The floor buzzed with activity. Cameras checked. Lights tested. Cue cards printed. The interview set came alive with energy.
Jungho walked in, exuding quiet power in sharp neutrals. Daejin followed behind. A few staffers behind a camera stand gasped.
"That's him? I thought CEOs were supposed to be old and stressed out."
"That one looks like he models stress instead."
Jungho heard it but didn't react.
Across the room, Seri moved briskly with a clipboard in hand, phone tucked between shoulder and ear. Cool. Sharp. Focused. She checked lighting, confirmed briefing notes with the floor manager.
Trailing her, Bora strutted in a flashy pantsuit with glittering buttons and a mic earpiece she didn't need, pretending to be the executive producer.
"Everything must be perfect. The left side is his better angle. Trust me…I've studied it," Bora declared.
"Who even is she?" someone muttered.
Bora halted near Jungho, faking a briefing. "If you need anything… hydration, fans, or a quick shoulder massage. I'm available," she offered.
Backstage, Seri finally sat for a moment, double-checking cue order and timings. A hand entered her view. Jungho's, holding out a hangover drink in silence.
She blinked, then looked up, eyes cold.
"I don't need a hangover drink to feel better," she said flatly. "Especially not from someone who sees me as just a typical employee."
Jungho blinked at her blankly."You don't have to overthink it," Jungho replied, a little stiff. "I just want this interview to go smoothly… and for you to get through your job quickly. The drink was… just a work concern."
She took it without looking at him. "Thank you."
Before the tension could thicken, Bora barged in.
"Wait—hold up! If drinks are being handed out, I NEED one too!" she fanned herself. "I had four glasses of wine, three existential thoughts, and zero regrets last night—so where's my hangover cure, Mr. Kang?"
The crew nearby snorted back laughter. Jungho didn't move. Daejin sighed like it was any other day. As Seri walked off, Jungho watched her silently, guilt simmering. He didn't notice Bora was still beside him until she leaned in again.
"Mr. Kang~ I mean it! I really need that hangover thing too. Maybe even two. For hydration… and heartache."
Jungho slowly turned to Daejin across the room with a silent plea.
"Miss Kim Bora. Urgent task," Daejin interrupted. "Your expertise is needed… now. Locate the VIP water bottle. CEO-grade only. If he drinks anything under pH 7.5, global stocks might crash."
Bora blinked. "…VIP water?"
"Sparking. Room temp. Whispered to by monks. You'll know it when you find it."
"I'm on it." She spun dramatically and marched off. Jungho exhaled. Daejin smirked.
"You owe me coffee and silence for a week."
"Make it two."
The energy shifted. Heels clicked confidently.
"She's here." "She's like a movie poster walking." Hanna entered, radiant in a sleek blazer, long hair glossy, makeup flawless. All eyes followed her. She made a beeline for Jungho.
"Do I look good enough to sit next to you on camera, Mr. Kang?" she asked sweetly.
"You've never been off-brand," he replied, avoiding her gaze.
"Oh? That sounds dangerously close to a compliment." Her eyes scanned. For a split second, her smile faltered when she didn't see Seri. Then, recovering, "I hope you read the briefing notes. I highlighted your parts in case the mighty CEO skipped his homework."
Junho didn't blink. "I don't skip. I delegate," he replied smoothly.
"Then delegate charmingly. Just don't freeze up. I don't want to do this whole interview by myself."
Stylists hovered. Cameras reset. Yet the air still felt incomplete until a soft shuffle of footsteps turned heads. The door opened. Seri walked in, calm and composed, tablet in hand, dressed in a cream blouse and tailored slacks. Effortless. Unbothered. She didn't speak to anyone. Checked lighting. Gave a nod to the sound team. Walked past Jungho and Hanna like they didn't exist.
Jungho turned, watching her. His lips parted, words caught. "She's cold today," Hanna whispered.
"She's focused."
"Alright, talent to set! CEO Kang, Miss Han—we're rolling in five!"
Mic checks. Cameras lock in. The host smiled, leaning forward.
"Tonight on Midnight Table, where ambition meets authenticity. We're honored to sit down with Kang Corporation's trailblazing CEO—Mr. Kang Jungho."
The camera panned to Jungho in his charcoal suit.
"You stepped into leadership young, yet Kang Corporation expanded globally. What drives your vision most?"
"A sense of responsibility. Success isn't just numbers. It's about people who trust you to lead them."
Seri didn't blink. He knew how to speak like a leader.
"People say you're private. Is that intentional?"
"I prefer results to speak. Public attention… can distract."
"And yet here you are. Let's talk Baekdu Project. What's coming?"
"Sustainable innovation. Merging tech with environmental responsibility. It's not just business. It's a shift for our future."
"One last question,people say you're hard to read. What do you wish they understood better?"
He hesitated. Looked off-camera…at Seri.
"I don't always say what I feel. But it doesn't mean I don't feel it."
Even Hanna blinked. Seri's hands tightened around her tablet."Now for a personal one," Hanna leaned toward him. "You're brilliant, powerful, disgustingly good-looking… so how are you still single?"
"I guess… timing matters."
Hanna turned slightly, her smile still sweet, but something sharper glinted beneath. Her voice was casual, but her eyes weren't.
"What's your type, then?"
He paused for a second, eyes drifting as if weighing something unspoken. Then his voice came low, firm.
"I've stopped chasing checklists. When it's right… you just know."
A hush settled. Not scripted. Not rehearsed. And not the answer Hanna wanted. Backstage, Seri stood still. Her face calm. Eyes heavy.
"One last thing…" Hanna said, her tone light but her eyes locked on him.
The audience leaned in, sensing something unscripted.
"Mr. Kang, rumors say we're the next power couple. What do you think?"
Jungho didn't flinch. "Rumors do what they're best at… spreading."
A soft laugh fluttered from the crowd. Hanna tilted her head, smile steady but eyes pleading.
"So… we're not a couple?"
"No." His voice stayed even. "We're colleagues. Good ones."
Her smile faltered, just for a beat. The crack barely visible… but real.
She turned to camera. "Thank you for joining us on Insight. Stay curious."
Applause. Crew scattered. Lights dimmed.
"You handled that well." Hanna's tone was light, but her eyes searched his face, hoping for something softer beneath the surface.
"I meant what I said." Jungho didn't flinch, his voice steady as he met her gaze.
"Which part?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. Her smile was strained now. "Good colleagues? Or respect?"
"Both." His answer came without hesitation, yet his expression carried the weight of something long buried.
"I didn't ask you to fall for me." Her voice dipped low, barely audible, as if saying it aloud made it real.
"No. But you let me." He stepped just a little closer, eyes locked on hers. "You fed it. You needed someone to burn for you… and I did. Until I realized you liked the fire. Not the warmth."
Hanna blinked. Her lashes fluttered like they were trying to shield her from the truth. Her throat worked, trying to swallow words she couldn't speak. Her fingers tightened around the script in her hand…knuckles pale, pages crumpling slightly.
From the far end of the hallway, Seri stood in the shadows near the corner, partially obscured by stacked equipment. She hadn't meant to linger, but her feet wouldn't move. Her tablet hung loosely by her side, untouched. Her gaze locked on them…not out of jealousy, but as if watching something crumble that had long pretended to hold.
She heard every word. She saw Hanna's polished armor crack. And she saw Jungho…not cold, not cruel. Just tired of being someone else's temporary fire.
Hanna turned away sharply. Her heels clicked down the hallway, posture upright, but Seri saw the tremble in her hand as she wiped her cheek quickly. Just once. Jungho stood there a moment longer, unmoving. Then slowly, he turned his head… his eyes catching Seri's silhouette.
Their eyes met across the distance. Seri froze.
She didn't know exactly what they had been through. But maybe… she knew enough. Enough to recognize the kind of look someone wore when something had been ripped quietly out of them. He was hurt. Not broken. Just… pulled thin beneath all that calm. But she didn't want him to know she saw it. Didn't want him to guard himself because she noticed.
So she looked away. Casually. Like she hadn't seen anything at all. Like she hadn't been standing there, watching every word between them.
She adjusted the strap of her tablet, turned down the hallway, and walked off with steady steps. As if none of it had reached her. As if she didn't feel a strange, uninvited ache settle quietly in her chest.
Daejin caught up quietly behind him, matching his steps. "You okay?"
Junho didn't stop walking. "It's fine."
Daejin raised a brow. "Some of that… wasn't in the script."
Junho gave a small nod. "I knew Hanna would ask that. She always needs a moment to own the room."
Daejin glanced sideways. "Still… she pushed harder than usual."
Junho stopped at the end of the hallway. His eyes briefly lifted toward the upper floor. Where Seri had stood earlier. Watching.
"She needed something," he said, almost to himself. "But I don't have it anymore."
Daejin stayed quiet. Sometimes silence was the only thing that didn't lie.