GITDS 02

Chapter 2

“Ha…”

Dressed neatly in a beige suit, Jungwon stood in the lobby of the Haesin Group GRC Center. She gazed at the place that felt both unfamiliar and strangely familiar, then let out a deep sigh.

Old memories suddenly came flooding back, and she barely managed to keep her expression from twisting. Even so, her face was filled with discomfort.

“If this is what you call fate, then it’s one hell of a rotten fate.”

Jungwon murmured quietly as she stared at the gleaming Haesin logo on the information desk.

Haesin Group was a solid company that had led the fields of shipbuilding, energy, and industrial machinery for years. It had held the number-one position in the shipbuilding industry for several years and was constantly receiving worldwide attention for its innovations and ability to stay ahead of the times.

Among its subsidiaries, Haesin Heavy Industries was the world’s largest shipbuilding company established by Haesin Group. It primarily built specialized LNG carriers for transporting liquefied natural gas, as well as ultra-large container ships.

“Ms. Min Jungwon?”

Someone called Jungwon’s name in a gentle voice.

She had entered the lobby and was awkwardly standing in front of the information desk like an unwelcome visitor.

Jungwon looked around and soon spotted the person who appeared to be calling her. She gave a slight bow.

A woman approached her with a bright smile.

“Hello. I’m Yoo Bora, the chairman’s secretary. I was the one who contacted you.”

“Oh, yes…”

“Was the journey here all right? Did you have any trouble finding your way?”

At Secretary Yoo’s greeting, Jungwon awkwardly pulled up the corners of her lips into a smile.

“No. I’m familiar with this route. I’ve traveled it many times.”

It was a merely formal response, and the answer came back just as casually.

But Secretary Yoo seemed to realize the meaning behind Jungwon’s words. She let out a slightly flustered breath and gave an awkward smile.

“Then, shall we go this way?”

Yoo Bora walked ahead, signaling for Jungwon to follow.

Although Jungwon had answered her question confidently, she was actually a little nervous.

What if someone recognizes me? What expression should I make when I greet them?

Jungwon gripped the strap of the bag hanging from her shoulder tightly.

“We’ll be going up to the chairman’s office.”

Secretary Yoo continued speaking kindly as she stood beside Jungwon, waiting for the elevator.

Looking at the tightly closed elevator doors, Jungwon suddenly had a thought.

If I want to run away, now is probably the time.

But if she ran away now, her one remaining precious family member—her sister—would die.

And she had made a promise, hadn’t she?

From the moment she learned that the accident everyone believed had been caused by her father was actually Haesin’s fault, she had sworn that she would bring Haesin down.

Jungwon shook her head, telling herself not to entertain useless thoughts. Then she looked at Secretary Yoo beside her and asked,

“Excuse me, there’s something I’m curious about. Why is the chairman personally interviewing someone from the design team?”

“What?”

Secretary Yoo looked at her in confusion at the unexpected question.

Jungwon asked again.

“I was just wondering. The headhunting company contacted me, so naturally, I assumed I would be interviewed by the HR department. But I’m meeting the chairman directly. Isn’t that unusual?”

After Jungwon accepted Kyle’s proposal to steal the blueprints created with Haesin’s program, Kyle had told her that he would contact her again soon.

Not long afterward, she received another call from the headhunting company.

They told her that Haesin Heavy Industries wanted to recruit her.

It could have been a simple coincidence, but Jungwon suspected that BlueWave and the headhunting company might have some kind of connection or shared interest.

However, that part didn’t particularly concern her.

What bothered her was the fact that Haesin had offered her a position again.

For some reason, the whole thing felt suspicious and unsettling.

The people at Haesin knew better than anyone why she had quit three years ago and fled to America as though she were running away.

And yet, they had been the first to step forward and try to recruit her?

And the chairman himself?

“I was simply told to contact Ms. Min Jungwon and bring her here. That’s all I’m doing.”

It was such a textbook answer from a chairman’s secretary that Jungwon wondered if she had been too emotional.

She firmly closed her lips, which had been pursed as though she were interrogating Yoo Bora.

Secretary Yoo did not say anything else as she led Jungwon through the main building and into the annex.

A short while later, she showed Jungwon into an empty conference room.

“I’ll ask you to wait here for a moment.”

With those words, she left the room.

Finally alone, Jungwon shifted awkwardly for a moment before pulling out a chair and sitting down.

She let out a long breath.

“It’s been three and a half years, hasn’t it…? Since I came back here…”

After deciding that she wanted to learn ship design, Jungwon graduated from university and joined her first company.

That company was Haesin Heavy Industries.

For four years after joining, Jungwon had been incredibly happy working there, doing something she genuinely loved.

If that incident had never happened, I might still be working here.

“Ms. Min Jungwon?”

Secretary Yoo’s voice once again reached Jungwon’s ears, pulling her from her thoughts.

Jungwon forced her stiff expression to relax and stood up.

Yoo Bora opened the conference room door wide, stepped aside, and folded her hands neatly below her waist.

A moment later, accompanied by the quiet sound of dress shoes, the current chairman of Haesin Group, Han Tae-kyung, appeared.

“Then, I’ll leave you two to talk.”

Click.

The door closed behind her as Tae-kyung entered the conference room.

Jungwon stole a glance at him.

Three years ago, Jungwon’s father had died in an accident at this very company.

Not long afterward, Tae-kyung had also lost his older brother and father in a similar accident.

Back when Jungwon had worked here, Han Tae-kyung had been the second son of Haesin Group. He had shown no interest in becoming the heir and rarely appeared either at the company or in the media.

Jungwon had first seen him on the news in America, just a few days after leaving Korea.

His hair was blacker than the night sky, and his eyes were a deep color that seemed to belong to the depths of the ocean.

His smooth forehead and straight nose gave his face a striking, sculpted appearance.

She hadn’t noticed it when she saw him on the news, but being in the same room with him now made her realize that his presence felt cold and chilling, like a winter night.

Jungwon unconsciously shuddered.

Han Tae-kyung said nothing.

He pulled out a chair, sat down, and looked at Jungwon.

Jungwon spoke first.

“Nice… to meet you. I’m Min Jungwon.”

“I’m Han Tae-kyung, chairman of Haesin Group.”

Tae-kyung’s low, cold voice settled calmly over the conference room.

He took a business card from inside his jacket, placed it on the table, and slid it toward Jungwon.

Jungwon stared silently at Han Tae-kyung’s business card lying before her.

“Ms. Min Jungwon, just as I heard…”

Tae-kyung stopped before finishing his sentence and slowly swallowed whatever he had been about to say.

What was he going to say?

Confused, Jungwon looked at him.

Tae-kyung gave a faint smile before speaking again.

His dark eyes met Jungwon’s clear ones.

Without realizing it, Jungwon pressed her lips tightly together.

“You were unexpected.”

It was a vague statement with no explanation.

Jungwon blinked, trying to figure out what he meant.

“I made you an offer, but I didn’t actually expect you to come. Of all places… Haesin.”

Jungwon’s long eyelashes trembled like her heart.

Did he figure out why I came back?

Watching Tae-kyung emphasize every word he spoke, Jungwon forced herself to remain calm.

“I didn’t expect the chairman to personally handle my salary negotiations either.”

At Jungwon’s response, Tae-kyung’s lips curved into a smile, making his sculpted face look even more striking.

Jungwon looked at him with confusion.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because I think Ms. Min Jungwon is an interesting person.”

“I haven’t said anything funny. I’m not particularly humorous.”

“We can find that out gradually.”

His response sounded almost teasing.

Jungwon frowned, letting her displeasure show.

Then she remembered that this was supposed to be a job interview and hurriedly lifted the corners of her lips.

Seeing Jungwon’s forced smile, Tae-kyung picked up the résumé lying beside him.

“Name: Min Jungwon. Age: twenty-nine. Until recently, team leader at U&Engineering in the United States. Is this information correct?”

“Yes.”

“Your family…”

He pointed directly at the family-information section, which Jungwon had intentionally left blank.

“Do you have no family?”

Jungwon met Tae-kyung’s gaze for a moment.

What exactly is this man trying to say by sitting me in front of him like this?

Looking at Tae-kyung’s unreadable face, Jungwon moved her lips.

“Is my family situation relevant to the work?”

After Jungwon finished speaking, an awkward silence settled over the reception room.

Tae-kyung gave a faint chuckle, closed the résumé file with an audible snap, and looked directly into Jungwon’s eyes again.

“Then let me ask you something else, Ms. Min Jungwon.”

“Yes.”

“What made you decide to return to Haesin?”