I tap my nails on my desk in agitation as I watch the hands of the clock tick on and on in what feels like slow motion. It feels like this morning is dragging more than a month in a jailhouse, and neither Yoonha nor Jyeon has shown up for work at all yet. I'm listless, can't concentrate or focus, and nothing I do is easing the tightly wound ball in my abdomen that I know is stress. After ten, I'm pissed at both of them for this impromptu AWOL behavior when we have so many things going on before lunch.

We run our own departments and must regularly bring...