Just then, Kang Jungho emerged from his office, adjusting a cufflink. His eyes swept across the floor, sharp and calculating, until they locked onto Seri. No one else noticed. But she did. Seri didn't turn her head, only her eyes. She met his gaze with the stillness of someone used to watching predators.
They locked eyes. Seconds passed. Quiet tension hummed between them. Kim Bora noticed the stare. She blinked. Looked at Seri. Looked at Jungho. Her brain jumped into K-drama panic mode.
"Oh my God." With a sudden gasp, she threw herself forward, limbs flailing. "CEO Kang! You're here? Did you see me trip? It was so scary~!"
She stepped right into his line of vision, tossing her hair and flashing a nervous giggle. "Anyway, sir! I was just showing how clumsy I am sometimes! Haha…Don't worry, I'm totally okay now!"
Jungho didn't even glance at her. He walked right past, gaze fixed on Seri as he passed. Then, with one clean step, he disappeared into his office.
The door shut.
Boom.
Kim Bora stood frozen, one hand in the air, still mid-hair toss.
The sleek executive boardroom at Kang Corporation gleamed under the carefully adjusted lighting. A long marble table stretched down the center, crystal water glasses and imported snacks arranged like an art installation. Staff members rushed in and out, fixing flower arrangements and realigning chairs to perfect symmetry.
"If the tea's not exactly sixty-five degrees Celsius, CEO Kang might just fire all of us," one worker muttered.
"No pressure. This is only the biggest deal of the quarter. Just the company's reputation on the line," another replied.
A third leaned closer and whispered, "Did you hear he rejected a ten-million-dollar pitch last year because the fonts on the proposal clashed?"
Bora strode in, clutching a velvet tray of chocolate truffles. "Out of the way, amateurs. This is not a boardroom today, it's a battlefield." She adjusted a fork, sprayed perfume near the door, and looked over at Im Seri, who was calmly walking in with a stack of finalized press material.
"Do be careful with those. One typo and we all die," Bora said with her usual fake smile.
"Good thing I don't make mistakes," Seri replied coolly as she set the materials down perfectly and stepped back.
"Why is she so calm? This is Kang Jungho's sacred meeting. Even our director gets anxiety rashes," a staff member whispered to another.
The massive glass doors opened and one by one, VIP clients and top executives stepped into the gleaming boardroom. Laughter echoed, formal handshakes exchanged, designer briefcases tapped the marble floor. Kang Jungho entered last, calm and intimidating in a dark tailored suit, his signature glasses catching the soft light. People stood and bowed slightly.
Okay, this is it. If I sit right… there… I'll be in every press photo, Bora thought as she tried to slide into the seat next to Jungho. He silently gestured to another executive to sit there instead.
"Oh! Of course. I was just testing the chair. So sturdy~!" she blurted, quickly recovering and settling two seats down with a polite grimace frozen on her face.
Charts glowed on screens. Business forecasts appeared. PowerPoint transitions flickered slicker than an action movie. Seri, now standing at the side of the room with her team, observed quietly, taking mental notes. Everything was going smoothly…
Until the room's host, a sharp-eyed man with white hair and crisp authority, leaned forward. Mr. Shin Minchul, Head of Global Strategy for the client company, folded his hands.
"Everyone talks about performance. Metrics. Vision. But here's a question for your leadership," he said calmly. "If the brand lost its top three assets tomorrow… how would this company survive the next five years?"
A sharp silence fell.
Executives glanced at each other. One tried to answer. "Well, sir, we would naturally reallocate our—"
"That's standard. I'm asking about instinct. Vision under pressure. Not textbook protocol," Mr. Shin cut in as he looked at Jungho. "CEO Kang?"
Jungho leaned back slightly, thinking. The room stayed frozen.
"Should I faint for dramatic effect?" Bora whispered toward her neighbor, who ignored her. "No? Okay. I'll just die quietly, then," she muttered.
Even Seri looked surprised by the question. Jungho's expression tightened slightly. His fingers tapped the edge of the table.
I know the answer. But if I say it wrong… this deal collapses, Jungho thought.
Everyone waited.
Then, from the side of the room, Seri spoke. "We wouldn't survive."
Heads whipped toward her like a domino effect.
"Not unless we stop thinking of our 'assets' as things. Or faces. Or trends. What we protect must be trust, not trophies."
Dead still silence. Mr. Shin turned slowly toward her.
"And you are…?"
"Im Seri. PR Strategy Department," she replied respectfully, yet confidently.
"You asked for instinct, not protocol. The truth is, the moment we reduce this brand to its most popular pieces… we're already losing the war. Because the market doesn't follow power. It follows meaning."
The executives blinked, processing her words. Even Jungho stared, caught off guard.
"Interesting. So you're not afraid of the ugly truth," Mr. Shin said, leaning back.
"The truth doesn't have to be pretty. Just useful," Seri answered.
Then Mr. Shin laughed. Genuinely. "Now that's an answer." He nodded toward Jungho. "Smart to keep her around, CEO Kang."
Jungho didn't respond. His eyes never left Seri as she gave the tiniest nod and retreated to her place.
"Who is this woman?! A warrior? A poet?! A witch??" Bora whispered, eyes wide.
The boardroom emptied. Executives murmured excitedly about Seri's words. Mr. Shin seemed impressed. Bora clutched her notes like she had just witnessed a live TED Talk by Beyoncé.
Jungho stepped out calmly. Seri walked ahead toward her desk.
"Im Seri," Jungho said firmly.
She stopped and turned slowly. That usual composed look on her face. "Yes, sir?"
"You weren't supposed to speak," he said, voice low and suspicious.
"Then maybe someone else should've answered faster," she replied coolly.
"You came here as a fixer. Not a strategist. Where did you learn to pitch like that?"
"You don't need to know everything about me, sir. Only what I can do."
You don't rattle under pressure. You don't flinch. And now you speak like a woman who's already run companies… or burned them down, Jungho thought.
"Next time… let me call on you first," he said quietly.
He walked off. Seri watched him go with a faint smirk. From behind a potted plant, Bora peeked out. She's officially scary now.
The post-meeting buzz filled the office floor. Employees chatted about how Im Seri saved the day. Bora looked as if she might explode with jealousy.
Seri's phone vibrated. No caller ID. Her gaze sharpened. She rose from her desk and walked swiftly to the emergency stairwell.
Cool air hit her face. The stairwell echoed in silence as she answered the call and spoke in fluent Japanese. "I told you not to call me here."
"You told me not to interfere. But silence isn't a result, Seri," her uncle's voice responded.
"The plan is working. He's smart. I'm smarter."
"You were raised to finish what you start. Don't forget who you are."
"I haven't forgotten."
A pause.
Click.
She exhaled, slid the phone into her pocket, stared at the blank wall for a second, then reset her mask.
In his office, Jungho stood at the window, sensing something off. His gut twisted. Seri opened the stairwell door, pausing slightly as she spotted him walking across the hall. Their eyes didn't meet. Not yet. But he paused too. Like he sensed something.
Evening settled. Most employees had gone home. Im Seri remained at her desk, quiet and composed beneath the glow of her monitor. Kang Jungho stepped out from his office. This time…determined.
He walked slowly across the floor and stopped in front of her desk. She looked up. Their eyes met.
No smile. No flicker. Her gaze held his with quiet defiance.
Jungho removed his glasses. A subtle tension filled the air as his pupils dilated…power activating. A direct eye-to-eye lock.
This is how it always works. But… not a pulse. Not even static. No… this isn't right, he thought. He stepped closer. Watching. Reading. Reaching.
"Whatever you're trying… you should stop. You'll only tire yourself," Seri said.
Jungho froze.
"You look exhausted, Director Kang. You should sleep before you start seeing things that aren't there."
She clicked her mouse. The screen glowed. She never looked up. Never looked back.
Jungho stood there. His hand lingered mid-air, glasses still in his grip. His breath caught slightly. His power… failed. Again. She's not just immune to it. She knew he was using it.
He leaned down, one hand on the edge of her desk. "You're not what you say you are."
"Neither are you," she replied without stopping.
"Tell me, Im Seri… what exactly did you come here to fix?"
She stopped typing and finally looked up, straight into his eyes. Not with innocence. With intelligence. Precision.
"Everything."
Jungho straightened and stepped back. Not in retreat, but in reassessment. He pulled out his phone and began tapping something.
This ends now. I don't care how good her résumé looks. No one slips past me twice. He walked back to his office. Seri slowly pulled a pen from her drawer. Click. A red light blinked from its tip.
Jungho opened his private terminal. He hovered over the "Security Override: Terminate Contract" key. One press. That's all it took.
But then—POP.
An encrypted message appeared: Access Denied. File Locked. Request Clearance from HQ Legal Division.
"…What?" Jungho muttered.
He tried again. Same result. He dialed his Chief of Staff. "Get me clearance on employee Im Seri. I want her out…tonight."
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Director Kang. Her appointment came directly from the global board. You… can't touch her."
The board? Why the hell would they…
Who are you really, Im Seri? And who sent you here… to me?
Seri clicked off the blinking pen, wiped her screen, logged off, and gathered her bag. She walked past Jungho's office without looking inside.