The rest of the day felt like walking on a tight rope.
Everywhere Kang Hye-rin went, she could feel the whispers. It wasn't every day the CEO himself came down to the PR floor to summon a junior employee. And it definitely wasn't every day someone dared to talk back to him.
What had she done.
Her coworkers threw her sympathetic looks half pity, half awe.
Se-hee, of course, was thrilled.
"You're officially a legend," Se-hee whispered, sliding into the chair beside her during lunch. "The girl who talked back to Lee Joon-hyuk and lived to tell the tale."
Hye-rin groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Don't call it that. He's probably planning my funeral right now."
Se-hee laughed. "Please. If he wanted to fire you, you'd already be gone. No, this is different. I think you got under his skin."
Hye-rin's stomach knotted. That was the last thing she wanted. The less she existed in his world, the better. But something about the way he'd looked at her sharp, unreadable still lingered in her chest.
She pushed the thought away. She couldn't afford to think about him. Not now.
But fate wasn't going to make it that easy.
That afternoon, she was called into another meeting. This time, the entire PR team gathered to present their ideas for the upcoming company campaign. The stakes were high LJ Group was about to launch a major product, and the whole department's future rested on this.
Hye-rin sat stiffly, notebook open, praying she wouldn't be noticed.
Of course, she was.
Lee Joon-hyuk entered the room last, commanding silence without a word. His gaze swept across the table, and when it landed on her, it lingered just a beat too long.
Her pulse quickened.
The meeting began. Senior staff presented their polished proposals one by one, complete with graphs and rehearsed speeches. Hye-rin kept her head down, taking notes. She wasn't about to throw herself into the lion's den.
But then Joon-hyuk spoke.
"Miss Kang," he said suddenly.
Her pen froze. "…Yes, sir?"
"What's your opinion?"
The room fell silent. All eyes turned to her.
She swallowed hard. "M-my opinion?"
"Yes," Joon-hyuk replied coolly. "Or do you prefer to sit quietly while others do the thinking for you?"
Her pride bristled. She could hear the quiet snickers from a few colleagues. This was it the humiliation all over again. Just like Baeksu High.
But no. Not this time.
She lifted her chin. "With respect, sir, I think most of the proposals are too focused on numbers and image. They don't consider how ordinary people will connect with the brand. If LJ Group wants loyalty, it needs to show sincerity, not just power."
A hush spread across the room.
Joon-hyuk's eyes narrowed, studying her. For a moment, no one breathed.
Then, to everyone's shock, he leaned back in his chair and said simply:
"…Continue."
Her heart raced. She had just walked straight into battle.
And somehow, she didn't want to back down.