ALRE 16

Chapter : 16

I guess I’ll just have to wait patiently until an employee shows up.
Lee Young sat in the chair placed in the corridor, suppressing her curiosity and observing her surroundings with her eyes alone.

As expected from an interior design company, every corner of the building looked impressive.
The interior combined calm yet bright grey and white tones in a way that felt both luxurious and restrained.
Maybe it seemed even more so because this was the floor with the president’s office and executive rooms.
The sleek and modern office naturally invited comparisons to her father’s company.

If I end up running my father’s company someday…
Lee Young’s mind sparked with ideas. She quickly pulled out a pad from her bag and began sketching.
She drew a lobby and desk similar to this place but infused with her own thoughts and style.

“What are you doing?”
Startled by the low voice, Lee Young looked up to see the owner of the sound.
Jung Jae-won was gazing down at her with cold eyes.
How did he get here without making a sound?

“Ah, hello, President.”
Lee Young put down what she was doing and stood up to greet him.
From today onward, she would treat this man as her boss.
Jung Jae-won, a legendary figure in the industry.
Thinking that way, her demeanor naturally became polite—a perfect shift in attitude.

“Follow me.”
I’m supposed to go to the meeting room…?
I thought someone would guide me…?
Ignoring Lee Young’s words, he headed straight for the president’s office.
Beep beep beep beep.
He punched in the code on the office door and unlocked it, swinging the door wide open.

Right. A person can’t change overnight.
Though irritatingly handsome, looking at such a rude man stirred a sense of resistance deep in her gut.
…I don’t know.
Lee Young followed him into the office, keeping pace with his long strides.

“Excuse me…?”
She stood there like a scarecrow, silently watching him.
He performed the rare feat of taking off his coat and jacket at the same time, then, as if that weren’t enough, pulled down his tie with one hand and quickly unbuttoned the shirt collar constricting his thick neck.
Not stopping there, he removed the cufflinks at the end of his sleeves with a flick and neatly rolled up his shirt sleeves twice.
Wouldn’t it be simpler to just go shirtless? How did he bear this before?

Lee Young wanted to applaud him for finishing all that in seconds but held herself back.

“Done watching?”
During all this, his black eyes never left her.
Lee Young nodded briefly.
Reluctantly, she had to admit he had a perfect physique.

“What were you drawing?”
“Huh?”
“You’re not going to say?”
There he went, acting all sudden again.

“Do you know…?”
He raised his thick eyebrows and made a face that seemed to dare her to speak.

“That’s… actually… kind of… annoying… looking.”
Better to keep quiet than to blurt something you can’t even explain.

“Now you get it?”
He twisted his lips in a peculiar way.
“It’s… also deadly, isn’t it?”
“Ah… yes.”
To add insult to injury, he was both rude and unpalatable.

“Is there training on the 7th floor?”
“Yes. I was guided accordingly.”

“Want some coffee?”
He asked as he walked toward the pantry.
She had been thinking of coffee anyway, though she worried about accepting it and potentially getting into trouble.

“I-I’m fine.”
When Lee Young declined, he abruptly stopped and turned to look at her.
Unconsciously, her eyes had drifted down his long legs wrapped in a suit, and she quickly averted them.

“Really?”
“…Yes.”

As he brewed the espresso, Lee Young glanced at a stylish wall clock.
It was 8:20.
They had said to arrive by 9, so she was a bit early.

“Here, drink.”
Lee Young looked down at the cup, the aroma of rich coffee rising.
Jae-won pushed the white mug toward her.

“Since you offered it, I’ll enjoy it.”
She smiled awkwardly and took the cup, savoring the fragrance.
Jae-won, watching her with a smirk, poured another cup.

“Sit down and drink.”
He gestured to the small reception table in the secretary’s office.
Lee Young went to the pristine triangular table and sat down.
He stretched his long legs and sat beside her.
Early in the morning, in an empty office, sharing coffee with a handsome boss while exchanging glances—it felt like a scene straight out of a drama.

“You must be good at scamming, huh?”
Well, as long as she kept her mouth shut.

“What do you mean by that…?”
Lee Young narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge his intent.
What is this psycho trying to say now?

“You’re in disguise today too. Where did the girl in pink sleep pants run off to?”
Ah, this guy holds grudges… got it.

“I-I’m not someone who can be figured out that easily.”
“Funniest thing I’ve heard all day.”
The president snickered and stood up.
He was a master at making people feel foolish.

A week passed quickly.
Exiled—or rather, stationed—on the 7th-floor meeting room, Lee Young spent five days receiving brief training from each department head.
Thanks to this, she became acquainted with some employees, though she grew closest only with the secretarial staff.
President Jung Jae-won, contrary to her worries, was so busy that she hardly saw him at all.
She couldn’t have been more relieved.

Assigned to Design Team 2, Lee Young descended to the 3rd-floor office.
Finally, her 7th-floor exile was over, and she could join the design team, the pride of the remodeling company.
Of course, she was still an intern at the bottom, but she greeted the employees and got to work.
Mostly menial tasks, but she didn’t mind.

“Lee Young, can you find some high-end imported wallpapers that are trending these days? Can you get it done by the morning?”
“Yes, understood.”
Lee Young rolled up her sleeves.
She was confident at web surfing and flipping through magazines.
She scoured monitors tirelessly, leaving barely any time for bathroom breaks while compiling data to deliver.

“Lee Young, do you know how it was when I first started working here? They treat you like a scarecrow tied up—drives you crazy. But it’s good to have a lot of work.”

Hyesun, who had started working before her, was absolutely right.
I’m living a happy working life now.

“Lee Young, can you capture some images for the portfolio and proofread for typos? We have a presentation this afternoon.”
Is this really a happy working life? It must be.

Watching the designers pile work on her as soon as her internship began, Lee Young began to feel a twinge of fear.
But she had experience in this field.
After all, three years in a place, even a novice could pick up tricks—she had learned by watching her father’s company.

She stopped surfing for wallpapers and began editing the presentation materials.
Click, click.
After quickly proofreading, she emailed the materials to the senior designer and stood up.
She approached Team Leader Lee Ji-soo, who had requested wallpaper samples.

“Team Leader, about the imported wallpapers you asked for this morning…”
“You already found them all?”
“No. I’ll go to the showroom myself and bring the latest samples. It’ll make it easier for you to choose.”
The team leader raised her elegant eyebrows slightly.

“When will you have them ready?”
“Would it be okay if I bring them by 5 PM?”
“Hmm… fine, let’s do that.”
“Understood.”

To collect as many samples as possible, she would need to visit at least two showrooms: DID Family Shop and Velmas. If time allowed, she could also stop by Regno.
Luckily, the showrooms were close to each other, so with fast movement, she could finish by the promised time.

Lee Young put on her coat and hurried out of the office.