Page 1 of Under Construction

01Site Visit

The sun beats down on the construction site, the heat already oppressive despite the early hour.

Dennis squints against the glare, the metal framework of the new Environmental Research and Conservation Center reflecting light like a giant mirror. Sweat gathers under his hard hat, the plastic band sticking uncomfortably to his forehead as he surveys what should be his masterpiece...

If he can just make it work.

This business pavilion, with its focus on eco-friendly design and conservation, is supposed to be his proof. His break from the glass-and-steel behemoths his father’s company has scattered across LA’s skyline.

After four years of watching Kim Industries churn out the same soulless structures, he’d finally snapped. "Sustainable architecture isn’t just a trend," he’d argued in that boardroom, the memory still fresh. "It’s the future."

He could still feel the silence that followed, his father’s stony expression as he’d issued that challenge: “Prove it, or do as I say.”

So here he is, in Sacramento—a smaller city, a smaller project, but this time, he has complete creative control. It's not LA, but it’s a start, and it’s his.

The centerpiece of the project, an eight-story building within the pavilion, is meant to showcase sustainable materials, green architecture, and renewable energy systems.

Six months later and a bajillion headaches—each one worse than the last—he's starting to question if his father's test was a punishment in disguise.

"No, that's completely wrong." Dennis drops his tablet onto the folding table, the clatter of plastic on metal loud in the cramped site office. He pinches the bridge of his nose, a headache already pulsing behind his eyes. "The support beams need to be exposed. It's literally in the blueprints."

The construction foreman scratches his head, looking both confused and annoyed. "But we already covered—"

"Thenun-cover them." Dennis snatches up his hard hat. The bright yellow plastic glares against his crisp white shirt. He steps around the table, the soles of his boots scraping on the dusty floor. "The whole point of this project is to showcase sustainable materials. How are people supposed to see bamboo supports if they're hidden behind drywall?"

Three teams had already quit, calling his vision "impractical" and his methods "too demanding." The fourth had lasted two weeks before their foreman told him to "stick to conventional materials like a normal architect."

But Dennis isn't normal—never has been, according to his father—and he refuses to compromise. Not on this. Not when he's finally got a chance to prove sustainable architecture can work.

"Oi, princess!" A voice calls from above, the words dripping with sarcasm. "Coming to grace us with your presence?"

Dennis doesn't look up. He knows exactly who it is.

Chris Rhodes.

The site manager has been a thorn in his side since day one—the only crew leader who actually understands the innovative techniques Dennis is trying to implement, which makes him both invaluable and insufferable.

The man executes Dennis's vision with frightening precision, then turns around and makes his life hell with constant teasing and that infuriating smirk.

"Some of us actually have degrees in this," Dennis mutters, just loud enough for Chris to hear.

He keeps walking, tablet tucked securely under his arm. He needs to document the progress—or lack thereof—before the project meeting this afternoon.

A sharp whistle pierces the air. "Ooh, hear that, boys? We're in the presence of greatness!"

Laughter ripples across the site, loud and uproarious, grating on Dennis's nerves like sandpaper. He feels the heat rising in his cheeks, anger a tight knot in his chest. But he refuses to give Chris the satisfaction of a reaction.

Not when he has more pressing matters to deal with—like explaining to his father why the budget's already taking a hit from mistakes that shouldn't have happened in the first place.

His phone buzzes in his pocket, vibrating insistently.

Speak of the Devil. Dad.

"Yes, father?" Dennis answers in clipped Korean.

"The investors want to see progress photos."

No 'hello'. No 'how are you'. Just straight to business as always. The same tone that's followed Dennis since childhood, measuring every achievement against impossible standards.

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