What a Pain
“This won’t work.”
Yu Yeong-a shook her head in disgust, and Chaemi grabbed her by the arm, dragging her out into the hallway. She double-checked that no one was around before speaking.
“Hey, Team Leader Sa. You’re the representative of the part-time job?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“The chairman’s grandson, right?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Chaemi’s lips twitched in irritation, but she kept her voice steady. “So it’s a robot pretending, huh? Why didn’t you say anything? That representative is the chairman’s grandson.”
“I only found out today that the team leader is a manager.”
Chaemi stamped her heel on the floor. “Oh my god! You should have said that the moment you heard!”
“Why me? And why should you know? Are you trying to join our team?”
Finally, Chaemi’s tone softened. She smiled brightly. “More people to hire?”
“I don’t know. I just wondered why you were asking.”
“Fine, whatever. Just find out what the team leader likes, what kind of women he dates, and pass it on. Got it?”
Yeong-a looked utterly confused. Chaemi, however, was the one who couldn’t believe her ears.
“I’ll tell you if I ever find out. But the other day you went on and on about how clueless he is. Interested?”
“You talk too much.”
Whether she was being serious or just pretending, Yeong-a’s flawless skin and delicate features only made Chaemi’s jealous glare sharper. Just then, Sa Hwigyeom appeared at the end of the corridor.
“Why are you back again?”
Yeong-a asked in a flat tone.
“Oh, oh. Look at that. Yeong-a, you really do speak up.”
Chaemi flashed an exaggerated smile and greeted him warmly. “Team Leader Sa, hello. I’m Park Chaemi, the same person I introduced myself to a few days ago at Sahan Hotel. I’m truly honored to be working here.”
“Assistant Director Gu said there’s something she left for you yesterday.”
The word “honor” had never sounded so hollow. Hwigyeom’s gaze stayed fixed on Yeong-a alone.
“Where is it? I’ll bring it to you.”
Yeong-a pressed the door-open button. Hwigyeom stepped past her without a word and walked straight inside.
“You know where it is?”
“Isn’t that what new employees do?”
Yeong-a grumbled as she followed him into the office. Chaemi stood frozen, watching the automatic doors slide shut.
“What… what the heck…”
Chaemi stared at the closed glass door, mind blank. The moment it slid open again, she spun around with lightning speed.
A heavy leather scent hit her first, followed by a faint, soothing soap note. Hwigyeom passed her in a blur.
Chaemi watched his retreating back, stunned. Even though he walked briskly, his posture never faltered, not even an inch. There was an unmistakable elegance about him.
“His walk is so perfect… It’s unfair. Absolutely ridiculous.”
The lingering fragrance still made her heart race. A premium leather-and-fabric scent that reminded her of the exclusive Milan boutique that only handled high-end materials.
Naturally aristocratic yet endlessly gentle with his woman! Sa Hwigyeom was exactly that kind of man. Maybe he was the textbook definition of a tsundere?
“Well, we don’t know each other well yet, so being nice from the start isn’t weird.”
Chaemi’s chest tightened with excitement. He might still be gruff, but once she cracked his shell, a flower path would open for her.
His older brother, who was even mentioned as a future chairman, was out of her league. But Sa Hwigyeom, a mere manager buried in a subsidiary, matched her level with his father—a former vice minister—and his grandfather, a former minister.
“People like that famous girl always manage to snag high-class men.”
Chaemi had thrown herself into every upper-class gathering, but all she ever attracted were petty boys.
“Annoying.”
She slumped into her chair and turned on her laptop, but Yeong-a’s face kept flashing in her mind. At first she couldn’t believe someone like that existed.
Long lashes, like doll eyelashes, big round eyes, milky skin, a small straight nose, and lips the color of fresh blood.
‘What kind of makeup do you use?’
Unable to hold back, Chaemi had spoken to her first.
‘Me? I don’t know. Got it at the part-time job. It’s okay to put on the skin too. Want me to check at your house?’
‘You’re really high-maintenance.’
Chaemi had thought exactly that. She always looked put-together but never gave any extra effort—wearing only a couple of outfits and acting casual.
To expose Yeong-a’s true nature, Chaemi had invited her to be friends.
‘I’m finally making my first friend at university in Seoul. It’s so wonderful, Chaemi. You’re really kind.’
And Yeong-a had smiled so innocently that it was almost laughable.
Anyway, Yeong-a was pretty, kind, and successful, so she rose in popularity. Chaemi’s reputation rose with her.
‘Hey, Yeong-a. Want to go on a blind date? Hockey club. Everyone’s super rich and good-looking.’
Even for a blind date, Yeong-a had refused.
‘Oh, really? But I have to go to work.’
Or,
‘I have to get ready for midterms because I’m working.’
She wasn’t just being nice; she was genuinely poor. Living in a rooftop room, working nonstop at part-time jobs, yet still scraping together every single scholarship.
And despite all that, she still smiled brightly, as if she had everything in the world. No one could pity her.
Jealousy? Envy? Even the word “inferiority complex” didn’t exist for her.
Chaemi had swallowed her anger and jealousy, but she couldn’t do anything about it.
‘Hey, buy a new puffer jacket. That one looks awful, right?’
‘Huh. I’ve had this since my high-school days. How did you know? It’s so warm and soft.’
At that moment, Chaemi’s irritation boiled over. Right after, Yeong-a had stepped out of the library and left her puffer behind.
Chaemi had snatched it and tossed it into the trash can behind the school where no one would find it.
‘Who would take it? I guess she won’t. I hope the person who does wear it will be happy.’
After hours of searching, that was the only thing Chaemi had to say. It made her furious.
‘Hey! Who would take something as cheap as that puffer? They probably threw it away thinking it was trash!’
At that exact moment, the baseball club president and his senior brother overheard the entire conversation. Not as rich as Hwigyeom, but their parents ran a famous local foundation.
‘Yeong-a, what kind of thing are you saying to a friend? Did you lose your jacket?’
‘Yes. I’ll find it soon. Oh, I have to head to work. Chaemi, see you later. Bye, senior.’
The baseball president watched Yeong-a disappear into the hoodie, shivering. A few days later, he gifted her an expensive puffer.
‘Don’t worry about it. I’m not doing this because I like you. Haha… I heard you’re single. Want to be my girlfriend?’
A shy confession, no less.
Of course Yeong-a refused. Both the confession and the gift.
‘Sorry. I’ve been in love with someone for a long time. And I’ll buy a new jacket soon, so you don’t have to.’
Even though she had never bought one in the past two winters.
It had been so generous and overwhelming. Someone with nothing should have clung to any kindness, yet she had turned down even that. And she hadn’t even boasted about it. Chaemi was going insane with inferiority.
‘Is this even fair? Thinking I’m inferior to some pathetic girl? No. This is all because Yeong-a acts so fake.’
At that moment, Chaemi made her decision. She would steal Yeong-a’s destiny and her hidden smiles. She would rip off that mask of kindness!
Meanwhile, Yeong-a had accidentally entered the same company as Chaemi. And her superior was Hwigyeom? This had to be fate!
“I’ll see how long you can keep smiling so arrogantly.”
Chaemi gripped the mouse until it creaked.
No matter how much resentment was poured out nearby, Yeong-a focused completely on solving the problem in front of her.
The customers came from every corner of the country—Jeju, Gimhae, Andong, Jeonju, Sokcho, and even Yanggu, where she had grown up.
How had such grand mansions been built in these remote places? Finding them all seemed almost impossible.
This is Sahan Group.
Connecting space, time, and taste.
The true dignity found among customers.
A place that restores breath, life, and light.
Beyond rest, a work of art.
Hwigyeom’s main concept. If they turned the customer base into a premium member resort, the business could survive, but running a restaurant there? That was another question.
Sahan Hotel already had distinctive fine-dining restaurants at every branch. Guests came specifically for the food each year.
But applying that to a small private resort in a remote area? Sales were already an issue.
“Well, the team leader probably has a plan.”
Then let’s check the travel routes. Jeju first?
If it can’t be avoided, then enjoy it!
Yeong-a had never left the mainland. This trip would be her first flight. It sounded fun.
This is fun?
Yeong-a chuckled and typed on the keyboard when the mouse cursor suddenly spun wildly on its own.
“What the—?”