Friday night settled heavily over Krosmetics Headquarters.
The towering building, usually alive with polished footsteps, ringing phones, and the quiet urgency of luxury business, had gone almost silent. Most of the lights were off. Most of the employees had gone home. The long hallways felt unusually hollow, as though the building itself were mourning.
In one of the upper meeting rooms, only Kro and Sue remained.
Two cups of coffee sat between them, sending thin spirals of steam into the stale air.
Kro leaned back in her chair, her expression unreadable, though a shadow of confusion lingered in her eyes. In front of her lay two files—the final two candidates from the interview.
Misaki Akeshi.
Ukraine Song.
They had risen above the others quickly. Both were excellent in different ways. Under normal circumstances, Kro would have taken more time deciding. But these were not normal circumstances.
Loro was gone.
And Kro, a woman who ran one of the most powerful cosmetic empires in the country, suddenly found herself without the one person who had stood beside her longer than almost anyone in the world.
She needed a replacement.
Fast.
Sue tapped Misaki's file with one manicured finger.
"Miss Kro, if you ask me, Misaki deserves to be in my department," she said. "She's smart, ambitious, polished. In short, she's a treasure."
Kro's gaze moved to Ukraine's file.
"So you're saying Ukraine should be my temporary assistant?" she asked. "I doubt it."
Sue blinked. "Why?"
Kro gave a sharp exhale and rested one elbow on the table.
"He looks too perfect to handle my business," she said flatly. "He looked like someone who used to have his own assistant."
Sue laughed lightly, though Kro did not.
"I don't think so. He's just a graduate. A twenty-nine-year-old graduate."
"First of all," Kro said, "I doubt he's even twenty-nine. He doesn't look that young, and he certainly doesn't look too old either."
Sue frowned. "You mean to say he lied?"
Kro's expression barely shifted. "I mean to say there's something about him that doesn't add up."
For a moment, silence returned.
Then Kro straightened in her seat and closed Misaki's file.
"Anyway, let's do this. I'm giving Misaki back to you."
Sue nodded.
"Email the list of successful candidates to HR before midnight," Kro continued. "I want all of them informed by Sunday. I expect every new recruit here on Monday morning."
"Got it, boss."
Sue gathered the files, then paused. "How about Ukraine?"
Kro's eyes settled on his name once more.
"Call him," she said. "Inform him that he's been assigned as my temporary personal assistant until I find someone excellent for the position."
Sue tilted her head. "Temporarily? So once you find the perfect assistant, Ukraine gets fired?"
"No," Kro said. "He goes to your department and does the job he applied for in the first place."
Sue relaxed. "That makes sense."
Kro lifted her coffee and took a slow sip. "I always make sense, Sue."
Sue smiled. "Yes, you do."
She stood, stretched her body after hours in the chair, and stacked the files neatly.
"Boss, I'll see you Monday. Have a great weekend."
Kro looked at her over the rim of her cup.
"I just lost Loro, so I doubt I will. You should have a great weekend."
Sue gave a tired snort.
"My mother-in-law still doesn't want to give my daughter back, so no great weekend for me either."
That finally earned the faintest flicker of life in Kro's eyes.
Sue shrugged. "Let's just breathe. Everything passes fast."
Kro gave a small nod.
After Sue left, Kro sat alone in the meeting room for another minute, listening to the silence. Then she gathered her things and went downstairs, where her driver was already waiting.
...
Saturday morning arrived beneath a gloomy sky.
The clouds hung low and heavy over the city, threatening rain at any moment.
To Ukraine, it was perfect weather.
He woke up later than usual, tangled in blankets and half-lost in the residue of restless dreams. For a few moments he lay still, staring at the ceiling, until the sight of the dark sky outside his window gradually pulled a smile from him.
Rainy weather always made him feel strangely alive.
Soon his room was filled with music.
Ukraine moved about in an oversized shirt and loose pants, singing into an imaginary microphone, strumming an invisible guitar with great passion and even greater lack of skill. He danced around with ridiculous confidence, entirely alone and entirely unashamed, proving to nobody but himself that dignity was a flexible thing.
Then his phone rang.
The music stopped.
Ukraine lunged for the device and frowned at the unfamiliar number glowing on the screen.
Ordinarily, he hated answering unknown calls.
That morning, for reasons he could not explain, he did.
"Ukraine speaking."
"Good morning, Ukraine. This is Sue, the marketing director of Krosmetics. I'm calling to inform you that you got the job as—"
"I GOT THE JOB?" he shouted, nearly dropping the phone. "Oh, thank you so much! Really, thank you! I can't believe it—thank you!"
Sue's voice sharpened instantly.
"Ukraine, you have to listen first."
His celebration died mid-breath.
"You got a job in my team," Sue continued, "the marketing team. But the president just lost her personal assistant five days ago, and she needs a temporary replacement."
Everything inside him went still.
His grip tightened around the phone.
"W-wait," he said. "Are you saying I'm supposed to assist her for the time being?"
"Just for a month," Sue replied. "We'll understand if you say no."
Ukraine shut his eyes.
Kro.
He had wanted to work close to her to investigate her.
But not that close.
Not within arm's reach.
Not in the direct line of whatever she truly was.
He swallowed.
"If I say no," he asked carefully, "will it jeopardize my chance of joining the marketing team?"
Sue did not bother softening the truth.
"If I were the president, I'd understand. But Miss Kro isn't like me. So yes—it will jeopardize your chance of joining the marketing team and Krosmetics."
Ukraine dragged a hand over his face. Frustration began building under his skin.
"Can I think about it?"
"How long do you need?"
"A day or two."
Sue scoffed so loudly he had to move the phone from his ear.
"You've got to be joking. This is Krosmetics. If we had time to waste, we wouldn't be here right now. I expect an answer in an hour."
Ukraine let out a long, defeated exhale.
"Fine. I'll call you in an hour."
"Great."
The line disconnected.
Ukraine lowered the phone slowly and stared into space.
This was what he had wanted. Wasn't it?
A chance to get close to Kro. To observe her. To learn what she was hiding. To uncover the truth his family had chased for decades. And yet now that the opportunity had appeared, it didn't feel like victory. It felt like being called to the mouth of something dark and ancient.
His knees weakened enough that he had to sit down.
...
At the Akeshi estate in Seki, the mood was no lighter.
Misaki had been summoned by her father.
Since it was far from the first time, she arrived without worry, moving past the guards with the ease of someone raised in such luxury yet never impressed by it.
In the dining room, her parents were already having breakfast.
Her mother sat gracefully at the table, teacup in hand. Her father, Minister Akeshi, wore the expression of a man already irritated by a conversation that had not yet begun.
Misaki smiled politely and sat beside her mother.
No dramatic entrance.
No surprise.
Everyone had expected her.
The minister waited until he had finished his tea before speaking. During that silence, he cast enough judgmental glances at his daughter to say everything without words. Misaki understood the message.
"I hear you went for the interview last Saturday," he began.
"Yeah," Misaki said simply. "I did."
He folded his hands. "Is that really what you want? Did you have to do that?"
Misaki frowned. "Do what? I don't understand."
"I have a list of the best beauty companies in the world," he said. "All you have to do is choose one, and the job is yours."
Misaki held his stare. "I already applied for the best beauty company in the world."
The minister's face hardened.
"First of all, you won't get the job, because the CEO is a bitch. And second, this is me giving you a choice—either do what I say, or be cut off."
Misaki's expression changed.
Not fear.
Disappointment.
"You're my father," she said quietly, "and that will never change. But I don't want to be locked inside your world all my life. Keep doing your politics and let me do my own thing."
"No."
The answer came like a slap.
Misaki turned to her mother.
"Don't you get tired of this conversation? Because I do. That's why I moved to my own house—to avoid all this."
Her mother's face softened with helplessness.
"Just listen to your dad, Misaki."
Misaki stared at her in disbelief.
"You too, Mom? Come on. What is wrong with this house?"
She rose halfway from her chair, then sat again, trying to steady herself.
"I love you both. But I'm not your little girl anymore. Let me walk my own path."
Her father leaned forward, voice thick with agitation.
"What if I tell you the CEO of that company is my greatest enemy?"
Before Misaki could answer, her phone chimed on the table.
A new message.
Unknown number.
She glanced down.
And then read it again.
MISAKI AKESHI,
WE'RE HAPPY TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU GOT A JOB AT KROSMETICS AS A MEMBER OF OUR MARKETING TEAM.
PLEASE CONTACT THE NUMBER BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLARIFICATIONS AND FURTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.
A smile broke across her face before she could stop it.
Pride lit her from within.
She turned the screen toward her parents.
The silence that followed was priceless.
The look on her father's face gave her a satisfaction so pure it nearly made her laugh.
She pushed back her chair and stood.
"Even God has been on my side this whole time," she said. "I'm finally cutting off the leash, Father." Her eyes sharpened. "I hope we don't start crossing into each other's personal lives anymore."
Then she turned and walked out of the dining room, feeling taller than she ever had before.
Behind her, Minister Akeshi sat frozen.
Embarrassment burned beneath his skin.
His jaw clenched.
And deep inside, his rage shifted shape.
It was no longer only about his daughter.
Now, somehow, it was about Kro.
He took it as a challenge.
...
Sunday Evening
Columbarium
Ukraine didn't understand why Sue had asked him to meet her there.
The moment he stepped out of his car, a strange, heavy feeling settled over him. The air around the columbarium felt darker somehow, as if the building itself carried the weight of countless goodbyes.
He pulled out his phone and read the message again.
The address was correct.
He was supposed to enter the building and find Section E.
It took him nearly five minutes to locate it.
When he finally arrived, he stood frozen in front of the sliding door, his imagination feeding his fear with every possible worst-case scenario.
Finally, he exhaled slowly and pushed the door open.
The first thing he saw was a woman's back.
She wore a black dress, and her wavy ponytail fell down to her waist. A familiar scent drifted through the quiet room. The moment Ukraine recognized it, his heart nearly stopped.
Kro.
He glanced around quickly, hoping someone else was there.
Anyone.
But the room was empty.
It was just the two of them.
"Come in, Ukraine," Kro said without turning around. "And close the door."
"Y–yes."
He slid the door shut behind him.
But he didn't move any closer.
Kro slowly turned her head and saw him standing far away.
"What are you doing over there?" she asked calmly. "Come pay your respects to Loro… the person you're about to replace."
Ukraine swallowed hard.
"Y–yes."
He forced his legs to move.
As he approached, he finally saw what Kro had been looking at.
A small memorial niche. A jade urn rested inside, beside a framed photograph of Kro and Loro together. Both women in the picture were smiling warmly.
Ukraine bowed his head respectfully.
"Loro passed away six days ago," Kro said quietly. "She was seventy years old."
Her voice remained steady as she stared at the photo.
"She was always there for me… like the mother I never had. I never imagined her death would hurt this much."
Ukraine didn't speak.
His eyes lingered on the photograph.
It was the first time he had ever seen Kro smiling.
It looked… different.
Softer.
More human.
Kro turned toward him.
Ukraine instinctively lowered his gaze, too nervous to hold eye contact.
"I'm not easy to deal with," she said calmly. "You'll find working for me difficult. I have a lot of rules. I get irritated easily. Sometimes I look unimpressed even when I'm not."
She folded her arms lightly.
"My mood swings are terrible, and I hate excuses."
Then she looked at him directly.
"We'll be working closely together for one month. I hope you won't give up on me after only a few days."
Ukraine nodded quickly.
What he didn't expect next was Kro extending her hand toward him.
For a handshake.
Ukraine stared at it.
His mind exploded with ridiculous fears.
What if touching her electrocutes me?
What if she reads my mind the moment I grab her hand?
He remained frozen.
"Ukraine," Kro said, raising an eyebrow. "Your hand."
"S–sorry."
His heart pounded violently as he finally reached forward and took her hand.
The moment their skin touched—
Ukraine's head snapped up.
Shock filled his face.
Kro looked completely human.
Soft features.
Calm eyes.
And yet…
Her hand was ice cold.
Not cool.
Not chilly.
Dead cold.
A wave of disbelief rushed through him.
...A corpse, he thought, completely stunned.
***