The first full day passed faster than Mira expected.
She spent the morning shadowing a senior manager, learning the project structure and navigating an endless list of clients. Names, numbers, files—it all blurred together.
But she noticed one thing clearly:
Everywhere she went, Ares Han's name carried weight.The employees respected Jae Min.They feared Ares.
By mid-afternoon, Mira found herself assigned to a quiet corner office—a temporary desk for "new talent," they called it. She preferred it that way. It gave her space to watch without being watched.
Mostly.
A soft knock made her look up.
Jae Min leaned casually against her doorframe, holding two cups of coffee.
"Thought you could use this," he said with a crooked smile.
She blinked, surprised. "Thank you."
He walked in, placing one cup on her desk. His gaze dropped to her screen, where spreadsheets glowed under harsh white light.
"First day already drowning you?" he teased lightly.
"I'm fine," she said.
He chuckled and pulled up a chair, spinning it backward so he could lean his arms across the backrest. "You don't talk much."
Mira hesitated. "I prefer to listen."
"Smart." His smile softened. "Not many people do that around here. Most of them are too busy trying to impress Ares."
She tilted her head slightly. "And you?"
Jae Min's smile turned mischievous. "I'm family. I don't need to impress him."
There was something boyish about him. Disarming.
A dangerous contrast to Ares's ruthless energy.
"You're different too," Mira said before thinking.
He raised an eyebrow. "Different good, or different bad?"
She allowed herself the tiniest of smiles. "Good."
Their eyes met for a second too long.Mira looked away first, pretending to take a sip of the coffee he brought. The warmth of the drink seeped into her hands—but it wasn't just the coffee that made her chest feel strangely light.
Jae Min tapped the edge of her desk lightly."If you ever need help," he said, voice dropping into something softer, "you can ask me. Anytime."
She hesitated, something tightening in her chest. Trust was dangerous.
But so was the way he looked at her, like he already wanted to protect something he didn't even understand yet.
Before she could answer, a sharp knock broke the moment—sharp and commanding.
Ares Han stood in the doorway, dark as a shadow, his eyes flicking between them once.
"You're needed in Conference Room B," he said, voice clipped.
Mira rose immediately. Jae Min stood too, but Ares barely spared him a glance before focusing on Mira.
"Bring the Kim portfolio. Now."
Without waiting for an answer, he disappeared down the hallway.
Jae Min watched him leave, then turned back to Mira with a small wince. "Welcome to working under Big Brother."
She smiled thinly, gathering the requested file from her inbox.
But as her fingers brushed the wrong stack, a single folder slipped free—papers scattering.
Mira bent to collect them—then froze.
An old photo had fallen out.
It showed Ares and Jae Min much younger—maybe teenagers—standing beside a third man.
Older.
Severe.
And unmistakable.
Han Myung-Shik.The father.The man responsible for her family's ruin.
But it wasn't the image that froze her blood.
It was the file clipped behind it.
Blackmail evidence.Illegal trade agreements. Hidden bank accounts.Proof of everything she needed.
Her hands trembled slightly as she tucked the folder back into the pile.
Not now.Not here.
She forced herself to breathe normally.
And yet—when she straightened, she found herself looking directly into the glass reflection of the door across the hall.
Ares Han was watching her.
Expressionless.
Silent.
As if he knew exactly what she had just seen.
Mira swallowed and forced her legs to move.
The game had begun.And the stakes were far higher than she imagined.
But as she brushed past Jae Min on her way out, he lightly touched her elbow—barely there.
"Careful," he whispered, the smallest frown creasing his forehead.
Mira didn't answer.She didn't dare.Because for the first time in a very long time, someone's concern felt dangerously real.
And she wasn't sure she could afford to feel anything at all.