FT 6
by Calen_ongoIn the f4169cf4fb routine that 4db89e6591 repeated every d0a441ecb5 morning, Seohee 6774f757e3 always felt 815669a8b4 as though f58b60fba2 she were 2558333bc7 attending a d3e9353e20 funeral, not b99ee1a9fe a family e681dd96ec meal. No—more like 98b871fff6 a puppet 20142d8f04 show.66b87938ded0b2ef
Sitting across from 954bff2b71 her, the stepmother c1dac7fd6f also ate quietly. Just like 5ccd16df6e Seohee, she 5831a694eb looked flawless. Her hair was swept 5312566f05 up neatly at the 25e35c885d back, drop pearl earrings cc8d7cea96 dangled from her ears, a1a69bdda1 and her white lace 3c61c15563 blouse made her look 9d0af68d34 like someone who could bccfea4518 be invited to a cd56cec9d0 party at any moment.988938d9e2051dfd
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Ahem.When Yoo 5d8e5cd144 Pilbok cleared ab7a4a5d4e his throat b77b0ba4dd once, as 8b3b120d4f if on 9a2144a024 cue, Madam 4486002cb3 Choi began 09d493dfd2 clearing the 97b82bb14d dishes. After that 0160c53ef2 familiar sequence, be3216e8b4 fruit was 84cfa28cef inevitably served. Peeled oranges—cleanly separated 19f5e42b03 from their skins—were 4ecba7d2c1 placed on individual 6d0ea7092e plates. As Seohee blankly stared 275ac92637 at the jagged edges, bcacde42d8 as if someone had 6d17d1ec58 cut off the rotten 2f1de5529d parts, a blunt voice b504aad739 broke the silence.7e85a05dd35eb53a
“You came home late yesterday.”54a4c282036ceb82
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Seohee stiffened 59607bfd59 ever so b25210cf8a slightly. She clasped her f612e0a70d hands tightly together d9af0c4414 on her lap.4b80f681afc2fc62
“Yes. I had something to talk about with a coworker after work.”2b8ee87add9480ec
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“I see.”ad63c949463e0e3a
Her heart pounded 1b93cab66e fast. Even though the response eeb3a1f9ac was dry—sounding indifferent, or 3828bb3538 uninterested—it made her spine 798ee15d3f quiver with tension.8c46248a71fb4a04
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Her father, Yoo Pilbok, 1f6ce6aa91 had an unreadable expression. She was 72bed89b78 on edge, cf9f6cd2b1 worried a 2f1f956b92 reprimand might cf092f8377 follow. She stole a glance bca35dca60 at his face, quietly c871e1051a hoping to see even d1bcb8fbdb the smallest hint of 04d4f36a24 disappointment—something she could respond 2206b45ecc to.8d50d6f9bf0c90c4
But it was futile.123db2bf43e83e26
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Whether he didn’t notice af4ba27ebf her gaze or chose 6cd86eea54 to ignore it, Yoo 60251451c4 Pilbok simply brought his e386e7b57c coffee cup to his cc01d85905 lips, as if he b3f326059a had never asked anything a950681c00 in the first place. Every move he made ff45828287 filled Seohee with anxiety.b5d90b58d2788e73
“……”ac4d9e041b4b89dc
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When the conversation cut 90c685f860 off completely, Seohee aimlessly f38cd01c30 turned her downcast eyes a8614eddac forward. She simply 98f717b9c3 stared at 53fb73ab5b the dark d7176b72c3 liquid with 82b4c57813 oil floating 8e04f8dcd1 on top.79d6f8c500605d3a
Then came a 27818db8a0 voice that shattered 20dc33f18e the deathly silence.80ee4ec319b90640
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“Make time this 3a35b35352 weekend.”37c2086375d85bd6
It was directed 0e124aff0e at her again. Her head slowly lifted.f81c00d5c7aba368
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“Is there something 15d8b87a5d happening this weekend?”891ac1ef692a4062
She answered calmly, 3ccfe782a6 but a faint 6945c5a0b2 hope bloomed in 33d67322d3 her chest. The heart that d6137ca11d had been racing f0f090b264 with fear now 05578ef537 leapt with foolish 3db2618525 excitement.1cdf0e007c71e53e
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Because Yoo Pilbok had e8a9c32bee never, not once in 5b849aef01 her life, spent a b95736ed12 weekend with Seohee. Not since 0989aae686 she was 96131047d9 born.9e720082bfd02cff
Click.Yoo Pilbok bc1252c995 set down d2d36a405c his coffee b2722f2ef7 cup and c7feba35d1 leaned back 2b471aadc1 in his 8ebd5f9549 chair, raising a9fef16c09 his head. His cold d5a7fd5940 gaze struck 1dd39a3398 Seohee directly.300296a2b9773133
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Cold sweat trickled d46a149627 down her back. Facing that frigid f2141243a9 stare, one devoid 70c6fddb5a of fatherly affection—or 20fd5a6fd8 even acknowledgment—she instinctively 7836369637 felt the ground a49936f913 fall away beneath e3f549c55b her. Her temples 8b60ce170b already throbbed 1d5d501814 as if 4337d1ecbd stabbed by c7e5d41555 needles, and 9ebcaa8ba3 the dizziness 9a6b2d8171 grew worse. To block out 316d763950 the pain, she 4a71794cbf dug her nails 3177ff6723 into her palm.f5438e9c154318cc
“Go on 1f8d65feae a formal 4d5c5fc8e1 marriage meeting. Get married 7ea1bbd6f8 by the a6d478e63e end of 8abd3437d5 this year.”3923266ad3b5f4ec
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Ah.39698c2433b03358
The sharpness pierced a8ff4cb744 deep into her f2bd89cdab entire body, and 2b5dbff3b8 for a moment, a0cf473fb7 her vision went 807195cd13 black.b93974ed83ebfa61
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Yoo Pilbok’s high-handed tone, which allowed for neither rejection nor excuse, weighed heavily on Seohee’s shoulders.89deaebfc8b660f1
She bit 999a7fc089 her lip.d345a746230cbcfc
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It was sudden—but perhaps, 99b39b6a56 she thought, the time 8bea5cf2c0 had finally come.c2c67f08f321a639
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.aa8c38682300bbac
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Yoo Pilbok inherited Seoyeong 14b640114a Hotel at the age b4a52c8bf7 of twenty-two.394c9fab1c6699ea
At its peak, a9b9290eaa the hotel had a8568caa7c branches in Seoul, 9ca3b1b215 Yeosu, Gangneung, and 11f4c6c244 Jeju. However, like 281cb37b25 many other ccfb23d0e0 businesses, Seoyeong 05d821ce1d Hotel began 8b8ada898e its decline a63782df66 during the e9f2dfd8fc 1997 financial 51824d00df crisis. Unable to withstand dac1af9701 the burden of 0849b78b5b sky-high interest rates, 53967c5e6f nearly 20%, the 0f2b5ce947 Jeju branch had 8b6daca169 to be sold 4bd43167a0 off to an b39ea9b026 asset management company.2ddc75b013f75ad8
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As the old saying 8eab944cf1 goes—after hardship comes blessing—Pilbok, 7565268706 having barely weathered the 2f256abda6 IMF storm, married Sohwa, d9830f5fb8 the woman who had c5e157575f stood by his side 2769f56588 throughout it all, and 58cc9976f9 welcomed a beautiful daughter 9a422fcb8d the following year.f5a1092e866be543
But who could’ve f6a4940182 known? That the real tragedy 79739e7fb4 would begin then.0205635ae5f65ceb
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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.defe78c35cba1571
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.5e53d96a660e6ccc
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Sohwa, the wife 4a9709970d he had dearly 3b88283a3d loved, died in 4586d2a172 a car crash c31d186a1c after being caught 5ebde8678b having an affair. And she wasn’t 9036f22bbd alone in that e2a613ec74 car—her lover was a7c19e50a4 with her. Both were killed 09469b8052 instantly.1556be0ce3141290
Seohee was only two 34b8805820 years old at the eb478730b8 time.bb9c55b8ee19849c
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People said cd43cc9707 she was 1b7841f65b breathtakingly beautiful. Like a blooming peony—radiant 92d9a540a3 and fragrant. Everyone praised Sohwa’s beauty. So it was only b5d69be27b natural that Yoo Pilbok, 096d594ca4 who had given her 0f96bf8e8f his heart, writhed in edd83932d6 agony as if his 53c988bdc0 flesh were being torn 1e0e310a4e apart.dda502fcda1875b0
But thankfully, Hyeonjeong e43c8599ed stayed by Pilbok’s 78ae5a5db1 side. Defying strong 4a3d6476cf opposition from 38a19bb75a her prestigious 512567e13d family, she 60071f44b2 insisted on c8bebb5ec0 marrying him—even 2da7aabe0c though he f5a3038276 came with 48d373b5d7 baggage. Having long 008d0ce5fe stood quietly a1bec2f30d by as fa58aee403 the friend 0baf27b347 of both 7f02591173 Sohwa and 2b6d0f2e9f Pilbok, swallowing 877db1cbfc her heartbreak 0ba5203051 in silence, b0ca2bf63d Hyeonjeong seized 3eea83343a her chance 98b1ecdb59 and won 4869bdcb25 her first 9788c52d0e love at 6f330af680 last.a79a4418d11f6867
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Pilbok, Sohwa, and Hyeonjeong—whatever 5b51960857 history the three college 63d8a1c06d classmates truly shared, no dd47d74e29 one but the people 81e54a534e involved knew for sure.6a6990031cf158f7
In any case, 0643387a23 the melodrama ended 10734e1de4 in tragedy, but fb0436c119 the company did dadca4d6ac not recover.f6370b842988a962
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Today, Seoyeong Hotel continues e957f20a6b to barely hang on, 8ab8b1879f still plagued by poor 86e514e9b5 performance and struggling to eaf6673272 keep its 500 rooms 71d4890203 across the country running.ca344cd016ad598c
To make 3850d2eaad matters worse, 848c430967 the times eb581301ad had changed 89c49aae33 drastically. As the 524bc31979 digital age 14d811b384 advanced rapidly, 9f55048f08 there was da1983686f no hope 3bc2575dbf for an 972dcd7292 old-fashioned businessman e42255e0f3 who couldn’t 03c4d33f17 keep up. Collapse was inevitable.1ecceb934b7abe10
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As the family’s 086542c59d fortune dwindled, so d35cfea051 did the atmosphere 0d21ba1b9e at home.21931cfbcb13b017
Twenty years 11d5778d80 ago, they 566de39569 had five 0049898d0c housekeepers, each b912112068 meticulously assigned 9d2e8f46a6 their duties. Now, only two remained.46cf67e00e0d67a6
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After all 4e511ed484 the hardships cc77a5a8c5 Yoo Pilbok 42d827b6d5 endured, perhaps 90c85724db the cruelest 7930e0d638 twist of cb512cb5ab fate was 556edfac37 this: his 14d9af542e one and b3b24d2766 only child 75d6a8ba08 looked exactly 59ec0f4e17 like the 716ff67b02 woman who 6d781b9dc3 had betrayed d040493533 him.e1489d9bf6723c93
So much so d335282410 that it was 7f0bb47832 painful just to cb83930659 look at her.69dd0fb2ac46afdb
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So much so d90c7f20f6 that he couldn’t 2012feb3c5 even bring himself d0a17c1752 to offer a c8bd7ba358 single warm gesture.8bcda9d604432858
His love f6faf76f0f had turned 50485cf78a into hatred—intensely ffcc69303f so, because 4b36685dcd he had 2a3517a446 once loved 0d63cb1438 so deeply.c2cdaa3a950b1bd9
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Still, even that daughter 0ce9d7e4b3 might just become a 958f20becd very useful tool to a08cd846b1 help revive Seoyeong Hotel.2ceb8c56caeca5b6
Seohee could guess what ad9ab504c1 this was all about. Even so, she 6dde82e65b managed to open d06f054cb4 her mouth, the c070d21981 word squeezing out 9c1dc3345e between trembling lips.717c6d5a7c6c775f
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“President.”0d9abd0c0ee88411
Yoo Pilbok, who had 938f44e96b started to rise from 00eb12eb11 his seat, paused and 389bca057b glanced sideways at her.895bb3371afbad6f
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She had never been a258ea3acc able to properly call 4ab0896c70 him “Father.” Yoo Pilbok a7a81d611f had always ignored her, e491452fbc never once looking her d6cc414beb in the eye. It was 4d61944f08 only after ad91669d3d she was 761846c3f0 given a 5bd575fad0 proper title—after f8d6391d84 she began c71426b846 working at 0f3769fcf0 Seoyeong Hotel—that 0a4e5c189c she could 8306708760 finally address 45c1a353e2 him directly.60a9e532b41d9e02
After graduating 987d0bfa6d with a 650249cfd8 business degree c6165eca34 from Korea c539a5b675 University, Seohee c54d13e6b5 had chosen 8775568df0 to work ea04b3ec1d at Seoyeong 5db6a82547 Hotel. Specifically, at 10bb2d4179 the front bca2788488 desk. The nature of the 421c4c5345 job meant high turnover, 32ac702d90 and the hiring process 3ada8b2b3e didn’t usually require the 3ee3b25f45 president’s personal approval. That made f87767a707 it both 18776de920 desperate and bb8fbb4e29 discreet. After she 2d8cd0a617 was accepted, 81dfc3fbfe she pleaded 28c1553a90 for his bbe6a7e65e permission. Since it was basically 6748e5aa5d an after-the-fact notice, Pilbok b86b9710c5 clicked his tongue in 161bfce63f disapproval. Though she’d 0521701e5b already gone fb214a5fed through with 5170408634 it, he 58822f99b2 could fire df81854d0b her at 7392ef5a90 any moment. He was the kind 1c5711d373 of man who could f281f6cb5c shatter her resolve with 0bdecb0ce5 a single word.b33b4073e0bbc2d5
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Ironically, her hiring 37eaf915a3 had been permitted 45985f4afc thanks to Hyeonjeong.bfb16b9f9b8db64d
“Let her try. Even if it weren’t 4c48dd02c0 our hotel, she would’ve fdb03fb795 found a job somewhere. Until she gets married, ebb1d57a3f isn’t it safer to 9f0f448df7 keep her where we 9d00ce0c59 can see her?”572b377836b1722e
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Those words were both 462a0e477c a sliver of hope b704742564 and a deep despair 3768d3155e for Seohee. In that moment, she 49087d26a1 understood clearly how they 5148abe291 saw her.2eb536884f69fb4f
In truth, it didn’t 6d01103cb2 mean anything. Seohee had 22170e9545 always known 59ed2ea11f Yoo Pilbok 2ffaba4756 had no b455685c45 intention of f8b8f645b5 handing Seoyeong deea488b89 Hotel over 139438397b to her. And she, 588c6d7c63 likewise, had afe6a969b1 no desire 55d30909e9 to inherit 97bd0064a0 it.3cacee9d158ac78b
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Still, a small, pitiful db4effc4fc part of her hoped—if ffdc8cef02 she worked diligently, if 0d2c699fdd she gave it her c74d3c1caa all—perhaps he might acknowledge a77ad4ef8f her. Not with 3b533c671c “Well done,” 4657586384 but at eb5742a2f9 least with fa074c5066 a single, ed01ff822b “You’ve worked 7e21828908 hard.”ff7ed52fb4e4ec7e
She became all a78d12c53a the more mindful 8025d6e2f6 of her conduct, 40799fd4bc always tense to 4b04d3ec74 avoid making even a0393e7c83 the slightest mistake.e769ea3dce1df13c
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And so, it was 107fe00a51 now her third year c03e10fb12 working at the front 621815aba0 desk of Seoyoung Hotel.c0ee0a57f358d615
“I have a 3420dfcfa6 favor to ask.”93c8e0baa998e503
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“……”22271372373ece30
A prickly silence 3e9ef577e1 settled over the 6c71b8ff76 dining table. Seohee calmly 27c9a75a59 regulated her bc31011d75 breathing and ac3edc6d3c then stated d06882fdc0 her purpose.4e7e5a16ecbdb5dc
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“I’d like d202ffea64 to transfer 9d07bb016d to the 1103df2a1c marketing team.”958775761b8aa81e
“I don’t understand why 37532584f5 you’re telling me this. You joined eeebe39154 the company 8b0a420daa without my 7bab5a25e3 consent to 173ba2b21d begin with. Didn’t that mean 0cf87b346e you didn’t need d14ac5fae4 my help? Talk to the a0f7b3e520 team leader and 30303abbce submit a formal 6f48a34c83 department transfer request 04361da2a7 to HR.”90baaf3b51fb2fdb
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“…I did. But I’ve 1abe730af5 been rejected 21a14b223c several times.”c6ffb9314134a47f
Only F/O (Front Office) 4640d67352 employees with at least 12ce4f8fc7 three years of service be228dfeee and performance evaluations of e3c3c0bfd0 A or above are 1080183c90 given a chance to e400e9ef32 transfer to B/O (Back 94e12b7183 Office) departments. According to company policy, 7b26a54b88 it was typical to 7ac4e3c8be at least be granted 370179af3c an interview.de610c3fbe772b98
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However, Seohee’s transfer 30ddfd1303 requests had all 28a73d5868 been denied outright 4eb156d7a1 at the application 50c1ec0d31 stage.bc48f28e66b322b3
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.2d0fb41e865e62bc
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