UR | Chapter 3

“Professor Ki Seonghyeop praised you a lot. If someone as strict and with high standards as him praises you, Kim Yujin, you must have been an outstanding student.”

By the time Yujin suspected that the person might be the president, it was already too late.

Yujin was staring at Han Jihoon as if she was entranced.

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“Your grades are excellent, your English scores are high, and it seems you’ve proven yourself to be a determined person. However, there’s one thing that bothers me…”

Jihoon, who had been rubbing his chin while looking at Yujin’s resume, finally lifted his gaze and made proper eye contact with her.

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“…”

Yujin’s cheeks flushed red as if she were standing in front of a fire.

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“The company hasn’t been around for long, so we expect a tough road ahead until we establish ourselves. That’s why we’re offering a high salary to a newcomer—I don’t want to waste my time hiring someone who’ll give up easily. With your qualifications, you could prioritize joining a large corporation. So, why did you apply here?”

Although he hit the nail on the head, Yujin answered clearly.

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“Large corporations don’t just look at my grades.”

Large corporations preferred candidates with diverse experiences. That’s why students eagerly participated in volunteer work, club activities, and internships.

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However, Yujin’s résumé was too clean. Even dedicating herself solely to academics was exhausting, leaving her no time to focus on anything else. Just putting together this much of a résumé felt overwhelming.

“Even if I pass the document screening, there’s no guarantee I’ll make it through the tough interviews.”

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As she spoke, Yujin suddenly realized—

Austin might be the best workplace for her right now.

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She had come here simply to gain interview experience, but in an instant, her heart changed. She became desperate.

“I heard from the professor that the research lab equipment here is as good as those in large corporations. I studied hard because of scholarships, but I always liked experiments. I’ve participated in several projects with graduate students. I’ve never given up on a task once I’ve taken it on. It’ll be the same here.”

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As Yujin actively highlighted her strengths, Jihoon seemed intrigued, his eyes sparkling with interest. Then, he took off his glasses, placed them on the table, rubbed his eyes briefly, and muttered to himself.

“It seems like she’s being very honest… or maybe not.”

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With those ambiguous words, Yujin felt a sinking sense of failure. Her heart dropped, disheartened by how the interview had turned out.

It wasn’t even a company she had desperately wanted to join, and she knew almost nothing about it—so why did she feel this way?

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At that moment, Jihoon, who was reviewing her résumé again, caught her attention.

Especially his long, white fingers tapping on the résumé—they were so beautiful. It was the first time she realized a man could be beautiful.

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After what felt like quite a long time, Jihoon finally put his glasses back on and stood up.

“See you on Monday. Another employee will come to inform you of the details, so please wait here.”

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He casually informed Yujin of her acceptance and left the room, his hands tucked into his pants pockets.

And just like that, Yujin became an employee of Austin.

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❀❀❀

Even though Yujin could feel Jihoon’s gaze scanning her, she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.

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Still, the tension made her toes curl inside her shoes.

She wore the black two-piece suit Jihoon had bought her last year, along with the designer shoes he had also gifted her. She even went to the salon Jihoon had recommended to get her hair and makeup done.

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Yet, despite dressing entirely to his taste, his gaze made her freeze. At this moment, she was more anxious about making a mistake in front of Jihoon than about presenting a new product in front of over 200 people in two hours.

“You said you were all prepared.”

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At Jihoon’s sudden words, Yujin realized—her outfit choice today had been a mistake.

“It’s regrettable that I still have to pre-check Assistant Manager Kim Yujin’s dress code.”

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From Yujin’s perspective, there was no outfit more appropriate for this occasion.

In a conference where presidents of small and medium-sized enterprises from all over the country had gathered, wearing something too eye-catching would only be a distraction during the presentation. She had deliberately chosen a restrained look—yet Jihoon had called her out for exactly that.

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“I clearly told you to put in a bit more effort when representing the company on stage. If it was difficult, you should have asked me for help earlier.”

“I’m sorry.”

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Even though Yujin apologized, Jihoon’s stern expression didn’t soften.

“President Han Jihoon! It’s been a while.”

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Fortunately for Yujin, someone approached them at just the right moment.

“President Jung, how have you been?”

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“Haha, I heard the patent issue was resolved well. The U.S. export deal went smoothly too, so now, isn’t it time to look for factory sites in Southeast Asia? Haha.”

Austin is a company that manufactures various disaster prevention products based on its own technology. It especially garnered attention by introducing outlets that prevent electrical leakage in advance.

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With technology that reduces the fire occurrence rate to nearly zero, combined with a sleek design, Austin’s products were supplied in large quantities to newly constructed apartments, buildings, and factories. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had almost established a unique position in this market.

Moreover, after breaking into the overseas market without much difficulty, production couldn’t keep up with demand.

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Despite this, Han Jihoon continued to make bold investments in research to develop even better products. He attended every event where he could promote the excellence of their products.

And every time, he always brought Yujin along.

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It had been less than a year since Yujin joined the company. Jihoon, who attentively listened to Yujin’s briefings during meetings, suddenly made an unexpected proposal one day.

“How about having Kim Yujin introduce the new product at the upcoming China Expo?”

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Yujin, who had been diligently working in the lab, was naturally surprised. She thought it was absurd for a rookie like her to represent the company at such a major event.

However, the other employees didn’t find it strange at all.

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“Yujin gives really great presentations, right? Her voice is naturally good, but she’s also precise, concise, and sometimes even witty.”

“That’s right. Plus, she’s really good at English.”

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Thanks to her two-year study abroad experience in the U.S. during her school days, Yujin could speak English comfortably, so it was only natural that she would attend the expo with Han Jihoon.

Following the success of her presentation at the China Expo, Yujin’s workload at the company increased.

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She put her all into promoting the company and its products at various events, both big and small. Although working alongside Han Jihoon every time felt a bit uncomfortable, as an ordinary employee, she had no choice but to keep her feelings in check.

“Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, you seem even prettier than before.”

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It was only natural that Yujin’s face became known in the industry.

People who recognized Han Jihoon would also greet Yujin warmly.

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In this male-dominated business field, Yujin—known for both her striking looks and outstanding abilities—had to deal with fame, whether she liked it or not.

At first, she felt awkward and burdened by the attention, but as the years went by, she gradually adapted to it.

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“I’m still an assistant manager, President.”

Yujin joked with a smile, and the other person playfully scolded Han Jihoon.

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“Why don’t you promote her when she’s working so hard? Even people who don’t know President Han Jihoon know Assistant Manager Kim Yujin.”

Jihoon replied with an extremely kind smile.

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“Everywhere I go, people only ask about Assistant Manager Kim Yujin, so I feel a bit left out. It’s only been three years since she joined, so it’s not the time to discuss promotion, but since President Jung mentioned it, I’ll consider it.”

“Of course. I heard Assistant Manager Kim Yujin is in the lab. If she leaves, it’ll be a loss for you, so take it easy on her.”

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“I know better than anyone. Don’t worry.”

As President Jung disappeared with a friendly laugh, Jihoon muttered.

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“Always meddling unnecessarily.”

Yujin had already anticipated that Jihoon would be annoyed by the excessive interference. Sure enough, his face was cold and stiff.

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“Who worries about whom?”

With Jihoon’s added words, Yujin’s face also hardened.

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He was right. Who was worrying about whom?

Even without Kim Yujin, Han Jihoon was someone who wouldn’t lack anything.

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People evaluated the ever-growing Austin as a “company with solid fundamentals better than large corporations.”

Unlike when Yujin joined three years ago, many people were now interested in Austin’s job postings that appeared unexpectedly. Some employees even chose Austin over a final offer from a large corporation.

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The person who made Austin so attractive was ultimately Han Jihoon. With his excellent management skills, he often stayed in the lab all day, focusing on experiments.

As long as he was there, Austin would remain strong—so what would change if Yujin left the company?

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She straightened her back. Thinking too deeply about it would only make her feel worse.

“Let’s meet at home tonight. It’s Saturday tomorrow anyway.”

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But seeing Jihoon’s handsome side profile as he confidently made plans, fully aware that Yujin wouldn’t refuse, made something inside her churn.

The truly miserable thing was that, just as Jihoon was confident, Yujin knew she couldn’t refuse him.

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“I’ll do that.”

Hearing her answer, Jihoon disappeared toward a group waving at him from afar.

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