Peninsula diplomat: My second life with a top celebrity

The lobby was too noisy, so Jung Do-hoon, who was on the phone with Kim Young-seon, had to get up, touch the cigarette case and lighter in his pocket with his other hand, and then walk out of the lobby.

He thought he heard someone calling his name, but he wasn't sure. His thoughts only lingered briefly on the phone before he quickly returned to his work.

"Dohoon, the main problem is that I've never done any work in the cultural field before. You know I studied mechanical engineering in college, and I'm already finding it a bit overwhelming to be an economic counselor here..."

Kim Young-seon still had some concerns about running for the International Exchange Foundation Committee. Everyone would want such a good opportunity, but he might not be able to seize it, and he needed to consider what to do if he lost.

Zheng Daoxun moved outside, lit a cigarette, and slowly said:

"Few of the current committee members come from the cultural field. You should give it a try if you have the chance. Use the information I sent you to make your resume and campaign plan, and I'll help you with your advice."

The International Exchange Foundation Committee, an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, directly manages a fund for supporting cultural promotion and exchange. If Kim Yong-seon is elected, it will be a good thing for both sides.

Kim Young-seon was able to return to South Korea and get a promotion, and he could also help him with the application for the 2030 World Expo and the approval of funding for various projects.

He then gave some further instructions on the details to keep in mind when preparing his campaign plan before hanging up the phone.

"Scribe-nim!" A girl with short blonde hair and a pure face waved and walked to his side with small steps.

It was Kim Minjung. We had met briefly at noon, and she had stared at me intently for quite a while, so I remembered her well.

She changed into a blue shirt, which she tied up at her navel, revealing her slender waist.

"What do you need me for?" Zheng Daoxun stubbed out his cigarette and subtly took a step back as he turned around, maintaining a distance.

Kim Minjung pursed her lips, gave a soft "hmm," and took out her passport from behind her back, waving it around: "I came here alone to thank the clerk..."

"It's all part of my job, no need to thank me."

Seemingly unprepared for his reaction, the girl let out a soft "Eh," froze awkwardly, and unconsciously raised her other hand to scratch her chin, blinking her eyes.

She had intended to use the pretext of thanking Jung Do-hoon to exchange contact information with him—

At only 25 years old, the secretary is in charge of South Korean cultural exchanges with other countries, so he must have a lot of resources and projects at his disposal.

As an artist, you can't just wait for the company to allocate resources to you; you also have to learn to actively fight for them.

But things clearly didn't go as she hoped.

This was the first time Kim Minjung had ever met a man who didn't seem to want to talk to her much.

Although it was just to establish a personal relationship and not to develop a romantic relationship, the saying that "it's easy for a woman to pursue a man" should not only apply to romantic relationships, right?

What boy wouldn't even give someone a chance to suggest a way to exchange ideas?

"You came all the way to Indonesia to participate in the cultural exchange festival, and I helped you get your passports back. It's all about supporting each other at work," Zheng Daoxun explained again.

"Ah... I went to the convenience store to buy a drink. Secretary-nim, is there anything you'd like to drink?"

"No need, thank you."

Zheng Daoxun frowned slightly as he watched the girl's hurried departure. This girl came and went in a rush, unable to hide her thoughts at all.

She's a girl with ideas but can't hide them; this kind of personality will inevitably lead to some hardship in the workplace.

But what does it have to do with me?

Zheng Daoxun shrugged and was about to light another cigarette when another clear voice rang out, but this time with a slightly timid tone.

"Scribe-nim..."

He put down the lighter, sighed softly, and turned his head away, unable to smoke a cigarette peacefully no matter how hard he tried.

It was the girl I met at breakfast, Xue Yun, or more precisely, Xue Lun'e.

What she was holding in her hands seemed less like a thermos and more like a bomb, which she wanted to throw into Jung Do-hoon's hands as quickly as possible.

"This is a hangover soup our agent made. She was handing out passports and was too busy, so I brought it over for her. You can heat it up and drink it when you wake up tomorrow morning. I was going to give it to you earlier, but you seemed to be busy with work. Now that it's here, I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye..."

What did she just say? She spoke so fast…

By the time Zheng Daoxun realized what was happening, Xueyun had already turned and jogged into the hotel.

Hangover soup...

Zheng Daoxun lowered his eyes and smiled easily. He wasn't some kind of jackal or tiger, so why was Xueyun so afraid of him?

Strictly speaking, he was only six years older than Xue Yun.

Meanwhile, inside the convenience store, a bottle of zero-sugar cola was opened with a "hiss," and the owner gulped down a few mouthfuls, looking thoughtfully through the glass window at the smoking area outside the hotel lobby.

When Jung Do-hoon turned back to the hotel, the passports had been almost all issued. Bae Dong-young sat down on the sofa, exhausted, and glanced at his watch: "Secretary, the earliest flight back to Korea is tomorrow afternoon. Let's stay here for another night."

Jung Do-hoon noticed Bae Dong-young looking at the insulated food container he was carrying, and nodded slightly without making a sound: "Buy the tickets first, I'll book a room for another night."

The two of them slept in a standard room yesterday, but because they booked the room too late tonight, there were no standard rooms available.

Fortunately, the business class was also covered by the reimbursement policy. After booking the room, Zheng Daoxun retrieved his luggage and room key from the front desk and headed towards the elevator.

The elevator stopped on the seventh floor. Sana Minato took her orange teddy bear out of her room, preparing to go up to the eighth floor to give the bet she lost to Mina Mina.

It's just a free charm from a convenience store purchase, nothing expensive.

only……

Why did she feel a vague sense of regret and reluctance?

The elevator doors opened, and Jung Do-hoon, looking down at his phone, was standing inside. The button for the eighth floor was already lit up.

"What a coincidence... Secretary-nim."

Jung Do-hoon's fingers stiffened for a moment, and he glanced at Minatozaki Sana out of the corner of his eye—

Such an outgoing and lovely woman became somewhat introverted and shy in the cramped elevator.

"I can't get a plane ticket, so I'll stay here for one more night."

"I'm going to the eighth floor to find Mina..."

"Hmm." Jung Do-hoon noticed the orange bear keychain she was holding; he had the same one hanging on his keys in his suitcase.

The inertia of space and time seems to be everywhere.

The elevator doors opened, and the two walked a few steps in one direction. Minatozaki Sana deliberately slowed down, but eventually stopped in front of the two adjacent rooms.

Zheng Daoxun didn't say anything and swiped his card to enter.

"What's with that look on your face?" Mina frowned slightly, noticing the keychain that Sana Minatozaki was holding. "Oh, time to pay up... um."

Sana Minato covered Mina's mouth, pulled her a few steps inside, and then quickly closed the door with her foot.

"Jung Do-hoon lives next door... Keep your voice down."