The grand study of the Song residence was cloaked in heavy silence. Even the ticking of the antique clock on the wall sounded louder than usual. Song Minkyu stood beside the wide window, hands clasped behind his back, his figure rigid. Kate Song sat nearby, composed as always, but the strain around her eyes betrayed her unrest. And standing across from them...
Park Hyun Woo.
Unimpeachable.
Unmoved.
As though the storm that had erupted at the gala had merely passed around him, not through him.
For a long moment...
No one spoke.
Song Minkyu Finally Speaks
"You handled yourself well tonight."
His tone was neutral.
Measured.
Not praise.
Not criticism.
A statement.
Hyun Woo inclined his head slightly.
"It did not require much handling," he replied calmly.
A faint gleam of something unreadable crossed Minkyu's eyes.
"Is that so?" he asked.
A subtle tension filled the room.
Because both men understood:
Nothing about tonight had been simple.