Daniel's voice faded into silence.
And for a moment, the penthouse was still again.
Then, a soft vibration cut through the heavy quiet—Jinwoo's phone.
He glanced at the screen, cursed under his breath.
"…Damn it. That reporter again… Seriously?"
He tapped at the screen, tension mounting, then shut off the phone altogether with a short, sharp sigh.
That one brief vibration felt like a slap of reality across all four of their faces.
Then Noah spoke.
Calm, measured—but his eyes were razor-sharp.
"We've laid it all out. No more secrets."
His palm settled quietly on the table.
"Now let's deal with what's right in front of us. The scandal. How are we going to handle it?"
They shifted in their seats, almost in unison—instinctively falling into war-room mode.
The air turned sharp, words unsheathed.
"…Can't we just say we're getting to know each other?"
Jinwoo offered gently.
But Daniel was swift and unyielding.
"No. That won't work. A dating rumor? That's only the start. Then comes the engagement talk. Then speculation about company control. And when the stock price drops—what happens to the staff, the brand, the investors?"
His voice was urgent, not out of anger, but out of deep-seated loyalty.
He was protecting her—with everything he had.
Jinwoo looked up, voice low but unwavering.
"But what's the point of hiding now? The article's out. The photos are everywhere. If we don't say anything, the rumors will just multiply."
"Exactly. So we ride it out—quietly. We haven't confirmed anything."
"So what—you want me to lie?"
Jinwoo's words were blunt and bare.
"Is this all just image control to you? Because to me, she's not some headline. She's my girlfriend. Why should I have to hide that?"
Daniel cut in again—this time colder, more final.
"We can't make it official. Not now."
And then—
Jinwoo stood up.
The heat in his voice flared like a struck match.
"Let's cut the bullshit. You're not upset about the company—you're upset because it's me, not you! You can't stand that I'm the one by her side, because you want to be here too! So you keep waving PR and shares like a damn shield!"
The room froze.
Celeste looked up at him, startled—Her fingers clenched the edge of the table without even realizing it.
Noah bowed his head.
Silent.
As if he'd just watched something shatter.
Daniel didn't move.
Didn't blink.
His eyes stayed fixed, hollowed out by something ancient.
And then Jinwoo realized what he'd done.
The words, still hanging in the air, had sliced clean through the room.
He sank back down, slowly—like something collapsing in on itself.
"…I know."
His voice was small now. Broken.
"I know everything… But I don't care."
He dragged his hand over his face. Shame, heat, regret, all tangled in his breath.
"…I wasn't supposed to say it like that. I'm sorry, Celeste. I just—lost it..."
His shoulders began to tremble.
Not with anger, but something deeper. Raw.
His breath hitched—then cracked, spilling out in a sharp, splintered sob.
"Fuck…"
He swore under his breath as tears spilled down over his hands, his face still hidden beneath his palms.
Celeste stood slowly.
Her heart, pulled tight for so long, gave way at the sound of his crying.
She knelt in front of him.
Her small hand rested on his, then gently touched his cheek.
And when she touched him—she began to cry too.
"…Jinwoo."
Her voice was soft, trembling with a thousand regrets.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Jinwoo couldn't speak.
He just wept—face buried in her chest, as if finally surrendering to everything he'd been holding back.
Their sobs filled the room, until Daniel, across the table, could only watch.
Jinwoo's trembling.
Celeste's arms around him.
A quiet, aching grief blooming between them.
Daniel didn't speak.
But his eyes gave him away.
They glistened.
His jaw clenched.
Lips pressed together to hold in everything he hadn't said for thirteen long years.
And then—
He broke.
"…You're right."
The words barely escaped.
"Yeah, you're right. That side—your side now—it used to be mine. And I stood right here, for so fucking long, choking on everything I couldn't say. Do you even know what that feels like? To wait. To stay. To watch her slip through your fingers again and again—and still swallow it all, just to stay close?"
His voice cracked.
His gaze was distant, lost.
"I...wanted that side so fucking badly…I would've given up everything…"
He covered his face with both hands, voice rising with fury and heartbreak.
"What more do I have to do?! What the hell else do you want from me?!Tell me—what the fuck am I supposed to do now?! Don't just say it won't work—Then tell me. Tell me what I can do, what I can be, to make this right!"
His voice cracked under the weight of everything he'd held back for too long.
The words dissolved into the air. And then—
A sigh.
Heavy.
Exhausted.
Noah pressed a hand to his forehead, like a man bearing witness to the fall of a nation.
His jaw tightened.
A bitter breath escaped.
"…You've all lost your damn minds,"
he muttered—then snapped,
"What the hell is this?!"
His voice was raw, a cry echoing across wreckage.
"Is this what we've come to?"
His voice was hoarse, rising.
"Does anyone in this room even care what Celeste wants? Are you all fucking blind?! You're so goddamn busy fighting each other, you don't even see her falling apart right in front of you!"
But even his shout—was silenced.
Because Celeste had risen.
Her arms slowly slid away from Jinwoo's back.
Her face, streaked with tears, was quiet.
Too quiet.
She didn't speak.
Just walked—past the table, toward the front door.
Each step like falling stone in a crumbling temple.
"…Celeste—"
Noah called first.
Then Jinwoo. Then Daniel. In unison.
"Celeste!!"
But she didn't turn.
Her fingers gripped the doorknob.
Still. Steady.
Click.
The door closed.
And in that soft, final sound—something sharp and irreparable split through the room.
Silence fell again.
But this time, it carried the weight of ruin.
A silence born not from peace—but from a storm that had already swept everything away.