Monday morning came faster than Kyrah expected.
The three days at the hotel had somehow disappeared. Between reading about Jun Chao Group, researching the department she was joining, studying the responsibilities attached to her position, and trying to prepare herself mentally for a completely new life, she barely had enough time to breathe.
Kyrah opened her suitcase and stared at the clothes inside.
She didn't have much to choose from.
After searching through the suitcase for a few minutes, she pulled out an old skirt suit. The fabric looked slightly worn and the colour had faded in places, but it was still presentable. She held it against herself and nodded.
"This will do."
She ironed it carefully, put it on, adjusted the collar and stood in front of the mirror.
It wasn't the most impressive outfit she'd ever worn, but it was clean, neat and professional. For now, that was enough.
Kyrah packed the last few things she had into her bags. She was supposed to move into the company apartment after work, so she didn't want to leave too much behind at the hotel.
She checked the time.
Early.
Perfect.
The last thing she wanted was to walk into the office carrying half her belongings while everyone stared at her on her first day.
By the time she arrived at Jun Chao Group, the building was already beginning to come alive.
She hurried through the entrance, almost as though someone was chasing her.
The reception area was enormous. Glass walls stretched from floor to ceiling, allowing the morning sunlight to spill across the polished floors. Employees moved in every direction, some holding tablets, others talking into their phones while walking briskly toward the elevators.
This was it.
Her new workplace.
Kyrah walked straight to the front desk.
"Good morning. I'm Kyrah Lee. I'm here to collect my employee ID."
The young woman behind the desk smiled politely and checked the system.
"Yes, Miss Lee. Please wait a moment."
Kyrah stood there nervously until the woman handed her a small card.
"Here you are. Welcome to Jun Chao Group."
Kyrah took it.
Her eyes immediately fell on the photograph.
Her name.
Her department.
Her employee number.
She stared at it for several seconds.
She had actually done it.
She had left Korea.
She had crossed an entire country and started over.
And now she was standing here with an employee ID bearing the name of one of Asia's biggest technology companies.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Someone will take you to your department."
A few minutes later, a young woman led Kyrah through several corridors before finally stopping at the AI Development Department.
"This is your workspace. Your team leader will introduce you to everyone."
Kyrah thanked her and sat down.
She looked at the empty desk in front of her.
One day, she thought, this desk would be filled with memories.
Maybe pictures.
Maybe little notes.
Maybe a coffee mug she would refuse to throw away even when it became embarrassingly old.
She smiled to herself.
She wanted to leave something of herself here.
Not because she wanted everyone to remember her name, but because she wanted to look back someday and know she had given this opportunity everything she had.
Little by little, the department began filling up.
Employees walked in carrying coffee cups and laptops. Conversations started around her, keyboards began clicking, and the once-empty workspace became busy.
Kyrah was looking through the documents on her desk when a tall, slightly eccentric-looking man stopped beside her.
"You must be the new hire."
Kyrah looked up.
"Yes."
He smiled.
"Hi. I'm Xiumin. I'm the team leader of the AI Solutions Development Team."
"Nice to meet you."
"Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone."
Kyrah stood up and followed him.
Xiumin introduced her to the rest of the team.
"This is Flora."
A young woman with an accent and a bright smile waved at her.
"Hi, Kyrah. Welcome."
"Thank you."
"That's Kai."
A man sitting across from her raised his hand.
"And that's Zuma."
Zuma turned around and smiled.
"Welcome to the team."
Kyrah smiled at all of them.
Everyone seemed friendly enough, which immediately eased some of the tension in her shoulders.
Xiumin pointed toward Zuma.
"For the next few weeks, you'll be working closely with him. He'll help you understand how we do things here until you're fully settled."
Zuma nodded.
"Don't worry. I won't make your first week miserable."
Everyone laughed.
"I appreciate that," Kyrah replied.
Zuma turned out to be incredibly patient.
He showed her where everything was, from the printing room and copier to the snack area and meeting rooms. He even took her to the boardroom and explained which rooms were usually reserved for departmental meetings.
"If you ever get lost," he told her, "just call me."
"I'll try not to."
"Everyone says that on their first day."
Kyrah laughed.
By the time she returned to her desk, she felt much more comfortable.
She had barely sat down when the department receptionist walked into the common area holding a large bouquet of flowers.
"Package for Kyrah Lee."
Kyrah looked up.
"For me?"
The receptionist nodded.
Immediately, several heads turned in her direction.
Kyrah stood up and walked over to collect the flowers.
"Thank you."
She looked down at the bouquet.
There was a small card attached to it.
She opened it.
Congratulations on your first day at work. Both of you.
Kyrah stared at the words.
She didn't need to ask who sent them.
Seo Jun.
A smile slowly spread across her face.
He was always doing things like this.
Nothing extravagant.
Nothing that demanded attention.
Just small gestures that somehow made her feel remembered.
And the fact that he had included her baby made her smile even more.
She touched her stomach unconsciously.
"Thank you," she whispered.
She was lucky to have met someone like him.
Seo Jun was a senior executive in the company, so she knew their paths wouldn't cross very often. Still, knowing that he had taken the time to send flowers on her first day made her feel appreciated.
She carefully placed the bouquet beside her computer.
Before she could admire it any longer, Zuma's voice echoed across the department.
"Meeting time! Everyone to the conference room."
Kyrah quickly grabbed her notebook and followed the others.
Inside the meeting room, Xiumin took his seat at the head of the table while everyone else settled in.
"We have a new collaboration project coming up," he began. "Our department will be working with Haneul Integrated Technologies."
The room immediately changed.
Nobody said anything.
Kyrah glanced around.
What was wrong?
Xiumin sighed.
"I know. I know."
Kai leaned toward Kyrah and whispered, "They're difficult."
"How difficult?"
Kai gave her a look.
"Very."
Xiumin continued explaining the project. Haneul Integrated Technologies had an established hardware network that Jun Chao Group wanted to integrate with one of its newer AI systems. The technical side wasn't the biggest problem.
The people were.
Their previous collaborations had been complicated. Their representatives were demanding, negotiations often went nowhere, and both companies had clashed over technical specifications more than once.
"We need someone from our team to handle the initial negotiations," Xiumin said.
Nobody moved.
Kyrah looked around.
One person suddenly became very interested in their notebook.
Another stared at the ceiling.
Someone pretended to check their phone.
Kyrah frowned.
She didn't understand.
It was her first day.
She needed to prove herself.
Before she could overthink it, her hand went up.
"I can do it."
The entire table turned toward her.
Kyrah's hand slowly lowered.
The expressions on their faces made her wonder if she had just volunteered to negotiate with a room full of angry dragons.
Xiumin blinked.
"You're sure?"
Kyrah nodded.
"Yes."
Zuma stared at her for a moment before shaking his head with an amused smile.
Kyrah smiled back.
She had already come too far to start being afraid now.
"Alright," Xiumin said. "I'll send you the project details and introduce you to the contact person."
"Thank you."
The meeting continued, but Kyrah's mind was already racing.
Her first assignment.
Her first real chance.
She had no idea what she was walking into.
But she wasn't going to complain.
When she returned to her desk, Kyrah looked at the flowers sitting beside her computer.
Then she looked at the pile of documents waiting for her.
She picked up the first file.
"I'll work hard," she whispered to herself.
This was her first task.
And she was going to prove that she deserved to be here.