An Unfortunate First Encounter
The alarm hadn't even gone off yet, but Woojin opened his eyes at six in the morning. The air in his small but neatly organized home felt cool. With practiced movements, he boiled water, prepared the nutritional supplements and a simple breakfast for his mother, and set them on the table.
"I'll be back," he said softly.
Closing the door carefully so as not to wake his sleeping mother, Woojin stepped out with a crisp white shirt he'd ironed the night before draped over his arm.
Kim Woojin. While others called their twenties "the most brilliant time of life," he had spent his fighting on the battlefield of survival. Having lost his father early and shouldered the weight of being the head of the household, college life for him wasn't about romance—it was a continuous struggle to stay afloat. After finishing his night shift at the convenience store, he'd open his textbooks. On weekends, he'd sweat through loading and unloading jobs to save up tuition. At some point, he'd thought it would be better to quit school and get a job rather than juggle part-time work with classes, but his relatives didn't see it that way.
"Graduating from college comes first if you want to take care of your mother."
"A college degree is essential."
With so much criticism around him, Woojin eventually decided to stay in school. He wasn't the type to get easily heated or turn coldly cynical. He simply lived each given day with sincerity. That was how he faced life.
It was just another ordinary day in his unremarkable college life when his major professor called him into the lab. Woojin was known for his consistent diligence, but a private meeting with the professor felt unfamiliar. The professor slid a single document across the desk and asked,
"I heard you were thinking about dropping out. Mind if I ask why?"
The heavy question hung in the air. Woojin hesitated for a moment, lips twitching, before answering calmly.
"The circumstances didn't allow it. I have to take care of my mother who's living alone, and trying to earn tuition on top of that left me with no time at all. I decided it would be better to drop out and jump into the job market as soon as possible."
Spitting out the situation in his own words sent a stabbing pain through his chest, like a needle piercing his heart. He'd tried to speak dispassionately, but even he could see how pathetic and pitiful his circumstances sounded.
The professor adjusted his glasses and tapped the document with his finger.
"I see. But as an adult offering advice, dropping out of college will leave a massive scar on your future. That's why you've held on this long, isn't it? So here's what I'm thinking—I'd like to recommend you for an internship at Daehyeop."
Daehyeop. The moment the name of Korea's dream company—where everyone wanted to work—came up, Woojin's eyes widened in shock.
"An internship opening just came up at Daehyeop. I believe in your outstanding abilities, so I'm willing to write you a recommendation letter. Will you take the chance?"
To Woojin, this wasn't just an internship. It was a lifeline, a rescue rope thrown to a man dangling off a cliff. He bowed deeply in gratitude and left the lab.
Not long after, he pushed through fierce competition and took his first step as an intern at Daehyeop.
The moment he opened the door to his assigned office, a strange atmosphere filled the room. Employees had abandoned their work, staring intently at one spot and murmuring among themselves.
"Wow, she's seriously beautiful... Is she an actress?"
"This is insane. How did someone like that end up as a new intern?"
Woojin cleared his throat first and bowed in greeting. The staff member assigned to show him around soon led him toward the "spot" everyone was staring at. A woman was already seated there.
For a moment, Woojin forgot to breathe.
Overwhelming beauty—the kind you'd find in maybe five people across an entire university, or perhaps only once in a lifetime. Sharp, defined eyes and skin so pale it looked translucent. It was instantly clear why the employees were standing there mesmerized. Woojin's seat was right next to hers.
Once the guide left, a suffocating silence settled between them. To break the awkwardness, Woojin spoke first to his new colleague.
"Hello. I'm Kim Woojin, the new intern starting today. Please take good care of me."
It was a polite, friendly first greeting. But the response was completely unexpected.
"...Yeah."
A curt reply without even turning her head. Woojin scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment and tried again.
"Excuse me, but may I ask your name?"
"Why does that matter to you?"
This time she turned her head. But her gaze was so icy that any trace of goodwill had been scrubbed clean away. Though taken aback, Woojin continued calmly.
"We'll be working together as colleagues. Isn't it normal to at least introduce ourselves?"
"Seo Ihwa."
Ihwa answered and immediately turned away again. Even after just a few words, it was obvious—this woman had built an incredibly thick wall of ice against others.
Having his kindness brushed off didn't exactly leave Woojin in a pleasant mood.
Pretty face or not, what a prickly personality.
He clicked his tongue inwardly. Better not talk to her again if it's just going to ruin my mood. Right then, Woojin made up his mind. Staying as far away from that woman as possible would be best for his life at the company.
...
Finally done with his first day, Woojin removed his stiff employee ID lanyard, stuffed it into his bag, and stretched. Leaving behind the unfamiliar tension that had filled the air, he headed for the bus stop. That's when he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
It was Seo Ihwa.
Ah, so she uses this stop too.
Woojin thought to himself and kept his distance. Normally he would have approached and said hello, but remembering the cold rejection from that morning, he had no desire to create more awkwardness.
A short while later, bus 1052 arrived, and Woojin boarded without a second thought. The person who got on right after him was none other than Ihwa.
Their eyes met inside the cramped bus. Ihwa's brow furrowed ever so slightly—like she'd just seen a bug she didn't want to acknowledge. She walked straight to the very back, choosing the farthest corner seat possible from him.
Her blatant attitude made Woojin's own forehead crease.
Ha, she's got a real talent for pissing people off.
From that day on, Woojin dropped even the bare minimum of courtesy he'd been showing her. Ihwa received blatant advances from male employees almost daily. Watching it, Woojin would think must be nice while also trying to understand—after all, with a face like that, it was only natural.
But whenever the two of them spoke, the words that came out were never kind.
"Kim. Woo. Jin. Intern. I believe this document is part of your responsibilities. Why is it on my desk?"
"Haha. Don't misunderstand. Deputy Gang asked me to pass it directly to Intern Seo."
Their conversations were always like sharpened blades. Even the other employees could tell their relationship was far from good.
But the event that would shake up this parallel-line relationship came at a completely unexpected moment.
...
A few days later, when Woojin arrived at work, he noticed Ihwa wearing a mask at the seat beside him. She seemed even quieter than usual, her mood subdued, but he simply assumed she must not be feeling well and let it go.
However, after lunch, her coughing grew more frequent. The dry coughs came roughly every thirty minutes, and Woojin found himself secretly bothered by it.
Is she really sick...?
Worry crept in, but the embarrassment from last time kept him from speaking up. In the end, it all came to a head.
Ihwa, who was usually flawless in her work despite her personality, seemed to be making one small mistake after another today. Section Chief Seong's angry voice rang through the office.
"Seo Ihwa! Get your head in the game! As an intern, shouldn't you be even more focused?"
Ihwa's shoulders trembled faintly as she kept her head down. Normally Woojin would have thought serves her right, but for some strange reason, today his chest felt heavy.
When quitting time came, rain began pouring down as if the sky had cracked open. Woojin stayed an hour late finishing up leftover tasks before leaving the office. Thankfully, the umbrella his mother had prepared that morning kept him dry.
Just as he was about to step out of the building entrance, his feet stopped. In one corner of the lobby, a lone figure was crouched down. Even from the back, under the faint glow of the streetlights, he could tell.
It was Seo Ihwa.
After hesitating, Woojin cautiously approached her side. Up close, her face was as pale as a sheet of paper.
"Seo Ihwa, are you okay?"
"Ah... I'm fine. Just go."
Before his hand could even reach her, Ihwa shrank back and answered weakly. Even while sick, she still bristled with thorns. Woojin was stunned.
"Are you really okay? I clearly asked you."
"......"
Leaving her there without an answer, Woojin stepped out into the rain. The whole way to the bus stop, he cursed himself inwardly. I'm the idiot for worrying about a woman like that.
When the bus arrived, Woojin lifted his foot to board but stopped.
"...Aren't you getting on?"
At the driver's gruff question, Woojin stood there blankly before answering.
"Ah, no. I'm not."
Only after the bus had left did he fully realize what he'd done. Why didn't I get on?
But his feet were already carrying him back toward the company. He'd stopped by the pharmacy near the stop and picked up a small bag of medicine.
Ihwa was still sitting there in the same spot, staring blankly. Woojin wordlessly held out the medicine bag.
"I don't need it."
Just as expected. Ihwa didn't even glance at the medicine.
"Just take it. You've looked sick since this morning, so I bought it."
"What does this have to do with you, exactly..."
At that moment, Woojin's patience snapped completely. That attitude of hers—always saying it had nothing to do with her—along with all the frustration built up since the first day, came pouring out.
"What exactly did I do wrong? Why have you been putting up thorns against everyone since day one?"
Startled by the sudden outburst, Ihwa's eyes widened as she looked up at him.
"I greeted you as a colleague just trying to get along, and you responded rudely. I got worried and even bought medicine—why are you acting like this? Do you think I'm doing this because I want to get close to you? We're the same age and joined at the same time, so I reached out to be friendly. Do you really hate me that much?"
Only the sound of Woojin's rough breathing mixed with the rain.
Silence fell.
Ihwa stared at him with a dazed, frozen expression. Woojin was still fuming. If she put up her wall even after all that, he really would never associate with her again.
Finally, Ihwa spoke in a cracked voice.
"I... I hate people's attention. I just find it more comfortable to be alone. Why are you so nosy?"
"I bought it because I was worried about you as a person. At least consider the thought and take it."
Ihwa hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the medicine bag. After swallowing the pills, she leaned against the wall, lost in thought. Woojin stood a short distance away, staring at the rainy scenery.
About thirty minutes passed like that.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Ihwa asked.
Woojin replied grumpily, "If I leave, are you just going to walk home in the rain? I gave you medicine and now you're going to catch a cold again?"
At that moment, something unbelievable happened. A clear laugh burst from Ihwa's lips—the same lips that had never once shown a hint of a smile in all the time he'd known her.
"Woojin, you're surprisingly not a bad person after all."
"Excuse me? So you've been seeing me as a bad guy this whole time?"
"Well... yeah, a bit?"
Feeling wronged, Woojin irritably opened his umbrella and started walking toward the bus stop. Ihwa quickly trotted after him and slipped under his umbrella.
"Weren't you coming to pick me up? Why are you going alone?"
"Guess I'm the bad guy, huh."
Ihwa burst into laughter once more. Her smiling face, visible through the curtain of rain, was far more beautiful than any glamorous photo shoot Woojin had ever seen.
...
After the commotion in the pouring rain, the thick ice wall that had stood between them began to crack noticeably. It didn't take long for their relationship to shift from "that annoying colleague" to "a partner I can actually talk to."
Before they knew it, riding bus 1052 together on the way home had become a natural part of their daily routine.
One day, as they sat side by side looking out the window like always, Ihwa gently tugged at Woojin's collar and asked in a low voice,
"Woojin, the weather's nice today. Want to have a can of beer in front of my house?"