"Sometimes silence screams louder than words."
🌙 A Quiet Night Turns Heavy
The night had settled over the city, cloaking everything in stillness. Claire sat by her window, lights off, her oversized hoodie swallowing her small frame. The faint glow of streetlamps painted her profile as she hugged her knees, deep in thought. She hadn't told Leo what weighed on her heart, but her silence wasn't indifference—it was fear.
She whispered to herself, almost like a secret vow,"Why can't I just say it…? Why do I always stop?"
Her phone buzzed. A message from Jiwon lit the screen:
Jiwon:"Unnie, thank you again for today. Oppa's being his usual stubborn self, but I know he's… softening. Don't give up."
Claire smiled faintly, her thumb hovering over the reply button, before typing back slowly.
Claire:"I'm not giving up. But maybe… he is."
🏍️ Leo's Sleepless Ride
Meanwhile, Leo rode his bike aimlessly through the empty roads. The wind cut against his skin, but it didn't ease the fire inside him. He replayed her face in his head—the way she looked at him at dinner, the way she laughed despite holding back something heavier.
"Why does it feel like she's slipping away, even when she's right there?" he thought, gripping the handles tighter.
His phone rang, vibrating in his pocket. He pulled over near the riverbank and answered. It was Jiwon.
Jiwon (teasing): "Oppa, stop pretending you're too busy to think about her."Leo (gruffly): "Who?"Jiwon: "Claire, obviously. Don't act dense. I'm not blind, and neither are you."Leo: "Go to sleep, Jiwon or complete ur homework."Jiwon (serious now): "Oppa… if you don't tell her, someone else will. And you'll lose her."
Leo's jaw tightened. He hung up without a reply, but her words stabbed at him like knives.
💭 Claire's Dream
Later that night, Claire drifted into a restless sleep. In her dream, she was standing in the rain again—the same place Leo had once found her. He appeared before her, drenched and silent, his eyes holding all the words he never said.
Claire (dream-whisper): "Do you… love me?"Leo (in the dream): "Always. But I can't."
She woke up gasping, her hand gripping her chest as though trying to hold her heart still. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she whispered into the dark,"Why can't you…?"
🌌 Evening Silence
The city outside was alive with distant horns, muffled laughter, and the faint hum of neon lights. But inside Leo's apartment, there was a silence so dense it felt like a fragile glass that could shatter at the slightest word.
Claire sat at the edge of the couch, her legs folded beneath her, while Leo leaned against the balcony railing, arms crossed, pretending to watch the skyline. In truth, he wasn't watching the view—he was watching her reflection faintly imprinted on the glass.
"Why are you standing so far?" she finally asked, her tone half-playful, half-aching.
Leo didn't turn. "Because if I sit closer, you'll start saying things you don't mean."
Her lips curved into a smile, though her chest ached. "And what if I mean them?"
His shoulders tensed, but he didn't answer. The words lingered between them, hanging like an invisible string that pulled them closer yet kept them apart.
🌙 Late Night Banter
Claire let out a shaky laugh and dropped herself onto the couch again. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"Better impossible than reckless," Leo muttered.
"But you don't see how reckless your silence is," she countered. "You keep… guarding everything. Your words, your feelings. It's suffocating sometimes."
He finally looked at her, really looked at her, his eyes dark and searching. "And what if I told you my silence is the only thing keeping me sane?"
"Then I'd tell you," Claire leaned forward, voice trembling with something unspoken, "that your silence is driving me insane."
They stared at each other for a long moment. Neither moved. Neither blinked. But the air shifted, heated, wrapped in the weight of what was never said.
The morning sunlight stretched across Mira's office like a golden veil, touching the glass walls and bouncing against the polished floor. She leaned back in her chair, her oversized mug of coffee cooling on the table, papers scattered in a loose, intentional mess that only she could understand.
Jisoo knocked softly before stepping inside, clutching a tablet against her chest. "You've been staring at the same page for ten minutes, Mira-ssi."
Mira blinked, looking down at the document in her hand. The words blurred together, her mind elsewhere. She let out a light laugh. "Caught red-handed. I guess I'm not as focused as I pretend to be."
Jisoo tilted her head. "That's unusual. Normally you're unstoppable at this hour."
"Maybe my brain decided to betray me today," Mira murmured, twirling her pen between her fingers. She forced a small smile. "Alright, what's on the agenda? Distract me."
Jisoo quickly scrolled through her notes. "First, the board wants a final update on the Solstice campaign—apparently the client has some last-minute demands. Then, the designers need you to approve Jiwon's work on the new graphics for the mobile rollout."
At the mention of Jiwon, Mira's eyes softened just slightly, though she covered it with a quick sip of coffee.
🌸 Jiwon in the design department
Meanwhile, downstairs, Jiwon sat at her desk in the design department, headphones resting loosely around her neck as her screen glowed with vibrant colors. She was sketching a logo concept, her stylus moving in quick strokes.
Her colleague leaned over. "Wow, Jiwon-ssi, your designs are really… refreshing. You're quick, too."
Jiwon smiled sheepishly. "Thank you. I just… kind of get lost in it."
Before she could say more, the department head tapped her desk. "CEO Mira will be coming down to check your drafts later. Be ready."
Jiwon froze for half a second, then nodded eagerly. The idea of Mira noticing her work filled her with nervous energy. She wasn't used to this kind of recognition.
Inside her, though, a thought whispered — Oppa would be furious if he knew I was this close to her world.
But she shook it off, biting her lip and focusing on the screen again.
🏙 Leo in his own world
Across town, Leo leaned against the counter of the café, apron tied neatly, his hands busy cleaning glasses though his mind wasn't on the task.
His co-worker noticed his distracted stare. "You've been quiet all morning. Did something happen?"
Leo shook his head. "Nothing. Just didn't sleep much."
"Thinking about Jiwon?"
Leo stiffened, then forced a chuckle. "Always. She's all I've got."
But deep down, he wasn't only thinking about Jiwon. He hated admitting it, even to himself, but Mira's face lingered at the edge of his thoughts—her stubborn confidence, her sharp eyes that seemed to burn through him that night in the rain. He shook it away, focusing harder on polishing the glass until it gleamed.
No. Don't start down that road again. You promised yourself.
💼 Back to Mira's Office
Later that afternoon, Mira walked into the design department. The buzz of computers and muted chatter filled the room. She stopped behind Jiwon's desk, leaning slightly over her shoulder to see the design.
"This one," Mira said softly, pointing at the screen. "It has life. Keep this direction."
Jiwon glanced up, startled by how close Mira was, but nodded quickly. "Yes, CEO-nim. I'll refine it more."
Mira smiled faintly. "Good work, Jiwon. Don't be afraid to trust your instincts. They're sharper than you think."
After Mira walked away, Jiwon sat frozen for a moment, her cheeks warming. Then she whispered under her breath, "No wonder Oppa hates you. You're… intimidating." But despite her words, there was a trace of admiration in her tone.
✨ Parallel Thoughts – Late Evening
That night, Mira sat alone in her penthouse again, oversized hoodie on, hair still damp from her bath, staring at the ceiling.
Why am I thinking of him again?
She closed her eyes, recalling Leo's voice, the way his eyes had burned with both anger and something unspoken.
At the same time, Leo sat on the edge of his bed, scrolling aimlessly on his phone but not seeing anything. Jiwon's laughter from the living room echoed faintly, but his thoughts weren't with her right now.
Mira Han. Why won't you just stay out of my head?
Both of them, in their separate worlds, wrestled with the same unspoken truth: something had already begun between them—something neither dared to name.
The Next Morning
The office buzzed with its usual rhythm — phones ringing, heels clicking across the polished floor, hushed voices rising into laughter then falling into seriousness again. For most employees, it was just another day of deadlines and meetings, but for Claire Han Mira, it was a battlefield she had to hold with grace and precision.
She entered the main lobby, her oversized sunglasses covering the exhaustion beneath her eyes. Hannah Bae Jisoo, her assistant, immediately fell in step beside her, balancing a tablet and a steaming cup of coffee.
"Morning, CEO Han. You have a board meeting in an hour, but Mr. Kang from the finance team insists you review the projections before then."
Claire exhaled, her tone clipped but not unkind."Of course he does. Tell him to wait in my office. If he's desperate enough to ambush me this early, then he'd better be ready to defend every number he puts on that report."
Jisoo smirked faintly, scribbling the note. "I'll warn him. But… you also got flowers this morning. Should I throw them out like usual?"
Claire slowed her steps, her lips curving slightly before she caught herself."Flowers?"
"White tulips this time. No card. You want me to—"
"No," Claire interrupted, her voice sharper than she intended. "Put them in the office. On the corner table."
Jisoo tilted her head. "You sure? Last time you said—"
"I said put them in the office, Jisoo."
"…Yes, ma'am."
They walked in silence for a moment, but Jisoo's curiosity practically hummed in the air. She wanted to ask who might've sent them, but Claire's face was unreadable — the perfect mask of a woman who had everything under control.
But beneath that mask, Claire's mind whispered one name she refused to say aloud.
Meanwhile, across town, Leo was in his café, sleeves rolled up, hands stained with coffee grounds. Business was steady, though his mind had been far from steady lately. Jiwon leaned against the counter, sipping her iced latte with a sly grin.
"You know…" she began, twirling her straw. "Someone's been sending flowers. Every week. You haven't noticed?"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Claire. I went by her office yesterday — don't give me that look, I had a meeting there. Her assistant practically bragged about how many bouquets have been showing up. She doesn't throw them away anymore, you know."
Leo's grip tightened slightly on the cup he was rinsing. His voice came out flat. "And why are you telling me this?"
"Because," Jiwon leaned closer, teasing, "you care. Even if you pretend you don't."
"I don't," he muttered, too quickly.
Jiwon chuckled. "Right. And that's why you look like you're about to strangle that poor coffee cup."
Leo set the cup down, jaw tense, trying to ignore the uncomfortable truth her words scraped against.
Back in Claire's office, the board meeting dragged on longer than expected. Numbers, charts, and negotiations swirled around her, but her attention kept flickering to the white tulips in the corner. Their petals seemed almost too pure, too fragile for the room's atmosphere of ambition and competition.
During a pause in discussion, her thoughts drifted. Why do I keep these? Why do I let myself… hope?
She shook the thought away as the head of marketing cleared his throat, pulling her back into the room.
But the truth lingered like perfume in the air.
To Be Continued...