Yoojin bit down hard on her lower lip, unsure how to respond to Executive Director Park's comment.
Being told she was "popular" somehow sounded more like sarcasm than praise.
Dongha spoke up in her place, breaking the silence.
"Executive Director, I'm popular too."
At Dongha's unexpected remark, Executive Director Park smiled faintly.
"That's true. Dongha, you're quite popular as well. These interns are almost too good-looking—it's becoming a problem."
Assistant Manager Oh Minji smiled politely from the side, carefully reading the room and gauging both Park and Manager Lee's reactions.
Director Park then smoothly used the lighter mood Dongha had created to bring up Yoojin's business trip schedule with Oh Minji.
"But Assistant Manager Oh, what should we do? It looks like Han Yoojin will be going on a business trip to Vietnam next week."
"What? A business trip? An intern?"
Oh Minji raised her voice in surprise.
"There's been a major defect issue at Vietnam Plant No. 3. Manager Lee can't go himself, and it wouldn't make sense for the sales team to handle a fabric defect claim, would it?"
Dongha asked in a low, tightly controlled voice, "Why can't Manager Lee go?"
Oh Minji glanced uneasily between Manager Lee and Executive Director Park, then slowly stood up.
"Executive Director, I'll head back to work now. I already gave you a verbal report on the Mascara issue, and Director Hwang Jiyun will probably send a separate travel report once she returns."
Park nodded, and Oh Minji quietly exited the office.
Dongha asked again, this time directly, "So you're really sending an intern alone?"
"What, Dongha? You want to go too?"
Executive Director Park replied lightly.
"But two intern plane tickets aren't in the budget."
"Can an intern really handle a defect claim properly?"
"Han Yoojin speaks Chinese," Manager Lee answered flatly, his expression unchanged.
"She can follow my instructions remotely."
"Then what about the intern workshop in Jeju next Friday through Sunday?"
"That workshop was scheduled suddenly,"
Manager Lee frowned.
"But shouldn't interns attend the workshop?" Park asked.
"They should. It's hosted by the Chairman, and interns from all affiliates are attending. We can't be the only team absent."
"Then she can fly to Vietnam Monday night, return Wednesday night, and go straight to Jeju Friday morning."
"Right. She can meet the supplier Tuesday afternoon, inspect the defective fabric, organize the defect data by Tuesday night, spend Wednesday assisting the factory manager at Plant No. 3, then return."
Yoojin's eyes trembled as she listened.
She already had too much on her plate—now an entire overseas trip was being added on top of everything.
She quietly slid the purchase order documents forward.
"Executive Director, Manager Lee. I've organized the additional purchase orders."
"Oh, Assistant Manager Oh's orders?"
Park glanced up.
"By the way, Manager Lee—what happened to Kim Jangwoo?"
Manager Lee's thick lips twisted slightly.
"He's disappeared. We can't reach him."
"I see."
Park's eyes sharpened.
"Then if there's no contact by the end of this week, proceed with termination."
"Yes."
Yoojin clicked her tongue inwardly.
At the weekly meeting, Park had seemed like a stabilizing presence—fair, composed.
But now, she saw it clearly.
Manager Lee and Executive Director Park were cut from the same cloth.
They clashed on the surface, but in the end, they always moved in the same direction.
They were clearly in the same boat.
Yoojin turned her head and looked at Dongha.
His face was coldly handsome.
Sharp, sorrowful eyes that seemed capable of holding countless emotions—yet now completely blank, blinking occasionally as he looked at Park and Manager Lee.
Only now did Yoojin understand.
This was Dongha suppressing his emotions.
"Dongha, you'll assist Yoojin with the purchase orders. You two work together this week. While Yoojin is in Vietnam next week, you'll handle backup here. And Yoojin—keep your laptop and phone on. The Vietnam plant has good internet. Dongha may need to reach you urgently."
"Yes," Yoojin replied, her voice barely audible.
Dongha said nothing, his gaze fixed on the documents beneath Yoojin's palm.
Park and Manager Lee assumed his stiffness was just nerves before real fieldwork.
*
"So… this is how it turned out."
Yoojin complained softly.
She and Dongha had taken over a large conference room under the pretense of working together on the additional orders.
"What do you mean, 'how it turned out'?"
"You're doing real hands-on work now too."
"Well, if I can help by doing more of your work, that's good."
"But—"
"Then let's finish fast and go to the studio together."
"Hey. Why are you bringing up the studio while we're talking about work?"
"You promised yesterday. You said you'd dance bachata with me."
"…What?"
Yoojin's face flushed instantly.
She remembered the bachata she'd seen yesterday.
Imagining dancing it with Dongha made heat rush through her without warning.
"I'll help with everything—emails to suppliers, calls with factories, internal fabric approvals, communication with sales. In return, we go to the studio at nine."
"Salsa and bachata?"
Just saying "bachata" made her throat feel strangely dry.
"We'll do both. But more importantly, I'll teach you the dance I really like."
"But I've forgotten how to dance."
"Han Yoojin? You?"
Dongha winked.
She couldn't help laughing.
His flirting was awkward—almost clumsy—but that made it disarmingly effective.
"Okay. Deal."
At her words, Dongha's energy instantly recharged.
Together, they divided up the additional orders and got back to work.
*
News of Yoojin's expected business trip spread quickly—not only at headquarters, but all the way to Vietnam Plant No. 3.
Joo Myung-gon, the plant manager, finally seemed to cool down and sent Yoojin photos of the defective fabric along with the preliminary defect report.
Assistant Manager Oh scratched his head as soon as he saw the materials.
"What do I do? I'm already behind on SS development, and next week I have to finalize pricing."
"We can't help that. Just—stop dumping everything on Dongha. Help out, okay?"
At Yoojin's firm stare, Oh Minju sagged.
"Alright. I'll help as much as I can."
That afternoon, Yoojin and Dongha sent out the revised orders together.
Suppliers responded that some fabric was already in the dyeing process.
Dongha, drawing from somewhere unknown, requested they re-dye as much as possible.
According to him, black fabric was hard to re-dye, but lighter colors could be reused—and black fabric could always be absorbed into domestic orders.
Surprisingly, the work progressed quickly.
By the time evening overtime set in, they were already catching up on tasks they'd missed.
Only then did Yoojin tell Senior Yoon Sun-young and Assistant Manager Kang Jin-wook about her Vietnam trip.
Both looked shocked—and worried.
"Why isn't Manager Lee going himself?" Yoojin whispered.
Kang lowered his voice.
"Back when Manager Lee worked with Executive Director Park in the China plant, there was serious political tension between China and Vietnam."
"Political tension?"
"Line politics."
"Oh…"
Apparently, old resentments still lingered—ones Yoojin couldn't fully grasp.
Sun-young clicked her tongue.
"Honestly, Yoojin, you're kind of a corporate politics sacrifice. You've been here two weeks, and you're already flying to Vietnam to handle a defect claim."
Yoojin had already sent the defect report to Chen at Taitex and followed up with a call.Unlike their previous conversation, his voice had been heavy, subdued.
All he could say was that he'd check schedules and follow up by email.