THE MORNING SUN PIERCED THROUGH THE GLASS WALLS OF LA FLEUR, CASTING LONG SHADOWS ACROSS THE POLISHED MARBLE FLOORS. THE OFFICE BUZZED WITH THE SOFT HUM OF MACHINES, THE CLICK-CLACK OF HEELS, AND THE FAINT MURMURS OF DESIGNERS RUSHING TO PRESENT THEIR IDEAS.
SFX: CLATTER CLATTER—RUSTLE OF PAPERS
BUT FOR HA-EUN, THE WORLD FELT UNNATURALLY LOUD. HER HEART STILL RACED FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE—FROM THE HOTEL DINNER, HIS TEASING SMIRK, HIS HAND BRUSHING AGAINST HERS, THE WAY HIS EYES LINGERED AS IF HE COULD PEEL AWAY EVERY DEFENSE SHE BUILT OVER THE YEARS.
SHE COULDN'T FORGET THAT MOMENT IN THE CAR. HIS HAND HOLDING HERS, THE HEAT, THE SMIRK, AND HIS WORDS THAT STILL ECHOED INSIDE HER:
"WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? SOMETHING MORE?"
HER CHEEKS BURNED EVEN NOW.
SHE SHOOK HER HEAD, SLAMMING HER SKETCHBOOK ONTO THE DESIGN STUDIO TABLE.
HA-EUN (INNER THOUGHT):NO. I CAN'T LET THIS SHAKE ME. IT'S BEEN YEARS. HE'S… HE'S NOT EVEN HIM. MY MIN-JAE IS DEAD. I SAW IT. I SAW—
SFX: FLASHBACK – RAIN POUNDING, TIRES SCREECHING, A CRASH…
HER MIND JERKED BACK TO THAT NIGHT. BROKEN GLASS. BLOOD ON HIS HANDS. HIS FINAL SMILE BEFORE THE LIGHT LEFT HIS EYES.
HA-EUN (INNER THOUGHT, TREMBLING):STOP IT. DON'T THINK ABOUT IT. THIS MAN—THIS JOON-HA—IS SOMEONE ELSE. EVEN IF HE LOOKS THE SAME… HE'S NOT HIM.
SHE PULLED HER HAIR BACK, TRYING TO HIDE THE SHAKE IN HER FINGERS.
MEANWHILE, DOWN THE HALL, PRESIDENT KANG JOON-HA STRAIGHTENED HIS TIE AS HE WALKED WITH PURPOSE. HIS PRESENCE ALONE SENT SHIVERS THROUGH THE STAFF; PEOPLE LOWERED THEIR HEADS, SOME SCURRYING OUT OF HIS WAY.
HE HAD SPENT YEARS MASTERING THE ART OF CONTROL—OF HIDING EVERY TRACE OF WEAKNESS. BUT LAST NIGHT HAD SHAKEN EVEN HIM.
JOON-HA (INNER THOUGHT):HER EYES HAVEN'T CHANGED. THAT SAME FIRE… THAT SAME PAIN. I SHOULDN'T HAVE PUSHED IT, BUT… DAMN IT, I WANTED TO SEE IF SHE WOULD BREAK. IF SHE REMEMBERED ME.
HE ENTERED THE DESIGN STUDIO, HIS FOOTSTEPS LOUD AGAINST THE FLOOR.
SFX: CLICK… CLICK… CLICK…
CONVERSATIONS HUSHED. DESIGNERS LOOKED UP, BOWING.
"GOOD MORNING, PRESIDENT KANG."
HE NODDED, HIS EYES SEARCHING—UNTIL THEY LANDED ON HER. HA-EUN, HEAD BENT OVER HER SKETCHES, PRETENDING NOT TO NOTICE HIM.
JOON-HA (INNER THOUGHT):AVOIDING ME, ARE YOU?
"HEAD DESIGNER KIM," HE SAID CALMLY, HIS VOICE CUTTING THROUGH THE ROOM.
SHE LOOKED UP SLOWLY, MASKING HER SURPRISE WITH A POLITE SMILE.
"YES, PRESIDENT KANG?"
"SEE ME IN THE DESIGN STUDIO. NOW."
THE ROOM WENT DEAD SILENT. PEOPLE GLANCED AT EACH OTHER, WONDERING IF SHE HAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG.
HER HEART THUMPED. SHE GATHERED HER PAPERS, FOLLOWING HIM INTO THE PRIVATE DESIGN STUDIO—A ROOM FILLED WITH SKETCHES PINNED TO WALLS, HALF-COMPLETED DRESSES, AND BOLTS OF FABRIC. THE DOOR SHUT WITH A SOFT CLICK.
SFX: THUD—DOOR CLOSING
SHE STOOD NEAR THE TABLE, GRIPPING HER SKETCHES TIGHTLY.
"IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THE NEW DESIGN DIRECTION?" SHE ASKED, TRYING TO SOUND COMPOSED.
HE TOOK A STEP CLOSER, HIS GAZE NEVER LEAVING HERS.
"YES," HE SAID LOWLY.
"WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM?"
HE LEANED FORWARD, HIS HAND ON THE TABLE BESIDE HER SKETCHES.
"YOU. AVOIDING ME."
SFX: HEARTBEAT THUMP—THUMP—
HER CHEEKS FLUSHED. SHE TURNED HER FACE AWAY.
"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS, PRESIDENT KANG. I'M—"
"LOOK AT ME."
HIS VOICE WAS SHARP, COMMANDING. AGAINST HER WILL, SHE MET HIS EYES. AND IN THAT INSTANT—THE YEARS MELTED AWAY.
FLASHBACK – A YOUNGER MIN-JAE LEANING OVER HER SKETCHES, TEASING:
"YOU DRAW TOO MUCH LIKE A MACHINE, HA-EUN. PUT YOUR HEART INTO IT. YOUR HEART IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PART OF YOU."
HER BREATH HITCHED.
HA-EUN (INNER THOUGHT):STOP. THIS ISN'T HIM. THIS ISN'T—
SHE PUSHED BACK. "PRESIDENT KANG, THIS IS UNPROFESSIONAL. IF YOU'RE TRYING TO INTIMIDATE ME—"
"INTIMIDATE?" HE SMIRKED. "NO. I'M JUST… CURIOUS. WHY DO YOU KEEP RUNNING FROM ME?"
HER HANDS TREMBLED AGAINST HER SKETCHES. SHE WANTED TO SCREAM THAT SHE WASN'T RUNNING—THAT SHE WAS TERRIFIED.
"BECAUSE I HAVE WORK TO DO," SHE SNAPPED, HER VOICE SHARPER THAN INTENDED.
HE STUDIED HER, HIS EYES DARK, AMUSED.
"YOU'RE STILL THE SAME," HE MURMURED.
HER HEART STOPPED.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"
"STILL THE SAME. THAT TEMPER. THAT PASSION." HE SMILED, A GLIMPSE OF SOMETHING SOFT BEHIND HIS MASK. "IT'S ALMOST LIKE… YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL."
FLASHBACK – HA-EUN THROWING A PILLOW AT MIN-JAE IN A SMALL APARTMENT, LAUGHING:
"YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE, YOU KNOW THAT?""AND YOU LOVE ME FOR IT," HE REPLIED WITH THAT SAME TEASING SMILE.
HER CHEST TIGHTENED. SHE SHOOK HER HEAD VIOLENTLY.
HA-EUN (INNER THOUGHT):NO. NO, THIS IS MADNESS. HE CAN'T BE HIM.
"PRESIDENT KANG," SHE SAID COLDLY, "IF YOU HAVE NOTHING BUSINESS-RELATED TO DISCUSS, I'D LIKE TO GET BACK TO WORK."
SHE TURNED TO LEAVE—
SFX: GRAB!—HIS HAND CLOSED AROUND HER WRIST.
SHE FROZE.
"DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME." HIS VOICE DROPPED, ROUGH.
HER HEART SLAMMED AGAINST HER RIBS. SHE LOOKED DOWN AT HIS HAND ON HERS. IT FELT TOO FAMILIAR. TOO MUCH LIKE—
FLASHBACK – MIN-JAE PULLING HER INTO AN EMBRACE ON A RAINY STREET, HIS HAND WARM AROUND HER WRIST:
"DON'T GO. NOT WHEN I NEED YOU THE MOST."
SHE JERKED BACK, HER BREATH SHAKY.
"LET ME GO."
HE RELEASED HER SLOWLY, EYES NEVER LEAVING HERS.
SHE TOOK A STEP BACK, BUT THE ROOM FELT TOO SMALL, TOO HEAVY. HIS PRESENCE LOOMED LIKE A STORM.
"WHY ARE YOU SO DETERMINED TO AVOID ME, HA-EUN?" HE ASKED AGAIN, HIS VOICE LOWER NOW, MORE INTIMATE.
"BECAUSE… BECAUSE YOU REMIND ME OF SOMEONE," SHE BLURTED, THEN BIT HER LIP.
HIS EYES NARROWED.
"WHO?"
HER LIPS TREMBLED. SHE COULDN'T SAY IT. COULDN'T BRING THAT NAME BACK TO LIFE.
"NO ONE IMPORTANT," SHE WHISPERED.
HE STEPPED CLOSER, TRAPPING HER AGAINST THE TABLE. THEIR FACES WERE INCHES APART. SHE COULD FEEL HIS BREATH, HIS HEAT.
"NO ONE IMPORTANT?" HE REPEATED, HIS VOICE SOFT BUT DEADLY. "THEN WHY DOES YOUR VOICE SHAKE?"
SFX: THUMP—THUMP—HEARTBEAT
HER HANDS GRIPPED THE TABLE BEHIND HER.
"STOP THIS," SHE SAID, BARELY AUDIBLE.
"WHY? ARE YOU AFRAID?"
SHE GLARED UP AT HIM, HER CHEEKS FLAMING.
"OF COURSE NOT."
"LIAR." HIS SMILE WAS DANGEROUS.
FLASHBACK – MIN-JAE WHISPERING TO HER UNDER THE STARS:
"YOU'RE TERRIBLE AT LYING. YOUR CHEEKS ALWAYS GIVE YOU AWAY."
SHE SHOOK, HER EYES BURNING.
THE AIR WAS THICK, THE SILENCE LOADED. HIS HAND SLOWLY ROSE, BRUSHING AGAINST A STRAND OF HER HAIR, TUCKING IT BEHIND HER EAR.
HER BREATH HITCHED.
"H-HAEUN…" HIS VOICE WAS BARELY A WHISPER NOW.
HER LIPS PARTED, HER BODY TREMBLING, HER MIND SCREAMING TO PULL AWAY—BUT HER HEART… HER HEART LEANED FORWARD.
SFX: CRESCENDO OF HEARTBEATS—THUMP THUMP THUMP
THEIR LIPS WERE JUST A BREATH APART, HIS EYES LOCKED ON HERS, HIS HAND GENTLY CUPPING HER CHEEK.
HER EYES SHUT.
CLIFFHANGER ENDING
SFX: BRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT!!!
HER PHONE VIBRATED VIOLENTLY ON THE TABLE. THE SOUND JOLTED THROUGH THE ROOM LIKE A THUNDERCLAP.
SHE GASPED, JERKING BACK, HER FACE BURNING.
HE FROZE, HIS HAND STILL HOVERING NEAR HER FACE, HIS JAW TIGHT.
HER CHEST HEAVED, HER EYES WIDE, AS SHE GRABBED HER PHONE WITH SHAKY HANDS.
THE MOMENT—BROKEN.