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Chapter 32
The three of them passed the document screening, aptitude test, and interview without issue — just as Seo-hee had predicted. Jin Woo-hyuk and Kim Dong-jin made it through as well. Seo-hee’s intuition was, once again, spot on.
Choi Jung-hoon, quietly impressed by her insight, went straight to report to Chairman Han.
“Just like Seo-hee said, they were all accepted. The aptitude test and interviews were flawless, apparently.”
“Really? It’s been a while since someone’s caught this old man’s interest.”
Chairman Han was famous for constantly emphasizing that a company grows because of its people.
He not only rewarded talented individuals generously, but even assigned his own children’s positions according to ability. For someone so obsessed with talent, Jin Woo-hyuk was bound to attract his attention. If the young man had true ability, his background wouldn’t be a problem.
Still, while Woo-hyuk seemed promising as talent, Jung-hoon couldn’t help but wonder — if that man ended up becoming Seo-hee’s romantic partner, how would the chairman react? It was a thought that quietly unsettled him.
As if sensing his unease, Chairman Han suddenly asked:
“You’re sure there’s nothing going on between him and Seo-hee?”
Seo-hee’s voice echoed in Jung-hoon’s memory — she had told him firmly not to involve her in any “strange arrangements,” because she already had someone she liked. When he’d pressed her about it later, she brushed it off as a lie to avoid awkwardness.
But not long after, Jung-hoon heard that Seo-hee had personally asked him to look after Jin Woo-hyuk. That was when he began to doubt her earlier words.
“Yes, sir. They don’t seem to meet privately or have any real contact. I confirmed it through Chief Choi.”
“Then it must be nothing.”
The chairman spoke lightly, but Jung-hoon knew what that tone meant — he was interested, and that meant it was something to watch closely.
“I’ll continue to monitor and report.”
“Good. Also…”
“Yes, Chairman?”
“I’d like to stop by the new employee training this time. Let’s find a day that works.”
Normally, Chairman Han stayed away from the orientation, worried his presence would make the new hires too nervous. But this time, he wanted to attend personally — likely to meet Jin Woo-hyuk himself.
“Understood. I’ll make the arrangements.”
The Shinseong Group’s new employee training began. The company held large-scale recruitment drives twice a year, and naturally, the number of new hires gathered at the training center was enormous.
The HR team assigned the attendees to teams and groups, then informed them of their living quarters for the next three weeks. Since official department placements hadn’t been made yet, the groupings were mixed evenly — an opportunity to meet and connect with many people.
“Dude, this place is insane, right? The dorms are like, a hundred times nicer than our studio!”
Dong-jin, assigned to the room next door, looked around in awe as if he’d checked into a luxury hotel. Woo-hyuk, however, didn’t look as bright.
He’d received a phone call from his father, Jin Sung-hyun, right before entering the training center.
[So you joined Shinseong, I hear.]
[Yes.]
[I thought I told you to study abroad.]
[You don’t have the right to interfere in my life.]
[The fact that I let you be born is my right.]
His mother had once begged Jin Sung-hyun to at least let her bear the child. She had promised to live as though she didn’t exist — no contact, no trouble, just silence — in exchange for being allowed to raise the baby.
[You should’ve just told her not to have me, then.]
Woo-hyuk normally avoided pointless arguments with his father, but this time he couldn’t hold back. How could a man who’d barely even looked at him his whole life think he could control him or his mother?
[Insolent brat.]
[…]
[We’ll see how long you think you can do whatever you want.]
The call ended abruptly. Woo-hyuk immediately regretted it — he knew his defiance would only make things harder for his mother.
How could he ever escape that man’s suffocating shadow? He almost wished his father would just disown them entirely — but a politician like Jin Sung-hyun would never risk the scandal of an abandoned illegitimate son.
“Haa…”
As Woo-hyuk sighed, Dong-jin’s tone grew gentler.
“Hey, Woo-hyuk. Let’s just focus on the training, okay? Who knows — maybe the chairman will notice you, and you’ll become the next chaebol son-in-law! Then your dad couldn’t touch you. He’d have to hold a press conference, like: ‘Actually, he’s my son!’”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate the wild optimism.”
Dong-jin’s ridiculous joke actually helped ease the weight in Woo-hyuk’s chest. He was right — for now, the best thing to do was focus on what was in front of him.
After Dong-jin left, Woo-hyuk unpacked his things. Not long after, his roommate arrived.
“Excuse me.”
Woo-hyuk turned to see a clean-cut, well-dressed man with short-cropped hair — the kind that suggested recent military service, though he somehow made it look stylish. His refined appearance even gave off a faint aura of wealth.
“You must be my roommate. Hello.”
Woo-hyuk greeted him first, and the man smiled warmly.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Han Joon-young.”
His first impression was good — Woo-hyuk had a feeling this roommate would make life here easier.
“I’m Jin Woo-hyuk. Please take care of me.”
As they unpacked, the two began chatting casually. Woo-hyuk learned that Joon-young had studied in the U.S. and recently joined Shinseong’s electronics division.
“You could’ve found a great job in the States. Why come back to Korea?”
“I wanted to stay, but it was my father’s wish. He wanted me to join Shinseong.”
At those words, Woo-hyuk’s expression stiffened — it instantly reminded him of his father.
“You must be close with your dad.”
His tone carried a hint of envy.
“No.”
Joon-young’s faint smile was bitter.
“I actually had a really good opportunity in the U.S., but I gave it up. I thought… maybe if I came back, we could get closer.”
Though he spoke calmly, there was a quiet sadness beneath his voice — one Woo-hyuk instinctively recognized.
Their situations were different, but their hearts toward their fathers were strangely similar. The difference was that Joon-young had given up something precious to win his father’s affection, while Woo-hyuk had rejected his father entirely to free himself.
“If you gave up something that important, he’ll understand someday.”
Woo-hyuk didn’t know if he was comforting Joon-young or himself.
“You know, I think we’re gonna get along really well. I’m a bit older, so just call me ‘hyung.’”
“Okay, then you can talk comfortably too, hyung.”
Joon-young was the one who suggested they speak casually, and Woo-hyuk didn’t refuse. He wasn’t used to opening up — hiding his existence all his life had made that difficult — but somehow, this felt natural.
“You’ve got a great face, by the way. I used to get told I was pretty good-looking, but I think you’ve got me beat.”
Maybe it was because he’d lived abroad — even his teasing was smooth.
It had been a long time since Woo-hyuk had felt this kind of ease with someone new.
The first day of training began with everyone gathering in the main auditorium. The new hires still looked stiff and awkward as they took their seats. Among them were Woo-hyuk, Joon-young, and Dong-jin.
Through Woo-hyuk’s introduction, Joon-young and Dong-jin quickly hit it off — neither of them were the shy type.
As Woo-hyuk glanced around the room before the ceremony began, his gaze suddenly stopped — he saw a familiar face.
“Han Seo-hee?”
He muttered her name under his breath, and as if sensing it, Seo-hee turned her head toward him.
Their eyes met across the room. Seo-hee nodded politely first; Woo-hyuk followed with a small bow of his own.
Joon-young, noticing Woo-hyuk’s gaze, turned to look in the same direction.
“Huh? Seo-hee?”
He realized she was looking their way — then quickly caught that her eyes weren’t on him, but Woo-hyuk.
They didn’t seem particularly close, but they clearly knew each other well enough to exchange a greeting.
“Do they know each other?”
Joon-young thought about acknowledging her but decided to watch quietly for now. Woo-hyuk didn’t seem like a bad person, but he didn’t know him well yet either.
“Guess I’ll find out soon enough — whether he’s a good guy or not.”
He probably was, though.
Moments later, a group of people walked onto the stage. The oldest-looking man among them took the microphone.
“Good morning, everyone. I’m Jang Young-soo, the director of this training center. I sincerely welcome you to the Shinseong family.”
Though the words were formal, his warm smile and gentle demeanor carried genuine sincerity.
