When she returned to the hall, Zee noticed that her colleagues were already back from their little lunch break, and she didn't know what to make of that. She wondered if this was the first time they had slipped away from work or if it was a frequent occurrence. How did Min-Jun take this? She shook her head, trying to push the thought away as she turned to look at the stage.

At that moment, Yeong-Su acrobatically twisted and hung upside down while his fist balled with Min-Jun's in the air. He finally got one of the moves right, a maneuver that had been prolonging that scene, and to think he did it so effortlessly. No one was happier than Director Ahn, who grinned so widely that it almost reached his ears.

Once that scene was completed, Yeong-Su jovially winked at Zee, whose eyes widened in surprise. He turned back almost instantly and focused on the next scene. Unbeknownst to Yeong-Su, the entire crew had witnessed the wink, and they all turned to look at the brown-skinned girl with astonishment.

Min-Jun secretly peeked a glance at Zee, and seeing her dumbfounded expression, scoffed in disgust before turning away. It was obvious no one had gestured that way at her before, likely because of her hideous skin color.

While filming was in progress, Zee seized the opportunity to pull Seung Bo aside. She hadn’t forgotten that he had seen her face during the previous incident, and she could only imagine what thoughts might be swirling in his mind, especially since he had been avoiding the group all day. She needed to clear up any misunderstanding between them.

“Uhm... where are you taking me?” Seung Bo asked, a hint of confusion in his voice as he noticed her dragging him away from the crowd.

Zee didn’t respond, focused on pulling him along until they were a safe distance from the building. Once they were alone, she let go and turned to face him.

Zee adopted a humble, formal tone, bowing slightly. “Chwaesonghamnida. I didn’t mean to drag you out of the building, but I needed to speak with you privately.”

Seung Bo immediately became flustered, waving his hands in protest. “It’s all right! You don’t have to be so formal with me. We are co-workers after all.”

But Zee wasn’t having any of it. She had a plan to sweeten him up and get on his good side. “You are my Seonbae; I can’t afford to speak informally to you,” she insisted.

Seung Bo’s cheeks flushed. “I’m just the driver. You shouldn’t…”

Zee cut him off, shaking her head. “Seonbae nim, don’t say that. I don’t see you as just a driver.”

Seung Bo blinked, momentarily speechless. The way she addressed him as Seonbae nim resonated within him, and despite the awkwardness of her formality, he appreciated the respect she was showing him. As a driver, he often felt overlooked, but here was someone acknowledging him in a way that made him feel valued. He found himself liking it more than he expected.

“So, Seonbae nim,” Zee called, pulling his attention back to the conversation, “we started off on the wrong foot, and I would like to clear up some misunderstandings. There shouldn’t be any friction between a Seonbae and a Hoobae, right?”

Seung Bo nodded, prompting her to continue. “The day I was slightly hit by the van, I was on my way to an interview with Manager Park, and that’s why you see me working here now. I want to assure you that I don’t hold any grudges about being grazed by the van, so I won’t do anything to tarnish Kang Min-Jun’s name. I genuinely want to keep being his personal assistant, so let’s act as if that incident never happened.”

“I can see you are sincere about it, so I won’t say anything,” Seung Bo replied, nodding earnestly. “This Seonbae wouldn’t let a certain Hoobae lose her job. It’s my promise to you.”

Zee’s eyes glistened with gratitude as she bowed deeply. “Kamsahamnida, kamsahamnida,” she said, repeatedly thanking him.

Seung Bo let out a sigh of relief, thinking how fortunate it was that Manager Park had told him he was busy and couldn’t talk earlier; otherwise, he might have lost such a unique Hoobae.

_______________

Chwaesonghamnida— I’m sorry

Seon-bae— senior at work

Hoobae— Junior at work

Kamsahamnida— Thank you