Sora-Ara arrived home slightly out of breath.Her bag landed on the couch and she stopped, took in the living room, and felt her stomach drop.
"Oh no…"
A throw pillow sat crooked on the sofa.
Coffee cups and snacks paper were still on the table.
A stack of papers from her business notes lay scattered beside her tablet.
This is not how an apartment should look before a meeting, she muttered.
She moved quickly, straightening the cushions, gathering the papers into a neat pile, and wiping the table with a cloth.
The clock on the wall ticked steadily.
6:42 PM.
She paused for a moment, placing her hands on the kitchen counter as she tried to calm her breathing.
"Okay… relax," she whispered.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes widened.
"Oh!"
She was already moving toward the bathroom before she'd finished the thought.
The sound of running water filled the apartment moments later.
Sora moved quickly under the shower, letting the warm water wash over her, as if trying to rinse away the stress of the day along with the lingering smell of coffee and the city.
Why am I even nervous? she thought.
It's just a meeting…
Still, her heart refused to slow down.
She stepped out, dried off quickly, and stood in front of her open wardrobe with the focused deliberateness of someone making a decision that mattered.
"What do I wear?"
Something simple, she decided.
She chose a long-sleeved top in soft neutral and comfortable lounge trousers — clean, minimal, the kind of outfit that said I am relaxed and in control of this situation without trying too hard to say it. She dried her hair lightly and let it fall naturally over her shoulders, the silk-pressed waves settling into place.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Fresh. Calm.
Or at least adjacent to calm.
When she stepped back into the living room, the apartment felt different.
Quieter.
Prepared.
Her eyes moved slowly across the space—everything was finally in place.
She walked toward the kitchen counter, tapping her fingers lightly against it.
Then she looked up at the clock.
6:59 PM.
Her breath hitched slightly.
One minute.
The silence stretched.
Her heartbeat echoed faintly in her ears.
For a brief moment, she just stood there, staring at the ticking second hand.
Waiting.
Ding dong.
The sound echoed softly through the apartment.
Sora froze right there.
Her eyes flicked to the clock.
7:00 PM.
Right on time.
She smoothed the front of her top nervously and walked toward the door. Each step suddenly felt louder than it should.
Her hand rested on the handle.
Why am I nervous? she wondered.
It was just a consultation.
Just a meeting.
She took a small breath and opened the door.
And time did something strange.
Standing in the hallway was a man who looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine rather than at her apartment door.
Tall—easily over 6feet.
Broad shoulders filled the doorway, his dark suit tailored perfectly to his frame. The hallway light caught the smooth line of his jaw and the neatly parted black hair that fell naturally across his forehead.
For a second, Sora forgot to breathe.
Wait…
This was the consultant?
She had imagined someone older — fifties, perhaps, with the particular gravity of someone whose expertise had been accumulated over decades. Seriously. Probably intimidating in the way that people who are very good at things sometimes are.
Not this.
Not someone who looked this young… this handsome…
Her eyes widened slightly before she could stop herself.
Across from her, Lee Jae-min was equally still.
He had expected a client, yes. But the woman standing in front of him was nothing like the image he had formed in his mind.
Her skin held a warm caramel glow under the soft light of the hallway, smooth and radiant. Her hair framed her face in soft waves, and the top she wore draped gently over her curves in a way that felt effortlessly elegant.
Different.
That was the first word that crossed his mind.
Different… and striking.
Their eyes met.
Neither of them spoke.
The hallway remained quiet except for the faint hum of the elevator somewhere down the corridor.
Five seconds passed.
Ten.
Sora suddenly became aware that she was still holding the door open and staring.
"Say something," her mind screamed.
But Jae-min was thinking the same thing.
Why am I just standing here?
His gaze dropped for a moment before returning to her face. For someone who negotiated multimillion-won business deals without hesitation, he found himself strangely unsure what to say.
Thirty seconds felt like an entire minute.
He cleared his throat.
The small sound broke something in the air between them.
"Um." His voice came out calm, unhurried. Only the single syllable before it gave anything away. "May I... come in?"
Sora-Ara blinked back to herself.
"Oh — ! Yes — yes, of course, please — "
She stepped aside quickly, misjudged the distance slightly, and caught the door with her hand before it swung back into her. Recovered. Gestured inside with what she hoped was the smooth composure of someone who definitely hadn't just almost hit herself with her own door.
As he walked inside, Sora closed the door behind him, pressing her hand lightly against it for a second.
Her heart was beating faster than she expected.
Why does a business consultant look like that, she thought, This hot..? Why is that allowed?
Meanwhile, Jae-min quietly adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, pretending he wasn't equally aware of the strange tension in the air.
"I'm Lee Jae-min," he said.
"Senior Strategy Consultant from Hanseong Holdings & Consulting."
Her eyes widened again.
He really is the consultant…?
"Please, have a seat," she said, gesturing toward the couch.
Jae-min gave a small nod.
For a moment he glanced around.
The apartment was modest compared to the luxury residences he was used to seeing, yet it had a warm and comfortable atmosphere.
The balcony doors were slightly open, letting the cool evening breeze drift through the room
He noticed a photo frame of a young woman
And pausing slightly…
Not understanding why it felt familiar.
"Would you like something to drink? Water… or tea?" she asked nervously.
"Water is fine, thank you."
Nodding quickly, she moved toward the kitchen
As she poured the glass,
Meanwhile, Jae-min sat down, placing his briefcase beside the chair, observing the quiet space.
He noticed the business notes neatly arranged on the table
A tablet.
A notebook filled with handwritten ideas.
Interesting.
This client was clearly serious about her plans.
Sora returned with a glass of water.
"Here you go."
Their fingers brushed briefly as he took the glass.
Both of them paused—just for a second—before pulling back as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you."
She sat down across from him.
For a moment, neither spoke again.
Then Jae-min opened his briefcase and pulled out a thin folder.
"Director Han told me about your business idea," he said calmly.
"A café, correct?"
Sora nodded.
"Yes."
The nervousness from earlier slowly returned.
"I'm still learning though… so I might make mistakes."
Jae-min shook his head lightly.
"Mistakes are part of the process."
His tone was calm.
Reassuring.
Then he added,
"What matters is the strategy behind the idea."
Sora watched him for a moment.
The shy hesitation she had seen earlier seemed to fade when he started talking about work.
Now he looked focused and confident.
Very different from the slightly awkward man who had been standing outside her door minutes ago.
Jae-min opened the folder.
"Let's start with your concept."
Sora nodded.
"Okay."
Neither of them realized it yet, but the quiet conversation that had just begun in that small apartment would slowly pull them into a world far more complicated than either of them expected.
Author note; I will try to update regularly.