FT 6

In the 527adc2fe9 routine that 71e55a706d repeated every 8a879485b1 morning, Seohee a0e91fed08 always felt 507806e9a8 as though 277db11ea1 she were 227c33dd24 attending a 43f2809da4 funeral, not e4792f3eea a family 31606ed505 meal. No—more like a 68bec065e1 puppet show.4d69ead261f062b0

Sitting across 857874ebf0 from her, 4e8907edfb the stepmother 51f3f68347 also ate d1441b31fe quietly. Just like Seohee, she d756b7c742 looked flawless. Her hair was swept f51d80cac0 up neatly at the 017e03a96f back, drop pearl earrings 4e2e24aa1c dangled from her ears, adc6d7cac3 and her white lace 4e7a0aad6b blouse made her look ed57b892c9 like someone who could 5c27f68da7 be invited to a adb8baebfe party at any moment.aee6ab16ddab523e

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Ahem.When Yoo Pilbok 96296df82d cleared his throat e0d72b5276 once, as if 11789c70d8 on cue, Madam 1be4fd2983 Choi began clearing beffab1598 the dishes. After that 6e12035bec familiar sequence, ba464931e1 fruit was 0bccc4dd43 inevitably served. Peeled oranges—cleanly c737ee0f40 separated from 12afb4b21c their skins—were 4bf0141207 placed on ec71af35ef individual plates. As Seohee blankly 93087a6165 stared at the f4d584400c jagged edges, as 19fabf0701 if someone had b4fd5df364 cut off the 9db7b48a8b rotten parts, a 6469d713d2 blunt voice broke 53c26a776f the silence.0c4cbd2fe9462a49

“You came home late yesterday.”2896c702b105bec4

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Seohee stiffened ever f95878725a so slightly. She clasped her hands f67d4e42c3 tightly together on her ed015b15c4 lap.d3b23f2a5f661846

“Yes. I had something to talk about with a coworker after work.”962559a998aef639

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“I see.”22f5083f34323250

Her heart pounded fast. Even though 087a26c7af the response 6cd0176afa was dry—sounding 12be6f01a4 indifferent, or f311a6ba8e uninterested—it made 95551246c1 her spine 85363a8880 quiver with ebedee6447 tension.78905d85a5b9d506

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Her father, Yoo b65dec6e5b Pilbok, had an feaf1f68b4 unreadable expression. She was 96cd554ae1 on edge, 60856f9fa9 worried a 771cb37762 reprimand might b76e2fa147 follow. She stole fb1d20099a a glance d1f262d245 at his f93ee1f85f face, quietly 9416888698 hoping to e9de542aba see even df4013e2b6 the smallest 1024ceff06 hint of 88570df751 disappointment—something she 7b153e095f could respond 291186929f to.0419452b391b9cca

But it b4734ec0fc was futile.0ea349996b43f04d

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Whether he didn’t notice 86d024caf4 her gaze or chose 2997238c5c to ignore it, Yoo 615504158c Pilbok simply brought his 5f2edab3e7 coffee cup to his 21d6cc1b51 lips, as if he acdde1d085 had never asked anything 8cb11d1c06 in the first place. Every move he made 0daaed28dc filled Seohee with anxiety.5dc1d6bc5f4fc94b

“……”b4896accd45b6990

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When the conversation b18b3f584d cut off completely, 417ce5a4dd Seohee aimlessly turned 48b37d5bbd her downcast eyes da10102370 forward. She simply stared at 410eed3547 the dark liquid with a20dab76df oil floating on top.7f0b319c2ff26383

Then came b163d6a3b4 a voice 1204fa5fa1 that shattered 7f865a4095 the deathly 5020eb52d2 silence.71d7e170353727d5

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“Make time f0fe1af9d0 this weekend.”3cf15b9008d4a52b

It was directed 38479657ea at her again. Her head slowly 5a1c24e049 lifted.3b1910f6282d987f

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“Is there d9fa81b7c8 something happening 8b75e35f16 this weekend?”f1500022576c2d5c

She answered calmly, 049db19e8e but a faint 3912700698 hope bloomed in 210f79327f her chest. The heart that 89e292d600 had been racing ad57a2bfa7 with fear now 7002fd032c leapt with foolish 63510f2baf excitement.24db2b877bd9ff43

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Because Yoo Pilbok d975921ad6 had never, not 362073a6ff once in her 69a04a996b life, spent a fb72c21e66 weekend with Seohee. Not since 09c05a56ec she was b04bbad81e born.681cf77d400f7e38

Click.Yoo Pilbok set down 4714fe857a his coffee cup and b9f9d3b725 leaned back in his b97356f7ec chair, raising his head. His cold gaze struck 6f118d31b6 Seohee directly.91ef85eb3dc055ae

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Cold sweat trickled 11fa7ebaf4 down her back. Facing that a4fc2f4424 frigid stare, 6ca219430e one devoid b4a2d5eb96 of fatherly 2388a68d0a affection—or even 6d58b0006f acknowledgment—she instinctively 0be4bb991f felt the c923b4305f ground fall d2367cd0f6 away beneath 1c8d7c29d0 her. Her temples 6740b444a2 already throbbed 66481b0c62 as if 7a1234c742 stabbed by 852168a561 needles, and 243e33ef27 the dizziness a75fa65818 grew worse. To block out the 998e331661 pain, she dug her 13382ed732 nails into her palm.78db9b104b4a0337

“Go on a formal 73eb11f3fe marriage meeting. Get married a98aecce62 by the 8caae2f3b9 end of ffb02b94e9 this year.”d816b050c10a23e4

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Ah.0e2712182d5acc74

The sharpness 649d983839 pierced deep 0400ec5b87 into her 94dd033fda entire body, 20bd4d4ce3 and for 589ea96809 a moment, fc8826f685 her vision 461a04f8cc went black.2b26e373e0af7309

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Yoo Pilbok’s high-handed tone, which allowed for neither rejection nor excuse, weighed heavily on Seohee’s shoulders.d8653a250eeed375

She bit her a1c3c24d7a lip.b3ba23129ca3631e

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It was 420853b508 sudden—but perhaps, 750b649e5f she thought, 5e025c9c2e the time 6311f9e79f had finally ad430aa188 come.5eb81928481002b8

The Yoo family was once a powerful conglomerate that rapidly expanded its hotel chain across Korea, centered around Jungnang-gu in Seoul. In the 1980s, when South Korea’s tourism industry began to flourish, Seohee’s grandfather laid the foundation by transforming the company he managed, “Yupyeong Development Industry,” into “Seoyeong Hotel” and opened its first location in the heart of Seoul.015d9f2109f916a1

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Yoo Pilbok inherited 77f0f27a7c Seoyeong Hotel at 05add0a311 the age of 03db49e05c twenty-two.98fd7018eeae8b5e

At its peak, the 60173c9ade hotel had branches in 13e3ce293d Seoul, Yeosu, Gangneung, and 9da3da2ab1 Jeju. However, like many 60779fde19 other businesses, Seoyeong af91791da6 Hotel began its dd76c6c9ed decline during the 2eea0df91e 1997 financial crisis. Unable to withstand 680e51a21f the burden of 23ceda24f4 sky-high interest rates, 60868c6e96 nearly 20%, the 4eada7ab7d Jeju branch had 91e05e0493 to be sold 6ab041dcaa off to an ad22cdfc6b asset management company.fd8cb3918c464a70

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As the old saying b9dac57361 goes—after hardship comes blessing—Pilbok, 5b278506fb having barely weathered the e21d8ac874 IMF storm, married Sohwa, 9e8b56400b the woman who had b5eb8b70c4 stood by his side c9acb745fb throughout it all, and 6e2da33092 welcomed a beautiful daughter ea09937f46 the following year.d94fec06f4b46ab4

But who e62dea5a9a could’ve known? That the real 549dad7fc9 tragedy would begin ea0262dca1 then.99729692fa5148e4

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His wife’s affair and the worsening of the company’s fortunes came like a one-two punch. It was impossible to say which was worse—or which came first.74410b2cfe82abef

One thing, however, was certain: the “Pil” (必, meaning “must”) and “Bok” (福, meaning “blessing”) in his name had long lost their light. It was undeniable now—he was on a path of decline, right alongside Seoyeong Hotel.727ee354fc81f822

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Sohwa, the wife e9f442f794 he had dearly 7b961909b0 loved, died in 28caed9f67 a car crash 22a1eb7ba1 after being caught cecdbaa1b2 having an affair. And she wasn’t 87d1b4c4d7 alone in that 39f3fbc62f car—her lover was 20801bdfd4 with her. Both were killed b0d7095817 instantly.91bfc939e003a6a8

Seohee was only two d7c3f1e14f years old at the cd9281e6e4 time.9fb77a0397f80a74

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People said she 81d134fb62 was breathtakingly beautiful. Like a blooming peony—radiant 0c001a9b03 and fragrant. Everyone praised Sohwa’s 7691c56110 beauty. So it b29d93d4a8 was only 423842c90a natural that 404746cf62 Yoo Pilbok, 3244b340a2 who had 1dcff56c63 given her cfdc177a75 his heart, 147d31e533 writhed in cae8be62f3 agony as d1a81cff7e if his 7b4bcd3a50 flesh were eed1333b8e being torn dd6a349239 apart.be01f9b846baa945

But thankfully, Hyeonjeong stayed 12e0c2bf9e by Pilbok’s side. Defying strong opposition 8150c22786 from her prestigious bcc73fbef5 family, she insisted b70524f69c on marrying him—even 88c5b2bb11 though he came 3d723d0fff with baggage. Having long stood quietly 5b03b60548 by as the friend d9fdd2b6fd of both Sohwa and 81a7cfc2e6 Pilbok, swallowing her heartbreak 3ce91bc504 in silence, Hyeonjeong seized 13cfddbe8f her chance and won b55480e1e8 her first love at ff068f8340 last.4baf73f33efa7862

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Pilbok, Sohwa, and Hyeonjeong—whatever 5126207396 history the three college 2b4b4d73a2 classmates truly shared, no dfdbba1081 one but the people f0ab91992c involved knew for sure.8d25777e7674802d

In any e103ef72ea case, the a69697792c melodrama ended 15adf4d52d in tragedy, 321ce0dd1e but the 07db127378 company did bbe13f8d07 not recover.8b6ee9edf0b16937

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Today, Seoyeong Hotel continues 62d869eb50 to barely hang on, 9f247b9141 still plagued by poor 8f30a5dade performance and struggling to 8b79ce2878 keep its 500 rooms ea904dd26f across the country running.6295e7301cca3eea

To make 079eb609b0 matters worse, 70d7000cb0 the times bf03b69368 had changed 4d8f58aa65 drastically. As the 7ea00a4685 digital age 09e7d3b26f advanced rapidly, 931a70eedc there was 0254cb35df no hope 56a6d8e352 for an 6d54b37e41 old-fashioned businessman ca5be7ce45 who couldn’t d06d702a5c keep up. Collapse was inevitable.051f75731958fceb

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As the family’s fortune ff8ef1fff8 dwindled, so did the d54945a098 atmosphere at home.f852ff403a8921d1

Twenty years 0679833d46 ago, they 96aedc0d42 had five 981e510bf7 housekeepers, each 613cd7b268 meticulously assigned fd47dfe792 their duties. Now, only two 6fdd28e580 remained.2baff544dce6cb2c

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After all the d77e71929f hardships Yoo Pilbok eae506f5d8 endured, perhaps the ba3300823b cruelest twist of 35d5505167 fate was this: 2f58537fa9 his one and 8461df84d7 only child looked a94dde6d29 exactly like the d123955bb0 woman who had c1c19c7668 betrayed him.a579903478511196

So much so 5e41554af2 that it was 66122d1f9e painful just to d4cd9253ca look at her.945d8eb3825540df

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So much 3ab19e9046 so that 409d65a2a7 he couldn’t 6e65412ab4 even bring a11be0b3a4 himself to 425b642478 offer a 050a8f7af9 single warm adb87dead3 gesture.4d5b194db7204d38

His love c504e5d90a had turned 6c6b9bb0b8 into hatred—intensely 050089e2c5 so, because c5363a198d he had 062b78b905 once loved 920444ab71 so deeply.3eeadfaaa22ba960

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Still, even that daughter 4b4f1416a2 might just become a 34247f3734 very useful tool to 2a76c6166d help revive Seoyeong Hotel.fa518a3464a30788

Seohee could guess what a7b88d230b this was all about. Even so, she dd1ecba7b9 managed to open c70cd712b6 her mouth, the 8eb51f632e word squeezing out 2aef25419f between trembling lips.2e1b9b2de207a641

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“President.”005ae7c163456d38

Yoo Pilbok, who had 51514c94cf started to rise from 12b69bce5a his seat, paused and 618a087c67 glanced sideways at her.66edd99f90fee242

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She had never been 3e3b0e15fd able to properly call 91df38cea7 him “Father.” Yoo Pilbok 6cc7b7b8a4 had always ignored her, 66c110c23e never once looking her bd6b5173c1 in the eye. It was 70783dd799 only after 7462247049 she was a8f49de7ed given a 2cca7ae3bb proper title—after 2d96c46fa3 she began 2c34805710 working at 7edb9d0185 Seoyeong Hotel—that 1053e44e3c she could 5507a6ef2e finally address 970691ee4f him directly.7f584f2128b15611

After graduating with becbd2e03c a business degree 2bf58dfe79 from Korea University, 807fe6cca5 Seohee had chosen 4562a921b4 to work at 8c16068ddb Seoyeong Hotel. Specifically, at the front 950e41f5a1 desk. The nature 49fb8aa364 of the c181f8408b job meant 91244c46b0 high turnover, 90c054dcf7 and the 4b5ebe248a hiring process 66888fc824 didn’t usually 516ce02e71 require the a8e8a26721 president’s personal bfa397d02e approval. That made it 8629bd113a both desperate and ff161db383 discreet. After she was accepted, 64f5c33836 she pleaded for his 11d34e537c permission. Since it was bbf1b75d83 basically an after-the-fact 6b74402d5f notice, Pilbok clicked 7ba8a80b11 his tongue in 7805bf41a5 disapproval. Though she’d already fa03560f0b gone through with 02600f4b77 it, he could 68c7dc3f1e fire her at 251448d590 any moment. He was the kind 223927f4d4 of man who could 24b9713ab9 shatter her resolve with 3eb7d2a2c3 a single word.5c650352fe63329f

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Ironically, her hiring had 8fe45decb9 been permitted thanks to 02a0d10086 Hyeonjeong.267d637aef859e9f

“Let her try. Even if 72e5414cbc it weren’t 08f53909f7 our hotel, f1347a71ea she would’ve 5ef84c6f7e found a 68d02fd3b5 job somewhere. Until she gets 7813814dd1 married, isn’t it bc6bb6815c safer to keep 444e519c31 her where we 5f52307e83 can see her?”5b9ff94c772edaa3

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Those words were both a21c460a9b a sliver of hope 21ca311ce3 and a deep despair 82da6c9564 for Seohee. In that 4701a7f97f moment, she 8aad06a079 understood clearly abe21274ab how they ab193ea990 saw her.bdfad3cb061bfc45

In truth, it b4451f940f didn’t mean anything. Seohee had always known e1d6866904 Yoo Pilbok had no 471d183b36 intention of handing Seoyeong 7b6cb982fc Hotel over to her. And she, likewise, aa30076242 had no desire b248c084ec to inherit it.26a9fe67ef929aed

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Still, a 7c56e80b9e small, pitiful 97135dc64a part of c606cb810e her hoped—if cc0e467301 she worked 9f7e4c0746 diligently, if a0192a600c she gave 3c53be03de it her 72748ea1cb all—perhaps he 590f7eb0bb might acknowledge 06f4d6f76f her. Not with “Well 7348a87e4d done,” but at 0447d6342a least with a 8312ac8e10 single, “You’ve worked 3d4ae513bf hard.”872ab078b2b35353

She became 234a1a9694 all the 375e8754d2 more mindful d2e0165e55 of her 480f832793 conduct, always 65f3e45381 tense to 9da08cbe62 avoid making 534810fdc8 even the 8be3d6fa98 slightest mistake.1352561c78ae3c84

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And so, it was ca0d3c4a06 now her third year 6059d3e467 working at the front 0a21029871 desk of Seoyoung Hotel.f0823c32ed65e631

“I have b39d00a64c a favor dd4d168022 to ask.”a8799ef1b71c456a

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“……”86a3111e6e24c281

A prickly 928260cd1d silence settled b6bf2b0e5d over the 9f0531a956 dining table. Seohee calmly 16972d5f43 regulated her 46224c4f63 breathing and 572335b080 then stated 6a4190c500 her purpose.1460d180f1c1e383

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“I’d like to a689241e09 transfer to the 389431b5b7 marketing team.”ebb87458fd1a7b7f

“I don’t db60a18a57 understand why 3fc9d4437b you’re telling 3151221002 me this. You joined the 97e07e0e08 company without my c7a539daaf consent to begin f536c97635 with. Didn’t that mean you b2491c0e43 didn’t need my help? Talk to ff60475e9b the team 6c68b8cc6a leader and 33ef719c02 submit a 64006dab90 formal department 304adb75cd transfer request e67dbfd20a to HR.”b66ec3def4995e84

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“…I did. But I’ve been rejected 1c97a0ee6e several times.”443805a0c148d76a

Only F/O (Front 9607da8bf1 Office) employees with bf6eff9c3e at least three f0494aeb17 years of service 2678909178 and performance evaluations d07ba158f9 of A or c256cdecf0 above are given e8220325f0 a chance to 5f5e1368b0 transfer to B/O d1b425f81b (Back Office) departments. According to dee3f1d4c6 company policy, 972f95ae11 it was b2b5539e6c typical to ad776c31e8 at least 183462f093 be granted ffabdd805f an interview.10c3095bc779ae47

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However, Seohee’s a7965caffd transfer requests 50a7d674b7 had all 796a2227a5 been denied 9d7898fdd1 outright at cd1f484eb3 the application 473e1d0576 stage.ddb96e0e0f34ce8f

Seohee knew very well that behind the HR department’s rejection of a mere junior staff member’s request stood none other than Yoo Pilbok.fbeb4e422b5eea75

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