?" Se Ri deflected each time, saying that she did not know. The news that Seo Dan did not work there any longer had stayed confidential, HR and Security knew better than to gossip about that sort of thing. No one had any idea that she was not returning outside of four people. At the end of the third week, what would have been the end of her 'vacation' time, Se Ri broke the news to the Legal staff during their meeting.

"I am sorry to break this news to you all, but Ms Seo has made the decision to not return to her position here at Yoon Design Group. She has tendered her resignation, I'm respectful of her choice. Trust me, this is her choice, not mine."

There was a collective and audible gasp in the room. Se Ri knew they were shocked, they had all anticipated that Seo Dan would be returning. "I will begin looking immediately to fill her role as General Counsel. I will be looking internally and externally for the right candidate. I have asked HR to pull all of your resumes for review, and I will begin setting up interviews with each of you in the coming days and weeks."