Across the room, Kim Bora, perched dramatically at her desk, leaned forward. Her glare screamed suspicion. Then, in a moment of exaggerated stealth, she almost fell out of her chair as she tilted dramatically to eavesdrop.
Seri tilted her head slightly, voice calm. "I'm sorry. What do you mean by chaos?"
"Oh…" Hanna's smile was slow and smug. "Didn't he tell you? Jungho tells me everything. I'm the one who keeps his secrets."
The words hung in the air—sharp, insinuating.
Seri didn't flinch. After a pause, she nodded slightly. "Then I suppose it's lucky for him you're so good at keeping them. Because some secrets shouldn't belong to just anyone."
Hanna's jaw tensed. That wasn't the reaction she'd been hoping for. She leaned in, subtle, but probing. ""And yet here you are… perfectly composed, like none of this touches you. Makes me wonder if you're hiding something too."
Bora muttered under her breath, eyes wide. "Is this a live drama? Should I get popcorn?"
Before Hanna could respond, the elevator pinged. Daejin stepped out with brisk professionalism and approached the center floor. "Im Seri-sshi. Director Kang would like to see you. Now."
Seri offered Hanna a small, polite smile. "Excuse me." She bowed, then turned and walked off—head high, spine straight. Hanna watched her go, gaze narrow, unreadable… but visibly annoyed.
Jungho's voice called from inside his office. "Come in."
Seri stepped in, her expression composed. Their eyes met across the room. A pause stretched a beat too long.
"…Seri-sshi?" he asked, slightly taken aback.
"You called for me?" she replied, tilting her head.
Jungho blinked, confused. "…I didn't." He hesitated. "Why are you here?"
She stepped in, composed. For a second, she wondered—was this Daejin's plan? A setup to pull her away.
"Maybe you needed something," Seri answered quietly. Her tone was neutral, posture perfect. But something about her presence unsettled him.
"Or did you come hoping I'd thank you?" he asked flatly.
A blink. The briefest flicker of surprise crossed her face. "No. That's unnecessary." She exhaled, soft and sure. "I almost forgot what happened last night… until someone brought it up again."
His eyes narrowed. "Someone?"
"Your confidante," she said evenly. "She seems to remember it more vividly than I do."
Jungho leaned back, reading between the lines. "Hanna said something?"
She gave a half-shrug. "I don't think it matters. Last night was hardly a big deal." Her lips curled into a faint, dismissive smile. "But if you need to thank me, Director Kang… please do it when it actually means something." She bowed slightly and turned to leave.
"Wait." His voice stopped her.
She paused.
Jungho removed his glasses slowly. Seri turned back, posture subtly stiffening. Her gaze dropped to his eyes—visible now, intense. The windows slid shut with a soft click. He stepped toward her, slow and deliberate.
Outside the frosted glass panels, Bora peeked up like a meerkat. "What in K-drama tension is this?! He closed the windows. He closed the windows!" She nearly knocked over her water bottle as she scrambled for a tissue she didn't need, pretending to sniff dramatically.
Inside, Jungho stopped just an arm's length from Seri. "Thank you… for last night."
Seri blinked, caught off guard.
"I didn't expect you to step in. I definitely wasn't hoping you'd take the fall. And I don't want you to do it again."
"…Why wouldn't I?"
Jungho exhaled. "Because it's not your game. It's mine. I don't want anyone getting dragged into this mess." He hesitated, then added, "Especially not some normal, typical employee."
Seri blinked slowly. "Normal… typical… employee?"
He didn't notice the shift in her tone. "I can't afford to protect anyone right now."
"Sorry. I didn't realize I needed protecting."
"That's not what I meant—"
"No, I get it," she cut in, sharper now. "You don't want to owe anyone. You don't want anyone getting close enough to care."
"You're twisting my words."
"Then maybe you should learn to say them better."
A silence stretched. Tense. Crackling.
Jungho said the worst thing at the worst time. "Maybe it's better if you just… go back to doing your actual job."
Seri flinched. Just slightly. But enough. "Understood, Director Kang." Her voice was quiet. Calm. Wounded. She turned and walked out.
He opened his mouth, but stopped himself. He let her go. And when the door clicked shut, it echoed louder than it should have.
The pantry was quiet. Seri entered, poured herself a glass of water, and took a breath. She spotted Daejin leaning casually on the counter, scrolling his phone.
"So… was calling me to the CEO's office your way of crashing the scene with Miss Sparkles?" she asked.
Daejin smirked. "I prefer to think of it as crowd control."
"Subtle. Like a fire alarm with good posture."
He chuckled. "She talks like she owns the air in that room. You coming in was a nice reality check."
Seri sipped her water. "Next time, don't use me as your office grenade. I don't like arguing with my boss—yet. Not until my probation ends, at least."
Daejin finally looked up. "No promises. But I'll try to schedule your next dramatic entrance somewhere more scenic."
"Good. I look better with natural lighting."
They shared a quiet laugh. But Seri's smile faded. She turned toward the window, distant. Suddenly the door burst open like a scene from a spy movie.
"Aha!" Bora pointed dramatically. "So this is where you two have your little power huddle! First the CEO… now his right-hand man?"
She flipped her hair and accidentally smacked the paper towel dispenser. It popped open. She froze, pretending it didn't happen.
"Well look who's here… our resident Investigation Unit."
"Don't try to be witty," Bora snapped. "You think you can climb the corporate ladder with charm and caffeine?"
"If caffeine was the key, I'd be CEO by now."
She gasped. Then narrowed her eyes at Seri. "You may have the boss fooled, but not me. I'm watching you, Im Seri. Always."
She turned, slipped on a rogue ice cube, recovered immediately. "I meant to do that," she said, before exiting in full drama.
Seri and Daejin exchanged a look. Said nothing. Just laughed.
Later that night, the parking basement was nearly empty. Dim fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Seri stood alone beside her car, face lit by her phone screen. She typed quickly in a secure, foreign-coded app.
Do not send anyone. I'll handle this myself. One wrong move and you'll ruin everything I've planned. I said, I've got it.
She sent it. Locked the screen.
A breath. Cold steel in her veins. Footsteps echoed behind her. "Are you always this dramatic after office hours, or should I be worried?" Jungho's voice carried lightly across the concrete.
Seri didn't flinch. She turned, unbothered. "Depends. Do you make a habit of following your typical employees around?"
He didn't answer. Just looked at her.
She met his gaze. Unsmiling. Challenging. "Relax, Director Kang. I was just leaving." She turned, opened the car door.
His hand pressed gently against it, closing it again. Jungho stood behind her, not angry. Just… exposed. "You think I meant it that way… what I said earlier?"
She let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "Shouldn't I?"Her voice was tired. Bruised. "Maybe you're right. Maybe typical workers are supposed to take bullets and be invisible. Not think. Not feel. Not be remembered."
"Look—"
She raised a hand. Calm, but final. "I may be just a typical worker in your world. But in mine… I fight wars you'll never see."
His face cracked with regret. She bowed her head slightly. Her voice dropped. "Next time you speak about people beneath you… make sure they're actually standing there."
She turned away again. Reached for the door. But Jungho didn't move. Not yet.
"Seri…" His voice came softer this time. Not authoritative. Not distant. Just… real.
She paused with her hand on the car handle. Her shoulders stiffened. She didn't look back.
"I didn't mean it that way."
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She kept facing the car. "That's the thing with words, Director Kang. Once you say them, they mean what they mean. No matter how you meant them."
Silence stretched between them. The kind that pressed too hard on the ribs. Jungho stepped forward once. Close enough that she could feel his presence again. Warm, regretful, unsure. "I don't want this to be how we talk to each other," he said quietly.
Seri's expression didn't shift at first but something flickered in her eyes. She wasn't angry. Not entirely. She was listening, closely, carefully… hoping he'd finally pick the right words. He never did. But she still gave him the chance.
The air felt fragile. Like if he said one more wrong thing, whatever thread still tethered them might finally snap.She turned to look at him fully now, her eyes searching…quietly pleading for something that made sense.
But his phone buzzed. He glanced at it. Hesitated.
Hanna.
Seri didn't say a word, but the shift in her gaze said everything. A part of her had already braced for it.
Jungho answered. Slowly.
Her voice spilled out, sharp and sweet. "Jungho. Can we talk? It's important."
He swallowed. "Hanna… not now."
But Seri had already stepped back. Her silence wasn't cold…it was final. The sound of a car door closing echoed softly through the basement.
By the time Jungho looked up again, the taillights of her car were disappearing into the shadows. He stood there, phone still to his ear, heart suddenly much heavier than before.
And Hanna was still speaking… but he wasn't really listening anymore.