27. （CAN）cer
VERENA
27
Jae called me into his office. He was sitting behind his massive mahogany desk, fingers steepled under his chin, looking more stressed than usual. As I walked in, he looked up, his eyes dark and intense.
“We’re going to Korea,” he said, his voice clipped.
I blinked, taken aback. “Uh, we have all these projects, Jae.”
He raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting a fight. “Everything’s covered. The team is prepped and ready to handle the workload.”
I wasn’t convinced. “The McAllister project? The one you’ve been micromanaging for weeks?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Derek’s taking over.”
“And the Martinez proposal? We’re supposed to meet with them tomorrow.”
“Priya’s got it under control.”
I frowned, not ready to give up. “The new interns? You’ve been obsessing over their training.”
“Ben will oversee their progress.”
I sighed. “What about the quarterly review? The investor’s meeting? The charity event next weekend?”
“Handled, managed, and postponed,” he replied curtly.
I was running out of excuses. “Jae, I have plans. A trip with you sounds…terrible. Every day you’ve been worse and worse. Our friendship has changed. You’re more like a full-time boss now, not the friend I used to know.”
He cut me off, his voice softening. “Auntie was diagnosed with cancer. We’re going to Korea.”
My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes immediately filled with tears. This wasn’t the brusque, domineering Jae I’d been dealing with lately. This was my friend, vulnerable and scared. “Oh my God, Jae, I’m so sorry.”
He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the emotion in the room. “I’ll need you there, Verena. I can’t do this alone.”
I nodded, my voice trembling. “Okay. When are we leaving?”
“Tonight,” he said simply.
Without thinking, I crossed the room and gave him a hug, something I hadn’t done in a long time. He stiffened at first, then cautiously hugged me back for a brief moment before pulling away and clearing his throat.
“Prepare everything,” he said, reverting to his businesslike tone. “We need flights, accommodations, transport, and notify everyone on the team. Make sure they know how to reach us in case of an emergency. Also, get our documents in order, check the visa requirements, and handle any legal issues that might come up while we’re gone. Coordinate with Auntie’s doctors here and make sure we have all her medical records. And pack a bag for yourself—you’ll need professional attire and something comfortable for the plane.”
The list was meticulous, typical of Jae. I nodded, absorbing the enormity of the task ahead. “Got it,” I said, turning to leave.
“Verena,” he called after me. I paused, looking back. “Thanks.”
His gratitude was simple, but it warmed me in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. “Of course, Jae,” I said softly, walking out of his office with a renewed sense of purpose. This wasn’t just a business trip; it was a mission to support the person who had always been there for me, no matter how much things had changed.