Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

Translator: Nox

Tsunami Advisory - Chapter 1Tsunami AdvisoryChapter 1

Chapter 1

Monday morning started on an unpleasant note. The culprit was the ominous notification from Today’s Fortune that popped up on her smartphone screen.

Today’s Fortune | Just now

Start of the week: beware the sudden tidal wave!

What did a sudden tidal wave even mean? Ever since a fortune warning her to ‘watch out for a tsunami’ a few months ago led to an unprecedented system outage that forced her to pull three straight all-nighters at the office, Danbi had put blind faith in this fortune app. Her spine chilled at the thought of what new misfortune was about to send ripples through her already exhausting life.

Danbi’s morning began with a cheap iced coffee bought in front of the building. On the twenty-third floor of LD Tower—the building famous for standing tall like a lighthouse—the Development Team 1 office was thick with the aroma of coffee and the clatter of keyboards. Amidst it all, Danbi had been grinding away as a backend developer for three years now.

The moment she clocked in, a bug report summoned her. It was code from a project she barely knew, but after tinkering with it this way and that, the problem was resolved before she knew it. Ah, I nailed it again. With a modest sense of smugness, she added artificial tears to her gritty eyes. Her eyes were so parched that they instantly soaked up every drop, letting none spill over. ‘If this is all the tidal wave is, it’s manageable,’ she thought.

A tidal wave… Hae-il… What kind of event could possibly warrant being called a tidal wave? The massive update rollout wrapped up last month, so would the server crash in the middle of the night? Or was it already a new project?

Her hands tapped the keyboard mechanically, but her mind was busy sketching out all sorts of catastrophic scenarios. She believed that bracing for a disaster made its impact far less devastating than being blindsided.

Sipping her coffee repeatedly, she glanced out the window for a moment. Petals announcing spring fluttered in the breeze, but through the yellow glasses fitted with thick blue-light-blocking lenses, the world outside always looked hazy, as if choked with fine yellow dust. Yet to Danbi, who had grown accustomed to this gray daily grind, even the musty body odor of Dongjun, her peer in the next seat, felt like an indispensable fixture of life.

Wrapping up a breathless morning of work, she opened the team messenger window to find a badge blinking with a hundred unread messages. Only then did she realize the office was filled with the sound of typing far more frantic than usual. Sensing an ominous premonition, Danbi cautiously brought up the window.

Development Team 1

Wait

They say a new Team Leader is coming today?

They had just finished the farewell party for the previous Team Leader yesterday. Who knew the vacancy would be filled so quickly? Was this it? The ‘tidal wave’ foretold for today?

Development Team 1

Rumor has it the new Team Leader

might be the CEO’s son

He’s a bit young to be a Team Leader

and his last name is Han

The CEO’s son? Danbi’s fingers froze in midair.

Development Team 1

Probably not?

I heard he was a total rockstar in Silicon Valley.

Early MIT grad, scout offers from Company B,

rumors of hitting the jackpot with a startup,

felt more like they just brought in young top talent.

…The United States?

Development Team 1

True, if someone that successful went out of his way to ditch his career over there

and join his dad’s company, he’d obviously demand an executive title.

A mere Team Leader?

A Team Leader who gets chewed out by the Director?

Why bother?

If Han Moo-jae were my dad, I’d just eat and lounge around.

Why live a life of overtime and fixing outages over meals?

Right? Lollll

I’d be great at doing nothing ㅠㅠ

No, but if he isn’t the son, why come at all?

Did the company shell out insane money?

I heard layoffs are brutal over there too, maybe that’s why… ㅠ

Back in my day, going full-stack meant everyone was dying to escape Korea, but I guess there’s nowhere to run now.

Tech, please stop advancing while I’m asking nicely… ^^

Pretty soon only C-levels will be left in the company, sigh…

The conversation quickly devolved into grim industry outlooks as messages piled up rapidly, but Danbi couldn’t bring herself to type a single reply. Only the daily fortune echoed through her mind.

Beware the sudden ‘Hae-il’…

A tidal wave. Hae-il. Han Hae-il…

That Han Hae-il was the only son of LD’s founder had been common knowledge among the entire school back then. Danbi had known too, of course, but she hadn’t cared in the slightest when applying here. LD was simply a dream company for everyone. What were the odds of a low-level employee crossing paths with the owner’s son living in the United States?

Back when she was a desperate job seeker, LD was a divine workplace where she would prostrate herself in gratitude just for an acceptance letter; who the founder was and who his son was were never factors to consider.

And… it wasn’t as though they were forbidden from seeing each other, either.

She tried hard to tell herself that, but her heart thumped wildly of its own accord. Come on, no way. It can’t be. There’s no way he’d end up as our team leader, of all things. Danbi shook her head vigorously.

Monday, 11:00 AM sharp. An announcement came down calling for a brief welcome meeting to greet the new Team Leader. A strange atmosphere, chaotic yet laced with anticipation and tension, hung over the conference room. Everyone hurriedly brewed coffee and tidied up their seats, preparing to welcome their new leader.

Danbi’s heart was still racing violently. She desperately reassured herself that it couldn’t be, but the cold dread creeping up her spine refused to fade. Even the murmuring of her teammates sounded distant.

Before long, an HR staff member appeared, escorting someone inside. The sound of the conference room door opening swallowed the noise in an instant. All eyes turned toward the entrance. Footsteps echoed into the breathless silence. And a man stepped into the room.

“Everyone! Please welcome the new Team Leader who will be leading our Development Team starting today! This is Team Leader Han Hae-il!”

The moment the introducing voice cut through the air, Danbi’s world ground to a halt. Unreal yet somehow familiar, a name her heart still reacted to first. Han Hae-il.

Looking up, the fresh, youthful boy of over a decade ago was nowhere to be found; in his place stood a man in a crisp navy suit with a sharp gaze. The deep contours of his eyes behind thin wire-rimmed glasses were just as they had been, but the childish softness was gone, replaced by cool composure and poise.

Neatly swept-back hair, firmly set lips, and a gaze that swept across the room with casual indifference.

Han Hae-il. Without a shadow of a doubt, he was the massive ‘Hae-il’ foretold by Today’s Fortune.

“Hello. I’m Han Hae-il, taking over as the leader of the Development Team starting today.”

His voice was low and smooth, yet carried an underlying chill. That tone sent gentle shockwaves reverberating through the space. The team members held their breath as if on cue. The rumors of him being the owner’s son, the dazzling résumé that had shaken Silicon Valley, and strikingly handsome features that seemed almost wasted on a developer.

Right then, the corners of Hae-il’s mouth curled slightly into a faint smile. His icy impression melted away in an instant, lending him a boyish charm.

“I have experience developing similar services at my previous workplace. I look forward to working with you all. I’ll do my best so that we can combine everyone’s outstanding capabilities to produce even better results.”

He went on to briefly explain his vision and work style to the team. His fluent, unobstructed words exuded a profound understanding of development and unshakeable confidence. The hasty prejudice that he was merely a ‘parachute hire’ dissolved in an instant, and before long, awe colored the eyes of the team members.

Having finished his introduction, Hae-il slowly scanned every member of the team once more. Danbi felt her palms grow damp with sweat.

What if he recognizes me? No. There’s no way he remembers me.

All kinds of thoughts swirled through her head.

Hae-il shared brief handshakes with the team members one by one, and finally, it was Danbi’s turn. A large, fair hand with faintly visible veins reached out toward her. A luxurious-looking watch gleamed discreetly on his wrist, and a subtle, high-end fragrance brushed the tip of her nose.

Staring blankly at his hand for a moment, Danbi took it a beat too late.

“Ah… I’m Lee Danbi from Development Team 1.”

Out of habit from frequent collaborations across the company, she introduced herself that way, only to feel her face burn as it suddenly sounded like she was declaring, ‘I’m your subordinate, Lee Danbi.’

“Ah, nice to meet you, Danbi-ssi.”

At his plain greeting, Danbi cautiously lifted her eyes. It was poor manners to avoid a superior’s gaze. His eyes were locked squarely on hers, a professional smile resting on his lips. At that moment, the tension snapped, and relief washed over Danbi.

Ah, he doesn’t remember me.

Then again, it wasn’t as if they shared such an unforgettable memory. She had fretted over nothing. Their clasped hands shook lightly up and down, and just as she was about to pull away, she felt his grip suddenly tighten with firm pressure. Startled by the unexpected sensation, she looked up at him again, but he had already released her hand and turned away as if nothing had happened.

“I’d like to get to know everyone a bit, so I was hoping we could do quick one-on-one meetings…”

It was an inevitable step. Spotting a coffee cup on the table that looked as though it had been waiting for its owner, he took a sip and scanned the team members slowly once more. Then, in a relaxed tone, he called out a name.

“Shall we start with Lee Danbi-ssi?”

Her heart plummeted dizzyingly to the floor, exactly like a student called on unexpectedly by a teacher back in school.

“Pardon? M-Me?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“…No. None at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

As he took a seat with a gentle smile, the other team members offered light bows and filed out of the conference room. The heavy door clicked shut, leaving only the two of them in the silence of the spacious room. He gestured with his chin toward the seat across from him as she stood frozen.

“Please, have a seat.”

Danbi lowered her stiff body into the chair. He gazed at her in silence for a moment, then let a faint smile grace his lips. The sharp upward curve of his mouth, the relaxed yet piercing gaze that seemed to see right through everything, summoned the boy from the depths of her memory back into reality.

“Hey. Long time no see, huh?”

Just as Today’s Fortune had warned, an utterly sudden and massive tidal wave had finally crashed right before her eyes.