The black van hummed with a quiet, expensive vibration as it tore through the grey streets of Incheon, heading back toward the heart of Seoul. PD Na Ye-eun was driving herself, a rare occurrence. She didn't have a manager with her, and she didn't have a camera crew. She just had Kang-joon.
Kang-joon sat in the passenger seat, his head leaning against the cold window. He watched the rain-slicked world fly by—a blur of concrete, neon signs, and people living lives that didn't reset every time they failed.
"I'm sorry, Kang-joon-ah," PD Na said. Her voice was thick, lacking the sharp, directorial edge she usually carried on set. "I should have stood up to the CEO. I should have trusted my gut instead of the monitor."
Kang-joon didn't look at her. He watched a single raindrop race across the glass. "You did what was logical for the show, PD-nim. A scandal of that magnitude is a variable that can't be ignored."
