"Face reading… what's considered suitable? A premium-level legend! I must salute anyone still superstitious in this era."
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"Here… green tea with lemon. Stops your face from aging too fast," a voice said, holding out a tall plastic cup with a straw in a plastic bag.
"Don't tease me… I'm already stressed," the young woman groaned, rubbing her temples. She assumed it was one of her IT department interns who had been helping her fix a video presentation that still wasn't working for the afternoon.
"Here… take it," the voice continued, lightly tapping her chair with a foot. Startled, she looked up and saw…
"Hey! What are you doing here, you… scammer!" Kangsadan yelped, shocked and blurting out a surprisingly harsh insult.
"Just following you from yesterday, I guess," he teased, smirking.
"Today you're going to stalk me all the way home, aren't you?" Her heart raced nervously.
"Drink this first… your face looks exhausted," he said casually. Startled, she quickly opened her bag and pulled out a small mirror to check herself.
"Don't mess with me," she snapped, pushing the drink away and storming out of the store in a half-run.
Kangsadan had only two hours left before presenting her internship summary. Her mentor had reminded her she needed to be ready by 2:30 PM.
Today was her final day, and her mood was a mixture of dread and anxiety. She felt guilty toward her grandmother, who she'd made hurry to cook breakfast while she stayed up late fixing corrupted files.
"Grandma, I'll prepare tomorrow's meals tonight. I have to leave early," she said, looking at her grandmother pleadingly.
"Eh… your face looks more tired every day," sighed Grandma Lamduan, nearly 80, who had raised her since her parents passed away.
"Yes… I'll talk to you later. I've prepared the food, so please take care of yourself tomorrow."
… … … …
"Still not ready? Go do your makeup, brighten up your face," her mentor, Bew, called as she spotted Kangsadan's messy ponytail and slightly sweaty, pink cheeks.
"Yes… I couldn't sleep well last night," Kangsadan mumbled, thinking back to yesterday.
"Are you that nervous?" Bew asked curiously.
"The video presentation… it just wouldn't work. Something was definitely messed up," Kangsadan muttered.
"Ah… the PowerPoint text alone can't impress anyone… right, Bell?" Bew's voice made her more anxious.
"I heard the vice president himself will evaluate all the interns," Bew added.
"Oh no… I'm doomed…" Kangsadan groaned.
"Go find Joe in IT. Help you immediately. There's no time left," Bew instructed.
Despite their efforts, the files were still a mess. Kangsadan clutched her head, panicking over how to fix everything.
"Bell… it's time," Bew called. Kangsadan entered the conference room, exhausted, already imagining herself failing just like another intern whose work had been corrupted.
"Hello, everyone… I'm Kangsadan, a PR intern," she began, head lowered to operate the remote for the PowerPoint.
"First, I sincerely apologize that all my footage from this internship has been lost. I take full responsibility for any inconvenience caused to my fellow interns over the past three and a half months."
She proceeded slowly, explaining her offsite work first, then office projects, with reasoning, methodology, and expected benefits. Handouts and evaluation forms were distributed, but then her eyes froze.
There he was! — the same young man who had handed her green tea earlier. Now he wore black-framed glasses, his expression calm and authoritative, completely unlike the mischievous, almost trickster-like person she had met before.
"Why… is he following me here too?" she murmured under her breath.
Half an hour later, during the Q&A, he was the last to question her.
"Explain clearly… as a PR professional, what etiquette should never be broken in front of someone you meet for the first time?" His words hit her like a punch. Her face went pale; it felt like a direct scolding.
Kangsadan stammered through her answers, leaving the room drained, each question cutting her confidence further. She barely remembered anything he had said—only one line lingered in her mind:
"Not passed… report to my office tomorrow."
The thought of failing terrified her. If she didn't pass, she would have to repeat the course next term, jeopardizing her tuition and scholarship.
… … … …
At home, tears welled up. She found her grandmother waiting in the living room, worry etched on her face.
"I'm sorry, Grandma… I really failed today," Kangsadan said, trembling.
"I sensed it… yesterday your cooking was rushed," her grandmother sighed.
"Never mind… order food. Take my money to buy something," Grandma said kindly for once.
Kangsadan ordered a simple meal: salad, boiled eggs, grilled eel, and reserved soymilk for later, just in case she couldn't eat dinner.
She cleaned up and went upstairs, collapsing on her bed.
"Why is that man calling me tomorrow? What trick is he planning?" she muttered.
"Great… I argued with him and now I'll pay for it," she sighed, dreading the next day.
The next afternoon, Kangsadan arrived early at the VP's office. She entered smartly, sitting on the sofa, assessing the situation as he remained impassive.
"So… what's it going to be?" he asked casually.
"How… what do you mean?" she shot back.
"How many times do I need to repeat the question?" he said, teasing.
"I… I don't understand what you mean," she replied, confused.
"Did you read the note I gave you?"
"Yes…" she said, staring at him.
"Do you agree? Just one day… huge pay."
"That's crazy… I don't even know what the job is yet!" she exclaimed.
"At 4 PM… we'll go see someone," he said, deadpan.
"A fortune teller?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes… face reading," he said, staring.
"Excuse me… really? A modern man like you believes in fortune tellers?" she scoffed.
Kangsadan left the office with him, answering a few questions about her remaining terms. He learned that if she failed, she'd have to repeat the internship next semester.
The driver, met at the wedding studio that day, opened the car door for her with a smile. The young man only mentioned the name of the fortune teller, and the car drove to a small office with the name displayed prominently—she realized the fortune teller was famous among high society.
"Is this okay?" he asked the elderly man.
"High forehead… a mole in the center… the so-called 'third eye,'" the fortune teller said, inspecting her face.
"Good?" he asked eagerly.
"Date and time of birth, please," the fortune teller requested her.
"I'm sorry… that's private," she replied, uneasy, still unsure why she was here.
"Why? The gentleman wants me to check compatibility by face reading style," the fortune teller explained.
"Really… I didn't know," she replied, only to be nudged into silence by the young man.
She scanned the QR code on the business card, adding the fortune teller on LINE and requested a private consultation.
As they left, the young man frowned at how comfortably she interacted with the fortune teller.
"I think he's satisfied with you," he said.
"Think about your mission tonight…" he added urgently.
"What mission? I don't even know what to do!" she hesitated.
"First-night bride… extend the contract year by year."
"Huh… what is this job? Who are you trying to fool?" she asked incredulously.
"Me… not anyone else."
"How much is the pay?"
"Three million. Nothing to do… it's simple," he said softly, staring at her.
"I don't even know you… is this laundering money?" she muttered.
At home, Kangsadan murmured to herself, shaking her head at the absurdity:
"Face reading… what's considered suitable? A premium-level legend! I must salute anyone still superstitious in this era."