The Collapse of a Sandcastle
"Seo-ha, you've really outdone yourself this time! Thanks to your proposal, we've exceeded our quarterly targets. Keep this up and you'll be gunning for team leader next."
At Team Leader Kim's words, everyone in the office burst into applause. Yoon Seo-ha smiled shyly and ducked her head. A small bouquet and a cream cake sat on her desk.
"You're giving me too much credit. I just tried to think from the customer's perspective."
She spoke modestly, but the truth was she'd spent two months pulling all-nighters to prepare for this project. Having that effort recognized always felt sweet. Watching her colleagues share the cake with bright smiles made her swell with pride.
"Seo-ha, you were incredible. I learned so much from you."
Ji-hyun, one of the junior staff, spoke with genuine admiration in her eyes. Seo-ha gave her shoulder a light pat.
"Next time, you should take the lead. You're more than capable."
As casual jokes and laughter filled the air, Seo-ha's phone buzzed. Seeing 'Father' on the screen, she frowned. It was rare for her father to call on a weekday afternoon.
"Dad? What's going on at this hour..."
Seo-ha answered with a puzzled expression.
"Seo-ha..."
Those two syllables told her everything. Something was terribly wrong. Her father's voice was shaking.
"I... I've done something terrible."
Seo-ha's expression froze. In the middle of an office buzzing with celebration, her world ground to a halt.
"Dad, what happened? You sound awful."
Seo-ha kept her voice low, aware of the eyes around her. Her colleagues, mid-bite of cake, glanced over with curiosity.
"Hold on. Let me step outside."
Seo-ha hurried from her seat.
The rooftop door swung open and April's cool breeze swept across Seo-ha's face. But she was too distracted to appreciate it.
"Okay, I'm alone now. Tell me everything."
"Seo-ha..." Her father's voice still trembled. "Lee Sang-mu... that bastard took all the company's money and disappeared."
Seo-ha's mind reeled. Section Chief Lee had been her father's friend and business partner for twenty years.
"What? Section Chief Lee? That's impossible!"
"That's... that's not even the worst of it. Daesung Group just canceled our contract out of nowhere... wouldn't even give me a real explanation..."
Her father's voice grew fainter. Seo-ha gripped the rooftop railing, stunned. Daesung Group was her father's biggest client. That contract made up eighty percent of his business.
"How much? How much debt are we talking about?"
Seo-ha's hands shook as she opened her phone's notes app.
"Five... about five hundred million won..." Her father's voice broke into sobs. "Seo-ha, I'm so sorry... I've ruined everything..."
Seo-ha's mind went blank. Five hundred million won. An incomprehensible sum.
"Dad, I'm coming home right now. Just stay calm and wait for me."
After hanging up, Seo-ha stood frozen on the rooftop. Seoul's gray skyline stretched before her, but she couldn't focus on anything. The sound of her father—always so strong, so dependable—sobbing echoed in her ears.
'Pull yourself together, Yoon Seo-ha. You need to be clearheaded right now.'
She took one deep breath and left the rooftop.
"This is sudden... I hope everything's alright. Family comes first. Go."
Team Leader Kim looked concerned but readily approved her request to leave early. She'd never imagined leaving early on a day like today, but family emergencies trumped everything.
"I'm sorry for the short notice, but there's a family emergency. I've documented all my ongoing work here, and I've asked Kim to cover the afternoon client meeting."
Seo-ha spoke clearly, emotions carefully masked. The team leader glanced at the document and nodded.
"That's you, all right. Even in a crisis, you've got everything organized."
"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Seo-ha grabbed her bag and rushed out. It was only 2 PM—normally her most productive hours.
"Excuse me, is there any way to go faster? It's a family emergency."
In the taxi, Seo-ha couldn't hide her anxiety. The clock read 2:30, but Gangnam's roads were already clogged with afternoon traffic.
"Miss, I'm doing my best. Traffic's terrible right now."
At the driver's words, Seo-ha bit her lip. She'd called her mother multiple times with no answer. Were loan sharks at the house right now? Was her father doing something desperate? Every nightmare scenario ran through her head.
The cityscape sliding past the window felt strangely alien. The sun shone as bright as ever, people rushed about their business, but Seo-ha's world felt like it was already crumbling.
'Please be okay, Dad...'
Climbing out of the taxi, Seo-ha was met with a disturbing scene at the apartment entrance. Three menacing-looking men stood outside her family's door, shouting.
"Get President Yoon out here now! If we don't get our money today, things are gonna get ugly!"
The largest of them pounded on the door, his voice dripping with threat. Seo-ha hesitated. Confronting them could be dangerous. But she squared her shoulders and walked forward.
"I think you're looking for my father. I'm his daughter. Can you tell me what this is about?"
All three men wheeled around. Their expressions were even more hostile than she'd expected, and fear flickered through her, but Seo-ha held their gaze.
"Your old man borrowed money from us and hasn't paid us back. Fifty million won."
The lead man spoke in a harsh voice. Seo-ha fought to keep her tone measured.
"Let me look into the situation, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. My parents are very shaken up right now."
"Such pretty words." The man's tone was mocking. "If we don't hear from you by tomorrow, we're coming back. And it won't be this polite. You tell him that."
Seo-ha nodded. Rage burned inside her, but now wasn't the time to show it.
"I will. If you leave your contact information, I'll reach out directly."
The man studied her for a moment, then held out a business card. 'Daeho Capital.' An illegal loan shark operation.
"Tomorrow. Don't forget."
Once she'd confirmed the three men had taken the elevator down, Seo-ha exhaled heavily. The situation was worse than she'd thought. If her father had resorted to loan sharks, their cash flow had been in trouble for a long time.
The apartment door opened to crushing silence. Her father sat slumped on the sofa, and her mother looked at Seo-ha with swollen, red-rimmed eyes.
"Seo-ha..."
Her mother's voice was hoarse from crying. Seo-ha quickly dropped her bag and went to her parents.
"Dad... what exactly happened?"
Seo-ha kept her voice calm. Her father raised his head weakly. He looked like he'd aged decades overnight.
"Seo-ha... I'm so ashamed... I've let you down..."
His voice was thick with guilt and self-loathing. Seo-ha took her father's hand.
"We don't have time for that right now. I need to know exactly what's going on so I can help."
Her father sighed heavily.
"For the past month, Daesung Group hadn't said anything about renewing our contract. I got worried and asked Section Chief Lee to feel out their intentions... he told me everything was fine. Then this morning, out of nowhere, Daesung notified us they're canceling. No penalty, nothing..."
"Section Chief Lee couldn't have done this! You trusted him for twenty years..." Seo-ha looked stunned.
"It's my fault... I trusted him too much. Didn't check the contracts carefully enough..." Her father buried his face in his hands. "When I got to the office today, his desk was empty. I checked our accounts—all the operating capital had been withdrawn. Just yesterday evening he told me he was staying late..."
Seo-ha sat in shocked silence. Twenty years of her father's work, destroyed overnight.
"How much debt are we in?" Seo-ha finally managed.
Her mother answered. "Three hundred million in bank loans, and the loan sharks..."
"Loan sharks?" Seo-ha's eyes widened. Her father, who'd always warned her away from private lenders, had gone to them himself.
"We needed new factory equipment for the Daesung contract, and the bank loans weren't enough..." Her father's voice grew smaller.
Seo-ha took a deep breath. This was far worse than she'd imagined. Besides Daeho Capital, how many other creditors would come knocking?
"Who were those men outside?"
"Daeho Capital... we borrowed fifty million, but the interest..." Her mother couldn't finish.
Seo-ha raised her head, resolve hardening in her eyes. "Okay. First, both of you calm down. I'll handle this. Tomorrow I'm getting legal advice."
"Seo-ha... why should you have to deal with this... I'm so sorry..." Fresh tears spilled from her mother's eyes.
"We're family. We'll get through this together." Seo-ha's voice was firm, but inside, despair threatened to swallow her. How could she possibly deal with over five hundred million won in debt?
Late that night, Seo-ha sat at her desk and opened her laptop. She searched every possible debt repayment plan and legal option. Her screen filled with legal consultation sites and information on personal bankruptcy procedures.
'Even if we file for bankruptcy, Dad's business is finished.'
Seo-ha clutched her head. Her salary couldn't even cover the interest. Sorting through bills on her desk, she spotted a pale blue envelope in her drawer.
Pulling it out, she found a wedding invitation from her college friend Min-ji. She'd received it last week and completely forgotten.
"Min-ji's wedding... I forgot all about it. At JK Hotel... right, she said her fiancé was from a chaebol family."
Flipping through the invitation, Seo-ha's mind began to turn. JK Hotel. One of Korea's premier hotel chains. She wondered how Min-ji had landed someone like that, but other thoughts crowded her mind.
'Maybe... this could be an opportunity.'
Seo-ha's expression shifted. In college, she'd been a top student on a full scholarship. With credentials like that, couldn't she land a job at a major corporation like JK Group? A much higher salary could help pay down her father's debts.
Seo-ha picked up her phone and texted Min-ji.
"Min-ji, congratulations! I'll definitely be there in three days... Quick question though—any openings at JK Group? Think you could put in a word for me?"
After hitting send, Seo-ha bit her lip bitterly. In a single day, her pride had been ground into dust. But pride was a luxury she couldn't afford. To save her family, she'd do whatever it took.
Outside her window, Seoul's night sprawled in darkness. Countless building lights glittered like stars. Seo-ha approached the window and pressed her forehead against the cold glass. The chill helped cool her racing thoughts.
'There has to be a way. There has to be.'
Her phone buzzed. Min-ji.
"Seo-ha! Of course you're coming. Wait, JK Group? What brought this on? But actually, perfect timing! A bunch of people from JK Group are coming to the wedding. Especially Kang Do-yoon... he's my fiancé's college senior and the CEO of JK Hotel. Want me to introduce you?"
Seo-ha's fingers tightened around her phone. The CEO of JK Hotel. And Min-ji knew him personally. This was better than she'd hoped.
"Thanks, Min-ji. I'd really appreciate that."
After sending her reply, Seo-ha turned back to the window. Even in the pitch-black night, she thought she could see a glimmer of light. She had no idea then—that this meeting wouldn't just be a job opportunity, but the beginning of something that would change her life forever.