Kyung Jun was sitting next to Lee Seung Oh, waiting for the lights to go out.

He had never thought about what conversations took place or what happened behind the glamorous runway.

Design gains meaning only when it takes on a perfect form through all processes and is revealed under the lights. At least that’s how it had been until now.

Jo Seo Ha had been working overtime almost every day for over a month. Leaving at 9 or 10 PM was considered early, and there were days when she stayed past midnight. She would casually mention that she continued working at home after that.

And then she smiled. What was there to be so happy about with dark circles reaching down to her chin? She smiled exactly like Yoon Seo Ha did when her eyes sparkled while looking at the night sea.

The empty seats around started filling up one by one. People whispered into each other’s ears amidst the deeply thumping house jazz melody.

The audience lights gradually dimmed and finally went out completely.

As the music paused briefly, the host appeared to announce the start of the show. Up to this point, it was the same as previous years’ events.

“Before we begin, I have an announcement to make.”

People listened attentively to the voice amplified by the microphone.

“This evaluation meeting will be conducted as a blind assessment. No information will be provided about the new products being showcased, and there will be no discussion time. Participants must evaluate and select products based solely on visual inspection. Please use the tablets being distributed now to input your checklists and make your selections.”

The previously quiet venue suddenly buzzed with murmurs.

Until now, evaluation meetings had started with the distribution of pamphlets containing product descriptions.

Those pamphlets briefly listed the designer’s name and product information, allowing MDs to review them after the show and hold meetings before submitting their final selection list.

That had now changed to a blind evaluation with no prior information.

– Bzzt, bzzt.

Lee Seung Oh’s phone, set to vibrate, rang. He glanced at the name on the screen and pressed the reject button, shaking his head as if he had expected this.

The call ended after just a few rings. Lee Ji Soo looked at her phone and suddenly burst out shouting.

“What is this!”

The designers, who had been bewildered by the sudden change in selection method, all turned to look at Ji Soo.

Among them, Seo Ha’s eyes met directly with Ji Soo’s.

“…It was you?”

Faced with Ji Soo’s fierce glare, Seo Ha tilted her head in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You, it was you. You made them change the evaluation method, didn’t you!”

“Me?”

Seo Ha pointed at herself with her index finger, genuinely doubting if this made any sense.

“Yes! You must have manipulated things behind the scenes! There’s no way this would happen otherwise. I, I didn’t hear anything about this!”

The first model walked out onto the runway. There was no time for pointless arguments with Ji Soo. Seo Ha glanced at the runway peeking through the curtains, then clickety-clacked over to face Ji Soo.

“What does hearing about it or not have to do with anything, Team Leader?”

Ji Soo’s face contorted even more as Seo Ha asked with an expression that said ‘I don’t know anything’.

“What?”

“After all, you’re the most skilled one here, Team Leader. You’ll have the most products selected, so I don’t understand why you’re angry. Wouldn’t a blind evaluation be even better since it will objectively recognize your designs…?”

Seo Ha deliberately trailed off at the end while gauging the reactions of those around her.

There were many traps hidden in this seemingly innocent statement.

If the most designs weren’t selected, it would prove that her past performance was inflated, but rebutting here would make her seem like a designer lacking confidence in her own skills.

“Besides, everyone will recognize your work, Team Leader. You always come out most noticeably at the end, right? Well then, I’ll excuse myself. It’s my turn next!”

Jo Seo Ha scurried off towards the racks full of clothes. Ji Soo bit her lip hard and looked at her models still in preparation.

That’s right. I’m the last in the lineup anyway. Compared to those going out without proper makeup, I have a much higher chance of dominating.

Thinking that way made her feel a bit better.

People held the tablets placed at each seat and focused on the runway.

The first model appeared with a lively walk. Seeing the pale skin, red lipstick, and a ponytail tied up tightly without a single flyaway hair, Kyung Jun slightly furrowed his brow.

“Jo Seo Ha?”

He wasn’t sure what was going on, but it was certainly Jo Seo Ha’s work.

The next one, and the one after that too. The models continued to appear with incredibly plain hair and makeup, capturing people’s interest.

“Are they going with that styling for this season?”

“It’s not bad. It looks chic, actually.”

“Minimal.”

Fingers moved busily across the tablet screens. In fact, while the styling was a bit different, overall the new products weren’t particularly special.

Amidst this, one model appeared. A simple jumpsuit with a loose-fit jacket, brown ponytail. Kyung Jun recognized whose design it was at a glance.

“Oh.”

A short exclamation of admiration escaped from somewhere, unable to be suppressed.

When Yoon Seo Ha was the main designer, Kang Yoon was loved for its simple basic styles with unique points of interest.

After Yoon Seo Ha’s accident, as designers were replaced one by one, it lost its original identity and became just ordinary, or excessively unique styles.

That identity came alive again on the runway. Dressy pants, androgynous yet figure-hugging suits, dresses with unique materials.

The uniformly tied hairstyles actually made those designs stand out even more.

“It’s Jo Seo Ha.”

Lee Seung Oh murmured quietly as he watched the runway. Kyung Jun, feeling somehow displeased, didn’t respond.

Wait. Why am I displeased?

Like himself, Lee Seung Oh had simply recognized Jo Seo Ha’s designs. There was no reason to be displeased.

Am I being oversensitive?

Kyung Jun dismissed the confusion that washed over him as oversensitivity and fixed his gaze back on the runway.

A company’s new products tend to follow the main designer’s style regardless of who designs them. Except for Jo Seo Ha, it wasn’t that different from last year.

Over a hundred such designs came and went. Finally, the last order. Even in a blind show, the finale was undoubtedly reserved for the main designer.

A model appeared wearing killer heels, with makeup reminiscent of a Paris fashion show and flashy accessories.

It was a dress with beads on the hem that sparkled more brilliantly than the spotlight. Overwhelmed by its splendor, people stared blankly at the runway with their mouths open, holding their tablets.

When the voluminous skirt of the dress twirled at the end of the runway, some people even let out gasps of admiration.

She really went all out.

Kyung Jun waited for the show to end with a cold gaze. The extreme flashiness that was impossible to look away from seemed to rather show Ji Soo’s impatience, which he found amusing.

On the other hand, it meant that Jo Seo Ha had enough skill to make Ji Soo so desperate.

“Isn’t it quite impressive?”

Lee Seung Oh leaned slightly towards Kyung Jun and whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“Jo Seo Ha designer. A newcomer who just joined pushing Jisoo to this extent. What do you think, Secretary Ryu?”

“I’m not sure. I never thought this Team Leader was such an outstanding designer from the beginning.”

Kyung Jun was probably the only person in this company who could speak so honestly.

No. There was one more. The person who boldly whispered in Kyung Jun’s ear, ‘As long as Lee Ji Soo is the main designer, Kang Yoon is doomed.’

“…Well, still. Impressive is impressive.”

Lee Seung Oh gave a subtle smile at Kyung Jun’s words, muttered as if to himself.

“Was the sudden introduction of the blind system because of Jo Seo Ha?”

“I just thought it would be more beneficial for the company to do it this way.”

“Ah. I see.”

If they were going to introduce it, they would have done so earlier. They just kept doing things the same way because there weren’t any designers worth expecting that much from. In other words, it meant they could have expectations for Jo Seo Ha.

“You too, CEO Lee, don’t you have a separate reason for accepting such a sudden proposal?”

Kyung Jun asked dryly. It wasn’t probing, but certainty.

“I’m the same as you, Secretary Ryu. A desire for the company to develop.”

As if you would.

Kyung Jun sneered inwardly.

What Lee Seung Oh cherished probably wasn’t Jo Seo Ha’s designs. He just didn’t want to let Jo Seo Ha leave the company. The designs were just a side issue.

His insides twisted sharply. How could this bastard who didn’t even know what kind of woman Jo Seo Ha was, how hard she worked, how passionate she was, be licking his chops so eagerly?

“The results should be out soon.”

Lee Seung Oh stretched his back, stiff from sitting for so long.

It was time to reveal who was more useful to the company between Jo Seo Ha and Lee Ji Soo.

“Oppa.”

Lee Ji Soo called out to Lee Seung Oh, biting her ashen lips tightly.

“This, this is wrong.”

Twenty-four and three.

The gap between a newly hired designer and the main designer.

Just looking at the numbers, there’s nothing special. Except for the fact that the one who set the record of twenty-four wasn’t the main designer, but the new designer.

Ji Soo glared at Lee Seung Oh with resentful eyes.

“How, how could this happen? You didn’t say a word to me! I didn’t know anything−!”

“If you had known. What would you have done?”

Kyung Jun, who had been watching from behind, asked indifferently. The resentful gaze left Lee Seung Oh and fixed on Kyung Jun.

“What do you mean?”

“If you had known beforehand, what? Were you planning to pull some strings behind the scenes?”

“Hey. You, you’re just a secretary−!”

“That’s enough, Team Leader Lee.”

Lee Seung Oh stepped in to stop Ji Soo, who was about to cross the line in her anger.

“Secretary Ryu is the head of the secretariat. He’s also an internal director. It’s insubordination for Team Leader Lee to treat him so casually.”

“Oppa!”

“Call me CEO Lee.”

Lee Seung Oh admonished Ji Soo in a slightly annoyed tone. That made Ji Soo feel even more wronged, and her eyes welled up with tears again.

“The, the votes must have been manipulated. People clapped more for my designs!”

“Because they looked flashy on the surface. But, Team Leader Lee Ji Soo.”

Kyung Jun asked mockingly.

“Tell me honestly. Can you confidently wear the designs you presented this time?”

Lee Ji Soo’s designs certainly stood out in this show. There wasn’t a part from head to toe that didn’t catch the eye. That was precisely the problem.

“How many years have you been designing at Kang Yoon, and you brought such designs to present to customers? And you still say the voting was wrong?”

Ji Soo’s head was spinning from the sharp criticism. The image of Jo Seo Ha and Ryu Kyung Jun getting out of a car together flashed vividly in her mind, and suspicion bred doubt.

“It, it was you, Secretary Ryu, right? You manipulated the votes because of Jo Seo Ha!”