IFBS 09

Chapter : 09

“Could you drop me off up ahead?”

If she ran into Junhee like last time, she felt like she would only hear unpleasant things.

She had said it with the intention of walking from the entrance of the alley, but Je-eon didn’t take his foot off the accelerator.

“Sir?”

“The alley looked dark. And you still have quite a ways to walk uphill.”

“Ah…”

“After dropping you off safely, imagine you trip and fall while walking up. What would that make me look like?”

Having already experienced something similar once, Sea understood that he was simply worried about her as her superior.

“Actually… I’m worried I might run into my brother.”

The man who had brought up her becoming a permanent employee despite meeting her for the first time—she could easily imagine how much more rude he might be the second time.

Junhee, who had searched for Je-eon on a portal site the very next day, had refused to let go of his suspicions, saying that he couldn’t find any significant information about him.

“I don’t mind even if we run into him.”

“Pardon?”

Sea looked at Je-eon in surprise.

“Weren’t you offended by what he said that time?”

“There was no reason for me to be. From a third party’s perspective, it could have looked suspicious enough. Even more so if he was family.”

Her eyes, fixed on him, trembled slightly. Je-eon seemed enormous to her for being so tolerant of someone else’s rude behavior.

He was almost like a tall tree standing firm without being shaken by what other people said.

“Most importantly, I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“……?”

“If I had some ulterior motive toward you, Ms. Han Se-a, I wouldn’t have created an opportunity for us to run into each other, would I?”

“Ah… yes.”

“Fortunately, your brother isn’t around.”

“I know. Thank you again for today.”

“Go on in.”

Je-eon slightly lowered his head inside the car. Sea bowed to him as well and remained there until the car disappeared from view.

Could I end up developing feelings for my boss like this?

She didn’t know much about Je-eon’s background, but she wasn’t young enough to be unaware of what it meant for someone to rise to the position of a division head at a major corporation at such a young age.

One of the reasons rumors had followed him about being a parachute hire was his overseas career.

Unlike her, he must have grown up in a wealthy family.

Unlike Sea, who found their past connection fascinating, he didn’t seem to think much of it at all.

He simply appeared to be maintaining the proper boundaries expected of someone in his position as a division head, yet strangely, her heart felt ticklish.

Sea arrived at work early and completed the task Hyeongseok had assigned her perfectly.

With the time she had left, she searched for study groups.

Je-eon’s advice to focus more seriously on studying English suddenly came to mind.

She knew enrolling in a language institute would be more effective, but until she got herself properly settled, she needed to cut down on expenses.

“Huh?”

Then a post titled Looking for One More Member for Our Study Group caught her eye.

The group consisted entirely of office workers, and both the meeting time and location were convenient.

More than anything, the study leader had experience working for a foreign company, so she thought there would be a lot she could learn from him in various ways.

[-Meeting place: Leader’s private office

-Fee: 5,000 won]

This was what attracted her the most.

Since it was a private office, drinks and light snacks were provided. They said the group could be operated with minimal expenses, so there was no reason for her to turn it down.

Sea immediately sent a message to the study leader.

The reply came around quitting time.

[Leave your contact number and I’ll give you a call ^^]

As Sea left the office, she sent the leader her phone number.

Less than a minute later, an unfamiliar number appeared on her screen.

“Hello?”

—Hello. This is Oh Kyung-min, the organizer of the study group. Is now a good time to talk?

The leader was a man, and his manner of speaking over the phone was friendly.

“Yes, hello. Now is fine.”

—I saw the message you sent, and it seemed like you had clear goals regarding your English studies, so I wanted to contact you. You’re twenty-four, right?

“Yes.”

—If you join our study group, you’ll be the youngest member. Ah, of course, nobody will give you a hard time because of your age or anything…

Listening to the leader’s explanation, she stepped into the elevator that had just arrived. She thought someone else might already be inside, but she was too focused on the call to check.

—You said you started working this year, right? Everyone here is employed, and some of our members even work for major corporations. I think you’ll find it helpful in many ways.

“Ah, yes.”

—If you’re free this Saturday, why don’t you come and take a look? If you like the atmosphere, you can keep coming. If it doesn’t seem right for you, you can think it over.

It wasn’t burdensome at all. It was exactly what she had been looking for.

“Then I’ll attend this Saturday first. …Yes, thank you.”

She finished the call and gave a small bow toward the empty air.

“A study group?”

At the voice that suddenly pierced her ears, Sea jumped as though she had been startled.

“Oh my gosh!”

When she turned around, Je-eon was standing there. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

She hadn’t even noticed his presence because she had been so absorbed in her phone call.

Sea belatedly lowered her head.

“Ah! Hello. I didn’t realize you were here because I was on the phone.”

“You’re going to study?”

“Yes, English.”

Je-eon narrowed his eyes slightly before relaxing them again.

“Because of what I said?”

“Yes.”

She couldn’t deny that he had been the decisive reason she finally put into action something she had only been thinking about.

“I also want to get better at it.”

“Hmm.”

Je-eon simply nodded his sharp chin without saying much. In the meantime, the elevator reached the first floor, and the doors smoothly slid open with a faint scraping sound.

“I hear those kinds of groups can have quite a few problems.”

“Pardon? Problems?”

“I mean, there’s no harm in being cautious. The world can be a dangerous place.”

“Ah… yes. Thank you.”

Before she had even stepped out of the elevator, Sea’s cheeks had turned red.

His simple advice sounded strangely like concern.

Though that couldn’t possibly be the case.

Ah… Still, this is confusing.

Sea awkwardly touched her face and hurried out.

Study leader Oh Kyung-min’s private office was located on a main street.

There were eight members in total, including Sea. Except for Kyung-min, who was in his forties, most were in their twenties and thirties. The gender ratio was also fairly even.

Sea had expected the place to be about the size of a single room, but she was surprised to find that the interior was larger than her aunt’s house.

The study began in a comfortable atmosphere, and seeing the members’ impressive English skills only made Sea more motivated.

They also held interview sessions with Kyung-min’s foreign acquaintances once every two weeks.

It was an incredible opportunity.

After the two-hour study session ended, everyone began preparing to leave one by one.

“Ms. Se-a.”

Kyung-min approached her with a smile.

“How was it today?”

“It was really helpful. I think there’s a lot I can learn from the other members.”

“Then I take it you’ll be coming again next week?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad you seem to fit in well with our group. I was watching you, and your pronunciation is really clear. You studied English well when you were a student, didn’t you?”

“A little. But I still have a lot to improve.”

“I’m sure you’ll improve even more. Since you’re new, I was thinking we could have dinner together before we part ways. Do you have time?”

“Ah… What should I do? I already have plans.”

She had made plans to meet Dowon that evening, who had complained about why she never seemed to have time to meet him.

“Oh, you have plans. I should have asked you beforehand.”

Kyung-min looked disappointed before adding,

“How about next Saturday? I’ve been running study groups for a long time, and one thing I’ve realized is that a certain amount of socializing is necessary for a group to stay healthy without losing sight of its true purpose.”

“Yes. Then I’ll join you for dinner next Saturday.”

Sea left the office and headed to her meeting place.

“Han Se-a. I’m going to forget what you look like at this rate. Your house isn’t even far away—it’s only a thirty-minute walk. How does it make sense that I haven’t seen you in months?”

Dowon, who had arrived first, grumbled.

His face, tanned from working rough jobs at construction sites, looked especially disgruntled.

Immediately after leaving the orphanage, Dowon had thrown himself into the workforce. Thanks to his naturally sturdy build, he had found his place at a construction site at an early age.

“I was busy.”

“I’m busy too, you know? But I still make time to see you.”

Dowon complained as he poured soju into the glass in front of him. For Sea, he naturally poured a carbonated soft drink.

“Nothing going on, right?”

The hurt had disappeared from his voice, leaving it gentle.

It was an ordinary question asking how Sea was doing, but the meaning behind it was anything but ordinary.

He was asking whether her aunt’s family had been giving her a hard time.

“Nothing. Oh! I started attending a study group. I just came from there.”

“A study group all of a sudden?”

“I thought it would be better than studying on my own. I went today, and it was amazing.”

Sea told him every little detail about the information she had gotten from Kyung-min and what the study group was like.

Since he was the only person she felt completely comfortable with, there was nothing she needed to hide from him.