Morning light slipped through the sheer hotel curtains, quiet and uninvited.
Seven days.Same hotel. Same floor. Different rooms.
And yet, the distance between them felt thinner every day.
Ji-Ah stood near the window, phone in hand, screen dark. Notifications were muted, but the noise in her head wasn't.
Power couple of the year.Unavoidable chemistry.Is this partnership strictly professional?
She exhaled slowly.
A knock.
Soft. Controlled.
She already knew who it was.
"Call time's been moved up," Min-Ho said when she opened the door. Casual. Professional. As if last night hadn't happened.
"Okay," Ji-Ah replied.
Just one word. Safe. Neutral.
The studio was flawless.
Perfect lighting. Clean lines. Styled precision.
"Closer," the photographer instructed."Relax. Trust the frame."
Min-Ho stepped in, his hand hovering near Ji-Ah's waist—close enough to feel, not close enough to touch.
Her breath faltered for half a second.
Focus.
The camera clicked.
"That's it," someone murmured. "Perfect."
During the break, reporters crowded the edge of the set.
"Are you two dating?""Is this more than just a campaign?"
Ji-Ah glanced sideways at Min-Ho before answering.
A single second of eye contact—brief, silent, charged.
Min-Ho smiled smoothly.
"We respect each other," he said. "Right now, our focus is the project."
Approved answer. Clean headline.
Still, something in Ji-Ah shifted.
The hallway outside the elevators was quiet that evening.
Too quiet.
Ji-Ah stepped out—and nearly collided with Min-Ho.
No cameras. No staff. No audience.
Just them.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded, then hesitated.
"How do you stay so composed all the time?" she asked quietly.
He took a moment.
"I'm not," he said. "Only when I have to be."
Silence settled between them.
The elevator doors slid shut behind him.
"Good night," Ji-Ah said.
He looked at her like there was more he wanted to say—something he chose not to.
"Good night, Ji-Ah."
The elevator descended.
And both of them knewthis wasn't just the end of a day.
It was the beginning of something harder to control.