Su-Jin was now standing in a lobby, smaller than the one downstairs and less elegant. Nevertheless, the space was decorated with taste. It gave off a young and fresh impression. There were windows on both sides of the room, and a big front desk on the left side.
There, a young and attractive looking woman was typing at her computer. She was wearing a beautiful pale blue office dress, with a black jacket. White, sparkly earrings dangled from her ears, while her index fingers were adorned with silver rings. When she saw Su-Jin approaching, the woman raised her eyes and flashed a bright smile.
"Hello." She said, her voice sounding soft and almost sensual.
"H-hello." Su-Jin stuttered slightly.
She was suddenly feeling very intimidated, and much too aware of her shabby appearance. After a short moment, she finally found her voice again to present herself.
"Uhm… my name is Park Su-Jin."
"Ah, yes, you must be the new intern. Wait just one moment please." The woman said kindly.
She continued to type for another five seconds, then stopped and got up from her seat. She was wearing high-heels. The moment Su-Jin's eyes landed on their length, her eyes widened in surprise. She was utterly bewildered, thinking how on earth someone could walk around in those shoes without falling.
"Please follow me. The other intern arrived just minutes before you." the woman said.
Then, she turned and started walking towards an office door that stood right next to the front desk. Su-Jin had been so absorbed by the secretary's beauty and overall appearance, that she hadn't noticed anything else.
Now, she followed the secretary inside the office, watching as the woman's light brown hair swayed across her back. Her heels made rhythmic clanking noises on the floor, and Su-Jin found herself staring at her black shoes as if hypnotized. It must be mentioned that even the color of the shoes was eye-catching. They were the most beautiful shade of midnight blue Su-Jin had ever seen.
When the door opened, Su-Jin finally raised her eyes and looked around. She was curious as to what she would find there.
The office was a large open space room. On opposite corners stood a Director's office, while the space between those offices was filled with desks. At that hour most of them were already occupied, but two or three empty desks could still be found scattered here and there. On the wall opposite from the entrance was another door. Su-Jin craned her neck, wondering where that door led to.
'Could it be a large kitchen, like the ones I've seen on TV? It is a very large company after all, so I am sure they can afford it.'
"This is the Planning Department office."
As the secretary spoke, she took a few steps inside in order to allow Su-Jin to enter after her. All the while she continued to explain.
"The department has been recently split into Team 1 and Team 2. You and the other intern have been assigned to work in Team 1. It is right this way."
They made a right and walked further, passing a few desks along the way. Several people turned their heads and smiled at the secretary, while others stole furtive glances at Su-Jin. Feeling uncharacteristically nervous, Su-Jin bowed her head. She chose to stare at the secretary's shoes, following her as they swayed between the desks.
Su-Jin was so focused that when the woman stopped suddenly, she almost bumped into her.
"You can wait here for now." The secretary said, gesturing towards an open seat at a desk. "The Deputy Director will arrive soon and explain everything you need to know."
"Yes. Thank you very much..." Su-Jin replied.
Su-Jin wanted to call the woman by her name, but she did not know it, therefore left the sentence hanging. She pulled at her lips, barely managing a smile. Unfortunately, it looked more like a grimace than a proper smile.
The woman appeared to be a professional. She easily picked up Su-Jin's intention, and reacted accordingly.
"My name is Jung Mi-Ah. I am the office assistant of the Planning Department. Please feel free to ask for my help anytime." She finished with a kind smile, then turned on her heels.
As Jung Min-Ah left, her hair fluttered on her back like a silky curtain.
Su-Jin stared after her for a second longer, before finally settling down on the chair. She leaned back and glanced around.
Now that she was looking more attentively, she noticed there weren't so many people there like she initially thought. There were four other people gathered in the other half of the room, most probably part of the other team.
Looking around her own team's space, Su-Jin noticed a young woman who appeared to be around her age. She was sitting at the desk right next to Su-Jin, staring intently at her. Su-Jin stared back dazedly.
A second later, both of them opened their mouths to speak at the same time.
"Yeon-Ah?"
"Su-Jin?"
"Lee Yeon-Ah, is that really you?" Su-Jin asked, looking flabbergasted.
She just couldn't believe her eyes. Her former high school colleague, Lee Yeon-Ah, was sitting right next to her. It had been more than four years since they last saw each other.
"Yes, it is me." Yeon-Ah said, giving Su-Jin a timid smile.
Yes, that was indeed the Yeon-Ah Su-Jin remembered. Even in high school she had been the withdrawn type. Despite practicing Judo, and even being very good at it, the girl was quite sensitive and kind. They didn't interact much in school, but they talked whenever they accidentally met in the library or during lunchtime.
"Don't tell me. You applied to be an intern here as well?" Su-Jin asked, her eyes growing wide in anticipation.
"Yes. I applied a month ago, and received the email last week. They told me I could come today."
"That's great! Oh my gosh, I am so happy to see a familiar face. And to think we're even going to be colleagues. Such luck!" Su-Jin cried out excitedly, pushing her chair closer to Yeon-Ah's.
"I am glad too." Yeon-Ah replied softly, then she added a little embarrassed. "I was actually feeling very nervous. But then I saw you and relaxed. I recognized you as soon as I saw you entering the office." she paused, smiling. "You're quite unchanged."
"Hmm, I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not." Su-Jin retorted with a nervous smile, scratching the back of her head. "I should have dressed a bit more presentable. You know... look like a lady and all that."
She stopped, giving her former colleague a once-over. After that, she continued to speak using a lighter tone.
"Come to think of it, Yeon-Ah, you have changed quite a bit. You look very pretty." Then, realizing how that might sound, Su-Jin hastily corrected herself. "I mean, you were very pretty before, but now it's more… obvious."
"Thank you." her former colleague said, blushing slightly.