Redemption in ashes

Ch3 SNU girl

[2024]

The weight of my past mistakes hung heavily upon my conscience, haunting me with a deep sense of regret. One of them was that night, three years ago, when I had fallen in the temptation of alcohol.

[2022]

"Dahlia I've noticed that car in the parking lot lately Is it yours?" Eun asked, a tinge of jealousy crossing her features.

"Yeah, I just recently bought it."

Eun's lips curled into a forced smile. "W..wow, it's a beautiful car haha I'm happy for you, your parents must love you so much to shower you with all that." her words dripping with bitterness. Look at this bitch she's already got a car while I'm still stuck taking the bus every day. Eun thought clenching her fist.

Eun must have assumed that I came from a family that's doing well financially just because I studied at a great university and recently I bought a car, but the reality was quite the opposite.
I had to fight for that scholarship to cover most of my university expenses, and this new car? Well..I hadn't exactly bought it with my own money....I had dated a rich man twice my age for the past five months a fact I wasn't at all proud of! I had always criticized women who let men take advantage of their body for money, but here I was doing the exact same thing.....I'm a hypocrite am I not?...At least I won't have to deal with the damn bus anymore.

"Well..are you coming to the meeting tonight?" Eun asked.

"What meeting?"

"Mr Dongsik has invited us all for a round of drinks." her tone laced with a hint of eager anticipation.

Dahlia hesitated. "Hmm..I don't know I'm rather busy you see." My excuse felt ridiculous even to my own ears cause I had no pressing obligation that evening.

"Oh come on!" Eun pressed."You're always so focused on work, you need to loosen up a bit."

To be honest, I'm not busy at all, I'm just afraid I won't fit in.
Even after two years of working at this company, Dahlia still considered herself an outsider, struggling to forge meaningful connections with her colleagues.

But perhaps I should give it a chance, Maybe I'll catch some dick.

With a deep, steadying breath Dahlia made her decision. "You know what? I think I will join you all" she said, mustering a confident smile.

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Dahlia stepped into the dimly lit bar that smelled like alcohol and fried chicken, her black coat and brown heels giving a hint of allure

Dahlia didn't fit the conventional standards of beauty, she didn't have the typical hourglass figure or the perfect face, however she had a certain charm and appeal that caught the eye of some men But you know some men can be dangerous...

Nothing beats a Friday night drink with colleagues, right? she thought, trying to appear confident I'll make the best of this!

the lively gathering, the chatter and laughter of the coworkers enveloped her, yet she felt painfully isolated like a lost child in a crowded room, no one seemed to notice her presence and she found herself unsure of how to engage with them.

Suddenly, Dahlia felt a burning gaze upon her, her eyes met those of Gabriel the manager that she barely knew.
Manager Gabriel, who is of mixed Italian and Korean heritage, has been working at the Busan Content Hub for quite some time. While he may look strict and somewhat cold in a professional setting Gabriel is actually known to be kind hearted and quite funny in his personal life. Many of the women at the workplace have developed a crush on him.

But why is he looking at me?...does he think I'm cute?

"It's the first time I see you in a company gathering." Gabriel remarked, drawing the attention of the entire group.

"Umm, actually I went two times." she corrected him in a shy tone.

"That's odd, I don't recall seeing you before." he mused, his lips curving into a grin. "Cause pretty girls like you are hard to forget."

The group let out a collective gasp, and Dahlia could sense the jealousy from Eun, Dahlia looked at her she then let out an awkward laugh, unsure of how to respond in front of everyone to his bold flirting.

Just then, Eun revealed a secret Dahlia had told her only "You know Dahlia studied at Seoul national university Isn't that impressive?"

Silence fell over the group, all eyes turned to Dahlia.

Damn it, why did she have to bring that up? God weighed my feet down so that I didn't smack the shit out of her. Dahlia thought while she shot a sharp look at Eun, frustration was clear in her eyes.

"OOh really?... You studied at SNU?!" Gabriel asked in curiosity.

"Umm... yes." Dahlia responded awkwardly.

"Wow but then why are you working here?" one of the women joined the conversation, her tone laced with judgment.
"I'd be so pissed if I had a degree from a prestigious university like SNU and ended up in this damn job............."

Yes, they're all probably wondering how someone with a SNU education could end up in a mediocre corporate job..cause that's the source of disappointment and self consciousness for me! Dahlia thought while she listened to their hurtful comments, her fingers clenching the fabric of her coat fighting to maintain her composure.

Trying to sounds casual, Dahlia responded, "Well it's not like I have a full degree, I only studied there for a couple of years." She said hoping to steer the conversation away from this sensitive topic.

"But why you didn't continue?"

"It's because of some personal reasons!" Dahlia responded, her tone cold and aggressive, which made the group quickly shifting to a new subject, sensing her discomfort.

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