. T W O . 

As the final touch, Jihye applied her lipstick. She'd chosen a -pink to give her a classy but professional air. Rubbing her lips together, she took a step back from the full length mirror and flattened the creases in the skirt of her dress. Dissatisfied, she grabbed her hairbrush from the near coffee table and ran it through the length of her dark brown, waist length hair once more, and once she'd untangled the few knots that were there, ran her fingertips through her fringe, rearranging the way it sat on her forehead. 

She was hit with the embarrassing sensation that she was just a little girl playing grown-up. She usually didn't get nervous with interviews. At least, not this nervous. She was so good at meeting prospective clients for her babysitting gig that she didn't even prepare in advance. And even her interview as a receptionist had been breezy. But they were different. This was an entirely new thing. She'd never interviewed with any distinguished or rich people before, and she didn't know what to expect. They were bound to have high standards. Of course, every parent only wanted the best for their children, but if you could actually afford the best, then naturally you wouldn't go for a graduate student babysitting on the side. What's more, although the details were hazy, she wanted this job. She wanted the boost in earnings it would give her. 

She checked her phone for the time, and quickly hurried to the door and stuffed her feet into her flats. She was early, but she wanted to arrive at the coffee shop- the agreed meeting spot- ahead of time so that she could settle her nerves and practice a little more. Before she forget, she grabbed her plastic wallet and shoved it into her tote. It had her resume and the contact numbers for her references. She wanted to have it just on hand in case this informal interview became something more serious. 

The coffee shop Uncle Euisoo had told her to go to wasn't anywhere she had heard before. As soon as she entered, she knew she didn't belong there. It was beautiful, with floor to ceiling windows that let all the sunlight in and all sorts of live plants scattered around. The customers weren't the kind that you'd find at Starbucks. They seemed to be mostly middle-aged and older women, the kind who fought off wrinkles with plastic surgery and were never caught in public without manicured nails and sleeked back hair. 

The waiter lead her to a seat near the back. As she passed a group of three ladies, she heard them talking. "-With how busy he is with the merger, I'm surprised he even has time to spare to his mistress. But it's just as well. So long as she sleeps with him, I don't have to." Cue to controlled, high pitched laughter. 

Okay, so this wasn't Jihye's usual crowd. 

She sat herself down and peaked at the menu the waiter had given her. It was five pages of beverages, ranging from coffees to herbal teas to heathy smoothies. Jihye was just about to order a white chocolate matcha latte when her eyes went to the price and doubled in size. Maybe she'd just order water instead.

Right on time, an older woman entered. Jihye immediately thought she was beautiful. Her grey hair was cut short into a respectable bob, framing her round face. She had wide, brown eyes, bracketed by crows feet, but something about them were calm and wise. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and unlike some of the other ladies there, seemed to be happy showing her true age, but the way she carried herself- head straight, shoulders back, with an unhurried but purposeful walk, exuded a confidence that obliterated any Jihye had managed to collect within herself while she had been waiting. The effect was so total and immediate that Jihye was actually impressed. She expected for her to go sit at one of the other tables with the other gossiping ladies, but instead, the waiter lead her directly to Jihye's table. 

This was the parent? Jihye thought in confusion. She seemed a little too old to have young children. 

"Might you be Jeon Jihye?" The woman asked. Her voice was quiet, but not in a shy way. More like she knew that people would shut up to listen to her speak so she never had to worry about raising her voice. 

"Yes, that would be me. Nice to meet you, Ms..."

"You may call me Mrs. Park." Mrs. Park placed her coat and purse on an empty seat and then took one herself. "I hope you had no trouble getting here. It's not a place that usually attracts a lot of young people like you."

"It wasn't a problem at all," Jihye said, thinking back to the fifteen minutes when she had taken several wrong streets. 

"Good. Well, let me order a drink and then we can get down to the business at hand." When a steaming cup of burdock root tea was sitting in Mrs. Park's small hands, she finally offered Jihye a small smile. "I know what you're thinking, that I'm too old to have a child that needs babysitting." 

"No, not at all," Jihye said hurriedly, fighting to keep her face neutral. 

Mrs. Park snorted. "Actually, this concerns my granddaughter. I'm c