Some call it coincidence, some call it fate. At the time, Gyuri considered it an unfortunate coincidence meeting Seung Hun once again. But looking at it in hindsight, she would have to thank fate for working its magic in her life. 

After two weeks of driving the rental car that did smell like smoke and felt plain dirty, Gyuri finally got her Audi back. The mechanic shop even got the coffee stains out of her floor mats. But instead of that new car smell, there was a lingering scent of coffee that reminded Gyuri of that one day. 

Otherwise, not much has happened in the past two weeks for the both of them. Life was comfortable. 

However, today was a little different for Gyuri. After working at her company for eight months, it was her first time going to a company convention. Her boss sent out an email asking who had wanted to attend. Many co-workers naturally declined the offer because, let’s face it, conventions were pretty boring. And the fact that it was on a Saturday didn’t help either. Gyuri felt sorry and felt like she owed her boss a favor for letting her take a day off when she had the accident, so she volunteered herself to attend. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be as boring as everyone thought it to be. These conventions were usually more business orientated and Gyuri dabbled a little in the arts of business when she took some classes in college. She could pick up some useful knowledge here and there. 

Gyuri dressed to impress; she didn’t want to give her company a bad reputation, now would she? It was all professional today. She wore conservative black top and finished off her look with a white pencil skirt giving her outfit a classic touch with a modern twist. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, leaving two strands to frame her face. 

With this look, she could definitely attract some new men in her life. But then again, the only men to meet at this convention probably weren’t that exciting. Sigh, she could only hope. She put on her black suede pumps and headed out for the most boring hours of her life. Exciting. 

“Oh! Jinah! I didn’t know you were going to be here!” Gyuri said happily seeing that one of her fellow co-workers was her as well. Now, Gyuri had someone she could talk with to pass time by faster. Jinah was Mr. Im’s secretary. Gyuri and Jinah had lunch together a couple of times before. 

“Yeah, Mr. Im wanted me to come. He is here, too.” 

“Oh, really? I’ll make sure to say hi to him later then.” 

Gyuri looked around the room, and confirming her prior thoughts, this was going to be rather dull. The only other young women in the room were the arm candy of successful men and Gyuri did not want to associate herself with any gold diggers. She kept mum about her thoughts on gold diggers because that was obviously their choice in the first place. She had to remember to be strictly professional; she didn’t know who could be eavesdropping. 

“So, you’ve been to some conventions before? How do these they usually work? Are they as bad as people say they are?” Gyuri inquired. 

“Yeah, I’ve been to a few. They aren’t that bad. It’s just that it’s on a weekend and people have better things to do on a weekend than go to this, you know what I mean?” Jinah answered. 

“Yeah, I get your point.” 

Usually, Seung Hun sent another person to take his place when conventions like these came around. But he figured he hasn’t made a person appearance in a while and wanted to see what was occurring in the Korean business world first hand. He wouldn’t say he actually enjoyed attending, but more so had a responsibility to go once in a while. Though, he made a few acquaintances over the few years he would enjoy seeing again. 

Seung Hun kept it semi casual with his ed white suit and striped blue tie. He did not want to wear anything too over the top even though he knew other pompous men who just loved wearing money. He didn’t want to associate himself with any of them. 

Seung Hun parked his Range Rover in the designated garage for the convention. He got out of his car and coincidentally enough, he parked next to a white Audi A5, the same model and same color to the one he crashed into. He looked at the car that resembled the one similar to that one girl and recalled the whole memory, but other than that thought nothing of it. Seung Hun headed towards the building the convention was held in. 

Gyuri and Jinah continued their small talk with one another until someone caught Jinah’s attention. “Ooo look at that man who just came in. Come to mama.” 

“Where?!” Gyuri looked in the direction Jinah nodded at. When Gyuri saw the man Jinah was referring to, Gyuri’s jaw dropped. Not in a OMG-OMG-he’s-so-hot kind of way but in a holy-shit –what-the-hell-is-he-doing-here!? kind of way. 

“Oh my gosh, he is so hot,” Jinah commented to herself. 

Gyuri turned around immediately hoping that he would not make any eye contact with her. Was she supposed to pretend that she knew him? Or were they still considered strangers? Imagine the awkwardness of making eye contact with someone who crashed into you two weeks ago. The thought itself made Gyuri cringe. “What’s he doing now?”Gyuri whispered to Jinah. 

Jinah paid no attention to Gyuri’s suspicious movements because Jinah’s eyes never left the perfection of Song Seung Hun. “He’s walking in our direction! How do I look?” Jinah looked at Gyuri for approval, but to her surprise, Gyuri vanished! “Gyuri?” Jinah turned around and saw Gyuri running for her life in the opposite direction, almost tripping on her heels. 

“Jinah! I’m glad you came!” Mr. Im appeared suddenly. Mr. Im was the CEO of the company Gyuri worked at, KARA Enterprise. He was a jolly old man, past the age of 60 already, that everyone at the company loved. 

“Oh, hello Mr. Im. How are you doing?” 

“I’m doing just fine, thank you for asking. Have you seen Gyuri around? She said that she would be attending as well,” Mr. Im asked Jinah. 

“She was right here a second ago, but I have no idea where she went.” Mr. Im saw the confused look in Jinah’s eyes as she scanned the room in search for Gyuri. 

Seung Hun walked towards Mr. Im. Mr. Im was one of Seung Hun’s close acquaintances he made over the years and he always made sure to talk with him at these conventions. “Mr. Im! How have you been?” 

“Seung Hun! I haven’t seen you in ages!” They shook hands warmly as they reacquainted themselves. 

Gyuri managed to hide where Seung Hun or any other man would never dare to enter, the women’s restroom. She needed a moment to catch her breath because to be completely honest, Gyuri wasn’t the physically fittest female in the world. And running on heels did not make it any easier. 

Why the hell is he here? Gyuri thought to herself as she leaned against the wall panting heavily. She pulled out her phone and called Jinah. 

As Jinah was still looking around the room to find Gyuri, while wondering what the heck that was all about, she felt her phone vibrating inside her purse. She picked up her phone and answered Gyuri. 

“Gyuri? Where on earth did you go?!” 

“Is that guy... is he still there?” 

“Gyuri, are you okay?” Jinah asked genuinely worried about her condition. Gyuri sounded like she was dying. 

“No...” Gyuri replied honestly. “I just ran… as fast as I could... from that... one guy” Gyuri said in between heavy breaths.

Jinah could hear Gyuri’s heavy panting on the other side of the phone. “What guy?” 

“That... one... guy...” She really needed to start working out again. Her lack of physical ability was embarrassing. 

“I’ll see you around later, Mr. Im.” 
“Okay, Seung Hun. Bye!” Seung Hun walked off in the direction of the restrooms. 

Jinah concluded that it must be the hot stranger that Gyuri was talking about; call it woman’s intuition. “The hot man? No, he just finished talking to Mr. Im and is leaving somewhere else.” 

“Okay, thanks.” And with that, Gyuri hung up her phone. Jinah caught on to Gyuri’s suspicious actions and wondered what Gyuri had to do with the guy. Could it be that they had a past relationship together? That must be it! If that were the case, Jinah wanted details pronto.

The coast was clear. Gyuri took a deep breath to catch her breath, fixed a few stray hairs in the mirror, and headed out of the bathroom and back towards where Jinah and Mr. Im were at. Man, that was a close call. 

However, the strings of fate could not keep them apart any longer. When Gyuri turned the corner, there was no more avoiding him. There he was, right in the middle staring at her dead in the face. There was no one else but them in that hallway. 

It did not take long for them to recognize each other. How could Seung Hun not recognize her when he has been unconsciously thinking about her ever since the car crash? How could Gyuri not forget the man who crashed into his car? Gyuri looked like a deer caught in the headlights whose jaw almost dropped to the floor. And Seung Hun? He had so many foreign emotions running through him that he didn’t know what to think. 

Once they locked eyes with each other, they could not look away afraid that the universe might implode from the awkwardness. Gyuri was left completely speechless; this was exactly why she went through such great lengths to avoid him. She was usually a confident woman but in this situation, it felt like suffocation. And Seung Hun had the same inquiries as Gyuri had: am I supposed to talk to her like nothing happened? Do I pretend to know her or not? Is she still mad at me? What should I do? 

“Seung Hun, I thought I saw you heading this way.” Gyuri had to think quickly to escape while Seung Hun was distracted. “And look, I see you’ve made a new... friend.” Damn it. Gyuri could have used this opportunity to run away from the whole situation, but since she was acknowledged as well, although disrespectfully from the man, she had to stay or it would be unprofessional of her. 

Seung Hun recognized that voice and now regretted his decision to come here. He broke out of his trance with the woman and turned around to face a rather distasteful human being. “Hello Chung Ho.” 

She observed the other man, Chung Ho. She had to admit he was somewhat attractive but what threw her off was the rude vibe coming from him. And the arm candy wrapped around his waist that he brought along to show off didn’t help change Gyuri’s first impressions of him either. She was wearing a red gown that looked like she was trying too hard for attention especially only at a work convention, but if she wanted to win the best dressed award, more power to her.

Seung Hun shared the same thoughts as Gyuri. He never liked Chung Ho, the heir to another company his father owned and just rode the coattails of his father. Seung Hun started from the ground up to build his company, but Chung Ho looked down on Seung Hun’s new money. And Chung Ho always went out of his way to rub it in Seung Hun’s face. 

“And you might be?” Chung Ho directed at Gyuri. 
Gyuri cleared before responding. “I’m Park Gyuri, I work for KARA Enterprise as an engineer with Mr. Im. Perhaps you know him?” Gyuri responded professionally. Despite the blatant superiority Chung Ho portrayed, Gyuri would not lose face. She just wanted to put him in his place, but in the business world there is a hierarchy she must follow.

Park Gyuri, so that is her name, Seung Hun mentally noted to himself. 

“Yes, I possess some knowledge of the notorious Mr. Im. You must have some special skill sets for him to hire a woman at such a young age,” Chung Ho said with a transparent smile.

Gyuri had to restrain herself from hurting the man. He completely thought she used her pretty face to get her position or was incapable otherwise. Gyuri knew better than to allow her emotions take over, but still prepared to reply with a savvy comment. 

Seung Hun observed Gyuri and could not tell any differences from her face before or after Chung Ho’s undermining comment. She kept her cool well. But Seung Hun knew that Chung Ho was only giving Gyuri the bad end of the stick only because Chung Ho saw her with him, and, therefore, felt the responsibility to step in. “I’m sure you of all people would know which certain qualities your workers would need then, Chung Ho.” Seung Hun looked at Chung Ho’s female company and then looked back at Chung Ho so he could catch the hint. 

Seung Hun looked over at Gyuri, only to be returned with determined eyes that read I could have done that myself.Nonetheless, Gyuri felt she deserved the last say. “If those skills you have in mind are hardworking, well-qualified, and ethical, then I am sure Mr. Im made the right choice in hiring me, or do you question his character? Now if you will excuse me.” Gyuri did not want to be involved in any little drama between Seung Hun and Chung Ho. Even though she did not appreciate Chung Ho degrading her, Gyuri knew when and when not to pick her fights. So she said just enough to prove her point and move on. Seung Hun’s eyes followed Gyuri’s back as she walked off, not surprised that she could handle herself so well but still completely impressed. 

Shortly after, Seung Hun followed suit. “The presentation is about to start. I better go as well.” 

“I know. That’s why I am dressed like this. I have the honor of making a speech. See you around Seung Hun.” Chung Ho walked away with his beloved arm candy while Seung Hun walked the other way into the conference area. 

Gyuri returned to the place where Jinah remained. 

“Gyuri! Where the heck did you go?!” Jinah interrogated Gyuri immediately. 

“It’s a long story.” 

“Does it have to do with you and Mr. Song?” 

Gyuri gave Jinah a confused look. “Who’s Mr. Song?” 

“Mr. Song Seung Hun! He was the hot man who came in before you ran away!” Song Seung Hun, so that was his name, Gyuri mentally noted. At Gyuri’s sudden fall of facial expression, Jinah concluded that it did in fact have something to do with Mr. Song. “Oh my goodness, how do you know him?” 

“Come on, the meeting is about to start,” Gyuri said to divert the attention off of her. She did not want to explain the connection between her and “Mr. Song” to Jinah because there was nothing to explain. They were just strangers. 

“Come on Gyuri, we have time! Tell me!” Gyuri ignored Jinah’s continuous snooping and dragged her along to the board room to listen to the speakers and their speeches. 

Seung Hun found Mr. Im once again and decided to sit down next to him considering he would want someone to talk to during the monotonous presentations. However, when he saw a familiar someone once again, his eyes followed her as she managed to find a seat to sit in. 

“That girl you are looking at is Park Gyuri.” Seung Hun turned to Mr. Im somewhat startled that he had been caught staring. Mr. Im chuckled at Seung Hun’s reaction and continued to inform him. “Have you met her yet? Very bright woman for her age. She is going to go far in my company.” 

“Why do you think that?” Seung Hun asked, wanting to know more. 

“Were you not listening to me? I just told you she’s a very bright girl! She is hardworking, well-qualified, and –“

“Ethical?” Seung Hun finished for him. 

“Yes exactly! She has the wits to be in business, I am telling you.” Thinking about all the times he has met her, he could definitely admit that she had wits. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” That question gave Seung Hun an array of different emotions. But one thing was certain; he only thought of Gyuri when he was asked that question. Mr. Im noted Seung Hun’s reaction but he did not want to talk relationships now; he had to be professional, too. “You are jealous I hired her before you did.” 

Seung Hun let out a sigh of relief. “She seems more suited for engineering than for what I need anyways.” 

“It’s okay to be in denial sometimes, Seung Hun,” Mr. Im advised. Seung Hun did not seem to catch the underlying meaning to his words. Mr. Im smiled knowing that Seung Hun was another man to fall victim to Park Gyuri’s beauty. And he wondered if Seung Hun had the determination to break through to her. 

- - - - -

Gyuri was working at her office desk until she heard a phone call from her work phone. The phone rang only for important situations. She answered the phone. “Hello?” 

“Gyuri, can you come into my office for a moment? I would like to speak to you,” Mr. Im replied. 

Immediately, Gyuri started panicking. Did I do something wrong?! “Um, okay.” 

“Be here in five minutes.” And then, dial tone. 

Five minutes?! His office was all the way on the top floor and she only worked on floor three. Gyuri ran to the elevator and pressed the up button a thousand times per second thinking that the more times and faster you press the button, the quicker the elevator would arrive. Finally, the elevator arrived and Gyuri rushed in and continued pressing the button for the top floor impatiently. Gyuri was tapping her foot while the elevator music played as the elevator took her to the top floor. She wanted to scream in frustration. The doors opened, and Gyuri rushed out. 

Gyuri gave Jinah a quick wave before dashing towards Mr. Im’s office. “Hi Jinah!” “Hey Gyuri!” Before opening the door, she stopped to catch her breath and used her hands to tidy her windblown hair. After regaining posture, she opened the large doors and headed inside. 

Mr. Im was standing near the large glass windows, staring at the beautiful skyline. He turned around when he heard Gyuri come in. 

She bowed politely to Mr. Im. “Hello, Mr. Im. How are you today?” 
“I’m fine, thank you for asking,” Mr. Im replied.
“So you wanted to talk to me?” Gyuri asked cautiously. 

Mr. Im was not making this easy for her. He paced around the room as if he thought hard about something and that something was not good at all. “Gyuri, answer me honestly. Did you take the emergency stairs or did you use the elevator to come to my office?” 

Gyuri was taken aback by Mr. Im’s odd question. She took a few moments before answering “I took the elevator,” like it was the obvious answer. How did he expect her to run up twelve flights of stairs in under five minutes? 

Mr. Im started shaking his head. “Gyuri, Gyuri, Gyuri...” Now Gyuri was really starting to get worried. “As a boss, you should expect that I only want the best of the best workers working for me.”

“I understand that, and I think I suit what you look for in your workers completely.” 

“That is where you are wrong Gyuri.” Gyuri’s heart fell when she heard those words. Was she going to get fired? “Jinah enlightened me on your drawbacks.” 

What drawbacks? And Gyuri only knew Jinah on an acquaintance level so how would she be able to determine what her shortcomings are. 

“May I ask what my drawbacks are? Maybe I can improve on them.” 

“Yes, you will improve on them. Jinah told me how at the convention last weekend, you were short of breath after only running here and there. Recently, I read an article that stated that some bosses allow their employees an extended lunch break to have a quick run. The exercise resulted in improved work efficiency.” Where was he getting with this?“You are taking shortcuts, Gyuri, and therefore, you are not reaching your full potential. Your work efficiency can be even better than it is now, and, remember, I want the best.” 

“What should I do then? Are you going to make me run during my lunch break?”

“No! You will just use the extra time to eat even more and get fatter! No, instead I am making you work out on your spare time.”

“Can you even do that?!”

“I can fire you instead,” Mr. Im retorted. Gyuri bit her tongue at those words. “And to make sure you follow my orders, I have already assigned you a trainer.”

“Who?” 

“Song. Seung. Hun.” 

And like the time Gyuri saw him at that stupid convention, her jaw dropped to the floor. She thought she would never see Seung Hun again the day after he crashed into her car, but she did. And she suffered enough through the awkwardness meeting him again. But again? God definitely was not throwing her a bone. And it’s not like it was the last time she would ever see him. If he is her trainer, she will be seeing him again and again and again and again. And again. 

“Mr. Im, you don’t understand! That one day when I had to call off work because I got into an accident? It was Song Seung Hun that crashed into me!” 

“You have already been acquainted. Even better.”

“What about Jinah? I can train with her!” Jinah. She was the one who said the coast was clear when it clearly wasn’t and she was the one who told Mr. Im of her physical inabilities. It was all Jinah’s fault! Gyuri needed to get back at Jinah; Jinah was a life ruiner! 

“I don’t want to hear any more objections Gyuri.” And that was the end to their discussion. 

Gyuri just stood there completely speechless. If it were any other time, she might even consider quitting for Mr. Im’s unreasonableness but between the accident and living expenses, she needed the money. And for the salary she was getting, it would be stupid to quit. Gyuri had no other choice. She would just have to it up and work out with Song Seung Hun. 

When Gyuri left his office, Mr. Im let out a laugh. Everything went according to plan. He knew how to manipulate things well, that is one of the reasons how he and his company became so successful. All Mr. Im wanted was to give Gyuri a little nudge. He played his part. The rest was up to them.