Cheng-The Favor

Professor Ahn was a trainer at our agency for years. He was a portly old man in his sixties with a balding scalp. But he was one of my favorite teachers. He was the one who recognized my singing abilities during my trainee days. But a six years ago, he left Korea to travel the world and pursue his philanthropic interests. Last March, he briefly returned to Korea. I was on leave from the military and managed to meet up with him. He talked about his wild adventures in all the different countries he travelled to. For a moment, I went back to being the wide eyed, innocent kid who used to listen to all his stories with wonder. Years passed and he was still my best mentor. That was when he mentioned about this girl he knew.

'Cheng ah,' he said. 'Would you do me a favor?'

'What is it Professor Ahn?' I asked curiously. He never asked people for favors and it was the first time he asked anything from me.

'There is this girl, Mia,' he said. 'She applied for T-Net's international recruitment program. Can you oversee her application and make sure she receives fair treatment?'

It was common for candidates to get a job through nepotism. It was everywhere. For a foreigner to apply for a big job at one of Asia's biggest entertainment agency...her chances to get through by fair means were very slim. Professor Ahn knew it would be impossible for her to get through without a recommendation.

'You want me to recommend her?' I asked.

'I want you to see her work,' he said. 'Then you can decide if you can recommend her or not.'

I mulled over the issue. Recommending her might arouse suspicions. Unless she was really good.

'Send me her work,' I said. 'Let me see and think about it.'

That night, Professor Ahn sent me the girl's application. I went over it carefully. Mia, eh? I had to admit, she was an excellent designer. Her passion for the work reflected in the designs. They were elegantly drawn. Each detail was planned with care and consideration towards the person wearing it. I was mesmerized. She did not simply design clothes; she gave a new life to them. If given the chance, this girl could have been a world famous designer. And she was good looking. Definitely my type. But why was she stuck working at local events in her country for so many years whereas she could have worked on international projects?

I went through the application until I reached her personal information. That was when I realized why she did not work on large scale project before. She had a son but her spouse name was missing.

I put down the application and mulled over the issue for a while before picking up my phone to make a call to our HR manager.