Ji Won was enthusiastic to finally begin her internship at the IAI, which officially begins at 8AM sharp. The institute was a quick commute from her small apartment, which took around 20 minutes by train. She dressed smart, but simple on her first day – a navy Peter Pan collar blouse tucked into a beige knee-length wrap skirt with a pair of ankle strap pumps.

Ji Won entered the IAI, a contemporary 14-storey building with each level focusing on different languages. According to the confirmation email, Ji Won was situated on level 7, which was in charge of Chinese and English. Despite suffering from mild claustrophobia, she waited for the elevators to head up because it was a problem she needed to overcome, even if her progress was slow. Currently, she could endure around 5 minutes in small enclosed spaces. Thank goodness the IAI didn’t test interns on simultaneous interpretation until they have become official employees she thought, as this required them to enter into little booths.

Although hesitant, Ji Won reluctantly stepped into the elevator. She grasped onto the guide rail inside as she watched the doors slide shut. Her hands became sweaty, but she occupied her mind with positive thoughts, using her excitement to distract herself. She was able to suppress any panic and was relieved when the doors finally opened to level 7, where a receptionist warmly greeted her.

“Hi,” Ji Won greeted back, “I’m looking for room 73.”

“Third room on your left.”

“Thank you.” Ji Won briskly made her way over to the room, which offered a magnificent view to Seoul’s cityscape through its glass windows. Other interns were already seated at single desks and she recognised a few familiar faces from the IAI interviews. 

“Hey Hana,” Ji Won greeted a friend who applied to IAI with her, while taking an adjacent seat.

“Ji Won! About time you appeared!”

“It’s five to! Don’t scare me.”

Hana laughed anxiously. “Sorry. Just feeling slightly jittery on the first day,” she said while fidgeting with her hands. “The director’s in the room next door. He looks good on TV, but much better in person. All the female interns want to pursue him.”

“Don’t you remember what our seniors said? There are ten points to abide by in order to succeed at IAI. One; know your second language better than your first. Two; your third even better. Three; avoid the director at all cost. As for the remaining seven points, please refer to point three.” Ji Won recited, and they both giggled.

Not long before the seats filled up, a row of four authoritative figures entered the room and stood facing the interns.

“Good morning everyone. I am Yoon Tae Sun, chairman of IAI.” A man in his fifties began, his half-moon shaped glasses resting low on his nose. “Firstly, congratulations on your successful admission to IAI. This year, there were over 200 applicants and the competition was tough, so well done all five of you. Secondly, I’d like to remind you that your internship is a probationary position. Only three of you will be selected to become full-time employees, so do not get comfy just yet. Now without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to your three mentors. We have Kang Yoo Jung, Choi Gwang Min and Director Lee Je Hoon, whom you all probably know. Can intern Kim Ji Won stand up?”

Ji Won’s eyes widened. Why was her name suddenly called out? She nervously stood up, looking perplexed.

“Intern Ji Won,” the chairman carried on, “since you’ve achieved the highest university grades, your training will be personally taken care of by the director.”

Je Hoon began to retaliate, “Chairman, I will not be taking any in-”

"Je Hoon, we have discussed this. You're to make an exception for students who have scored above 95%. Intern Ji Won, do you accept?"

“Y-yes” Ji Won answered, a bit too high-pitched. Although she knew the director was not too fond of her, he’ll eventually soften up; just like ramen does when met with boiling water she thought optimistically. However, she could tell from Je Hoon’s irritated expression that he was far from overly ecstatic about this arrangement.

“Now that that’s settled, I’ll pass on to the director to inform you of IAI’s code of conduct.”

“By tomorrow, everyone shall have IAI’s code of conduct memorised. First, never be late. Second, makeup and fragrances are to be kept minimal as clients may develop allergies towards them.” Je Hoon continued to go through the code of conduct, his stern expression never waning. “Lastly, I know most of you are in your twenties, which is the prime age for dating. But, there is to be absolutely no office romance until you successfully become official employees."