Chapter 17: Beneath the Surface.

The next few days passed in a whirlwind of work, meetings, and late nights. Isla tried to focus on the upcoming client pitch, pouring all her energy into perfecting every detail. But no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept drifting back to Jin Woo.

Their quiet conversation in the office the other night had left her feeling unsettled. She had thought they'd reached some kind of unspoken understanding, but now, she wasn't sure what it all meant. His words had been sincere, and she had sensed a vulnerability in him that she hadn't expected. But what did it really mean for them? Was this the start of something real, or just another layer of confusion?

The question weighed on her as they continued working together, the tension between them growing thicker with each passing day. They were still professional, still focused on the task at hand, but beneath the surface, Isla could feel the shift. The rivalry that had once defined them was fading, replaced by something much more complicated.

Late one evening, as Isla sat alone in the conference room, reviewing the final presentation slides, she heard a soft knock on the door. She looked up to see Jin Woo standing there, his expression unreadable.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Isla hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

He entered the room and sat down beside her, pulling his laptop from his bag. For a while, they worked in silence, the only sound the clicking of keys and the faint hum of the air conditioning.

But Isla couldn't concentrate. She could feel the weight of his presence beside her, the subtle tension that had been building between them since their conversation. It was like a storm brewing on the horizon, just waiting to break.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She closed her laptop and turned to face him.

"Jin Woo, we need to talk."

He looked up from his screen, his eyes meeting hers. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then he nodded, closing his own laptop and turning to face her.

"I know," he said softly. "There's been... something between us lately."

Isla swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. "I don't know what this is. I don't know if it's just because we're working so closely together, or if it's something else. But it's confusing."

Jin Woo leaned back in his chair, his gaze thoughtful. "It's confusing for me too. I didn't expect any of this. But I can't ignore it either."

There was a long pause as they both processed the weight of his words.

Isla felt her heart race. "I've spent so long thinking of you as my rival, my competition. But now, it feels different. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

Jin Woo smiled faintly, his expression softening. "Maybe it's neither. Maybe it just is."

Isla exhaled slowly, feeling a strange sense of relief. She hadn't realized how much she needed to hear that. For so long, she had been trying to label her feelings, to put everything in a neat little box. But maybe Jin Woo was right. Maybe it didn't need to be defined, at least not yet.

"Do you think we can still work together like this?" she asked, her voice quieter now.

Jin Woo nodded, his gaze steady. "I think we can. We're good at what we do, Isla. And whatever this is between us, it doesn't change that."

She felt a flicker of hope at his words. Maybe they could find a way to navigate this complicated new dynamic without losing the professional partnership they had built.

"One step at a time," he added, echoing the words he had spoken the other night.

Isla smiled, a small, tentative smile, but one that felt real. "Yeah. One step at a time."

For the rest of the night, they worked in comfortable silence, the tension between them no longer as heavy as before. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start—a tentative step toward something neither of them could fully understand yet.

As the evening wore on, Isla found herself glancing at Jin Woo more often, catching the way the soft light from his laptop illuminated his face, highlighting the sharp lines of his jaw and the intensity in his eyes as he focused on his work. There was something about him that intrigued her, something that went beyond the rivalry they had once shared.

Maybe, she thought, this was the beginning of a new chapter for both of them. Something that wasn't defined by competition or resentment, but by a growing sense of mutual respect—and maybe even something more.

By the time they finally called it a night, Isla felt lighter than she had in days. As they walked out of the office together, the tension that had once felt like a barrier between them now felt more like an unspoken understanding.

"Good night, Isla," Jin Woo said as they reached the elevator, his voice soft but warm.

"Good night, Jin Woo," she replied, her heart skipping a beat as their eyes met for a brief moment.

As the elevator doors closed, Isla realized that whatever was happening between them, it wasn't something she could ignore. But for now, she was content to let it unfold, one step at a time.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.