Start-Up

The Mentor

Ji-pyeong knocked on the door and waited for Ms. Yoon to call out, "Come in!"

He opened the door to her office, and she looked up in surprise when In-jae came in behind Ji-pyeong. "Mr. Han, Ms. Won, what brings you both to my office?" she said with a smile.

"Well..." Ji-pyeong looked around at Ms. Yoon's team, and she immediately picked up on it. "Let's talk in the meeting room," she said, getting up and leading the way to the adjacent meeting room.

Once the three of them were settled, she looked at them expectantly. "So, why are you both here?"

Ji-pyeong and In-jae looked at each other, and Ji-pyeong said, "Well, we were just wondering if there's anything in the company rules that prevents... um... spouses from working together."

Ms. Yoon broke out into a wide smile and exclaimed, "Are congratulations in order?!" 

In-jae blushed and hurriedly said, "Not just yet, Ms. Yoon." She quickly explained about waiting for the decision on the dissolution of her adoption, and Ms. Yoon nodded in understanding.

"But Ji-pyeong and I are here because the bidding for the self-driving car project is coming up, and I have a feeling that if we win--"

"When you win," Ji-pyeong corrected her with a wink, and she smiled.

"--When we win, I'm anticipating that Dal-mi will want to scale up," In-jae said.

"And when that happens, I think we should invest in them," Ji-pyeong added. "But In-jae and I are worried that people would think that the only reason for the investment is because we're family and not because the business is really worth investing in."

Ms. Yoon sat back in her chair and looked at them thoughtfully. "But Mr. Han, you're already marrying into a family business," she pointed out. "Everyone knows that Ms. Won and Ms. Seo are sisters, but no one questions the way the business is run."

"Yes, but isn't coming in as an investor a different matter?" Ji-pyeong asked, and Ms. Yoon shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep things within the family. And I think that no one would question why you would invest in them. In fact, you're the most logical choice out of all our investors here in SH Ventures, since you have a long history with the team."

Ji-pyeong and In-jae looked at each other, seemingly unconvinced, and Ms. Yoon smiled at them. "The two of you don't need to worry so much. I've been watching you these past few years, and you've impressed me with your professionalism. Even if you're in a relationship, I've never seen that come into play in the decisions you make and the way you work."

She turned to In-jae and said, "You, in particular, have been doing an admirable job in working with your sister. I can see that the way you treat and mentor Ms. Seo is the way you would treat any other CEO in your company. You've been doing a great job balancing the family matters with the job that needs to be done. Working with Mr. Han shouldn't be any different."

She leaned forward and clasped her hands in front of her on the table. "So I have no doubt that the two of you will be the first to make sure to draw those lines at work, and to call each other out if those lines are crossed. You'll keep each other in check, just as you always have."

Then she looked at Ji-pyeong, "I heard that you invested personally in that start-up for orphans, and that Ms. Won is mentoring their CEO?" He nodded, and Ms. Yoon smiled. "Then the two of you can consider that as practice on working with each other."

Ms. Yoon leaned back on her chair and laughed, "You've come a long way from bringing Ms. Won fake files just to see her." Ji-pyeong ducked his head and In-jae blushed furiously. "But I am very, very happy for you both. I've been rooting for you," she said, and Ji-pyeong and In-jae both smiled shyly at her.

"Thank you, Ms. Yoon, your support means a lot to us," Ji-pyeong said, and In-jae nodded. "I wouldn't be here if not for your mentorship," she said.

Ms. Yoon stood up and smiled at them kindly. "You'll always have my support, and my best wishes, Mr. and Mrs. Han," she winked before leaving the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Han," Ji-pyeong repeated in wonder as In-jae's face turned even redder.

"I don't know if I should be touched or mortified to know that she's been watching us all these years," In-jae muttered as she patted her flaming cheeks, and Ji-pyeong laughed.

"Come on, let's get back to work," he said, getting up from his seat.

In-jae nodded, took a deep breath, and stood up. Together, they left the meeting room and as they made their way out of Ms. Yoon's office, Ji-pyeong said, "By the way, Ms. Won, are you and Hong Ji-seok ready for our meeting later?" 

In-jae smirked at him and said, "We've been ready for that meeting since yesterday, Mr. Han. We can even bump it up to an earlier time, if you're available." 

Both of them didn't see the way Ms. Yoon smiled and shook her head as they closed the door behind them.