Ryu stepped out of the car and stared at the tall glass building in front of him, his hands tucked inside his pockets as if that would somehow calm the uneasiness crawling beneath his skin. Mr. John stood beside him, already walking ahead like a man who had done this a thousand times, while Ryu lagged behind, silently wishing Drew had been the one sent with him instead. Ever since the Chairman told him he would be inspecting a branch alone, his chest had not stopped feeling tight. This was not a classroom test anymore.Inside the building, the receptionist barely spared him a glance. Her eyes moved past him and rested respectfully on Mr. John instead, and Ryu could already feel how today would go. A few staff members whispered among themselves as they walked by, their eyes lingering on him a second longer than necessary. He heard it clearly; Chairman’s pet. The words were not even said quietly enough, almost like they wanted him to hear it.They made him wait.Ten minutes turned to th