When Zain entered his office building, a heavy silence spread throughout the space. Dressed in a black suit, with a face like stone and an icy coldness in his eyes, he radiated an intimidating presence. The employees present froze in their places.
"Good morning, sir!" everyone said in unison, bowing together.
Zain did not even glance at anyone. Behind him, his right-hand man, Qian, walked briskly, nodding at everyone and offering a polite "Good morning" to ease the bitterness in the atmosphere.
As Zain's private elevator ascended toward the 50th floor, the employees standing behind finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Huan Jing wiped her forehead and said, "Today we're definitely going to die! The boss's mood is even more dangerous than yesterday. Come on, get back to work quickly!"
Xia nodded in agreement. "Yes, today I could literally see the God of Death in his eyes."
The first ray of morning sun peeked into Aanya's room through the window. Aanya Lu was in a deep sleep with her scattered shoulder-length hair and her favorite loose-fitting purple pajamas. She woke up half-asleep and stumbled toward the bathroom.
Standing in front of the mirror, as she started brushing her teeth, her gaze fell upon a K-drama poster stuck on the mirror. She started blushing with the brush still tucked in her mouth.
"Uff... what would happen if Byeon Woo-seok looked at me like this?" she imagined a romantic scene in her mind and cat smiled a Dimpl on her left cheek slightly while looking at the mirror.
Just then, her mother's sharp voice came from outside—
"Aanya! Get out of the bathroom quickly! You have your big interview today and you're still daydreaming in there?"
Aanya quickly washed her face and came into her room. Her room was no less than a museum. On one wall was Jungkook's smile, and on the other side, posters of Byeon Woo-seok and Linyi were plastered. She gave a flying kiss to Jungkook's photo once and started getting ready.
Today she wore oversized baggy pants, He wore a t-shirt underneath and a waistcoat over it. set her new steel glasses slightly on her nose, and tied her hair in a messy look to one side.
As soon as she reached downstairs, her brother, Lu Wei, burst into a loud laugh upon seeing her.
"Here she is! 'Mrs. Jungkook' is ready! What happened, sister? Do you intend to get rejected this time as well, or have you actually cancelled your plan to go to Korea?" Lu Wei said, making fun of her.
Aanya glared at him and said while sticking her tongue out, "Hey 'Cafe Boy'! You just focus on selling coffee. This time I will get selected, and when I go to Korea, I'll bring such a dangerous wife for you who will keep you straight with a stick all day!"
"First pass the interview, you drama queen!" Lu Wei shouted from behind.
Sheng-Li Trading Corp: The First Step
Riding her old scooty, Aanya set out on the roads of Shenzhen. She wasn't going to Z.Y Empire (Zain's company), but to the city's third-largest company, Sheng-Li Trading Corp, to interview for the post of Designer.
On the way, a group call came on her phone. It was her best friends Huan Jing and Kaiya.
Kaiya (From home): "Aanya! Stay relaxed. You are an amazing designer. Just show them your creative side."
Huan Jing (In a low voice from her office): "Yes Aanya, All the best! I'm here at the office so I can't speak loudly, but my heart is saying 'Fighting!' for you!"
Aanya said over the Bluetooth while driving the scooty, "Thanks girls! Today, either I'll make my entry into Sheng-Li, or my scooty will run out of petrol. Pray for me!"
She hung up and parked her scooty in front of the large Sheng-Li Trading building. She didn't know that the owner of the 'Top 2' companies above Sheng-Li was the same Zain Yan whose secrets were standing ready to destroy him.
Aanya took out a small Jungkook keychain from her bag, kissed it, took a deep breath, and stepped inside the building.
"Fighting, Aanya Lu!" she said to herself.
Inside the glittering building of Sheng-Li Trading Corp, Aanya's heart was thumping loudly. She gripped her bag and waited outside the interview room. In a short while, her name was called— "Aanya Lu! Please come to Room 4."
Aanya took a deep breath, adjusted her glasses a bit higher on her nose, and walked inside.
Inside sat a manager who was looking at the files as if some enmity were written in them. He looked at Aanya's files, then stared at her oversized t-shirt and baggy pants from top to bottom.
"Miss Lu," the manager said in a blunt tone. "Your designs are good, but we need a designer who can represent our company's 'Standard and Luxury'. Your style is... a bit too casual."
"But sir, design comes from talent, right? Not from clothes?" Aanya asked innocently.
The manager said without lifting his head, "Forgive us. We cannot select you. You may leave."
Bench, Hunger, and Misfortune
Aanya walked out of the room. Her face fell slightly, but she composed herself. A large LED screen was installed in the building's lobby where an ad for South Korean tourism was playing. Seeing the beautiful streets of Seoul and the food there, a spark appeared in Aanya's eyes.
"Uff... I wish I were born in Korea," she said, sighing deeply. "There, no one would judge me for my clothes, and Jungkook wouldn't be so far away."
She took out her mobile and started checking flight tickets. Seeing the price, she immediately closed her phone. "So much money? For this much, my entire family's rations for a year could be bought!"
She was feeling very hungry. As always, Aanya knew how to forget her sorrow in food. She sat down on an old garden bench outside the building. She took out Homemade Rice Balls (Onigiri) from her bag.
She started muttering while taking a big bite:
"No matter, Aanya. If not Sheng-Li, then someone else. Anyway, their manager looked exactly like a rotten cabbage. If Jungkook saw him, he'd filter him out!"
She sat on the bench, eating with great relish, her cheeks puffed up with rice. She looked exactly like a little hamster.
At that moment, a black Lamborghini came to a stop at the main entrance of the Sheng-Li building. The guard saluted.
Zain Yan stepped out of the car. His 195 cm tall stature and his expensive black suit changed the atmosphere of the entire parking lot. He had come there for a meeting.
Zain's sharp gaze suddenly went toward the garden... where a girl with short hair, wearing baggy clothes, was stuffing rice balls with great relish.
Zain stopped right there. He didn't recognize her, but that innocent face caused a slight stir in his stone-like heart.
"Qian," Zain asked in a cold voice. "Who is that girl sitting there on the bench like trash, eating food?"
Zain's deep, icy eyes remained fixed on the girl who, oblivious to the world, was enjoying her rice balls. Her cheeks were puffed out and her glasses had slid a bit down her nose.
Qian immediately glanced at his tablet and then looked toward Aanya, giving a slight shake of his head.
"Sir, she looks like some college student or perhaps a stray candidate," Qian replied in a flat tone. "Junior designer interviews are being held at Sheng-Li Trading today. Perhaps she got rejected."
Zain took a cold breath. He checked the time on his Rolex. "Sheng-Li's standards are falling if people like this are coming here to interview. Tell them to focus on discipline and decorum."
Zain took one last look toward Aanya. In his mind, that Dragon King message and that old cake knife were still revolving. His heart was filled with hatred and revenge, and there was that girl... who was in such peace, as if there were no evil in the world at all.
"Let's go," Zain gave a brief command.