The train slowed with a long metallic sigh as it pulled into Seoul Station. Jeong-woo stepped down onto the crowded platform, adjusting the strap of his worn duffel bag on his shoulder.
The air felt different here—faster somehow. Louder. Alive in a way Hwabon had never been.
He had barely taken three steps when a familiar voice rang out over the noise.
"Ya! Jeong-woo!"
Jeong-woo turned, his face breaking into a wide grin. "Kwak Man-do!"
The two men closed the distance quickly, pulling each other into a rough hug before stepping back to look each other over.
"Daebak," Man-do said, shaking his head with disbelief. "How long has it been?"
Jeong-woo scratched the back of his neck, thinking. "I don't know," he admitted with a laugh.
Man-do grabbed the handle of Jeong-woo's bag before he could protest. "Come on," he said. "Let's get you out of here."
They pushed through the busy station and stepped outside into the cool afternoon air of Seoul. Cars rushed by, horns blaring in the distance. Man-do led him across the curb toward a sleek black sedan parked neatly by the roadside.
Jeong-woo stopped in his tracks and let out a whistle. "Is that yours?"
Man-do shrugged casually. "No. I'm just one of the official drivers at the company," he said. "The car needed servicing today anyway, so I figured I'd take it and pick you up on the way."
Jeong-woo's eyebrows lifted as he walked around the car. "Wow."
They climbed inside, the leather seats cool against their backs.
As Man-do started the engine, he glanced sideways at his friend. "So… you're really sure you want to work at JGo?" he asked. "You never accepted offers outside Hwabon before. But now look at you—in Seoul City. Tell me, what changed?"
Jeong-woo leaned his head back against the seat. "Well," he said lightly, "I guess I outgrew that place."
Man-do didn't respond.
Because they both knew the real reason.
Jeong-woo's mother had been sick for years.
What started as a manageable illness had slowly grown into something heavier, something that drained their lives day by day. No matter how hard Jeong-woo worked in Hwabon, the small companies there simply couldn't pay what his mother's hospital bills demanded.
And he worked hard.
As a food technologist, Jeong-woo had transformed more than one struggling local company. Recipes improved. Production became more efficient. Sales increased. His ideas were sharp, creative, and practical all at once.
Companies from Jeju, Busan, Gangnam—even Seoul—had tried to recruit him.
But he had rejected every offer.
He didn't want to be separated from his mother.
Until last week.
That afternoon had burned itself into his memory.
He had returned home after a long shift to find the front door slightly open. His mother was lying on the living room floor, unconscious, a thin line of blood running down from her temple.
Six hours.
She had been lying there for six bloody hours.
At the hospital, the doctor had spoken gently but firmly.
"It would have been better if someone stayed with her during the day. A nurse perhaps."
Jeong-woo had nodded silently. He would have loved to do that too.
But the truth sat heavy in his chest.
He simply didn't have the money.
Not to mention how his mother had always insisted she was fine. She refused to admit how weak she had become.
Then, a few days later, Man-do had called.
JGo was hiring.
And not just hiring—they had recently introduced a policy that provided expanded healthcare support for employees and their families.
To Jeong-woo, it sounded like a silver thread of hope in the darkness.
So he came to Seoul.
He would get the job.
He had to.
He would get enrolled in that policy and give his mother the care she deserved.
The car pulled into traffic as Man-do spoke again, his voice cheerful. "I'm just really glad to see you again."
Jeong-woo scrunched his face dramatically. "Ew," he said. "So cringe."
Man-do burst out laughing. "Let's go out tonight and celebrate once I get back from work."
"Nope," Jeong-woo replied immediately, shaking his head. "Not doing that."
"Oh come on," Man-do insisted. "When was the last time you actually unwound? You worked like a machine in Hwabon. At least take a breather before starting at JGo."
Jeong-woo crossed his arms stubbornly. "Not interested."
Man-do smirked. "Believe me, work at JGo is crazy," he said. "This fancy new building our CEO built? That's just a comfortable place for employees to slave away more efficiently."
Jeong-woo chuckled.
"So what do you say?" Man-do continued. "One night of laughs before we lock into a year-long ride of comfortable slavery."
Jeong-woo glanced at him sideways. "You sound pretty confident I'll get the job."
Man-do scoffed. "Ha. If there's one thing I know, my CEO can't look away from assets."
Jeong-woo smirked. "Really?"
"You'd be a real plus to the company with that brain of yours," Man-do said matter-of-factly.
Jeong-woo laughed, shaking his head.
Outside the window, Seoul stretched endlessly ahead of them—tall buildings, busy streets, a city that never seemed to slow down.
A new place.
A new life.
And somewhere in that city…
An interview that could change everything.