chapter 3

“Lee-yeon, it’s time to make some changes.” Gye Choo-ja said with a slight sparkle in her eyes as she showed her phone screen to Lee-yeon.

“What’s this?” asked Lee-yeon curiously, stopping from jotting in her treatment diary.

“Do you know about the Soleil Landscaping Company?”

Lee-yeon nodded. Everyone knew the landscaping company. They were well known all throughout the region for their huge projects.

“He’s the son of the president of Soleil Landscaping Company,” said Choo-ja wiggling her eyebrows.

Lee-yeon rolled her eyes at Gye Choo-ja’s excitement and checked in the picture on her phone. “Oh” she said as she withdrew her gaze from the picture and started writing in her diary again. Choo-ja furrowed her eyebrows at Lee-yeon’s disinterest in the picture.

“This is it? A simple ‘OH’,” asked Choo-ja baffled.

“Manager, don’t you think he is a little too young for you to be dating him. He can be mistaken for your grandson,” voiced Lee-yeon still focused on her diary.

“Not me, you!” replied Choo-ja.

“What?!” exclaimed Lee-yeon confused with where this conversation was headed.

We can’t continue with our jobs. We’ve hit the limit. Our major contracts have all ended and D hospitals are taking over all the other projects,” said Choo-ja with a soft voice. Lee-yeon could see the sadness in her eyes which she reciprocated. She clenched her jaw to cover the anger and frustration rising in her chest.

D University Agricultural Biology Department Hospital. A large tree hospital that built a new five-story building and has its own research lab.

D Hospital, which entered Hwaido, aggressively provided entertainment to landscaping companies, nurseries, civil works, and agricultural corporations. They eventually took Hwaido by storm, everyone wanted them to take over contracts. This gave them resources to build a five-story building housing their own research lab.

With these developments taking place, Lee-yeon’s hospital barely survived. Their contracts disappeared overnight and with the loss of the majority of their projects, the hospital depended on medical examinations at the town hall, and other few clients opting for cheaper rates.

“We have to do something about our situation! We can’t give up,” voiced Choo-ja desperately. Pacing around the room.

“Then what should we do?!” Close our hospital and work at the D Hospital?!” spoke Lee-yeon. That’s what Hwaido’s entrepreneurs have been doing.

“Sorry Manager. I didn’t mean to shout at you,” apologised Lee-yeon for feeling bad aboutdumping her frustrations on her colleague.

“I don’t mind. Do you want to go work in the D Hospital and write curses on the bathroom stalls?” Choo-ja snickered as she spoke. Remembering the time Lee-yeon threw manure at their construction crane and ran away during an environmental protest against a golf course permit.

“I know you are very clever, but you could try to steal the contract back,” said Choo-ja slyly holding out her phone to Lee-yeon. Seeing the mischievous gleam in Choo-ja’s eyes, Lee-yeon immediately hardened her face. She showed me a picture of the man and it was obvious what she was going to say next.

“All you need to do is have tea with him.”

“W-what? Don’t be crazy,” said Lee-yeon and took a step back trying to process what Choo-ja was planning.

“Sole’s son is in Korea for a blind date. So just go and introduce yourself to him. I even have the list of girls he’ll be meeting,” said Choo-ja wiggling her eyebrows.

“I’m not going! You make me sound like a gold digger!” exclaimed Lee-yeon and sank into her seat.

“What are you talking about?!” Choo-ja raised her voice.

Lee-yeon had never seen Choo-ja raise her voice at anyone. She was a beautiful sixty-year-old lady who didn’t look her age. She was always well dressed and was the epitome of elegance in her heels. Lee-yeon always felt like an eye sore near Choo-ja as unlike her Lee-yeon preferred comfortable baggy clothes.

“Think carefully. Love and Romance doesn’t mean a thing today and you are not getting married to the dude right away. You are just going to have tea and introduce yourself to him. You will just be doing it to save your livelihood. Your hospital. It is not so bad to think about your career,” said Choo-ja walking around trying to make Lee-yeon think of her offer. At the end of her monologue, she stood in front of Lee-yeon and hoped she changed her mind.

“I do want to save my hospital but…” murmured Lee-yeon.

“Great!” said Choo-ja clapping her hands, excited once again.

“Did I give you the hotel key?” asked Choo-ja who had returned to planning the how’s of the meeting.

Lee-yeon was still thinking of how fast the conversation took an unexpected turn. ‘I am just doing this for my hospital. My career.’ She thought and took deep breaths.

“But wait! Who did you hear it from?” asked Lee-yeon. Stopping Choo-ja from her planning and cheering.

“Hear what?” asked Choo- ja confused.

“About Sole’s son returning to Korea. And what do you mean by the waiting list?”

Gye Choo-ja raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows and smiled. “Who will I hear it from other than the president himself?”

“What? The president? Why did he…”

“What do you mean why? I used to date him.” Choo-ja said smugly.

“Choo-ja!” Lee-yeon shouted as she jumped from her seat surprised. Choo-ja’s colorful love story was somewhat like a dark fairy tale to Lee-yeon, who had little experience.

Lee-yeon met Choo-ja when she was 17. At the time Lee-yeon had just run away from her home and with nothing to live on, Choo-ja took Lee-yeon under her wing. Choo-ja tried to make Lee-yeon understand that there is more to live than just working hard but the girl rejected the notion of love.

While Lee-yeon was thinking of the past Choo-ja had proceeded to give yet another monologue.

“… Destiny has nothing to do with finding a partner, you’re choosing your partner by yourself. So, don’t give up. Life is too short to eat food that doesn’t taste good. Being anachronistic will leave you only rotten pieces of bread.”

While Choo-ja was engrossed in her speech, Lee-yeon quickly ran away. The extremely conservative girl was very different from the free-spirited old lady.