“Me?”

Kyung Joon scrunched his face in disbelief. Of course, he was genuinely taken aback.

“That’s right. Secretary Ryu, you and Seo Ha are in a relationship! Today, when you got out of the car together, you two were so affectionate…!”

Ji Soo’s voice trailed off as she flinched. The reason was that Kyung Joon’s eyes, which had been emotionless and dark as usual, suddenly turned cold. Feeling an inexplicable pressure, Ji Soo quickly turned her head to look at Seung Oh.

“Brother…”

Seung Oh let out a soft sigh and nonchalantly patted Ji Soo’s shoulder.

“Anyway, now that things have come to this, please lead the team well, Team Leader Lee. Help out, teach them if they don’t know something. That’s what a team leader does.”

“I don’t want to!”

Ji Soo almost screamed as if the mere thought was horrifying.

“Brother, you know how much Seo Ha has tormented me! I can’t work with her. If you’re going to make me keep coming to work, I’d rather not come at all. Sob…”

Hearing this was music to Kyung Joon’s ears. He felt a strong urge to immediately print out a resignation letter and have Ji Soo press her thumbprint on it.

If only he could be sure that Ji Soo would really leave the company without a fuss, he would have put his plan into action right away.

She’d probably go back and torment Seo Ha even more.

Not that Seo Ha would be tormented by such bullying. Considering her strongwilled nature, Seo Ha was not a woman to be trifled with.

But it still irritated him. He didn’t want to see Ji Soo struggling alone in the empty design room or her swollen face after being slapped.

“… Then let’s do this.”

Kyung Joon spoke in a rigid tone. It wasn’t personal. It was merely a more efficient way of handling the situation.

“Team Leader Ji Soo doesn’t want to accept Seo Ha as a team member, and Seo Ha probably feels the same. No one would want to work under the person who slapped them.”

Ji Soo hid behind Seung Oh and glared maliciously at Kyung Joon. Kyung Joon, of course, ignored her.

“What do you think, CEO? How about creating another design room?”

“A design room?”

“What do you mean?”

Seung Oh asked with interest, while Ji Soo exclaimed sharply.

“I believe that Designer Seo Ha is the potential of Kang Yoon.”

The stage was completely empty. The audience that had been seated had all left, and the busy staff members had finished tidying up and disappeared. There were no models flaunting their glamorous walks under the lights.

“…Why does it feel so empty?”

Seo Ha walked slowly along the runway. Click, click, click, click.

It was only when she reached the end that she realized the reason for this emptiness.

No one had congratulated her.

As soon as the results were announced, Ji Soo glared at Seo Ha as if she wanted to kill her. With the team leader who had just returned glaring so openly, there was no one to say ‘good job’ or ‘you worked hard.’

No, that wasn’t the only reason.

A bitter smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

The stronger the light, the darker the shadow.

In this glamorous fashion industry, designers worked so hard that the expression ‘going separate ways’ was fitting. From market research, concept selection, to fabrics and individual materials, there wasn’t a part untouched by a designer’s hand.

But everything was enjoyable. It wouldn’t have been as enjoyable if she had been alone.

Thanks to the team members who would laugh together no matter how hard the process was, encourage those who fell behind, and generously applaud those who were ahead.

Seo Ha sat down at the end of the stage and playfully swung her legs.

She thought she had gotten a bit closer to them. When the team members subtly helped her, she almost felt the camaraderie from before.

“You did well. Your skills are still alive. This is just the beginning.”

Seo Ha’s voice echoed off the wall and returned as a reverberation. It felt like someone was encouraging her, and her spirits lifted a bit.

Tap.

The sudden footsteps from behind interrupted her thoughts. Startled, Seo Ha turned around, recognized the owner of the footsteps, and let out a sigh.

“You scared me.”

“Why are you here like this? You didn’t even answer your phone.”

“Phone?”

She rummaged through her pockets but her phone wasn’t there. It must be in the bag she left backstage.

“Did you know I was here when you put it in your bag?”

“I had a feeling, but still.”

Like Seo Ha had done earlier, Kyung Joon walked slowly along the runway. His long, straight legs in a wellfitted suit, pale skin, and sharp gaze were impressive enough to easily overwhelm any average model.

Kyung Joon walked straight over and plopped down beside Seo Ha. Now there were two pairs of legs swinging at the end of the runway.

“Your design was good today.”

“It’ll be good from now on too.”

A faint smile appeared and disappeared at the corner of Kyung Joon’s mouth.

“Ji Soo made a scene. She said I manipulated the votes because I have a special relationship with Seo Ha.”