Love in Seoul

Chapter 4 - Between Deadlines

The first few weeks at the company passed faster than Jessica had expected. And at the same time, slower. Every day looked almost identical to the one before. University in the morning. Work in the afternoon. Studying in the evening. Writing articles at night. Then doing it all over again. At first, she thought she would adjust. That she would find the right rhythm. That after a few weeks, everything would become easier. She was wrong. Every day brought more assignments. More projects. More deadlines. And Min-jun didn't seem like the kind of person who cared how much work was already sitting on her desk. One morning, he dropped a folder in front of her. Then another. And then a third. Jessica stared at him in disbelief.

"All of this has to be finished today?"

"Yes."

"That's impossible."

"Then find a way." And he walked away.Jessica clenched her jaw. She hated him. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.Every article she submitted came back to her.Again and again. Too long.Too short. Rewrite the introduction. Rewrite the ending. Rewrite everything.

After a while, she could recognize his comments before she even opened the document. One evening, she sat in Moonlight Café. Her laptop stood open in front of her. A cup of tea rested beside it. Outside, the sky slowly darkened. Other students were laughing. Talking. Making plans for the weekend. Jessica was editing the same article for the third time.

"One day I'm going to kill him," she muttered. The barista laughed. Jessica visited so often now that everyone knew her.

"Your boss again?" Jessica nodded.

"My boss again." Time passed. And Jessica began to realize that for weeks, she had done nothing except work and study. Even during subway rides, she studied. Notes spread across her lap. Lectures playing through her headphones. Sometimes she became so distracted that she barely noticed which station she had gotten off at. She was tired. Exhausted. But she couldn't stop. Dormitory. University. Food. Textbooks. Everything cost money. And she had promised herself she would make it on her own. Without help. Without going back home. One Friday evening, the door to her room burst open. Mina stormed inside like a hurricane.

"Jessica!" Jessica looked up from her laptop.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. And that's exactly why you're coming with us."

"Where?"

"Out."

Hye-jin and Soo-ah appeared behind her. All three were dressed up. Makeup done. Ready for a night out. Jessica looked at her computer screen. Then at the pile of papers beside her. Then back at them.

"I can't."

"Work again?" She nodded.

"And school." Mina sighed dramatically.

"One day you're going to lose your mind."

Jessica smiled. Maybe she was right. Eventually, the girls left. The apartment fell silent. And Jessica stayed behind. Alone. Again. The only light in the room came from her laptop screen. Outside, Seoul slowly disappeared into the night. A few days later, Jessica marched into the office, already irritated. Min-jun sat behind his desk. As usual. Calm. Composed. As if nothing in the world could bother him. Jessica dropped a printed article in front of him.

"This is the fourth version."

"And?"

"And it's still not good enough?" Min-jun opened the document. Flipped through the pages. Then looked up.

"No." Jessica wanted to throw something at him.

"What else do you want?" For a moment, he held her gaze.

"I want it to be excellent."

"But I'm trying!"

"I know." The words caught her off guard. For the first time, his answer didn't sound arrogant. It sounded sincere. As if he truly understood how much effort she was putting into her work.

"That's why I keep sending it back." Jessica frowned.

"What?"

"Because I know you can write it better." Silence filled the office. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. For the first time since they had met, she wasn't hearing criticism. She was hearing trust. Small. Almost invisible. But it was there. That evening, she rode the subway back to the dormitory. City lights flashed past the windows. Seoul was still as beautiful as ever. But over the past few weeks, she had almost stopped noticing. She was too tired. Too busy. Too focused on surviving each day. What she didn't know was that these months were preparing her for something much bigger. For friendship. For love. And for the man she currently considered the most irritating boss in the world. That man was Min-jun Kang.