# Chapter 3. May Forest

Jinju muttered under her breath as she stood up. It had been a while since she owed someone something, and the feeling made her uneasy.

"I wish I could just give this place to him," she grumbled, casting a disapproving look around the café.

She made her way up to the second floor, showered, and then came back down to take a look at the man's business card.

"Junhui Kang, CEO of Haerang May Forest Beach Hotel. I should go to the hotel then."

The hotel was within walking distance from Café Jinju. She had frequently seen the place throughout her youth, so finding it would be easy. As she locked the café up and stepped outside, she was met with a strong gust of wind.

"Yup, this is the seaside alright…"

She mimicked the man's tone from their brief encounter the day before. However, she couldn’t deny that his tone, face, appearance, and smile had left a lasting impression on her. She bit her lip and began walking toward the hotel.

She never thought she would use the word “elegant” to describe a man, but Junhui Kang was undeniably elegant. Perhaps that was why she was more impressed than anything.

Despite the wind, the sky was clear and clean, making the walk bearable.

Making her way to the local bank to withdraw some cash first, she eventually stumbled upon the pine forest. Jinju suddenly became emotional. She despised Haerang so much that she had always wanted to leave, but the pine forest was the one thing that kept her there. It was her go-to sanctuary whenever she felt frustrated.

Jinju greeted the forest with a glance and slowly walked underneath the cover of the trees. The early morning atmosphere of the forest was refreshing, and the trees blocked out the strong winds, making it feel cozy somehow. Dew was still visible on the ground, and birds chirped off in the distance. It had been a while since she had genuinely smiled.

As she walked, reminiscing about the rare happy moments in her life, she soon arrived at Haerang May Forest. She had heard that this place had a difficult past, but it now seemed to be thriving with many guests.

***

"Great waves," Junhui muttered, holding a cup of coffee that had long gone cold.

He stood by the window of his office on the thirty-third floor of the hotel, his eyes fixed on the angry waves crashing against the shore. Last night, he’d had that dream again. His mother, pale and desperate, had forcefully pulled him somewhere and hugged him tightly.

“Junhui! Junhui! My son! Forget it. Forget everything. Oh, please, please!”

Blood dripped from her body onto the floor. Junhui closed his eyes and opened them slowly. Back in America, he would go straight to the beach and surf whenever he had that dream. There was no better way to calm his boiling anger.

"Besides, it's winter."

He preferred winter surfing to summer surfing as it helped him cool down his heated emotions. Just before he was about to be completely mesmerized by the sea, he took in a deep breath.

Upon returning to Korea, every day had been a battle for him. But now, he had finally brought May Forest Beach Hotel to the level he desired. However, there was still one unresolved matter that he had to attend to no matter what. Sipping on his cold coffee, he turned to sit on his chair as he heard a knock at the door.

"Yes?"

An old man in neat clothes entered the room upon his response. It was Kihwan Choi, Chief Secretary of May Forest Beach. He bowed ninety degrees before approaching Junhui, handing over the reports he had prepared.

"Please proceed."

Junhui's calm yet powerful voice echoed through his serene office.

"Yes, sir."

Secretary Choi responded politely to the CEO, who was much, much younger than him. Junhui Kang was only twenty-nine years old. When they’d first met, the boy had just been his young, intelligent master. He had never expected that boy to grow up into a young man with such eyes ablaze with vengeance.

"According to the satisfaction survey filled out by May Forest Beach Hotel’s guests in the previous quarterly report, ninety-seven percent of guests gave the facilities the highest rating."

Everything changed since Junhui arrived there just two years ago. Haerang May Forest Beach Hotel finally regained its former glory, and many people started visiting again.

"What about the three percent?"

If Junhui Kang found even one thing that he didn't like from A to Z, he would start over from scratch. Once he restarted, he pursued his goals aggressively as if work was the only thing in the world that mattered.

"We're actively addressing any guest complaints and our actions are seen as positive, which is great for marketing."

"How's the room reservation rate?"

"We've been fully booked for at least three months now even though it's the off-season. There are many people on the waiting list too. It seems like May Forest had returned to its former golden era, and I'm very proud…"

"Let's move on to the resort business."

Secretary Choi smiled. The more he looked at him, the more he resembled CEO Yoon, who had passed away. It was nice to see the place being revived to the state it was in back while he was still alive.

"Firstly, some big investors who trust you are enthusiastic about this venture, so I'm scheduling the meetings."

"You know I'll be there too. What's next?"

"Everything else will be scheduled over time as per the business report..."

Junhui furrowed his brow as Secretary Choi spoke.

"Over time... you said?"

Secretary Choi was well aware that the young CEO was invested in the resort business and that "over time" was not something that he wanted to hear.

"This is an urgent matter, Secretary Choi. We need to finish before next spring. Record every detail about our current progress and future plans and report back to me."

“Yes, understood.”

“Oh, what about Chairman Kim from Taesan? Did you set up a meeting with him?"

“Yes, the meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, in the evening. He will be coming here."

"Good. I'm already busy, so that'll save some time. You may leave now.”

“Yes, sir. By the way, where did you go yesterday?"

Secretary Choi had hesitated slightly before asking him carefully.

“Café Jinju. I went there.”

Secretary Choi's face turned pale. He had thought that it was odd when he left for a while without notice, but he never thought that he would’ve been there.

He could guess why CEO Kang had gone there.

He regretted asking the question as his heart sank.

“Sir…”

"Thanks to you, Secretary Choi, we've accomplished a lot so far."

Cutting his words, Junhui paused to catch his breath before continuing. Memories of the difficult times he’d faced while dealing with tough business deals flashed before his eyes like a panorama.

"I’m well aware that you were the one who kicked Chairman Kang out of here at the perfect timing."

"That was nothing, sir."

"However, that's about it, Secretary Choi."

Junhui finished off, turning his back on Secretary Choi and walking toward his desk.

"You don't have to handle everything on your own, I will..."

"Secretary Choi, it’s been a while… I want to go surfing."

Junhui interrupted him once again. Although he not only trusted Secretary Choi but also respected him as elder, he didn't want to discuss Café Jinju any further.

"Okay, I will arrange to cancel all of your afternoon appointments."

"Alright. You may leave for the day, Secretary Choi."

“Yes, sir.”

Secretary Choi finally closed his mouth and left. Junhui sat at his desk and rubbed his face with his hands. He looked at the pending documents on his desk. He knew what Secretary Choi was concerned about, but he was most certainly not going to seek his opinion on the matter.

***

Jinju approached the doorman standing next to the hotel’s entrance.

"Excuse me, where can I find CEO Junhui Kang?”

"You need to check at the reception desk before meeting him."

“Ah, okay.”

Jinju followed his advice, enquiring at the reception desk, and one of the employees guided her from there onward. She had to pass through many people before meeting Junhui Kang. He appeared to be older than her, but he was still young and managing this enormous hotel. She finally sensed the significance of his position after paying a visit to May Forest.

"I just received the message. They said that you came to meet CEO Junhui Kang, right?"

After being guided to the thirty-third floor, an old gentleman greeted her with a gentle smile.

"Yes”

"This way, please."

He opened one of the two large wooden doors adorned with simple decorations and beckoned her forward. Jinju nodded and followed after him. Junhui Kang's office was brightly lit thanks to its expansive glass wall, making it almost blinding. Near the glass wall stood a massive desk, and there he was.

He appeared tidier and cleaner than the day before. The way he held his pen was quite elegant, and his lips were pressed into a thin line, giving him a rather serious vibe. After finishing up his work, he slowly raised his head. His stiff expression gradually relaxed, and he stood up from his seat to approach her.

"Welcome."

"Hello."

Jinju suddenly wondered if this was the same man who had poured paraffin into her heater yesterday. She had no idea that he had so much dignity.

"What brings you here?"

His calm voice was well-suited to the quiet office.

"I'm here to give you this," she said, handing him a white envelope and closing her mouth out of awkwardness.

Junhui glanced between her and the envelope repeatedly, frowning slightly before turning the corners of his lips upward to form a faint smile.

"Oh dear, I didn't really mean it. You didn't have to do this," he said, making a troubled face.

"Sixteen thousand won might be nothing to a man who manages such a huge hotel, but to me, it's not. It's my debt."

Wearing a stern expression, she extended her hand even further, urging him to take the envelope immediately.

"Perhaps I should’ve called it my gift to you so you wouldn't have to do this."

"There's no reason for me to accept gifts from a stranger. If you’d said that, I wouldn’t have accepted it."

"I see. Very well. I'll take it since you came all the way here."

Junhui slowly took the envelope, raising and lowering his eyebrows as he did so.

"Ah, I put twenty thousand won in there."

Junhui’s brows twitched and he tilted his head slightly.

"I included it as payment for your service since you bought it instead of me. Anyway, I’ll get going now since I’ve repaid you."

‘Payment for my service...?’

Jinju Baek might have been the first woman to ever pay Junhui Kang for his services. Left dumbfounded, he called out to her just as she was about to make her way out.

"Miss Jinju Baek."

His calm voice echoed through the office once again.

‘Wait, did I tell him my name?’

She frowned, feeling somewhat awkward when he said her name.

"…Have I told you my name before?"

Although Junhui Kang had given her his business card, she was sure that she’d never given him hers or mentioned her name.