Chapter 10 – The Immortal Goes to Work Like A Normal Human

Upon request from my assistant, I came to work bright and early.

I drove to the main headquarters in my Maserati – a different car for work purposes and messaged him that I was coming into office. When I reached the front doors, Sebastian was already standing there and another man in a suit stood next to him. That was supposedly my driver but since I rarely come to work, he has been helping Sebastian out instead.

Stepping out of the car, my heels clacked against the stone flooring and the driver bowed in greeting before he took over the car swiftly. Thanking him for his work, I went to the front door where Sebastian was waiting. He had a small smile on his face, and I tried not to roll my eyes at him as we entered the office together.

The main headquarter sits on flat lands that used to house old housing developments. Hundreds of years ago, I owned the lands and had built low lying apartments and rented them out cheap to those families that needed them. After the families moved out from there due to the war, the houses were demolished and turned to a war site.

After the war was over, I began building it back up. It took many years and careful planning. Recruiting my own kind and establishing boundaries, we started out as a small business and through determination, many more business partners and our willingness to get work done honestly, our business slowly grew. This business was the source of my blood, sweat and tears.

Our many years of sacrifice.

The headquarters had four buildings which were interconnected with bridges and low-level buildings. It had a large lobby which led off to different parts of the area and we headed straight – pass the security counter to tap our cards on the machine to allow us entry. Passing by it, some of my employees noticed me there and greeted me good morning.

I greeted them back with a smile and thanked them for their hard work – knowing that my presence and my words tend to improve their mood. Sebastian was looking at our exchange quietly. I looked away as they visibly brightened, and they began elbowing the other – whispering about my words even though I could hear them clearly.

We rode the elevator together and we stood right at the back as my office was at the highest floor. Greeting them back as they left, it was just me and Sebastian in the elevator.

"Thank you for coming today, boss."

"Hmm," I said. "How are the other two doing?"

I have employed two humans – the President & Vice President of the company.

The President – Park Hyun Syik was the third generation Park family line that has been serving me from the beginning of time. His great grandfather believed in me and supported me in every step of the way. And so did his grandfather and his father. All of them were loyal and an old friend of mine. We always have a game of Go whenever I visit, and he is aware of my secret. He has a grandson that he's grooming to take over.

Vice President – Lee Seo Jun was unaware of the secret. He was a normal human being that has no correlation to anything. He was merely employed for his accolades and his capabilities shone immensely. He's able to get the work done perfectly, and he was the driving force behind the company due to his talents, his no nonsense attitude to work.

I usually let him be.

He may or may not be aware of my status but I didn't mind it.

As we walked into my office, it was separated into two parts. The secretary office – consisted of two to three staff, the manager office – the managers of all departments was one part. The other part was our three offices.

The President, Vice President & my office.

Sebastian must have informed them of my arrival as all of the staff who were on that floor were already waiting to greet me as I walked out of the lobby. I was surprised at their presence and I greeted them back, thanking them for their hard work. Sebastian was right, to see them visibly excited was good to see.

I sought the two important men who were standing at the end of the long line of staff. Hyun Syik and Seo Jun – the two driving forces of the company.

The elderly man was beaming from ear to ear, eager to see me and as I neared him, he clasped me in a tight embrace. I still remembered the first moment I laid eyes on him and welcomed him to the family. He was such a small boy – eager to serve and eager to please me. Now, he's grown to an aging old man who's about to retire and a man full of wisdom, kindness and a soul so pure I would miss him dearly when he parts.

"You've gotten old, buddy," I said.

"And you're as beautiful as ever, Ma'am," he replied in return, smiling widely - his eyes creasing into happy wrinkles. "It's good to see you again. You should come more often and play a game of Go with me, Ma'am, it gets lonely here."

As I took a step back to look at Hyun Syik properly, I caught sight of Seo Jun staring at me in disbelief and I turned to look at him, making him rearrange his facial expression into a neutral one.

"I trust everything is good, Seo Jun," I said.

He perked up. "Yes, Ma'am everything's good," he said. "I've submitted my reports for you to look through."

I smiled. "Thanks for your hard work," I said as I patted his shoulder. "You continue with what you're doing, okay?"

He nods firmly.

"Good boy," I said and turned to the rest of the staff, seeing them watching me eagerly. "Get back to work everyone. Don't let me waste your time."

After a chorus of denials that I wasn't taking up their time, they quickly returned to their work and the trio accompanied me to my office. As for the design of our offices, I had ensured that it was welcoming, friendly and calming for my employees – adopting the latest office layouts and decorations, ensuring that their basic needs are met as well as considering their comfort.

My office was designed by a renown architect, an old friend really. Glass walls at the front to allow my staff to see inside my office. It was decorated with the finest furniture – designed mainly for comfort instead of minimalistic. A wall-to-ceiling bookshelf on my left that was filled with books of varying topics and my desk was facing the glass wall. There was a wall of plants behind me – giving off a soft, natural vibe.

We sat down on the chairs – meant for a meeting or a discussion amongst colleagues or visitors and I sat at the head, flanked by the two men. I had swapped the table and sofa out for a more comfortable setting – choosing to have a mismatch of chairs to complete the whole look.

"Sebastian, get me my coffee please."

After the assistant was out of my office, I turned to the two men who was waiting for me to speak. They knew I came here for work and they were ready for it. I regarded them as two important yet different individuals who hold a myriad of attitudes, ethics and morals who bring a good fortune to the business.

I shall treat them as such.

"Alright gentlemen, bring me up to speed," I said.

.

"Ma'am, do you want to get lunch with us?" Hyun Syik asked.

"Sure, where are we eating?"

After agreeing where to eat, my assistant called ahead to the restaurant to get a reservation for three of us and we left the office building together, heading down to the lobby where three cars were waiting for us. When I got to my car, I waved away the driver as I got into the driver's seat and started the car. As I cranked the air conditioning and the radio started playing, I typed in the address on my phone before setting it on the dashboard.

Activating CarPlay, I checked my mirrors, pulling on my seatbelt and switched on the blinker before driving out of the area. The drive to the restaurant would take about twenty minutes or more depending on the traffic and I activated Siri, asking her to call Jiminie. Seeing his name appearing on the radio monitor, I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel as I hummed along to the song.

When he picked up, I lowered the volume.

"Hi Alice!"

"Hey little one," I greeted. "Are you eating lunch now?"

"Yup! I'm eating with my friends, I got a long break later so we're thinking of heading down to the game room to play some games," he answered jovially and then he paused as he could hear the background noise. "Are you driving? Where are you? Are you outside right now?"

"Yeah," I replied, my eyes moving from my rear view mirror to my side mirrors every few seconds. "I'm heading to lunch now with the President and Vice President. What time are you finishing school today? I can pick you up."

"Oh! Did you go to work?" he exclaimed. "That's rare of you."

"Yes I did," I replied. "Why? Are you proud of me, Jiminie?"

He laughed. "I was worried that you're gonna get complaints from your staff when you don't go to work," he said. "But at least you are at the office now. Oh, I'll be finishing school at seven in the evening. I have a meeting to attend to, they're gonna talk about the rehearsal practice and the week-long training camp."

"Okay," I replied. "I'll come and fetch you later."

"Enjoy your lunch!"

"Well, I hope the food's nice at least."

"I'm sure it is, Alice."

I made a sound that made him laugh. "Stay safe," he said. "I gotta go!"

Bidding him goodbye as he hangs up, it was rather strange of him to tell me to stay safe but he doesn't know my secret yet. His kindness for my being made me smile, and I let out a sigh as I was reminded just how pure his soul was. This was one of the many reasons why I chose him in the first place, I mused.

After twenty minutes, I arrived at the location and parked at the hotel's basement carpark. We were eating at a restaurant hotel that boasted of good food and good reviews. It was Seo Jun's idea to eat here. Getting out of the car, I grabbed my shoulder bag and shut the door – locking it up without looking back as I made my way towards the elevator lobby.

Later, I was joined by the other two men and we graced their restaurant – led by one of their waitresses towards a reserved table. There weren't many diners at this timing and it was relatively quiet thanks to that. We sat down and took a few minutes to read through the menu, seeing a normal spread of food so I choose my usual.

"Ma'am, I'm glad you've decided to live in the city," Hyun Syik mentioned after we gave our orders and the waitress went away to log in our orders to the terminal. His eyes crinkled into small slits as he smiled. "It would be less a burden for poor Sebastian."

"Where were you living before?" Seo Jun added curiously.

"The next neighbourhood," I explained. "Hougang."

"That's like a three hour ride away," he pointed incredulously. "Why were you living so far away?"

"Seo Jun, be respectful," Hyun Syik warned.

"It's fine, Hyun Syik," I said softly as I turned to the younger man. "I was grieving. I lost a dear one and I needed to be away for a while. I wasn't able to concentrate on my work and it was affecting the company. So Hyun Syik suggested for me to take a long holiday, to allow me to come to terms with his death."

Seo Jun's expression changed when he heard my explanation and he looked uncomfortable. I patted his hand to assure him that it was fine to wonder about it. He may not know the entire truth about my disposition but that doesn't mean he should be left out entirely. It was not the correct way to deal with this, but it was the easiest.

He may or may not take things lightly if he were to know the truth.

"What is it about my presence that has gotten you ruffled, Seo Jun?" I asked with a soft smile. "Is it because of how young I am? If so, please do not fret. The company has faced a myriad of problems, and I will not allow the company to drown."

Seo Jun's awkwardness did not disappear after I said it and the conversation merely involved myself and Hyun Syik, as we talked about things that he wasn't aware of. It was rather difficult to involve him in such matters as it existed years before he was born but I tried my best to ask him more about his personal life – if he had a girlfriend, what his family was doing and what his hobbies were.

After we were done eating, it was two in the afternoon and we headed back to the office separately – each with our own timing. Once I was back, I gave the car keys to the driver and headed to the lobby – making my way to the shops where they sell coffee. I queued along with the staff, trying to keep my face passive as they whispered around me – their CEO buying coffee like a normal person.

As soon as I got to the counter, I ordered my usual coffee and took out the employee card. It was a gold card that I rarely used so I handed it over to the cashier. "Please use this to pay for the rest of the staff's orders," I explained to the cashier. "And please return this to my assistant once you're done. Thank you."

"Oh!" he visibly brightened when he heard me. "Thank you so much, Ma'am!"

"Not a problem."

As he handed me my order, I wandered back up to my office, passed the managers' office who greeted me heartily and I resumed my work. There was a stack of papers to sign, thick folders for me to read through and letters that were ready for me to tackle. And soon enough, I fell into a quiet rhythm.

At 6:30pm sharp, Sebastian knocked against my office door and entered the room to find me still pouring over a folder. "Aren't you heading to fetch Jimin from school, boss?" he asked as he went over to retrieve the last stack of papers from my desk. "You should leave soon if you want to make it there on time."

I glanced up at the clock immediately. "Yes," I replied as I shut the file and got up, grabbing my shoulder bag. "I'll bring this file back with me. I need time to look through this. Are you heading back as well, Sebastian?"

"No, I'll head home later," he said. "I have a few things to settle."

"Okay, don't spend so long in the office and take the other car," I said as I patted his shoulder, passing by him to leave the office.

The driver – Nathan was already waiting for me outside and handed the keys over to me without a word. He bade me goodbye and bowed in respect. I thanked him for his work and apologised for not using him as a driver, to which he simply said he was lucky to get employed in the first place. He thanked me for still keeping him despite not being able to drive.

Surprised at his statement, I told him not to worry about it and I took the elevator down to the basement where my car was parked. Deciding not to take the Maserati back, I chose the next best option which was the Honda Civic that Nathan had brought over from the loft. Checking the keys he had given me, it was the Honda Civic.

Chuckling to myself at his thoughtfulness, I unlocked the car and got inside. Leaving the building's basement carpark, the drive took me twenty-five minutes due to the traffic and I used that extra five minutes to buy myself a cup of coffee at the school's café. I had unintentionally became their member as I kept buying coffee from them, and the barista greeted me as soon as I stepped inside.

She knew my order and we made small talk about the weather, the worrying news and she thanked me for always coming to buy their coffee. She knew I wasn't a student, but I kept coming back so I explained to her that I was a friend of a professor and a student, and I was picking him up at that moment.

As soon as I said it, she had a sly look on her face which I pretended I didn't understand and went to the side to wait for my order. There were two more customers before me, waiting for their order as well. As the time reached seven, my phone buzzed and Jiminie was calling already. Telling him that I was by the café at Block C, he made his way there as well.

"Hey Alice." I turned when I heard him calling for me and broke into a smile as I saw him approaching me with a wide grin. "What did you order? Iced americano? Isn't it kinda late to drink coffee?"

"There's no fixed timing to drink coffee," I announced proudly and stepped forward when the barista called my name, thanking him as I accepted the cup of coffee. "Let's go, Jiminie."

As we stepped out of the café and into the cool evening air, I let out a breath of bliss as I sipped on the straw. Jiminie held my hand suddenly which made me swallow hard and I tried not to let it affect me too much. I glanced down at our hands intertwined, we hold hands all the time – why am I getting flustered right now?

It makes no sense.

So, I decided to talk about the week-long camp he was going to.

"When are you leaving for the week-long camp?" I asked.

"In two week's time," he said. "I think it's going to be held at the neighbouring island. At Tampines."

"Hmm."

"Why? Are you going to miss me?"

"Yes," I said. "You're going to be away for a week. That's very long."

He laughs. "It wasn't as long as the three years we were apart, Alice," he pointed out. "A week is nothing."

I made a face. "I doubt it."