Kang Seulgi dragging her suitcase and carrying a backpack on her back, walking aimlessly at the roadside. Just a few hours ago she was kicked out by her aunty and uncle. She doesn't know where she will go. She don’t have enough money to buy food, not to mention pay for hotel room

“Aish, where to go?” Seulgi scratching her head

After walking a few meters, she saw a bus stop. She goes there to rest or maybe sleep there tonight “Seems like I’ll sleep here tonight. Hope no bad people hurt me” she mumble

“I’m hungry” Seulgi pouting while caressing her growling tummy “I should sleep so I’ll not feel hungry”

Seulgi leaned against the wall and closed her eyes to get some sleep. She dozed off immediately due to exhaustion after walking from her former house. Suddenly, she felt someone tapping her arm. Seulgi slowly open her eyes

“Hey, why do you sleep here?”

Seulgi blinks her eyes to get a better view of the people in front of her. A middle-age man with a young girl stand in front of her, waiting for her response

“Hello” Seulgi greet politely

“Unnie, why do you sleep here? Do you lose direction?” ask the young girl

“I…I don’t have a place to stay. I’m kicked out by my aunt” Seulgi say sadly

“Where are your parents?” ask the man

“My parents passed away in accident several months ago”

“Aigoo, sorry to hear that”

“It’s okay”

“By the way, I am Kim Yerim. You can call me Yeri. This is my appa, Kim Hyoyeon. What is your name, unnie?”

“I am Kang Seulgi”

Yeri looked at her father “Appa, can we bring unnie to our house? She will catch a cold if she sleeps here. It not safe for her too”

“Sure, let’s go with us” say Yeri’s father

“I don’t want to trouble your family” Seulgi feel bad

“No worry, Seulgi. It's just me, Yeri and my wife in our house. You’re not troubling us. It is not safe for you to stay here. Come on”

“Thank you, ahjussi and Yeri” Seulgi bow to Yeri and her father

……….

Kim’s house is just a few meters away from the bus stop. The father and daughter invite Seulgi to their house. The house is not as big as her former house but it looked cozy and clean

“Eomma” Yeri calling her mother

“Eomma at the kitchen, baby” say Mrs. Kim

“Yeobo, we have guests. Come here” Mr. Kim invite Seulgi to sit on the couch at living room, waiting for his wife

Mrs. Kim came from the kitchen wearing an apron. “Who is our guest?”

“Here she is” say Yeri

“Omo, who is this pretty girl?” Mrs. Kim was shocked to see the stranger. Seulgi bow to greet Yeri’s mother

“She is Kang Seulgi. Yerim and I found her sleeping at the bus stop earlier so we brought her home. It not safe for her to stay outside”

“Aigoo poor thing” Mrs. Kim caressing Seulgi back “What happened to you, Seulgi-ah? Why do you sleep at the bus stand?”

“I’m kicked out of my own house by my aunt. My parents died in an accident. Aunty and uncle come to my house and kick me out without me knowing the reason. They seem like hate me so much” Seulgi say sadly

“I’m sorry to hear that. You can stay with us from now on”

“I don’t want to trouble your family, aunty”

“You’re not a burden. It’s better than staying outside. It is harmful especially for a girl. Thankfully my husband and Yeri found you. I don’t know what would happen if someone had bad intentions towards you. You could catch cold and starving too”

Seulgi touched hearing kind words from Mrs. Kim “Thank you very much aunty, uncle and Yerim. You all don’t know how thankful I am meeting your family. Only God can return your kindness”

“Don’t mention that. We sincerely help you. From now on, you’ll be our family member” say Mr. Kim

“Yay, I have a sister now!” Yeri squeals, then she circles her arm around Seulgi's neck. Her parents smile warmly seeing their daughter is so happy having Seulgi around. They believe that Seulgi is not a bad people that could bring harm to their family

“Now it’s time to eat. Seulgi must be hungry” say Mrs. Kim

They go to the dining table. Seulgi was almost drooling seeing the delicious foods on the table. She used to eat expensive food that was cooked by a high-class chef at her house. This will be first time eating this kind of food so she is so excited to taste it. She comes from a rich family but she’s not going to tell anyone about it. After all, she lost everything already. Now she will start her new life as normal citizen

………….

Seulgi happily stayed with Yeri and her family. They treat her nicely. It’s been a while since she felt peace at home because since her parents passed away, her aunty and uncle treat her badly. Yeri is a high school student. Mr. Kim works as a security guard at Yeri’s school while Mrs. Kim is a housewife. Mrs. Kim loves baking. Sometimes she received orders from her friends to bake birthday cakes or order cakes, buns or cookies for events at work. She doesn't have plans to open a business but her friends said she is good at baking so they pay her to bake for them. Seulgi admits that Mrs. Kim is a great baker. She love the cake and bread that the elder made

One night at Kim's house, they ate dinner together like usual. Suddenly, Seulgi bring up the topic that get everyone attention

“Aunty, uncle…I think I want to find a job” Seulgi stated

“Really?”

“Yes, I feel bad doing nothing at home. I decided to find a job so I can help your family financially. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate everything you guys have given me since I stayed here but I don’t want to stay here freely. Besides, I’m old enough to work”

“No worry, Seul. We understand your intention. We’re fine if you want to work. Our family always support your decision” say Mr. Kang

“Yeri can help you to find job vacancy on internet” add Mrs. Kang

“Eomma is right. I’ll search for job vacancy around us after this then tomorrow I accompany you to apply”

“Okay” Seulgi say happily

………….

Early in the morning, Seulgi and Yeri go to town to apply for a job vacancy that Yeri found on the internet last night. She found a lot that was available around their area. Seulgi pick some job that she interested at so that they don’t need to go to every place

The first place they go is a café. Next is the bookstore. Third one is a convenience store and two other places. All places asking her to fill application form first then they will call her for interview

“Unnie, we went to all the places that you picked. Which one do you think will call you first?” Yeri asked when they sit on the bench eating ice cream

“I hope the café calls first. I am interested in working at the café. I want to learn making coffee so you can make delicious coffee for you, aunty and uncle”

“Hope your dream comes true”

“Thanks Yerimie”

“Let’s walk around again. Maybe we could find job vacancy as we go around”

“Let’s go” Yeri wipe her lips with tissue then they continue their journey

They walk in front of a luxury shop building. The entire building is owned by a famous fashion brand from South Korea. They renovated the entire shop lot to become a seven floor building. Three floor for shop, two floor for working space while the rest are for office

“House of Irene” Seulgi mumble as she read the brand name

“Unnie!” Yeri pull Seulgi closer to her

“What?”

“Unnie, they currently have a job vacancy for a sales assistant. It's an immediate intake! You should try this unnie” Yeri pointed at the advertisement at the entrance

“Sure, let’s enter” Seulgi also excited after read the requirement and benefit of the job

Both of them enter the building. They were greeted by the staff “Welcome to the House of Irene. May I help you?” a staff with name tag ‘Kim Jisoo' welcome them with bright smile

“We saw ads for job vacancies outside. Is it still available?” Yeri asking

“Yes, it is still available. We just opened it today. You two are the first people to come”

“Thank God. My unnie want to apply for that position”

“Sure, let’s meet our manager”

Jisoo walk them to manager office at first floor “Unnie, someone want to apply job”

“Let her in”

“You two may enter”

……….

Yeri and Seulgi sit politely across from the manager “Are you two come to apply for a job?”

“Yes ma’am. It’s me who want to apply” say Seulgi

“Okay, we need a staff member that can join us immediately. Can you start anytime?”

“Yes ma’am”

“Good” the manager nods her head “You may fill in the applicant form now. I’ll let you know other detail later”

“Okay ma’am” Seulgi immediately fill the form that the manager give her “Here is it ma’am”

The manager checking the form that Seulgi filled “Your name is Kang Seulgi”

“Yes”

“Alright, you’re accepted”

“Seriously?” Seulgi and Yeri asked in disbelief

“Yup, this is immediate intake and you’re qualified for that position. You can start working tomorrow”

“Aigoo, thank you very much” Seulgi say happily

“You’re welcome” the manager smiled sweetly “Our working hours are from 9 AM until 6 PM. Lunch break from 12 PM until 1:30 PM. Our off-day is on Tuesday. As for your salary, I’ll tell you tomorrow. Since you don’t have a uniform yet, you can wear a collar shirt. Red color if possible because our uniform is red. Wear long pant and shoes”

“Noted ma’am”

“By the way, I am Wendy Son. I am the same age as you so just call me Wendy. We drop honorifics when our boss is not around. If she is here then call me Manager Wendy”

“Okay Wendy-ssi”

“That’s all for now. I’ll see you tomorrow”

“Thank you for accepting me” Seulgi shake hand with Wendy

“You’re most welcome”

Wendy walks Seulgi and Yeri to the door, then they bid goodbye. At the front, they bump into Jisoo and some of her friends

“Hey, do you get the job?”

“Yes, I’m accepted” Seulgi said happily

“Congratulations. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kim Jisoo”

“I am Kang Seulgi. This is my sister, Yerim” say Seulgi

“Nice to meet both of you” say Jisoo then she calling her colleague “Guys, she will be the new member of IRENE”

“Cool. Welcome to the club, man. I am Moon Byulyi. Just call me Moonbyul”

“I am Roseanne Park. Everyone call me Rose”

“My name is Lalisa. Just call me Lisa. I am the one and only Thai girl here”

“I am Kim Jennie. Nice to meet you”

“We have three male staff but they currently go out to meet our client with our assistant manager. Our assistant manager is Kwon Eunbi. Supervisor is Byul unnie. Our male staff are Jaehyun, Renjun, Jaemin and Mark. You’ll meet them tomorrow” say Jisoo

Seulgi smiles at her future colleague “Nice to meet you guys. My name is Kang Seulgi”

“When will you start working?” asked Lisa

“Manager Son said tomorrow”

“Can’t wait for you to join us”

“See you all tomorrow”

“Okay, take care” the staff bid goodbye to Yeri and Seulgi

“Unnie, your future colleagues are nice and friendly. You’ll have fun working with them” say Yeri

“You’re right. I’m thankful that I meet good people like you all” Seulgi wrapped her arm around Yeri shoulder

“I should call Eomma to tell her that you get a job. She must be happy” Yeri takes out her phone to call her mother as if they will not meet each other at home. Seulgi only smiles seeing her antics. Yeri happily brag to her mother that Seulgi will work with the famous fashion brand in Korea

…………….

Today is Seulgi's first day working, she is nervous yet excited. She will get a new job as well as a new friend. She hopes she will do well in her job. This morning Yeri and her mother cheer her up for her first day

“Good morning” Seulgi greet Moonbyul and Lisa who currently working at the front

“Hey, morning Seulgi”

“Am I late?” Seulgi worry when she noticed that Moonbyul and Lisa already start working

“No, you’re early. Our manager asked you to come on 9, right?”

“Yes”

“First day will come at 9 but after that you must arrive at least 8:30 because we need to do some cleaning before our store opens. Wendy will tell you later, don’t worry” say Moonbyul

Seulgi nods her head “Is our manager arriving?”

“Yes, she is in her office. You can go to meet her now”

“Okay”

Around 15 minutes in Wendy’s office, the manager shows Seulgi her locker and gives a quick tour around the store. Wendy is very nice and friendly. Seulgi doesn't feel awkward anymore around her. Wendy easily make her feel comfortable

“I’ll leave you with Moonbyul unnie. She is the supervisor here. She will assist you with your work. If you have anything that you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask her or other staff” say Wendy after end their tour

“Noted”

“Unnie, I’ll leave Seulgi with you”

“Yes, I’ll take it from here” Moonbyul give thumb up to Wendy

“Okay” Wendy return to her office

“Seul, let start working” Moonbyul say happily

……………….

“Seul, how is your first week working so far?” Moonbyul asked Seulgi during lunch. She has lunch with Seulgi and Lisa. Three of them become best buddy since Seulgi first day working

“I enjoy working with you guys. I’m having fun and learning a lot. Thanks to both of you especially because you two helping me since first day” Seulgi say sincerely

“Don’t mention it, unnie. We’re doing our best. We’re like a family like Ms. Bae always said. All of us are also happy that we have new friends. You’re really fun to be with” say Lisa

“You guys are fun too. By the way, why don't I see our boss around?”

“Ms. Bae is currently on a business trip. If I not mistaken she will return in the end of this month” Moonbyul tapping her chin

“That’s mean it will be next week”

“True”

“When you see Ms. Bae for the first time, you might think she is scary, arrogant and cold. However, she is very kind, nice and warm-hearted. No matter what mistake we made when we were working, she never scolded us. She only gives advice so that we’ll be careful in future to avoid the same mistake happening. Her family is also nice to us, especially her younger sister. Her sister is very friendly. She bought us food whenever she visit the store” Moonbyul brag about their boss since she is one of the senior staff and most experienced among them

Then Lisa added “Ms. Bae is also generous. I have been working with them for a year now but I already received a big bonus. She gave us vitamins and herbs to keep us healthy. Ms. Bae also never miss attend her staff birthday party unless she is not around but she still give expensive gift for us on our birthday”

“True, never in my dream I’ll receive an expensive smart TV but Ms. Bae bought one for me on my birthday this year. My mom thought I borrowed money from loan sharks just to buy that smart TV” they laughed at Moonbyul story “Seriously Seul, you’ll not regret working with Ms. Bae. She is the best boss I ever meet”

“I look forward to work for a long time with you guys too” say Seulgi

……………

“Seul!” Mr. Kim excitedly enter the house as soon as he arrive at home

“Yes uncle” Seulgi answer from living room

Mr. Kim sat on the couch with a cheerful expression “Can you ride a motorcycle?”

Seulgi nodded her head “Yes, I can. I have license”

“My friend said his son wants to let go of his motorcycle because he wants to transfer to another city. If you want, I want to buy it for you so you don’t need to ride the bus every day. That motorcycle is still in good condition. I checked it already”

“But uncle, my money is not enough. I don’t receive payment yet this month”

“I’ll pay for it. The price is affordable”

Seulgi suddenly feels bad “Uncle, I'll be troubling you so much with that. Don’t waste your money”

“Don’t feel bad, Seul. I just want the best for you. You ride the bus every day and also waste your money. If you ride a motorcycle, you can save your daily budget for bus fare because your workplace is close. You don’t need to work far to the bus stand from our house too. Let me help you again this time, okay?”

Seulgi looked at Mr. Kim with tearful eyes. Even though they are not blood related, that man treats her like his own daughter. He and his wife love her like they love Yeri

“Okay but let me return your money when I receive my salary. I’ll pay you back monthly. Don’t say no”

“Deal! So, you agree to buy that motorcycle, right?”

“Yes”

“Since tomorrow is your off-day, we’ll go to their house to make payment”

“Okay uncle”

……………

Today Seulgi and her colleague are working diligently as usual. Some are serving customers, some checking stock while the others making sure the store is always clean and neat. Seulgi, Lisa, Mark and Jaemin currently brought the new stock to put on display

“Oh, why did Wendy noona rush out of her office?” Mark carrying the box when he notice Wendy run out of office

“Maybe Ms. Bae arrived” say Lisa

“Is she coming today?” Seulgi somehow excited to see their boss face

“Yup, she scheduled to arrive from overseas yesterday so she come to office today”

“Oh I see”

“You must be excited to see our boss” Lisa playfully nudging Seulgi

“I think so” Seulgi grin

…………………

A beautiful woman elegantly entered the building giving a friendly smile to her staff and customers. Behind her is her assistant, Kim Yongsun and the manager, Wendy

Irene Bae, the CEO and Creative Director of the famous brand that named after herself, IRENE. Famous products from her brand are handbags, purses, sunglasses and women's footwear. She is the mastermind of her product design and she works with some famous designers all around the world. Irene is one of the successful young business women from Asia. She successfully brought her brand to be known in the Asia and USA market. IRENE has opened a lot of outlets and flagship stores all around Asia and the USA. At the age of 30, she already had her own building that she named HOUSE OF IRENE. Her next target is entering the European market. She working very hard to make her dream comes true

Despite her popularity, wealth and great achievement, Irene is very humble and low profile. She is not arrogant. She is very kind and generous especially to her staff who work hard helping her at her store. Irene has a good relationship with her staff. She appreciate them because without her staff, she will not become what she is now

“Good morning, Ms. Bae” the staff greet their boss

“Good morning, everyone” Irene flashing bright smile to them then she walk to her office

In her office, Irene leaned comfortably on a swivel chair. Yesterday she arrived home early so she had plenty of time to rest. Today she come to work in fresh condition

“How is our business so far?” Irene asking Wendy

“Our business went smoothly. Clients also don’t have problems. New product just arrived two days ago. Our staff are currently arranging them on display. Our newly launched sandals gain high demand from customers so we need additional production. I already inform production team regarding that matter”

“Good” Irene satisfied “What else I need to know?”

“Two weeks ago we welcomed a new staff that replace Ms. Jung after her urgent resign”

Irene sat straight “Oh right, I forgot that we have new staff. I don’t notice her earlier”

“Maybe she is still in the store room to get the new stock. She is a really hard working and fast learner. All of our staff like her”

“Glad to hear that. Call her to come to my office. I want to see her”

“Okay boss” Wendy leave the boss office to call Seulgi

……………..

“Seulgi!” Wendy calling Seulgi name making the name owner quickly looking at her

“Yes?”

“Boss want to see you” Wendy stated

“Really?” Seulgi startled

“Yup, let’s go. She’s waiting”

“O-okay”

“Don’t worry, she not eating human” Wendy joking to get rid of Seulgi nervousness

…………..

Seulgi sits nervously across from Irene. The CEO currently reading Seulgi’s information on the file

“Kang Seulgi-ssi”

“Yes Ms. Bae”

“Wow, you're a graduate from University of Manchester with a Bachelor Degree in International Business, Finance and Economics. You’re a genius” Irene looked at Seulgi in disbelieve “Why do you apply working here?”

“Am I not qualified to be a sales assistant?” Seulgi looking at Irene with teary eyes

“No, don’t get me wrong. With your achievement, you can apply for a better job. Not only a sales assistant” Irene clarify her statement so that Seulgi not offend

Seulgi sighs “The story is long, Ms. Bae”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for saying such things” Irene apology

“Don’t feel bad. It is just a personal problem that makes me can’t go further. I’m accepted here. It's good enough. Thank you for accepting me as your staff, Ms. Bae” Seulgi bow her head

“You’re welcome. I received a good comment about you from Manager Son. Keep up the good work”

“Sure, Ms. Bae” Seulgi smile cutely

Irene's heart flutters seeing Seulgi’s smile. This is the first time someone made her heart thumping fast with a cute smile. None of her staff or people she met able to do it to her

“You may go now” Irene say after calm herself

“Okay”

Irene tapping her fingers on her desk “Why does that cute smile feel familiar?” she mumble “Hm, I meet so many people that maybe someone smiled like her”

…………….

Irene on her way leaving her office when she saw Seulgi at the parking lot. Seulgi putting on her jacket when Irene approaching her

“Kang Seulgi”

Seulgi turns around, surprised seeing Irene smiling behind her “Yes, Ms. Bae? What can I do for you?”

“Are you rushing to go home?”

“No”

“Em, can you accompany me eating?” Irene nervously asking

“Pardon” Seulgi shocked because she never thought her boss will ask her to accompany her eating

“I asked if you could accompany me to dinner. I don’t want to eat alone” Irene pouting her lips

“Why not invite Ms. Solar or Manager Son?”

“They go home already. Kang Seulgi, please~” Irene begging with puppy eyes

“Okay, I’ll inform my aunt first”

“Alright” Irene say cheerfully when Seulgi agree to have dinner with her

“Ms. Bae, where will we have dinner?” Seulgi asking after she called Mrs. Kim to tell the elder that she will eat with her boss

“You follow my car”

“Okay boss”

…………..

Seulgi found herself in a Korean restaurant near their shop. Irene ordered a lot of food for them. Seulgi doubts if they can finish it all. It such a waste if they unable to finish those foods

“Ms. Bae, isn’t this too much for two? Is there someone will join us?” Seulgi looking at many delicious foods in front of her

“We’re not expecting someone else. It’s only you and me. No one can join us if I eat with you”

Seulgi starts picking food with her chopstick “You sound like a possessive girlfriend. Shall I call you a possessive boss?”

“Seulgi~” Irene unconsciously whines. She suddenly shows her true color in front of Seulgi even though the younger girl is her staff. Usually she only acts childish when she is with her family. She has had her eyes on Kang Seulgi since after their talk in her office. It has been three months since Seulgi working in her shop and she just get courage to ask her out now

“Do you usually invite your staff to have dinner together like this?” Seulgi looking at Irene

“No, you’re the first one. Except for Solar and Wendy, I never invite anyone. I only eat with them during staff gathering”

“Why suddenly ask me to eat with you? What if other staff know? They will think that you’re unfair”

“I’ll make sure no one know I go out with you”

“Hm, you win. Next time don’t order too much if just both of us are eating. Don’t waste food”

Irene's eyes twinkled “Are you saying that you agree to go out with me?”

Seulgi shakes her head “It’s not what I mean. It just in case”

“Seulgi!” Irene sulking

The younger girl cackle “Don’t su