TW 1

Chapter 1

Monday morning had gotten off to an unsettling start.

The culprit was the ominous fortune displayed on Danbi’s smartphone screen.

Today’s Fortune — At the start of the week, beware of a sudden tidal wave!

A tidal wave? What was that supposed to mean?

A few months ago, her fortune had warned her to “Beware of a tsunami,” and it had been followed by the worst system outage in the company’s history. Danbi had ended up spending three days and nights straight at work.

Ever since then, she had become a firm believer in the fortune-telling app.

What kind of misfortune was about to send ripples through her already exhausting life this time? Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.

Danbi’s mornings always began with a cheap iced coffee bought from the café in front of the office.

On the twenty-third floor of LD Tower—a towering building famous for its lighthouse-like silhouette—the Development Team 1 office was filled with the scent of coffee and the clatter of keyboards.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, Danbi was entering her third year of being worked to the bone as a backend developer.

The moment she arrived at work, a bug report came flying her way.

It was from a project she barely knew anything about, but after poking around the code and making a few adjustments here and there, she somehow managed to fix the problem.

Ah. I did it again.

A small sense of pride welled up inside her as she squeezed another drop of artificial tears into her dry, burning eyes. They were so dehydrated that every drop disappeared the instant it went in. Not a single tear overflowed.

If this is the tidal wave, I can handle it.

Tidal wave…

Tidal wave…

What kind of event would even qualify as a tidal wave?

The major update deployment had finished last month. Maybe the servers would crash in the middle of the night? Or worse—was there already a new project waiting for them?

Her hands mechanically continued typing across the keyboard, but her mind was busy imagining every possible disaster.

After all, the impact of a disaster you saw coming was completely different from the impact of one that caught you off guard.

She took several gulps of coffee before briefly turning to look out the window.

Flower petals announcing the arrival of spring fluttered gently in the breeze. But through her thick yellow glasses, covered with blue-light-blocking lenses, the world always looked hazy, as if swallowed by a cloud of fine dust.

Still, Danbi had grown so accustomed to her gray little routine that even the stale body odor of Dongjun, the coworker sitting beside her, felt like one of life’s essential features.

After surviving the hectic morning, she opened the team messenger.

One hundred unread messages were blinking at her.

Only then did she realize that the office was noisier than usual, filled with an unusual amount of frantic typing.

A bad feeling creeping over her, Danbi cautiously opened the chat.

No way.

Apparently, our new team manager is coming today?

They had only held the previous manager’s farewell party yesterday.

And his position was already being filled?

Is this it?

Is this the “tidal wave” that was supposed to arrive today?

But I heard a rumor that the new manager is the CEO’s son.

He’s kinda young to already be a team manager, though.

And his last name is Han.

The CEO’s son?

Danbi’s fingers froze above the keyboard.

I doubt it?

I heard he was a huge success in Silicon Valley.

Apparently, he graduated from MIT early and even got recruited by Company B.

I also heard he made a killing with a startup.

Sounds more like they just recruited some young hotshot.

…America?

I mean, if he were really that successful, why would he give up his career over there just to come work at his dad’s company?

He’d obviously demand an executive position.

Why settle for being a regular team manager?

A team manager who gets chewed out by the department head?

Exactly.

If my dad were Han Mujai, I’d just eat and play all day.

Why would I choose a life of working overtime and dealing with system outages while I’m trying to eat?

Right??? LOL

If my dad were Han Mujai, I’d just eat and play all day.

Why would I choose a life of working overtime and dealing with system outages while I’m trying to eat?

Right??? LOL

I’d be so good at being unemployed.

But seriously, if he’s not the CEO’s son, then why is he even coming here?

Maybe the company paid him a ridiculous amount of money.

Things are pretty brutal over there these days too… Could that have something to do with it? ㅠㅠ

At this rate, soon the company’s only employees will be C-level executives.

Sigh…

The conversation quickly spiraled into gloomy predictions about the state of the industry, and the messages continued piling up.

But Danbi couldn’t bring herself to type a single reply.

Inside her head, the fortune from that morning echoed over and over.

Beware of the sudden “tidal wave” that will arrive.

Tidal wave.

Tidal wave.

Han Hae-il…

Han Hae-il.

Back then, everyone at school had known that he was the only son of LD’s CEO.

Of course, Danbi had known too.

But when she applied to LD, she hadn’t given it a second thought.

LD was simply the kind of company everyone dreamed of joining.

What were the chances that an ordinary employee like her would ever run into the owner’s son, who was supposed to be living in America?

Back when she had been a desperate job seeker, LD had been a dream workplace—one where she would have happily dropped to her knees in gratitude if they had simply sent her an acceptance letter.

Who the founder was, or who his son happened to be, had never been part of the equation.

And besides…

It wasn’t as though they were two people who absolutely should never meet again.

At least, that was what she tried to tell herself.

Her heart, however, had other ideas.

It pounded wildly against her chest.

Come on. No way.

It can’t be him.

There’s no way.

And even if it is, why would he end up as the manager of my team, of all places?

Danbi shook her head, desperately trying to dismiss the thought.

At exactly eleven o’clock on Monday morning, an announcement went out.

A small welcome gathering would be held for the new team manager.

An odd atmosphere settled over the conference room, messy and restless, yet mixed with anticipation and tension. Everyone hurriedly cleared their desks, made coffee, and prepared to welcome their new leader.

Danbi’s heart was still racing.

It won’t be him.

It won’t.

She repeated it to herself desperately, but the cold premonition creeping up her spine refused to disappear.

Even the murmuring voices of her teammates sounded distant.

Then, at last, someone from Human Resources appeared with a man beside them.

The sound of the conference room door opening swallowed the noise in an instant.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

In the breathless silence, footsteps echoed across the room.

Then a man stepped inside.

“Everyone! I’d like to introduce the new team manager who will be leading our Development Team starting today. Please welcome Manager Han Hae-il!”

The moment the introduction cut through the air, Danbi’s world stopped.

The name felt both unreal and painfully familiar.

A name that still made her heart react before her mind could catch up.

Han Hae-il.

When she finally raised her head, there was no trace of the fresh-faced boy she remembered from more than ten years ago.

Instead, a man stood before her in a neat navy suit, his sharp eyes framed by thin metal-rimmed glasses.

His deep-set eyes were still the same.

But the boyishness had vanished.

In its place were composure, cold intelligence, and an effortless confidence.

His hair was neatly swept back.

His lips were firmly set.

And his indifferent gaze slowly swept across the conference room.

Han Hae-il.

There was no mistaking it.

He was the enormous “tidal wave” her fortune had warned her about.

“Hello. Starting today, I’ll be taking over as the manager of Development Team 1. My name is Han Hae-il.”

His voice was low and smooth, yet there was something faintly cool about it.

The sound of it rippled through the room.

The team members seemed to hold their breath as one.

The rumors that he was the owner’s son.

The dazzling career that supposedly took Silicon Valley by storm.

And, on top of all that, a face almost unfairly handsome for a developer.

Then the corner of Hae-il’s lips lifted slightly.

A faint smile appeared.

For a brief moment, his icy expression softened, and he looked almost like the boy Danbi remembered.

“I’ve also had experience developing similar services at my previous workplace. I look forward to working with all of you. I’ll do my best to bring together each of your strengths and help us achieve even better results.”

He went on to briefly explain his vision and working style.

There was a deep understanding of development in every word he spoke, along with an unwavering confidence that never felt forced.

The team’s premature assumption that he was nothing more than a nepotism hire melted away almost instantly.

Before long, even a hint of admiration had appeared in their eyes.

After finishing his introduction, Hae-il slowly looked over the team once more.

Danbi could feel her palms beginning to sweat.

Will he recognize me?

No.

There’s no way he remembers me.

Thoughts crashed around inside her head.

Hae-il began greeting the team members one by one with brief handshakes.

Then, finally, it was Danbi’s turn.

A large, pale hand stretched out toward her, faint blue veins visible beneath the skin.

An expensive-looking watch rested on his wrist, gleaming with understated elegance, while the subtle scent of refined cologne brushed past her nose.

Danbi stared blankly at his hand for a moment before belatedly reaching out and taking it.

“…Development Team 1. Lee Danbi.”

It was a habit.

Because she often worked with people from other teams, she always introduced herself with her department first.

But the moment the words left her mouth, it suddenly sounded as though she were saying:

I’m Lee Danbi. Your subordinate.

Her face immediately grew warm.

“Ah. Nice to meet you, Danbi.”

It was a simple, matter-of-fact greeting.

Danbi cautiously lifted her gaze.

Avoiding her superior’s eyes would have been rude, after all.

His eyes were fixed directly on hers, and a professional smile rested on his lips.

The moment she saw it, all the tension drained from her body.

Ah.

He doesn’t remember me.

Well, it wasn’t as though they had shared some unforgettable memory.

Apparently, she had been worrying over nothing.

Their joined hands moved lightly up and down.

And just as she was about to pull her hand away—

His fingers suddenly tightened around hers.

Danbi looked up at him in surprise.

But by then, he had already released her hand and turned away as if nothing had happened.

“I’d like to get a better understanding of everyone, so I think we should have some individual meetings as soon as possible…”

There was no avoiding that.

He noticed the cup of coffee sitting on the table as if it had been waiting for him, took a sip, and slowly looked over the team once more.

Then he casually called out,

“Shall we start with Lee Danbi?”

Danbi’s heart dropped to the floor, like a student suddenly called on by a teacher in the middle of class.

“Me? Y-You mean me?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“…No. There isn’t.”

“That’s a relief.”

He smiled softly and took a seat.

The rest of the team gave him a brief nod before filing out of the conference room.

The heavy door closed behind them.

And suddenly, only the two of them remained in the large room.

Hae-il pointed toward the chair across from him with a slight tilt of his chin.

“Have a seat.”

Danbi lowered her stiff, rigid body into the chair.

For a moment, he simply stared at her without saying anything.

Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

The upward curve of his mouth.

His relaxed gaze, as though he could see straight through whatever someone was thinking.

In an instant, the boy from her memories came rushing back into the present.

“Hey.”

He paused.

Then his smile deepened slightly.

“Long time no see.”

Just as her fortune had predicted, a sudden and enormous tidal wave had finally arrived.

And it was standing right in front of her.