Episode 2 – The New Interns.
1226 Words
The lobby of Park Group was unusually lively that Monday morning.
Young men and women dressed in crisp formal attire stood in small groups, clutching folders and ID cards.
Some revised notes. Some rehearsed introductions.
Some simply stared at the massive Park Group logo with wide eyes.
Today was the first day of the internship program.
Twenty interns. Twenty dreams.
Twenty nervous hearts.
...
Meanwhile...
On the twenty-ninth floor...
Lee Yn stood in the training room with a tablet in one hand and a stack of employee manuals in the other.
She looked at the twenty nervous faces before her.
"Good morning."
The interns immediately stood.
"Good morning, Miss Lee!"
"Relax."
Her gentle smile eased the room almost instantly.
"I'm not your examiner."
One intern timidly raised his hand.
"Miss Lee..."
"Yes?"
"Is it true... the CEO personally evaluates every intern?"
The room became silent.
Yn blinked.
"...Who told you that?"
"Everyone."
Another intern nodded.
"They said if we make one mistake..."
"...our careers are over."
A few others nodded in agreement.
Yn almost laughed. Almost.
Instead, she pressed her lips together.
"Our CEO is strict."
Twenty faces turned pale.
"...But he's fair."
A tiny bit of color returned.
"He doesn't judge people because they're nervous."
"He judges effort."
The room relaxed.
"Now..."
She picked up a marker.
"There are only a few rules."
She wrote on the whiteboard.
Rule No. 1 Respect everyone's time.
"If your meeting starts at ten..."
"Be there at nine fifty-five."
She underlined it. "Our CEO hates waiting."
Another note.
Rule No. 2 Know your work.
"If you don't know something..."
"Say you'll find the answer."
"Don't guess."
The interns nodded quickly.
Rule No. 3 Never interrupt during meetings.
Wait. Observe. Then speak. Simple.
She capped the marker.
"And lastly..."
A playful smile appeared.
"Don't believe every scary story you hear about Mr. Park."
One intern blinked.
"So..."
"...he doesn't fire people for breathing?"
Yn looked thoughtful.
"...Only on Thursdays."
The room froze. Three seconds later...
She laughed.
The interns collectively sighed.
"Oh my goodness..."
"You scared us!"
"I almost believed you!"
Yn chuckled.
"See?"
"You're already less nervous."
Just then... The training room door opened.
Everyone instinctively turned.
Mr. Park Jijae walked in.
Silence. Absolute silence.
His tailored black suit fit perfectly.
His expression remained unreadable.
Every intern stood so quickly that a few chairs scraped loudly across the floor.
"Good morning, sir!"
Jijae acknowledged them with a single nod.
His gaze shifted to Yn.
"The conference room is ready.?"
"Yes, sir."
He looked around once.
"I expect professionalism."
Nothing more. Nothing less.
Then... He walked away. The door closed.
One intern whispered...
"I forgot how to blink."
Another quietly added...
"I forgot my own name."
Yn cleared her throat.
"Congratulations."
"You've officially met the CEO."
...
An hour later...
The interns followed Yn through the executive floor.
"This side."
"Please stay together."
They admired everything. The artwork.
The glass meeting rooms. The city view.
One intern accidentally walked into the wrong office.
Another nearly entered the executive elevator.
Yn calmly redirected each one before disaster struck.
"Deep breaths."
"It's your first day."
"You'll learn."
As they reached the main hallway...
A young intern carrying coffee suddenly bumped into another employee.
The paper cup flew into the air. Splash!
Coffee poured directly onto the thick folder tucked beneath Yn's arm.
Everyone froze.
Dark stains spread across dozens of printed documents.
The intern's face turned white.
"I-I'm so sorry!"
"I didn't mean—"
"My hand slipped—"
The hallway fell silent.
Employees nearby slowly turned.
Someone whispered,
"Those are the CEO's meeting files..."
Another covered their mouth.
"...She's dead."
The intern's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry..."
"I'll pay for them..."
Yn looked down at the soaked papers.
Then at the trembling intern.
"It's okay."
"But..."
"They were important."
"I know."
Before anyone could speak again...
The sound of polished shoes echoed down the hallway.
Step. Step. Step.
Every employee stiffened.
Mr. Park Jijae.
He stopped beside them.
His sharp gaze fell on the ruined documents.
Then... On the frightened intern.
No one dared breathe.
Instead of raising his voice...
He simply asked,
"Miss Lee."
"Yes, sir."
"The backup?"
Without a word... Yn opened her leather bag.
She pulled out another identical folder.
Perfectly organized. Perfectly dry.
"I prepared an extra copy this morning."
He took it. Opened it. Checked the first page.
Closed it again.
"Good."
His attention shifted toward the intern.
The poor boy looked moments away from fainting.
Jijae spoke calmly.
"What's your name?"
"K-Kang Minho... sir."
"Mr. Kang."
"...Yes, sir."
"Mistakes happen."
The intern looked up in surprise.
"What matters..."
"...is whether you learn from them."
A pause.
"Don't repeat it."
"...Yes, sir."
Jijae gave a small nod before continuing down the hallway as though nothing had happened.
Only after he disappeared around the corner did the entire office breathe again.
One employee whispered,
"...That's it?"
"He isn't angry?"
Another smiled.
"That's our CEO."
"He doesn't waste time shouting."
The intern looked at Yn with watery eyes.
"I thought..."
"I was going to be fired."
Yn smiled reassuringly.
"Welcome to Park Group."
...
Later that afternoon...
The executive meeting finally ended.
Directors filed out one by one.
Inside the office...
Jijae removed his glasses and placed them neatly on the desk.
A soft knock followed.
"Come in."
Yn stepped inside carrying a tablet.
"The interns have completed orientation."
He nodded.
"No major issues?"
"Only one coffee incident."
"I heard."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You heard?"
"The security report reached me before you did."
Yn sighed dramatically.
"Of course it did."
Silence. She stood quietly while organizing the files on his desk.
After a moment... She spoke.
"The intern appreciated what you said."
"I wasn't trying to comfort him."
"I know."
"I was stating a fact."
"I know."
Another silence. She looked at him.
"Still..."
"It meant something."
Jijae didn't answer.
Instead... He reached for another file.
Typical.
Yn rolled her eyes so subtly that anyone else would've missed it.
Unfortunately...
He didn't.
"...Miss Lee."
"Yes, sir?"
"You just rolled your eyes."
"I blinked."
"No."
"I blinked confidently."
For the first time that afternoon...
The corner of his mouth lifted almost invisibly.
"You've become bold."
"I've worked for you for four years."
"I've earned the privilege."
He quietly returned to reading.
"...Perhaps."
She smiled to herself. Victory. Tiny...
But still a victory. Just then...
A notification appeared on both their computers.
Priority Email – Chairman Park
Jijae opened it first.
His expression remained perfectly composed.
Yn checked hers a second later.
Her eyes widened.
"...Sir?"
"Hm."
"I think..."
"...we both received the same email."
"I noticed."
She looked up from the screen.
"This weekend?"
"Apparently."
She read it again to make sure she hadn't misunderstood.
Chairman Park requests the presence of CEO Park Jijae and his Personal Assistant, Miss Lee, at the Park Family Residence this Saturday evening. Attendance is mandatory.
Yn blinked.
"...I've never been invited to the family residence."
Neither had any assistant before her.
She slowly looked toward Jijae.
He closed the email without a single change in expression.
But...
For the first time all day...
His fingers stopped moving over the keyboard.
A silence settled between them.
Neither of them knew why the Chairman had summoned them together.
And somehow...
That uncertainty felt heavier than any meeting.
.......
____________________
To be Continued.....🎉
- Writer
