The door to the suite opened quietly.
Ha-Joon stepped inside, closing it behind him without making much noise.
The room looked exactly like someone had spent the entire evening waiting for him.
The lights were dimmed. A small table near the window had been prepared with food, several glasses, and a bottle of wine that had barely been touched. Two plates sat across from each other, one still completely untouched.
Ha-Joon stopped for a moment. His eyes moved around the room.
No Min-Ji. He loosened his coat and glanced toward the bathroom.
A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened.
Min-Ji stepped out.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, and the tip of her nose was pink. Her eyes looked puffy, as though she had been crying for quite some time. She quickly lowered her gaze when she noticed him.
Ha-Joon's expression changed only slightly.
"I'm sorry I didn't come back earlier," he said calmly. "I had some work to take care of."
Min-Ji looked at him.
"I know." Her voice was soft. "You always have work."
Ha-Joon didn't answer immediately.
He walked farther into the room and removed his coat, placing it over the back of a chair.
Min-Ji watched him.
Then she gave a tiny, bitter smile. "I suppose it was Ji-Ah's work this time."
His hand paused against the chair. "Don't start."
"I didn't say anything."
"You implied something."
She folded her arms. "I waited for you."
"I know."
"I prepared everything."
"I can see that."
"And you still didn't come."
Ha-Joon finally looked at her. "I'm aware."
His tone wasn't harsh.
That somehow made it worse.
Min-Ji stared at him for a moment before looking away. "I should be angry."
"You can be."
She blinked. "What?"
Ha-Joon straightened his shirt cuffs. "If you're angry, you're entitled to be angry. I don't expect you to pretend otherwise."
She studied his face.
He looked completely composed.
No guilt. No panic. No attempt to defend himself. Just that frustratingly calm expression.
Min-Ji swallowed. "You really don't care?"
Ha-Joon looked at her. "I care about being respectful toward you."
She waited. "But?"
He continued evenly. "Respect and affection aren't the same thing."
Her expression tightened.
Ha-Joon walked toward the table and picked up the bottle of water sitting there. "I don't want to give you an impression that I can't honestly maintain."
Min-Ji's fingers curled slightly. "So you're saying you don't care that I waited here all night?"
"No."
He looked at her. "I'm saying that I didn't ask you to wait."
Silence.
The words landed with uncomfortable precision.
Min-Ji's lips parted, but nothing came out.
Ha-Joon took a sip of water before continuing.
"You arranged this evening because you wanted to. I appreciate the effort. But that doesn't create an obligation for me to behave as though I feel something I don't."
Min-Ji stared at him.
He sounded almost like he was reading a carefully prepared business statement.
Polite.
Reasonable.
And absolutely devastating.
She forced a small smile. "You're really good at making people feel unimportant."
"I wasn't trying to make you feel unimportant."
"Then what were you trying to do?"
"Be clear."
He set the glass down. "I don't want you confusing my responsibility toward you with romantic feelings."
Min-Ji looked down.
For a moment, her expression almost cracked.
Then she quickly covered it.
Ha-Joon glanced toward the prepared dinner. "You should eat."
"I don't feel hungry anymore."
"That's your choice."
He turned toward the bedroom.
Min-Ji suddenly spoke. "You didn't even ask why I was crying."
He stopped.
He looked back at her. "Do you want me to ask?"
She froze.
That wasn't the reaction she expected.
After a second, she nodded.
"Yes."
Ha-Joon's gaze softened by the smallest amount. "Why were you crying?"
Min-Ji looked down, carefully arranging her expression into something vulnerable.
"Because I thought tonight would matter to you."
Ha-Joon was quiet.
Then he said, "I understand."
She looked up hopefully.
But his next words erased it. "And I'm sorry that it didn't turn out the way you hoped."
Min-Ji's smile disappeared.
He wasn't mocking her.
He wasn't angry.
He simply wasn't giving her what she wanted.
Ha-Joon reached for his phone. "There's something else."
"What?"
"My mother called."
Min-Ji's eyes sharpened. "What did she say?"
"Everyone is returning to Korea tomorrow."
Her surprise was immediate. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"She said there's a family meeting."
Min-Ji stared at him.
Then, slowly, her expression changed.
The sadness disappeared.
A spark of excitement appeared instead. "Then we're going back?"
Ha-Joon noticed.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why do you sound pleased?"
Min-Ji quickly shook her head. "I'm not."
"You are."
She smiled. "I just... didn't expect it."
Ha-Joon watched her for another second. "Pack your things tonight."
She nodded. "Okay."
He started walking away.
Min-Ji watched him.
Then she spoke softly.
"Ha-Joon." He stopped. "I really did want tonight to be special."
He looked over his shoulder. "I know."
"And I really do love you."
His expression remained unreadable. "I know what you've told me."
She waited.
He didn't say it back.
After a moment, he simply added, "Get some rest. We have an early flight."
Then he walked away.
Min-Ji stood there alone beside the untouched dinner.
Her fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the table.
The smile she had forced onto her face vanished.
Tomorrow.
They were going back to Korea.
And suddenly, that was exactly what she wanted.
The next morning, the airport was already alive long before any of them arrived.
People hurried through the wide terminals with suitcases rolling behind them, announcements echoed from the speakers overhead, and the huge glass windows let in pale morning light that made the polished floors shine.
Travelers stood around checking their phones, buying coffee, arguing quietly over luggage, or trying to figure out which gate they were supposed to be at.
And in the middle of all that chaos stood the entire group.
Ha-Joon was near the entrance, speaking quietly with David while checking his phone.
"Cancel the meeting for tomorrow morning," he said. "Move the other one to next week."
David nodded. "Yes, sir."
Ha-Joon glanced at his phone again.
His mother had called everyone back to Korea unexpectedly.
No proper explanation.
Just a family meeting.
That alone was enough to make him suspicious.
A few steps away, Min-Hyuk stood beside Seo-Yeon, watching Ha-Joon.
"Why did Mother suddenly call everyone back?" he asked.
Seo-Yeon adjusted the strap of her bag. "I don't know."
"Do you think something happened?"
She glanced around at the others. "Hopefully not."
Min-Hyuk sighed. "That's exactly what someone says before something happens."
Seo-Yeon gave him a look. "Don't start."
"I'm being realistic."
"You're being dramatic."
"I'm a CEO. Drama is part of the package."
She rolled her eyes.
Meanwhile, Ji-Ah stood slightly apart from everyone, holding her bag close.
She hadn't slept particularly well.
Her thoughts kept returning to the documents, Ji-Hoo, little Tae-Hyun, and most importantly, Seo-Rin.
Min-Ji.
Whatever name she wanted to use.
Ji-Ah still couldn't believe the woman she had once defended could have hidden something this enormous.
Then Min-Ji approached.
Her footsteps were quiet.
Ji-Ah noticed her only when she stopped beside her.
"Ji-Ah."
Ji-Ah turned.
Min-Ji smiled.
It was the kind of smile that looked perfectly harmless from a distance.
Up close, it wasn't.
"We'll be going back to Korea in about ten to twelve hours."
Ji-Ah's expression tightened. "I know."
Min-Ji leaned slightly closer. "Tomorrow, expect something bad for you."
Ji-Ah stared at her. "What are you talking about?"
Min-Ji's smile remained. "You're going to get thrown out of that house tomorrow."
Ji-Ah's eyes widened. "What are you planning?"
Min-Ji simply tilted her head. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Ji-Ah's stomach twisted. "Is this about the video?"
For the smallest moment, Min-Ji's eyes changed.
Then she smiled again. "You'll find out soon enough."
She turned to leave.
Ji-Ah caught her arm lightly. "Min-Ji."
Min-Ji looked back.
"If you do anything to Ha-Joon's reputation..."
"Don't worry about him." Her voice dropped. "Worry about yourself."
She pulled her arm free and walked away.
Ji-Ah stood there frozen.
The video.
Her mind immediately went back to that night.
Had Min-Ji sent it to Madam?
Was that why everyone had suddenly been summoned?
She swallowed.
What does she want?
Before she could think any further, an announcement came over the speakers.
Their flight was being called.
Everyone began moving toward the gate.
Naturally, Yoo-Na managed to create a completely unnecessary problem.
She was arguing with one of the airport security guards. "I am telling you, that's my bag!"
The guard looked exhausted. "Ma'am, I know it's your bag."
"Then why did you stop me?"
"Because you were trying to take it through the employee entrance."
Yoo-Na stared at him. "I thought it was the shortcut."
"There is a sign."
She looked at the sign.
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
She slowly looked back at him. "...The sign was very small."
"It is bigger than your head."
Yoo-Na gasped.
Ji-Ah covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
"Come on," Seo-Yeon called.
Yoo-Na pointed at the guard. "We're not finished."
The guard looked toward the ceiling. "Please let us be finished."
Eventually, they boarded.
Ji-Ah walked onto the plane almost absent-mindedly.
Her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
She passed several rows before noticing an empty seat by the window.
She sat down.
For a moment, she simply stared ahead.
Then Ha-Joon entered the cabin.
His eyes moved across the seats.
He found her almost immediately.
He walked over and sat beside her.
Ji-Ah glanced at him.
He gave her a small smile.
She frowned.
He nudged her arm lightly.
She looked at him again. "What?"
He said nothing.
Another small nudge.
She narrowed her eyes. "What's your problem?"
Ha-Joon looked ahead. "What are you thinking about?"
Ji-Ah looked away. "Nothing."
"The two important people?"
She blinked.
She hadn't even been thinking about them. "How did you know?"
"You told me yesterday."
"Oh."
Ha-Joon leaned back. "I booked their flight."
Ji-Ah turned toward him. "You did what?"
"They'll arrive the day after tomorrow."
Her eyes widened. "You're serious?"
"Yes."
"Who are you?"
He looked at her calmly. "Someone who apparently makes terrible financial decisions."
She laughed quietly. "You don't even know who they are."
"I know they're important to you."
Her smile faded slightly. "You really did that?"
"I trust you."
Ji-Ah stared at him. "Do you really?"
Ha-Joon turned toward her. "Completely."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The noise of the cabin seemed to fade around them.
Ji-Ah looked into his eyes.
There was no teasing in his expression this time.
Just certainty.
She eventually looked away. "You're still dumb."
"I know."
"You're paying for strangers."
"I'll survive."
She smiled.
Then her expression became thoughtful. "Back then, we were always fighting."
Ha-Joon raised an eyebrow. "You were always fighting."
"I was defending myself."
"You complained constantly."
"You gave orders constantly."
"I was your employer."
"You sounded like a military inspector."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Ji-Ah looked toward the window. "My contract ends at the end of this month."
Ha-Joon's expression changed slightly. "You'll finally be free."
She smiled. "That's what I wanted."
But as soon as she said it, something inside her hesitated.
Is it?
Ha-Joon watched her quietly.
He remembered how she used to fill every corner of his life without even realizing it.
She cooked badly.
Complained loudly.
Played the piano whenever she felt like it.
She even sat with Yuki and Type and talked to them as if they were two highly qualified therapists.
He had once heard her say,
"Yuki, your father is impossible."
The cat blinked.
Ji-Ah nodded seriously. "Exactly."
Ha-Joon had stood in the doorway. "They're cats."
"They understand me."
"They're sleeping."
"They're listening while sleeping."
He had shaken his head.
Now she barely did any of those things.
She was quieter.
More careful.
And the thought of her leaving suddenly felt heavier than he wanted to admit.
The plane began moving toward the runway.
Ji-Ah looked out the window as the airport slowly disappeared behind them.
The aircraft lifted.
Her stomach dropped.
She grabbed the armrest.
Ha-Joon glanced at her. "You okay?"
"Yes."
Her fingers tightened around the armrest. "I'm perfectly fine."
He looked at her hand. "You're crushing it."
"I'm emotionally supporting the armrest."
His mouth twitched. "Of course."
A few rows behind them, Min-Ji leaned toward Hea-In. "Listen carefully."
Hea-In looked at her. "When we get home, be ready."
"For what?"
"Family drama."
Hea-In sighed. "Already?"
"Madam called everyone back. You know what that means."
"Someone's getting interrogated."
"Probably."
Hea-In smiled. "And you?"
Min-Ji's expression remained calm. "I'll be innocent."
Hea-In almost laughed. "You?"
Min-Ji gave her a look. "Yes. Me."
"You're terrible at innocent."
"I don't have to be convincing."
She leaned closer. "I just have to look hurt."
Hea-In nodded thoughtfully.
"Ah."
"And if anyone asks about Ji-Ah?"
"I defend you?"
"No."
Min-Ji smiled.
"You look confused."
Hea-In nodded. "Confused."
"And if Madam starts accusing someone?"
"I stay quiet."
"Good."
Hea-In settled back. "This is going to be exhausting."
Min-Ji looked toward Ha-Joon and Ji-Ah.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Tomorrow will be interesting."
She smiled.
Very quietly.
And at the front of the plane, Ji-Ah had no idea just how much trouble was waiting for her back in Korea.