I shove his side with my elbow, and before I can slither away from him and pretend to pout, he wraps an arm around me and keeps me close, enveloped by his warmth.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed, my little stomach with legs,” he teases.
Butterflies wreak havoc in my core as I slip my arm behind him. We might be thousands of miles from Seattle, but I’ve never felt more at home than right here, tucked in his embrace.
Fuck, I think I love him even more than I did before. And I’m not sure yet if it’s a good thing or not.
Hopefully, loving this man as hard as I do will be the best thing that ever happened to me. And for real, this time.
Chapter 12
Istupidly forgot that Injin Electronics makes a lot more than phones. They also make kitchen and home appliances, computers, industrial machinery, robotic arms… If it has a chip, they likely manufacture it.
I’m reminded of that when we exit the car in front of their administrative center—two massive skyscrapers linked by dozens of walkways that make it look like a ladder to heaven. With almost a quarter million employees worldwide, it’s no wonder they have so much administration to handle.
Two people are waiting for us in the lobby. The man looks important, with his expensive suit and shiny shoes, and the woman is very elegant, with her gray dress and beige stilettos. Lex and I look just as professional, him with a dark suit, a crisp white shirt, and a briefcase. I’m in a navy pantsuit that has tiny vertical stripes, and a designer handbag Tami loaned me is tucked at my elbow. It’s fake, but she assured me no one would notice. We look like a power couple, and it gives me the confidence to not crumble under the pressure of this meeting.
“Good morning,” the man greets us with a flawless accent. Phew, I won’t have to speak Korean. It was fine with street food vendors, but I wouldn’t want to try my hand at it with the Injin folks. “I’m Park Dae-Jung, head of international relations. This is Kim Mun-Hee. She’s the one who worked on the partnership with Kelex.”
Lex shakes his hand and introduces us. “I’m Alexander Coleman, co-owner of Kelex. And this is Andrea Walker, one of our most brilliant developers.”
“We were sorry to hear Mr. Langley wouldn’t be coming, but we’re glad to have you with us, Miss Walker,” Ms. Kim says.
Once the handshakes and respectful bows have been exchanged, they guide us toward the elevator lobby. I’m doing well at not showing just how excited and nervous I am to be here—or at least, I think I am. It still feels surreal, and I think that once I’m back in Seattle, this whole thing will feel like a fever dream.
On our way up, Mr. Park gives us a quick presentation of the buildings. We’re in the official headquarters, where they handle everything in Korea, and the other tower is in charge of their international administrations.
Whenever a floor has a department worth visiting, we step out of the elevator so they can show us around. The level of organization is impressive. With all the stops, it takes us about an hour to arrive at the 40th floor, where the executive levels begin. Mr. Park is telling us about his experience working for Injin when a slight commotion interrupts him. An older man is on his way to the elevator, accompanied by three assistants. Although he seems to be at least seventy, he walks fast, his purpose clear, his face focused behind the very thick lenses of his round glasses.
Ms. Kim and Mr. Park bow deeply, which confirms that the man is very important. When the newcomer stops before us, Ms. Kim straightens up and says in Korean, “Yom Sajangnim, these are the representatives from Kelex.”
That seems to pique his interest, so Ms. Kim introduces us while Mr. Park explains, “Mr. Yom Kwang-Seon is an eminent board member. It was his support of your company that led the rest of the board to agree to the partnership.”
Lex bows, grateful, and I do the same. “Thank you, Mr. Yom. We hope our business with your company will benefit all of us.”
Ms. Kim translates Lex’s words to the man, and Mr. Yom then speaks to her directly. It’s too fast for me to understand it all, but I expect Ms. Kim to translate. Instead, she answers him with, “Miss Andrea Walker is actually the one who developed that application.”
I poorly hide my surprise and turn to Lex, who, despite not having the context, also heard my name.
“I showed Mr. Yom the presentation you gave at Hello World Con, and he is very interested in learning more about your sign language application,” Ms. Kim explains.
“If he would like a presentation now, we have everything we need,” Lex offers, tapping on his briefcase.
She translates the words to Mr. Yom, who nods after a few moments of pondering. Before I know what’s happening, we’re all entering a large conference room that overlooks the city.
Everything in me wants to grab Lex’s arm and run. We have yet to release the beta version of the app and get a first wave of feedback to find more bugs, issues, limitations… It isn’t ready to be shown to one of the biggest tech companies in the world.
While two of Mr. Yom’s assistants connect the phone Lex gives them to the massive screen, I whisper, “Lex, this was supposed to be an in-and-out kind of thing.”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Kim told him this is still the early beta version. It doesn’t have to be perfect. He only wants to see how it works.”
My hands are slightly trembling despite my efforts to seem confident, and when Lex notices, he gives me a reassuring look. “Andrea, your app is one of the best we’ve ever had. Everyone in this room will be completely blown away by your work.”
I take a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and nod. Once I get home, I’ll strangle Kevin for promising this would be a low-responsibility trip. He fucking lied.
The phone is mirrored on the screen now, and everyone’s waiting for us to start. “Since she created it, Miss Walker will be better suited than me to introduce it and explain how it works,” Lex tells them.
On second thought, forget Kevin. I’m strangling Lex as soon as this is over with.
