"Chairman."
At the sound of someone calling Yoon Tae-young, the people gathered around Yoojin and Dongha's table turned to confirm it was him.
They were all older than Tae-young, yet they stepped back a little, looking at him with eyes full of admiration and respect.
With the crowd parting, the full scale of the tower Yoojin and Dongha had built was revealed, and Tae-young's eyes widened in surprise.
"Those two stand out the most among this year's new hires."
The president of Samho Capital, Yoo Jae-hyun, walked up and spoke to him. He had been a close aide to the previous chairman, and since Tae-young's succession, the two of them had been at odds on almost everything.
Especially with capital being the core of the group's financial rotation, the capital business was critically important, and having Yoo Jae-hyun in that seat made it difficult for Tae-young to run things the way he wanted.
But today, Yoo Jae-hyun felt unusually friendly.
"Do they?"
Yoojin and Dongha now stood face-to-face with Chairman Yoon Tae-young. Yoojin bowed deeply from the waist, while Dongha only dipped his chin, his expression cool and aloof.
You little punk, acting all cocky.
That big guy whose thoughts were written all over his face only looked cute to Tae-young.
If they were at home, he would have reached out and grabbed Dongha's cheek and stretched it. Smacking his lips instead, Tae-young gave them a word of praise.
"You did well."
At his words, Yoojin's face bloomed into a bright smile, and a fleeting hint of a smile brushed over Dongha's features before quickly disappearing.
Meanwhile, Director Kim Junho and the HR staff were moving around with tape measures, checking and recording the height of each team's tower.
As they measured, the tables shook slightly and some towers collapsed on the spot. Kim and his staff decided to record the height just before they fell, and the new hires whose towers had toppled let out sighs of relief.
Once all the measurements were done, all that remained was the announcement.
"Now, I'll announce the results of the evaluation."
But everyone already knew who had taken first place. The difference was obvious.
"First place goes to Team Yoon Dongha and Han Yoojin, with a tower height of 165 centimeters. Congratulations!"
Yoojin and Dongha had already been sure they'd won.
Even so, when their names were called in the auditorium, Yoojin couldn't stop herself from letting out a little squeal—"Kyaa!"—before hastily clapping both hands over her mouth.
Dongha clenched his right fist tight in a little victory pump.
Tae-young, the employees, and the other new hires all applauded them, showering the pair with congratulations.
After that, the lower-ranked teams were called in order. Jang Seohee and Lee Chansu's team took third place, safely within the top tier.
"Now, starting with the first-place team, please tell us which division you'd like to intern in. Team Yoon Dongha and Han Yoojin."
The two of them went up to the stage, and Dongha passed the microphone to Yoojin.
Just then, Senior Managing Director Park Jin-hee of Samho Apparel raised her hand.
Executives from each affiliate had the right to directly scout any new hires they took a liking to.
An HR staffer waiting nearby handed Park the microphone.
"Hello, I'm Senior Managing Director Park Jin-hee from Samho Apparel. Congratulations on taking first place. I'd like to offer both of you internship positions at Samho Apparel."
The executives, already aware of Park's intention from the luncheon meeting, fixed their eyes on Yoojin, who was holding the mic.
Yoojin met Park's gaze head-on. To be offered an internship at the Apparel division she'd wanted so badly—it felt like a dream.
"Thank you, Director. I'd like to intern at Samho Apparel."
At that, the executives, department heads, and team leaders all let out quiet sighs of regret.
Yes, Tae-young had given the order at lunch. But if the top-ranked team had chosen some other division instead of Samho Apparel, they had fully intended to fight it out with Chairman Yoon Tae-young and Senior Managing Director Park on the pair's behalf.
But if they were going to walk into the tiger's den of Samho Apparel on their own two feet, there was no stopping them. While many of the executives wore bitter expressions, six people, including Yoojin, were smiling brightly.
Chairman Yoon Tae-young was satisfied that Dongha was finally about to learn the ropes of the company and get his hands on real work. Senior Managing Director Park was pleased that, with these interns, Samho Apparel would gain the upper hand over Samho Entertainment for once.
Meanwhile, Gu Minkyeong from Samho Entertainment and Spring Entertainment's Director Jo Taejin were looking up at the attractive figures of Dongha and Yoojin on stage, already imagining the kind of content that could best showcase their charm.
As for Dongha, knowing he'd be interning at Samho Apparel just like he'd promised Yoojin filled him with a buoyant excitement.
It's almost five now, and it only takes fifteen minutes by car from the company to the studio… If this whole introduction thing finishes around seven, we could get to the studio before eight, right? No matter what, we've got to go today.
As a dancer who expressed his emotions through his body, Dongha rarely overthought things. As a choreographer known as Director Yoon, his keen sense of movement allowed him to instinctively check and correct choreography almost like an animal moving on instinct. It didn't take a lot of conscious deliberation.
And emotional exchanges with other people? That had never even been on his list of considerations.
"The great Yoon-pro," as people called him, always moved with ruthless efficiency. From the start, the only thing he treated emotionally was dance.
That was why he always gave off a cold impression, and his blade-sharp leadership made him both easy and difficult to work with at the same time.
But today, Dongha was different. His head had been stuffed full of thoughts all day long. It was the first time in his life.
His brain was running so hot his eyelids trembled faintly, and tomorrow's first official day at work wasn't even on his radar.
Once Samho Apparel was confirmed, he looked at Yoojin, who was overjoyed. Her eyes curved into crescents, and her flushed cheeks glowed a soft coral red.
When the two of them stepped down from the platform, Dongha unconsciously caught up to Yoojin and, as if it were nothing, threw out a line from behind her.
"Let's go today."
"Huh? Go where?"
"The studio. Let's stop by later."
"What are you talking about? Tomorrow's our first day at work."
Yoojin shot him a sidelong glare and waved a hand as if the idea was ridiculous. As expected, her reaction was exactly what he'd anticipated.
"You're going to be insanely busy starting tomorrow. You won't be able to go even if you want to for a while. And it's close from here. Fifteen minutes by car. I'll drive."
A fairly convincing excuse slipped out of Dongha's mouth.
He'd always thought his talent lay more in movement than in words, but maybe his way with language wasn't so bad after all—he just didn't use it much.
"I should still go home and rest."
"Did you already forget the promise you made me this morning?"
When Dongha asked back, his face set in a hard, cold line, Yoojin let out a little groan.
Because of the guilt she carried for being the reason he quit ballet, Yoojin couldn't pull up her usual ironclad defenses with him.
"Fine, we'll stop by for a bit. But I need to get home early, okay?"
"Okay."
At her answer, the stiffness melted from Dongha's face, and a bright smile broke across his features.
Jang Seohee and Lee Chansu were assigned to Samho Entertainment.
Gu Minkyeong, the department head at Samho Entertainment, had extended the offer, and Chansu had hesitated, as if he'd had another division in mind. But impressed by Gu's charisma, Seohee snatched the mic out of Chansu's hand and answered for them.
"Yes, ma'am. We'll go. No— we want to go."
Chansu stared at her, flustered, and Seohee clapped him on the shoulder with her palm.
Her gesture said, It's fine, I've got you.
Even though Chansu was twenty-eight—four years older than Seohee, who was twenty-four—he wilted under her boldness. The onlookers burst into warm laughter at the sight.
The intern assignments continued. There were fifteen teams in total, and only one team—Yoojin and Dongha—was placed in Samho Apparel.
With eight affiliates within the group, each division was allowed to take up to two teams, but no one else chose Apparel.
Yoojin had no idea why and could only tilt her head in confusion.
They said that if you survived an internship at Samho Apparel, you could handle any department in any affiliate… So why wasn't anyone else applying?
Her question would be answered before the first week was over—paid for with a very expensive lesson. For now, she just blinked those clear eyes of hers.
Dinner was hosted in the rooftop lounge of Samho's headquarters. The view of Gangnam spread out below them, and the lounge served as a place to relax, hold group meetings, run trainings, or host small events.
A stage had been set up in front of the lounge, and along the outer edges, long tables groaned under the weight of a buffet of every kind of dish.
Department heads and team leaders from each affiliate sat with the interns assigned to their teams to share a meal.
"Hello, I'm Senior Managing Director Park Jin-hee, head of Samho Apparel."
"Hello, I'm Lee Hyuk, manager and team leader of the Overseas Trade Team at Samho Apparel."
With his thick brows, heavy double eyelids, big nose, and full lips, Manager Lee Hyuk gave off a fierce impression.
He looked like he worked out, too; at around the mid-170s in height with a solid build, he could have easily passed for an active athlete or coach.
His gaze slid slowly past Dongha and came to rest on Yoojin. He looked her over as if he were assessing her.
Once he seemed to have reached his conclusion, his brows drew together in displeasure. Unable to hold back, he turned to Senior Managing Director Park sitting to his right and blurted out,
"Director, how could you bring these two in without even consulting me?"
Park didn't bother answering his question. Instead, she simply gave Yoojin and Dongha her usual warm, neighborly smile.
She was a senior managing director; it would have looked ridiculous for her to explain herself point by point every time a manager complained.
Besides, there was no reason to share everything that had been discussed among the executives at lunch with someone at the operations level.
Manager Lee was ambitious and competent, but that ambition sometimes went too far, making him a polarizing figure among the staff.
He had spent years posted overseas in China with Senior Managing Director Park. Though she'd known him a long time, he was still a difficult subordinate to handle.
And after he became the overall team leader of the Overseas Trade division, he'd picked up a sense of entitlement and superiority.
As a result, staff members had occasionally come to Park to complain about his lone-wolf style of leadership. She had been waiting patiently for the right opportunity to firmly put him in his place.