The morning sun spilled through the towering windows of BigHit’s executive floor, casting soft golden light across the polished marble. She sat perched at the edge of the long meeting table, flipping through briefing notes with her usual quiet focus. The scent of fresh coffee lingered in the air from the break room down the hall.

Across the room, Park Jimin entered with two coffees in hand, his leather shoes clicking softly against the marble floor. He stopped beside her, setting one cup gently on the table.

"Vanilla latte," he said. "No syrup, just how you like it."

She looked up with a grateful smile, brushing her hair behind one ear where it had fallen forward. "Kamsahamnida, Jimin-ah. Lifesaver!"

He returned her smile, subtle and soft. "That’s my job."

But she had come to learn that Jimin’s presence went beyond any job description. When the board overwhelmed her, when expectations crushed her chest like a physical weight, when the pressure of becoming her father’s successor threatened to crack her composure—Jimin was always there. Gentle, steady, and never demanding.

They didn’t talk about those things.

**But today, something shifted.*

There was a knock, and the door opened to reveal a tall, confident figure in a sleek designer suit—Seo Jihoon, the ambitious son of a major shareholder. The faint scent of expensive cologne preceded him into the room.

Jimin’s jaw tightened, barely perceptible beneath his calm exterior.

"-ssi," Jihoon said with a charming smile, walking in like he owned the space. "I thought I should come introduce myself properly... since we’ll likely be seeing more of each other."

She stood slowly, her chair scraping softly against the floor. Jimin stepped back quietly, watching from the corner of the room as something unfamiliar stirred within him.