Ever After

Reconnecting

Work wasn't a refuge for Seri, like some neglected ex-boyfriends had suggested in the past. Nor was it a way to one-up her family members, as said family members had insinuated when they didn't get their way.

Seri loved to work, plain and simple. She loved the straightforwardness of it. She loved to turn being underestimated – as a woman, as someone from a chaebol family – from a disadvantage to a head start. She loved fitting the pieces together, taking apart what didn't work, analyzing what did. She liked the grind of sleepless nights, blurry eyes and an empty stomach which spoke of honest commitment and effort.

Which was why everyone at the Shanghai Seri's Choice headquarters was surprised when she suggested they finish early. "Enjoy your Wednesday night, everyone," Seri said with a smile. It seemed to have the opposite effect. The Korean team that had flown with her stood frozen in place, while the Chinese staff looked to their Korean counterparts for their cue of how to react. "Leave now or make yourself useful and get a head start on tomorrow's workshop," Seri said, her smile turning harder now. That seemed to wake them up. Everyone started scrambling to pack up the samples they had been reviewing.

"Ah, that was too out of the blue, daepyonim," Team Manager Hong Chang-sik said, entirely unfazed.

"You seem to be more relaxed in Shanghai, somehow," Purchasing Manager Kwon Dong-ho commented as he began to put away the samples lying in front of her. Seri put out a hand, and he immediately stopped, a fast reaction honed from years of working under Seri's strict eyes.

"I'll take these, if you don't mind, Purchasing Manager Kwon."

The Seri's Choice HQ wasn't far from their hotel – although the two managers did wonder why she hadn't booked somewhere more convenient – but traffic meant that it took almost 45 minutes to return. Still, this did nothing to diminish Seri's good mood. Just the thought of Jeong-hyeok waiting for her was enough to keep her spirits buoyant all day.

"We were thinking of going for dinner together," Team Manager Hong said as they entered the hotel lobby. Her staff had been more welcoming of her presence during meals, once she had made a habit of it. "Maybe someplace with xiao long bao. What time would you prefer daepyonim?"

Seri caught sight of a tall, broad-shouldered figure waiting for the elevators and her heart skipped a beat. "Please go ahead and eat without me. I'm sure you want to relax and enjoy the city, too."

"Really? But this restaurant has really good reviews," Purchasing Manager Kwon said, still trailing after Seri as she approached the elevators. "I hear that they have interesting flavours of xiao long bao!"

"Ah," Team Manager Hong suddenly said. A short, sharp sound of understanding. "We thought that might be why you suddenly suggested staff training and product reviews in Shanghai." He had caught sight of Jeong-hyeok's back, but... Seri didn't think he would recognize him after three years. "A new man? Who is he? Is he someone we should prepare a press release for? Tell us if we need a Chinese translator."

Hearing their voices, Jeong-hyeok turned around to look. Half of his face was covered up with a black pollution mask, as Seri had suggested whenever he visit her hotel, just so it would be more difficult to identify him. And yet... those eyes. His height. His subtle confidence. She hoped it was only obvious to her.

"Wait..." Team Manager Hong trailed off, squinting at Jeong-hyeok, who had caught sight of them and quickly turned around again. "That looks like... Is that... Lee Hyeok ssi?"

"Oh, that name! What a blast from the past," Seri said with a nonchalant chuckle.

"You're right, that looks exactly like his back," Purchasing Manager Kwon said, holding his chin as if he was inspecting a painting at a museum. "Lee Hyeok had an extremely broad back. Ah, daepyonim, I hope you don't mind me saying but he was the best of your boyfriends. In my humble opinion."