---
The café was alive with the hum of conversation, the clinking of cups, and the rich scent of freshly brewed coffee. Sange tapped her foot impatiently at the counter, arms crossed, her eyes darting to the time on her phone. She was already running late, and the barista was taking an eternity.
Her best friend, Hiraya, stood beside her, scrolling through her phone. "You sure you don't want something for yourself?"
Sange scoffed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I'm already late. This is just for you."
Finally, the barista slid the steaming cup of coffee across the counter. She snatched it up, spun on her heel—and crashed into something solid.
A sharp inhale. A stunned silence.
Then came the heat.
The coffee sloshed over the rim of the cup, drenching both her hand and the unfortunate soul in front of her. A low, irritated voice cut through the tension.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Sange barely had time to register the words before her gaze snapped up—and met a pair of striking hazel eyes.
The man standing before her was tall, broad-shouldered, and exuded an aura of wealth and authority. His sharp jawline was clenched in irritation, and his meticulously styled dark hair framed a face that was, infuriatingly, ridiculously good-looking. His expression, however, was anything but pleased.
His suit—clearly expensive—was now marred with a large, unsightly coffee stain.
"You—" he started, his voice tight with barely concealed frustration.
But Sange, already flustered and running on a dangerously thin fuse, cut him off. "Are you serious right now?" She threw up her hands, her own irritation boiling over. "You're looking at me like this is my fault when you weren't even watching where you were going?"
His brows shot up, clearly not expecting the audacity. "I wasn't watching—?" He let out a sharp, humorless scoff. "You were the one rushing through a crowded café without looking."
"Oh, please," she snapped, crossing her arms. "You bumped into my friend first, which started this whole mess. So if anyone's at fault, it's you."
His jaw ticked, his fingers twitching like he was restraining the urge to strangle her. "Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath, yanking out a pristine handkerchief and dabbing at his ruined suit with clipped, aggressive motions.
"Right back at you," Sange shot back, her temper refusing to back down.
A muscle in his cheek twitched. "Do you have any idea how much this suit costs?"
Sange rolled her eyes. "Oh no, did the rich man's fancy outfit get a little stained? Tragic. Should I start a fundraiser?"
For a moment, he simply stared at her, lips slightly parted as if shocked by her nerve. Then his expression hardened into something unreadable—something almost dangerous.
Sange felt Hiraya's fingers tighten around her arm, a silent warning to shut up before she dug herself into a deeper hole. But then—
It happened.
Their eyes met, and the world around her tilted.
A whisper of something old, something forgotten, stirred in her mind.
"When the two paths cross, fate will be awakened."
Her breath hitched.
Her mother's voice.
For a split second, the café wasn't the café. A hazy image flashed in her mind—a shadowy figure, an ominous feeling. Something was coming.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
She blinked rapidly, her pulse hammering in her ears.
Hyun Jae was still standing there, watching her with pure irritation. His expression said, Are you done wasting my time? but there was also the faintest flicker of curiosity—like he had noticed her hesitation.
"Are you finished?" he asked coolly.
Sange forced herself to snap back to reality. She squared her shoulders. "Yeah. Enjoy your coffee-stained suit."
His jaw clenched, but instead of arguing, he exhaled slowly, visibly reining in his frustration. Without another word, he adjusted his cufflinks, shot her one last unimpressed glance, and strode away, exuding the same commanding presence as before—only now slightly damp.
Sange stood frozen, her heart racing.
What the hell just happened?
And why did she have a terrible feeling that this wasn't the last time she'd see him?
---
First Day at Work – J Corporation
The coffee shop encounter left Sange rattled, but she had no time to dwell on it. She was already running late, and her first day at J Corporation was about to begin on the worst possible note.
By the time she arrived at the massive glass-and-steel building, her nerves were stretched thin. The lobby was sleek, modern, and intimidatingly professional. Employees bustled past in crisp suits, their purposeful strides making her feel out of place in her slightly wrinkled blouse.
She took a deep breath and approached the reception desk. "Hi, I'm Sange. It's my first day here."
The receptionist, a perfectly polished woman with a tight bun, barely looked up as she clicked away at her keyboard. "Department?"
Sange hesitated. "Uh… I was assigned to work under the CEO."
That got the receptionist's attention. Her brows lifted slightly as she gave Sange a once-over, her expression unreadable. "One moment."
Sange fidgeted as the woman made a call.
Seconds later, a young assistant appeared, looking harried. "You're the new hire?"
Sange nodded.
"Follow me."
The walk through the hallways of J Corporation was a blur of marble floors, glass walls, and an air of quiet efficiency. The assistant stopped in front of a set of double doors.
"The CEO's office," he said, motioning for her to enter. "Try not to piss him off."
Before she could ask what he meant, he pushed the doors open and ushered her inside.
Sange stepped in—
And stopped dead in her tracks.
Sitting behind a massive mahogany desk, flipping through documents with an air of absolute authority, was the last person she wanted to see.
Hyun Jae.
Her breath caught as his hazel eyes flicked up to meet hers, a flicker of recognition crossing his face.
The coffee shop guy.
The man she had drenched in coffee.
The CEO.
His brows lifted slightly, as if in mild surprise, before his expression settled into one of cool detachment.
"You," he said, voice flat.
Sange swallowed.
Oh. Crap.
----