The band faltered slightly as Ji Eun reached the center. A ripple of confusion passed through the room. She didn't request the microphone. She simply took it. And the room… quieted. Because this was Song Ji Eun. And when she spoke, people listened. She looked around the room slowly.
At the elites.
The observers.
The sharks.
Then...
Her voice came.
Clear.
Steady.
Controlled.
"Good evening," she said.
A polite murmur passed through.
"My family has upheld many traditions over the years," she continued. "Traditions that built trust, alliances… and power."
Her gaze shifted slightly.
Landed...
On Park Hyun Woo.
"And one of those traditions," she added calmly, "is arranging a daughter's engagement on her eighteenth birthday."
More whispers.
So it was true.
Ji Eun smiled faintly.
"But tonight," she said…
A pause.
Just long enough to sharpen every ear in the room.
"I'd like to clarify something."
Silence deepened.
"I will not be getting engaged."
The words dropped like a bomb.
Gasps.
Whispers exploded instantly.
Across the room...
Mo Han's eyes widened.
Park Hyun Woo didn't move.
But his gaze...
Hardened.