The office is unusually quiet for a moment — the calm before chaos.
HANNA
(staring directly at Seri, cool and poised)
"All that chaos last night… that was you, wasn't it?"
ANGLE: IM SERI
She freezes. Her hand still hovering over the documents on a coworker's desk.
Eyes locked on Hanna — her calm exterior barely concealing the spike of alarm in her chest.
ANGLE: KIM BORA at her desk
She's glaring suspiciously.
Then — leans dramatically, almost falling out of her chair like a cartoon detective, trying to eavesdrop.
SERI
(tilts her head, calmly)
"I'm sorry. What do you mean by chaos?"
HANNA
(slow, smug smile)
"Oh… didn't he tell you?
Jungho tells me everything.
I'm the one who keeps his secrets."
Her words hang in the air — cutting, loaded.
SERI
(pauses, nods slightly)
"Then I suppose… it's lucky for him you're so good at keeping them."
(smirks subtly)
"Because some secrets shouldn't belong to just anyone."
ANGLE: HANNA
Her jaw tightens for a second. That was not the reaction she wanted.
She leans forward ever so slightly — searching for a crack.
HANNA
"And yet here you are. Unbothered, unreadable. Makes me wonder what you're really here for."
KIM BORA
(under her breath)
"Is this a live drama? Should I get popcorn?"
Before Hanna can press again—
DING!
The CEO's secretary appears — fast, polite, but urgent.
SECRETARY DAEJIN
"Im Seri-sshi. Director Kang would like to see you. Now."
SERI
(offers a small, professional smile to Hanna)
"Excuse me."
She bows politely — and walks away gracefully, head high.
HANNA
(watching her go, eyes narrowed)
Unfinished. Uncertain.
And undeniably annoyed.
A gentle knock.
JUNHO
(from inside)
"Come in."
The door opens.
IM SERI walks in — composed, her expression unreadable.
Their eyes meet.
A beat too long.
JUNHO
(slightly taken aback)
"…Seri-ssi?"
SERI
(tilting her head)
"You called for me?"
JUNHO
(blinks, subtly confused)
"…I didn't."
JUNHO
(quiet, scanning her)
"Seri-ssi? Why are you here?"
SERI
(pauses)
"…Maybe you needed something?"
He studies her. Her tone is neutral — her posture straight. But he's not satisfied.
JUNHO
(flatly)
"Or did you come hoping I'd thank you?"
She blinks — once.
A flicker of surprise, but her face stays steady.
SERI
"No. That's unnecessary."
She exhales, soft and sure.
SERI
"I almost forgot what happened last night…
until someone brought it up again."
His brows draw just slightly.
A pause.
JUNHO
"Someone?"
SERI
(cool, but not impolite)
"Your… confidante.
She seems to remember it more vividly than I do."
He leans back a little, reading between the lines.
JUNHO
(quietly, but sharp)
"Hanna said something?"
SERI
(half-shrug)
"I don't think it matters.
Last night was hardly a 'big deal.'"
She gives a faint smile — not mocking, just dismissive.
SERI
"But if you need to thank me, Director Kang…
please do it when it actually means something."
A quiet beat.
She bows slightly, turns, and walks toward the door.
Seri turns to leave.
JUNHO
(quiet but firm)
"Wait."
She freezes.
Junho removes his glasses slowly.
Seri turns back — her posture stiffens subtly.
Her gaze flits to his now-uncovered eyes. Her throat tightens.
Does he… want to read her again?
The windows slide shut automatically.
Junho takes a few slow steps forward.
Not threatening — just… intentional.
Outside, in the open workspace, BORA is peeking up from her desk like a meerkat.
She squints toward the frosted glass panels and mumbles:
BORA
(almost hyperventilating)
"What in K-drama tension is this?!
He closed the windows. He closed the windows!"
She nearly knocks over her water bottle as she scrambles to grab a tissue she doesn't need.
Sniffs dramatically.
⸻
INT. JUNHO'S OFFICE – SAME
Junho stands just an arm's length from Seri now.
JUNHO
(sincerely)
"Thank you… for last night."
Seri blinks. Not sarcastically — she's caught off guard.
JUNHO
"I didn't expect you to step in like that.
I definitely wasn't hoping you'd take the fall.
And I don't want you to do it again."
A beat.
SERI
(softly)
"…Why wouldn't I?"
Junho exhales, looks away briefly — struggling to articulate.
JUNHO
"Because it's not your game.
It's mine.I don't want anyone getting dragged into this mess."
He hesitates… then adds:
JUNHO
"Especially not some normal, typical employee."
Seri freezes.
SERI
(blinking slowly)
"Normal… typical… employee?"
He senses the shift in her tone — but he keeps going.
JUNHO
"I can't afford to protect anyone right now."
SERI
(quietly, with a faint smile)
"Sorry.
I didn't realize I needed protecting."
That stings. He tries to recover.
JUNHO
"That's not what I meant—"
SERI
(cutting in, sharper now)
"No, I get it.
You don't want to owe anyone.
You don't want anyone getting close enough to care."
Junho exhales, frustrated.
JUNHO
"You're twisting my words."
SERI
"Then maybe you should learn to say them better."
A tense silence.
Junho, not used to being cornered like this — says the worst thing at the worst time.
JUNHO
"Look, maybe it's better if you just…
go back to doing your actual job."
Seri flinches — visibly.
She takes a step back.
Her voice now low, calm, but wounded.
SERI
"Understood, Director Kang."
She turns to leave.
Junho opens his mouth — realizes he's gone too far.
But he doesn't stop her.
He just stands there.
And this time, when the door clicks shut,
it sounds louder than it should.
_____
INT. PANTRY AREA – KANG CORPORATION –
Seri walks in, clearly needing a breather. She pours herself a glass of water and takes a deep breath.
She spots DAEJIN casually leaning on the counter, scrolling on his phone like a man who's seen too much.
She throws him a look.
SERI
(straight to the point)
"So… was calling me to the CEO's office your way of crashing the scene with Miss Sparkles?"
Daejin smirks, not even looking up.
DAEJIN
"I prefer to think of it as… crowd control."
SERI
(raising an eyebrow)
"Subtle. Like a fire alarm with good posture."
Daejin chuckles under his breath.
DAEJIN
"She talks like she owns the air in that room.
You coming in was a nice little reality check."
Seri sips her water, half-grinning.
SERI
"Well, next time you want to 'control the crowd', maybe don't use me as your office grenade.
I don't like arguing with my boss—"
(squints)
"—yet. Not until my probation ends, at least."
Daejin finally glances at her, amused.
DAEJIN
"No promises. But I'll try to schedule your next dramatic entrance… somewhere more scenic."
SERI
(pointing her cup at him)
"Good. I look better with natural lighting."
They share a quiet laugh.
But Seri's smile fades slightly — thinking back to what just happened in the office.
She turns toward the window, eyes distant.
Daejin notices — but doesn't press.
Suddenly—
BAM!
The pantry door swings open like it's a police raid.
KIM BORA
(dramatically pointing)
"Aha! So this is where you two have your little power huddle! First the CEO… now his right-hand man?"
She flips her hair aggressively, accidentally whacking the paper towel dispenser. It flies open. She freezes. Pretends it didn't happen.
DAEJIN
(deadpan)
"Good morning to you too… Miss Investigation Unit."
KIM BORA
(mock-offended)
"Don't try to be witty. I see everything. You think you can climb the corporate ladder with charm and caffeine?"
DAEJIN
"Please. If caffeine was the key, I'd be CEO by now."
Bora gasps. Her eyes widen. She narrows them again at Seri.
KIM BORA
(sassy)
"You may have the boss fooled, but not me. I'm watching you, Im Seri. Always."
She spins around dramatically… but slips slightly on a rogue ice cube from the water dispenser.
Seri and Daejin exchange a look—neither one speaks.
KIM BORA
(quick recovery)
"I meant to do that."
She exits with a dramatic flip of her clipboard.
They laugh. Again.
The basement was quiet, dimly lit by flickering fluorescent lights. Most employees had gone home, leaving only the echo of distant footsteps and the occasional hum of a car engine cooling off. Im Seri stood beside her parked car, her heels silent on the concrete floor.
Her face, illuminated by the pale light of her phone, was unreadable. Calm. Cold. Her fingers moved swiftly across the screen, typing in a secured app with a foreign interface.
"Do not send anyone."
"I'll handle this myself."
"One wrong move, and you'll ruin everything I've planned."
"I said, I've got it."
She hit send and locked the screen without hesitation.
Pocketing the phone, Seri took a slow breath, her expression hardening even further.
Behind her, footsteps broke the silence.
Jungho's voice echoed lightly across the concrete.
"Are you always this dramatic after office hours, or should I be worried?"
Seri didn't flinch. She turned slowly, composed, her expression unbothered.
"Depends," she said flatly. "Do you make a habit of following your typical employees around?"
Jungho narrowed his eyes slightly, taken aback by the sting in her tone.
He didn't answer. Just studied her.
She held his gaze for a moment longer before tilting her head slightly, the corner of her lip curving—not into a smile, but something close to a challenge.
"Relax, Director Kang. I was just leaving."
She turned to open her car door.
Just as she pulls it open, a hand presses against the door — gently but firmly — closing it again.
Jungho stands behind her. Calm, but there's something behind his eyes now. A trace of guilt. A flicker of something he doesn't often show.
JUNHO
"You think I meant it that way… what I said earlier?"
Seri lets out a small laugh — quiet, but tight.
SERI
"Shouldn't I?"
She turns to him slowly. Her gaze isn't cold. It's tired. Bruised in the kind of way people don't see — unless they're looking closely.
SERI
"maybe you're right. Maybe typical workers are supposed to take bullets and be invisible. Maybe we're not supposed to think. Or feel. Or be remembered."
A pause. Her voice softens — dangerously honest.
JUNHO
"Look—"
She holds up a hand. Not to silence him — but to let herself go first.
SERI
"I may be just a 'typical worker' in your world,
But in mine… I fight wars you'll never see."
Junho visibly swallows. Regret washing over his face.
She nods respectfully, her voice soft — almost like a whisper.
SERI
"Next time you speak about people beneath you…
Make sure they're actually standing there."
She opens the door again — this time he doesn't stop her.
And as she gets in and drives away into the dim tunnel, the only thing Junho can do…
…is stare at the space she left behind.
Regret burns quietly in his chest.
But it's too late.