Lee Hyejin, a Korean comic artist known for her distinctive black, wavy hair that sparkles beautifully, round eyes, a petite nose, and cherry red lips, was diligently working in her studio. Despite her artistic prowess, she found herself sleepy and exhausted in front of her screen as she immersed herself in her comic. Eventually, time passed, and she succumbed to the weariness, falling asleep in her creative haven.
Takaaki Haruna, her loyal best friend, happened to pass by her studio and noticed Hyejin peacefully sleeping. Concerned, she hurriedly entered and gently woke her up. "Hey, Hyejin! Don't overexert yourself! Let's take a break and grab some coffee," Haruna suggested, patting Hyejin's back. As Hyejin stirred awake, she looked at Haruna with eyes that bore the signs of strain, surprising her best friend.
"Ah, did you not get any sleep last night? Am I right?" Haruna inquired.
"Hmm," Hyejin replied with a nod. "Let's go out for some fresh air then. Don't overwork yourself," Haruna insisted, coaxing Hyejin out of her studio.
Hyejin ambled slowly, displaying a tired expression and a messy ponytail.
Once outside, they attracted peculiar glances from passersby. The contrast between the disheveled girl in a brown cardigan, sporting eye bags and a messy ponytail, and the radiant girl with straight hair, sparkling eyes, and a stylish dress, painted a picture of two individuals from contrasting worlds strolling through the streets. "Hyejin, pick up the pace!" Haruna called out to the lethargic Hyejin.
"Hmmm," she responded.
A few minutes later, they reached a coffee shop. Haruna ordered an espresso for Hyejin and a matcha latte for herself. While Haruna fetched their drinks, Hyejin continued to doze off.
Haruna sat next to her, waking her gently upon her return. "Hyejin, wake up! Your espresso is here!" she exclaimed.
"Hm? Oh, thanks, Haruna," Hyejin mumbled after glimpsing the cups.
They took a sip, and Haruna initiated the conversation again. "Hyejin, how are you feeling now?"
"Much better than before. But I'm still sleepy," Hyejin yawned.
"You've been working too hard! Don't strain yourself. You'll jeopardize your health, dummy! Plus, working this hard, you won't even have time for a boyfriend!" Haruna teased.
Hyejin laughed. "Haha. I never even thought about having a boyfriend before."
"Really?" Haruna exclaimed.
"Yeah, but I do have an ideal type of man," Hyejin confessed.
"Wow! I have one too!" Haruna exclaimed, envisioning her perfect guy.
"My ideal man is handsome, cold, rich, romantic, able to cook, cool, and has a perfect body proportion," Hyejin revealed.
"Wow! That kind of guy is hard to come by! Although, I think I heard about someone like that before. Can't remember his name, though," Haruna pondered.
"Really? Is there such a man?" HyeJin exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah, there is," Haruna confirmed.
A moment later, Haruna spotted the man who HyeJin might like on the TV. His name is Kim Minho, the CEO of Seoul Animation. He has a sharp jawline, perfect body proportions with abs, a sharp nose, thin lips, and quite small eyes. "Oh right! His name is Kim Minho, the CEO of Seoul Animation!," Haruna exclaimed.
"Kim Minho of Seoul Animation?! ISN'T HE THE COOL SENIOR AT OUR UNIVERSITY A FEW YEARS AGO?! Anyway, I was about to register at Seoul Animation to turn my comic into an animation," HyeJin said, her eyes widened in excitement.
"Yeah! The cool senior who won several awards during his first year! Go register your comic! You might be able to meet him one day," Haruna said while patting HyeJin's left shoulder.
"But I'm just a normal comic artist," HyeJin said.
"Don't worry about that, HyeJin!" Haruna cut HyeJin's sentence.
"You can do it! I'm sure that you can enter his heart soon!" she continued.
"Yeah... I'll get his heart in my dreams," HyeJin said desperately.
"Be more optimistic!" Haruna said.
"Fine, fine," HyeJin said.
Thirty minutes later, HyeJin and Haruna went back to the studio to prepare for their comic's final chapter and get ready to debut their comic as an animation. Everyone's working hard for the last chapter, especially HyeJin, who got very inspired to meet Minho.
Her comic was finally finished in a week, and HyeJin directly packed all her proposal materials to Seoul Animation. She dressed up very well with a feminine matte-colored long-sleeved shirt, a gray short skirt, and a brown cute hat. She rushed to Seoul with all the excitement that she had.
As she arrived at the company's building, she was amazed at how large the building was. The building has 10 floors and is designed with a very modern layout, surrounded by many plants, creating a more conducive environment.
When she entered the building, a security guard stopped her and asked, "Who are you? Do you have anything to be helped with?"
"I-I am Lee HyeJin from the W studio. I want to bring my comic materials so that I can debut my comic in the animation world," she replied.
"Ooh, W studio. Follow me; the manager wants to meet you."
They went to the fifth floor to meet the head manager, Yamada Naoyuki. Naoyuki is a Japanese man with a very good-looking face. His mother comes from Nepal, so he has beautiful, stunning eyes. He has blonde dyed hair, double eyelids, quite thick eyebrows, a tall nose, a small nose, thin lips, a sporty body, and stunning jawlines.
"Hello, Miss Lee. Nice to meet you," he greeted HyeJin with a sweet smile while bowing (it is his habit since he is Japanese).
"Ah, nice to meet you too, Mr. Manager," HyeJin said while smiling. "Here, take a seat, Miss Lee," he said.
"Oh yes. Thank you," HyeJin replied. "So this is the comic that you want to produce as an animation. To be honest, I've been reading this comic for quite a long time. I enjoy reading this comic," he continued while reading HyeJin's proposal.
"E-eh really?! I'm happy to see people enjoying reading my comic," HyeJin said while blushing. Naoyuki glanced at HyeJin and smirked. He thinks that HyeJin is cute at that moment.
HyeJin asked nervously, "S-so are you accepting my comic to debut as an animation?"
"Of course! This is one of my favorite comics. I'll accept this. I'll tell the Director and CEO about this," Naoyuki replied.
"YES!!" HyeJin accidentally exclaimed.
Naoyuki laughed at her reaction. "E-eh? Thank you, anyway," HyeJin said, as she noticed that she overreacted. "You're welcome," Naoyuki replied with a sweet smile.
"Then I'll be back. Once again, thank you very much!" HyeJin said while bowing.
"You're welcome," Naoyuki replied. HyeJin left Naoyuki's office and went to her studio.
As she arrived in her studio, she exclaimed happily and said, "ATTENTION! OUR COMIC IS ACCEPTED BY SEOUL ANIMATION!!"
"WOAH REALLY?!" Haruna exclaimed while jumping off from her working seat.
"YEAH." HyeJin replied happily.
"I'm not lying FOR MINHO'S SAKE." She continued.
"YES!!" Their staff said happily.
"Thank you for the hard work, everyone!" HyeJin said while bowing.
"Thank you to all of you who have helped us from the beginning till we are accepted by Seoul Animation!" followed by Haruna bowing while saying.
"Oh! I have a good idea! Let's celebrate this by having a drinking party tonight in this studio!" HyeJin said excitedly.
"This time, Haruna will treat you all!" she continued while glancing at Haruna. "Are you crazy?! Do you think I have that amount of money?" Haruna said in Chinese. She speaks Chinese when she's serious.
"Be nice once in a while," HyeJin replied with a giggle.
"I'm nice enough," Haruna replied.
Meanwhile, the staff got more energized and accepted the party invitation. "As long as it's a free drink, we'll join the party!" they joked.
Haruna said, "I'll bring a burger, wine, and some beers for tonight." "Sure. I'll bring some of my soju! ", HyeJin replied.
"I'll bring some pizzas!" one of their staff said. "Anyway, we need to finish our next sequel." HyeJin said, "Let's get back to work! Oh right! Let's get back to work. ", Haruna said. They went back to work and finished in the evening.
"HyeJin, I don't think that having a party in this studio is a good idea. ", Haruna said while looking at the messy studio.
"Err... I guess that you're right, haha," HyeJin replied.
HyeJin directly announced, "Guys, we're going to have the party in a fancy restaurant. What do you think? "
"Good idea!" one of their staff said.
"Yeah! I think that paying together will also loosen up the fees!" The other one said.
One of the staff said again, "But, I didn't bring cash today."
"You can pay me anytime, don't worry," Haruna replied.
"Okay then," he replied.
They rode a bus to the restaurant and walked there. As they arrived, they took a seat and ordered food. After a couple of minutes, many people rushed into the restaurant, bringing cameras. They seem like paparazzi and fangirls shouting
Half an hour later, they wrapped up the celebration, and the group prepared to leave. As they made their way out, Minho and his entourage also exited the restaurant. HyeJin couldn't help but be captivated by Minho's striking appearance, and for a brief moment, their eyes locked. A blush crept onto HyeJin's cheeks as she hurriedly headed home, a peculiar feeling swirling within her. It was an unfamiliar sensation, leaving her to ponder: was this love at first sight?
Back at her studio, HyeJin found herself unable to shake off the encounter. The image of Minho lingered in her mind, his confident demeanor and handsome features etched vividly in her memory. As she settled into bed, the strange feeling persisted, making sleep elusive.
The next morning, HyeJin awoke with a mix of excitement and confusion. The encounter with Minho had left an indelible mark, and she couldn't help but wonder about the significance of those fleeting moments. The idea of love at first sight seemed too fantastical, but something within her had shifted.
As she delved back into work, preparing for the animation debut of her comic, thoughts of Minho continued to distract her. She found herself eagerly anticipating any interaction with him and, at the same time, grappling with the uncertainty of these newfound emotions.
Days turned into weeks, and HyeJin's infatuation with Minho only intensified. The Seoul Animation project became a blend of professional ambition and personal excitement. Whenever she crossed paths with Naoyuki or caught a glimpse of Minho in the office, her heart would flutter inexplicably.
One day, as she worked diligently on her animation project, HyeJin received a surprise invitation to a company event. Seoul Animation was hosting a gala to celebrate the success of their recent projects, and HyeJin was invited as a contributor to the animation world.
The evening of the gala arrived, and HyeJin found herself standing in front of the mirror, nervously adjusting her outfit. She chose a sophisticated dress, hoping to make a lasting impression. As she entered the venue, the grandeur of the event overwhelmed her. Spotlights, elegant decorations, and the hum of conversations filled the air.
As she navigated through the crowd, she spotted Naoyuki, who greeted her warmly. Beside him stood Minho, looking just as striking as the first time she saw him. Their eyes met once again, and this time, there was a shared recognition. HyeJin's heart raced, and the mysterious feeling that had taken root weeks ago surged with a new intensity.
Throughout the evening, HyeJin found herself engrossed in conversations with colleagues and industry professionals. Yet, her attention kept drifting back to Minho. Eventually, they found themselves in the same circle, engaging in lighthearted banter and laughter.
As the night progressed, Naoyuki approached HyeJin with a smile. "Ms. Lee, I'm glad you could join us tonight. I hope you're enjoying the event."
HyeJin, still under the spell of the evening, replied, "Thank you, Mr. Yamada. It's been an incredible experience."
Naoyuki nodded knowingly, "It seems like you're having a good time. I'm glad. Oh, and by the way, I believe you've met our CEO, Mr. Kim Minho."
HyeJin's heart skipped a beat as Minho stepped forward with a charismatic smile. "Ms. Lee, your work has truly impressed us. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
HyeJin, caught in a moment of awe, managed to stammer, "Th-thank you, Mr. Kim. It's an honor to be here."
As the night unfolded, HyeJin found herself drawn into a world that seamlessly blended her professional achievements with the blossoming of something more personal. The gala became a turning point, marking the intersection of dreams and emotions, leaving HyeJin to navigate the uncharted territory of catching feelings for a CEO named Kim Minho.