Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Lisa walked into the office with a spring in her step, fully prepared for a calm, disaster-free day. After weeks of chaotic presentations, near meltdowns, and accidental coffee floods, she had finally convinced herself that today this day would be different.

“No coffee spills, no tech failures, and definitely no cartoon monkeys,” she muttered to herself as she breezed through the office doors. She glanced around, noting the usual hustle and bustle of Kim Industries, where people moved with purpose and efficiency. It was almost intimidating how smooth things ran here. Almost.

As she approached her desk, she spotted a message from Jennie waiting in her inbox. Lisa clicked it open, expecting the usual bullet-pointed list of tasks. But instead, it was short and to the point: Ms. Manoban, I need you in my office at 9:30. Bring the marketing report.

Lisa glanced at the clock. 8:45. She had time to spare. No rushing, no panicking. Just a simple, straightforward task. She leaned back in her chair and smiled. “Alright, Lisa. You’ve got this.”

She spent the next half-hour reviewing the marketing report, double-checking every stat and making sure the charts were aligned (right-side up, this time). When the clock struck 9:25, she grabbed the report, squared her shoulders, and walked toward Jennie’s office.

Calm. Collected. Professional.

She knocked lightly before entering. “Good morning, Ms. Kim! I’ve got the marketing report right here.”

Jennie was, as usual, seated behind her desk, her posture perfect, her eyes glued to the screen. Without looking up, she gestured for Lisa to sit. “Thank you. Let’s go over the key points.”

Lisa handed over the report and took a seat across from Jennie, watching as her boss flipped through the pages with her usual laser focus. Jennie’s office, with its minimalist decor and perfectly organized desk, was like a sanctuary of order something Lisa both admired and feared. She always felt a little out of place here, like a splash of colour in a black-and-white movie.

“The campaign has been performing better than expected,” Jennie said, finally looking up from the report. “Engagement is up by 12%, and we’ve seen a noticeable increase in brand recognition. However...” She paused, her gaze steady, “I’d like to see a stronger focus on targeting niche markets. We can’t afford to rest on broad appeal alone.”

Lisa nodded along, trying her best to look serious. “Right, niche markets. I totally agree. We can, uh, really drill down on that. Get super specific with our audience.”

Jennie raised an eyebrow, and Lisa internally cringed. Okay, Lisa, maybe don’t try to sound like a business genius.

“I’ll pass that along to the marketing team,” Lisa added quickly. “They’ll make it happen.”

Jennie gave a slight nod, then set the report down. “Good. I want to see a revised strategy by the end of the week.”

“End of the week. Got it.” Lisa scribbled the note down, her pen hovering over the page for a moment. She hesitated, then looked up, deciding to take a chance. “You know, Ms. Kim, I have to admit...I’m kind of impressed with how you handle all of this.”

Jennie’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing, clearly waiting for Lisa to explain.

“I mean, you’ve got a thousand things on your plate, and yet you never seem to miss a beat,” Lisa continued, feeling a little braver. “You make it look so easy. I’d be a mess if I had to juggle everything you do.”

Jennie’s expression remained unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes something that wasn’t quite approval, but wasn’t the usual icy indifference either. “It’s a matter of discipline,” Jennie said, her voice calm. “And focus.”

Lisa nodded, suppressing a grin. “Right, discipline. That’s what I need more of. I mean, I’ve been focused mostly since I started here. But maybe I need to kick it up a notch. Go full Jennie Kim mode.”

Jennie’s lips pressed into a thin line, and for a split second, Lisa thought she might have pushed too far. But then Jennie spoke, her tone neutral. “You’ve improved, Ms. Manoban.”

Lisa’s eyes widened slightly. “I... have?”

Jennie’s gaze softened, just a fraction. “You still have a tendency to let small things spiral into larger problems, but you’re learning. Slowly.”

It wasn’t exactly a glowing compliment, but coming from Jennie, it was practically a gold star. Lisa beamed. “I’ll take it. Improvement is improvement, right?”

Jennie didn’t respond, but the fact that she hadn’t outright dismissed Lisa’s enthusiasm was enough for Lisa to count it as a win. She stood up, gathering the report. “I’ll make sure the marketing team gets on this right away.”

Jennie nodded once, her attention already shifting back to her computer. “Good. Keep me updated.”

As Lisa left the office, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. No disasters, no coffee spills, and Jennie didn’t look at me like I’d ruined her entire day. That’s progress.

---

Back at her desk, Lisa spent the rest of the morning coordinating with the marketing team, drafting emails, and updating the department heads on Jennie’s feedback. It was a smooth, uneventful few hours exactly what Lisa had been hoping for.

Around lunchtime, Chaeyoung popped by, leaning casually against Lisa’s desk. “Hey, you survived another meeting with the Ice Queen, huh?”

Lisa chuckled. “Yep! And guess what...no disasters today. I’m on a roll.”

Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow. “No disasters? Wow. Are you feeling okay? That’s not very ‘Lisa’ of you.”

Lisa laughed, leaning back in her chair. “I know, right? But honestly, I think I’m finally starting to figure this whole ‘executive assistant’ thing out. I mean, Jennie hasn’t given me her patented death glare all day.”

Chaeyoung grinned. “Impressive. So, what’s your secret? Meditation? Hypnosis? Bribing the universe?”

Lisa shrugged dramatically. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just my natural charm.”

Chaeyoung snorted. “Yeah, that must be it.”

The two of them chatted for a few minutes, joking about work and how Jennie seemed to have an invisible force field that prevented her from ever looking flustered. Lisa couldn’t help but notice that, despite Jennie’s icy demeanor, there was something oddly fascinating about how composed she always was.

As they finished their conversation, Chaeyoung gave Lisa a pat on the back. “Keep it up, Manoban. Maybe you’ll have a completely disaster-free week.”

Lisa laughed. “One day at a time, Chaeyoung. One day at a time.”

---

The afternoon was just as calm as the morning, with Lisa efficiently checking off her to-do list and even managing to grab a coffee without spilling it. She was feeling good, really good. Maybe she was getting the hang of this job after all.

At 5:00 sharp, Lisa wrapped up her last task for the day and stood to gather her things. Just as she was about to head out, her phone buzzed with a message from Jennie: Can you stop by my office before you leave?

Lisa’s stomach did a little flip. Uh-oh. What now?

She quickly made her way to Jennie’s office, knocking lightly on the door. “You wanted to see me, Ms. Kim?”

Jennie was sitting at her desk, her expression as composed as ever. “Yes. I wanted to discuss something with you.”

Lisa swallowed nervously, wondering if she had somehow messed up without realising it. “Sure. What’s up?”

Jennie leaned back slightly in her chair, her gaze steady. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been more focused recently. Less prone to... distractions.”

Lisa blinked, taken aback. “Oh. Uh, thanks! I’ve been really trying to....”

“But,” Jennie interrupted, her voice calm but firm, “you still have a tendency to overcomplicate simple tasks.”

Lisa’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Right. I’ll work on that.”

Jennie nodded, her expression softening ever so slightly. “You’re learning, Ms. Manoban. Slowly, but you’re learning.”

Lisa smiled, feeling a small sense of accomplishment. “Well, I’ve got a great teacher.”

Jennie’s eyes narrowed slightly, but Lisa swore she saw the faintest hint of a smile tug at the corners of her lips. It was gone in an instant, but it had been there. She was sure of it.

“Goodnight, Ms. Manoban,” Jennie said, her tone cool but not harsh.

Lisa grinned as she turned to leave. “Goodnight, Ms. Kim. I’ll see you tomorrow. Hopefully still disaster-free!”

As she walked out of Jennie’s office, Lisa couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. Today had been calm, productive, and surprisingly... normal. No fires, no slip-ups, no flying phones. Just a solid, drama-free day.

Maybe this is the start of a new trend, she thought as she stepped into the elevator.

And for the first time since she’d started working for Jennie Kim, Lisa felt like she was truly on the right track. One disaster

-free day down....how hard could it be to keep that streak going?

Famous last words, she thought with a smirk as the elevator doors closed.

....

Lisa arrived at the office the next morning, feeling pretty good about herself. The previous day had gone off without a hitch, and if she could manage to keep up the streak, she might just pull off an entire week without a single disaster. Who knew being competent could feel this good? she thought as she sipped her coffee, carefully placed well away from any important documents this time.

She was just about to settle into her routine when an email notification popped up. From Jennie, of course.

Ms. Manoban, please prepare the quarterly reports for the meeting at 10 AM. We’ll need hard copies for the executives. Ensure they’re ready and organized. - J. Kim.

Lisa’s confidence wobbled for a second. “Hard copies? Who even uses those anymore?” she muttered to herself, but then quickly shook it off. “No big deal. It’s just printing and organising some binders. I’ve got this.”

It was 8:30. Plenty of time to print a few reports, organize them into some fancy binders, and have everything ready to go for the meeting. What could possibly go wrong?

---

By 9:15, Lisa was in the middle of a very serious battle with the office printer. The reports were over a hundred pages each, and the printer had decided to act like a diva, jamming every few minutes and spitting out random error codes that made no sense.

Lisa groaned, pressing the reset button for what felt like the hundredth time. “Why do you hate me?” she whispered at the machine, as if talking to it kindly would make it cooperate. She glanced at the clock 9:20. She still had time. Barely.

After another tense ten minutes of fighting with the printer, she finally managed to get the last page out. She quickly gathered the stack of papers and sprinted back to her desk, where she had the binders laid out, ready to be filled.

“Okay, Lisa, stay calm. You’ve got this,” she muttered to herself, furiously organising the pages into their respective sections. “No one ever said binder organising was glamorous, but at least it’s not rocket science.”

By 9:45, the binders were done. Lisa stood back, hands on her hips, admiring her work. “Ha! Flawless. Jennie is going to be so impressed.”

She grabbed the stack of binders and made her way to Jennie’s office, still riding the high of completing the task with time to spare. She knocked lightly on the door and stepped inside.

Jennie looked up from her computer, her usual cold, collected expression in place. “Are the reports ready?”

Lisa grinned, placing the binders neatly on Jennie’s desk. “All done! Hard copies, perfectly organized, right on time.”

Jennie opened the top binder and flipped through the pages. For a moment, Lisa thought she saw a flicker of approval in Jennie’s eyes. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

“These are the wrong reports,” Jennie said flatly, looking up at Lisa.

Lisa’s stomach dropped. “Wait... what?”

Jennie held up the binder, her expression icy. “These are the sales projections from last quarter. I asked for the current quarterly financial reports.”

Lisa blinked, then slowly reached for one of the other binders and opened it. Sure enough, the title page read: Kim Industries: Q2 Sales Projections.

“Oh no,” Lisa whispered, flipping through the pages, her face paling. “Oh no, no, no. I printed the wrong reports.”

Jennie’s gaze remained steady, but there was a definite edge to her tone. “The meeting is in ten minutes, Ms. Manoban. Fix it.”

Lisa’s brain went into overdrive. “Right! I’ll... I’ll fix it. I’ll print the right reports right now. I can... I can totally get this done.”

Jennie didn’t say anything, but the look on her face told Lisa she was skating on very thin ice.

Lisa practically bolted out of Jennie’s office, running back to the printer as fast as she could without spilling her coffee (because knowing her luck, that would happen). She jammed the USB drive back into the printer, praying it wouldn’t betray her this time.

---

By some miracle, the printer cooperated, and within eight minutes, Lisa had the correct quarterly reports in hand. She sprinted back to her desk, threw open the binders, and started replacing the old pages with the new ones as fast as humanly possible. Her hands were shaking, but she powered through, glancing at the clock every few seconds.

9:59.

She grabbed the binders, all but running down the hall toward the boardroom. As she rounded the corner, she spotted the department heads filing into the room, chatting casually. Jennie was already inside, seated at the head of the table, waiting.

Lisa burst through the door, trying to look calm and composed as she set the binders in front of each executive. “Here you go, folks! Freshly printed, just for you.”

Jennie glanced at her as she placed the last binder on the table. “Cutting it close, Ms. Manoban.”

Lisa gave a weak smile. “I prefer to think of it as ‘just in time.’”

Jennie’s expression didn’t change, but there was a momentary pause before she spoke. “Take your seat.”

Lisa nodded quickly and slid into the chair at the back of the room, clutching her tablet like a lifeline. I made it. Barely. But I made it.

The meeting started, and Lisa’s heart rate slowly returned to normal as Jennie ran through the financial reports. Despite the near-disaster with the wrong binders, everything seemed to be going smoothly. No one noticed the hiccup, and Jennie’s presentation was, as always, flawless.

Lisa couldn’t help but feel a small sense of relief. Okay, so maybe I didn’t avoid a disaster completely, but at least no one else knew. Jennie didn’t rip my head off, so that’s a win, right?

---

After the meeting ended, Lisa stayed behind to clean up, gathering the binders and clearing the table. Jennie lingered by the door, watching her with that same unreadable expression.

“Ms. Manoban,” Jennie said, her tone as cold as ever.

Lisa froze, turning slowly. “Yes, Ms. Kim?”

Jennie took a step closer, her gaze steady. “You recovered from your mistake quickly. That’s the only reason this didn’t turn into a disaster.”

Lisa blinked, not sure if this was a compliment or another thinly veiled warning. “Thank you?”

Jennie raised an eyebrow. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Lisa nodded quickly, her grin sheepish. “Trust me, I’m on it. No more wrong reports. I’ll triple-check next time.”

Jennie didn’t respond, but as she turned to leave, Lisa could have sworn she saw the slightest flicker of amusement in her boss’s eyes. Was that... almost a smile?

Lisa shook her head as she gathered the last of the binders. Nah, I’m imagining things. Jennie Kim doesn’t smile. She’s basically an iceberg in a suit.

But still, as Lisa walked back to her desk, she couldn’t help but feel like she had dodged yet another bullet. Sure, she’d made a mistake but she’d fixed it. And for once, Jennie hadn’t made her feel like she was one slip-up away from being fired.

Maybe, just maybe, she was starting to earn Jennie’s respect. Or at the very least, Jennie had accepted that Lisa’s unique brand of chaos wasn’t going away anytime soon.

And for Lisa, that was enough.

As she sat back down at her desk, she smiled to herself. “One more day down, and I’m still employed. I’ll call that a win.”

She glanced at the stack of papers on her desk, mentally preparing for whatever Jennie threw at her next. Because in the world of Jennie Kim, there was always something waiting to test Lisa’s ability to stay calm under pressure.

But hey, if she could survive wrong reports, flying phones, and coffee disasters, what was one more day in the life of Jennie’s assistant?

Famous last words, Lisa thought with a grin, already looking forward to whatever challenge came next.

Continue.....