(AN: To my readers who were reading my SoEul fic, The Pink Sparkle: my apology for the hiatus. I still plan on continuing the story, but don't want give out a date on when I'll publish the next chapter, or I'll disappoint everyone, myself included. For those who haven't read that fic yet, if you enjoy this story (The Power of Love), you may enjoy The Pink Sparkle as well. You can read it by clicking on my username above. ^_^ I've had these short SoEul stories stuck in my mind for awhile, and here's one I recent wrote. Hope you all like it? ;) Thanks for the support, everyone. xo)
THE POWER OF LOVE
Chapter 1: Work
So Yi Jung was a confident man. He's intelligent, attractive, and charming. He hated germs and dirt and always took a shower three times a day just to stay clean. He preferred a smirk over a smile and enjoys having a glass of wine every Friday after work. His closet was only filled with wrinkle free expensive suits, and he loves wearing a sparkling new earring on his left ear to compliment his flawless face.
Today was a special day for Yi Jung. And for this reason, he had taken an extra shower, wore his best navy blue suit, and had on a huge diamond earring that sparked brighter than ever before. So Creation, the business he had founded, was going to become an international household name, something he had always dreamed of. After studying his pottery skill in Sweden for two years, he had come home to opened the business. So Creation consisted of a pottery school and a factory. The school, also known as So Creation Academy, taught and train students the history and proper skills of spinning potteries, and the factory manufacture potteries which are sold worldwide. Most of the potteries produced in the factory are replicas of the ones Yi Jung had creatively made, and each were sold for over hundreds of dollars.
Yi Jung wasn't a teacher at his school and rarely had time to spin much potteries anymore. Instead, he worked in his fancy twenty-four stories office which was adjacent to both the school and factory. He also only hired the best employees to run his factory and the most talented potters to teach at his classes. The students in his school were educated children, many traveling from different countries just to attend his shops. One student was the niece of the Prime Minister of Malaysia and another student, the son of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Yi Jung had even heard rumors that some of the female students were only there on campus, hoping to get a glimpse of his handsome face. Anything to get the pretty girls to my school, Yi Jung had shrugged off and told himself.
He even had his best friends working along side him. Woo Bin assisted him in the Asian shipping department. Jun Pyo and Jan Di hosted many auctions and galleries for him at their Shinwa hotels, and Ji Hoo was the doctor at a clinic in his school and factory.
So Creation have been running for four years now and over those years, Yi Jung had gain lots of respect among his business peers. But he knew after today, everything will change, and he will finally get the respect he wanted from every business tycoon worldwide. Within the next few minutes, he will be signing a partnership deal with the most wealthiest man alive, the owner of Microworks Inc, Billy Bates.
"Master So, they would like to know if you're ready yet?" Yi Jung's assistant asked, bowing low with his eyes on the floor after entering Yi Jung's office.
"Does it look like I'm ready?" Yi Jung quipped, never glancing over at his assistant. He was posing in front of a tall mirror, watching his secretary, a young, thin woman named Miss Moon, fix the tie on his suit to be neatly in place.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Master So," the assistant's voice shiver. He apologetically bowed lower than before that his face almost slammed into his kneecaps.
"You look perfect, Mr. So," Miss Moon beamed as she continues to readjust Yi Jung's tie.
Yi Jung smirked. "Don't I always?" he agreed. He placed one hand in his pants pocket and finally glanced at his assistant. "Tell them I'm on my way."
"Yes, Master So! Yes, Master So!" the assistant cried, frantically bowing.
When the assistant left the room, Miss Moon went to fetch Yi Jung's favorite cologne, Armani, and watched Yi Jung spray the cologne on himself. The lavender scent quickly filled the room giving a fresh manly smell in the air.
"I hate it when others tell me what to do. I'm about to make South Korea the best country in the world, and they want me to hurry up? Aish," Yi Jung complained to Miss Moon. He glared into the mirror again and gave a final touch to his hair by stroking it to the side. "Perfect," he smirked.
The ballroom was already packed with hundreds of international media crew, everyone waiting patiently for Yi Jung. When Yi Jung walked in, they all went wild, jumping up and down, as if they were fangirls who had just met their favorite idol. Similar to any idol, Yi Jung also had body guards and with the help of the guards, they were able to hold the media crew from mobbing and attacking Yi Jung. Yi Jung was happy about the protection. He didn't want his handsome face to get scratch, especially on a day like this. He placed both of his hands in his pants pocket and strolled to a long table at the end of the room where he met Billy Bates and one of Mr. Bates' star employee, Steven Dobbs.
The three men sat together at the table in front of numerous microphones and when the media crew hushed, they announced their partnership deal. Mr. Bates handed Yi Jung a white document with small prints and Yi Jung pulled out his favorite golden pen from his blazer to autographed his name on the document.
A rush of ooh and awes filled the room and the photographers quickly snapped pictures of Yi Jung as he finished signing his name. No one wanted to miss a second of this remarkable scene and many were dying to ask Yi Jung questions. After Yi Jung was done, he slowly stood up from his chair and a roar of questions erupted from the media crew.
"Where will the future of So Creation be in another year from now?"
"Will you move to America to work with Mr. Bates?"
"What does it feel like to be the wealthiest young person in South Korea?"
"Why are you so handsome?"
"Tell us the secret on how you keep your face flawless?"
"Mr. So Yi Jung!"
"Mr. So Yi Jung!"
There were many questions, some business related, and some not. Yi Jung knew the answers to most of them, yet he choose to ignore them. He smirked and gradually raised his right hand mid air.
"He's going to talk! He's going to talk!" one of the media crew cried, waving his arms around like there was no tomorrow.
But no one needed the media crew's advice for they were used to hushing whenever they saw Yi Jung's hand up. Yi Jung almost chuckled at the sudden silence. He loved it when he can control a room full of adults.
"Starting today, with the help of Microworks Inc, my business and our country will grow and bring in more jobs and profit. The whole world will soon notice us and they'll be talking on how strong our economy is. South Korea will be the place every country wants to be," Yi Jung declared.
All the media crew quickly scribbled every word Yi Jung said on their notepads. The cameramen zoomed their video cameras into Yi Jung's face, and the flashes and loud snaps from the photographers were at it again.
"Many of you may be wondering why would a pottery business like mine team up with a technology business like Microworks Inc," Yi Jung continued. "Well, I'm happy to share that after a year of testing, Mr. Bates and I had concluded that using ceramics as the cover case on cell phones actually helps protect phones from being detected from the satellite. This is an exciting revelation for us. In the world we live today, the last thing we want is big brother watching over us, and we believe we have found the answer to prevented the government from ever spying on us again."
"Wow, Mr. So Yi Jung is such a clever man!" someone whispered loudly.
"How does he do it?" someone else added.
"Brilliant idea from Mr. So," another person boosted.
"Maybe he will cure cancer next," a comment was heard.
The room suddenly went dark and a projector began to play a film on the white wall behind Yi Jung. It was a one minute infomercial about the ceramic cover case, explaining the testing results and how successful the new idea will be. When the film was done and the lights came back on, it was Mr. Bates turn to talk.
"We are very honor to be here and to work such a smart and charming businessman like Mr. So Yi Jung," Mr. Bates said. "South Korea should feel fortunate to have him."
Mr. Dobbs nodded in agreement and the media crew approved the message as well, some clapping and cheering in celebration.
Yi Jung smirked and thanked Mr. Bates for the compliment, then he gesture that it was time to leave the press conference. He headed towards the back door with Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs as an eruption from the media crew roared again, hoping Yi Jung will stop and answer one of them, but they were met by Yi Jung's guards yet again and couldn't even get anywhere near to Yi Jung.
The three men went to an elevator, then took twenty-four flights up to the top floor. Yi Jung took Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs to a popular area he enjoy taking his guests to, a secluded outdoor balcony which was underneath a massive sign that one can read miles and miles away. "SO CREATION" the sign said. At night, the sign would shine bright in white and tourists would often take pictures of it like it was part of a landmark.
"Congratulation!" a group of Yi Jung's top associates, Woo Bin being one, cheered and bow when Yi Jung arrived at the balcony with Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs. The associates had been watching the press conference on TV and were waiting for Yi Jung's arrival so they can party and celebrate the partnership deal.
Woo Bin was the first to approach and greet Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs, then after introducing the two men to each of Yi Jung's associates, Woo Bin enthusiastically pulled Yi Jung to the side. "Man bro, I can't believe you're able to get Billy Bates and Steven Dobbs in our house," Woo Bin exclaimed. "This is amazing. They never partner with anyone."
Yi Jung smirked. "No one except me."
A lady carrying a big round plate appeared next to Yi Jung and Woo Bin. She smiled and displayed the snacks on her plate to Yi Jung. "Mr. So, you're a genius! Congratulation. My son made these food for you. Would you like-"
Yi Jung quickly waved her off. "Not now."
Startled, the lady anxiously lower her head and almost dropped her plate. "I'm-I'm sorry, sir," she said, then she was gone in a blink of an eye.
Woo Bin chuckled, not at the lady but at a thought stuck in his head. "I don't know how you do it, bro, but I give you mad props for making this happen. You're probably going to become richer than Mr. Bates, then no one can stop you."
Yi Jung's smirk grew wider and his left eyebrow rose. Knowing that he'll be unstoppable sent a thrilling shiver down his spine. This was better than being the president of South Korea. This was a path of becoming the most powerful man on earth. He can buy countries and make it his own, then perhaps open some shelters for the poor so the poor can fall in love with him like he's the Pope. Who needs Iron Man or Superman when they can have So Yi Jung to save them?
From the balcony of the party, there was a nice city view of Seoul's numerous tall buildings and mountain ranges, and since the rain had just dissipated a half hour ago, it help washed out the pollution giving the city a much needed boost of fresh air. The party became louder as time went on, and there were many food, drinks, and music for anyone who cared to dance.
Yi Jung sat privately under a cabana with Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs. And many of his associates would walk past, peek in, but never dared to enter. They were worried if they did, they would be bothering Yi Jung and it may upset him. Yet a few took the big risk and went in, hunching their shoulders and singing praises about how wonderful he is to Mr. Bates. Yi Jung wasn't asking for a line of compliments, still he'll take them because they were all true. He mingled and joked with Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs, talking about things only wealthy folks would understand. Their wine glasses were never empty, and they were constantly served food. In an hours time, they soon were calling each other by their first names.
When the sun was about to set and it was getting towards the end of the party, Yi Jung got on a mic and in front of the crowd. The music went mute and everyone watched him in anticipation, curious on what the future baron had to say. He smirked, rose his right hand and cracked his mouth open when suddenly a tune came on and was heard over of the microphone.
"There's loving in your eyes
That pulls me closer
It's so subtle
I'm in trouble
But I'd rather be in trouble with you
Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on."
It was a song by Charlie Puth. It was the ringtone on Yi Jung's cell phone. And Yi Jung knew exactly who was calling him.
The crowd, other than Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs, seem to know who was calling Yi Jung too. They nervously eyeballed each other, wondering how they should react or if they should still be standing there watching what Yi Jung's next move will be.
Typically, Yi Jung would get angry and ignore his phone calls, especially at such an important moment like this. But this call wasn't like every other call. Whenever he heard this ringtone, he would stop the universe just to answer it. He panic and almost dropped the mic but was able to quickly hand it off to Woo Bin before it can land on the ground. "Give me a minute," he told Woo Bin, turning away from the crowd.
The music came back on and Yi Jung pulled his cell phone out from the pocket of his blazer. "Ga Eul?" he spoke softly into his phone.
"Babe," Ga Eul answered, her voice filled with energy. "I thought you weren't going to answer me and I was about to hang up on you."
"Don't hang up on me," Yi Jung begged.
Ga Eul giggled. "Yah, I just saw you on the local news when you were at the press conference. I'm so happy and proud of you, but I have to let you know," Ga Eul sighed. "Your tie was a bit off."
That darn Miss Moon, Yi Jung clenched his fist. She was supposed to fix my tie straight. "If you were with me, the tie would had been perfect," he said to Ga Eul.
Ga Eul giggled again. "When are you coming home? Are you still at the office with Mr. Bates?"
Yi Jung glanced behind his shoulder for a second and saw the crowd had scatter away from him. "I'm with no one right now."
"Hmm. I hear music in the background. Oh no, did I bother you in the middle of your party celebration?" Ga Eul was startled. "I'm so sorry, babe. I forgot about the party."
"No, no, you didn't bother me at all. Don't worry." Yi Jung placed one of his hand on the back of his head and started walking nervously from side to side. "Did you want me to come home? I'll go home for you."
"No, stay for the party. You deserve the recognition."
"I've had many parties, Ga Eul. This one is just like any other."
"Well, it shouldn't be like any other. It should be the biggest party celebration ever. You're going to be working with Mr. Bates. That's something not a lot of people can say."
"Mrs. So-" Yi Jung heard an elderly woman's voice through the phone line. "Is Mrs. Yoo's still there?" Yi Jung asked.
"Yeah, she's staying a bit late because Si Woo had been having trouble napping today. I think his teething is getting him grumpy." Ga Eul went quiet for second. "Or he could just miss his appa?"
Yi Jung's heart flutter and he froze. "I miss you and Si Woo too. I'll be home very soon, I promise."
"Okay, go enjoy yourself for now. I'll talk to you tonight," Ga Eul replied.
"Alright."
"Love you, babe."
"I love you too."
They hung up their phones and Yi Jung glared back towards the scatter crowd. He was ready to go home and change out of his suit.
