The silence in the room stretched so long it was suffocating.
Kang Hye-rin's pulse thundered in her ears as she waited for the laughter, the ridicule, the sting of being humiliated in public again.
But it didn't come.
Instead, Lee Joon-hyuk tilted his head slightly, dark eyes fixed on her. "Go on," he said.
The simple words carried a weight that made her breath hitch. Everyone at the table shifted in their seats, confused. No one had expected him to encourage a junior staff, let alone her.
Hye-rin swallowed hard. "I just mean…" Her voice trembled, but she steadied herself. "Numbers and slogans can't make people feel connected. LJ Group is powerful, yes, but if it wants long-term loyalty, it has to show sincerity. People want to feel understood, not just impressed."
A few of her colleagues exchanged skeptical glances. One senior cleared his throat, about to dismiss her, but Joon-hyuk raised a hand. Instantly, the room fell quiet.
His eyes stayed on her, sharp and unreadable. "…Interesting."
Her heart jumped.
He leaned back in his chair. "Develop it further. I want a draft proposal on my desk in three days."
Gasps rippled through the team. Hye-rin's stomach dropped.
"Me?" she blurted before she could stop herself.
"Yes, Miss Kang. Or do you think you can't handle it?" His tone was calm, but the challenge was clear.
Heat rushed to her cheeks. Every instinct screamed at her to back down, to fade into the background like she always did. But instead, she lifted her chin. "I can handle it."
"Good," Joon-hyuk replied simply, already turning his attention back to the agenda. To him, the matter was closed. But to Hye-rin, her world had just turned upside down.
When the meeting ended, she packed her things quickly, desperate to leave. But even as she walked out, she felt the weight of his gaze on her back.
And for the first time since joining LJ Group, Kang Hye-rin realized she had stepped onto a battlefield she wasn't prepared for.