FIND HIM!

Seo Joon stepped out of the black limousine in front of his company's glass tower, feeling the weight of his return.

Seoul.

The hustle, the sound of cars, the cold wind blowing from the Han River.

Everything was the same.

Only he wasn't.

As he walked toward the entrance, the employees bowed to him, greeting him with the usual "Good morning, Mr. President."

Normally, he would have just nodded, but today he didn't even have the strength for that.

His assistant, Seo-yeon, hurried toward him, holding a tablet and a pile of documents.

"Welcome back, Mr. President. The investor meeting is scheduled for noon, then lunch with Director Park, and after that—"

"Seo-yeon."

His voice was rough. Tired.

"Bring me coffee. And cancel the lunch."

"But—"

He looked at her with a sharp gaze.

Seo-yeon immediately nodded and walked away.

He entered his office and threw his jacket on the chair.

From the glass wall, Seoul looked like a perfect network of lights and roads, but to him… it seemed empty.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

He imagined the Alps.

The white silence.

Her laugh.

The scent of her skin.

He snapped back to reality.

Damn it.

He didn't have time for this.

No time to think about her.

He sat at his desk and began opening his laptop when the door to his office suddenly flew open.

"Seo Joon! You're finally back!"

The voice gave him an immediate headache.

MIN JI.

His ex.

And his nightmare.

"I told security not to let you up," he said coldly, not even lifting his gaze from the screen.

Ji-a laughed and sat on the edge of his desk, crossing her legs in a tight designer dress.

"Oh, come on, Seo Joon. You know they can't stop me."

"What do you want?"

"I want to know where you've been."

"It's none of your business."

Min Ji rolled her eyes.

"I heard you extended your stay in Switzerland. That's not something you usually do. There must be a good reason…"

"You don't know anything about me."

"Oh, I know more than you think."

She leaned closer, placing her hand on his.

"I know you miss me."

Seo Joon immediately pulled his hand away.

"Get out."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you still angry about what happened?"

"No. I just don't care anymore."

For a moment, her face twisted in anger, but it quickly calmed.

"Alright. We'll play it your way. But you know, Seo Joon…"

She lowered her voice to a seductive whisper.

"Whenever you want something… really good… you know where to find me."

She winked and slowly walked out of the office, leaving behind a cloud of expensive perfume.

Seo Joon sighed and ran his hands over his face.

Damn it.

First Lena, now her.

His life was turning into chaos again.

Seo Joon stared at the laptop screen, but he didn't see anything.

His mind was somewhere else.

Specifically, in Switzerland.

He closed the laptop with a sigh and leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples.

The door opened again, but this time without any noise.

"Boss."

Hyun.

His assistant, his friend, and the only person who could talk to him without fear of getting fired.

Seo Joon didn't even look up.

"Please tell me you didn't come with more meetings."

Hyun closed the door behind him and sat in the chair opposite Seo Joon, crossing his arms.

"No, I came to hear how was the vacation I organized for you."

Seo Joon sighed.

"It was… okay."

Hyun raised an eyebrow.

"Okay? I gave you the best hotel, the best ski slopes, the best restaurants… and all you have to say is 'okay'?"

"Yes."

Hyun stared at him for a few seconds, then his eyes lit up.

"Oh, wait…"

Seo Joon looked up and immediately regretted it.

Hyun was already leaning forward with that expression he always had when he sniffed out gossip.

"Something happened, right?"

"No."

"Don't lie."

"There's nothing to talk about."

Hyun crossed his legs and leaned back, not taking his eyes off him.

"Hmm… so there was something. Or better yet – someone."

Seo Joon frowned.

"Hyun."

"No, no, wait…" Hyun raised his hand. "I can piece this together. You disappeared from social media. You extended your stay. You came back and look like a man who's been through a meat grinder. So… woman."

Seo Joon was silent.

Hyun nodded knowingly.

"Definitely a woman."

"Leave me alone, Hyun."

"So she must've been beautiful."

Seo Joon rolled his eyes.

"Stunning."

"Ah-ha! I knew it! And by your expression… I guess it didn't end well."

Seo Joon laughed, but without an ounce of humor.

"To put it mildly."

Hyun continued to watch him, then said in a calm tone:

"You'll tell me when you're ready, right?"

Seo Joon nodded.

"When I get a bit more together."

Hyun stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and started heading toward the door.

"Alright. But you know I'll keep pestering you until I hear the whole story, right?"

Seo Joon just sighed and shook his head.

Hyun laughed and left, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Lena sat on her small couch, wrapped in a thin blanket, staring at the laptop screen.

Her little studio apartment was quiet except for the clicking of the mouse and the low hum of the fridge in the corner.

On the screen—articles about Kang Seo Joon.

His name was everywhere.

"Kang Seo Joon, President of K-Group, returns from Switzerland after an extended vacation."

"South Korea's most eligible bachelor returns to Seoul – will he finally settle down?"

"Photographers caught Seo Joon at the airport – tired, but still unbearably handsome."

Lena chuckled through her tears.

"Of course, he's unbearably handsome..." she muttered to herself.

She opened the image gallery with the article and found one of him exiting the airport.

He was wearing a black coat, his hair a little messy, and his face…

His face was cold. Emotionless.

Her heart tightened.

She wiped away the tears and closed the laptop.

"Enough, Lena… Stop torturing yourself."

But she couldn't stop.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him.

His smile.

The way he looked at her when she thought he wasn't watching.

The way he kissed her, like the whole world had disappeared.

"Idiot…" she whispered, resting her head on her knees.

There was a knock on the door.

"Lena? Are you home?"

She recognized the voice immediately.

Sophie.

Her best friend.

Lena quickly wiped her face with her sleeve and took a deep breath.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and Sophie immediately entered, taking off her jacket.

"I'm freezing! Your building is always so cold!"

She looked at Lena and immediately frowned.

"What's wrong with you? Why do you look like you've been crying for three days?"

Lena weakly smiled.

"Because I have."

Sophie raised an eyebrow, put her bag down, and sat next to her.

"Talk."

Lena shook her head.

"You can't help me."

"Maybe I can't. But you can tell me. Because if you don't tell me, who will you tell?"

Lena bit her lip.

She felt her throat burning again from tears.

She couldn't keep everything inside anymore.

"I owe a huge amount of money," she whispered. "My father made it, but now it's on me. And…"

She breathed.

"And that's why I went to Switzerland. To find someone rich. To… to lure him."

Sophie didn't blink.

She just stared at her.

"And did you?"

Lena laughed through the tears.

"I did."

"And?"

Lena bit her lip.

"I fell in love."

Sophie immediately rolled her eyes.

"Of course you did. Who is he?"

Lena opened her laptop and turned it toward Sophie.

"That one."

Sophie looked at the screen, read the name, and gaped.

"Shit, Lena… You didn't aim low."

Lena just shrugged.

"So what now?" Sophie asked.

Lena shook her head.

"Nothing. There's no chance he'll forgive me. He's gone. He's back in Korea. It's over."

Sophie looked at her for a few seconds, then said:

"No."

Lena looked at her confused.

"What no?"

"It's not over."

"Sophie…"

"Listen to me."

Sophie leaned forward and grabbed her hand.

"You can't stay here. If you don't find the money, you're done. And you know it."

Lena looked away.

"That's why you're going to Korea."

Lena jerked her head at her.

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. I'll help you buy the ticket. You know English, you'll do fine there. You just have to promise one thing."

"What?"

Sophie squeezed her hand.

"First, you'll find him."