A young woman in her late 20s walked down the streets of Hong Kong with an undeniable air of dominance. Her face was straight, appeared tough, and ready to intimidate the first person that dared get in her way.
She was Kristy Wong (Mandy Wong), an up and coming marketing professional. She had been voted the one to watch by business magazines all over Hong Kong, as well as one to be feared.
It was her first day of work as the assistant manager at Starry Marketing Agency, her latest promotion in her climb up the corporate ladder.
“One day, I will be the manager”, Kristy thought to herself as she step foot into her new work building. She strolled into the elevator full of people and hit the third floor button, completely oblivious to the ones warily observing her.
**********
Ella Yeung’s (Tavia Yeung) office is one of the neatest and most organized spaces one will ever see. Everything was where it had to be, and in alphabetical order no less. Ella could be a little obsessive compulsive, and she admitted it. Without organization, she felt anxious and uneasy.
However, that didn’t stop her from being one of the most respected and capable in her field. Firm and professional yet fair, she had her subordinates under her control while still being well-liked. To the world, Ella Yeung was the closest anyone could get to perfection.
Knock, knock! Ella’s secretary, Daisy, (Natalie Tong) walked in with Kristy beside her. “Ms. Lam, the new assistant manager Ms. Wong is here”, she announced.
“Hello Ms. Lam”, Kristy said, with an insincere smile that showed she was all business. Ella reacted with her usual welcoming smile. “Hello there, Ms. Wong. I’ve heard a lot about you”, she answered.
“Good things I hope”, Kristy replied. “Of course”, Ella replied back.
As they sat down, the two women observed each other in great detail and were impressed with what they saw.
"She looks professional, elegant, and intelligent. What a refreshing change from my previous boneheads of bosses", Kristy thought.
"Fiery spirit of a fighter this girl has", Ella thought.
Kristy reminded Ella a bit of herself when she first entered the marketing world, confident and ready to conquer. After being manager for almost five years, 32-year old Ella had begun wanting something more. But what? What could a modern day woman want besides her career?
"Welcome to Starry Marketing Agency. It's a pleasure to have you as our new assistant manager," Ella said.
"Thank you, I look forward to working here and learning from you. Who knows, maybe one day, I will be the one sitting in your seat", Kristy replied with a smile.
"Maybe", Ella laughed. "I worked hard for this position though and I won't lose it so easily".
"Then I'll just have to work even harder."
"I like your ambition. Now let's introduce you to your subordinates", Ella said as she led Kristy out to the open office. "You just met Daisy, that's Eric, Lily, Jennifer, and Johnny. The door over there will be your office", Ella pointed to Kristy.
"Hello, everybody!" An attractive young man in his late 20s (Ron Ng) walked in with two bags in his hand. "I have everyone's favorite treats!" the man called out. All the employees started crowding around him. "Two egg tarts and milk tea for the lady boss", he said enthusiastically as he handed the treats to Ella.
The man turned to Kristy. "Who are you?" he asked with a confused face. "Who are you?" Kristy asked back in a demanding fashion.
"Simon, this is Kristy Wong, our new assistant manager. Kristy, this is Simon Ng. He is the son of the owner of this agency", Ella introduced.
"Nice to meet you", Simon said to Kristy with a charming smile, and put his hand out for a hand shake.
Kristy brushed off and ignored the gesture. "The boss' son, huh? That would make you the rich kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth?" she cooly asked.
"I guess you could say that", Simon replied. "But I don't sit around doing nothing while I squander away all my father's money, so don't get the wrong idea."
Kristy looked unimpressed.
"What? Never see a handsome boy before?" Simon teased.
Ella watched the two in amusement. "Simon runs his own bar. Many of us like to go there and relax. He also comes to help out here at the agency too, even if it's just to deliver us snacks", she told Kristy.
"Good to know", Kristy replied, and proceeded to take the last latte in the bag of snacks Simon brought before going to her office.
"Hey, I was saving that for myself!" Simon complained. The door shut.
"She's a feisty one isn't she?" he said to Ella. She only replied with a laugh and returned to her own office as well.
Left alone, Simon turned to see Daisy, Eric, Lilly, Jennifer, and Johnny huddled in the corner eating their snacks and holding back giggles. Clearly, they had been intently watching the pair banter. "Get back to work you guys!" he yelled, playfully. The five quickly ran back to their desks.
"Fiery spirit of a fighter this girl has", Ella thought.
Kristy reminded Ella a bit of herself when she first entered the marketing world, confident and ready to conquer. After being manager for almost five years, 32-year old Ella had begun wanting something more. But what? What could a modern day woman want besides her career?
"Welcome to Starry Marketing Agency. It's a pleasure to have you as our new assistant manager," Ella said.
"Thank you, I look forward to working here and learning from you. Who knows, maybe one day, I will be the one sitting in your seat", Kristy replied with a smile.
"Maybe", Ella laughed. "I worked hard for this position though and I won't lose it so easily".
"Then I'll just have to work even harder."
"I like your ambition. Now let's introduce you to your subordinates", Ella said as she led Kristy out to the open office. "You just met Daisy, that's Eric, Lily, Jennifer, and Johnny. The door over there will be your office", Ella pointed to Kristy.
"Hello, everybody!" An attractive young man in his late 20s (Ron Ng) walked in with two bags in his hand. "I have everyone's favorite treats!" the man called out. All the employees started crowding around him. "Two egg tarts and milk tea for the lady boss", he said enthusiastically as he handed the treats to Ella.
The man turned to Kristy. "Who are you?" he asked with a confused face. "Who are you?" Kristy asked back in a demanding fashion.
"Simon, this is Kristy Wong, our new assistant manager. Kristy, this is Simon Ng. He is the son of the owner of this agency", Ella introduced.
"Nice to meet you", Simon said to Kristy with a charming smile, and put his hand out for a hand shake.
Kristy brushed off and ignored the gesture. "The boss' son, huh? That would make you the rich kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth?" she cooly asked.
"I guess you could say that", Simon replied. "But I don't sit around doing nothing while I squander away all my father's money, so don't get the wrong idea."
Kristy looked unimpressed.
"What? Never see a handsome boy before?" Simon teased.
Ella watched the two in amusement. "Simon runs his own bar. Many of us like to go there and relax. He also comes to help out here at the agency too, even if it's just to deliver us snacks", she told Kristy.
"Good to know", Kristy replied, and proceeded to take the last latte in the bag of snacks Simon brought before going to her office.
"Hey, I was saving that for myself!" Simon complained. The door shut.
"She's a feisty one isn't she?" he said to Ella. She only replied with a laugh and returned to her own office as well.
Left alone, Simon turned to see Daisy, Eric, Lilly, Jennifer, and Johnny huddled in the corner eating their snacks and holding back giggles. Clearly, they had been intently watching the pair banter. "Get back to work you guys!" he yelled, playfully. The five quickly ran back to their desks.
**********
Handsome 25-year old real estate agent Vince Wong (Bosco Wong) unlocked the door to his apartment after a long day of work. He walked in to see his roommate and best friend since high school, Quinn Tong (Leila Tong), casually lying on the couch watching TV while munching on potato chips without a care in the world.
He bit his lip nervously. "Quinn...what are you doing home? I thought you don't get back from work until 7", he asked cautiously.
Quinn finally turned away from the TV and acknowledged Vince. "Oh, you're home? Wow, that was a really good show!" she said enthusiastically.
"Quinn..."
"I got fired, okay!
"You got fired again?! Quinn, this is the fourth time you've gotten fired this year! And the year's only half over!" Vince yelled.
"Well, apparently bosses don't like being told by their employees they're wrong and stupid like a monkey with its head cut off", Quinn replied bluntly.
"No one wants to be told that!" Vince sighed. "Quinn, I know you're outspoken. I love that about you as much as I love your...vivid way of talking", he said about his dearest friend with a smile. He grew serious again. "However, work isn't the place to fully exercise the freedom of speech you love having so much. We're not 16 years old anymore. You need to find a new job that you can keep", he told her. "Okay?"
"Whatever you say, daddy", Quinn answered Vince with a salute. She got up and went back to her room.
Vince shook his head. "Oh, Quinn. You haven't changed a bit since we were kids", he said with a fond smile.
========================
Comments : Voila, the first chapter of "Finding Life's Sweetness"! I hope you didn't find it too terribly boring. I was trying to properly set everything up. Apologies for the slow pace and relatively uninteresting start. I think I introduced the characters decently enough though! Hopefully, it'll get better as it goes on. Do give feedback! :)
Off to a good start! I would say your openings really remind me of TVB series, hahahaha.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading the first chapter, I thought I would like Ella and Kristy more, but they are too structured sometimes to live a happy life it seems (at least for now), maybe I need some time to warm up to them. While I like their professionalism, they remind me too much my past self that I no longer like. (There's a story behind it, but can't share it on a public platform.) Haha, since my job is a mix of play and work, I like mixing both so work isn't really "work." I think this is where Ron comes in! Loving his character so far. Very cute.
But I think the couple that cracked me up the most was Vince and Quinn. Quinn's straightforward personality is hilarious!
Now, I really want to see the story unfold. Will you be posting more during your break before you begin school again? I know it can get pretty busy later on.
Chriselle - Thanks! :D Rereading it, it's actually not as bad as I felt it was when I first posted it. Haha, remind you of TVB series in a good way or a bad way?
ReplyDeleteWhile the two are very structured, it's only the first chapter so don't judge too soon. After all, you've only seen them at work. The three girls all have virtues, but as you pointed out, have many flaws. Through out the story, they will go through a lot of self improvement that will change them and hopefully, make them more happier people.
I'm liking Simon/Ron a lot too. So charming. ;) Of course, all these characters are my creation, so I love them all! Enjoying thinking of scenes for them and how to develop them.
Vince and Quinn will definitely be the humorous couple. When I started writing, I struggled with writing Ella and Kristy's first encounter. However, at the back of my head, I already had Vince and Quinn's first scene planned!
Yay, I have you hooked. :) I will write more in the next few days, so I should be able to post at least one more chapter before I go back to school. I have to start studying for Chem though too, but I will make room for both as I have a lot of free time. Already have a couple scenes playing out in my head.
"Haha, remind you of TVB series in a good way or a bad way?"
ReplyDeleteNeither good or bad. It's just TVB style and I can imagine how it would look like it it filmed.
Chriselle - Ok. Yeah...me too actually. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read more! Think it's of to a great start :)
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to know how Ella's will meet Ethan in the next chapter :D Haha so far really liking Simon and Kristy. I love bickering couples...and Simon sounds so cute, he's just going to slowly melt her heart :) And lastly Quinn (I really like this name) and Vince sounds like high school sweethearts xD
Do you have an idea of how long you're going to make this fanfic? :)
LynneD. - First off, thanks for the poster! I added it to the forewords and created a fiction page.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad it's getting positive response so far.
I'm curious how Ella will meet Ethan too. Haha. Time to get to writing! Not sure how the execution will turn out, but Ella-Ethan will be the more romantic/sweet couple, Simon-Kristy the bickering couple, and Quinn-Vince the friends turned lovers. :) It seems everyone is liking Simon so far! Yes, I thought Quinn would be a fitting name for a quirky and special girl like her! Hehe.
I'm going to have to write more before I can give an accurate estimate of how long it'll be, but roughly around 15- 20 chapters? I'll see how it plays out first.