His CEO

[M] end game

I remember the first time I saw Jihyo eight years ago. Yejin launched her first fashion line, and the event was nothing short of extravagant. It wasn't my usual crowd, but she dragged me along, insisting it was an opportunity for me to meet someone as well. I didn't care much about it then and I just went to support her.

I still vividly remember how she was standing by the champagne table, her silhouette illuminated by the soft glow of string lights draped over the venue. She was wearing this fitted black dress, it was simple yet elegant but it wasn't the dress that struck me. It was her smile. She was laughing at something Yejin said—a genuine laugh, the kind that reached her eyes and softened her entire face.

I couldn't look away.

"She's already dating Kim Jongkook. I think it started with a blind date, then they instantly clicked." I noticed that Kwangsoo was following my gaze and looked at me as if he was so protective of her. "That's why I got a concert ticket to one of his concerts!"

My chest sank a little at that, though I tried not to let it show. "Oh," I muttered, my tone far too casual to be convincing.

Kwangsoo must've picked up on it because he laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. "Even if she wasn't taken, she's way out of your league."

"I was just looking at her," I said dryly and my eyes found her again, as if drawn by some invisible force.

She looked so... happy. Carefree. The kind of happiness that felt contagious just watching her. It wasn't just her beauty—though there was no denying she was beautiful. It was the way she carried herself, with an ease that made everyone around her seem a little more at ease too. She had this aura about her, like she belonged in the spotlight but didn't need it to shine.

I spent the rest of the night stealing glances at her, pretending to pay attention to conversations when all I really wanted was to hear what her voice sounded like up close. But I didn't approach her.

How could I? She was with someone, and I was just another face in the crowd.

Still, I couldn't shake her from my mind. Even as the party wound down and we left the venue, her image stayed with me—her laugh, her smile, the way her eyes lit up when she was talking to someone. I didn't know it then, but that night would mark the beginning of something I couldn't quite put into words.

It was five years later when I saw her again, not at some high-profile party, but in the middle of a crowded night club. It wasn't a setting I'd have imagined for a reunion—or rather, our first real encounter.

I came there because Kwangsoo, Woobin, and Hyunbin were texting me all night to come to one of the other parties organized by Yejin. I was surprised when she suddenly popped out from the club's entrance. And just like that, I found myself catching up to her just as she stepped closer to me.

"Are you alright?" I asked, my voice hesitant, careful not to startle her.

She turned to me, her eyes glistening with tears, and for a moment, I wasn't sure she'd respond. Then, as if some invisible barrier had cracked, she spoke. "Just take me away from here. Please," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"But—"

"Please..."

I just nodded and gestured toward my car parked nearby. She followed without hesitation, sliding into the passenger seat and sinking into the leather with a quiet exhale. I entered the driver's seat and started the engine. For a while, the silence in the car was heavy, broken only by the hum of the engine and the occasional sniffle from her.

"I told myself it didn't matter," she began suddenly, her voice bitter. "That if he needed space, I'd give it to him. That if he was too busy for me, it wasn't personal." She let out a hollow laugh, her hands twisting in her lap. "But when I saw him here, with her, looking at her like that... and it all feels so goddamn personal," she paused briefly. "He kept saying he was busy. Busy with his tour, busy with meetings, busy with his life. But what about me?" she continued, her voice rising. "Was I just supposed to wait around forever? Was I supposed to smile and nod while he made me feel like an afterthought?"