The magnificent private dining section of L'Étoile Seoul was buzzing with laughter. The corporate project team had cleared half their plates, and the lingering workspace tension from the earlier shifts had completely melted away.An energetic and bubbly employee, Ji-ah, stood up smoothly from her velvet chair, clapping her hands together to gather everyone's attention."Alright, everyone! Attention, please!" Ji-ah announced loudly. "Instead of just mindlessly stuffing our faces with food, we should make this night memorable. Let's play a game!"The rest of the employees nodded excitedly, shouting their joyous agreement across the table rows. Ji-ah slowly rotated her torso toward the head of the table where Lee Min-juh was sitting rigidly."Mr. Lee, is it okay if we play a game?" Ji-ah asked with a polite smile. "You don't mind, right?""Sure, go ahead. We can play," Min-juh countered smoothly, managing the mood of the room with absolute, unbothered billionaire elegance as he nodded his head."Perfect!" Ji-ah cheered ecstatically, her fingers rapidly pulling an empty premium glass wine bottle from the table. "Let's play Truth or Dare!"But the exact milestone fraction of a second the team members started clapping their hands in deep anticipation—the heavy glass doors of the private dining section violently slid open.Kang Ha-joon stepped inside the luxury pavilion clearing, executing a cold, immensely imposing executive stance. Dressed flawlessly in his tailored suit, his long fingers casually adjusted his cuffs. Moving with rigid steps right behind his heels was Park Seo-joon.The entire room layout instantly dropped into a paralyzed, shocked, and completely suffocating silence. The design employees froze completely midway through their laughing gestures, their open mouths staring blankly in absolute terror at their intimidating supreme CEO."We will play too," Ha-joon commanded through his teeth, his deep, resonant voice carrying a flat, piercing tone that shattered the room vacuum.The design team quietly gasped, their internal databases short-circuiting at the intrusion. Seo-joon immediately stepped forward into the perimeter, his visual radar area-focusing directly on Kim Han-eun and Park Chae-won's desks to break the ice."Good evening," Seo-joon opened with a friendly smile. "We have arrived as well.""Mr. Kang?" Lee Min-juh stood up instantly from his plush velvet chair to confront his permanent rival face-to-face, his handsome features tightening into a freezing mask as his long fingers white-knuckled around his premium wine glass. "You're here... If you wanted to join us, you should have come with us in the first place.""I had some urgent corporate operations to finish at my desk, so I didn't think I'd make it," Ha-joon responded with absolute, icy indifference, walking past Lee without dropping a single pixel of his attention toward him. His piercing dark eyes locked dead onto Han-eun's face for a split second before ignoring her. "But since my work wrapped up early, I decided to show up."He looked straight into Min-juh's eyes, his tone dripping with cold, arrogant corporate mockery. "Why, Mr. Lee? Are you not happy to see me here?""Of course it's not that," Min-juh quickly, smoothly masked his inner fury, forcing a highly strained, stiff polite laugh across his lips to hide his boiling jealousy. "Please, take a seat.""Sure," Ha-joon stated flatly.Moving with absolute synchronized power and heavy executive strides, Kang Ha-joon and Park Seo-joon marched directly over and took their seats on the empty chairs positioned directly opposite Han-eun and Chae-won.Han-eun's heart violently leaped straight into her throat the exact microsecond the CEO sat down right across her line of sight. She panicked instantly, her face burning with an explosive wave of raw, toe-curling shyness as she quickly averted her visual radar, looking down at the table cloth to avoid his burning, intense eyes.What on earth is wrong with him today? Han-eun grumbled strictly to her own internal thoughts, her chest tightening in utter, restless confusion as her breathing quickened. Why did his strict mind suddenly change his mind and crash this private party venue? His presence is making it so hard to breathe..."Ahem..." Ji-ah gulped nervously through her teeth, her voice cracking as she tried to navigate the hierarchy shift. "S-Sir... are you really sure you want to play with us?""Oh, absolutely!" Seo-joon laughed it off with a cheerful wink, trying to save the data files. "Don't mind us at all.""Go on. Spin it," Ha-joon commanded smoothly, leaning his powerful frame forward over the wood as he rested his chin directly on his crossed hands, his gaze unmoving from Han-eun's blushing profile. "What exactly were the rules you were discussing?""Well, sir..." Ji-ah explained timidly, her fingers trembling against the table. "We are playing Truth or Dare. According to the standard baseline rules, whoever refuses to complete a dare or tell the truth has to take a heavy penalty shot of alcohol.""Wait a minute! Hold on!" Chae-won suddenly waved her hand through the air, a clever, highly sharp smirk catching across her lips as her creative department energy took over. "If we do that, people will just casually make up lies or do boring things just to avoid drinking. Let's spice it up! Whoever the bottle points to doesn't get a choice—they HAVE to take the penalty drink instead!"The entire row of design employees instantly burst into a loud, thunderous wave of joyous laughter and applause across the columns, completely loving the high-stakes, brutal twist."Wow, Won!" the team members shouted happily, clinking their glasses. "That's a brutal rule! Yes, let's do it that way!"Ha-joon kept his deep, dark eyes entirely fixed wider on Han-eun's face, watching her nervous, uncoordinated expressions with an intense, secret thrill. Han-eun sensed his suffocating radar tracking her every movement, her cheeks flushing a deeper crimson color as she stubbornly kept her eyes fixed on the center table centerpiece, refusing to look up into his smile."Alright, no turning back now!" Ji-ah announced proudly, placing the empty glass bottle in the exact, dead geometric center of the round table layout. "Here goes the first spin!"The First Spin MatrixJi-ah vigorously, powerfully spun the empty glass bottle with her long fingers. The glass chassis rotated rapidly in a fast blur, its sleek reflection beautifully catching the ambient amber lights of the luxury skyscraper restaurant. It slowly, gradually decelerated its velocity, clicking sharply against the plates, before finally coming to a dead halt.The tip of the bottle casing pointed directly at Yoona, a quiet employee from the design team lane."WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Ji-ah asked excitedly."Huh... TRUTH," Yoona murmured, her face turning a fraction red."I'll ask the question!" Chae-won jumped in aggressively with a mischievous smirk, raising a sharp eyebrow. "Yoona, no escaping this! Do you currently have a crush on someone in this room or the office?"Yoona's face instantly turned a violent, bright tomato red color from total embarrassment. Her eyes nervously, uncoordinately drifted toward Kang Ha-joon's strict profile for a split second, before she sharply looked down at her lap, biting her lower lip as her speech dropped into a soft, quiet whisper. "Actually... it's not a crush. I... I already have a boyfriend.""What?!" Han-eun gasped out in total, pure shock, her dark eyes widening to the size of saucers as she snapped out of her trance. "Yoona, you have a boyfriend? You literally never mentioned this to any of us in the department!""Oh ho!" Chae-won slammed her palm flat against the table, laughing out loud through her teeth. "Look at her blushing! This is huge!"The entire table violently erupted into loud, thunderous cheers and teasing hoots, shouting "Ohhhhh!" across the columns as they completely forgot the corporate hierarchy and the CEO's presence for a fleeting millisecond, thoroughly enjoying the office drama."Alright, alright!" Ji-ah laughed, raising her hands to stabilize the room volume and calm everyone down. "Quiet down, everyone! That's enough teasing for the first round. Let's move on to the next spin!""Yes, yes!" Chae-won agreed with a triumphant smile. "Let's move forward, but first, take your drink, Yoona!""Alright, fine! I'm drinking!" Yoona relented with a smile.Yoona took the fiery shot of alcohol in a single fraction of a second. The entire private dining section cheered her action. Ji-ah reached her hand back out toward the center, grasping the empty glass bottle on the table cloth, spinning it with raw power. The glass clicked rapidly against the plates before slowly decelerating its tracking wheels. The tip of the bottle gradually halted its motion and pointed directly dead at Chae-won.Chae-won's confident smile instantly dropped flat from her face."Oh, no! Not me!" Chae-won groaned out loud in total, absolute despair, her shoulders slumping as she crossed her arms impatiently. "Alright, look... I'm definitely taking the Dare! There's no way I'm choosing Truth.""Ooooooh! A Dare!" the team members shouted happily, their eyes twinkling. "This is going to be good! But wait, who gets to decide the dare for Won?""Please!" Yoona instantly raised both of her hands into the air, her eyes sparkling with a sweet, playful revenge as a mischievous grin touched her lips. "Let me give it! I have the perfect dare for her. Let me do the honors!""Go ahead, Yoona!" Ji-ah giggled through her teeth. "Make her pay for grilling you!""Let's see..." Yoona tapped her chin with her finger, thinking deeply as she scanned the table coordinates. "What should I give you...""Make her dance!" another team member shouted from the back rows with a laugh. "Make her do a funny K-pop routine!""No, no!" Yoona dismissed, a clever smirk playing across her lips. "Dancing is too old and cliché. It needs to be something unique, something spicy!""Oh, come on!" Chae-won groaned loudly, crossing her arms impatiently. "Just say it already! Spit it out, Yoona!""Alright, I've got it!" Yoona announced with absolute, mischievous triumph, her eyes locking dead onto Chae-won's face. "Out of all the men sitting in this room right now, you have to go and give a kiss on the cheek to the one you like the most!"The Radioactive Threshold SpikeThe entire private dining section fell into an absolute, dead state of paralyzing shock before violently exploding into massive hooting and wild cheers. Chae-won's dark eyes instantly dilated wide to the size of saucers, her breath catching inside her throat."WHAT?!" Chae-won's voice completely cracked in sheer, unadulterated panic as her face turned a brilliant pink color. "Are you out of your mind?! No! Absolutely not! I am not doing something like that!""Yeah, Yoona... come on, that's a bit too much," Han-eun stepped inside the clearing defensively, looking at the designer with an anxious frown as she tried to shield her best friend's shyness. "Let's change it to something normal.""No way! No backing out! A dare is a dare!" the team members roared happily, thoroughly enjoying the chaotic office drama. "If you choose it, you have to execute it! Come on, Won! Go for it!""Yeah, Won, don't worry about it," Lee Min-juh added, a smooth smile breaking across his features as he thoroughly enjoyed the uncoordinated office layout, completely relaxed. "It's just a harmless game. You can totally do this."But on the exact opposite side of the table, Park Seo-joon's entire body instantly went stone-cold rigid.An absolute, volcanic wave of raw panic, terrifying possessive masculine jealousy, and deep frustration violently surged straight through his chest block. His chest tightened up to a suffocating threshold, and his knuckles turned a sharp, ghostly white color as his fingers clenched like iron panels at his sides. The absolute, unbearable thought of Chae-won's lips touching the cheek of any other man sitting inside this dining room made his blood boil to a dangerous frequency, and he glared at the centerpiece, his internal thoughts screaming with the raw urge to literally flip the entire banquet table over.Chae-won bit her lower lip, her brain calculating the parameters with furious velocity as her eyes secretly, subtly darted across the wood to map the absolute panic and raw fury breaking through Park Seo-joon's strict face. A secret, highly sharp glint of absolute triumph flashed past her eyes."Fine!" Chae-won huffed out, crossing her arms tightly as she stood up from her chair. "If everyone insists... I'll do it."Han-eun turned her head toward her in ACUTE disbelief, letting out a sharp gasp. "What?! Won, are you serious right now? You're actually going to do it?""Yes, Eun," Chae-won nodded her head firmly, a hidden, playful spark lighting up her expressions as she kept her gaze locked onto Seo-joon's freezing mask. "But I have one strict condition. Everyone in this room has to close their eyes completely! No cheating!""Huh?" Yoona pouted her lips aggressively, waving her hand through the air. "That's completely unfair! Where is the fun if we can't see it?
Won: (Stubbornly) No, those are my terms! Either everyone closes their eyes right now, or I'm not doing it. Only then will I proceed.Yoona: (Sighing in defeat) Fine, fine! But the catch is, whoever gets kissed by Won has to confess it afterward, okay? Deal! (Turning to the executives) Mr. Kang, Mr. Lee... and Mr. Park, please close your eyes too! No peeking!Kang: (With a flat, emotionless tone, closing his eyes) Yeah, fine.The entire dining room went completely still as every single employee shut their eyes tightly. Mr. Park closed his eyes last, his heart hammering violently against his ribs in sheer agony. He dreaded the next few seconds, his chest tightening as he imagined her approaching any other man in the room.Won quietly got up from her premium leather chair. She moved silently, her footsteps completely muffled by the rich restaurant carpet. She walked past Lee... passed right behind Kang... and stopped directly behind Mr. Park.Leaning down softly, her own heart racing in her chest, she pressed a gentle, lingering kiss right onto Mr. Park's flushed cheek. Before he could even process the touch or open his eyes, she swiftly sped back to her seat and slid effortlessly into her chair.Mr. Park's eyes snapped wide open. He sat completely frozen, the violent crimson blush rushing from his neck to his ears. He looked exactly like a man who had just been hit by a lightning bolt of sheer shock, his mind short-circuiting as his fingers subtly twitched.Won: (Shouting out, trying to sound completely casual) Alright, everyone! You can open your eyes now!Everyone blinked their eyes open, instantly turning their heads around the large round table to scan the room.Yoona: (Leaning forward, scanning the room frantically) Oye, Won! Who did you kiss? Come on, spill the tea! (Looking at the male employees) Did anyone get it? Was it you?Male Employee 1: Not me! I didn't feel a thing!Male Employee 2: Man, I wish, but my cheek is entirely dry!Lee: (Smirking, looking suspiciously at Won) Won, did you actually kiss someone, or did you just sneakily sit back down without doing anything?Won: (Forcing a calm smirk, picking up a heavy shot glass of alcohol) I did exactly what I had to do. The rule said the person who gets kissed has to reveal it, and he will when the time is right. But since Yoona wants her penalty, I'm taking my shot anyway!With absolute confidence, Won drank the entire penalty shot in one gulp, slamming the empty glass down onto the table.Won: There! Now let's move the bottle forward! Next round!Eun: (Whispering curiously, nudging her under the table) But seriously, Won... who did you actually kiss? Tell me!Meanwhile, Kang's sharp eyes noticed Mr. Park sitting completely rigid, looking entirely shocked and flushed red right next to him.Kang: Hey, Park... what's wrong with you? Why are you turning so red? Did you...Mr. Park, still trapped in a state of utter daze, simply nodded his head slowly, his executive filter completely broken.Kang: (Bursting into loud laughter, pointing an amused finger at him) Oh! So it was you?! Hey guys... the lucky man is Mr. Park!The entire room instantly dropped into a sudden gasp of shock—"What?! Mr. Park?!" Eun sharply turned around to look directly at Won, while Won blushed furiously, instantly burying her face deep in her hands.Eun: Oh ho! So out of all the guys present here, you think Mr. Park is the best-looking one? Oh wow, Won!Won: (Covering her face with her hands, blushing furiously) Eun, stop it! Just drop it already! The round is over, let's just move the bottle!Ji-ah: (Laughing loudly) OK, enough guys! Let's next round, OK?After Won's chaotic dare was completed, Ji-ah spun the glass bottle once again. It clicked rapidly against the plates before gradually decelerating. This time, the tip of the bottle stopped right in front of Dean Lee. Seeing this, everyone at the table cheered with excitement.Park: (Smoothing over his blush, smiling and clapping) Oh, Mr. Lee! Finally, it's your turn. So, what will you choose—Truth or Dare?Lee: Truth.Ji-ah: (Excitedly) So, who is going to ask Mr. Lee the question? Eun, will it be you, or someone else?Kang's piercing eyes had been fixed on Lee the entire time, his inner possessive jealousy tracking his rival's every movement. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately cut in.Kang: I'll ask the question this time. Lee, is that fine with you?Lee: (With a calm, confident smile, leaning back) Why not? Go ahead.A sudden, heavy silence fell over the table. Eun and Won leaned closer, whispering rapidly to each other.Eun: (In a low voice) Won, what is suddenly going on between them? What is Mr. Kang going to ask?Won: (Whispering back) I don't know, let's see. These two are always ready to compete anyway. I just hope they don't start fighting right here.Kang: (Staring directly into Lee's eyes, his tone dropping into a serious register) Alright. So, you are a big businessman. Even though you barely get any time away from your work... do you secretly like someone?Lee: (Pausing slightly, his fingers tightening on his glass) Huh?... That... Yes, I do like someone. I have liked her since childhood.The exact milestone second Lee delivered his confession, Won and Eun both looked at each other in utter, absolute shock. A deep sense of confusion was visible on both of their faces, their minds racing as they wondered who on earth Lee was actually talking about.Won: (Anxiously thinking to herself, her eyes narrowing) What? Since childhood? Is he talking about Eun? Or could it be...Kang: (Smiling triumphantly to himself, his jaw tightening) I knew it!Hearing Lee's heavy confession, everyone else at the table was completely taken aback by the high-stakes romance data.Park: (Leaning forward in pure surprise) What, Mr. Lee? Does she know that you have liked her since childhood?Lee: No... but she will be with me very soon. Then, I will personally introduce her to all of you.Ji-ah: (Thrilled, clapping her hands) Oh wow! This game is really bringing out everyone's deepest secrets. Mr. Lee has a childhood crush... Eun and Won, you both are his childhood friends, did you know about this?Eun: (Shaking her head in total confusion) Huh? I had absolutely no idea about this.Won: (Quickly changing the subject to shield the tension) Huh? Me neither. Let's drop this topic now... Enough of this game, let's stop it.Yoona: Why, Won? It was getting so interesting! Why are you suddenly stopping the game?Meanwhile, Lee covertly placed his smartphone down on his lap beneath the table cloth and began rapidly typing a message. Kang's sharp, near-surgical eyes noticed the hand movement immediately. Eun also stared at Lee in shock, her mind racing into a fresh loop of restless confusion as she began to suspect whether Lee's hidden feelings were directed toward Chae-won or herself.Suddenly, the heavy glass doors of the luxury restaurant section swung open, and Eun's brother, Kim Jae, walked through the portal.Kim Jae: Hi, Eun!Hearing her brother's voice, Eun was completely startled and abruptly stood up from her chair to walk toward him. Won froze entirely in her seat the exact microsecond her eyes mapped his face.Won: (Eyes wide in pure disbelief, her breath catching) Kim Jae?!Park immediately noticed the sudden, sharp shift in Won's expression. His gaze thinned as everyone at the table stared intently at Won and the new arrival.Yoona: (Whispering quietly to Kang) Who is that?Kang: Who is this new guy now? (He glanced toward Park with a furrowed brow.)Park: (Shaking his head, thoroughly perplexed) Don't look at me, I have absolutely no idea!Kim Jae stepped forward into the private room and pulled Eun into a tight, affectionate hug. Seeing this physical intimacy, a sudden flash of sharp jealousy hit Kang Ha-joon's chest block, and he tightly gripped the edge of the tablecloth under the table out of raw frustration. Lee leaned back in his leather chair, watching the embrace with a cold, unreadable expression.Eun: (In complete disbelief, her face flushing) Brother! How come you are here in Seoul?Silence blanketed the table once more.Kang: (Muttering under his breath, leaning slightly toward Park) Brother? That's her biological brother?Park: Yeah, I heard him call her sister too.Kim Jae: Well, I came here to town specifically to meet you. But later, I found out from the tracking logs that you were here at this skyscraper for your project approval dinner.Eun: But who on earth told your system I was at this exact restaurant?Kim Jae: Lee did.Lee: (In a serious, steady voice, his dark corporate mask flawless) Yes, I knew Jae was coming to town today. Eun, this was a surprise from my side for your registry.Kim Jae: Yep! So, how did your mind like my surprise?Eun: (Sighing with deep relief, her shoulders sagging) Yes, it's very nice. Thank you.Kim Jae: (Looking around the luxury room layout, a wide smile lighting up his face) By the way... where is 'My Girl'?Kim Jae's eyes instantly landed on Won's frozen profile. Moving with rapid steps, he immediately walked straight over to her chair and pulled her into a warm, deeply affectionate hug.Park Seo-joon's jaw dropped in utter, absolute shock. For a fleeting microsecond, a look of profound heartbreak and raw, suffocating masculine jealousy crossed Park's face [Ch. 16], but his strict director filter mandatory refused to create a scene in public. Controlling his rising emotions completely, he slowly reached down, picked up his water glass with trembling fingers, took a slow sip, and forced a mature, composed smile onto his face.Won: (Gently, flusteredly pushing Kim Jae away from her personal space, blushing furiously as she spoke in a low, restricted whisper) Jae! Stop calling me 'My Girl' right in front of everyone! My office colleagues are sitting right here at the table!Kim Jae: (Laughing heartily, thoroughly unbothered) It's okay! (Turning his torso toward the rest of the corporate table) So, do you guys mind if my system joins you all tonight? Is it fine with everyone's baseline?Park: (Keeping his voice remarkably calm, hollow, and perfectly composed despite the tight ache in his chest) Of course... please take a seat. Our registry doesn't mind at all.[
The Table AlignmentReassured by Park Seo-joon's remarkably calm and polite response, the remaining design team members smiled warmly and voiced their agreement as well, completely layout-clearing the awkward friction from the room [Ch. 19]. Only Seo-joon's deep inner masculine self was actively aching with a sharp, suffocating sting of raw jealousy as he watched Kim Jae's hand resting near Chae-won's shoulder block [Ch. 16, 19]. Yet, from the outside, his strict director mask remained entirely unyielding; his face appeared completely unbothered, and he maintained a perfectly composed, mature posture under the luxury chandeliers [Ch. 19]."Absolutely, Jae," Lee Min-juh opened calmly, his resonant voice smoothly cutting through the silence as he adjusted his charcoal suit panels [Ch. 15, 19]. "Come over, march your boots into this clearing, and join our celebration dinner."Kim Jae took a seat with a cheerful laugh, and the private dining section resumed its vibrant, high-stakes gala frequency late into the night [Ch. 19].The Parking Lot Precipice: Broken TrajectoriesA little while later, the premium dinner officially concluded. The corporate design staff members gathered their files, thanking Mr. Lee Min-juh enthusiastically across the banquet tables before uttering their happy goodbyes as they exited the building threshold [Ch. 19].Kang Ha-joon, Park Seo-joon, Kim Han-eun, Park Chae-won, Kim Jae, and Lee Min-juh all walked out together down the concrete elevator pavilion, heading toward the main underground car park grid where their luxury vehicles were purring to life [Ch. 18, 19].Suddenly, as her high-heel boots cleared past a concrete pillar lane, Han-eun's balance charts completely failed. Her foot caught the sharp edge of a stray gravel stone on the asphalt turf, and she violently lost her balance, her frame lunging forward into the dark air.Kang Ha-joon didn't drop a single millisecond of his velocity. Moving on raw, instinctive masculine reflex, his powerful build swiftly, forcefully moved forward, his long arms extending out to catch her fragile waist layout and securely lock her body against his broad chest block before she could hit the ground [Ch. 8, 16]!At that exact milestone fraction of a second, Lee Min-juh also lunged his torso forward with high velocity to catch her frame, but his boots stopped dead in their tracks. His fingers froze completely flat in the air as his dark eyes mapped the scene—realizing with a crushing, suffocating wave of rage that Ha-joon's hands had reached her coordinates first [Ch. 8, 17].For a few intensely private, breathless seconds, Kang Ha-joon and Kim Han-eun locked eyes completely, entirely lost in the moment under the dim parking lamps [Ch. 8, 16]. Her face turned a burning red tomato color from total, toe-curling shyness as his fingers anchored her weight, their hearts hammering at a near-fatal frequency against each other's ribs [Ch. 16, 19].A volatile, toxic mixture of raw fury and deep, agonizing helplessness washed completely over Lee Min-juh's strict face, his teeth grinding into an iron lock [Ch. 17]. Every single fiber of his being wanted to aggressively step inside their circle, rip her frame away from the CEO's chest, and take Han-eun's hand himself to protect his playground secret [Ch. 8, 17].But right at that exact milestone microsecond, the smartphone device inside his trouser pocket began to vibrate and ring at a loud, jarring frequency.Min-juh sharply drew the device out. The exact second his visual radar look-tracked the display, his features went entirely, dangerously rigid. A prominent 'Secret Caller' ID was flashing across the screen matrix. Trapped completely by the high-stakes circumstance of the caller's data, his hidden agenda was forced into an immediate detour loop. His mouth mandatory could not go to Han-eun's side. He was forced to turn his torso away, stepping his heavy boots into a dark, secluded corner of the parking lot pavilion to answer the secure line."What is it?!" Min-juh hissed in a low, intensely frustrated, and venomous whisper through his teeth, his knuckles turning a sharp white color as his fists clenched [Ch. 15]. "Why on earth is your voice calling my line right at this specific hour?! Is... is it absolutely, clinically necessary for my registry to come over to those coordinates tonight?"He paused his speech parameters, his dark eyes closing in deep, bitter executive defeat as the voice on the other end delivered a kerrdak command. "...Fine. My system is on its way to the location layout right now."Meanwhile, back near the luxury sports chassis, Kim Jae stepped his boots directly between Kang Ha-joon and Kim Han-eun's close proximity. His large frame forcefully broke their intense gaze, smoothly separating her body parameters away from the CEO's chest casing."Whoa there, hold the parameters!" Kim Jae laughed heartily, trying to use his voice to lighten the thick romantic tension suffocating the air layout. "What exactly is going on between you two files tonight?"Han-eun quickly, frantically composed her system parameters. Her face burning like an absolute furnace from total embarrassment, she took a rapid step back, completely breaking away from Ha-joon's personal circle to fix her obsidian gown panels [Ch. 16, 19]. Ha-joon's long fingers slowly retreated back into his pockets, his executive mask freezing back over with absolute corporate coldness [Ch. 19].Just then, Lee Min-juh hung up the electronic connection, pocketed his device, and walked back toward their coordinates. His broad shoulders were slumping, and his demeanor was visibly heavy-hearted, filled with deep, burning regret as his dark eyes locked onto Han-eun's face [Ch. 17]."I am profoundly, deeply sorry, Han-eun..." Min-juh opened, his deep voice laced with absolute, unyielding frustration as his jaw tightened. "But a highly urgent, critical matter has just popped up inside my company logs, and my registry mandatory has to leave this sector immediately. My system was explicitly planning to execute a ride transit and drop your frame home safely, but...""It's completely, totally fine, Lee," Han-eun responded with a soft, reassuring smile, her shyness fading as she looked up. "No problem at all for the database. Go right ahead and take care of your high-priority work parameters."Bound tightly by his mysterious obligation and the caller's hold, Lee Min-juh took one long, deeply reluctant look at Han-eun's face, shot a sharp, bone-chilling glance of pure hostile fury toward Kang Ha-joon's stance, and stepped inside his luxury vehicle cabin [Ch. 17]. He forcefully stepped on the gas pedal, and his sports car drove off into the darkness at maximum velocity, vanishing past the highway corridors.The remaining four stood entirely frozen on the concrete asphalt, watching his red taillights disappear into the immense, dark city night—completely sealing the explosive parameters of the cliffhanger ahead under the Seoul sky.