Chapter 5
No matter where you went, life was probably similar wherever people lived, but simply knowing that this place was Korea made the air, the breeze, and even the blades of grass brushing past her feel precious.
This was the land she had dreamed of and admired in her heart for so long. Standing here on Korean soil felt almost like a dream.
After finishing her workout, as she neared the house, she saw a car passing by her and stopping in front of the house.
The engine turned off, and the person who stepped out was Kang Joo-won.
He was about to enter the house when he noticed Jae-i approaching and stopped.
Their gazes moved over each other’s figures, both dressed in workout clothes.
“Looks like you’re coming back from exercising?”
The muscles in his legs, revealed beneath his shorts, were firm and well-trained. Even standing still, the muscles around his knees seemed ready to move.
“Ah! I was just running near the Han River to help adjust to the time difference.”
Joo-won gently pushed the open door aside with one hand and stepped aside, allowing her to enter first.
“Do you exercise every day?”
“Unless something special comes up.”
His low voice echoed pleasantly through the quiet morning alley.
“You must have been surprised yesterday since I came without contacting you. Actually, I didn’t even know your number. And even if I had known it, we weren’t close enough to exchange calls like that.”
Joo-won’s indifferent gaze briefly swept over Jae-i’s face.
“To be honest, I’ve been thinking for a long time that I needed to repay what I received from you. No, more than that—I wanted to do something to give back. That’s also why I’m here now.”
Joo-won seemed unable to understand what she meant. He lowered his gaze and stared at her.
“Can you explain it so I can understand?”
Jae-i shrank under his gaze, even though she had done nothing wrong.
Her shoulders, which had been straight just moments ago, noticeably drooped. Her lips parted several times as if she wanted to say something but kept swallowing her words.
Watching her, Joo-won found the pure innocence in her expression almost childlike, and he quietly smiled to himself.
“So what I mean is… exactly what I just said. I want to repay you for what I received, whatever it takes. I may not look like much on the outside, but I’m good at all kinds of things. If you look at my grades, you’ll be surprised. And I even passed the accountant exam before graduating. Oh, right! I also have a sports massage certification.”
Jae-i lifted her eyes slightly, as if trying to remember what other qualifications she had.
“I didn’t sponsor you because I wanted something in return. You don’t have to do this. Just go back to where you were and live comfortably.”
“That’s exactly why I came. Because I don’t think I can live comfortably like that. Everything I’m receiving right now feels like a debt to me. I’ve always thought that someday, I absolutely had to repay it.”
Her expression made it clear that no matter what he said, she would not easily give up.
Joo-won let out a low sigh.
“Someone with qualifications like yours would be welcomed at any company.”
“That’s why I’m saying it. I’ve worked incredibly hard. I wanted to become someone who could be useful in any way.”
The woman looking up at Joo-won had nothing but sincerity in her eyes.
For a moment, Joo-won was caught off guard and avoided her gaze.
He was someone who never even blinked in front of people desperately searching for his weaknesses.
Yet now, he found himself strangely shaken by the helpless eyes of someone who seemed like a child.
“Forget it.”
He tried to walk past Jae-i, who was standing in his way, but then—
Rustle.
His clothes were grabbed.
“If you let me, I’ll work hard at anything. No, I’m confident I can do it well. I’m also good at driving.”
When she met his sharp gaze, Jae-i became intimidated, but she still did not let go of his clothes.
Even in the tightly pressed line of her lips, he could feel her determination to do whatever it took.
A talented woman who had graduated from Harvard University with outstanding grades in economics and earned her accountant certification before graduation was now standing in front of him, desperately trying to sell herself by even mentioning her driving skills.
It was both ridiculous and unbelievable.
“Can we talk after you let go?”
“Ah! Sorry. It just seemed like you weren’t going to listen.”
Jae-i released his clothes, but her disappointed expression remained.
“I’ll think about it.”
Even though Joo-won gave her a somewhat positive answer, Jae-i’s expression did not improve at all.
At that moment, the sun rose in the distance, and a ray of sunlight fell across Joo-won’s back.
The brightness made Jae-i squint slightly as she looked at him. Somehow, the entire situation felt unreal.
Manager Jung, who was coming out from inside the house, widened his eyes when he saw Jae-i following behind Joo-won.
They exercised together too?
He did not say it out loud, but his face as he looked back and forth between them clearly revealed his thoughts.
“We just happened to run into each other in front of the house.”
Joo-won immediately spoke, as if answering a question Manager Jung had not even asked.
“Ah… yes.”
Despite Joo-won’s explanation, Manager Jung still looked unconvinced.
Joo-won gave him an displeased look as Manager Jung subtly examined the two of them.
While thinking of what to say next, Joo-won suddenly wondered why he was even making excuses to Manager Jung and closed his mouth.
Manager Jung looked between Joo-won heading upstairs and Jae-i awkwardly standing near the entrance.
When his eyes met Jae-i’s, he hid his curiosity and headed toward the dining room.
For a moment, Kang Joo-won seemed unlike himself—almost flustered.
It was rare for anything to disturb Kang Joo-won.
Manager Jung checked the meal preparations halfheartedly, unlike usual, while his mind remained focused on what had happened moments ago.
Normally, Joo-won was someone impossible to read. His dark eyes alone could intimidate people enough to make them feel uneasy.
But strangely, that intimidating presence did not seem to work on the unfamiliar guest who had suddenly appeared in the house.
There was not even a trace of hesitation in the woman’s gaze when she looked directly at Joo-won.
Even though not even a full day had passed, the presence of this visitor felt unusually significant.
It felt like discovering an empty space inside someone that had never been visible before.
At any rate, Manager Jung had a vague feeling that the arrival of this woman might bring about a change that no one could predict.
Perhaps it was because, unlike usual, Kang Joo-won’s gaze had lingered on this unfamiliar woman for far longer than expected.
The marathon meeting that began immediately after arriving at work continued until the afternoon, and everyone gradually grew exhausted.
After recently suffering through the headache-inducing merger issue, Joo-won pressed his temples as he felt another wave of pain.
It felt as if they had spent two days repeating the same arguments without reaching any satisfying agreement.
In the end, the only way left was to find the other party’s weakest point and use it as leverage to finish the negotiations.
It was a ruthless method, but it was a sure way to overpower the opponent. That merciless ability to use any means necessary was what had pushed Myungjin Group to become the number one company in the distribution industry in the shortest amount of time.
In business, the process did not matter. Only the result remained.
In that sense, Joo-won might have been a person perfectly suited for the brutal world of business where one either devoured or was devoured.
