Jinyoung sat in his hotel room long after Kyrah had left the café.
He hadn't moved.
Her last words kept replaying in his head.
It was never love.
I was naive.
He closed his eyes.
For years, he had convinced himself that if he ever got another chance, he would know exactly what to say.
He had rehearsed apologies in his head.
He had imagined telling her how sorry he was.
How much he regretted everything.
But none of it had mattered.
Because Kyrah had already reached the one conclusion he had been desperately trying to avoid.
She was done.
Not angry.
Not waiting.
Not secretly hoping he would return.
Done.
That was worse.
Jinyoung leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
His phone sat on the table.
For a moment, he considered calling her again.
Then he remembered her face.
The way she had looked at him across the table.
There had been no hatred in her eyes.
There had been no longing either.
Just certainty.
He picked up his phone.
Opened her contact.
Stared at it.
Then locked the screen.
"No."
The word escaped his lips.
He couldn't keep humiliating himself.
Not when she had made her decision.
Jinyoung stood and walked toward the window.
Hong Kong stretched beneath him, bright and restless.
He had come here believing that finding Kyrah would somehow put something back together.
Instead, he had discovered that the life he had left behind had continued without him.
Kyrah had moved on.
She had a home.
A career.
Friends.
A man who cared about her.
A child who was almost here.
And Seojun.
Jinyoung's jaw tightened at the thought.
He hated how easily that name had become part of her life.
But even more than that, he hated knowing that Seojun had seen a side of Kyrah that he no longer had access to.
The way she laughed.
The way she looked at him.
The way she allowed him to help her.
Jinyoung turned away from the window.
He couldn't stay here and think about it.
He needed something else to focus on.
Something he could still control.
His company.
He picked up his phone again and opened his business contacts.
If he had lost Kyrah, he couldn't lose everything else.
He couldn't return home with nothing.
He had already received enough criticism from the board.
His company's financial position was becoming increasingly unstable, and the pressure from investors was getting worse.
He needed capital.
Fast.
Jinyoung started making calls.
The first investor answered after several rings.
"Mr. Jinyoung."
"Thank you for taking my call. I'd like to discuss a potential investment opportunity."
"I've reviewed the preliminary information."
Jinyoung straightened.
"And?"
A pause.
"We're not interested."
His face hardened.
"You haven't heard the full proposal."
"We've seen enough of the company's current position."
"That position is temporary."
"I'm sure you believe that."
Jinyoung clenched his jaw.
"We have expansion opportunities."
"Then perhaps you should pursue them when the company's financial position is stronger."
The call ended.
Jinyoung stared at the phone.
One rejection.
He immediately called another.
Then another.
Then another.
Some didn't answer.
Some promised to review the documents.
Others rejected him within minutes.
By evening, his desk was covered with notes and numbers.
He rubbed his forehead.
"This is ridiculous."
But deep down, he knew it wasn't.
He had expected resistance.
His company had been under scrutiny.
His own performance had been questioned.
The board was losing patience.
And investors weren't stupid.
They could see instability.
Jinyoung opened another contact.
A Korean investment group.
He called.
"Hello, this is Jinyoung from—"
"We're familiar with your company."
"Then you understand the potential."
"We understand the risks."
Jinyoung's expression hardened.
"The risks can be managed."
"Perhaps."
"Then let's arrange a meeting."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jinyoung."
A pause.
"We'll have to decline."
The call ended.
Jinyoung dropped his phone onto the desk.
He stared at it.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then something clicked.
Hong Kong.
He had been approaching Korean investors because they were familiar territory.
But he wasn't in Korea.
He was in Hong Kong.
And Hong Kong had a deep network of companies, private investors and investment groups that might be interested in expansion.
Jinyoung stood.
"Why am I wasting time?"
He opened his laptop.
Hong Kong companies.
Investment firms.
Private equity.
Technology companies.
Strategic partnerships.
He began searching.
His eyes moved rapidly across the screen.
One company after another.
Then he came across a company whose profile caught his attention.
A big technology company with an established presence in Hong Kong.
Strong partnerships.
International connections.
A promising portfolio.
And more importantly, a CEO who had a reputation for making calculated investments. It was Jun Chao Group.
Jinyoung leaned closer to the screen.
"This could work."
He began reading through the company's recent developments.
The more he read, the more interested he became.
Then he saw the name of one of the company's major projects.
HANEUL HOME.
His eyes narrowed.
He remembered the name.
Kyrah.
The thought came so suddenly that he almost laughed.
He had seen the article on the launch of Haneul's Home Technology.
Her company.
Her project.
The one she had worked so hard on.
Jinyoung sat back.
He didn't know that Kyrah's actual CEO was Seojun's father and that he was the next CEO.
He didn't know that Seojun was the man who ultimately made the company's major investment decisions.
He didn't know that the company had its own internal structure far more complicated than what he had seen from the outside.
All he saw was an opportunity.
that evening, something resembling hope returned to his expression.
If he could secure an investment from them, he could stabilize his company.
He could silence the board.
He could prove that his company was still worth backing.
Maybe he could even restore the future everyone had once expected from him.
He picked up his phone.
There was a number listed on the company's official contact page.
Jinyoung dialed it.
A receptionist answered.
"Good afternoon. How may I help you?"
"Good afternoon. My name is Jinyoung. I'm the CEO of a company currently seeking strategic investment and expansion partnerships in Hong Kong."
"All right."
"I'd like to schedule a meeting with your CEO."
There was a brief pause.
"May I ask what the meeting concerns?"
"Potential investment."
"Could you send your proposal to our corporate office first?"
"I can."
Jinyoung looked at his laptop.
"I'll have the documents sent immediately."
"Once the proposal is reviewed, we'll contact you."
"I'd prefer a direct meeting."
The receptionist hesitated.
"Our CEO's schedule is very busy."
"I understand."
Jinyoung leaned back.
"But I'm not asking for an hour."
Another pause.
"Thirty minutes would be enough."
The receptionist finally responded.
"Send the proposal. If it receives preliminary approval, we'll arrange the appointment."
"Thank you."
Jinyoung ended the call.
For the first time all day, he smiled.
He immediately began preparing the proposal.
Financial projections.
Expansion plans.
Current market position.
Projected returns.
Everything.
He worked until almost midnight.
He didn't think about Kyrah.
At least, he tried not to.
Instead, he thought about his company.
About the board.
About the investors who had rejected him.
About the possibility of walking into that meeting and leaving with a deal.
He had no idea what he was walking toward.
He didn't know that Kyrah's life had become intertwined with people far beyond what he envisioned.
He didn't know what kind of man the CEO was.
And he certainly didn't know that his request for a meeting had already begun moving through the company's internal channels.
---
The following morning, inside the company's headquarters, Seojun sat behind his desk reviewing the latest investment requests.
His assistant placed another file in front of him.
"Another proposal."
He barely looked up.
"From?"
"A company looking for strategic investment."
"Industry?"
"Technology." He opened the file.
He scanned the first page.
Then the second.
His expression remained neutral.
"Who referred them?"
"They contacted us directly."
"Do they have an existing relationship with any of our partners?"
"Not that we can see."
Seojun continued reading.
The financial figures weren't terrible.
The company had potential.
But it also had problems.
"Schedule a preliminary meeting."
His assistant nodded.
"With you?"
"Yes."
"How long?"
"Thirty minutes."
She wrote it down.
"Anything else?"
He closed the file.
"Ask them to bring their complete financial records. I don't want a presentation built around promises."
"Understood."
She turned to leave.
Miss Cha
She stopped.
"Yes?"
"Who is the CEO?"
She checked the document.
"Jinyoung."
Seojun smirked hmmmmmn no wonder the company name looked familiar.
"All right."
The file closed.
The matter was settled.
At least for now.
Another storm was already forming.
And this time, Jinyoung had walked straight toward it himself.