PDLP Chapter 7 Hello, Diplomat
Chapter 7 Hello, Diplomat
"Why did you book this hotel? Is it over the limit?"
Sitting in the back seat, Jung Do-hoon fastened his seatbelt, gripped the handle, and glanced at the luxurious and grand hotel in the distance.
He came to Indonesia this time hoping for a quick and decisive victory, and had no intention of dragging it out until Monday. He planned to just find a chain hotel to stay at.
Pei Dongyong, sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Clerk, this is the hotel where the artists of the variety show are staying. Staying here makes it easier for us to communicate. I checked before we came, and it's within the scope of the allowance that can be reimbursed."
The young clerk nodded silently and said nothing more.
Will you meet Sana Minatozaki here?
He sighed softly and decided to stop dwelling on the issue—it was the first crisis he had encountered since taking office, but if handled well, it could also be an opportunity.
"Call the agents at each company and update them on the situation." Jung Do-hoon rubbed his temples, and Bae Dong-young nodded in agreement.
When the taxi stopped, Bae Dong-yong had already made a call to the third contact. He went to the trunk, held the phone between his head and shoulder, and took out Jung Do-hoon's suitcase first.
Meanwhile, Zheng Daoxun was looking down intently at the message sent by the counselor from the Jakarta consulate.
[Counselor Kim: We have just submitted a formal letter to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing our strong protest.]
Eh...
That's all they can do; passing the buck is all too common in South Korea.
Just as Jung Do-hoon pulled the lever, Bae Dong-young answered the call:
"Is this Lee Sang-won-ssi? We've arrived at the hotel. If it's convenient, could you please call over the agents from all the companies? We need to have a short meeting to update each other on the progress... Are you in the hotel parking lot?"
Jung Do-hoon stopped and looked at the parking lot along with Bae Dong-young.
A familiar figure looked over blankly, their eyes meeting.
Twice's manager, Lee Sang-won, came over first, warmly shook hands with Bae Dong-young, and bowed slightly.
"Officer, as soon as I saw you, my heart immediately calmed down a lot."
"It's my duty, it's what I should do..."
Jung Do-hoon and Minatozaki Sana stood behind them, their gazes averted.
Only when Bae Dong-young released his grip, his tone tinged with embarrassment, did he raise his hand to guide the gaze of the two opposite him toward Jung Do-hoon—
Their eyes met again, their expressions varying.
"This is my leader, Secretary Zheng Daoxun, the head of our Cultural Exchange Section."
Jung Do-hoon looked young and was already used to the stereotypes of seniority in South Korea, so he didn't mind. He simply looked at his manager and shook his hand.
"Hello there."
Jeong Do-hoon...
Clerk...
Sana Minatozaki's pupils dilated slightly. She couldn't hear what the people around her were saying anymore, and she only felt a little dizzy.
The man who was lying drunk on his own doorstep just two days ago has appeared in front of me in this way.
But he looks so young...
"Sana, what are you standing there for?" It wasn't until her manager gently nudged Sana Minatozaki's arm that she snapped out of her daze and looked at Jung Do-hoon, whose face was cold—
His expression made it seem as if he was pretending not to know him.
That's true, she was wearing a mask and a baseball cap at the time, it would be a miracle if the person on the other end could recognize her.
Besides, he is, after all, a young and promising diplomat...
She had to keep that to herself.
"My name is Minatozaki Sana, nice to meet you, clerk."
"Hello, this isn't the first time we've met."
Their hands touched, followed by a moment of silence.
Sana Minatosaki couldn't tell if it was his words or the sensation from his fingertips, but she suddenly felt like she'd been electrocuted. Her mind went blank, yet it also felt completely full, leaving her speechless for a moment.
Did he later ask the police about his identity? The police probably wouldn't tell him, right?
Jung Do-hoon's unnecessary remark was indeed just a reminder to Minatozaki Sana not to mention embarrassing things that shouldn't be brought up.
"Secretary Zheng, Manager Pei, you two came straight here after getting off the plane, haven't you eaten yet?" Seeing this, the manager coughed lightly and pulled Minatozaki Sana, whose fingers were tightly clasped around the other's hand, back slightly.
The latter then realized his rudeness and his face flushed red.
"We haven't eaten yet. As soon as the clerk got off the plane, he instructed me to call a meeting to update you on the situation. He's really concerned about you all..."
"It's just my duty," Zheng Daoxun interrupted Pei Dongyong.
"Hehe, since we still have an hour before the meeting, how about we grab a bite to eat together?" Manager Li pulled on Minatozaki Sana's arm and pointed to the shopping mall next door with her other hand: "Just a simple meal, we'll just grab a bowl of noodles."
Pei Dongyong looked at his leader but didn't say anything.
Jung Do-hoon's lips moved slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Minatozaki Sana had her head down, as if she wanted to bury herself in the ground.
He deliberately raised his hand to glance at his watch, and after a moment, politely declined:
"I have some work to discuss with Officer Pei before the meeting, so I won't be able to attend. Thank you for your kind offer."
"Then I'll pack it up and bring it back for you. It's just two bowls of noodles, so you won't have to make another trip."
Jung Do-hoon didn't refuse again, he just nodded and pulled his suitcase inside.
He's here to handle work, not for a vacation, so there's absolutely no need for him to waste his energy on things unrelated to work.
Furthermore, it's not just him who doesn't want to sit at the same table with Sana Minatozaki for dinner; she probably feels the same way, just for different reasons.
When checking in, Jeong Do-hoon paused as he reached for his diplomatic passport—
Why did Sana Minatozaki react so strongly just now? It wasn't even a handshake anymore; she was practically gripping his hand tightly.
She probably didn't expect to meet him again so soon, right? And he was there as a diplomat.
"Minatozaki Sana is quite interesting." Bae Dong-young had already checked in and was leading Jung Do-hoon to his room, chatting as they went.
"How so?"
"Clerk, you may not have noticed, but she stared at you the whole way when you entered the hotel."
"This isn't the first time we've met. I guess she's lost in memories," he shrugged.
Meanwhile, inside the mall, Lee Sang-won, looking at the absent-minded Minatozaki Sana, poked her slender hand, which was holding chopsticks and refusing to move, with a troubled expression:
"Sana? What's wrong?"
"Unnie, it's nothing..." She shook her head.
"You've been acting strange since the night before last. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Maybe you didn't sleep well."
"You were really rude today. Why were you holding onto the clerk's hand like that?" The agent sighed helplessly. "It left a bad impression."
Hmm... Although what she did was indeed wrong, Sana Minatozaki comforted herself with a glimmer of hope that she probably wouldn't leave a bad impression on the other person...
After all, he had done even more rude things in front of him.
Sana Minatozaki closed her eyes and rubbed her cheeks with her hands to hide her embarrassment, but in a daze, fragments of her dream popped up again—
It seems to have become clearer.