Min-ji walked into the office late.
Her legs felt stiff from the cold outside, and she was already annoyed with herself for not leaving earlier. The glass doors closed behind her, shutting out the noise of the street. Inside, everything looked the same as always—rows of desks, muted conversations, the low hum of computers.
She went straight to her desk.
She dropped her bag on the chair, sat down, and reached for her laptop, even though she hadn't turned it on yet.
"Min-ji ," someone called. "You're late today."
She looked up. Maya was standing near her desk, arms crossed, not angry—just tired.
"You were supposed to set up the meeting room."
Min-ji nodded once. She didn't explain. She didn't apologize. She stood up again and grabbed the keys.
"I'll do it now," she said quietly.
She walked away before Maya could reply.
Behind her, she heard two coworkers talking in low voices.
"She doesn't look okay."
"Yeah. She's been off all morning."
Min-ji kept walking.
She worked at one of the biggest design companies in town. Everyone knew it. People would kill for her position. The pay was good, better than anything else she could get right now. Losing this job wasn't an option.
So she kept her head down.
She avoided drama. She did her work. She stayed quiet.
At least, she tried to.
The meeting room was empty when she got there.
Min-ji turned on the lights and started setting things up. Chairs. Notebooks. The projector. She checked the agenda on the screen and adjusted the alignment even though it was already fine.
She needed something to focus on.
When she finished, she went back to her desk and picked up her sketchbook.
"It's time," she said to the others. "Let's go."
They followed her into the meeting room and took their usual seats around the long table. Min-ji sat across from the presentation screen, placing her sketchbook beside her notebook.
A few minutes later, the head of the office walked in. She greeted everyone quickly and went straight into the meeting.
Min-ji listened at first.
She took notes. She nodded when it seemed right. She tried to stay present.
But her thoughts kept drifting.
A face flashed in her mind.
She pressed her lips together and looked down.
Her pen moved without her noticing.
At first, it was nothing. Random lines. Small shapes. Something to keep her hands busy while the meeting dragged on.
Then the lines changed.
Curves connected. The shapes became deliberate. Familiar.
She didn't realize what she was drawing until someone leaned closer.
"What's that?"
Min-ji stopped
She looked up and saw Daniel standing beside her. He was one of the senior designers—quiet, serious, the kind of man who noticed things other people missed.
She followed his gaze down to the page.
Her chest tightened.
The symbol was there. Dark, clear, like she had meant to draw it all along.
"Where did you see that?" Daniel asked.
"I didn't," she said quickly. "I just—"
She stopped when he closed his folder.
"Erase it."
His voice was calm, but there was no room for argument.
Min-ji stared at him for a second, then slowly closed the sketchbook.
Daniel straightened and stepped back into his place. The meeting continued like nothing had happened.
When it ended, everyone went back to work.
Min-ji sat at her desk, moving papers around without really paying attention. Her mind wouldn't slow down.
She kept seeing the symbol.
She felt a presence beside her.
"Don't draw that again."
She looked up.
Daniel stood there again, his voice low.
"Why?" she asked.
He didn't answer right away.
"Because if you can draw it," he said, "someone can see you."
Then he walked away.
Elena sat there, stunned.
She wanted to follow him. To ask what he meant. To tell him he was making no sense.
Her phone buzzed on the desk.
She flinched and picked it up.
Unknown number
You're thinking too loud, Min-ji .
Her fingers went cold.
She looked around the office. Everyone was busy. No one was looking at her.
But the feeling didn't go away.
Someone knew.
And whoever it was, they were closer than she wanted to believe.