Now What?
The first morning after losing Syntek felt… wrong.
Kira Yoon woke up without an alarm.
No boardroom. No back-to-back calls. No heels. No power.
Just sunlight.
And silence.
☕ The Kitchen
Rina was already making coffee, hair a sleepy mess, wearing Kira's oversized sweatshirt like it belonged to her now.
She handed over a mug.
"I didn't know how strong you like it when you're unemployed," she teased.
Kira almost smiled.
Almost.
📄 Job Offers
Her inbox was full.
Consulting gigs. CEO seats at rival companies. Private deals.
She deleted them all.
Rina noticed.
"You're not going to rebuild?"
Kira shook her head.
"I don't want to climb another ladder just to breathe at the top."
Rina set her mug down.
"What do you want?"
Kira looked up.
"I want something that can't be voted out from under me."
🧃 The Idea
Later, at the café (now her unofficial workspace), Rina was restocking syrups.
Kira sat in the corner, scribbling in a notebook.
When Rina glanced over, she saw three words circled in ink:
Independent. Ethical. Human.
Rina blinked. "That's not a name."
"No," Kira replied. "It's a promise."
👩💻 The Plan
She outlined it like code.
A startup.
Small. Private.
Tech built with ethics, not ego.
No board. No shareholders.
Just people. Helping people.
She looked up.
"I need someone who knows what real people want. Someone intuitive. Who sees what others miss."
Rina tilted her head.
"Are you… hiring me?"
"I'm asking you to help me build a company worth working for."
Rina grinned.
"You had me at independent."
🧊 Meanwhile: Helena
In her glass tower, Helena stared at the early reports.
Searches for Kira Yoon had tripled.
Investor confidence in Syntek had plummeted.
She clicked off the monitor.
And muttered:
"You should've stayed in your box, Kira."