UR | Chapter 2

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin.”

While Yujin was brewing tea in the break room, Section Chief Hwang Wonjun stood beside her. With a warm smile, he pushed a mug filled with hot citron tea towards Yujin.

“You always get startled when called from behind. So today, I came from the side. Did I do well?”

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Yujin blinked slowly.

She was the type to get startled when someone tapped her back or suddenly made their presence known. She thought she had gotten better, but it was surprising that Hwang Wonjun knew about it.

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“Oh, did I brag too much?”

Feeling awkward about his self-praise, Hwang Wonjun scratched his brow sheepishly and pointed at the citron tea with his eyes.

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“Are you catching a cold?”

“How did you know?”

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“How could I not? During the meeting, you kept touching your forehead. And you’re dressed warmer than usual.”

“Ah…”

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Yujin believed she was good at hiding her illness, but hearing Hwang Wonjun’s words made her realize she had been quite obvious about having a cold.

Or maybe Hwang Wonjun was just quick-witted?

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Even though it was just a feverish cold with body aches, not a cough or runny nose, Hwang Wonjun easily noticed.

“If you’re really sick, you should leave early.”

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“I’m fine, Section Chief.”

“But you don’t seem fine. Up close, it looks like you have a fever.”

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With so much work to do, leaving early was out of the question, and showing she was sick would only make her colleagues uncomfortable.

“Oh, I sent you the experiment report by email earlier. You haven’t checked it yet, have you?”

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When Yujin asked to change the subject, Hwang Wonjun kindly turned the mug handle towards her hand.

“Shall we talk while you drink this? Let’s go to the lab.”

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“Yes, thank you.”

Feeling a bit burdened by Hwang Wonjun’s kindness, Yujin followed him.

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“Hello, President.”

As soon as they left the break room, they coincidentally ran into Han Jihoon in the hallway. Hearing Hwang Wonjun’s hearty voice, Yujin realized Jihoon was nearby and greeted him as well.

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“Hello.”

During the morning meeting, Yujin sat closest to Jihoon, but he spoke as if he was seeing her for the first time today.

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“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, is the conference presentation preparation going well?”

“Yes. I just need to attach yesterday’s experiment data.”

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“Please email me the completed PPT. And Section Chief Hwang Wonjun, please attend the 5 PM meeting today.”

“Yes, understood.”

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After leaving only business-like words, Jihoon disappeared, and Hwang Wonjun muttered.

“Doesn’t the world seem unfair?”

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“Sorry?”

“He has everything. Wealth, looks. I didn’t know, but President Han Jihoon is the son of P&Y Chairman Han Yonghwan, right?”

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Everyone knew that Han Jihoon was the son of Han Yonghwan, the chairman of P&Y, one of the largest investment companies in Asia. But Hwang Wonjun, who hadn’t been in Austin long, brought it up anew.

“He’s not just relying on his father’s wealth; he’s also incredibly smart.”

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“…”

“Anyway, for an ordinary citizen like me, everything about him is enviable.”

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Adding words that seemed to come from the heart, Hwang Wonjun asked Yujin.

“Women must like guys like him, right?”

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Unfortunately, that was a question Yujin couldn’t answer. Yet, after thinking for a second, she showed some flexibility.

“Well, maybe he’s too overwhelming, making it harder for them.”

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After saying it, she realized that was how she felt.

A person living in a completely different world, Han Jihoon.

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Except for when they worked together, she could never close the distance between them. It wasn’t something she didn’t know, but a sigh almost escaped her lips, so she kept them tightly shut. Unaware of anything, Hwang Wonjun chuckled.

“Even if they say he’s overwhelming or difficult, no woman would refuse President Han Jihoon. Even as a guy, he’s attractive.”

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“Is that so?”

“Well, Assistant Manager Kim Yujin might be different. You go on so many business trips with the president, but you’re very business-like in front of him. Other female employees blush just when he passes by.”

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Hwang Wonjun’s casual remark made Yujin pause. But there was nothing she could say.

“Let’s go check the report. Since Assistant Manager Kim isn’t feeling well, let’s finish as quickly as possible.”

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“Yes.”

Feeling the warmth of the citron tea that Hwang Wonjun made gradually fading, Yujin hurried her steps.

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❀❀❀

“Sigh.”

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Sitting at her desk, Yujin touched her forehead while looking at the empty mug.

After leaving Jihoon’s house and returning home yesterday, Yujin checked her temperature and was shocked.

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38.7 degrees Celsius.

She thought the trembling limbs and dry mouth were just aftereffects of sex. Even when her body ached in her sleep, she assumed it was because of the intense activity.

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But the high temperature clearly indicated she was sick.

She took a fever reducer, wrapped herself in a blanket, and spent the whole day suffering before going to work and successfully finishing the meeting.

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At that time, she felt a bit of body ache but remained calm, yet her mood darkened for no reason.

“Why does Hwang Wonjun know everything, but that person doesn’t?”

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It’s been three years since she got to know Han Jihoon.

And only three months since Hwang Wonjun joined the company.

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Despite spending much longer time together, Jihoon knew nothing about Yujin.

On Saturday, when Yujin was putting food in the fridge, Jihoon suddenly tapped her back, and when she got startled, he looked at her as if she was being dramatic.

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And that’s not all.

Even after holding and rolling around with Yujin all night, he didn’t notice her temperature was over 38 degrees. During the morning meeting, even though he sat close to her, Jihoon seemed completely uninterested in what Yujin was doing.

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But she couldn’t feel resentful about it.

“What right do I have…?”

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There was a clear line between Han Jihoon and Kim Yujin, and Yujin had agreed to it.

Yet, she hated how she kept being conscious of him and feeling resentful on her own.

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❀❀❀

Anna Shil
[Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, could you share the presentation materials from the Singapore conference last time with me?]

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Yujin was just about to get into the groove of her work when the company chat window blinked, and a request came in from a member of the PR team.

Since it wasn’t a difficult task, Yujin promptly sent the file, and Anna Shil expressed her gratitude.

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Anna Shil
[I was so curious because that presentation kept being talked about, and it just came to mind. Thank you.]

Yujin was just about to get into the groove of her work when the company chat window blinked, and a request came in from a member of the PR team.

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Since it wasn’t a difficult task, Yujin promptly sent the file, and Anna Shil expressed her gratitude.

Kim Yujin
[If you need anything else, feel free to let me know anytime.]

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Yujin was just about to get into the groove of her work when the company chat window blinked, and a request came in from a member of the PR team.

Since it wasn’t a difficult task, Yujin promptly sent the file, and Anna Shil expressed her gratitude.

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Anna Shil
[Really? But you seem so quiet, how are you so good at presentations? You seem like a completely different person when presenting. It’s so impressive!]

Yujin was just about to get into the groove of her work when the company chat window blinked, and a request came in from a member of the PR team.

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Since it wasn’t a difficult task, Yujin promptly sent the file, and Anna Shil expressed her gratitude.

Kim Yujin
[Thank you for seeing it that way. I’m not that good.]

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Yujin was just about to get into the groove of her work when the company chat window blinked, and a request came in from a member of the PR team.

Since it wasn’t a difficult task, Yujin promptly sent the file, and Anna Shil expressed her gratitude.

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Anna Shil
[Our president, who is quite strict, always entrusts presentations to you, right? I’m still struggling, so I’m really envious of you, Assistant Manager.]

Every time we run into each other, Anna Shil, who would downplay herself by saying that despite being of similar age, their work abilities were worlds apart, showered Yujin with praise that made her blush. She received such compliments just for sending a file.

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But just when Yujin thought the conversation would wrap up, Anna Shil asked something personal.

Anna Shil
[Assistant Manager, this is your first company after graduating college, right?]

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Kim Yujin
[Yes, that’s right.]

Anna Shil
[You’re so skilled that I had to double-check. Well, I’ll get back to my real life now!]

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❀❀❀

Anna Shil might have asked the question innocently, but Yujin couldn’t help but wonder if that was all there was to it. She suspected that there might be gossip about her joining the company later than others, and such thoughts made her realize she probably had low self-esteem.

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When Yujin joined Austin, she was twenty-seven years old. In the fall of her senior year, at twenty-seven, Yujin became a researcher at Austin.

Considering that the employment period for college students these days is often delayed, she wasn’t particularly late in getting a job.

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Yet, the reason she was bothered by trivial things was due to her rocky college years.

She had worked hard to get into a prestigious university’s mechanical engineering department, but it took her a whopping seven years to graduate. Despite receiving scholarships, the financial issues that couldn’t be resolved led to repeated leaves of absence, and at some point, she found herself taking classes with male classmates who had returned from military service. There were even male classmates who graduated before her.

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“Did you go on a language exchange?”

“Did you do an internship?”

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Whenever people asked, she would nonchalantly say she took a leave of absence due to personal reasons, but there were many times she felt embarrassed.

Just when she was finally about to graduate, her advisor, Professor Ki Seonghyeop, called her. It was when Yujin was preparing her resume for a major company’s open recruitment.

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“There’s a company called Austin, started by a wealthy genius I heard about through the grapevine. It’s a new company that hasn’t been around long, and they need a researcher. Since I gave them some advice, they asked if I knew any good students.”

The professor knew well that Yujin was only considering joining a major company because of the high salary. Perhaps that’s why he emphasized the part Yujin needed the most.

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“Even if you apply now and get accepted, you still have to take aptitude tests, go through interviews, and there are many hurdles to overcome. There’s no guarantee you’ll get in.”

“……”

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“But here, you can start working right away, and the starting salary is higher than at major companies. The welfare system isn’t fully established yet, so that might be a downside, but it’s a promising company, so I’m thinking of recommending you.”

There was no guarantee of getting in, whether it was here or there, so Yujin decided to visit Austin just to gain some interview experience. And that’s where she first met Han Jihoon.

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“Kim Yujin?”

At first, she didn’t know he was the president.

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He seemed around her age, and since Jihoon was wearing a lab coat, she thought he was just another employee.

The only moment Yujin felt that Han Jihoon was someone similar to her was probably then.

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And that’s when she fell for him at first sight.

She used to think it was foolish to easily give your heart to someone because of their looks, but she became that foolish person herself.

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A fair and small face, deep eyes without double eyelids.

Yujin had never seen someone as handsome as Han Jihoon up close in her life. Rather than just being handsome, would it be more accurate to say he was elegantly handsome?

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“Was it hard to find this place?”

When Han Jihoon asked the formal question, a purely formal smile crossed his lips.

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Yet, Yujin’s heart was pounding.