“I’m so sorry to hear that. I had no idea.”
“She’s good at hiding it, so don’t feel bad about it. Nevertheless, I’d rather stay here with her. And since my best friend doesn’t look moody and depressed all the time, I imagine you two have patched things up. So, since you’ve always wanted to go to Korea, I thought of you. Plus, leaving the company without one of us was also an issue.”
“We’ve barely patched things up,” I counter. “And I’m sure you can find someone way more suited than me. I’m a junior employee, and I work in the dev team. Get someone from marketing. They’ll be much better.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, now. I’ve seen your presentation at Hello World and completely trust you to represent the company. Also, your app is the main reason we got this deal, so I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They loved it so much it got us a deal we’ve been trying to make for the better part of three years.”
“I-I didn’t know.”
This is huge, and I’m so happy that I could help somehow. They’ve been actively looking to partner with a manufacturing company that could make phones designed for our apps and operating systems. And they finally found one: Injin Electronics. From what I know, they signed a deal with them a few weeks ago, and everyone at Kelex is excited about it. Those phones they’d make for us would be the first of their kind, built to accommodate and help a variety of disabilities and special needs, with an easy setup and a plethora of accessories to make the phone as adapted as possible to its owner.
Kelex is already the world leader for what they do, and this will boost them even further into that lead and worldwide markets—including Europe, which they’re eager to get into.
When Kevin continues, he sounds graver. “But I’d be lying if I said this is the only reason I need you to go.” He sits back in his armchair, his intertwined hands in front of his mouth as he thinks of what he wants to say. After a moment, he sighs and rests his hands on his lap. “I need someone who can ground Lex and appease him. Otherwise, he’ll be uncomfortable the whole time, and I don’t want him agitated or thin-skinned.”
“What makes you think I’ll be enough?”
“I’ve known the man since I was thirteen. In all these years, I’ve only seen him talk to hundreds of people on stage once. And it was for you. He’d kill me for saying it, but you can’t even begin to understand your power over him. There’s something about you that makes him bolder, more confident, and also more peaceful. That’s the real reason I need you to go with him to Korea.”
I say nothing for a moment, digesting his words. Going to Seoul on an official visit to a world-leading tech company is an enormous responsibility. If it involves high responsibilities, I can’t do it.
“What would I need to do there?” I ask.
“Everything has already been negotiated at their San Jose headquarters. The deals are signed, and everything is in order. This is a friendly visit to answer their courtesy invitation. They’ll show you some of their sites, give you a tour of their departments, invite you for dinners and such… You can trust me, Andy. I would never put you in this position if I had the slightest doubt about you nailing it.”
“It would really be that simple?” I ask, still hesitant.
“It’s a run-of-the-mill kind of thing. You’ll follow them around, stick with Lex, and if there’s any responsibility involved, he’ll handle it, not you,” Kevin insists.
For so many reasons, this is a golden opportunity. Not only would I get to visit Korea, but I’d also visit the headquarters of one of the world’s most prominent tech companies. My inner nerd is more than excitedby the prospect. And doing all of it with Lex by my side has its own appeal, of course.
When I look at Kevin again, I notice that nothing about his attitude forces me to say yes. He’s giving me the choice—genuinely. Knowing Michelle’s state, I can’t refuse and force him to go. If I really am the only person he trusts with this, then I have to accept.
“I’ll do it,” I say before I can change my mind.
He claps his hands together, a charming, triumphant smile flashing his perfect teeth. “Outstanding. Thank you for this, Andy. I owe you a big one.”
“If I end up having to take on extra responsibilities, what you’ll owe me is a raise,” I half-joke.
“You won’t, but that’s something we can talk about if you want.”
“No—I was kidding. You can’t give me a raise.”
“Why? You’ve been working like a madwoman since you started. And your app is turning out to be much more profitable than we expected.”
“Then my royalties will reflect that. And you can’t give me a raise so soon because when people learn that Lex and I are…” I don’t finish my sentence, but the look on my face fills in the gap.
“Ah, yes, I see. Well, you two better do things right this time and get HR involved.”
“We will. As soon as we’ve made a decision, we will.”
I don’t tell Kev that the decision rests on me, not Lex. He already knows much more than he should.
I’m still a little stunned by what’s happening while he fills me in on everything I need to know. He hands me a printed itinerary and tells me he’ll have his plane ticket changed to my name as soon as possible. It doesn’t feel real, but that’s been my life since I started working here.
