Juri

My jaw dropped in disbelief as I stared at him. Everyone was still bowing, so I bowed again, trying not to draw any more attention to myself. Was he, in fact, the Ice King of Elyvion and part of the Hwaon group? This was a man from a family worth billions and possibly the heir to Elyvion.

What on earth was he doing here?

I bit my lower lip, cringing that I blurted out his name casually. 

'Me and my big mouth.'

Why did I blurt out his name like that?!

The fact that my own boss knew that my boyfriend was cheating on me was absolutely humiliating. I even questioned my boss's identity, aggressively pulled him, yelled at him, and revealed I was cheated on. 'Can the ground just swallow me whole already?'

Stay composed, Juri. He might not have recognized me-no, that was unlikely. How often do you see a Blasian woman? Taeho appeared behind him.

He tilted his head. "Hold on, aren't you--"

I clenched my fists, tensing that he had recognized me. Before he could speak, Mrs. Min stepped in. "This is Kim Juri. She's the new manager. I was showing her around," she said while I kept my head down, afraid to meet their eyes.

Mrs. Min nodded at me, but I remained still, too embarrassed to look up. What if they recognize me and I lose my job? I heard rumors that chaebols were ruthless.

Finally, I lifted my head to meet Sunjae's gaze again. He scoffed, shoving his hands into his tailored suit. Yep, my career was over.

"So you're Ms. Kim Juri, correct?" he asked, and I nodded nervously. He walked past me with a commanding presence. "Follow me. I need you to report directly to me," he said. Mrs. Min bowed and followed him.

He turned and whipped his head at me, stopping her. "Not you, Mrs. Min. Her," he said, glancing back at me.

I gulped.

Mrs. Min, Erin, and the others looked at me in confusion. I glanced at Mrs. Min, who seemed uncertain. "But it's only her first day. It's also her first role as a manager. Please be more lenient," she started.

He gave me an icy glare. "Her first role as a manager? Interesting choice," he said. I cringed, Ms. Min was making it worse because his face grew more and more displeased the more he learnt about me.

He locked eyes with me, his gaze cold as he spoke to Mrs. Min, "And the people you hire are top-tier, correct?" he asked.

She nodded confidently, "Yes."

He continued, "If she were your choice, she must be familiar with Elyvion and our vision. Even if this is her first management role. She now reports to me." His words left no room for disagreement.

I fidgeted, trembling. This man was intimidating.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, "I want to check her history. Mrs. Min, can you send me her details?" Mrs. Min nodded in submission.

He walked away, Taeho following him. I looked at Erin. "Do you know him?" she asked.

I shook my head firmly. "N-No, not at all," I replied.

She narrowed her eyes. "But earlier, you called him by his first name, like you're close. That's unusual because Mr. Lee doesn't tolerate that."

Tears of embarrassment welled up, and I let out a sigh.

She pouted, taking my hand. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be lenient since it's your first day," she said. I managed a weak smile, grateful for her attempt to comfort me, even if it didn't help.

Mrs. Min sighed. "He's probably in a bad mood," she said.

One of the staff members folded her arms and shook her head. Her name was Ga-eul, and we looked about the same age as me. She was tall with siren eyes and glossy skin. If you asked me, she would pass for a kpop-idol.

"What if he fires someone again?" she asked.

My eyes widened. "What? On my first day?" I asked.

She looked at me and clicked her tongue. "Tsk, Mr. Lee is known for firing people out of the blue. The manager before you was fired because he didn't provide the exact revenue this branch acquired in the last quarter." My jaw dropped again as my eyes followed him walking up the stairs. This man was out of his mind!

The rumors that chaebols are heartless were true!

Mrs. Min shook her head, "Stop trying to scare her, Ga-eul." she gently placed her hand on my shoulder, "Mr. Lee looks and acts cold, but he's not that bad once you get to know him. He's softer than you think."

I nodded, but the nerves only built up.

"Go on," she urged, and I clenched my fists and hurried after him. Once we reached his office on the second floor, I looked around. The walls were charcoal with soft ambient lighting, and the floor was polished with black wood that added to the calm atmosphere.

A sleek black-marble desk sat in the center, with floor-to-ceiling shelves behind it holding a few luxury books and limited edition Elyvion pieces. A tinted window let in muted light, and a subtle sandalwood scent filled the room, making the space feel private, grounded, and effortlessly expensive.

He placed his phone on his desk, sat down, and loosened his tie. Taeho approached us and spoke up, "Hold on, it really is you. You're the woman from Saturday, right?" I sighed and nodded.

'My life was over.'

Sunjae- I mean Mr. Lee- folded his arms. "So, tell me."

"Tell you what, sir?"

"Let's hear why you were chosen," he said and started tapping his foot on the wooden floor, which fueled the tension.

Taking a deep breath, I said. "Elyvion is a luxury clothing brand founded in 1970 that is mainly known for its Modern Hanbok pieces. It is owned by the Hwaon group and has branches not only in South Korea but also internationally. It is known for its--"

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking displeased.

My brows furrowed in confusion. "I'm telling you everything I know about Elyvion."

He started tapping his finger on the table, "Tell me everything you know. Not what everyone else knows.

I straightened up. "What would you like to know, sir?"

"Tell me about our revenue, our goal, and our vision." I gritted my teeth. He was so irritating.

"Elyvion has an annual revenue of 100 billion won from its main retail stores in South Korea as of this year--"

"What percentage are from physical stores?"

"Sixty percent."

"Collaborations?"

"About fifteen percent."

He leaned back into his seat. "Our goal?"

"Although the company has already expanded into jewelry and fragrance, it plans to expand into homeware by next year. Elyvion's vision is to craft luxury that transcends time and tells Korea's story," I said proudly.

Just then, there was a soft knock, and Mrs. Min stepped in before handing him my resume, "Here are the details you asked for."

My head tilted as I stared at their interaction. I was too shocked earlier to pay attention, but she spoke casually with him. Not that I was shocked since she was older than us, but it looked more...motherly.

They must be close.

He took the document and scanned through it. Mrs. Min turned to leave, but before she did, she glanced at me and held a thumbs up, "You got this," she whispered.

After going through my resume, he looked up at me with no emotion so I couldn't tell if he was displeased with my background or not.

"You may leave."

Feeling anxious, I bowed and left.

When I went downstairs, everyone was busy attending to customers. Erin, who wasn't occupied, approached me, "How was it?" she asked, and I shrugged, "He just asked a few questions. He also read through my resume, but didn't say anything. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not though."

"I think it's a good thing," she said. I raised my brows. She continued, "Since he didn't say anything that means there's nothing bad to say about it."

Gaeul just finished helping a customer and walked up to us. Erin called her over. I must've been imagining it, but I noticed Gaeul glaring at me from afar.

"Looks like Mr. Lee won't fire her after all," Erin said, and Gaeul forced a polite smile.

"Shouldn't you start working?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll get going," I said and went looking for Mrs. Min.

What was her problem?