WW | Chapter 5

The door to the President’s Office was already open. After a customary knock, Yul entered without waiting for a response.

“President.”

“Oh, Team Leader Seomun.”

President Kim Minjae, who had been leaning against his desk, quickly stood up in surprise. He was not only her senior from college but also a close friend. Bright, kind, and sociable from his undergrad days, he was someone juniors could follow easily without hesitation. Years ago, when Minjae inherited his father’s company, Space Maru Inc., and invited Yul to work with him, she accepted his offer because of the trust they shared. In the end, it turned out to be a win-win for both. Yul, who had won an excellence award in an architecture competition, became a highly sought-after talent in the industry and successfully handled major projects at Space Maru, earning rapid promotions. And Minjae? Naturally, he reaped the benefits of increased revenue and credibility for the company.

“It’s about Park Geonju.”

“Oh! That troublemaker. I heard he showed up with full arrogance?”

“I apologize for how the contract went. It’s all my fault.”

But really, it’s all that guy’s fault.

Suppressing her frustration, Yul spoke calmly. Usually, she would take the blame for most issues, but this time, it was genuinely unfair. She had always been kind to him, met his unreasonable demands, and reworked the designs multiple times, even staying up all night to do so. Her only “mistakes” were not attending a drinking session, not engaging in his inappropriate conversations, and firmly rejecting his unwelcome advances. She hadn’t done anything to disrupt the work process, so even if this went to court, the company wouldn’t face any disadvantage. Still, she felt sorry for complicating things and potentially tarnishing the company’s reputation.

“Why should that be Team Leader Seomun’s fault? You must have endured a lot; I’m sorry as the president for not recognizing it sooner.”

“It’s fine.”

“Well, we’ll give it one more shot, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll proceed with a lawsuit. I’ll take care of that issue, so don’t worry about it.”

“…Thank you.”

Minjae looked at her with an unusually sympathetic expression, comforting her. Though his gesture was kind, Yul felt something odd about it. She knew he was sincere, but he seemed almost overly serious and kind. Even if Minjae cherished her as a friend, from the company’s perspective, this situation still caused some loss. It felt as if he was trying to cover something up.

“And… well, there’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s about this client.”

As their conversation took an awkward turn, a staff member knocked, informing them that the client had arrived.

“If it’s not urgent, let’s discuss it later. We should go for now.”

Yul glanced at her watch and spoke to Minjae. As uneasy as she felt, she couldn’t keep the client waiting.

“Oh, right. We should go. That’s probably best.”

Minjae mumbled, walking forward as if lost in thought. Is something really going on? Yul resolved to press him for details once the meeting ended.

The meeting room had walls of transparent glass. One side faced Bukak Mountain, while the other offered a view of the city below. The glass on the corridor side was opaque up to about chin height on an average woman.

Yul glanced inside and stopped. The man sitting there, shown in profile, looked vaguely familiar. He had one leg crossed and was focused on a tablet resting at the edge of the table. A few strands of hair fell naturally across his forehead, under his neatly brushed hair. His elegant profile, downcast eyes, straight nose, and calmly set lips weren’t unfamiliar. That workaholic, sophisticated aura was just the same.

The moment she realized the man’s identity, a chill ran down her spine.

No way!

Keeping her eyes on him, Yul stepped forward and pressed the button for the glass door. As it slid open with a soft whirr, the man turned his head to look at her.

“Kang Yoonjo?”

Face-to-face, Yul was forced to confirm his identity again. It felt like a dream—because otherwise, there was no way Kang Yoonjo would appear before her again.

Minjae hurried over to her side. Yul turned to him with a look demanding an explanation.

“Team Leader Seomun. No, Yul, this is Executive Director Kang Yoonjo, our client.”

“What?”

Startled, Yul turned back to Yoonjo. Rising from his seat, he walked toward her and stood face-to-face. He seemed to understand her frozen expression and, with a knowing smile, handed her a business card from his pocket. Boldly imprinted within its neat rectangle was the title: President of LK Construction, Kang Yoonjo.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Team Leader Seomun Yul.”

He extended his hand with a faint smile. His unruffled appearance reminded her of his promise to meet again. He must have known they would cross paths again. Without realizing it, she had leapt headfirst into the trap Yoonjo had set, feeling delighted to fall right into it.

And he must have waited for this moment, fully aware of everything, with a mocking smile. Rage simmered within her. She had thought fondly of him as a good person while they were together, despite their terrible parting. But now she realized—this was who Kang Yoonjo had been all along. A coward waiting in ambush, even when they broke up. Her lingering sentimental memories had briefly softened his image.

Yul glared at Yoonjo, smacking his hand away, and turned to leave. Any longer, and she would explode. She left the meeting room without a backward glance.

“Team Leader Seomun! Yul!”

She ignored Minjae’s voice calling her from behind.

Minjae, who had attempted to stop her, sighed deeply and turned around.

“See? I told you it wouldn’t work.”

Left alone with Yoonjo in the meeting room, he sighed in mild reproach, but Yoonjo only responded with a smile.

“Go after her.”

Unlike the anxious Minjae, Yoonjo remained relaxed. He casually picked up his phone from the table and made a call, calmly informing the other person that he would be heading down. It seemed he had expected today’s meeting to fall apart and had a car waiting below. He knew how Yul would react all along.

Minjae clicked his tongue in disbelief. Yoonjo, the same as ever, insensitive and lacking any sense of decency. He had reluctantly arranged the meeting but honestly found him a bit irksome.

“Fine, then. Let’s wrap it up here today and reschedule if possible.”

With a couple of pats on Yoonjo’s shoulder, Minjae turned and left the meeting room.

Left alone, Yoonjo picked up the tablet from the table. Unlike the visibly angry Yul or the fidgety Minjae, he felt calm. He’d expected her reaction upon reuniting, so it didn’t faze him. Though Yul might feel differently.

Once outside, his secretary and driver, waiting for him, greeted him with a nod. Before getting into the car, he took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. The secretary stepped forward to light it for him, and he took a deep drag, gazing up at the Space Maru building.

It was a unique and beautiful structure, with a glass brick facade on its lower floor. The building was constructed after President Kim Minjae visited a luxury brand store in Amsterdam and fell in love with its design. Determined to import glass with concrete strength, he had faced ten refusals but ultimately flew to the Netherlands to secure the necessary permits.

But Yoonjo knew. The true origin of this design concept was not from the Netherlands but from Seomun Yul. She had once said, with a bright smile, that it would be great to make a building out of glass—like Cinderella’s glass slipper, a glass dress, a glass carriage. She had joked that a sleek, two-toned color scheme would look stunning. At the time, he had doubted it was possible, but it turned out it wasn’t impossible after all.

Yoonjo found himself recalling Yul’s face from their reunion. He had assumed she’d be doing well, but she looked even better than expected. She still retained that slightly edgy look, but it wasn’t a bad thing.

After stubbing out his cigarette, Yoonjo turned away with a lazy smile.

“That bastard.”

Back at her desk, Yul angrily slammed her tablet onto the table. This was worse, more ridiculous than the meeting with Park Geonju. How could that shameless jerk ask her to design his house? How could he, given the way they’d broken up?

“Team Leader Seomun.”

Minjae, who had followed her, stood at her desk, looking uneasy.

“How could you do this to me, President?”

“Yeah, I know. I feel awful right now.”

“Are you kidding me? You know exactly what happened between me and Kang Yoonjo, and now you want me to design the house he’ll live in?”

It wasn’t only Yoonjo she was furious with. She felt hurt and resentful toward Minjae too. He had witnessed the entire course of her relationship and breakup with Yoonjo. He knew better than anyone that they couldn’t face each other again. How could he proceed with this without even giving her a heads-up, just for the company’s interests?

“I’m sorry. You’re my junior, but Yoonjo is also someone I care about. When he specifically requested you, I initially declined, but the more we talked, the more I leaned toward it. Honestly… I was a bit drawn to the project.”

“……”

“Yul, I get it. Let’s drop it. Honestly, I didn’t expect this project to go anywhere from the start. Yoonjo insisted it had to be you, and I knew you’d refuse. And forcing you into it? I wouldn’t do that. That’s the truth.”