The AUREX lobby that afternoon felt like an echo chamber of a world that had grown too loud.The media hadn't fully dispersed; camera flashes still sparked like the remnants of lightning across a hesitant sky.Han Serin stood by the glass wall, staring out — at her reflection, fragile yet unyielding,as if the glass itself divided who she was from who she needed to be.
Behind her, footsteps approached.Soft, deliberate, carrying the weight of a memory she wished she'd buried.And when that voice came — polite, calm, almost rehearsed —the air froze.
"It's been a long time, Serin."
She didn't move at first.A single second was enough to fracture the calm she'd built over the past two weeks.Turning slowly, she met the gaze of the man who once slipped a ring onto her finger —Lee Minseok, heir to Daesan Group.Still charismatic. Still clean-cut.Still carrying that look of entitlement in his eyes.
"Didn't expect to see you here," he said."AUREX, huh? You really know how to make headlines."
Serin straightened. "I just do what I have to."
A smirk."Oh? Or is this your revenge for me leaving you at the altar?"
The words cut deep — sharp under a polished tone.Several staff members nearby lowered their heads, pretending not to hear.But silence had its own noise.
"You were never worth that much effort, Minseok."
She walked past him, but his next words stopped her cold.
"How does it feel… to marry your family's rival?"
Silence.Heavy, brittle, echoing against the sound of rain outside.Before she could respond, the elevator chimed —and Kang Jaehyun stepped out, his black suit slicing through the fading light.
His eyes found Serin.Then Minseok.And the air shifted.
"Mr. Lee," Jaehyun's tone was level, sharp."AUREX isn't a place for uninvited guests."
Minseok gave a practiced laugh."Ah, CEO Kang. Congratulations are in order.You've managed to win the most difficult woman in Seoul."
No smile from Jaehyun.Just two measured steps forward — until he stood beside Serin,his presence cool yet quietly protective.
"She isn't 'won,' Mr. Lee," Jaehyun said softly."She chose to be here — something I doubt you'd understand."
The lobby fell into silence again.The ticking clock became the only sound, as Minseok's stare darkened.He took a small step back, voice dropping into a murmur.
"You know, Serin… not everything that shines survives the storm."
Her eyes didn't flinch.Behind that calm, however, something shifted —not fear, but realization.The storm was indeed coming.And this time, she wouldn't run.