episode 4

Conference Room B at 9:58 AM smells like burnt coffee and bad decisions.

Jun adjusts his tie for the third time. The room is filling: Han Corp execs on one side of the table, his department heads on the other. Mina from Finance is whispering to Legal. IT is pretending to fix the projector. Everyone is normal.

Except Tae Hyun, who walks in at 9:59 AM holding a laptop covered in stickers and a mug that says _World’s Okayest Creative Director_.

He does not look at Jun.

He sets up at the front of the room, plugs in, and immediately starts talking to the Han Corp VP like they’re old friends. “You ever try presenting at 2 AM? It’s either genius or a fireable offense. No in-between.”

Jun’s pen snaps.

Mina glances at him. Jun sets the broken pieces down carefully. “Proceed.”

The pitch starts. Tae Hyun is good. He’s better than good. He talks about brand identity like it’s a love language. He shows mockups with clean lines and quiet colors, and every slide has that tagline in the corner: _For the quiet moments._

Jun hasn’t heard a word since 10:02 AM.

Because Tae Hyun is standing exactly where Jun left his phone yesterday. Because when Tae Hyun gestures, his cardigan sleeve rides up and Jun can see a smudge of blue paint on his wrist. Because at 10:14 AM, Tae Hyun looks directly at Jun and says, “Sometimes the strongest brands are built when no one’s watching.”

It is not about Han Corp.

It is not about branding.

Mina kicks Jun under the table.

Jun blinks. Han Corp’s CEO is waiting for an answer. Tae Hyun is waiting too, but not about the pitch.

“Continue,” Jun says. His voice is steady. The Ice Prince is back online.

The rest of the meeting passes in a blur of projections and profit margins. Han Corp loves it. They’ll have contracts drawn up by EOD. Legal is thrilled. Mina is already calculating her bonus.

Jun is calculating how many company policies he’s broken in the last 12 hours.

When it’s over, the room clears fast. Handshakes, business cards, _let’s circle back_. Jun stays seated, pretending to review notes.

Tae Hyun packs up slowly. Too slowly.

“Good job,” Jun says when they’re alone. It comes out stiff. Wrong.

Tae Hyun zips his laptop bag. “Thanks, CEO-nim.” Formal. Distant.

Jun hates it.

“You—” _Kept the blanket._ “The tagline was effective.”

Tae Hyun finally looks at him. Really looks. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Jun stands. “IT said they contained the email.”

“I know.” Tae Hyun slings his bag over his shoulder. “I asked.”

Of course he did.

They’re three feet apart with a conference table between them. It feels like the roof. It feels like nothing like the roof.