Chapter 7 (Part 1)

The atmosphere at the company was completely subdued. This was because the performance of In-ah’s recently launched project was not good.  

With poor responses and sales rates, there was no sign of escaping the quagmire of stagnation

Today, the company cafeteria felt particularly quiet as In-ah and her colleagues ate silently.  

While no one dared to speak directly to In-ah, at other tables, everyone was busy whispering amongst themselves.  

“Isn’t Director Lee Seong-jun affected by this too?”  

“No way. Would this level of impact reach the director?”

“Director Lee Seong-jun is the one who pushed for the launch despite it not being ready.”

“True. The outcome is pretty much because of that decision.”  

In-ah, who had personally designed the furniture, felt conflicted. Naturally, she felt the worst about it.  

During her time working as a furniture designer, she had successful projects, but there were also failures.  

However, no matter how many times failure repeated, it never seemed to become familiar.  

Her colleagues finished their meals and left the table while In-ah, lost in gloomy thoughts, picked at her side dishes.  

Someone knocked on the table where In-ah sat alone.  

She looked up to see Seong-jun standing there with a tray in his hands.  

“Mind if I join you?”  

The whispers around them grew louder. In-ah glanced around at them.  

Noticing In-ah’s situation, Seong-jun asked again.  

“Does it bother you? If so, I’ll leave.”  

“No, please sit.”  

As soon as In-ah gave her permission, Seong-jun sat across from her.  

“Don’t mind those people. You won’t have to see them once you’re in the U.S.”  

“Oh, thank you for the assignment to the U.S. branch. I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you.”  

Seong-jun smiled as he picked up his spoon.  

“It wasn’t my doing. Seo In-ah, you’re so competent…”  

In-ah looked up at Seong-jun. It was one of those polite compliments that made her skin crawl.  

“You were recognized from above, so you received the assignment you wanted, Seo In-ah. Even if it wasn’t because of me.”  

Not knowing how to respond to the compliment, In-ah just stuffed a spoonful of rice into her mouth.  

Seong-jun took a sip of soup and casually asked,  

“Do you have a place to stay when you go to the U.S.?”  

“…?”  

In-ah looked at him with a questioning expression.  

“I know someone there. They happen to have a vacant house…”  

“May I join you, Director?”  

A sudden voice interrupted, and both Seong-jun and In-ah looked up to see Jinwon.  

At that moment, it wasn’t just the two of them who saw Jinwon. The eyes of all the employees eating nearby seemed to be drawn to him.  

An unexpected staring contest unfolded between Jinwon and Seong-jun, who was holding a tray. Just then,  

“You two eat together. I’ve finished.”  

In-ah got up without hesitation, gathered her tray, and left.  

Jinwon and Seong-jun, left alone, blinked at each other in confusion.  

Unable to stand any longer under the gaze of others, Jinwon quietly sat down in the seat In-ah had vacated.  

And the two men began eating in silence, avoiding each other’s gaze.  

***  

On her day off, In-kyung visited the hospital where her father was admitted. The three siblings took turns caring for him, and today was In-kyung’s turn.  

She was filling a water bottle at the water dispenser in the hallway outside her father’s hospital room.  

While the bottle was being filled, In-kyung absentmindedly looked outside and fixed her gaze on something.  

It was the hospital’s atrium.  

A man, who seemed to be over 190 cm tall and had a massive build, was holding a boy’s shoulder and saying something.  

The man, who looked intimidating just by appearance, was Jeong-ho. However, to In-kyung, he just appeared to be a dangerous-looking man.  

The man was even making a scary face at the boy.  

In-kyung, holding the half-filled water bottle, strode into the atrium.  

She snatched the boy away from the man’s hand, who looked like he was about to cry, and glared fiercely at the man.  

“What are you doing to this child?”  

“What did I do?”  

“You were holding his shoulder and threatening him!”  

“Me? That’s ridiculous.”  

Jeong-ho let out a hollow laugh as if he couldn’t believe it. In-kyung, comforting the boy, shouted.  

“A person with such a massive build, don’t you have anything better to do…”  

Unable to hold back anymore, Jeong-ho asked indignantly.  

“What? Better to do? Are you this child’s mother?”  

In-kyung was momentarily speechless. But she quickly regained her composure and shouted confidently.  

“Yes, I am this child’s mother. So now you…”  

“You? Did you just say ‘you’?”  

Jeong-ho’s face turned red with anger. In-kyung felt her neck instinctively shrink.  

But she barely managed to suppress her fear and stood up to Jeong-ho. Then he scolded her.  

“A mother should properly teach…”  

“Mom!”  

What was that? The boy, who was in In-kyung’s arms, suddenly ran toward a woman who appeared and hugged her.  

Surprised, Jeong-ho looked back and forth between In-kyung and the woman holding the boy. In-kyung turned her head awkwardly.  

As the boy’s mother took him away, In-kyung pondered how to escape this embarrassing situation.  

When she turned her gaze back to the man, she was surprised once again.  

Jeong-ho was crouched down, despite his large build, and was gently placing a butterfly that had fallen on the ground onto a flower bed, muttering,  

“Poor thing… It must have hurt a lot. I’m sorry on their behalf. They’re just kids and don’t know any better.”  

In-kyung, forgetting the embarrassing situation, looked at Jeong-ho with curiosity. 

What kind of man is this?  

***  

As the dismal sales showed no signs of improvement, In-ah decided to personally inspect the store.  

She visited a store located in a department store and first listened to the staff about the sales situation of the new product.  

While the staff briefly stepped away, In-ah was left alone in the store.  

She noticed an elderly woman carefully examining the new product she had designed.  

Feeling pleased, In-ah approached the woman quickly.  

“Are you looking for dressing room furniture?”  

The woman nodded without saying a word.  

“As you can see, this product focuses on practicality and emphasizes beautiful curves.”  

“A work of art?”

“Of course, it’s a work of art. The designer who designed it and the craftsmen who made it according to the design, even the handles and drawers, every part that fits together has been touched by experts.”

“A collaboration.”  

In-ah clapped her hands together. The surprised woman looked at her intently.  

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I startle you? You hit the nail on the head, and I got too excited. Haha.”  

In-ah laughed pleasantly, but the woman showed no change in expression. She must be a very stoic customer.  

Still, In-ah decided to do her best.  

“But ma’am, I’m not just saying this…”  

The woman continued to look at In-ah with an expressionless face.  

“You have a very sophisticated style. You may not know it, but I can’t lie.”  

“That’s something I wouldn’t know.”

The woman casually tossed out a remark, leaving In-ah flustered. But she couldn’t stop there!  

“To match that elegance! Furniture with only straight lines might look trendy, but nothing beats curves for a luxurious appearance. This product is a work of art completed with elegance.”

Satisfied with her explanation, In-ah smiled proudly.  

However, without any acknowledgment of her efforts, the woman simply turned her back and walked away.  

Unable to hide her disappointment, In-ah bowed toward the woman’s retreating figure.  

“Thank you, ma’am. Please visit us again.”  

At In-ah’s words, the woman suddenly stopped and turned around. Startled, In-ah stood frozen, staring at the woman.  

“Don’t the staff here wear name tags?”  

“Oh, I’m not a staff member here. I made this furniture…”  

The woman interrupted In-ah before she could finish.  

“So that’s why you don’t wear a name tag?”  

“Ah, here’s my business card…”  

In-ah hurriedly pulled out a business card from her pocket and offered it.  

“No need. So what’s your name?”  

Amused by the distinctly grandmotherly conversation pattern, In-ah replied with a friendly smile.  

“I’m Seo In-ah. Were you curious about my name? It suits me well, right? My grandfather gave it to me…”  

The woman waved her hand dismissively and turned away again, leaving the chattering In-ah.  

In-ah slapped her own mouth and muttered to herself,  

“Seo In-ah, take it easy.”  

As the woman left the store, she casually spoke to a woman standing in front of the store.  

“Get that one.”  

Without looking back, the woman walked straight ahead. Instead, the woman who heard the grandmother’s words entered the store.  

“I’d like to order twenty sets of that product.”  

“Tw-twenty? Sets, not individual pieces?”  

“Yes.”  

The woman, whose concise speech matched her neat appearance in dress pants, responded.  

In-ah, clutching her pounding heart, quickly called the returning staff to the store. Meanwhile, she couldn’t hide the delighted curve of her lips.