Chapter 2: The Cold Room

📍 Setting: KA Group Boardroom, Seoul

Characters Present: AK (as CEO), Jeon Eunwoo, KA Executives

POV: Third Person Limited – Eunwoo

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The boardroom was silent.

Not empty—silent.

People sat still, tablets open, pens clicking nervously. The air carried something dense… something sharp, like the moment before a storm breaks.

Jeon Eunwoo adjusted his cufflinks, his jaw ticking in growing impatience.

He hated late meetings. Hated faceless CEOs who thought power was best served cold and distant.

And yet—he was here.

Because KA Group wasn’t just a company. It was a phantom empire. Untouchable. Ruthless.

And today, the CEO herself had summoned him.

Except… no one had ever seen her.

Rumors floated—

“She’s old.”

“She’s inherited the power from a mafia clan.”

“She’s a ghost. A man in disguise. A machine.”

Eunwoo didn’t believe any of that crap.

He believed in control, structure, order.

Not myths.

So when the doors opened and the room stood—he didn’t.

Not until she walked in.

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She didn’t speak at first.

She just moved—like she owned the air everyone else breathed.

Dressed in black, her hair pinned neatly, not a single piece out of place. Her heels didn’t even click against the marble floor.

But her presence did.

Eunwoo’s eyes narrowed.

Young. Too young.

Eyes like smoke—unreadable. Cold.

Lips pressed in a neutral line. Expression soft. But there was nothing soft in her energy.

> That’s not a girl.

That’s a weapon with a pulse.

She sat at the head of the table, folding one leg over the other.

“Begin,” she said softly.

It wasn’t a request.

And suddenly, silence turned into obedience.

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🧊 Meeting Begins:

“Mr. Jeon,” she said, voice smooth and neutral. “I hear your expansion team is requesting space in Tokyo. That area falls under our watch.”

Eunwoo smiled politely. “We’re aware. I assumed you’d appreciate directness.”

She tilted her head, still unreadable. “I appreciate precision more than politeness.”

Touché.

His lips curved faintly. “Then allow me to be precise: I believe our collaboration could benefit both sides.”

AK stared at him for a moment longer than was polite.

Not flirtation. Not challenge. Just… calculation.

> Why does she look at me like she’s solving an equation?

> Like I’m not an equal—just a variable.

“Noted,” she finally said, eyes lowering to her tablet. “We’ll consider it.”

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🔥 Eunwoo’s Inner Thoughts (POV):

He hated her.

No—scratch that.

He hated the way she didn’t flinch, didn’t rush, didn’t smile like the rest of the over-eager executives.

She wasn’t impressed by him. And that irritated him more than it should.

> Who the hell is she?

> Why does her voice sound vaguely familiar?

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🕯️ Scene Break: After the Meeting

Everyone filed out. Except Eunwoo.

He lingered near the windows, under the pretense of checking messages.

She stood alone at the head of the table, collecting her notes. Still graceful. Still composed.

So he tried.

“Miss AK,” he said, voice like velvet with just enough edge.

“I didn’t expect the infamous CEO to be so… understated.”

She didn’t even look up.

“Underestimation makes control easier.”

His brows twitched. “Interesting strategy.”

Her eyes finally lifted—and met his.

And something flickered.

He didn’t know what it was. Recognition? Curiosity?

But she smiled, just slightly.

Not sweet.

Sharp.

“You’ll get used to it, Mr. Jeon.”

Then she turned and walked out—

And for the first time since arriving, Eunwoo forgot why he came.

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✨ End of Chapter 2

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