Eternally Seduced by Clarise Tan, Marian Tee, The Passionate Proofreader Page A

even though Charli had specifically asked for a video insert. Arian followed shortly, and her PowerPoint presentation had a very professional video insert, the hypocrite!
    Then it was my turn.
    After a quick Sign of the Cross, I went up on the podium, clearing my throat several times. I spent a few seconds letting my eyes adjust to the brightness of the limelight trained on me from the ceiling. It almost felt like I was talking to myself, which I liked just fine.
    I knew that aside from George and Arian, Charli was there, too, as our supervisor. But I was totally clueless about the identities of the three other managers, and it made me nervous. I wished I had remembered to ask Charli about them before the presentation.
    Taking a deep breath, I started on my presentation.
     
    Why Hana Kimi?
    Before you ask that question, let me share a couple of things first. Slam Dunk, Boys over Flowers, and Coffee Prince are just a few Asian TV series that were imported to Europe and became huge blockbusters with their niche markets. Fans loved the sports angle in Slam Dunk, the harem of beautiful-looking guys found in Boys Over Flowers, and the idea of a girl pretending to be a guy in Coffee Prince.
    Hana Kimi has all of those so maybe the question should be, why not Hana Kimi? It was already adapted for a TV series in Taiwan and it was an instant hit. With the right formula, I have no doubt that its success can be duplicated for a Western audience.
    The series is about a girl who so idolizes a high jumper she once saw performing that she decided to transfer to the same school he’s in – even if it means hiding her true gender to enroll in an all-boys’ school.
    In her new school, Mizuki – the heroine in the series – meets an entire cast of good-looking guys, all of them with potential to have their own storylines. As for the requisite twist, Mizuki actually becomes the roommate of her idol and crush Sano. You can just imagine the ba-dump ba-dump moments that it could create!
    Another great thing about this series is that it has 23 volumes in total, and with English translation already provided by Viz Media, TV networks can then choose whether they want a short series and focus on their favorite scenes – or they can go long and maximize the series’ potential. It’s all up to the client, but either way – it’s a win-win situation for Kastein, Inc.
     
    And then it was over.
              It was the longest 15 minutes of my life, and my knees were still quaking underneath me. Someone flipped the light switch and suddenly, I heard people getting to their feet and clapping, with Charli even beaming at me. She was so sophisticated I never even thought she knew how to grin, much less beam!
              Still a little dizzy at the realization that my presentation was indeed over and that I had survived, I quickly stepped down from the podium and relinquished my space to Charli.
              Fanning myself with my presentation script, I let my gaze roam the room absently and froze when I encountered a pair of lazy gray eyes studying me with such intensity I found myself catching my breath.
              Constantijin was here.
              His unsmiling face made me nervous, but even so I couldn’t help feeling gloriously alive at just the sight of him. It was exactly like that ba-dump moment I was talking about earlier.
              Unnerved by his impassive expression, I forced myself to listen to Charli, who was just thanking us three for the presentation and saying that all our recommendations were worth considering.
              “Arian, your presentation was lovely, but next time I hope you add more statistical data – such as what Yanna shared about Hana Kimi’s performance in Japan and Europe.”  
              Ha! Take that, Arian!
              “George, your presentation was also lovely but for now – please stay away from extremely graphic yaoi series. I