Although the project would officially begin months later, Lee Jae-Hyun wanted Ji-Ah to visit the location early so they could shape the concept and atmosphere together.
The next afternoon, Ji-Ah received a message from Lee Jae-Hyun.
The new café project location had finally been secured. He suggested a quick site visit, explaining that the concept wasn't just a simple café. It would function as a luxury corporate lounge—an elegant space where investors could meet privately and important discussions could take place away from the noise of the city.
He insisted that Ji-Ah come personally.
"Your design perspective is important," he had said politely during the call. "This space needs the right vision."
Ji-Ah agreed.
An hour later, her car pulled up in front of a tall glass building still wrapped in scaffolding. The structure was clearly under construction, but even in its unfinished state it carried the promise of something impressive.
Inside, the building smelled faintly of fresh cement and metal.
Lee Jae-Hyun greeted her near the elevator with his usual calm smile.
"Director Ji-Ah. Thank you for coming."
"It's an important project," she replied professionally. "I wanted to see the space myself."
They rode the elevator to the upper floor.
The doors opened to a large empty hall.
Concrete floors stretched across the room, unfinished pillars rising toward the high ceiling. One entire side of the hall was made of floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Outside, the city shimmered with evening lights.
Even unfinished, the view was breathtaking.
Ji-Ah slowly walked forward, her heels echoing softly across the concrete.
Lee Jae-Hyun joined her beside the window, unfolding a blueprint.
"This entire section," he explained, pointing across the hall, "will be the main lounge area."
Ji-Ah studied the layout carefully.
"And here," he continued, moving his finger across the paper, "we'll have private tables for investors and corporate meetings."
He gestured toward the far corner.
"Those windows will give guests a full view of the skyline. It should feel exclusive… almost like a hidden retreat in the middle of the city."
Ji-Ah lifted her gaze from the blueprint and looked around the empty space.
For a moment she didn't speak.
In her mind, the unfinished hall was already transforming.
Elegant lighting.
Soft music.
Polished marble floors.
A quiet yet powerful atmosphere.
"It has potential," she finally said. "The openness works well for a lounge concept."
Lee Jae-Hyun smiled slightly.
"I thought you'd see it that way."
As they continued discussing the layout, Ji-Ah suddenly felt something strange.
A faint sensation.
Like someone was watching.
Her eyes drifted instinctively toward the glass balcony outside the hall.
For a brief moment, she saw a figure standing in the shadows.
Tall.
Still.
Hands resting inside his coat pockets.
Min-Ho.
He stood partially hidden in the dim light beyond the glass, his expression unreadable as he observed the scene inside.
He didn't move.
He didn't interrupt.
He simply watched.
Inside the hall, Lee Jae-Hyun stepped closer to show her another section of the blueprint.
"If we move the bar counter slightly toward this wall," he said, leaning beside her shoulder, "the seating arrangement becomes more balanced."
Ji-Ah nodded, studying the paper.
From the balcony, Min-Ho's gaze darkened.
Min-Ho's gaze hardened.
He had watched wars unfold with calm precision… yet the quiet closeness between them unsettled him more than any battlefield ever had.
A few minutes later, Ji-Ah stepped out of the hall to take a call from her office.
When she finished and turned back toward the corridor—
Someone stepped into her path.
Min-Ho.
He stood directly in front of her, blocking the way.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The air between them felt tight with tension.
Min-Ho's voice was low when he finally broke the silence.
"So this is where you spend your evenings now?"
Ji-Ah crossed her arms slightly.
"Working."
His eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"With him?"
A small flicker of irritation crossed her face.
"Why does it matter to you?"
Min-Ho didn't answer immediately.
He simply looked at her.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and unreadable.
Then, without another word, he stepped aside.
Ji-Ah walked past him and returned to the hall where Lee Jae-Hyun was waiting.
Min-Ho remained in the corridor.
Later, as the meeting ended, Ji-Ah paused near the large glass window.
Outside, light rain had begun to fall across the city.
Drops slowly slid down the glass, blurring the distant skyline.
Behind her, somewhere in the shadows of the unfinished building, Min-Ho lit a cigarette and watched quietly.
The café wasn't built yet.
But something far more dangerous had already begun inside its unfinished walls.
"The café wasn't built yet… but something far more dangerous had already begun inside its unfinished walls."