It was 7 PM. Son Ji-woo sat at her desk, or rather, Han Yoo-jin's desk. It had been cleared, with only a brand new laptop and a few pens remaining. Her adjoining office was separated from Kim Seo-yeon's by a hazy glass door, close enough for her to hear Kim Seo-yeon if she called.
It had been a relatively short day. She only ran little errands. Kim Seo-yeon hadn't really asked her for any advice or anything. After the Director Ryu incident, Kim Seo-yeon had handed her a bunch of cards. One for immediate expenditures such as latte. Some others for dress and shoe shopping. And a number of other cards. She hadn't explained much of what the cards were for. Thanks to Han Yoo-jin, she understood everything. To an extent, she felt sorry for Han Yoo-jin. The lady was already on leave and she still had to call her for things such as this one. But, on the plus side, if this was how easy her job was and she'd be getting paid that much, it was a win-win for her. She could get used to this. Han Yoo-jin was a grown woman, she'd be fine.
"Ms. Son." Kim Seo-yeon called, disrupting her thoughts, her voice sharp over the rhythmic tapping of keys.
Son Ji-woo stood, crossing the distance in a few swift steps.
Kim Seo-yeon closed her laptop and met her gaze. "Get a dress for the date tonight. I'll be waiting in the mansion." Kim Seo-yeon rose, grabbed her phone and handbag, and moved towards the door. Her hips swayed with the fluid grace of a professional runway model.
Son Ji-woo followed her out, hurrying to press the elevator button. They stepped inside. On the ground floor, everyone bowed respectfully as Kim Seo-yeon emerged. She was too indifferent to return the greetings and stared down at her phone as she sashayed through turns and obstacles like she had a third eye.
Son Ji-woo noted that Kim Seo-yeon's hair remained in the neat ponytail, unruffled despite the day's work. Her white suit was barely crumpled, even after hours of sitting. The lady embodied effortless elegance. Son Ji-woo admired her; pretty, rich, and hardworking, Kim Seo-yeon was the kind of woman one only saw in movies.
Son Ji-woo escorted her to her car and opened the door. Kim Seo-yeon settled into the backseat.
"Thirty minutes," Kim Seo-yeon stated as Son Ji-woo closed the door. The implication was clear: the dress needed to be at the mansion within that time. The car drove off, and Son Ji-woo sprinted back inside to clear her desk and organize Kim Seo-yeon's.
She boarded a taxi and soon arrived at a designer clothing store.
The cashier at the desk greeted her with a warm smile, a pleasant surprise. Unlike the movies she watched, cashiers and attendants in real life didn't look down on anyone. They would in movies, if you didn't walk in wearing haute couture.
She explained what she needed and produced a black card. The cashier's smile deepened as she motioned for an attendant. The attendant led her to an exclusive section.
Son Ji-woo surveyed the dresses. A typical color for dates was red, a classic choice often paired with roses. Black was also common, and both colors were prominent among the dresses she surveyed. She was drawn to a particular red one, a warm, bright shade identical to her hair, not a dark, rosy hue. It was stunning. She selected it, and the attendant quickly packaged it.
Son Ji-woo was in the cab, the garment bag carefully balanced on her lap, making good time to the Kim family mansion. The ornate gates swung open silently as her taxi approached, revealing a long, winding driveway flanked by manicured gardens. The mansion was an old money style building, its stone structure was grand, the walls were covered in intricate designs and the characteristic symmetrical design contrasted with modern architecture. It had Korean architecture incorporated into it, but it did not feel out of place.
A butler directed her inside, leading her through a series of halls until she reached a vast furnished sitting room. Kim Seo-yeon sat at a table by a large window, sipping from a delicate teacup, her phone still in hand. Beside her, a woman stood radiating an even greater aura of refined authority than Kim Seo-yeon did. This had to be Kim Ye-sol.
"You're here," Kim Ye-sol's voice was smooth, and cool, directed not to Son Ji-woo, but to a servant nearby. "Take the bag."
Son Ji-woo offered the garment bag to the waiting servant and bowed deeply to Kim Ye-sol
"Ms. Son greets Mrs. Kim." Son Ji-woo said.
Kim Ye-sol nodded her head as the servant presented the bag to her. Kim Ye-sol's eyes swept over the dress bag and its contents, then flickered to Son Ji-woo.
"Red," Kim Ye-sol murmured, as her eyebrows arched in slight concern. "A rather... bold choice for a first meeting, wouldn't you say, Seo-yeon?"
Kim Seo-yeon finally lowered her phone, as she cast a bored glance at the bag. "It's fine, Umma. It's just a dress."
"It's never 'just a dress', honey. And this is a very important night. But, I suppose a terrible option is still an option." Kim Ye-sol said and fixed her gaze on Son Ji-woo. "Ensure the accessories are subtle. We aim for elegance, not ostentation."
"I'll make sure of it." Son Ji-woo said. No expression was visible on her face.
Kim Ye-sol turned around and left with the two servants.
"Ms. Kim, if you don't mind." Son Ji-woo coughed and gestured.
Kim Seo-yeon raised her head and met Son Ji-woo's eyes.
"Ms. Son. What do you suppose I talk about on a date?" She asked.
Son Ji-woo was caught off guard by the question. She took a deep breath and gave an instinctive answer.
"You should talk about yourself. That's the first thing that comes up."
"He would already know my portfolio. What's the point?" Kim Seo-yeon asked.
"Well, it's mostly just formality and allows both parties to start a conversation. You can wait for him to talk if you don't want to take the initiative." Son Ji-woo replied.
Just then, Kim Seo-yeon's phone rang. She stared at the caller ID and frowned.
"This…" She muttered under her breath.
"Ms. Son, take the bag to my room." Son Ji-woo bowed and followed the maid.
Kim Seo-yeon picked up the call, her fingers tightening the grip around the phone.
…
Son Ji-woo walked into Kim Seo-yeon's room. It was a big room and the design was unlike what she expected. The room was in grey and red hues, looking characteristically gloomy. The architecture looked very expensive and the furniture combined to create a room where nothing was out of place. It was very homogenous and monochromatic.
The maid closed the door with a cold glint in her eyes that Son Ji-woo didn't notice, as she stood for a while admiring the room. She walked into the room's walk-in closet and placed the bag on a table.
She took out her phone and went online, waiting for Kim Seo-yeon to return.
A few minutes later, she heard the light tap of footsteps and took out the dress from the bag.
…
Kim Seo-yeon exited the car with Son Ji-woo following behind. Son Ji-woo's expression remained neutral as she noted Kim Seo-yeon's mood.
She had been slightly moody since she wore the dress. Son Ji-woo wondered what the phone call was about.
Kim Seo-yeon had practically lost any inkling of interest she had in this date. After getting the call, she just wanted to have a good night's rest and not worry about this date. But her mother would keep nagging her if she cancelled.
She pushed open the restaurant door.
The whole restaurant had been booked out. She stopped and looked around, her eyes settling on a man at a table in a corner of the restaurant.
He had straight thin black eyebrows. Slanted foxy eyes and a straight and tall nose. His jawline was round and smooth. He was fair, so fair, he looked pale. The eyes that were looking over at her were somewhat playful and lecherous.
He was wearing a pair of black pants and a dark gray suit jacket. He was not wearing a shirt underneath the jacket and had the V-neck of the suit jacket showing his muscular chest and a hint of his abdominal muscles.
She frowned. This man looked even more feminine in reality. He wasn't effeminate or characteristically gay, but there was something about him that was immediately off-putting and perverse.
Was this the man her mother had spoken so highly of? He was not her type at all.
She walked over to him regardless and sat down.
Kang Eun-ho's eyes that were resting on Kim Seo-yeon sparkled. She was exactly like the photos. Very feminine and very pretty.
"Hello." Kim Seo-yeon spoke first. "I'm Kim Seo-yeon." She said and stretched forth her hand with a polite smile.
"Kang Eun-ho." He nodded and shook her hand as well.
Kim Seo-yeon's respectful smile faltered when she felt Kang Eun-ho tickling the inside of her palm as he stared at her.
She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away.
"Mr. Kang. Ms. Kim." Son Ji-woo bowed and left.
The waiter came and asked them what they would like to eat.
"Ms. Kim, please if you don't mind." Kang Eun-ho said and gestured for her to order.
Kim Seo-yeon already did not have a good impression of this man, but she smiled and ordered.
"I'll have the same as Ms. Kim." Kang Eun-ho said and waved the waiter away.
He rested his chin on his knuckles as he stared at Kim Seo-yeon.
"So, Ms. Kim. Tell me about you." He said.
"What do you want to know?" Kim Seo-yeon blinked and said with her chin high.
"Well, anything. What are your plans for the future? What do you think about the date? What do you think about me?" He said with an arrogant smirk on his face.
"My plans for the future are personal. I have no impression of this date, my mother is my reason for being here. And I think you're a successful businessman." Kim Seo-yeon said and smiled coldly, enunciating her second sentence.
"Hmm. Interesting. You're exactly as I was told."
"I hope I didn't disappoint you." Kim Seo-yeon replied.
Kang Eun-ho burst into laughter. He was pleased.
The waiter came with their food soon enough, but they both only nibbled at it, seemingly uninterested.
Kim Seo-yeon had especially lost interest in this date. She hoped Kang Eun-ho would wrap it up and call it a night, but he kept rambling on about his achievements in the industry and how he had beat competitors in the game. She kept a constant smile on her face to be polite, although she wasn't listening.
She occasionally took subtle glances at her wristwatch hoping Kang Eun-ho would take the hint. But not only was the man narcissistic and arrogant, he was also dense and slow.
It lasted for over an hour before she gave up and said she was tired and needed to get home early.
"Yes. Yes. I shouldn't keep you up too late," he agreed, standing up and extending his hand. "We should do this again soon. In fact, I'll tell my secretary to block out our schedule for the same time next week. I've already told my mother to set the date with yours. We'll announce the match next week."
Kim Seo-yeon took it, slightly dazed. What did he mean 'do this again sometime'?
Before she could reject another date, Kang Eun-ho had left with his six bodyguards behind him.
Kim Seo-yeon didn't speak for a few minutes. This man was not a gentleman at all. How could he leave before her?
She huffed and left the restaurant as well. She quickly forgot about the incident as she got on the car. Her mind was back at the current problem she had.
"Director Ryu…" She sucked her teeth and sighed.