Chapter 2: Chapter Two
ONE YEAR LATER
The phone in her office jingled in the style of an old-fashioned telephone. She strolled down the hallway to her office and looked down at the digital readout. The VIP division of the public relations firm, Pinnacle, Inc. had called again. She sat down behind the desk with her tea and glanced at the clock on her desktop. Twenty minutes until she went online with her other online classmates. They assembled in a virtual lecture hall with Professor Jin, who taught creative writing and a series of other literary classes through the University of California.
Sabra Chandler was now more than ten months into online creative writing courses and eight months out from work. She had collapsed from overwork and was working from home taking care of minor accounts on a part-time basis. Once she had settled in at home she had searched around several universities and found exactly what she was looking for and registered for a core curriculum in creative writing. The first class was short story writing. She registered for the last open slot of a highly popular professor who had immigrated to the United States more than thirty years before and started teaching Asian Literature but eventually developed a following of creative writers who enjoyed his teaching methods.
At the end of the first class in the series, Sabra had already decided to register for all of Professor Jin's classes. At that same time, Professor Jin noticed Sabra. Her writing had touched him deeply and he immediately put her in touch with his nephew in Korea.
Shin SooYun was born and from the second semester of her creative writing courses, she and "Director Jin" were formally introduced. An online correspondence began between her and Director Jin. By the end of the semester, their email debates were a regular occurrence.
Professor Jin and his nephew had begun to correspond again as well, and they now had someone in common that allowed them to rekindle a relationship that had been severed when his brother had died.
Classes continued and the new year came and with the new semester, Director Jin began making inquiries about the talented student in Professor Jin's online classes who was now going by the name of Shin SooYun. The correspondence between Director Jin and SooYun had developed into something more than professional opinion or literary critique – although it was that too. Now there were philosophical and sometimes friendly debates over all sorts of topics.
Sabra and Director Jin developed a deeper online friendship. It seemed to frequently cross into an area that both would skirt around. Always one or the other would rein in just short of confessing having deeper feelings other than friendship! The chats and emails were always interesting, and always exasperating! His answers or responses to her messages sometimes took weeks. He would never explain his absences, just pick up where he had left off in the dialog. Then there would be regular messages for a few weeks then he would disappear again. Finally, Sabra had just begun to accept this kind of correspondence and when the messages started up again, she would also pick up where they had left off.
Sabra began making definite moves toward resigning from Pinnacle. She was not sure what she would do, but she was finally feeling confident in her ability to write and storyboarding. She was not sure if it was screenplay writing, or in production that she was interested but she was ready to explore!
Sabra logged into her student portal and saw that in her inbox folder were her revised episodes of a screenplay that still had no title. It did not even have a working title and worried her that she could not develop a suitable one! She downloaded the three files that constituted three episodes of the screenplay. There was a message from the "Director" which she would read after class. From Professor Jin was a comment that said, "SooYun, Let's talk after class."
She smiled. The professor had dubbed her 'SooYun' almost immediately after speaking in the video chat room designed for student conferences with the silver-haired Korean academic. He had a quick wit and a smile that flashed in his merry black eyes. He spoke perfect English but tended to mix Korean phrases and English, especially when speaking to SooYun. Most of the time they were in a chatroom. There was a four-hour time difference between where she lived in South Carolina and where the professor lived in California, and it was not always convenient for them to video chat except on special occasions.
The class started, the video feed opened on her computer monitor full screen, and those in her class slowly appeared as round dots of color with their chat handle or last name. If anyone had questions, they could type them in, and they would get transmitted to Professor Jin's classroom computer. It was almost like attending the large lecture hall with the other students. Sabra considered herself far too old to sit in a classroom, she preferred online classes when possible. The local university in her town had online options except for exams and she showed up on exam day looking like any other college student.
When the class was over, she kept the chat option open and went on and began working on the suggested revisions. Then the chime sounded, and she shifted her mouse to wake her screen that had fallen idle.
Prof Jin: SooYun, How are you today?
SooYun: I am well. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I am enjoying this semester!
Prof Jin: That makes me happy. Before we go further, I must tell you what I have done. And hope you forgive me.
SooYun: What could you have possibly done to need my forgiveness?
Prof Jin: The details are posted to your special assignment folder. It is a writing job.
SooYun: A job? Professor Jin, tell me about this job!
Prof Jin: I have submitted the project you have been working on, and it has been reviewed by a panel of screenplay writers and accepted!
SooYun: I am not sure I understand. Is this really a job?
Prof Jin: Yes, there was a panel of writers who reviewed your screenplay, and they had positive things to say about your work. It has been accepted. There is also a contest of sorts going on. There are three entrants selected for the contest. Before I forget, do you have a passport?
SooYun: A PASSPORT?!
Prof Jin: Yes, you will need a passport.
SooYun: Where am I going?
Prof Jin: Busan, South Korea.
SooYun: WHAT?
[video conference requested by Professor Jin]
The video camera over Sabra's computer monitor began to flash. She sat back in her office chair and clicked the "OK" button to open the video call. Professor Jin Cho Sol's face appeared. His silver hair was mussed, and it did not improve as he tried to smooth it down. "SooYun, do not be angry with me," he said as he moved in closer to the camera. His face filled the screen. "But you need this – this is what you have been waiting for!"
She opened her mouth to protest then closed it. She opened her mouth again and then leaned forward slightly. He waited. It was what she had been waiting for! "Professor Jin, when do I leave?"
He sat back. A beautiful beaming grin spread over his face. He clapped his hands together. "SooYun, thank you!" He laughed happily. "I will send you the itinerary!" He leaned toward his video camera, "You leave tomorrow!" He ended the transmission when she shouted in alarm! He laughed in delight. He lifted his eyes heavenward. He prayed to all the deities that what he had set in motion would work out to a satisfactory end.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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