Thursday, June 10, 2010

Low Kay Hwa - Emotions Engineer

One of the mind-boggling stories. I didn't get the ending at first. But after reading it a couple of times, I got it. Give some thoughts to it whilst reading, it ain't that confusing afterall.

As of 25 November 2007, I have a total of 89 different name cards. They were all printed with different names and positions. I was once a doctor, a graphic designer, a photographer and ironically, the CEO of a big company.

My real name is Joe Tay, and I have been an “Emotion Engineer” for twenty years.

My annual income is about twenty million dollars a year. I don’t need to pay tax, and all the cars that I had bought for were paid with full cash. My clients include bosses of listed companies and occasionally expatriates. Last year alone, I had twenty-seven clients, and the profit I had was an overwhelming twenty-two million dollars.

The next client that I had to work with is a director of a public-listed company. He, a
sixty-one-year old married guy, was dumped by a twenty-three-year old mistress. I could almost feel for him: A mistress dumping her lover? Isn’t it always the other way round?

“I want you to make her cry. Hard.” He said. After he had briefed me on that girl, I mentally crafted a movie in my mind. “I want to see her cry very, very hard. Hey, you listening to me?”

I nodded. Sometimes, in my line of work, I don’t just create emotions. I remember things. “When is the deadline?”

“Three months from now. Can you do it?”

“Two months” I said, reached for that expensive cup of coffee on his table and continued: “Two months, and prepare your one million dollars for me.”

Step one completed: Getting a “client”.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Anyone who has been through a relationship will understand this: Love is the source of all emotions. It can make you happy, it can make you sad. And in order to engineer an emotion, you first create love.

I know she cycles around East Coast Park every Saturday morning alone. When I saw her, I peddled harder behind her. As we were about two metres apart, I let go of both my hands on the handles and my bicycle skidded to the side. I jumped off the bicycle and rolled towards her direction.

“Oh, gosh, are you okay?” She had stopped her cycling and was kneeling next to me. “You’re bleeding.”

I nodded, and then shook my head. Girls like a wounded yet strong guy. “Are you alone?” I asked, looked at my wounds again and shook my head once more. “Shit. I feel giddy. I didn’t bring my handphone out. You know any clinic around here?”

“Clinic…”

She lives at Bedok, which is a bus ride away from East Coast Park. She would know where the nearest clinic is.

“Can you bring me there…? I’m feeling a bit giddy…”

She stared at me, looked around herself and muttered, “Okay, let’s go to my car.”

Step two done: Knowing her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She is an accountant. She will leave her house at eight every morning, work from nine to six in the evening, and then have dinner with either friends or family. She likes money a lot; that’s why she had gotten into a relationship with my client. Currently, she drives a Toyota Rush, a small car which suits lady like her.

My name is Chew Chee Yong, and I am a Business Development Director at a barter exchange company. My monthly salary is twenty thousand dollars, and for this project, I will drive my babe-magnet Mercedes SLK around.

Step three done: Understanding and creating characters.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It had been just one month: but one month was all I needed.

“I love you.” I said. “Seriously, from the deep of my heart, I love you since the first day I saw you. You can’t tell, can you?”

We were in a restaurant at Tanjong Pagar. I had asked around and realized this could be the most remote restaurant in the whole of Singapore, and it is already a miracle that it has yet to close down.

“Please, just give me a chance. Give me a chance to hold your hand.” I reached for her hand. She did not resist. “What I want is just a chance to hold your hand. Because after that… after that, I’m sure you’ll love me deeply as well. My love for you is too deep. Ignore how the world sees us.”

And when she nodded twenty seconds later, step four was done: Creating love, the source of all emotions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I love you, Chee Yong.” She said. “Please, don’t do this to me…”

We had just been together for two weeks, and when I initiated the break-up, her tears were flowed down immediately. I had made sure that the video camera hidden behind the painting was recording.

“Please, Chee Yong…”

“Go back to him!” I said. “Go!”

“I can’t live without you…”

“Go away, get out from my house now.” I said, and was on the verge of pushing her. Would my pay be increased if I did that?

“I-”

“Go!”

Step five: Emotion engineered.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two months later, when I went to my client’s house and told him that I had succeeded in my job, he showed me the widest smirk I had ever seen and got his maid to brew me the best coffee. I had brought along a DVD which was filmed when Cecilia was crying hard: The client’s requirement.

“Here you go, Joe. Very expensive coffee, you know.” he pushed the cup towards me. “You’re a real smartass, you know? A genius indeed. You can make someone laugh or cry for you. They call you the emotion engineer. Pretty fanciful name. David’s recommendation was so right.”

I wanted to get straight to the point, so I took a slip of the coffee and went towards the DVD player.

“I’m going enjoy it.” The client said. “Do you know who Kenneth Lee is?”

I remember every client I had worked with, and every victim that I had preyed. After putting the DVD into the player, I strolled towards my client and nodded. Two years ago, I had managed to make Kenneth so depressed that he was on the verge of suicide. My client was then a managing director of a computer firm who was dumped by him.

“He’s my cousin.”

I darted my eyes deep into my client’s eyes and relaxed my chest muscles. My client’s smile turned into a laugh. “You think you’re smart, Joe? Do you think I’m going to pay you for making that girl cry? Come on. You are smart, but so am I.” He stood up and stepped right in front of me. Behind me, the DVD had started playing. “That girl that I asked you to work on: She’s just a receptionist in my office, and I don’t even know her name. You messed with the wrong guy, smart Joe. Our conversation is recorded, and I’m going to show Kenneth how pathetic you look now. You’re smart, but you’re not smart enough.”

I could almost smell his breath. As his laugh faded into a wicked smile, I ambled towards the sofa, rested one of my feet on my thigh and said, “Do you have popcorn? Your wife is on the TV.”

Step six done and project completed: “Client” deceived.

Who says I work only for money?

P.S. It's funny how the characters' name: Cecilia and Kenneth are in there:P

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Taken from Low Kay Hwa's Fan Page notes.

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