Chapter 0. Prologue

It was the first day of TK Group’s month-long New Employee Training Camp. All parents of new TK employees were sent large flower baskets to congratulate the family on their child’s employment. At ‘Kang’s Makguksu’ restaurant, located in small Gongju, there was a flower basket and a banner hung on the wall.

[Celebration Event for Kang Minkyung, the Eldest Daughter of Kang’s Family, Joining TK Group as a Top Recruit]

It was obvious the banner had been reused multiple times to save money, surely. The last time it was used was four years ago, when Minkyung was admitted to S University, with only the ‘TK Group’ and ‘Congratulations’ letters added in white, while the rest was faded.

The restaurant was lively not only because of the celebration, but also because of the day’s promotion: if you ordered a Makguksu set for two, you would get a mung bean pancake for free. Everyone laughed and enjoyed each other’s company sharing their meals, but the person to whom the celebration was owed was not there.

Minkyung smoothed the collar of her black tailored suit jacket, ensuring there were no wrinkles. Although she found it on the sale rack, it was the first professional outfit she bought just for her interview with TK Group. She especially liked that the suit was a three-piece set, with a jacket, skirt, and pants.

Spending 260,000 won felt like a lot of money, but if she took care of the clothes, she planned to wear this set to work for a while. Minkyung even calculated that if she wore this to work 5 days a week, for 52 weeks, which equals 260 times, half that 130 times. Even if you only wore it three times a week, that’s still 87 wears, and for 3 days a week for 3 years, then the set only cost 1,000 a wear… So it was an excellent and practical buy. Of course, she spent so much money that she would have to wear it for the next three months until her pay could cover the initial cost.

Minkyung walked briskly, dragging a small roller suitcase behind her, which she even had to borrow from her friend See-ah, when her phone began to ding. Quickly looking at the screen, she answered the call as she strode.

— Minkyung?

“Yes, Mom.”

— I may not know much, but I just wanted to say: If you want to get ahead at the company, make sure you don’t get in anyone’s way. And just remember to smile. Smile… smile when you make eye contact. Oh, yeah, one more thing… Always try when possible to tell the people what they want to hear.

“Um, okay…”

— Minkyung, remember you have been studying alone, but you have to look good in front of others to get ahead. Unlike studying alone, working at a company is a place to move up and be seen. And anyone who helps you earn money or gives you more, be grateful for them. You need to remember everything with all your heart

Acknowledging her mother’s advice, Minkyung said her goodbyes before her mother hung up. As she walked with her suitcase, she realized what her mom said was true.

‘Smile… Smile. Tell them what they want to hear… Anyone who helps or pays me, I should be grateful for…’

She thought as she practiced a smile.

Even now, 11 years since that first day, Minkyung reminds herself of how great her mother’s advice had been.

On that first day of training, they were placed in the same group and, afterward, in the same department for work. After years, even when their positions changed and they had fewer conflicts, whenever they were under the same management team, she had to endlessly reflect on her mother’s advice,

‘Smile. Tell them what they want to hear… Anyone who helps or pays me, I should be grateful for…’

There he was, beautiful looking with good posture, fantastic body, captivating body with a petty and stubborn personality behind that facade. He was the master of hypocrisy, Tae Lee-Seob. The beautiful and annoying Crown Prince of TK, who despised Minkyung since they met. He didn’t even bother putting on his charming mask when he was around Minkyung.

The advice helped Minkyung survive at TK. Even when it was wrong and unfair, Minkyung smiled. When she was sad or embarrassed, Minkyung smiled. She told him what he wanted to hear as she reminded herself through gritted teeth,

‘He pays me, I’m grateful.’

***

Minkyung took a deep breath, standing before a large, tightly closed iron door.

Five days ago, she met with Director Tae Joon-Seob after he called her into his office to tell her about new personnel appointments. Although the Director was Lee-Seob’s cousin, he looked completely different. He was also arrogant and overbearing, but in a completely different manner.

Tae Joon-Seob looked at Minkyung and spoke nonchalantly,

“An official announcement will be made soon. You will be moving to be Executive Secretary and Assistant to the Managing Director… no, Executive Director Tae Lee-Seob.”

He raised his hands with a regretful look and shrugged,

“I know these are extraordinary circumstances, I’m sorry. There was a lot of concern, so I highly recommended you at Songbaekjae for the position.”

Minkyung was stunned.

‘This is absurd…’

She had only been fully assigned to the public relations office three months ago. She had barely gotten used to the work before this news. Not to mention, Tae Lee-Seob’s personality was…

If this were a dream, for her it would be like an absolute nightmare.

“Did I not perform well or do my duties here, Director?”

Her voice had a slight tremble as she asked.

Seeing her reaction and hearing her voice crack slightly, Joon-Seob laughed and clapped his hands,

“No, not at all. It’s actually quite the opposite! To put it bluntly, you were too great. We even expanded our search for a candidate; we examined each and every one. However, we couldn’t find anyone as good as you, Senior Manager Kang, to serve as Assistant to Executive Director Tae Lee-Seob. This idea was accepted, so rest assured that you will receive a more than reasonable offer for the position at Songbaekjae.”

Minkyung was so surprised she couldn’t open her mouth to speak, so she just stared at Director Tae Joon-Seob’s face.

‘Songbaekjae.’

Songbaekjae was the mansion where TK Group Chairman Tae Si-Hwan resided…

Joon-Seob sat back to further explain to the stunned Minkyung,

“This means that the chairman will directly decide on the assignment of Senior Manager Kang Minkyung.”

In other words, it would now be all or nothing.

It would be a lottery or a loss. However, the probability of the latter was overwhelmingly high. 11 years after Minkyung joined TK Group, she was given her most significant opportunity and biggest crisis, at the same time, side by side.

***

Studio apartment 2501, River, Cheongdam-dong.

Minkyung arrived at the specified address and took a deep breath. Letting out her breath, she reached out and rang the doorbell. The first day as assistant to the petty Crown Prince Tae Lee-Seob has begun.