By the time they reached the estate, the night had fully settled over Gold City, the mansion glowing warmly against the darkened grounds.
Inside, everything felt familiar again, so familiar it made Dasom's chest loosen with relief.
The staff immediately welcomed them in, guiding the family through to the dining hall where neatly arranged boxes and wrapped gifts were already laid out across the long table.
Dasom's eyes widened slightly. "…You brought half of Japan back with you."
Her grandmother smiled, already opening one of the boxes. "Not half. Just your favourites."
Inside were carefully packed desserts, seasonal sweets, and small luxury gifts—all labelled and organised with obsessive precision.
Dasom's face softened instantly. "This is too much…"
"It's not," her grandfather replied calmly. "You were missed."
As they sat, her grandparents began explaining parts of their trip; contracts finalised, negotiations that had gone smoother than expected, and deals that had closed ahead of schedule.
Dasom listened quietly, resting her chin on her hand.
Her grandfather glanced at her briefly.
"She's my lucky charm," he said matter-of-factly. "Your grandmother. That's why I didn't need my executive secretary Oscar to travel with me this time."
At the mention of his name, Dasom instinctively turned her head slightly.
Oscar was standing near the edge of the room, speaking quietly with one of the staff, busy as ever.
Dasom gave him a small look. She didn't say anything out loud. But internally, she acknowledged it.
Considering how the last twenty-four hours had gone, not having him there would've been… a disaster.
Not long after, Mingyu appeared.
Mingyu Lee entered with his usual composed confidence, but the moment his eyes landed on Dasom, his expression shifted immediately.
"Bunny."
Dasom straightened slightly. "Gyu."
There was a beat of silence before he closed the distance and pulled her into a firm hug. This one was quieter than the last time they saw each other; less panic, more apology sitting underneath it.
"I was too harsh last night," he said lowly.
Dasom didn't respond immediately, just stayed in the hug for a moment longer than usual. Then she pulled back slightly.
"You were."
He sighed. "I know."
A pause.
Dasom softened. "…But I also understand why."
Mingyu studied her carefully. That was what worried him more than anything—how easily she understood everyone else before herself.
He opened his mouth to respond but Dasom spoke first.
"I'm sorry too."
That made him pause. "For what?"
"For shutting you out," she admitted. "For not telling you things properly."
Her gaze flickered briefly down the hallway.
And just for a second toward Oscar.
"I just… wanted to be heard out too," she added quietly. "Not controlled. Not protected to the point where I disappear in the process."
Mingyu followed her glance, then looked back at her. "…I wasn't trying to control you."
"I know." Her voice softened. "I know you were protecting me."
A beat.
Then she added honestly, "but sometimes it feels like I'm fragile glass instead of your sister."
Mingyu went quiet at that.
Dasom exhaled, rubbing her sleeve lightly.
"I'm not angry anymore," she said. "I just… want you to see me as I am now."
His expression shifted to a look that was less defensive and more reflective. Before he could answer, Dasom continued gently.
"And I did talk to someone last night."
Mingyu's eyes narrowed slightly. "... Someone?"
She nodded. "Oscar helped me."
At the mention of his name, Mingyu's attention sharpened.
Dasom didn't miss it. "He didn't interfere," she added quickly. "He just… stayed. Listened. Got me home. Made sure I was okay."
Her voice softened slightly. "He let me calm down instead of reacting for me."
Mingyu was silent for a moment. Then he exhaled. "…That sounds like him."
Dasom hesitated. "I wanted to hear him out," she admitted. "Not just be told what I should do."
That lingered between them for a moment.
Finally, Mingyu nodded once. "I hear you," he said quietly.
Then, more reluctantly, "…but I still don't like what happened last night."
Dasom gave a small, tired smile. "I wouldn't expect you to."
A faint pause.
Then Mingyu added, "We'll talk properly after the meeting."
She nodded. "Deal."
As Mingyu stepped away to prepare for the upcoming discussion, Dasom lingered for a moment in the hallway. And once again, her eyes drifted toward the far corridor.
Oscar was still there. Still watching nothing in particular but somehow always aware.
She didn't go to him.
She didn't need to.
But for the first time in a long time, she felt like the space between chaos and calm wasn't as far apart.
-
The Meeting
The meeting began with a quiet weight in the air—serious, but steady, the kind of atmosphere built from years of experience rather than tension.
Grandpa Lee leaned forward slightly, hands clasped as he addressed the room.
"We are going to begin the transfer of Chairmanship to Mingyu in the next six months."
A small pause followed as his gaze shifted to his grandson.
"Listen, I get that I'm a young sixty-four-year-old," he added dryly, earning a faint shift of expression from a few around the table. "But my retirement is due. Long overdue."
His tone softened slightly. "And more importantly, Mingyu—you're ready."
Mingyu Lee held his expression steady, but the emotion in his eyes was harder to hide.
Grandpa Lee continued. "The main reason all of our Japan contracts succeeded was because of the future our overseas partners saw in you. They didn't just see a successor—they saw stability. Leadership. Continuity."
The room fell silent.
Dasom felt it before she fully processed it, her brother's shift in role, the weight of expectation finally settling into place. Her chest tightened. She glanced at Gyu. He didn't speak, but his jaw flexed slightly as he absorbed it all.
Dasom's voice came out softer than she intended. "…You're going to take after Dad, Gyu."
That landed heavily in the room. Mingyu finally looked at her and something in his expression cracked just a little.
Not weakness.
Just feeling.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I am." Then, more firmly, "I'll do it properly."
Dasom nodded, swallowing the emotion building in her throat.
"I know you will."
-
Grandpa Lee then calmly outlined how the transition would roll out—step by step, structured and deliberate, the way everything in the Lee household was handled.
He explained the internal announcement first: staff briefings, departmental alignment, and estate-wide communication. Then, once everything was stabilised, the public and media announcement would follow.
It wasn't rushed. It was controlled. Intentional.
A passing of responsibility, not chaos.
By the time he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room had shifted from solemn focus to something warmer an air of anticipation, pride, and celebration all blending together.
When the meeting concluded, the estate staff (many of whom had stayed well past their working hours) began to gather in small groups outside the doors.
One by one, they approached Mingyu Lee.
"Congratulations, Young Master."
"You'll do the family proud."
"You've grown so much."
Mingyu accepted each message with quiet composure, but there was a subtle softness in his expression that betrayed how deeply it all landed.
After the final well-wish, the staff slowly filtered out, the estate settling into a rare, peaceful quiet.
Inside, the family remained.
The grandparents moved first, pulling their grandchildren into warm embraces. Dasom was squeezed tightly between them for a moment before being released, her grandmother smoothing her hair gently like she was still a child.
Then, unexpectedly, Oscar was pulled into it too.
Oscar looked briefly surprised—but didn't resist as he was drawn into the group hug, his usual composure softening at the edges.
Dasom turned slightly and hugged him properly this time.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For everything today."
Oscar paused for a beat before replying. "You didn't make it difficult," he said simply. "That helps."
That made her smile faintly.
The group eventually broke apart into laughter and small chatter, the heaviness of the meeting dissolving into something lighter.
Without much planning, the three of them, Mingyu, Dasom, and Oscar, ended up slipping out together into the night. A 24-hour burger place nearby had become an unspoken destination.
No entourage. No formalities. Just the hum of late-night city life and the comfort of familiarity.
Inside the car, Mingyu leaned back with a sigh. "I feel like I just aged ten years in that meeting."
Dasom snorted. "You did. Mentally."
Oscar, driving, added calmly, "That's accurate."
Mingyu shot them both a look. "…Traitors."
Dasom laughed, leaning her head against the window as the city lights blurred past.
For the first time in a while, everything felt uncomplicated.