Accidents and Solutions

The warmth and romance of Bangkok still lingered in her heart, but upon returning to the realities of life in Seoul, Su You quickly threw herself into a crucial new project at the think tank—a macro-level study on East Asian digital economy trends and policy responses over the next five years. This project, which she was leading, not only concerned her personal reputation within the think tank, but its final report could also directly influence high-level policy decisions; its significance was immense, and the pressure was considerable.

In the early stages of the project, everything went smoothly. Su You led her core team—including two senior researchers and three young analysts—working day and night to collect data, build models, and hold seminars. Her schedule was packed; often, when G-Dragon returned to his hotel late at night after finishing his overseas tour and sent her a video call, she was still in her office staring at a screen full of data and charts.

"Still not resting?" G-Dragon on the other end of the screen had removed his makeup, his face showing the fatigue of the tour, but his eyes were filled with clear concern. The hotel room behind him was quiet and luxurious, a stark contrast to the desk piled high with documents behind Su You.

"Almost done, just one last set of data to check." Su You rubbed her throbbing temples, trying to make her voice sound relaxed. "How about you? Did your performance go well today?"

"It went smoothly. It's just... I missed you." He paused, keenly noticing a hint of seriousness in her expression. "Is the project very stressful?"

"It's alright, I can handle it." Su You didn't want to say more. She was used to solving problems in her professional field independently and didn't want him, who was far away in a foreign country, to worry about her. She quickly changed the subject and started talking about the interesting things that happened during his tour.

However, beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were already surging.

The root of the problem lay with a young analyst who had recently joined the team, Park Joon-woo. A graduate of a prestigious university, with an impressive resume and a quick mind, he was highly regarded by one of Su You's superiors and was essentially forced into the project team. Su You initially had high hopes for his abilities and assigned him some key data collection and preliminary modeling tasks.

Park Joon-woo was eager to prove himself and displayed a strong drive at work, but this was also accompanied by the impetuousness and lack of rigor often seen in young people. When obtaining non-public industry forecast data from a multinational technology company, he failed to strictly follow the think tank's compliance procedures for cross-verification, and instead placed too much faith in data verbally provided by a senior executive who implied it was "highly valuable" but for which no formal authorization agreement had been signed.

He incorporated this data as an important parameter into the core prediction model.

The atmosphere at the mid-term review meeting was solemn and serious. In addition to senior executives from the think tank, two senior advisors from relevant government departments were also present. Su You, as the project leader, confidently and calmly presented the preliminary research findings and predictive models.

Everything was going smoothly until she presented the projected market penetration curve for a specific technology sector. At that moment, Dr. Jin Zhenyu, a government advisor who had been silent, adjusted his glasses and raised a question.

“Dr. Su, forgive my bluntness,” Dr. Jin’s voice was calm but carried an undeniable weight, “The forecast curve you presented deviates significantly from the preliminary survey data recently completed within the Institute of Industry and Information Technology. In particular, what is the basis for this steep growth slope in the third year? As far as we know, there are still considerable policy and technical bottlenecks in the technological breakthroughs and commercial promotion in this field.”

Su You's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm on the surface: "Dr. Jin, this prediction is based on our comprehensive data from multiple sources, including internal forecasts from some leading companies in the industry..."

"Which company is it? What kind of forecast is it? Has it been cross-validated?" Dr. Jin asked one question after another, precise and sharp. "As far as I know, none of the publicly available and highly credible reports in the industry support such optimistic growth data."

Su You's forehead was slightly damp with sweat. She immediately realized that the problem might lie in the crucial data provided by Park Joon-woo. She couldn't reveal an unverified source at this moment; that would appear extremely unprofessional.

“Well…we need to go back and double-check the data sources and modeling process.” Su You forced herself to calm down and frankly admitted that a review was necessary, which was wiser than making excuses.

But that moment of pause and uncertainty had already created a crack in her otherwise flawless professional image. She could feel the complicated gazes from the other judges—a mixture of doubt, scrutiny, and concern for her.

The review meeting ended unhappily. Although the entire project was not rejected on the spot, the project team was required to submit a detailed explanation of the data sources and a model verification report within a week.

Back in the project team office, the atmosphere plummeted. Su You immediately gathered all the members, closed the door, and her expression was more serious than ever before.

"Junyu, what exactly is the source of that core data regarding the market penetration rate in the T field? I need to see all the original communication records and authorization documents." Su You's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable pressure.

Park Joon-woo's face turned deathly pale instantly. He stammered and couldn't produce complete compliance documents. Finally, under Su You's sharp gaze, he admitted that there were "flaws" in the data acquisition process and that he had over-interpreted the other party's verbal promises.

"A flaw?" Su You took a deep breath, feeling dizzy. "This is a serious data compliance issue! Do you know that this could cause the credibility of the entire project to collapse?"

The other team members looked at each other in dismay. Their hard work over the past few months could be wasted due to a single oversight, and could even damage the reputation of the entire think tank.

Over the next few days, Su You led her team in a frantic effort to salvage the data and correct the model. She had to personally contact the legal department of the multinational corporation to re-sign the authorization agreement, while simultaneously searching for alternative data sources and readjusting the model. The workload was enormous, and the timeframe was extremely tight.

The pressure was like an invisible net, tightly binding her. She suffered from insomnia and loss of appetite, and even during her rare moments of rest, her brow was furrowed. For the first time, she began to doubt her own judgment—why hadn't she placed stricter oversight on Park Joon-woo's work?

Meanwhile, G-Dragon was on an intensive tour in Europe. He clearly sensed a change in Su You. During the video call, her smile became strained, and her eyes betrayed undisguised fatigue and anxiety. Only after his repeated questioning did Su You briefly mention that "the project encountered some technical problems and is being resolved," her tone understated, but he could sense that things were far more complicated than that.

"Is it a lot of trouble? What do you need me to do?" Kwon Ji-yong asked Su You, who was still in the office late at night, with concern on the balcony of the Berlin hotel. He noticed the cup of coffee beside her that had long gone cold and the faint dark circles under her eyes.

"No need, just focus on your performance." Su You shook her head, forcing a smile. "I can handle it."

Kwon Ji-yong fell silent. For the first time, he felt so clearly how utterly powerless he was in Su You's field of expertise. He couldn't help her analyze data, couldn't handle the judges' questions for her, and couldn't even give her a real hug. This concern, separated by a screen and time zones, carried a deep sense of helplessness.

He could only send her reminders to eat via text message every day, and silently keep her company on video when she worked late at night, even if they didn't speak to each other, just to let her know that he was online. He would also have his assistant order nutritious meals and deliver them to her office, along with a card with cute line drawings and the words "Keep it up!"

These gestures were heartwarming, but they couldn't truly dispel the heavy burden on Su You's shoulders.

On the eve of the deadline, when Suyou checked the results of the new model again, she discovered a cascading error caused by a change in the data source that she had previously overlooked. This meant that most of the previous corrections might need to be redone.

At that moment, the fatigue, stress, and self-doubt that had accumulated over the past few days burst forth like a flood, instantly overwhelming her taut nerves. In the empty office, she finally couldn't hold back anymore, burying her face in her arms on the cold desk, her shoulders trembling slightly, and silently wept.

She cried for a long time until her phone screen lit up with a message from G-Dragon: "It's dawn here, getting ready for rehearsal. It must be very late where you are, right? Don't stay up late, go get some rest. Nothing is more important than your health."

Looking at these simple and unadorned words, Su You felt as if something had struck her heart hard. She wiped away her tears and took a few deep breaths. Yes, she couldn't give up; the problem had to be solved.

She stood up, splashed cold water on her face, and looked at herself in the mirror—her eyes red and swollen, yet her gaze resolute once more. She took out her phone, not to call Kwon Ji-yong, but directly dialed the number of Representative Lee, one of the top executives of the think tank who had always admired her.

“Representative Li, I apologize for bothering you so late. Regarding the digital economy project, I urgently need to report on some situations and apply to activate Plan B, which involves using our previously prepared but unused backup data source. This requires your authorization and coordination…”

Her voice was still slightly hoarse from crying, but her tone had returned to its usual calm and clarity. She frankly admitted the team's mistakes regarding data compliance and proposed clear remedial solutions. Sometimes, admitting mistakes and demonstrating the ability and determination to solve problems earns more respect than trying to cover them up.

Representative Li on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before finally saying, "Dr. Su, I understand. I will coordinate resources first thing tomorrow morning. Now, please go home and rest immediately. I believe in your abilities, but please remember that think tanks need a leader in good condition."

As she stepped out of the think tank building, the sky was already beginning to lighten. The cool morning breeze made Su You even more alert. She returned home and, without even removing her makeup, collapsed onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

A few hours later, she was woken by her alarm clock. A new battle had begun. With the support of higher-ups, the backup data source was successfully activated, and under her leadership, the team resumed work with greater efficiency and a more rigorous attitude. Park Joon-woo was reassigned from his core position to handle some support tasks.

During a break in rehearsals, G-Dragon received a message from Su You: "[We've found a breakthrough in the problem and are working on it. Don't worry, I'm fine.]" Looking at this message, he finally felt a sense of relief. He replied: "[I'm always here.]"

A week later, a more comprehensive review report, with clear data sources and an impeccable argumentation process, along with the revised model, was presented to the review panel once again. Su You's presentation was more composed and confident than before, and she fully anticipated and explained any potential points of contention.

Ultimately, the project was approved. Although the process was tortuous, the result was even better than expected, because this crisis forced the team to be more careful in handling data, and the model became more robust.

This incident taught Su You a profound lesson: about team management, risk control, and how to remain calm and seek support under pressure. She didn't overly blame Park Jun-woo, but instead established a more rigorous data review process within the team.

She also came to a deeper understanding that a healthy relationship isn't about one person being always strong and omnipotent, but about knowing that when you're vulnerable or facing difficulties, there's someone who will be there silently, offering unwavering support. Although G-Dragon couldn't provide her with professional help, his attitude of "I'm here for you no matter what" was itself the strongest force.

When she could finally smile and say to G-Dragon in the video, "The problem is completely solved," he breathed a long sigh of relief, his eyes filled with a sense of joy and undisguised pride.

“My pomelo is truly the best,” he said.

Outside the window, the Seoul night sky was dotted with stars. Su You knew that life's journey was never without its storms, but this time, she steered her ship alone through the tempest, and she knew that her harbor was always there, waiting for her return. This filled her with even stronger courage for the future, both in her career and in her life.