Job bagged.

The clock on the office wall ticked methodically, it was the only sound in the vast and quiet room. Behind the desk was Kim Tan, looking as beautiful and handsome as ever. He flipped through reports, totally absorbed into his work, his mind laser-focused– until Daniel, his ever efficient Secretary, hesitated at the door way.

Kim Tan barely raised his head to look at him, he certainly did have his attention though. "Speak" He said.

Daniel cleared his throat and went to the matter at hand without dilly-dallying. "Sir.. there's something you should know.."

Kim Tan's pen that had been busily writing up a report stilled, the slight pause, the subtle shift in Daniel's usual crispy tone– The hesitance in general, was enough to make him raise his head to look at him.

"Well.. That woman came to the Company yesterday.."

The sharp clatter of a pen dropping onto the desk echoed through the quiet office.

Kim Tan's fingers dropped on his desk unceremoniously, making a loud sound. His cold gaze snapping at his secretary. His ever-reliable, never-flustered secretary.

Daniel looked hesitant. He had been mildly interested in the conversation before but now he had his rapt and full attention.

Kim Tan narrowed his eyes. "Repeat that."

Daniel cleared his throat, adjusting his tie. "Seol Yoon-ah came to the company yesterday."

For a moment, there was silence. Heavy. Dangerous.

Then—Kim Tan leaned back in his chair, tapping a slow rhythm against the desk. His expression remained unreadable, but his voice dropped, smooth and laced with something unreadable.

"What do you mean she came to the company yesterday?"

Daniel exhaled sharply, as if mentally bracing himself. "She applied for a job, sir. She came looking for an easy job"

"Like a junior assistant of sorts."

Kim Tan stared at him, processing the words.

"I myself don't understand her, she could have applied for a managerial position directly.. but she just wants something like a junior assistant which is weird"

Seol Yoon-ah, that Seol Yoon-ah, had walked into his company like any ordinary applicant.

Had sat through an interview.

Had apparently… failed miserably.

"Sir, to be completely honest—" Daniel hesitated, then continued carefully. "The interview was… not great."

Kim Tan's jaw tensed. "How bad?"

A pause. Then, with the forced diplomacy of a man who wanted to keep his job, Daniel answered, "chaotic, sir.."

Kim Tan's brows lifted ever so slightly.

Daniel sighed, running a hand over his face as if recalling the horror. "Mrs.Oh from Hr warned that she wouldn't perform well under pressure."

"She was quite clumsy and she accidentally destroyed her test because of it "

"Mrs.Oh also mentioned that she was a smart girl but she behaved too lackadaisically and unprofessionally"

A pause.

Kim Tan's lips twitched—just barely.

Daniel sighed heavily. "Sir, they asked if she had experience. She said she 'once managed to schedule her own dentist appointment without her mother's help and considered that a professional achievement.'" Honestly in her defense, she hadn't meant to actually voice it out loud.

That did it.

The corner of Kim Tan's mouth lifted—a fraction of a smirk.

Of course. Of course, Seol Yoon-ah would walk into an interview and completely obliterate it. Not that she meant to of course.

Yet something about the image of her, sitting there, her face flushed with embarrassment and in a nervous frenzy was a bit entertaining to him.

He almost smiled at the imagination but he reminded himself that Daniel was still present. He wouldn't let Daniel see him like that. Never!

He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly.

Daniel coughed.

His gaze darkened with something calculating, interested.

"And you said it was Mrs.Oh who conducted the interview?"

"That's right, sir" he coughed out.

He was going to give her a job anyway.

"Tell Mrs.Oh to discard the results"

Daniel blinked, surprised "..Sir?"

"Make sure she's hired. She should start as soon as possible, and she'll work as a secretary. My secretary." Kim Tan said simply, reaching for his pen once again.

Daniel looked especially shocked but what could he say, Mr.Kim had already made himself crystal clear and he disliked repeating himself.

He showed himself out of his office immediately, Mr.Kim wouldn't like him still wandering around without getting the job done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seol Yoon-ah stirred her latte absentmindedly, watching the foam swirl into delicate patterns. The café was warm, filled with the gentle hum of conversation and the comforting scent of freshly baked pastries. She had come here to unwind and relax, her interview already tossed away and forgotten.

Nah she was lieing, no way she could ever forget something like that. When she met Min-ah that day, they had talked about a lot of things, her life in school, her family and of course the evening would never come to an end without mentioning her interview.

Min-ah had almost laughed her soul out of her body that day. Tears of laughter fell like waterworks. Her laughter was too infectious and she had found herself almost laughing her soul out too. Shin Min-ah was a happiness magnet and Yoon-ah realized that Min-ah had uplifted her mood. If not for her, she would be drowning and wallowing in shame and smelling like regret for a while until whenever she moved on from the.. tragedy. She was a joy catalyst.

Regardless the memory still made her cringe. The creaky chair, the ink explosion, the HR manager's horrified expression as water seeped into her precious documents—it was all too ridiculous.

The worst of all was her alarm. Oh Jesus, how could Nelly switch her alarm song without letting her know? She had felt like crying herself to sleep when she came out of the building. If anything, she had expected a rejection email just for the entertainment value of it.

She took a slow sip of her drink, then casually checked her phone. A new email notification popped up.

Subject: Offer of Employment – Galaxy Corporation

Her fingers froze.

Wait.

She blinked, rereading the subject line. Then again. Then again.

Her heart picked up speed as she clicked on it. The message was crisp, professional. An official offer. A start date. A salary that suggested they had mistaken her for someone competent.

"What—?" she breathed out, nearly dropping her phone into her latte.

She scrambled to check if it was a mistake. Maybe they had meant to send it to someone else? But no—her name was there, clear as day.

Her mind reeled. She had failed. Utterly, spectacularly failed. Why in the world had they hired her?

She set her phone down, staring at it like it might start explaining itself. The café bustled around her, unaware that her entire mood had just flipped.

A barista passed by, giving her a curious glance.

"…Did I just get hired?" she muttered to herself.

The barista paused. "Uh… congrats?"

She grabbed her hair, "Oh Jesus, that Scary lady I have to go thank her!"

Yoon-ah could only gape at her screen. She dashed out of the cafe like a tiger. Her shame and regrets watched her proudly as she ran out of the building. They weren't following her back home this time.

Okay a bit of mortification would stay with her. That incident would remain as one of her darkest of secrets. A dark history that she hoped everyone (including the readers) would forget.