The conference room smelled faintly of fresh coffee and ambition.
Sunlight cut across the glass table, catching the golden edge of Ha-rin's ID badge: Assistant Manager, Product Innovation Team.
She'd waited years for this title. She was ready for anything—except the man at the head of the table.
"Good morning, everyone," Kang Jae-hyun began, his tone smooth enough to be bottled as luxury cologne. "Let's discuss our upcoming 'Aureum Series' launch. Miss Yoon will be leading the creative concept."
Ha-rin's pen slipped from her hand.
"Excuse me?" she asked, blinking.
Jae-hyun leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable. "You said in your interview you enjoy challenges. Consider this one personally approved."
Around the table, teammates exchanged quick, gleeful glances. Rumors of their college rivalry had apparently traveled faster than the elevator.
Ha-rin straightened, hiding her fluster behind a polite smile. "Of course, Director Kang. I'll make sure the campaign meets expectations—if the management provides a clear brief this time."
Min-woo, sitting near the projector, nearly choked on his coffee.
Jae-hyun arched an eyebrow. "Noted. Though some of us prefer initiative to clarity."
"Oh, I have plenty of initiative," Ha-rin shot back. "It's just that some people mistake bossiness for leadership."
The silence that followed was thick—and then, unexpectedly, laughter rippled around the room.
Even Jae-hyun's lips twitched. "Meeting adjourned," he said finally, voice low, "before someone gets fired… or confesses."
Her cheeks burned. "You wish."
---
Later, in the hallway, Min-woo caught up to her, grinning.
"Still alive after round one?"
"I'm fine," she muttered. "Just allergic to inflated egos."
"Sure," he teased. "That allergy looked suspiciously like blushing."
Ha-rin glared, but she couldn't stop the tiny smile creeping in.
---
That evening, as she prepared her presentation slides, a message pinged on her screen:
> From: Director Kang Jae-hyun
Subject: Tomorrow's Concept
Meet me on the rooftop at 7 a.m. I want to see what the 'creative lead' has in mind.
She typed a dozen sarcastic replies, deleted each one, and finally settled on:
> Understood, Director Kang.
---
The next morning, the rooftop shimmered with early light. Nova City stretched below, still wrapped in morning mist.
Jae-hyun stood by the railing, hair slightly tousled by the wind, a rare softness in his eyes.
"Miss Yoon," he said quietly, "do you ever stop fighting long enough to enjoy the view?"
She hesitated, surprised by the gentleness in his tone. "Only when the view isn't trying to out-argue me."
He laughed—genuine, low, and warm. For a moment, the years of rivalry dissolved into something lighter.
"Tell me your idea," he said.
She began explaining—about using real village memories in the product story, about scents that evoke childhood, warmth, and belonging. As she spoke, his gaze lingered not on the charts she'd brought, but on her expression—alive, earnest, glowing with something he hadn't seen since university days.
When she finished, there was a long silence.
Finally, he murmured, "You've changed."
Ha-rin looked at him, puzzled. "Everyone changes."
"Not everyone grows softer," he said.
Before she could respond, a gust of wind swept through, carrying the faint aroma of jasmine from somewhere unseen.
That scent again—impossible, nostalgic, painfully familiar.
She turned away quickly. "We should finalize the theme before the board meeting."
Jae-hyun nodded, but his eyes followed her a moment longer. Somewhere deep inside, a memory stirred—the echo of laughter, a field of wildflowers, and a little girl calling his name.