CHAPTER 57: LEARNING ABOUT ONE ANOTHER

When the waiter left, a momentary awkward silence settled between them. Though both of them had noticed it, they waited for the other to speak first.

Timothy felt the weight of responsibility pressing on him. He was the one who extended the invitation, the one who brought them here. If she felt uneasy, it was on him to ease that tension. He straightened slightly, meeting her gaze across the table.

"So, Ms. Seo," he began with a warm tone. "I must say, your résumé was impressive. The languages you’ve mastered alone... that’s a skill set any executive would envy. But perhaps you should consider adding Filipino to that list. Since you’ll be spending quite a lot of time by my side, it would help. Not mandatory, of course, but Filipinos love it when foreigners speak even a little of their language."

Hana’s lips curved faintly, her eyes softening. "Yes, I will do my best to learn Filipino," she replied with quiet determination. "I believe it will help me understand not only the people, but also the culture behind the company I’ll be serving."

Timothy nodded approvingly. That answer told him she was serious, not just treating this job as a placeholder.

"So," he leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table, "tell me about yourself again. I’ve read the file, but I want to hear it from you. Not the paper version—your version."

Hana paused for a moment, as though collecting her thoughts. Then she lifted her gaze to meet his directly.

"Well," she began, her tone steady but laced with a hint of shyness, "I was born and raised in Seoul. My father runs a logistics and trading company, my mother teaches economics at university. I studied business administration at Yonsei University, graduated in the top five percent of my class, and spent a year abroad in London. That was my first real taste of independence, of doing things away from my family’s shadow."

She adjusted slightly in her chair, her hands folding neatly over one another.

"After that, I worked as my father’s executive assistant for a year, but... I wanted to prove myself beyond being just ’the daughter of the owner.’ So I joined a Korean automotive parts supplier. That was where I first got to handle negotiations with Japanese and Southeast Asian clients. It was difficult at first, but it taught me that I was capable of standing on my own."

Timothy listened intently, his eyes fixed on her. She wasn’t boasting, her tone was calm and almost humble, as though she were simply recounting facts.

"And now," Hana continued, her voice softening, "I moved to Singapore to start fresh."

"I see, but those details, I already heard it from Ms. Lim. I want the real personal you. Like what do you enjoy doing, what are your hobbies, et cetera."

Hana blinked, surprised at his follow-up. For a second, she hesitated, her expression shifting from composed professionalism to something more uncertain, almost vulnerable. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her beret tilting slightly as she leaned back.

"The personal me?" she repeated softly, as if testing the words.

Timothy gave her a small nod, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

For a moment, she seemed caught off guard by his earnestness. Then, slowly, she let out a small genuine laugh, breaking some of the tension.

"Alright," she said, her eyes softening as she rested her chin briefly on her hand. "Well... I enjoy reading, mostly novels. Korean authors, but also English ones. I like books that explore people’s emotions, their choices. Because choices are what shape us. Also, I love to travel and visit a lot of places. I cook a lot, too—mostly Korean food, but I try other cuisines whenever I can. Cooking is... relaxing for me. It’s something that reminds me of home."

"Perhaps, I’ll get to taste your cooking," Timothy said, chuckling.

Hana chuckled too. "I can prepare you a dish if you would allow me soon."

She added, "And I suppose I have a weakness for sweets. Cakes, macarons, ice cream, if it’s sweet, I’ll probably like it. That’s my guilty pleasure."

Timothy chuckled at that, the tension between them dissolving little by little. "So books, travel, cooking, and sweets. That’s the real Ms. Seo?"

Hana tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze. "That’s the more personal me, yes."

"Very well, that’s nice. Now for me, what do you want to know about me?"

"Uhm, how did you start this company? I heard from my aunt that you are the one who was doing the funding and then you have your own car design," Hana asked.

"Well, how do I start? To be honest I’m quite a hidden genius," Timothy began. "Though on a technical side, especially science and technology. And that genius is mine is what made me design a revolutionary chip design that I then sold to NVIDIA who gave me money to start this automotive enterprise. And as for why automotive enterprise, well, I kind of liked cars and I have a buy and sell business back in Manila and I’m thinking, what if I sell cars but under my own design? So that led me to create the company."

"So you did that despite having no academic background and other records digitally that you are involved in chipmaking," Hana said, doubt flickering her features.

"Yes, you can say I’m an enigmatic person so you must expect that I will hide things from you, but those things wouldn’t affect the business so there’s that."

"I see, then how about you? The personal you?"

"Well, I love to work. I have been working ever since my life to support my family. This year I just had a breakthrough so I have to develop another hobby. I love driving cars, I also know how to cook, and I play sports such as basketball, and I play games."

Hana smiled, intrigued at his background.

"So based on that, what did you learn about me? For sure you have done your research before this trip?"

Hana lowered her gaze for a moment, her fingers brushing the edge of her water glass before she answered.

"Yes... I did some research," she admitted softly. "Though not much I can find. You’re... mysterious, Mr. Guerrero. No LinkedIn profile, no academic record, no interviews, nothing about your personal life. But after talking with you, even if it’s short, I learn that you’re... very straightforward. You don’t try to impress with complicated words, you just say things the way they are. Confident, but not arrogant. Direct, but not cold."

Her gaze lifted from the rim of her glass to meet his eyes again. "And I think that makes you different from the kind of CEOs I’ve seen in Korea. Most of them talk in circles. You don’t."

Timothy blinked at that, surprised by her observation. He expected polite agreement, not such a sharp analysis.

Hana smiled faintly, almost teasingly. "I also noticed something else. You like to keep a little mystery about yourself, but at the same time, you reveal just enough to keep people curious. It’s... effective."

Timothy chuckled under his breath, shaking his head slightly. "So you’re already profiling me?"

"It’s part of the job, isn’t it?" Hana replied lightly, her tone playful but edged with truth. "If I’m going to be your secretary, I should learn to read you well."

Their food arrived just then, the waiter carefully setting down the Wagyu ribeye in front of Timothy and the lobster dish before Hana. The aroma filled the space between them, but Timothy found his attention still locked on her words.

"Not bad, Ms. Seo," he said, a hint of amusement in his tone. "You’ve already got me figured out."

"Not quite," Hana said softly, picking up her fork with elegance. "But I think I’ll learn more soon enough."

"Well, let’s enjoy our dinner."