Chapter 4

You Again

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Alarm blaring, Jiyeon sleepily stuck her hand out from under her warm and cozy blankets, reaching in search of the noise maker. Her eyes were still sealed shut as she felt around for her phone. 

After almost feeling up her entire nightstand in frustration as the alarm continued to sound loudly, she finally found the device and let out a breath of relief as she turned off her alarm. Quietness surrounded Jiyeon once again as she sighed in content and snuggled back into her comforters. 

It wasn’t until 10 minutes later that she shot up in realization. Today was the day she was to meet up with the CEO of Oh Enterprise. 

Jiyeon immediately scrambled onto her feet, but as she did her foot got caught in the sheets. She mentally braced herself as she felt gravity take her down.

“,” muttered Jiyeon, rubbing her nose where the floor had coincidently met with her face. Still dazed on the ground, she looked over at the clock to find out she had less than an hour to get ready and 30 minutes to commute to the company. Jiyeon immediately shot up from the ground, leaving behind a messy bed, and ran to the restroom to proceed with her morning routine.

After a quick shower, Jiyeon immediately felt refreshed and awake. She wrapped a towel around her body as she made her way to her vanity table where a bunch of skincare products were scattered across.

She began to apply toner, lotion, eye cream, and everything else that was needed to complete her 10-step beauty skin care routine, which everyone around her thought was absolutely ridiculous. But because of the weather in Korea, she knew it was necessary. 

While she waited for everything to set, she made her way to her small walk in closet to pick out her outfit before applying makeup. Wanting to make a good first impression, she decided on a white button up blouse tucked into a baby blue pencil skirt and paired it with a matching blazer. 

Satisfied with her outfit, Jiyeon sat down on the carpeted ground in front of a large mirror. She was always too lazy to walk back to her vanity table, so she opted to do her makeup on the ground. 
At last, she took one last look in the mirror before grabbing her purse and binder from her desk. Because she had to leave immediately in order to arrive on time, she had no time to eat breakfast. She quickly grabbed a banana from the counter and made her way towards the front door. 

Jiyeon quickly slipped on a pair of black heels before scurrying out the door. 

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Jiyeon stared up at the large building in front of her. Even though her company building was big, the building in front of her was even bigger and grander.

It had taken her at least 30 minutes by bus to get to Oh Enterprise and with all the traffic, she was glad she made it on time. 

Taking a deep breath to calm her nervousness, Jiyeon finally made her way through the glass revolving doors and into the extravagant building.

As soon as she stepped foot into the lobby, she immediately took notice of the interior. Everything seemed posh and modern. It was simplistic yet extravagant at the same time. It seemed like the CEO liked the minimalistic yet modern style of furniture. She also noted the color palette: black, grey, and white with wood accents.

Just like Seoul Architects’ company building, there was a series of gates with security plastered on both sides where employees had to scan their company cards in order to get in. 

Jiyeon made her way towards the receptionists’ desk that sat in the middle of the lobby as she continued to look around while taking mental notes.

“How may I help you?” asked one of the receptionists, looking up at Jiyeon.

“Hi, I’m here for Seoul Architects,” said Jiyeon with a small smile. “I’m here for my meeting with CEO Oh.”

“Hold on a sec,” said the receptionist, who’s name tag read Son Seunghee. She quickly looked something up on her computer, which Jiyeon assumed was the CEO’s schedule. “Ah, yes it says here that there is a 9 am meeting scheduled. Are you Kim Jiye- oh my gosh are you the Kim Jiyeon?”

“Yes, I’m Kim Jiyeon,” answered Jiyeon hesitantly. 
“Oh my gosh, I’m a big fan of your work!” said Seunghee grinning widely. “Your work is absolutely beautiful. It’s amazing how you transformed that old warehouse into a brand-new one-story office building!”

“Ah, thank you,” said Jiyeon, giving the woman a small smile. She felt her cheeks warm up in embarrassment.

“And you’re so pretty too,” gushed Seunghee, “Honestly, you’re such an inspiration and my role model.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’m at the level to be someone’s role model,” said Jiyeon politely. “I still have a lot to learn but thank you.”

“Sorry, I got a little bit too excited,” said Seunghee, trying to gain her composure. “I’ll ring CEO Oh’s assistant to inform them that you’re here.”

“Thank you,” said Jiyeon nodding.

Seunghee quickly picked up the phone and pressed a button. “Hello? Ms. Kim from Seoul Architects is here for her 9am meeting with CEO Oh. Yes sir, I’ll send her up immediately.”

The woman hung up the phone before giving Jiyeon a wide smile. “You can make your way up to the top floor.”

Seunghee gestured for one of the security guards to open the gate to let Jiyeon through.

“Thank you again and it was nice meeting you, Seunghee-sshi,” said Jiyeon, giving the girl a polite smile before making her way towards the elevator. 

Once in the elevator, Jiyeon held her hand up to her heart nervously. She felt her hea