Chapter 189: Second Nature Acting Up
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Hearing the sudden question, Ji-Won's steps slowed down and he cast Su-Jin a sidelong glance.
"I guess it will mean we failed to achieve our target for the month." Ji-Won sighed and gave a light shrug. "To be honest, at this moment, even I don't know what that would entail for us."
While he spoke, Ji-Won showed a rather self-deprecating smile.
In fact, he was currently lying through his teeth. He knew very well what would happen if they missed this last chance of having the proposal submitted. It would mean losing the month's quota for new business, as well as the sales bonification.
But, the truth of the matter was Ji-Won only thought of all this from his own perspective. And that was because, just like Seo-Jun had pointed out before, he would stand to lose more than anyone else.
If Ji-Won really failed to achieve this month's quota, it would mean more than just losing a bonus or being scolded by the Chairman. It would mean losing the chance to save his mother's foundation. The very thought of this happening gave Ji-Won a sense of anxiety that was very hard to keep under control.
As though she could read his mind, Su-Jin continued to inquire in a low voice.
"Director Kang, aren't you perhaps... Worried?"
"Worried?"
Ji-Won's eyebrows rose in both surprise and confusion.
He remained quiet for a short moment, carefully pondering over Su-Jin's words. In truth, her question kind of stumped him.
'It's true that I am very worried. In fact, I'm scared to death of failing, of breaking the promise I made to my mother so many years ago. However, between my thoughts and hers, there's no way we could be talking about the same thing, right? No, after all, no one but Seo-Jun knows the reason behind my working at Kangji Tourism in the first place. Indeed, I'm sure Miss Park was referring to something else when she asked that. Maybe… she was talking about what implications it would have on her job?'
The gears inside Ji-Won's mind slowly began to turn, allowing him to finally understand what Su-Jin might have meant by that. Sure enough, wasn't it quite obvious that a freshly hired intern would be worried first and foremost about her job?
With this thought in mind, Ji-Won's face gradually broke into a comforting smile.
"It's alright, Miss Park. You don't have to be worried. No matter what happens this Friday, yours and even Miss Lee's internship won't be affected by the results. At least for the next two months, until the three month period ends, you two will be able to work at Kangji Tourism. That I can guarantee."
"No, that's not what I meant." Su-Jin hurried to interrupt.
"Then?" Ji-Won asked. Not even he realized the anticipation his tone held.
"I…" Su-Jin hesitated, biting her lower lip. A moment later she finally burst out. "I'm sorry, Director Kang. To be honest, some time ago I overheard you and Deputy Director Kim while talking."
"Some time ago?" Ji-Won repeated in bafflement.
'Seo-Jun and I talk all the time. That man is a chatterbox after all, he's rarely able to keep his mouth shut even when we're at the office. So, which specific moment is she referring to?'
While he was pondering over this, he saw Su-Jin give a slight nod and heard her voice filled with remorse.
"Mn, it was the day Mr. Ma's lawyer came to the office. That time, after holding a short meeting with you, we all left, all except for Deputy Director Kim. He remained in your office and you two talked for a while. During that time, I went back to my desk, but I soon realized that I had forgotten to ask you something. When I returned to your office and stopped in front of the door I heard Deputy Director Kim talking to you. He..."
Su-Jin stopped for a moment in order to recall the exact words.
"He said that this project is very important to you and that losing it might cost you something big."
Ji-Won was stupefied.
It was true that Seo-Jun had said all that, but how was Ji-Won supposed to explain the situation to Su-Jin now? Was there any way he could tell her that his father and him made a deal over his mother's foundation? Or that based on the understatement they had, losing the proposal would mean losing the chance to save the last thing his mother owned from being sold.
Such a thing was really difficult to explain, unless he told her everything about his family. And Ji-Won didn't want to talk about his family.
Just then, Su-Jin's voice broke through Ji-Won's thoughts, bringing him back to the conversation.
"Director Kang, I really want to help, but I don't know what to do."
These words and the earnest tone they were spoken in were able to pierce Ji-Won's steel armor. Under Su-Jin's warm gaze, the iciness of his resolve began to melt and he soon wavered.
'Should I tell her? Would it really be alright for me to talk to her about all this? The only other person I was able to talk to about my family had been Seo-Jun. But… What if there could be another…'
However, like a drowning man desperately holding onto a life raft, Ji-Won tightly grasped at the last straws of his defenses. Being alone for so many years had made it easier for him to shut people out. By now, it was almost second nature for him.
'Am I stupid? Why would I involve someone I've hardly known for a month into this mess? If something goes wrong, and those people end up acting against me, they might even attack the people around me. Seo-Jun can take care of himself, but Miss Park… Miss Park is… different. I cannot put her in danger.'
After patching up his tattered determination, Ji-Won resumed his aloof demeanor.
"It's alright, Miss Park. That is between me and Deputy Director Kim. You don't need to worry about it.." He said curtly.
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Hearing the sudden question, Ji-Won's steps slowed down and he cast Su-Jin a sidelong glance.
"I guess it will mean we failed to achieve our target for the month." Ji-Won sighed and gave a light shrug. "To be honest, at this moment, even I don't know what that would entail for us."
While he spoke, Ji-Won showed a rather self-deprecating smile.
In fact, he was currently lying through his teeth. He knew very well what would happen if they missed this last chance of having the proposal submitted. It would mean losing the month's quota for new business, as well as the sales bonification.
But, the truth of the matter was Ji-Won only thought of all this from his own perspective. And that was because, just like Seo-Jun had pointed out before, he would stand to lose more than anyone else.
If Ji-Won really failed to achieve this month's quota, it would mean more than just losing a bonus or being scolded by the Chairman. It would mean losing the chance to save his mother's foundation. The very thought of this happening gave Ji-Won a sense of anxiety that was very hard to keep under control.
As though she could read his mind, Su-Jin continued to inquire in a low voice.
"Director Kang, aren't you perhaps... Worried?"
"Worried?"
Ji-Won's eyebrows rose in both surprise and confusion.
He remained quiet for a short moment, carefully pondering over Su-Jin's words. In truth, her question kind of stumped him.
'It's true that I am very worried. In fact, I'm scared to death of failing, of breaking the promise I made to my mother so many years ago. However, between my thoughts and hers, there's no way we could be talking about the same thing, right? No, after all, no one but Seo-Jun knows the reason behind my working at Kangji Tourism in the first place. Indeed, I'm sure Miss Park was referring to something else when she asked that. Maybe… she was talking about what implications it would have on her job?'
The gears inside Ji-Won's mind slowly began to turn, allowing him to finally understand what Su-Jin might have meant by that. Sure enough, wasn't it quite obvious that a freshly hired intern would be worried first and foremost about her job?
With this thought in mind, Ji-Won's face gradually broke into a comforting smile.
"It's alright, Miss Park. You don't have to be worried. No matter what happens this Friday, yours and even Miss Lee's internship won't be affected by the results. At least for the next two months, until the three month period ends, you two will be able to work at Kangji Tourism. That I can guarantee."
"No, that's not what I meant." Su-Jin hurried to interrupt.
"Then?" Ji-Won asked. Not even he realized the anticipation his tone held.
"I…" Su-Jin hesitated, biting her lower lip. A moment later she finally burst out. "I'm sorry, Director Kang. To be honest, some time ago I overheard you and Deputy Director Kim while talking."
"Some time ago?" Ji-Won repeated in bafflement.
'Seo-Jun and I talk all the time. That man is a chatterbox after all, he's rarely able to keep his mouth shut even when we're at the office. So, which specific moment is she referring to?'
While he was pondering over this, he saw Su-Jin give a slight nod and heard her voice filled with remorse.
"Mn, it was the day Mr. Ma's lawyer came to the office. That time, after holding a short meeting with you, we all left, all except for Deputy Director Kim. He remained in your office and you two talked for a while. During that time, I went back to my desk, but I soon realized that I had forgotten to ask you something. When I returned to your office and stopped in front of the door I heard Deputy Director Kim talking to you. He..."
Su-Jin stopped for a moment in order to recall the exact words.
"He said that this project is very important to you and that losing it might cost you something big."
Ji-Won was stupefied.
It was true that Seo-Jun had said all that, but how was Ji-Won supposed to explain the situation to Su-Jin now? Was there any way he could tell her that his father and him made a deal over his mother's foundation? Or that based on the understatement they had, losing the proposal would mean losing the chance to save the last thing his mother owned from being sold.
Such a thing was really difficult to explain, unless he told her everything about his family. And Ji-Won didn't want to talk about his family.
Just then, Su-Jin's voice broke through Ji-Won's thoughts, bringing him back to the conversation.
"Director Kang, I really want to help, but I don't know what to do."
These words and the earnest tone they were spoken in were able to pierce Ji-Won's steel armor. Under Su-Jin's warm gaze, the iciness of his resolve began to melt and he soon wavered.
'Should I tell her? Would it really be alright for me to talk to her about all this? The only other person I was able to talk to about my family had been Seo-Jun. But… What if there could be another…'
However, like a drowning man desperately holding onto a life raft, Ji-Won tightly grasped at the last straws of his defenses. Being alone for so many years had made it easier for him to shut people out. By now, it was almost second nature for him.
'Am I stupid? Why would I involve someone I've hardly known for a month into this mess? If something goes wrong, and those people end up acting against me, they might even attack the people around me. Seo-Jun can take care of himself, but Miss Park… Miss Park is… different. I cannot put her in danger.'
After patching up his tattered determination, Ji-Won resumed his aloof demeanor.
"It's alright, Miss Park. That is between me and Deputy Director Kim. You don't need to worry about it.." He said curtly.
Hearing the sudden question, Ji-Won's steps slowed down and he cast Su-Jin a sidelong glance. "I guess it will mean we failed to achieve our target for the month." Ji-Won sighed and gave a light shrug. "To be honest, at this moment, even I don't know what that would entail for us."While he spoke, Ji-Won showed a rather self-deprecating smile. In fact, he was currently lying through his teeth. He knew very well what would happen if they missed this last chance of having the proposal submitted. It would mean losing the month's quota for new business, as well as the sales bonification.But, the truth of the matter was Ji-Won only thought of all this from his own perspective. And that was because, just like Seo-Jun had pointed out before, he would stand to lose more than anyone else. If Ji-Won really failed to achieve this month's quota, it would mean more than just losing a bonus or being scolded by the Chairman. It would mean losing the chance to save his mother's foundation. The very thought of this happening gave Ji-Won a sense of anxiety that was very hard to keep under control.As though she could read his mind, Su-Jin continued to inquire in a low voice."Director Kang, aren't you perhaps... Worried?""Worried?" Ji-Won's eyebrows rose in both surprise and confusion.He remained quiet for a short moment, carefully pondering over Su-Jin's words. In truth, her question kind of stumped him.'It's true that I am very worried. In fact, I'm scared to death of failing, of breaking the promise I made to my mother so many years ago. However, between my thoughts and hers, there's no way we could be talking about the same thing, right? No, after all, no one but Seo-Jun knows the reason behind my working at Kangji Tourism in the first place. Indeed, I'm sure Miss Park was referring to something else when she asked that. Maybe she was talking about what implications it would have on her job?'The gears inside Ji-Won's mind slowly began to turn, allowing him to finally understand what Su-Jin might have meant by that. Sure enough, wasn't it quite obvious that a freshly hired intern would be worried first and foremost about her job?With this thought in mind, Ji-Won's face gradually broke into a comforting smile."It's alright, Miss Park. You don't have to be worried. No matter what happens this Friday, yours and even Miss Lee's internship won't be affected by the results. At least for the next two months, until the three month period ends, you two will be able to work at Kangji Tourism. That I can guarantee.""No, that's not what I meant." Su-Jin hurried to interrupt."Then?" Ji-Won asked. Not even he realized the anticipation his tone held."I" Su-Jin hesitated, biting her lower lip. A moment later she finally burst out. "I'm sorry, Director Kang. To be honest, some time ago I overheard you and Deputy Director Kim while talking.""Some time ago?" Ji-Won repeated in bafflement.'Seo-Jun and I talk all the time. That man is a chatterbox after all, he's rarely able to keep his mouth shut even when we're at the office. So, which specific moment is she referring to?'While he was pondering over this, he saw Su-Jin give a slight nod and heard her voice filled with remorse."Mn, it was the day Mr. Ma's lawyer came to the office. That time, after holding a short meeting with you, we all left, all except for Deputy Director Kim. He remained in your office and you two talked for a while. During that time, I went back to my desk, but I soon realized that I had forgotten to ask you something. When I returned to your office and stopped in front of the door I heard Deputy Director Kim talking to you. He..." Su-Jin stopped for a moment in order to recall the exact words. "He said that this project is very important to you and that losing it might cost you something big."Ji-Won was stupefied. It was true that Seo-Jun had said all that, but how was Ji-Won supposed to explain the situation to Su-Jin now? Was there any way he could tell her that his father and him made a deal over his mother's foundation? Or that based on the understatement they had, losing the proposal would mean losing the chance to save the last thing his mother owned from being sold. Such a thing was really difficult to explain, unless he told her everything about his family. And Ji-Won didn't want to talk about his family.Just then, Su-Jin's voice broke through Ji-Won's thoughts, bringing him back to the conversation."Director Kang, I really want to help, but I don't know what to do."These words and the earnest tone they were spoken in were able to pierce Ji-Won's steel armor. Under Su-Jin's warm gaze, the iciness of his resolve began to melt and he soon wavered.'Should I tell her? Would it really be alright for me to talk to her about all this? The only other person I was able to talk to about my family had been Seo-Jun. But What if there could be another'However, like a drowning man desperately holding onto a life raft, Ji-Won tightly grasped at the last straws of his defenses. Being alone for so many years had made it easier for him to shut people out. By now, it was almost second nature for him.'Am I stupid? Why would I involve someone I've hardly known for a month into this mess? If something goes wrong, and those people end up acting against me, they might even attack the people around me. Seo-Jun can take care of himself, but Miss Park Miss Park is different. I cannot put her in danger.'After patching up his tattered determination, Ji-Won resumed his aloof demeanor."It's alright, Miss Park. That is between me and Deputy Director Kim. You don't need to worry about it.." He said curtly.
