Under the scorching sun, the morning was quite humid. But the heat couldn't stop people from going outside as they needed to work for their livelihood. Being an industrial area, the streets were crowded with workers and pedestrians alike. In front of a towering building, a sleek car came to a stop. The door swung open and Ahn Jiang Seok stepped out, dressed in a sharp black suit with matching, polished shoes. His sunglasses reflected the light, giving him the appearance of a perfect aristocrat. After getting out of the car, he headed straight towards the building bannered with "EcoFusion Productions". He pulled off his sunglasses and adjusted his collar as he walked.
He halted all of a sudden after passing by a female figure standing near the entrance of the building, handing out some papers as leaflets.
Wait… Wasn't she familiar? Where had he seen her before? Should he turn around and take a closer look? No. That would harm his image. He was a gentleman after all, and staring at random women wouldn't be proper.
Although he wanted to go inside soon, he couldn't hold his curiosity.
"Fine, I'll just take a quick look." He turned, eyes locking on the young woman.
She wore a formal black coat over black pants, and her round, thin-framed glasses kept slipping down her nose, prompting her to push them up frequently. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, her round face and slightly chubby cheeks giving her a cute appearance. Though she was taller than most women, her legs were hidden beneath her long pants.
After handing out a piece of leaflets to a man, she approached him, offering a leaflet. "Hello, sir! This is the newest product from 'VersaCraft Industries.' We've just launched it and have some free samples if you're interested…" Her voice trailed off as she continued to promote the product, but Jiang Seok wasn't listening. His mind was stuck on where he had seen her before. After thinking for a while, he remembered who the girl was.
"...Han Ma Ri?" he mumbled under his breath, brows furrowing as he pointed at her in confusion.
"Huh? Do you know me?" She stopped mid-sentence, tilting her head toward him.
"Uh…" Jiang found himself at a loss for words, something constricting his throat.
"AAH! You work here? No wonder you know me! Wait! You are…" She stepped closer, scrutinizing his face like an artist examining a canvas. Jiang anticipated her reaction, imagining the moment of recognition—how satisfying it would be to see her remember him after all these years.
"You're Mr. Hajoon from the IT department, right?" she asked excitedly.
His moment of satisfaction vanished, replaced by disbelief. Of all things, she had guessed wrong. Although he hadn't expected her to remember him, he hoped she would.
He really wanted to let her know who he was. But all of a sudden, he said with a cold voice, "You've got the wrong person." he didn't know why he said that or what harm it'd be to introduce himself to her.
"Oh! Sorry about that! Are you new here then? Which department are you in?" She grinned, handing him a leaflet.
"I used to work in sales, but VCI offered me a better deal, so here I am! Anyway! Take it! Come to our company if you get time! It's just a couple of buildings away!" she finished with a confident nod. As Jiang got too stunned to speak, he simply accepted the leaflet.
At that moment, a man rushed over, slightly out of breath.
"Ma Ri! There you are! I've been calling you for ages! Why are you out here by yourself again? You'll get sick in this heat!" He grabbed her arm gently, shielding her from the sun with his hand.
Then, he noticed Jiang and a smirk appeared on his face, the concern from earlier vanished as his mood changed.
"Well, well, look who it is."
"It's fine! They didn't want to come outside because of the heat. By the way, do you know him, Mr. CEO?" Ma Ri asked, her eyes flicking between the two men.
"I was just explaining to him about our new product." She fixed the papers while talking.
"Of course, I do," Nam said with a knowing grin, a look that made Jiang instantly uncomfortable. Without another word, Jiang turned on his heel and hurried inside the building.
"Wait! Mister! At least tell me your name…" Ma Ri called after him, but he was already gone. She sighed as Jiman kept his identity hidden.
"Let's go, we've got other ways to promote our products. Can't you work on those methods instead?" the man grumbled as he led her away.
"Eh! I don't think online promotion works always. Besides, people know us here, and they know that we're not scammers. This method works just fine!" Ma Ri closed her eyes, nodding to herself confidently.
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Jiang reached his office and went straight to the window, watching the two as they disappeared from his view. He wasn't sure why, but a mixture of rage, disappointment, and guilt churned inside him. He sighed and sat down at his desk, trying to push the encounter with the two of them out of his mind. His office was spacious, with a long desk, several cabinets, and a few couches for meetings. He powered on his computer, attempting to focus on the tasks ahead.
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Without looking up, he said, "Come in."
A thin young man, formally dressed with glasses, entered quietly. He was peeking at Jiang before knocking on the door. Though he could be described as handsome, his features were more on the cute side. The seriousness on his face only enhanced his charm. He placed several papers on Jiang's desk.
"Good morning, sir. These are the quorum and agenda for the afternoon meeting, and the HR department needs your signatures on these files." He added more papers to the pile.
"Mr. Hwang, can you read the agenda aloud? And about the quorum, is anyone special attending the meeting?" Jiang finally looked up.
"Y-yes, sir! There'll be t-two of the board members. And the h-head of management and marketing departments. A-and there's some t-technological issues as well so the staff of the IT department will also join." he replied while stuttering. Even though Jiang didn't look dangerous, he still hesitated to reply as he was nervous.
"About the issue with technology, bring me all the documents. I'll check them first before raising the topic in the meeting." Jiang glanced at his assistant. He noticed the changes of his glasses' frame.
"Did you change your glasses?" He asked with a poker face.
"Huh? Y-yes, sir." Hwang blushed slightly, lowering his gaze. He couldn't help but smile shyly.
"Go handle the documents I asked for, and check your email—I've sent over some files that need to be printed by the weekend."
"I'll be right back with the docs." He bowed gently before leaving.
As Jiang sifted through the papers, his phone rang. Noticing his mother's name floating on the screen, he took his phone and received it.
"Hm, Mom."
"What do you mean 'hm'? Are you busy?" she asked in a loud, teasing voice.
"No! Not at all! You know what! I'm dancing!" Jiang sarcastically replied while looking into the papers thoroughly.
"Oh, yeah! I bet you'd become an idol if you keep dancing!" She couldn't hold her laughter.
"Mom, please! I don't have time to waste! Tell me why you called me." He was getting a bit impatient.
"Listen! I've got good news!" Her voice brimmed with excitement. "Do you remember the lady you met at the reception? The one who mentioned her husband's business?"
Jiang barely paid attention, his mind was fully occupied with the papers in front of him.
"Uh-huh, why?"
"Her husband came to meet your father today! And your father offered money, but it seems like it was too much for that guy. So, you know what he offered in return?" She was acting just like a child as she was really excited about the news.
"What?" Jiang signed another document as he was only half-listening.
"Their daughter! Your father agreed to it!" she declared with glee.
Jiang froze. "WHAT! DAD'S GONNA MARRY AGAIN?" he shouted. He only heard the last sentence so he couldn't understand the whole situation his mother was describing.
"What the…why would he? Did I die?" After shouting, she continued,
"It's for you! You have to meet her. Please, just once for my sake?" She pleaded sweetly.
"Argh! Mom!"
"Please! If you don't like her after meeting, then just tell me, hm? But, meet her, just this once! I promise I won't bring any other girls further again if you agree to meet her, hm?" Mrs. Ahn kept pleading as she got a hunch that her son would definitely like this girl although her guts were wrong several times before.
"Fine! But you promised! You can't take it back, understand?" Jiang replied as if he was ordering his mom.
"Okaaaaay! I've texted you her details. It's Han Ma Ri! You remember her, right?"
"Huh? Who?" Jiang blinked at his phone, reading the message. His heart sank as he saw the picture of the same young woman from earlier. Great! Another headache!
He closed his eyes and leaned on his chair, placing the back of his wrist on his forehead.