The morning after the silent confrontation between Ares and Jae Min passed tensely. Mira kept her head down, diving into work, her thoughts still tangled in the quiet words Ares had whispered under the moonlight. She hadn't told anyone not even Jae Min. Some things were too fragile to expose.
But as the hours ticked by, an unusual buzz moved through the office.
Whispers.
People straightening their ties.
Secretaries moving faster than usual.
Mira looked up from her screen when she saw Jae Min pause mid-step, face hardening.
"What's going on?" she asked softly.
He didn't look at her. "He's here."
"Who?"
Jae Min's voice dropped. "Han Ji-Won. Ares's father."
Mira stilled.
She had seen the name on internal records vague mentions in the family trust, international expansions, and once, in a high-level shareholder memo. But he was a ghost. A name, not a presence. Until now.
The elevator dinged.
The floor fell quiet.
Han Ji-Won stepped out like he owned the air itself.
Tall, commanding, dressed in a dark navy suit that looked handcrafted in Europe. His silver-streaked hair was brushed neatly back, and his eyes sharp, calculating swept the floor without needing to speak.
Executives stood.
Employees bowed.
Even department heads moved back with subtle deference.
He walked like a king returned to his court.
When his gaze landed on Mira, she froze. Just for a second.
And he noticed.
"Ares?" Han Ji-Won asked, not breaking stride.
"He's on his way," Jae Min said, voice even, though Mira noticed the tightness behind it.
Han Ji-Won's eyes flicked to Mira again. "You?"
"Mira Jeong," she replied.
There was something unreadable in his smirk. "So, you're the strategist everyone's whispering about."
Before she could respond, the glass doors behind them slid open.
Ares walked in.
His presence, always cool and magnetic, now carried a heavier weight. He wore a crisp charcoal suit, sleeves casually pushed back, watch gleaming on his wrist.
But his eyes…. didn't even glance at her.
He walked past Mira as if she wasn't there.
Not a flicker of acknowledgment.
Her breath hitched more in confusion than hurt.
"Father," Ares said simply.
Han Ji-Won smiled. "Ares."
The two embraced briefly. More a transaction of power than affection.
Jae Min followed them as they disappeared into the boardroom, the glass door closing behind them with a soft thud. Before stepping in, Jae Min turned back just for a second and gave Mira a look.
Not pity. Not warning.
Something more cautious.
Something protective.
Mira stood alone, fists clenched by her sides.
She didn't understand why Ares had acted so cold. Not even a glance?
After everything?
She sat back at her desk and opened her laptop, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Her mind, however, was stuck behind that glass wall watching the three men locked in a conversation that would shape the future of Han Group.
And perhaps.... more.
Because now she had seen Han Ji-Won.
And her instincts whispered something she couldn't ignore.
He wasn't just a powerful figure.
He was dangerous.
Not because of what he had done but because Mira couldn't read him.
He was too calm. Too polished. And nothing like Myung-Shik Han the man who destroyed her life.
No, Han Ji-Won wasn't a monster. At least not in the same way.
He was the kind of man who smiled while placing a dagger exactly where it would hurt most.
And that made him even more dangerous.
Confused mira in her thoughts, planning what to do next, which card should she play first?
a son who had just walked past her like she meant nothing
Or
Han Ji Won
the game had changed now?