[SFX: CLOCK TOWER CHIMES, ECHOING ACROSS THE GLASS TOWERS OF SEOUL.]
THE NEXT MORNING AFTER THE FIRE-LIT SHOWDOWN WITH HIS UNCLE AND COUSIN, JOON-HA STRAIGHTENED HIS SUIT AND WALKED INTO La Fleur FASHION, THE SUBSIDIARY HE WAS APPOINTED TO LEAD.
La Fleur FASHION—A LUXURY LINE KNOWN FOR ITS ICONIC HANBOK-INSPIRED EVENING WEAR, MERGED WITH MODERN STREET STYLE—HAD ALWAYS BEEN A CROWN JEWEL OF THE CORPORATE EMPIRE. YET RECENTLY, SALES HAD DECLINED. THE OLD EXECUTIVES SAW JOON-HA AS A "DISCARDED PRINCE," SOMEONE SENT TO MANAGE A DYING BRAND.
[SFX: HEAVY DOUBLE DOORS OPENING, LOW MURMURS SPREADING THROUGH THE BOARDROOM.]
THE LONG MAHOGANY TABLE WAS FILLED WITH STERN-FACED MEN AND WOMEN IN GRAY SUITS. THEIR EYES FOLLOWED HIM LIKE PREDATORS EYEING A NEW CHALLENGER.
BOARDROOM TENSION
EXECUTIVE 1 (MR. PARK, CFO):"SO THIS IS OUR NEW PRESIDENT? HMPH. THE RUMORS WERE TRUE. THE FORGOTTEN SON RETURNS."
EXECUTIVE 2 (MS. KANG, OPERATIONS HEAD):"FORGOTTEN? MORE LIKE… EXILED." [SHE LAUGHS, COVERING HER MOUTH.]
EXECUTIVE 3 (MR. CHOI, STRATEGY DIRECTOR):"WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT MUCH. AFTER ALL, HE'S JUST A NAME, NOT A LEADER."
[SFX: SOFT SNICKERS, PAPERS SHUFFLING.]
JOON-HA KEPT HIS FACE EXPRESSIONLESS, A POKER MASK HE HAD PERFECTED IN THE SHINWA GROUP'S DARK CORNERS OVER THE LAST DECADE. BUT HIS EYES—SHARP, UNBLINKING—CUT THROUGH THE ROOM LIKE KNIVES.
JOON-HA (CALMLY):"ARE WE DONE WITH THE CIRCUS? OR SHALL WE GET TO THE REAL BUSINESS?"
[SFX: SILENCE DROPS. A PEN ROLLS OFF THE TABLE. TAP. TAP. TAP.]
HE CLICKED THE REMOTE AND A SLIDE APPEARED ON THE SCREEN—FINANCIAL RECORDS, RED NUMBERS, HIGHLIGHTED LINES.
JOON-HA:"MR. PARK. THE CFO WHO PREACHES 'HONEST ACCOUNTING.' SHALL I SHOW THE BOARD HOW YOU FUNNELED COMPANY FUNDS INTO A PRIVATE RESORT IN JEJU? THE ACCOUNT IS UNDER YOUR MISTRESS'S NAME, ISN'T IT?"
[SFX: COLLECTIVE GASPS. PAPERS RUSTLING.]
MR. PARK (TREMBLING):"Y-YOU… WHO TOLD YOU—?"
JOON-HA (CUTTING HIM OFF, COLDLY):"IN THE SHINWA GROUP, WE LEARN EVERYTHING. I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENS TO EXECUTIVES WHO PLAY WITH EMBEZZLEMENT. SIT DOWN. BE USEFUL."
[SFX: CHAIR CREAKS AS MR. PARK COLLAPSES BACK INTO HIS SEAT.]
HE TURNED TO MS. KANG.
JOON-HA:"MS. KANG. TEN YEARS OF 'EXPERIENCE.' YET, A SLUSH FUND HIDING BEHIND YOUR LOGISTICS ACCOUNTS. INTERESTING HOW SUPPLIER COSTS DOUBLED, WHILE YOUR BANK BALANCE GREW. SHOULD I EXPOSE THIS TO THE MEDIA? OR WILL YOU FOCUS ON YOUR JOB?"
MS. KANG (EYES WIDE, SWEATING):"… I… I WILL FOCUS."
[SFX: DRIP OF SWEAT HITTING THE TABLE. CLOCK TICKING LOUDER.]
THE ROOM GREW STILL. THE EXECUTIVES WHO ONCE MOCKED HIM NOW LOOKED AT HIM WITH A NEW MIXTURE OF FEAR AND RESPECT.
JOON-HA (INNER THOUGHT):"THIS IS HOW YOU CONTROL A ROOM. NOT WITH PLEASANT WORDS, BUT WITH FIRE AND TEETH."
AFTER HOURS OF STRATEGY TALK
[SFX: PAGES TURNING. PROJECTORS HUMMING. COFFEE CUPS CLINKING.]
HOURS PASSED AS THEY DISCUSSED SALES, SUPPLY CHAINS, INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION, AND THE BLEEDING EDGES OF DESIGN.
WHEN THE LONG BOARDROOM SESSION FINALLY ENDED, JOON-HA LEANED BACK.
JOON-HA:"GOOD. NOW, WE MOVE TO THE NEXT PHASE. THE FUTURE OF THIS COMPANY DEPENDS ON CREATIVITY. BRING ME THE HEADS OF DESIGN, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT."
THE SHOCKING REUNION
[SFX: DOORS OPEN. THREE PEOPLE WALK IN, FOOTSTEPS ECHOING.]
THE FIRST WAS A SUAVE MAN IN GLASSES—HEAD OF PR.
THE SECOND, A SHARP-EYED WOMAN WITH TABLETS IN HAND—HEAD OF R&D.
AND THE THIRD…
JOON-HA'S WORLD FROZE.
[SFX: HEARTBEAT. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.]
SHE WALKED IN WITH ELEGANCE, A SKETCHBOOK IN HER ARMS, HER HAIR FALLING LIKE BLACK SILK.
HA-EUN.
HIS HA-EUN.
SHE BOWED FORMALLY.
HA-EUN:"GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT. I AM SEO HA-EUN, HEAD DESIGNER OF WOLHA FASHION."
HIS FINGERS TWITCHED UNDER THE TABLE, BUT HIS FACE—CALM. A PERFECT MASK.
JOON-HA (INNER THOUGHT):"SO… FATE REALLY HAS A CRUEL SENSE OF HUMOR."
THE DESIGN DISCUSSION
THE MEETING BEGAN. SLIDES OF NEW DESIGNS FLASHED—CHERRY BLOSSOM MOTIFS, DRAPED FABRICS, CONTEMPORARY LINES.
HEAD OF PR:"THE SALES DECLINE IS PARTLY DUE TO OUR IMAGE. THE YOUTH CONSUMERS BELIEVE WLa Fleur IS… OUTDATED."
HEAD OF R&D:"OUR MATERIAL SOURCING IS STRONG, BUT THERE ARE WEAKNESSES IN SUSTAINABILITY. IF WE DON'T ADAPT, WE WILL FALL BEHIND."
HA-EUN:"OUR DESIGNS NEED HEART. CLOTHES ARE NOT JUST FABRIC. THEY ARE MEMORIES. DREAMS. WE NEED TO CREATE PIECES THAT MAKE THE WEARER FEEL ALIVE."
[SFX: SILENCE. THE ROOM HOLDS ITS BREATH.]
JOON-HA WATCHED HER, HIS CHEST TIGHTENING.
JOON-HA (INNER THOUGHT):"YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED. THE SAME FIRE IN YOUR EYES. THE SAME WORDS THAT USED TO PULL ME BACK FROM THE EDGE OF DARKNESS."
HE CLEARED HIS THROAT.
JOON-HA (COLDLY, MAINTAINING HIS ROLE):"HEART IS GOOD. BUT NUMBERS DON'T LIE. IF WE WANT TO SURVIVE, WE NEED A DESIGN THAT SPEAKS TO BOTH THE SOUL AND THE MARKET. CAN YOU DELIVER THAT, HEAD DESIGNER?"
HA-EUN (EYES NARROWING, DEFENSIVE):"I ALWAYS DELIVER."
[SFX: TENSION CRACKLING LIKE STATIC.]
THE DISCUSSION CONTINUED LATE INTO THE EVENING—ARGUMENTS ABOUT MATERIAL COSTS, SALES STRATEGIES, GLOBAL LAUNCHES.
THE END OF THE MEETING
[SFX: CLOCK STRIKES 9 PM. CHAIRS SLIDE BACK. EXHAUSTED EXECUTIVES EXIT ONE BY ONE.]
HA-EUN PACKED HER SKETCHBOOK, BUT SHE DIDN'T LEAVE. SHE WAITED NEAR THE COMPANY ENTRANCE, HER EYES SHADOWED WITH DOUBT.
HA-EUN'S INNER TURMOIL
[SFX: FOOTSTEPS ECHOING IN THE EMPTY LOBBY.]
SHE WATCHED JOON-HA PASS THROUGH THE GLASS DOORS. HIS STRAIGHT BACK, THE WAY HE HELD HIS BREATH WHEN HE WAS DEEP IN THOUGHT—IT WAS ALL TOO FAMILIAR.
HER HEART TREMBLED.
HA-EUN (INNER THOUGHT):"NO… IT CAN'T BE. HE DIED. I SAW IT. I SAW HIS BODY IN THE CRASH."
FLASHBACK – ELEVEN YEARS AGO.
[SFX: RAIN POURING. TIRES SCREECHING. METAL SHATTERING.]
SHE WAS ON HER KNEES IN THE RAIN, SCREAMING HIS NAME. LEE MIN-JAE—HER FIRST LOVE. THE ONE WHO PROMISED TO COME BACK FOR HER.
HA-EUN (FLASHBACK DIALOGUE, SCREAMING):"MIN-JAE! MIN-JAE!!! NOOO!"
[SFX: HER CRIES DROWNED OUT BY AMBULANCE SIRENS.]
BACK IN THE PRESENT, HER HAND TREMBLED AS SHE GRIPPED HER BAG.
HA-EUN (INNER THOUGHT):"BUT JOON-HA… HE LOOKS LIKE HIM. WALKS LIKE HIM. EVEN… BREATHES LIKE HIM. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?"
SHE STOOD IN THE SHADOWS OF THE LOBBY, WATCHING HIM VANISH INTO THE NIGHT.
[SFX: AUTOMATIC GLASS DOORS SLIDING SHUT. FINAL HEARTBEAT THUMPING HEAVILY.]
HER LIPS PARTED, A WHISPER ESCAPING.
HA-EUN:"… MIN-JAE…?"
[SFX: FADE TO SILENCE. THE SOUND OF THE NIGHT WIND HOWLING.]