The next morning felt strangely normal.
At least, it should have.
Seo Yoon sat at her desk, reading through a report while the city slowly came alive beyond the windows.
Everything was exactly where it belonged.
Her coffee.
Her documents.
Her schedule.
Her phone.
Yet something felt different.
She knew why.
Yesterday.
Sang-Hyun.
His confession.
Her answer.
No.
She had rejected him clearly.
There was no misunderstanding.
No hesitation.
No room for interpretation.
And yet...
She couldn't stop thinking about the conversation.
Seo Yoon closed the file.
"Annoying."
She leaned back in her chair.
Why was she even thinking about it?
She had more important things to worry about.
Her company.
Her responsibilities.
The strange memories.
The cycle.
Her enemies.
There was no room for unnecessary complications.
Especially not feelings.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
Seo Yoon glanced at it.
A message.
From Sang-Hyun.
She stared at the name for several seconds before opening it.
Sang-Hyun:Good morning.
She blinked.
That was it?
No mention of yesterday.
No attempt to change her mind.
No argument.
Just...
Good morning.
She typed a reply.
Seo Yoon:Morning.
She put her phone down.
Three seconds later, it vibrated again.
Sang-Hyun:Did you sleep well?
She frowned.
Seo Yoon:Yes.
Another message.
Sang-Hyun:Good.
Seo Yoon stared at the screen.
"...That's it?"
She almost laughed.
Yesterday he had practically told her he was interested in her.
Today he was acting like nothing had happened.
She couldn't decide whether that was irritating or strangely reassuring.
At the office, Seo Yoon buried herself in work.
She attended meetings.
Reviewed contracts.
Approved several major decisions.
By lunchtime, she had completely pushed the previous night's conversation out of her mind.
Or so she thought.
Her assistant entered her office.
"CEO, there's someone here to see you."
Seo Yoon didn't look up.
"Who?"
A brief pause.
"Mr.Sang-Hyun."
Her pen stopped.
Of course.
"Send him in."
The door opened.
Sang-Hyun walked inside.
He looked exactly as composed as always.
No awkwardness.
No frustration.
No visible disappointment.
Seo Yoon narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you here?"
"Business."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Business?"
He placed a folder on her desk.
"There's an opportunity involving two companies."
She opened the folder.
The information was legitimate.
Interesting, even.
She looked at him.
"You came all the way here for this?"
"Yes."
"Nothing else?"
"No."
Seo Yoon studied him carefully.
She had expected him to act differently.
But he wasn't.
He wasn't pressuring her.
He wasn't bringing up her rejection.
He was simply...
Respecting it.
And somehow, that surprised her more than anything else.
She closed the folder.
"The proposal is interesting."
"I thought you'd say that."
"But I'm not agreeing yet."
"I didn't expect you to."
Seo Yoon looked up.
"You really accepted my answer?"
Sang-Hyun met her eyes.
"I heard it."
"That's not the same thing."
"It is."
His voice was calm.
"You said no."
A pause.
"So I accepted it."
Seo Yoon didn't know what to say.
For once, she had expected an argument.
Instead, there was none.
Sang-Hyun turned toward the door.
Then stopped.
He glanced back.
"I meant what I said yesterday."
Seo Yoon's expression became guarded.
"But I won't pressure you."
He paused.
"You don't owe me anything."
Something in her expression softened.
Only slightly.
"Good."
He nodded.
Then walked out.
The door closed behind him.
Seo Yoon remained seated.
She stared at the folder on her desk.
Then at the door.
"...Why does that make things more complicated?"
That evening, Seo Yoon returned home earlier than usual.
She walked into her bedroom and placed her phone on the desk.
She changed into comfortable clothes and sat near the window.
The city glittered beneath her.
She thought about Sang-Hyun.
Not romantically.
Not yet.
Just...
Curiously.
He was powerful.
He was intelligent.
He understood the pressure of being the eldest.
And, despite everything, he had accepted her boundary.
That mattered.
Seo Yoon looked down at her hands.
For years, she had believed that anyone getting close to her would eventually try to control her.
Sang-Hyun hadn't.
At least...
Not this time.
She sighed.
"I still rejected you."
Her voice was quiet.
"As I should have."
She looked back toward the city.
Her future was still hers.
Her decisions were still hers.
And she wasn't going to abandon that simply because someone had developed feelings for her.
But perhaps...
Rejecting someone didn't mean she had to hate them.
Perhaps she could let someone exist in her life without giving them control over it.
That was something she had never considered before.
Her phone vibrated.
She looked down.
Another message.
Sang-Hyun:Don't work too late.
Seo Yoon stared at it.
Then typed:
Seo Yoon:Stop worrying about me.
His reply came quickly.
Sang-Hyun:I'll try.
She rolled her eyes.
But this time...
She smiled.
Just a little.
And she didn't force herself to hide it.
Because it was her choice.
And maybe that was what mattered most.