The sun had dipped below the horizon by the time the last of the staff left the building. The meeting room where the two CEOs had earlier faced each other was now empty, save for the tension still lingering in the air.
Min Gyu stood alone near the large window, his hands in his pockets, posture stiff, his sharp eyes reflecting the city lights beneath him. The quiet hum of the air conditioning filled the silence until a soft voice broke it.
"Gyu-jjang."
He didn't turn immediately. Her voice—Na Hye Yoon's—was the same as he remembered. A touch softer, maybe. But that hint of warmth, of stubbornness, still lingered in the way she spoke his name. Not Min Gyu. Not CEO Jang. Just Gyu-jjang, like it was ten years ago.
"You waited," she added, stepping further into the room. Her heels clicked gently against the marble floor.
"I didn't wait," Min Gyu replied, voice calm, almost mechanical. "You stayed behind."
There was a pause. Hye Yoon looked at him, studying the man who had once held her hand beneath the cherry blossoms on their school campus. The same man who had disappeared one rainy afternoon without saying goodbye.
"It's been a long time," she said quietly.
"Ten years," he replied. His voice didn't falter. Cold. Clean. Almost indifferent.
She gave a bitter smile. "You remember the number of years, but not the reason you left."
He finally turned his head, just enough to look at her. His gaze was unreadable. "I didn't forget anything."
A beat of silence stretched between them, thick with all the things that were never said. She took a step closer.
"Why, Gyu-jjang?" Her voice cracked just slightly. "We were in love… weren't we?"
He looked at her fully now. His face betrayed nothing. No hint of warmth, regret, or even conflict. Just those cold eyes that seemed to see through everything and feel nothing.
"I had to leave."
"That's not an answer." Her voice rose slightly. "Do you know what it was like for me? Waiting every day for a call, a message—anything. I thought something happened. I thought maybe you—!"
"You're not a child anymore," he cut her off, voice firm but low. "You should've known better."
That stung. Her fists clenched by her side, tears building up behind her eyes. She blinked them away.
"You were my first love, Min Gyu." She didn't call him Gyu-jjang this time. "I deserved more than a silent goodbye."
He looked away. "The past is the past."
"And yet here we are, standing in the same room again."
He didn't respond. Silence settled between them like fog, thick and bitter.
She exhaled slowly. "You always did that. Shut people out. Push them away."
"Maybe that's who I am," he said.
A pause. Then he took a step toward the exit.
"I have nothing else to say," he said flatly. "Good night, CEO Na."
With that, he walked past her and left. No glance back. No pause. Just the cold sound of his footsteps fading into the hallway.
That night, in a quiet convenience store lit by flickering fluorescent lights, Kang Jin Woo sat on a plastic chair outside, a can of beer in hand. He wore a black hoodie and jeans, his posture relaxed but eyes distant.
Min Gyu approached from the opposite side of the street, his long coat trailing slightly behind him in the breeze. Jin Woo looked up and let out a low whistle.
"Well, look who crawled out of his marble office," he said, lifting his can slightly in mock salute. "CEO Jang."
Min Gyu didn't react. He simply sat down beside Jin Woo, pulling out a canned coffee instead.
"Still don't drink?" Jin Woo asked.
"No," Min Gyu replied. "Still don't know when to shut up?"
Jin Woo chuckled. "You haven't changed at all."
"You have," Min Gyu said flatly.
Jin Woo took a sip of his beer. "Yeah. I got older. We all did. Even Yoon-i."
At that, Min Gyu's gaze flicked slightly to the side, but he said nothing.
"She still calls you Gyu-jjang, huh?" Jin Woo said. "Even after what you did."
"I don't care what she calls me."
"You should."
"I don't," Min Gyu repeated.
Jin Woo gave a slow nod, but his eyes were sharp. "You're still running from something, aren't you?"
Min Gyu said nothing.
"Do you ever think about us? That last day?" Jin Woo pressed. "The four of us—"
"I said I don't care."
Silence fell. Jin Woo sighed and leaned back.
"She cried, you know. For weeks."
Min Gyu stood up.
"This was a waste of time," he said. "Good night."
Jin Woo didn't stop him.
Meanwhile, Na Hye Yoon sat on her couch at home, still dressed from work, a blanket tossed over her lap. The doorbell rang, and she dragged herself up to answer it.
"Min Ji," she said softly as the door opened.
"Unnie," Cho Min Ji replied with a warm smile, stepping in and pulling her into a hug.
"You saw him today?" she asked as she sat down beside Hye Yoon.
"Yes."
"And?"
"He hasn't changed," Hye Yoon murmured. "Not one bit."
Min Ji looked at her sympathetically. "Min Gyu is… complicated."
"No, he's just cold."
"You still love him, don't you?"
Hye Yoon didn't answer.
Back in the countryside, an old traditional house stood quietly under the night sky. Min Gyu stepped inside, removing his shoes with practiced motion.
"Oppa!"
Min Ah's voice rang out as she rushed to greet him. Her face lit up, despite the obvious tension in her eyes. "You're finally home."
He gave a small nod. "Min Ah."
"You could've called, you know. Halmeoni was worried."
"I was busy."
Before she could reply, another voice cut in, sharp and cold.
"So you remember this place exists?"
Min Woo stood at the doorway, arms crossed, glaring at his older brother.
Min Gyu looked at him, unflinching. "Min Woo."
"You don't get to say my name like that," Min Woo snapped. "You left. You left me, Min Ah, Halmeoni, Harabeoji—everyone. No word. No explanation. You just vanished."
"I had my reasons," Min Gyu said.
"Bullshit."
The punch came before Min Ah could stop it. It landed hard against Min Gyu's jaw, but he didn't even flinch. He just looked at Min Woo with the same unreadable expression.
Min Ah gasped. "Min Woo!"
"No," Min Woo growled, stepping back. "He deserves it."
Min Gyu turned away. "If that makes you feel better, then hit me again."
"Don't tempt me."
Silence fell again, but this time it was heavier.
Min Gyu looked at Halmeoni's portrait on the wall.
"I'll sleep here tonight," he said simply.
"You don't need to act like family now," Min Woo muttered.
Min Gyu didn't respond.
Upstairs, he sat in the room he used to sleep in, now dusty and untouched. He sat on the edge of the bed and opened the drawer.
Inside was an old photo—four teenagers smiling under the cherry blossoms.
Min Gyu. Hye Yoon. Jin Woo. Min Ji.
His fingers brushed against it, but his face remained blank.
And then, the flashback began to play in his mind…