Their reconciliation on the office floor was a tectonic shift, but the landscape above remained perilous. They were no longer hiding, but they weren't announcing. They existed in a new, unspoken agreement: they would live their truth together, and let the world adjust at its own pace. Their private language evolved. No more secret documents or coded teas. Instead, it was a steady, visible partnership.
Ha-ru began including Jin-woo in meetings far above his pay grade, not as a token, but as a vital voice. When the CFO droned on about shareholder dividends, Ha-ru would turn and ask, "Jin-woo, what's the downstream environmental cost of that profit margin?" Jin-woo, prepared and precise, would deliver a data-driven analysis that often left the room in a stunned, irritated silence. The message was clear: this man's perspective was non-negotiable.
