When Dream Meet Love

Chapter 2-The interview

Apparently, getting into Aurelia wasn't as simple as receiving an email.

I learned that the morning after my family had celebrated my so-called acceptance.

I was sitting at the breakfast table, still feeling proud of myself, when my mother asked the question that ruined my peaceful morning.

“So, when is your interview?”

I stopped chewing.

“My what?”

She looked at me.

“The interview.”

I slowly lowered my spoon.

I looked at Dad.

Then Min-jae.

Then Ha-eun.

Nobody looked surprised.

I frowned.

“Why is everyone looking at me like I should know something?”

Min-jae reached for his tea.

“Because you should.”

I picked up my phone and opened the email again.

I read it carefully.

Then I read it again.

There it was.

Buried beneath all the polite company language was one very important sentence.

I had been invited to an interview.

I stared at the screen.

“So…”

I looked up.

“I haven't actually gotten the job?”

My brother smiled.

“No.”

I leaned back in my chair.

“Then why did we celebrate?”

Ha-eun shrugged.

“Because you passed the first stage.”

“That doesn't mean I got the job.”

“No.”

She took a bite of toast.

“But it means you didn't fail.”

I looked at my father.

“Dad?”

He smiled.

“Your sister is right.”

I sighed.

“So yesterday I celebrated too early.”

My mother laughed.

“Maybe a little.”

I dropped my forehead onto the table.

“This is embarrassing.”

Min-jae patted my shoulder.

“Don't worry. We'll celebrate again when you actually get hired.”

I lifted my head.

“That's not helping.”

“I know.”

He smiled.

“That was the point.”

---

The interview was scheduled for the following week.

Which gave me several days to prepare.

Several days to panic.

I decided to focus on the first one.

My portfolio was already prepared, but I went through every page again.

Then again.

Then a fourth time.

I checked my sketches.

My measurements.

My notes.

The fabrics I had selected.

The concepts behind each design.

I even started questioning sketches I had once been proud of.

“This sleeve looks strange.”

I stared at it.

“Why did I do that?”

Ha-eun looked over my shoulder.

“Because you made it.”

I looked at her.

“That was not helpful.”

She shrugged.

“You asked.”

I closed the sketchbook.

“I didn't ask.”

“You were talking loudly.”

“I was thinking.”

“You were thinking loudly.”

I threw a pencil at her.

She dodged it.

“You're going to be a terrible designer if you can't handle criticism.”

“I can handle criticism.”

“Then why are you throwing things?”

“That's not criticism. That's disrespect.”

She laughed.

I couldn't even argue with that.

---

On the morning of the interview, I woke up before my alarm.

Again.

Apparently, my body had decided sleep was no longer necessary.

I got dressed carefully.

Simple blouse.

Black trousers.

Blazer.

Small earrings.

Nothing too flashy.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

“You look fine.”

I paused.

“You look professional.”

Another pause.

“You look like someone who deserves a job.”

I nodded.

“Good.”

Then I picked up my bag.

“Now don't embarrass yourself.”

I walked out of my room.

Ha-eun was already waiting outside.

She looked at me from head to toe.

“You look nice.”

I smiled.

“Thank you.”

Then she added,

“Still don't like the shoes.”

I walked past her.

“Goodbye.”

---

Aurelia looked different when I arrived for the interview.

Maybe it wasn't the building.

Maybe it was me.

The first time I had come here, I had only been submitting an application.

Today, I was one of the candidates hoping to become part of the company.

The thought made my stomach twist.

I walked into the lobby and saw several other young people waiting.

Some were holding portfolios.

Others were looking through notes.

One man was staring at his phone so intensely that I wondered if he was trying to memorize the entire internet.

I approached the reception desk.

“Good morning. I'm here for the Junior Designer interview.”

The receptionist checked the list.

“Han Seo-yeon?”

“Yes.”

“Please take a seat. Someone will call your name.”

I thanked her and turned around.

There was an empty chair beside a girl holding a large black portfolio.

She looked up at me.

“You're here for the interview too?”

I nodded.

“Yes.”

She smiled.

“Then you can sit here.”

“Thank you.”

I sat down.

For a few seconds, we were both quiet.

Then she looked at my portfolio.

“Design?”

“Yes.”

“Same.”

She held out her hand.

“I'm Yoo Na-ri.”

“Han Seo-yeon.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

She looked around the room.

“There are so many people.”

I nodded.

“Yeah.”

She lowered her voice.

“I'm starting to regret coming.”

I laughed.

“Don't say that.”

“Why?”

“Because I was thinking the same thing.”

She smiled.

That immediately made me feel less nervous.

A few minutes later, a young man approached us.

He looked around for a seat, then noticed the empty space beside Na-ri.

“Is anyone sitting here?”

Na-ri moved her bag.

“No.”

“Thanks.”

He sat down.

His portfolio was smaller than ours, but he carried it like it contained something extremely important.

He looked at us.

“Design?”

“Yes,” I said.

He nodded.

“I'm Park Ji-hoon.”

“Seo-yeon.”

“Na-ri.”

We introduced ourselves.

Then silence returned.

For about ten seconds.

Ji-hoon suddenly said,

“Does anyone know what they usually ask?”

Na-ri shook her head.

“No.”

I said, “Probably questions about our portfolios.”

Ji-hoon nodded.

“Good.”

Then he looked at his portfolio.

“Because I know absolutely nothing else.”

I laughed.

Na-ri laughed too.

The tension in the room seemed to loosen a little.

We started talking.

Na-ri had studied fashion design and wanted to specialize in women's clothing.

Ji-hoon had studied fashion merchandising, but he was interested in the relationship between design and business.

As for me, I told them I wanted to become a designer who created clothes people actually wanted to wear.

Not just clothes that looked beautiful on a runway.

Na-ri smiled.

“I like that.”

“Why?”

“Because sometimes designers forget there's an actual person inside the clothes.”

I nodded.

Exactly.

That was how I had always felt.

Before we could continue, someone stepped into the waiting area.

“Yoo Na-ri?”

Na-ri froze.

She looked at us.

“That’s me.”

Ji-hoon gave her a serious expression.

“Remember us.”

She laughed nervously.

“I'll try.”

I smiled.

“Good luck.”

She stood and walked toward the interview room.

I watched her disappear behind the door.

Then I looked at Ji-hoon.

“What do you think?”

He shrugged.

“She'll probably do well.”

“You sound very confident.”

“I've decided to believe in people I just met.”

“That is strangely optimistic.”

He smiled.

“I'm trying something new.”

We waited.

About twenty minutes later, Na-ri came back.

She sat down and let out a long breath.

I looked at her.

“How was it?”

“Terrifying.”

I smiled.

“Good to know.”

“They asked about my final collection.”

“What else?”

“They asked what I would do if my senior designer rejected one of my ideas.”

“What did you say?”

She thought for a second.

“I said I'd ask why.”

“And if you disagreed?”

“I'd explain my reasoning.”

Ji-hoon nodded.

“That sounds good.”

Na-ri looked at him.

“What about you?”

“I haven't gone yet.”

“I mean, what would you say?”

He thought about it.

“I'd probably agree with everything.”

We stared at him.

He smiled.

“Then cry in the bathroom.”

I burst out laughing.

Even Na-ri couldn't hold hers in.

A few people turned to look at us.

I lowered my voice.

“That's your strategy?”

“I call it survival.”

Before we could say anything else, someone called my name.

“Han Seo-yeon?”

My smile disappeared.

My heart dropped.

I stood.

Na-ri looked at me.

“Good luck.”

Ji-hoon raised his thumb.

“Remember to breathe.”

“I know how to breathe.”

“Just checking.”

I smiled and walked toward the interview room.

---

There were three interviewers.

Two women and one man.

I greeted them and sat down.

For the first few seconds, I could hear my heartbeat.

Then the questions began.

They asked about my education.

My portfolio.

My inspirations.

My strengths.

My weaknesses.

They asked why I wanted to work at Aurelia.

That one was easy.

“Because I believe Aurelia creates clothes that feel like more than clothes.”

One of the women looked at me.

“What do you mean?”

I looked at my portfolio.

“When someone wears something they truly love, they carry themselves differently. I want to create clothes that give people that feeling.”

She nodded.

Then she turned to one of my sketches.

“What would you change about this design?”

I looked at it carefully.

“The shoulder.”

“Why?”

“It looks good visually, but I think the structure would restrict movement.”

“You submitted it anyway.”

I swallowed.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I liked the concept too much.”

The man smiled slightly.

“So you're stubborn?”

I smiled.

“Sometimes.”

“Is that a good thing?”

I thought about it.

“It can be.”

“Why?”

“Because if I give up on an idea too quickly, I might never know whether it could have become something good.”

The room went quiet.

The interviewer nodded.

“Fair answer.”

The interview continued for another twenty minutes.

When it finally ended, I stood and bowed.

“Thank you for your time.”

I walked out.

Na-ri looked at me immediately.

“Well?”

I sat down.

“I don't know.”

Ji-hoon nodded.

“Same.”

Na-ri smiled.

“Then I guess we'll find out together.”

---

We exchanged numbers before leaving.

Na-ri saved my number first.

“If we all get accepted, we're going to need each other.”

Ji-hoon nodded.

“Definitely.”

I smiled.

“Then let's make a promise.”

They looked at me.

“If we get in, we take care of each other.”

Na-ri held out her hand.

“Deal.”

Ji-hoon placed his hand over hers.

“Deal.”

I placed mine on top.

“Deal.”

It was such a small moment.

None of us knew what the future would bring.

But at that moment, the three of us were just strangers with the same dream.

---

Five days later, I received another email.

I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom when my phone vibrated.

I glanced at the screen.

Aurelia.

My heart immediately started beating faster.

I opened the email.

This time, I didn't scream.

I couldn't.

I was too shocked.

I read the message twice.

Then I covered my mouth.

I had been selected.

I had actually gotten the job.

I ran downstairs.

“Mom!”

My mother nearly dropped the bowl she was holding.

“What happened?”

“I got it!”

She stared at me.

Then she smiled.

“You got the job?”

I nodded.

My father stood up.

“Congratulations.”

My brother walked in from the living room.

“Who got what?”

“Seo-yeon got the job.”

He smiled.

“I knew it.”

“You didn't say that before.”

“I knew it silently.”

I laughed.

Ha-eun hugged me.

“Now you can buy me that pink car.”

I pulled away.

“Absolutely not.”

“You're a designer now.”

“I'm a junior designer.”

“Same thing.”

“No, it isn't.”

Everyone laughed.

My father smiled at me.

“Remember what we told you.”

I nodded.

“Keep getting back up.”

He nodded.

“Exactly.”

I looked at my mother.

She smiled.

“Now go and learn.”

That sentence stayed with me.

Not go and prove yourself.

Not go and become famous.

Just—

go and learn.

So I did.

---

My first official day at Aurelia began with me standing in front of the building for almost five minutes.

I had already been here twice.

Yet somehow, it felt completely different.

This time, I was an employee.

I walked inside.

And almost immediately—

“Seo-yeon!”

I turned around.

Na-ri came running toward me.

“You got accepted!”

“So did you!”

She grabbed my hands.

“I was so nervous waiting for the email.”

“Me too.”

A familiar voice came from behind her.

“You two are loud.”

We turned.

Ji-hoon stood there.

I smiled.

“You got accepted too.”

“Obviously.”

Na-ri laughed.

“You were the one who said you would cry in the bathroom.”

“I still might.”

The three of us laughed.

Then Na-ri looked at us.

“Looks like our promise starts today.”

I smiled.

“Yeah.”

“We'll take care of each other.”

Ji-hoon nodded.

“Agreed.”

Before we could say anything else, a woman approached us.

She looked to be in her early thirties and wore a neat navy suit. She held a tablet in one hand.

She stopped in front of us.

“You must be the new employees.”

We straightened immediately.

“Yes.”

She smiled.

“I'm Kang Soo-jin, assistant manager of the Design Development Department.”

She looked at the three of us.

“Welcome to Aurelia.”

“Thank you.”

“Come with me. I'll show you around and introduce you to everyone.”

We followed her down the corridor.

The deeper we went, the more excited I became.

Fabric samples were displayed along one wall.

Sketches were pinned to boards.

Photographs from previous collections decorated the halls.

Employees moved quickly from one room to another, carrying folders and fabric swatches.

Everything smelled faintly of coffee, paper, and new fabric.

It was perfect.

Soo-jin opened the door to a large office.

Several people looked up.

“Everyone,” she said, “we have three new employees joining us today.”

She pointed toward us.

“This is Han Seo-yeon.”

I bowed.

“Nice to meet you.”

“She'll be joining the junior design team.”

Then she introduced Na-ri.

“This is Yoo Na-ri. She'll also be joining the junior design team.”

Na-ri bowed.

“And this is Park Ji-hoon. He'll be working with the merchandising team.”

Ji-hoon bowed.

“Nice to meet you.”

Soo-jin began introducing everyone else.

“This is Lee Hye-jin, one of our senior designers.”

A woman near the window gave us a warm smile.

“Welcome.”

“Choi Min-seok handles pattern development.”

A man looked up from his desk.

“Nice to meet you.”

“This is Jung Da-bin. She's another junior designer.”

Da-bin smiled at us.

“Don't worry. Everyone gets lost their first week.”

Ji-hoon looked relieved.

“Good. I was worried it was just me.”

Everyone laughed.

Soo-jin continued introducing people.

There were more names than I could possibly remember in one morning.

By the end of it, I had memorized three names and forgotten the rest.

Soo-jin seemed to notice.

“Don't worry. You'll learn.”

I smiled.

“I hope so.”

She pointed toward three desks.

“These are your workstations.”

I stared at mine.

My desk.

Inside Aurelia.

I slowly placed my bag down.

For years, I had imagined what this moment would feel like.

I had imagined excitement.

Maybe tears.

Maybe some dramatic realization.

Instead, I felt something much simpler.

I was happy.

Really happy.

Na-ri sat beside me.

Ji-hoon looked over from across the room.

“We're really here.”

I smiled.

“Yeah.”

I looked around at the office.

At the people.

At the sketches.

At the fabrics.

At the desks where we would spend countless hours.

I didn't know it yet, but some of the people in that room would become my closest friends.

Some would test my patience.

Some would challenge me.

Some would change the way I saw myself.

And there was one person in this company I hadn't met yet.

I didn't know his name.

I didn't know what he looked like.

I didn't know that one day, the mere sound of his footsteps would be enough to make an entire office fall silent.

For now, though, I was simply excited about my new job.

I opened my sketchbook.

Picked up a pencil.

And smiled.

My dream had finally brought me here.

I just didn't know where it was going to take me next.