Kyrah woke up earlier than usual.
Today was the day.
She sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, staring at the wardrobe in front of her.
The preliminary presentation.
She had spent almost the entire previous night working on it. Seo Jun had helped her identify the weaknesses, but the presentation itself was hers.
Now she had to stand in front of the executives of Jun Chao Group and defend it.
Kyrah opened her wardrobe.
She looked through her clothes one by one.
Then she saw it.
A white trouser suit.
She had barely worn anything bright since arriving in Hong Kong. Most of the clothes she owned were simple, dark, and practical.
But today felt different.
She pulled the suit out.
"Okay. Let's dress like I know what I'm doing."
She smiled at herself.
She put on the white trousers and matching jacket, paired them with a simple blouse, then pulled her hair into a neat ponytail.
Finally, she slipped on her heels.
She stood in front of the mirror.
Something still didn't feel complete.
Her glasses.
She picked them up and carefully cleaned the lenses.
Her old pair had been damaged when she rushed to the company a few days earlier, but she had already replaced the broken lens.
She put them on and looked at herself again.
She adjusted the frame.
"This will do."
She grabbed her bag and headed out.
On the bus to work, Kyrah barely noticed the people around her.
Her mind was somewhere else.
Introduction.
Problem.
Solution.
Commercial value.
Return on investment.
Pilot program.
Three key functions.
She repeated the points over and over in her head.
Then she remembered Seo Jun's words from the night before.
Believe in yourself.
Kyrah smiled.
"I'll try."
When she arrived at Jun Chao Group, she was immediately greeted by Zuma and Xiumin.
"Good morning, Kyrah," Zuma said.
"Good morning!"
She greeted them quickly before practically rushing toward her desk.
Zuma watched her go.
"She's nervous."
Xiumin smiled.
"Let her be. It's her first presentation."
Kyrah was already back in her files.
She checked the figures again.
Then the slides.
Then the projected costs.
Then the pilot program.
She checked everything twice.
She was so deep in her work that she almost forgot where she was.
"Kyrah."
She didn't respond.
"Kyrah."
Nothing.
Zuma walked closer.
"Kyrah!"
She finally looked up.
"Huh?"
He pointed toward the clock.
"It's time."
Kyrah froze.
"What?"
"The meeting with the executives. It's time."
Her heart gave a sudden thump.
She looked at the clock.
She had completely lost track of time.
"Oh."
She quickly closed her files and grabbed her laptop and presentation materials.
Then she looked at Zuma.
"How do I look?"
Zuma smiled.
"Like someone who's about to give a presentation."
"That's not helpful."
He laughed.
"You'll be fine."
Kyrah nodded and started walking toward the meeting room.
Her hands were beginning to shake.
She hated that feeling.
She had faced much bigger problems in her life.
She had stood in front of police officers.
She had faced Jinyoung and his family.
She had left Korea while pregnant and started over in another country.
Yet somehow, standing in front of a boardroom full of executives felt terrifying.
Her phone vibrated.
She stopped and checked it.
Seo Jun:You prepared for this. Trust yourself. Don't be nervous. Just do what you practiced.
Kyrah stared at the message.
Then she smiled.
Kyrah:I'm trying.
His reply came almost immediately.
Seo Jun:That's all you need to do.
She slipped her phone into her bag.
"Okay."
She took a deep breath.
"I can do this."
She reached the meeting room.
Executives were already settling into their seats behind the large conference table.
The chairman was there.
Xiumin was there.
Seo Jun was seated near the end of the table beside his father.
Kyrah took one step toward the door.
Then—
Snap!
She stopped.
She looked down.
Her heel had broken.
Kyrah stared at it.
For a second, she couldn't process what had happened.
Then she looked through the glass doors.
The executives were inside.
Everyone was getting ready.
No.
No, no, no.
This could not be happening.
Flora walked past and noticed her standing there.
"Kyrah?"
Kyrah didn't move.
Flora looked down.
Then back at Kyrah.
"What are you doing?"
Kyrah's voice came out in a whisper.
"My heel broke."
Flora looked at the broken heel.
Then she looked through the glass at the executives.
"Oh."
Kyrah swallowed.
"I can't go in like this."
Flora gave her a look.
"Can you walk?"
Kyrah carefully took a step.
"Yes."
"Then go."
Kyrah stared at her.
"Flora!"
"What do you want to do? Reschedule the meeting because of your shoe?"
Kyrah looked horrified.
"No."
"Then go."
From inside the room, Xiumin's voice could be heard.
"Team Three, please come in."
Kyrah looked at Flora.
Flora smiled.
"You've got this."
Kyrah took a breath.
Then another.
She adjusted her jacket.
"Okay."
She walked into the room.
One heel was broken, but somehow, she managed to make it look intentional.
She walked straight to her seat with her head held high.
Nobody seemed to notice.
Well...
Almost nobody.
Seo Jun noticed immediately.
His eyes had been on the door, waiting for her to enter.
The moment he saw her, his attention shifted to her feet.
He saw the broken heel.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
Kyrah caught his gaze for a second.
She gave him the smallest possible smile.
Don't you dare laugh.
Seo Jun's lips twitched.
He looked away before anyone noticed.
Kyrah sat down.
A few minutes later, the chairman's secretary stepped forward.
"Good morning, everyone. The preliminary presentations for the Haneul Technologies project officially begin now. Each team will present its proposed approach for review and evaluation before the final presentation is submitted to Haneul Technologies."
Kyrah listened carefully.
Team after team presented.
Some focused on technology.
Others focused on logistics.
Another team presented a financial approach.
The executives asked questions.
Some presenters struggled.
Others answered confidently.
Kyrah watched everything.
The longer she waited, the more nervous she became.
She looked down at her notes.
It's either now or never.
Her fingers tightened around the pen.
I've prepared for this.
I know this project.
I know the numbers.
I know the solution.
She took another breath.
Then she heard it.
"Team Three."
Kyrah's heart jumped.
Xiumin looked toward her.
"Please proceed."
Kyrah stood.
She adjusted her jacket.
Then she walked toward the presentation screen.
One broken heel.
One perfectly straight back.
She reached the podium and connected her USB drive.
The first slide appeared.
HANEUL TECHNOLOGIES — SMART HOME AI COLLABORATION PROPOSAL
Kyrah looked around the room.
For a second, she saw nothing but executives staring back at her.
Then she remembered something.
She wasn't there because someone had given her a favor.
She was there because she had earned the position.
She straightened.
"Good morning. My name is Kyrah, and I'm representing the AI Solutions Development Team."
She clicked to the next slide.
"Our proposal for Haneul Technologies is based on one simple idea: a smart home should not simply respond to commands. It should learn from the people living inside it."
The room became attentive.
Kyrah continued.
"Haneul Technologies already has access to advanced smart-home technology. The challenge isn't whether the technology can work. The challenge is whether customers will find it useful enough to make it part of their everyday lives."
She changed the slide.
"Our proposal is an AI-powered ecosystem capable of learning user routines, energy consumption patterns, security preferences, and individual household requirements."
The screen displayed the system's proposed functions.
"Instead of requiring users to constantly give commands, the system learns their habits and adapts accordingly."
She moved to the next slide.
"But technology alone isn't what makes this proposal commercially viable."
She clicked again.
"We've included a three-function pilot program focusing on adaptive lighting, intelligent temperature control, and personalized household automation."
One of the executives leaned forward.
Kyrah continued.
"This allows Haneul Technologies to test the system on a manageable scale before committing to a wider launch."
She paused.
"The pilot also gives both companies measurable data. We can track energy consumption, user engagement, system accuracy, and customer satisfaction before expanding the product."
She moved to the financial section.
"And this is where the collaboration becomes commercially valuable."
The room was completely focused on her now.
Kyrah pointed toward the figures on the screen.
"By reducing unnecessary energy consumption and improving automation efficiency, the system can reduce operating costs for users while creating additional value for Haneul's smart-home product line."
She didn't rush.
She explained the projected costs.
The expected benefits.
The proposed development stages.
The risks.
And the solutions to those risks.
Then she reached the final slide.
She looked around the room.
"Our goal isn't to build another smart-home system."
She clicked.
"Our goal is to build one that understands the person using it."
She stepped back slightly.
"Thank you."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Kyrah's heart pounded.
Then the chairman looked at her.
"Ms. Kyrah."
"Yes, Chairman?"
"Your proposal places considerable responsibility on the AI's ability to learn individual user behavior. What happens if the system learns incorrectly?"
Kyrah didn't panic.
"We wouldn't allow the system to make unrestricted decisions from the beginning. The pilot would include controlled learning parameters, user override functions, and continuous monitoring."
The chairman nodded slightly.
"And if users become uncomfortable with the amount of information the system collects?"
"We make transparency part of the product."
Kyrah changed the slide.
"Users should be able to see what information the AI is using, adjust permissions, and disable specific learning functions. If we want customers to trust the AI, we can't make them feel like they're being watched by it."
A few executives exchanged looks.
The chairman asked another question.
"Your projected return on investment. How confident are you in these figures?"
Kyrah smiled slightly.
"Confident enough to defend them, but not arrogant enough to call them guaranteed."
A few people around the table smiled.
Kyrah continued.
"The figures are based on our current assumptions and pilot projections. The purpose of the pilot is to replace those assumptions with real data."
The chairman leaned back.
"Fair answer."
Kyrah breathed quietly.
Then another voice spoke.
Seo Jun.
"If Haneul rejects the three-function pilot and insists on testing the entire ecosystem immediately, what would you do?"
Kyrah looked at him.
She knew exactly why he was asking.
This was one of the things they had discussed the previous night.
She smiled inwardly.
So you remembered.
"I would negotiate the scope without compromising the core objective."
Seo Jun raised an eyebrow.
"Explain."
"I'd offer Haneul access to the broader ecosystem in a controlled testing environment while keeping the live customer-facing pilot limited to the three core functions."
Seo Jun nodded.
"And if they still refuse?"
"Then I'd ask them what they're trying to measure by testing everything at once."
Kyrah folded her hands.
"If they have a legitimate business reason, we can adapt the pilot around that objective. But if the request simply increases cost and risk without producing useful data, I would challenge it."
There was a brief silence.
Seo Jun leaned back.
"Good."
Kyrah resisted the urge to smile.
The chairman looked through the documents in front of him.
Then he looked at Xiumin.
Finally, he looked back at Kyrah.
"That will be all."
Kyrah blinked.
"Thank you, Chairman."
She returned to her seat.
Her hands were still shaking slightly.
But she had done it.
She had actually done it.
When the meeting finally ended, Kyrah walked out of the room.
The moment the doors closed behind her, she let out a long breath.
"I survived."
Zuma laughed.
"More than survived."
Xiumin walked toward her.
"That was amazing."
Kyrah looked at him.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"The chairman hardly nods during presentations, and he usually asks much more before dismissing someone."
Kyrah's eyes widened.
"He nodded?"
"Twice."
She smiled.
"Twice?"
"Twice."
Kyrah looked back toward the meeting room.
She suddenly remembered her broken heel.
She looked down.
Then she laughed.
"I can't believe I gave a presentation to the chairman with one broken shoe."
Zuma looked down.
"Wait."
He finally noticed.
"Your heel actually broke?"
Kyrah burst out laughing.
"I told you!"
Zuma stared at her.
"How did you walk like that?"
"I have no idea."
Flora joined them, laughing.
"I told her to go in anyway."
Kyrah shook her head.
"I was ready to crawl under the table."
"But you didn't."
Kyrah smiled.
"No. I didn't."
She looked down at her broken heel one more time.
It had been an awkward beginning to one of the most important presentations of her career.
But somehow, she had walked into that room with a broken shoe and walked out with something far more valuable.
Confidence.
She had nailed the preliminary presentation.
But this was only the beginning.
The proposal would still have to face the people at Haneul Technologies.
And everyone at Jun Chao Group knew one thing about Haneul.
They were picky.
They were demanding.
And they were not easily impressed.
Kyrah looked at the presentation files in her hands.
She had passed her first test.
But would she be able to satisfy Haneul Technologies?
That was the real challenge.