Beneath the Starlit Shadows."

all office on the fourteenth floor of an aging building, her desk illuminated by the warm glow of her desk lamp. The distant hum of traffic

thought. She adjusted her glasses-a reflexive habit-and pushed a loose strand of her black hair be

yer. Her office wasn't glamorous-cramped, with a bookshelf overflowing with thick legal volumes and a second-hand couch that had s

the office. It was firm, deliberate, and out of place at this hour. Ha

she called

e man who stepped insid

, slightly disheveled in a way that seemed intentional, and his sharp features were softened only by his full lips, which curled into a faint, almost amused smil

and smooth, with a rasp that sent

ady despite the storm of nerves r

ped closer. His movements were unhurried, deliberate,

older, then back to him. Something about him felt... off. He was too polished, too calm. Th

" she said, her tone carefully neutral. "Wha

his lips twitching into a smirk. "And

nts inside a business contract riddled with complex clauses and contingencies. It was a deal bet

o?" she asked, closing the folder

oof," Jihoon said, leaning back in his chair. "No

like the kind of contract that large

ed sharp. "Because I need someone discreet.

at makes you think I'd agr

d, his gaze locking onto hers, "I

he refused to be intimidated. "I'll have to review it thoroughly before I agree to anything,

is eyes a flicker of amusement, or perhaps approval. He stood, adjusting his

and walked out, leaving H

the way he moved, the quiet confidence he exuded, the undercurrent of danger in his words.

lt heavier than it should, like it carried s