The iron gates creak softly as they open. Dim moonlight washes over the stone path leading away from the estate. Mist coils along the ground. Crickets chirp in the still night.
SERI and TAEHYUN walk side by side toward the parked black Genesis G90, the estate lights glowing faint behind them.
From the front steps, KENJI SAITO watches them silently — the shadow of his figure tall against the glowing porch light.
KENJI
(low voice, serious)
"Two weeks is a blink. Don't let yourself be followed. And don't hesitate to find me if you need anything."
Seri turns, face half-shadowed under the low light.
SERI
(calmly)
"You don't need to worry. I'll move faster than that."
Taehyun lets out a slow breath, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets.
TAEHYUN
(grinning slightly)
"She's not alone. I'll make sure she's too busy to even smell tteokbokki."
Seri shoots him a side-eye.
SERI
(flatly)
"That's still my dinner, not a guilty pleasure."
KENJI
(chuckling)
"If you wrap this up cleanly, I'll take you to the best tteokbokki stall in Korea. No disguises. Just you and your spicy obsession."
TAEHYUN
(smiling)
"And me. I'll need to supervise her chewing rate."
Seri rolls her eyes but opens the car door without another word. Kenji watches as they get into the vehicle, then steps back into the shadows of the estate.
The office is buzzing.
Gossip travels faster than coffee. Employees huddle in small groups with their phones out, playing clips from the late-night interview.
EMPLOYEE 1
(fanboy energy)
"Did you see the way he looked in that charcoal suit? CEO Kang looked like he walked out of a Netflix drama!"
EMPLOYEE 2
(sipping iced Americano)
"And the way he dodged that personal question? Total pro. He's too composed, it's unfair."
Laughter and chatter flood the lobby as the elevator dings.
INT. ELEVATOR – CONTINUOUS
KANG JUNHO steps out, crisp in a tailored black suit. Handsome as ever, but his face? Stone cold.
He walks past the admiring stares and murmurs without a single glance. His gaze is locked on something — or someone — across the hallway.
IM SERI.
She stands with a tablet in her hand, checking reports, but her eyes flicker toward the elevator the second she hears it. Her breath catches — just a beat.
She straightens. Composed. Distant.
The same way she's always been.
But Junho notices the stiffness in her shoulders. The subtle tension in her jaw. The two-week clock ticking loudest only between them.
Junho turns slightly, gaze still lingering on Seri's retreating figure. His lips part — he's about to call her name, to say something, anything—
BORA (O.S.)
(suddenly appearing beside him)
"CEO Kang!"
He flinches slightly. Of course.
BORA
(grinning, starry-eyed)
"Okay, so last night? You were glowing like a K-drama chaebol. My entire group chat went crazy."
JUNHO
(sighs)
"Good morning, Bora."
BORA
(ignoring his tone, full-on excited)
"One of them even asked me if we're dating."
JUNHO
(blinking)
"…What?"
BORA
(smugly)
"I said 'No comment'… which obviously means YES in the language of delulu!"
Nearby EMPLOYEE #1
(whispering to EMPLOYEE #2)
"…Did she just say delulu?"
EMPLOYEE #2
"Bro. I need popcorn."
BORA
(louder, proud)
"They were like — 'OMG you work with THE Junho? You two must sneak around in parking lots, right?!' And I was like, 'Duh, we sneak paperwork.'"
(beat)
"Scandalous… tax reports at midnight."
EMPLOYEE #3
(trying not to snort)
"Oh my God."
JUNHO
(utterly done)
"Bora…"
BORA
(still on a roll)
"Someone even made a fan edit of us. I mean — totally unasked for, but it had jazz music and everything!"
JUNHO
(half to himself)
"…I need stronger coffee."
BORA
(grinning, sipping her iced latte)
"Or just accept your fate. We're the ship no one asked for, but everyone's watching sink in slow motion."
Junho's eyes drift toward the hallway again.
Seri is long gone.
Opportunity missed. Again.
Junho sighs again.
They all step into the elevator.
While in the office, the air still bustling — conversations echo through the halls, laughter slips from cubicles, and all anyone can talk about is last night's interview.
In the pantry, DAEJIN prepares a sleek cup of espresso for Junho, his movements precise.
BORA barges in, phone in hand, still overly animated from earlier.
BORA
(snickering)
"Daejin-ssi, do you know my friends actually think I'm dating the CEO now? Can you believe that? They said—'You looked like his secret wife sitting five desks away!'"
DAEJIN
(deadpan, pouring the coffee)
"That's disturbing on too many levels."
BORA
(still going)
"One even zoomed in and said we had matching auras. AURAS, Daejin! Should I start a vlog? Life with my boss husband?"
DAEJIN
(takes a long sip of espresso)
"I think the only aura you're projecting is delusion."
EMPLOYEE #2 peeks into the pantry, grinning.
EMPLOYEE #2
"I ship it. CEO Kang and Miss Delulu. Has a ring to it."
They all laugh — except for Junho, who walks in silently behind them, overhearing the chaos.
DAEJIN
(mutters)
"…and he wonders why he has a headache every Monday."
BORA
(turns, gasps when she sees Junho)
"Oh! Director Kang! I was just… hyping the team spirit."
JUNHO
(sighs, takes the coffee)
"Maybe we should start a policy. No caffeine… and no fanfiction in the pantry."
Junho takes the coffee from Daejin, already regretting walking into this circus. Bora stands frozen, clutching her phone, cheeks puffed with fake innocence.
________
A light wind rustles her coat as Im Seri stands at the edge of the rooftop, high above the city. Below, Seoul buzzes with movement — deadlines, ambitions, lives. But up here? Silence. Space. A moment to think.
She holds her phone loosely in her hand. The screen still shows the last message:
"You have 2 weeks. Act."
Her eyes drift to the skyline, sharp and endless. Her jaw tightens.
SERI
(whispering to herself)
"Two weeks. That's all I've got…"
She exhales, slow and heavy.
SERI (V.O.)
"I have to bring him to Iwao.
But I'm not his secretary.
I can't schedule an overseas trip just because I want to.
There needs to be… a reason.
A business reason.
A PR reason.
A reason that won't raise red flags."
Her eyes narrow as she runs through possibilities in her head.
SERI (V.O.)
"Does he have any deals in Japan?
Any brand partners?
Or… maybe I create one."
She unlocks her tablet. Swipes through files. Finds a pending PR proposal from a Japanese luxury brand.
SERI
(muttering)
"Tokyo. PR campaign.
Maybe a summit… a joint panel… something big enough to justify the trip."
She paces.
Then stops.
Her phone rings.
She stops in her tracks.
Caller ID: Daejin
Her heart skips — Daejin rarely calls unless it's urgent.
She answers.
SERI
(straightening, calm voice)
"Hello?"
DAEJIN (V.O.)
(low, serious tone)
"You need to come to the office. Now."
SERI
(brows furrowed)
"What happened?"
DAEJIN (V.O.)
"I'll brief you when you get here. It's about Director Kang.
Something's… come up."
Click.
He hangs up.
Seri lowers the phone slowly. Her calm exterior tightens, sharp with unease.
She turns back toward the rooftop door, her thoughts shifting:
SERI (V.O.)
"Not now… Not when I'm this close."
But she doesn't hesitate.
She walks — fast — back into the building, the skyline behind her growing distant… as something new brews within the glass walls of Kang Corporation.
The door swings open. Seri enters — eyes sharp, breath tight. But then she freezes.
TAEHYUN is already there.
Seated at the table, casually flipping through a thick file of documents, he looks far too calm for someone who just changed the game.
Next to him, a printed banner mock-up reads:
"Korea–Japan Brand Harmony Summit 2025 – Kyoto Chapter"
SERI
(surprised)
"Kyoto…?"
Taehyun doesn't even look up.
TAEHYUN
"Thought Tokyo was too obvious. Kyoto's quieter. More elegant. Better cover for what we're actually doing."
He finally glances at her — a knowing smirk on his lips.
TAEHYUN
"And don't worry — I already pitched it to the strategy team.
Guess who approved the first draft?"
He slides a stamped folder toward her.
Seri steps forward cautiously and takes it.
She opens the file: detailed plans for a cross-cultural PR event, co-hosted by Kang Corporation and a Japanese tech foundation — perfectly manufactured… but with plenty of hidden gaps for their real mission.
Just then, the door opens again.
DAEJIN enters with a sigh and a coffee cup.
DAEJIN
(flatly)
"Well. Looks like I don't have to tell you anymore."
Seri looks between both men. Her gaze lingers on Taehyun.
This changes everything.
SERI takes a step forward confidently, even though her heart is racing beneath her blazer. She knows the real reason this "summit" must happen — but now, she's acting the part she's best at: the fixer.
SERI
(steadily, projecting)
"This initiative isn't just symbolic. It puts Kang Corporation in the spotlight for cross-cultural leadership — with Japan's tech sector pivoting toward media integration, this opens doors we've only scratched."
She flips a slide, showing partnership projections and media value.
SERI
"The Kyoto chapter adds elegance and international prestige. Less crowded than Tokyo, but deeply tied to tradition. That kind of subtle power — it suits our current positioning."
Her words land well. She takes a beat… then glances — just for a second — at Junho.
Across the room, a few nods. Even Kim Bora mouths "wooow" like she just heard a TED Talk.
JUNHO
(coolly)
"So it's already been mapped out?"
TAEHYUN
(smoothly)
"Just a draft. We wanted to see if it fits your vision."
JUNHO
(looking at Seri)
"And this was your idea?"
SERI
(no hesitation)
"Yes, sir. It's a smart opportunity — one worth taking before someone else does."
Junho doesn't respond immediately. His eyes rest on her for a moment longer than necessary.
He senses… nothing unusual. Not like before. She's locked up tight. Clean. Professional.
JUNHO
(casual)
"Then let the PR team refine the proposal. I'll review again before the end of the day."
DAEJIN
"Copy that. We'll prep logistics."
Seri exhales very slightly. One step forward.
TAEHYUN, watching her like a hawk, gives a tiny smirk.
KIM BORA
(suddenly)
"Wait, wait. If we're going to Kyoto… do I need a kimono? I mean, it's a summit. We should go full power, right?"
Everyone chuckles except Seri — who's already calculating her next move.