New Normal - Chapter 14

Why’s he in such a bad mood today? Did I screw something up?

While Jongmin was lost in thought, Chae Juwon suddenly shot him a question.

“Did you check the local regulations?”

Snapping out of it, Jongmin hurriedly closed the half-written report on his screen and pulled up the files about Jeju’s building code and the fresh environmental analysis sheet.

“Yes. The roof slope has to stay under 30 degrees. I adjusted the overall building height to match that. And for the exterior, since we have to use natural materials, I was thinking maybe we could switch the finish to local basalt stone—”

“Forget that. Show me the floor plan and elevations you’ve got so far.”

Chae Juwon cut him off coldly. He stared at the drawings on the second monitor in silence for a moment. Jongmin, stealing a glance at him, carefully opened his mouth.

“I modified the roofline to blend with the skyline more naturally. It gives some impact, but—”

“At this angle, the load will be too heavy during construction. Did you think about the durability?”

“Oh— should I make the slope gentler then? Or maybe we could reinforce it with a stronger steel structure—”

Jongmin shut his mouth as soon as he felt that ‘you’re pathetic’ stare. Even his old college professors hadn’t made him feel this small, but he just kept his eyes down like he was used to it.

“Strengthening the steel will blow the budget, obviously.”

Giving that short jab, Chae Juwon turned his attention back to the drawing and rattled off instructions.

“Rework the curves to fit the building setback line. For the load problem, we’ll strengthen the wall structure instead — we can set up a meeting with the structural engineer later about the changes. For now, simplify the glass facade at the entrance. Think about light reflection and the shadow angles from nearby objects. Where are you looking right now?”

Jongmin flinched, realizing he’d been sneaking glances at his boss. He quickly lifted his head. He met Chae Juwon’s cold eyes — the guy had one hand on his hip, glaring down at him. When the boss shifted his weight slightly, still scowling, Jongmin just stood there, totally confused.

What, I just looked at him — why’s he acting like I committed a crime…

“No, sir. I’ll revise it like you said.”

“Good. We’re running out of time before the deadline, so hurry up, but don’t rush so much that you miss the details—”

“I won’t.”

Jongmin cut him off by giving the exact answer the boss wanted. Chae Juwon gave a small, indifferent nod.

“Once you wrap up the drawings, submit them. Everyone, just finish what you can today and go home.”

At those long-awaited words, Jongmin’s tired eyes lit up with relief.

“Yes, got it!”

Voices echoed here and there, all suddenly brighter than before. Jongmin let out a quiet sigh of relief and peeked over at Chae Juwon, who was already walking toward his private office. Jongmin stretched his neck and called out,

“Chief Chae, are you working late again tonight?”

“No. I have plans.”

“Huh?”

Jongmin’s eyes widened at the rare news. In the two years he’d watched Chae Juwon, he’d never seen the guy leave for personal plans. For someone who looked like that, the man’s private life was strangely — or rather, terrifyingly — clean. The common gossip was: When does that man even have time to date?

Could it be a date tonight?

Apparently, Jongmin wasn’t the only one curious. The other team members, pretending to type, suddenly clacked their keyboards faster, eavesdropping hard.

Chae Juwon casually ran a hand through his hair and glanced around the office. His face stayed blank, but one corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Relax. It’s not a client meeting. I’m not that insane.”

…It totally is, though, Jongmin thought, but he just smiled instead of saying it out loud. He gave his boss a silent thumbs-up.

***

The clear, bright notes of a harp filled the hotel lounge. Leaning back lazily on a comfy sofa, Juwon rolled his tired eyes at the ceiling. The time, the place — everything about this matchmaking date felt painfully cliché.

A bar on a Friday night always seemed a bit tacky and fake — a man and woman, strangers brought together by someone else, feeling each other out under dim lights and cheap laughs. A hotel lounge on a Saturday afternoon was even worse — so boring it made him suspect the matchmaker must be getting a secret kickback from the hotel for every lunch set they sold.

A Wednesday night at a lounge — well, that was supposed to feel fresh and different. But honestly? Same old boring crap.

Time really won’t move today, huh.

Letting out a fed-up sigh, he glanced at his watch. 9 minutes and 58 seconds. 59 seconds. And then — 10 minutes.

Except when he showered, he always wore his watch, and now its hand ticked firmly past 9:10 PM. He reached for the glass he’d set on the table, finished the leftover drink in one shot, then put the glass down with a sharp clink.

Another blind date. No matter how much he tried to dodge it, it just wouldn’t die.

His date tonight, Choi Se-yeon, was the same woman who’d stood him up once before. Apparently she’d felt bad enough to ask for another chance, but Juwon had turned her down every time. The problem was her parents — they were relentless. They’d even shown up at Juwon’s grandfather’s place with gifts, practically begging for another meeting.

In the end, under his grandfather’s nagging, Juwon caved — but only just enough to find a so-called “reasonable” compromise: Wednesday night at 9, at a hotel lounge halfway between their houses. She agreed.

He’d made sure everything stayed firmly on his terms. He’d planned to keep the upper hand all the way — but in the end, the tiny bit of decency left in him stopped him from pushing it too far.

Even with that last bit of courtesy, here she was again, blowing him off. No heads-up, no apology — she was already 10 minutes late.

Their fathers had gone to college together, and on top of that, Se-yeon had apparently been one of Juwon’s late grandmother’s favorite picks for him. So he’d decided to at least keep things polite and put a clear end to it all tonight — but wasting any more of his time? No thanks.

He’d done more than enough to be decent.

Annoyed now, Juwon called over a staff member without a second thought. He handed over his card with the check and glared at his still-silent phone. Seriously, what kind of manners does she have — not even a sorry text?

He swallowed a muttered curse and was just about to stand up when —

“Looks like your company’s not coming?”

A lazy voice curled into his ear. He turned to the source of the sound — a woman stood there, holding a glass of wine. Or more precisely, blocking his way.

Her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail. Maybe she’d had a bit to drink — her neck was flushed red. Her outfit didn’t scream I’m here to seduce someone either. Just a simple shirt, slacks, and loafers — like someone who’d just clocked out from the office. But her face and figure? Definitely nowhere near ordinary.

Meaning — not bad at all.

Juwon’s eyes ran down and up her, openly uninterested yet assessing. Hmph. Now what? A pretty decent-looking woman had spoken to him — ignoring her and just leaving suddenly felt a bit awkward. If he walked away right now, it’d look like he’d been stood up — which annoyed his pride for no good reason.

What kind of dumb pride is that? Maybe it was just old habits from his wilder days. Who knew.

Juwon glanced at his watch again. He’d already wasted the perfect moment to just leave.

Fine. Whatever.

Meeting her eyes, he slowly sat back down, acting like it was no big deal. He tilted his chin at the empty seat across from him — sit if you want. The woman, who’d been waiting without a word, let out a small, clear laugh and took the seat like she’d been waiting for that signal.

From a distance, the staff member who was bringing Juwon’s receipt and card hesitated when he saw the woman now sitting across from him.

Juwon turned his head and made a small gesture for the staff to wait. Then he took another good look at the woman in front of him. She had a delicate neck that matched her pretty face — it was oddly eye-catching. Enough to remind him of someone.

“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Shin Jisoo from Hansong Group’s Um Art Museum.”

Or maybe… someone from an old memory?

“Hello, I’m Lee Sinhyung, the person in charge of the Space Art Competition. And next to me is intern Shin Jisoo, who’s helping with this project.” 

A few years back, he’d once submitted a design for an open call to plan a museum space. It was a non-profit competition that usually drew small studio architects, freelance designers, or professors. Back then, Juwon had still been working under Rochstein when the offer came in.

A competition held at a museum designed by his mentor — he’d found it interesting enough. It didn’t hurt to add another line to his portfolio either. So, half for fun, half out of duty, he agreed to join.

The first round of screening had been done through one-on-one video calls. He’d been stuck in the U.S. at the time — no easy way to fly back and forth to Korea. But thanks to the global pandemic, everything had gone online anyway.

When the Zoom screen turned on, several faces popped up clearly. But what had caught his eye was the woman sitting next to the competition manager. For a second, Juwon had forgotten what he was about to say.

Through the laptop camera, that woman — Shin Jisoo — had appeared against a softly blurred office background. Her long hair was neatly tied back, giving her a smart, graceful vibe that stood out. Her voice was low for a woman, but it sounded pleasant, her pronunciation crisp and clear like an anchor’s, leaving a faint impression that lingered.

While they spoke in the usual polite, formal tone, she had quietly watched the screen and taken notes. There’d been nothing fake in her expression. Maybe it was that quiet honesty that made her stick in his mind.

Whenever the light hit her eyes, they seemed to sparkle. The tidy way her fingers moved across the page — everything about her felt clean and precise. On that small screen, she’d seemed almost like a well-drawn architectural plan — clear, delicate, stripped of anything unnecessary. That neat clarity had oddly held his gaze.