Three Months Notice

She seemed to be calming down. Her tears had stopped and she was smiling. She even teased him.

There was quietness after a while and neither of them said anything. Lisa just sniffed occasionally and wiped the remaining tears on her face. Eun-hyeok on the other hand seemed to be thinking about something else, and his expression was thoughtful. Lisa wondered what he was thinking about and her eyes settled on him. After staring at him for what seemed to be forever, her gaze moved to the clock on her study table. It was already nine am. Eun-hyeok would have to go to work.

"Oh. You should probably go to work now" she whispered.

"I'm not going today. I have to take you to the company for the interview"

"I'm not going anymore"

"Why?"

"What's the point of going if I won't even get the job?"

Eun-hyeok sighed, standing. He stretched out his hand for her to take. She took it and he helped her up. "Now go get showered. You're going for the interview. And don't bother arguing, because I'm going to make you"

He pushed her into the bathroom and threw a towel after her so she could take her bath. She didn't have the energy to argue because she knew he would have his way eventually.

"Meet me in the living room when you're done, alright?" He yelled after her.

She showered and tried to pick her clothes. She decided on a plain white button up shirt and a black pencil skirt. She paired the outfit with black flats and did her hair in a low bun. She didn't bother with makeup because she didn't have any. Ji-eon had a bunch of makeup items she had left in her room, but she never bothered to borrow any oh it.

Exiting the room, she noticed that their father wasn't in the living room and only Eun-hyeok was there, but his attention was on his phone. He turned his attention to her when she shut the door. He glanced over her, likely checking whether she had dressed properly, then nodded approvingly.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Just a second" she hurried back to her room to get the folder where she had kept her résumé.

"I'm ready now, thanks"

They both walked outside to his car before he drove.

Do-yun stared between the man and the woman in front of him, trying to remember the reason he agreed to do this. He was a psychotherapist not a marriage counsellor. The only reason he had agreed to do it was because the pay was good. The family was rich and they both had something to lose if they separated. But they were both going around in circles, and their stories didn't add up. Honestly, he had no idea what to tell them, which was okay because they weren't even giving him an opportunity to talk.

He glanced at the clock on the wall behind the couple. He had strategically placed the clock there so he could check the time without his clients knowing. Sighing in relief, he realized the time was up. Now, he could shut them up without making it rude.

"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I really have something to do, and the session is over"

The couple went on arguing, not even paying attention to him. He didn't bother to make them leave, his assistant would do that for him. He made his way out the the office and turned to tell Yu-gyeong, his assistant, to do away with them, but was met by an empty desk.

That was strange. Yu-gyeong was always at work, and very punctual. Her absence reminded him that when he arrived at the office that morning, she wasn't there. Should I call her he wondered.

He pulled out his phone and called her. She answered on the first ring.

"Oh, Do-yun, how are you?" Yu-gyeong greeted cheerfully. So she's not ill or anything he thought. Then why did she skip work?

"Yu-gyeong, where are you? Why aren't you at work?" He asked sounding frustrated.

"Oh, didn't I tell you I'm no longer working there? I got a new job in my dad's company"

"Huh? When did you tell me that?"

"Three months ago. I gave you a three months notice. And I also told you last week that I wouldn't be there"

She probably did. Do-yun had been a bit absentminded lately. Why did she have to quit? How was he going to get a new assistant at such short notice?

"Don't worry, Yun, I placed an ad for a new assistant before leaving. I knew you wouldn't do that yourself. If you'd like, I can interview them myself" She offered.

Do-yun sighed. Yu-gyeong was the nicest and best assistant he'd ever had and she always helped him when he was slacking off. He would definitely miss her presence and her scolding, but at least she made provision for another assistant.

"That would be awesome. Thanks. I'll leave that to you then. But I have a problem..."

Yu-gyeong chuckled. "Don't tell me another client isn't leaving"

"It's actually a couple. They've been arguing since we started. Honestly, I would suggest divorce, but they clearly stated that it wasn't an option"

"Well, big guy, you've got to start handling these things yourself"

"I know, I know. But this has been a real headache. They're stubborn and won't listen to reason. They're not even willing to consider what I'm suggesting and they keep arguing about petty things," Do-yun said. He hated when couples like these showed up. The amount of energy and patience needed to work with them was almost always too much. It was like talking to a wall - they simply didn't listen to anything he said. He'd tried everything he knew to convince them, but to no avail.

Yu-gyeong's sigh was relieving, and he felt like she was right there. He liked Yu-gyeong. Not romantically though, she was more like an older sister to him. They had grown up together, were neighbours when he was a kid, went to the same school and ended up working together, so she knew basically everything about him and he knew everything about her. She was his female best friend.

"Do-yun, you have to learn cope with it. It's your career. And if you find out you don't like it, you can always start something new. You're smart and talented, you can start anything you want" Yu-gyeong encouraged.

"Come to think of it, you're right. I'll think about it later. I'm going to get the couple out now. I don't have much time. I'm meeting with Alex tonight for a couple of drinks"

"Won't you go home? It's already nine pm. Isn't it a bit too late?"

"Look, Alex does the same thing and you never chide him"

"Alex is not married. He's not even in a relationship. Your wife will be worried if you don't come home on time. Alex lives alone" Yu-gyeong explained.

"Alright, I'll call In-hye and tell her I'll be with Alex, is that alright?"

There was a silence that was only interrupted by the argument from inside his office. Yu-gyeong sighed.

"Alright, have a good night then" she replied.

"Goodnight" Do-yun said before he hung up.