[Chapter 01] - Along Came Our Love
Chapter 1 -
Mina Lee clasped her hands together,
bowing slightly toward her boss.
“Thanks, boss, for your understanding.”
“That’s alright,” Mr. Lisun Bin
said, waving a hand as if brushing away her gratitude. “I guess he really likes
you — that’s why he agreed to let you work the later shift today.”
Mina tilted her head. “Has he always
been strict about cleaning his place?”
“You have no idea what a troublesome
man he is,” Mr. Bin replied with a huff. “I’ve gone through five housekeepers
for him in less than a year. So far, you’re the only one he hasn’t complained
about. I guess he’s set on you. Well, too bad if you nail your job interview
today. You’ll have to say goodbye to this job.”
Mina’s lips curved into a bright
smile. “I’m so happy to get my first interview ever, but… I’m nervous about
whether I can do well.”
“Good luck!” Mr. Bin grinned, his
eyes crinkling. “I hope you get the job.”
She bowed again before leaving his
office.
A month after arriving in Kosa Ni,
Mina was relieved to land the cleaning job — a small piece of stability in a
city that seemed ready to swallow her whole. A nineteen-year-old runaway, Mina
traveled from Shudouk, a small village island in Karoji, to this very city in
another state with a purpose. She had her sights on working in Merra Mall — the
most prestigious department store in the city.
This was her third attempt in three
months, and finally, she had made it to the interview stage. If she could just
pass today…
The room was cold, the fluorescent
lights harsh. Three people sat behind the table, each with a stack of papers
before them. Mina kept her posture straight, her hands clasped in her lap.
“Thank you for your time. You can
leave now,” one of them said. He was the youngest of the three — late twenties,
maybe early thirties. His black eyes were cool and unreadable above a sharp,
straight nose. His thin lips barely moved as he spoke; in fact, those were the
only words he had uttered during the entire interview. The nameplate in front
of him read: Thara Oki.
Mina hesitated. “But… I don’t think
you’ve asked me many questions. I won’t get this job, will I?”
She stood, bowing deeply to all
three interviewers. “Please. I need this job so much. I promise I will work
harder than anyone else. Just give me a chance.”
One of the other interviewers
sighed. “You can wait for our response later. Please leave for now — we have
other candidates to see.”
But Mina stepped closer, her voice quickened.
“What is it about me that’s not qualified? I’ll work hard to improve it.”
“There’s no need,” Thara said, his
gaze cutting straight through her. “You’re right. You won’t get this job. Since
you look desperate, I’ll tell you why.”
His pause was deliberate.
“You’re a fresh high school graduate with no relevant experience for reception
work, and you want to work in a high-standard department store. Yes, our
listing says the minimum requirement is a diploma. But you assumed that
lowering our requirement meant lowering our standards. From your answers, it’s
clear you lack both the mindset and the commitment this role demands. You
applied out of desperation, not dedication.”
Mina’s lips parted, but no words
came. Something about his tone — that unwavering stare — drained the strength
from her body. And the worst part was… he wasn’t entirely wrong.
She bowed once more and walked out,
her ears catching fragments of the conversation behind her.
“Too bad. She’s pretty.”
“She’s good at cleaning, it says here. Maybe we could have her tidy around the
desk and smile for the customers. Not a bad idea, right?”
Mina clenched her jaw and passed the
line of waiting candidates without looking at them.
On the bus, she rested her head
against the cool glass of the window. Thara Oki’s words replayed in her mind,
sharper than she wanted to admit. How could a stranger read her so easily? She was
desperate for a job — but not only because she needed to survive. There was
another reason she couldn’t say in the interview.
She closed her eyes, breathing
slowly. She had been so happy when she got the call, certain they’d seen
potential in her persistence. But it was only her wishful thinking.
“That’s alright,” she whispered to herself. “I’ll just pick up more shifts… or
find another part-time job.”
The bus stopped at an intersection,
and Mina stepped off, heading toward the tall glass towers of La Sara Condominium.
She wiped her forehead with her
wrist. “Now I feel a lot better,” she murmured.
This unit had been her first
cleaning assignment from Mr. Bin — a test, he’d said. If the owner was
satisfied, the job was hers. The next day, she’d been told she was hired. She
had wanted to thank the owner in person, but he was never home when she came.
His instructions were: two hours of cleaning, everything spotless, no cooking.
He apparently hated strong smells.
The place had no personal touches —
no photos, no trinkets, nothing to suggest the life of the man who lived here.
All she’d heard from Mr. Bin was that he was “very good-looking.” She had
wondered, once or twice, what it would be like to see him in person.
But she had also been told to leave
before he came home.
Now, as she gathered her supplies to
leave, she heard the faint beeping of the door lock from the other side. She
froze.
The door swung open.
A man stepped in — tall, sharp-eyed,
and instantly recognizable.
Mina’s breath caught.
The interviewer from this afternoon… Thara Oki.
He looked at her with the same
unreadable expression, his brow lowering slightly as he stepped forward. The
light from the hallway cast his shadow across the pristine white wall.
“What are you doing here?” he asked,
voice deep and firm.
Mina swallowed. “I’m… cleaning your
house,” she said quietly.
Her mind reeled. How in the world
have I been cleaning this cold man’s apartment for two months?
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