Chapter 6

Once back in his office, Jin-hyuk summoned Chief Jeon.

“Bring me the personnel files of the new recruits.”

The moment he met Yeon-su in the elevator, Jin-hyuk had recognized her instantly.

She was without doubt the Baby Bodhisattva he had seen at the fortune-telling house that day.

The fact that the shaman had joined his company as a new hire couldn’t be mere coincidence.

And the way she pretended not to know him only deepened his suspicions.

Not long after, the files were placed on his desk.

As he flipped through the pages, his hand stopped on Ha Yeon-su’s record.

Her birthday was January 18th. On the lunar calendar, that made her a December baby.

Even her surname, Ha, meant “river” or “water.”

Her given name wasn’t written in Chinese characters, so he couldn’t be certain, but it was highly likely it also contained the element of water.

‘Was this deliberate?’

He called Chief Jeon again.

“Do you have new instructions, sir?”

“I’m thinking of holding a meeting with the new recruits.”

Chief Jeon’s face showed surprise.

She wasn’t even a permanent hire, just a one-year contract worker.

And the executive director’s office didn’t handle HR matters.

Even when recruiting full-time employees, they had never hosted such meetings.

The executive office was the heart of HaeNam Construction, where core decisions were made and executed.

Dozens of documents and proposals came and went each day, and the schedule was crammed with endless meetings.

And now he wanted a new hire meeting?

“There are too many to do all at once. Start with PR and Marketing first.”

Jin-hyuk continued his orders.

“Yes, I’ll arrange the schedule and report back.”

Chief Jeon composed his expression and answered.

“This week. Make it happen.”

As he left, Jin-hyuk added,

“Today’s already Thursday, isn’t it?”

Chief Jeon couldn’t help but ask again at the absurd demand.

That left only two days.

“Which is why my capable Chief Jeon needs to show what he’s made of.”

Jin-hyuk’s lips curved into a smile.

The expression was so chilling it sent a shiver down Chief Jeon’s spine, like Death himself had grinned.

Recalling Jin-hyuk’s tightly packed schedule, Chief Jeon hurried off to make the impossible happen.

* * *

That very afternoon, word went out that there would be a new hire gathering after work, mandatory for all.

Though the announcement came suddenly, contract employees had no say in the matter.

The warning was explicit. Skipping the meeting could hurt their chances at conversion to permanent positions.

So the new recruits of PR and Marketing assembled at a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Despite being called a Chinese restaurant, it was run by a Michelin one-star chef and nearly impossible to book on a normal day.

The new hires’ faces lit up with excitement.

“Thanks to our executive director, we get to come to places like this.”

“Did you see the halo behind him during his welcome speech?”

While the new hires gushed about him, Yeon-su let out a quiet sigh.

Halo? What halo. It was just the lighting.

Of all days, today was Su-ryeon’s birthday.

They had planned to celebrate both her discharge and Yeon-su’s new job, but this gathering ruined that plan completely.

The door opened then, and Jin-hyuk walked in.

“Nice to see you all again.”

His mere presence brought smiles to several of the women’s faces.

Soon, the food was served. First came Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a rich Chinese soup simmered with matsutake mushrooms, meats, and seafood for hours.

“Though we call this a meeting, let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves tonight.”

Though rumors painted him as cold and indifferent, his words sounded surprisingly kind.

The tense mood lightened at once.

“Executive Director, it would be wonderful if we could see you like this more often.”

Kang Yeon-su broke the ice with a lilting tone.

Other women, who rarely had a chance to interact with him, eagerly joined in.

“I’ll try to make this happen from time to time.”

Jin-hyuk answered warmly.

“Since we’ll be seeing each other for a long while, it’s important to get to know each other.”

The words sounded more like a line from a marriage meeting than a work dinner, and several hearts melted on the spot.

“In that case, Miss Ha Yeon-su, what are the Chinese characters for your name?”

The question flew all the way to Yeon-su, seated at the farthest spot in the room.

She had chosen it deliberately to avoid him.

“Excuse me?”

Flustered, she looked up. Jin-hyuk smiled broadly and repeated,

“Your name. How is it written?”

All eyes turned to her.

She composed herself and answered clearly,

“It’s the character for stream, Yeon (涓), and water, Su (水). My parents gave me the name hoping I would live as clean and clear as flowing water.”

“Ah, no wonder you’re as pure and bright as a child.”

He put particular emphasis on “child.”

His smile sent a chill racing down her spine.

Satisfaction curved his lips.

Even when he simply smiled, his striking features made him look like a model shooting a commercial.

The female employees gazed at him with starry eyes.

While they were dazzled, Kang Yeon-su chimed in.

“Executive Director, mine uses Yeon (然) meaning ‘as it is’ and Su (秀) meaning ‘outstanding.’”

She fluttered her lashes sweetly, but Jin-hyuk only gave her a cool glance before shifting the subject.

“Of course, nowadays people don’t use Chinese characters much. Maybe it was a bit of an old-fashioned question.”

His voice was suddenly distant, unlike the warmth from earlier.

The conversation turned to more routine topics, the company’s goals and vision, any difficulties with work so far, hopes for the future.

It was the kind of talk one would expect at a meeting between executives and new hires.

As the evening wound down, dessert was served, similo, a Cantonese fruit dessert mixed with tapioca pearls and persimmon purée.

Chewy pearls and sweet fruit created a unique flavor and texture.

“Executive Director, this is something you usually eat on a date. Does this mean tonight is like a date with us?”

Eager for attention, Kang Yeon-su blurted out her bold remark.

“A date, you say? Since it’s been mentioned… is anyone here dating at the moment?”

Surprisingly, Jin-hyuk picked up her words and threw the question to the room.

“Not me. I just joined the company, so I want to focus on work.”

Kang Yeon-su answered right away.

Nodding slightly, Jin-hyuk turned his eyes back to Yeon-su.

“What about you, Miss Ha Yeon-su? Are you seeing anyone?”

The direct question made her expression falter.

“No, I’m not.”

Her voice came out smaller than usual under all the stares.

But there was no way Jin-hyuk hadn’t heard.

“Ah, perhaps that was a rude question. It seems I made a mistake.”

After offering his apology, he rose.

“Let’s end it here. I’ll see you all at work.”

His objective achieved, there was no reason to prolong things.

But Kang Yeon-su shot her hand up and cried out,

“Let’s go for round two, Executive Director!”

At once, Jin-hyuk’s expression turned icy.

“You all have work tomorrow. It would be better to refrain. Don’t forget this was an official company gathering.”

His blunt rebuke left Kang Yeon-su biting her lip.

The lively mood collapsed into awkward silence.

Jin-hyuk, however, didn’t seem to care. He simply left first.

* * *

After the gathering, Yeon-su rushed to the bus stop.

The only bus that passed Su-ryeon’s neighborhood came just once an hour, and it was due soon.

She nearly reached the stop when she saw the bus already there.

“Wait, driver, please!”

She shouted as she sprinted.

But her effort was wasted. The bus pulled away right before her eyes.

She let out a long sigh of defeat.

At that moment, a luxury sedan stopped in front of her.
 

To be continued

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