AT THE TOP

Seungcheol had built his empire carefully.
As the CEO of the most powerful company in South Korea, he wasn't unfamiliar with competition. Rival companies rose and fell every year, each one hoping to take his place at the top. None had succeeded.
Not because he crushed them. But because he *endured*.

There had only ever been one person who could challenge him without resentment.

*Hwang Minhyun*

A friend. A rival. A fellow CEO.

Minhyun's company was strong too-steady, always in the top 5- but still... compared to Seungcheol's? It couldn't compete. Minhyun used to joke that one day he'd overtake Seungcheol, and Seungcheol would simply smile, knowing the competition pushed them both to do better.

Then....Minhyun died.

No explanations, nothing. Just gone.
Then-Something unexpected happened one year after his death.

Minhyun's company began to climb- strategically- slowly but surely enough that Seungcheol couldn't ignore it.

It entered the top three. Then the top two.
And now, two years after Minhyun's death, it stood at number one. Above Seungcheol.
Seungcheol stared at the rankings longer than he'd like to admit.

For the first time in years, Seungcheol didn't feel untouchable. He felt challenged. And beneath that-He felt the faintest spark of anticipation.