Chapter 9: Unsavory second meeting

Just like Su-Jin, Kang Ji-Won looked thoroughly shocked to see her there. It was clear that he hadn't expected to ever see her again, let alone to have her as an intern on his team. Ji-Won quickly slapped himself mentally, and tried to recollect himself. He was a Director after all, and had to maintain his image.

Meanwhile, Seo-Jun and Yeon-Ah both remained silent. They glanced between the two of them, looking quite puzzled.

"Uhm, do you, by any chance, know each other?" Seo-Jun finally dared to ask, taking turns to look between his friend and Su-Jin.

"The rude guy from this morning." Su-Jin replied instantly.

"The crazy woman with the cat." Ji-Won said at the same time.

"Wait a moment." Seo-Jun said hastily, raising his hands and turning towards his friend. "Let me see if I get this straight. Is she the one who jumped in front of your car to save the cat?"

"Yes." Ji-Won replied through gritted teeth. He didn't forget to shoot a glare in Su-Jin's direction.

"I did not jump in front of your car!" Su-Jin retorted angrily. She viciously returned the glare. "I ran to pick up the kitten. It's just that his car moved faster than I had anticipated. Let's just say that it was a small miscalculation on my part and be done with it."

"Hmm, interesting." Seo-Jun said, a smile forming on his lips.

"There is nothing interesting about it. Only annoying." Ji-Won huffed, getting up from his seat.

"Right back atcha'." Su-Jin grumbled in an undertone, but loud enough to be heard.

At her words Ji-Won frowned, his black eyes glistening with irritation. Meanwhile, Yeon-Ah was the only one to remain perfectly still, gazing at the rest of them with a trembling look in her eyes.

Seo-Jun suddenly let out a soft chuckle. Knowing his friend's temperament, and thinking how the situation could escalate in a split second, Seo-Jun took a step forward, addressing both Su-Jin and Ji-Won at the same time.

"I suggest we forget about this morning's incident. Now, you have both met again as Director and Intern."

"I couldn't agree more, Deputy Director Kim." Su-Jin said with a strained smile.

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned towards Ji-Won, giving him a deep bow.

"Please excuse my 'rudeness', Director Kang."

Ji-Won noticed the emphasis she had placed on the word, and understood her meaning perfectly. She was referring to his behavior earlier that morning. He had half a mind to argue the point, but unexpectedly saw Seo-Jun's pleading look.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ji-Won closed his eyes. He tilted his head, then spoke in a hollow voice.

"Likewise. I apologize for my rude behavior, Miss Park."

"Good!" Seo-Jun cried out in merriment. "Now that we are all good friends again, let us talk about work. First, I will ask you to go through these, so that you can get better accustomed to the type of work we are doing in the Planning department."

As he said that, Seo-Jun handed the two women several files he had previously stacked onto Ji-Won's desk. Then, he continued his explanation.

"These files contain some of our past projects. The emphasis of our work will be on the planning phase, like finding the best touristic places, or negotiating with hotels and resorts for the best prices. You need to get acquainted with all there is to be done up until the finalization of a touristic package."

Seo-Jun stopped for a second and gave Ji-Won an inquiring look. During these times, it was normal for the Director to also say something, especially since he was the one who had responsibility over all the projects.

Ji-Won smartly picked up the cue. He cleared his throat, continuing from where Seo-Jun left off.

"Make sure you pay extra attention to the details." He said gravely. "As interns you might be required to help sorting the offers and contracts, or even go on-site to check out the places we find online. Once everything gets checked and double checked, we will add them to our Team's proposal, and get it approved by the senior Director. Is everything clear so far?"

"Yes." Both Su-Jin and Yeon-Ah replied in one voice.

After that, the two women were excused and sent back to their desks. They wobbled slowly, each having their arms filled with files.

As soon as she reached her seat, Su-Jin dropped the armful of paperwork onto her desk and sat down. A loud, deep sigh escaped through her lips.

"Are you alright?" Yeon-Ah asked quietly.

"Yes. I'm alright." Su-Jin sighed again, closing her eyes for a second. She was starting to feel very tired and it wasn't even midday yet.

"That was really surprising. The fact that you know the Director I mean."

"I wouldn't go as far as to say I 'know' him. More like… we're strangers who happened to meet in the worst kind of way."

Su-Jin suddenly opened her eyes, then groaned. While covering her face with both hands, she continued to grumble.

"Why did he have to be a Director here?! And I was so looking forward to this job."

"Are you two talking about Director Kang?" a voice suddenly asked.

Su-Jin straightened herself, looking around like a startled little animal. That's when she saw a man sitting at the desk across from hers. He was wearing a casual black suit, with a pale blue shirt, matched with a red tie. A rather old-school looking watch adorned his left wrist.

Su-Jin's eyes moved across the man's face. His skin was rather tanned, and he wore big square glasses. Their black rim surrounded his dark eyes, giving him a somewhat haunted look. His overall appearance reminded Su-Jin of the accountants she had previously seen on TV.

"Ah, Jung Seok you're back! Wonderful!" they heard Seo-Jun cry out in delight.

The Deputy Director approached the small group with a bounce in his step.

"Did you get the reports?" He addressed the man he called Jung Seok.

"Yes, Deputy Director. I am sorry it took so long, but the Marketing department was in utter chaos. It took them a while to have everything ready." The man called Jung Seok replied, giving Seo-Jun a respectful bow.

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