The boardroom door shut with a soft thud, sealing off the room like a vault.
Ares stood at the far end of the sleek, black marble table, back straight, arms crossed. Behind him, the skyline stretched cold and golden under the early sun. Han Ji-Won, his father, stood calmly near the centre hands clasped behind his back, gaze pinned on his son.
Jae Min remained by the glass wall, silent, a half-step removed from the tension coiling in the room.
"You're early," Ares said coolly, his voice clipped.
Han Ji-Won smiled faintly. "You were late."
A pause. Neither man sat.
"I heard the board has been restless," Ji-Won said. "And you're ignoring their concerns."
"They've always been restless," Ares replied. "They just want someone to hold their hands while I do the actual work."
Ji-Won chuckled under his breath, walking slowly to the chair at the head of the table. He didn't sit. "You sound like me, twenty years ago."
"You left twenty years ago," Ares said flatly.
"To build what your grandfather couldn't." Ji-Won turned to face him. "And I returned to protect what you could still lose."
Ares's expression tightened, but he said nothing.
Ji-Won moved closer, lowering his voice. "You've changed. Hardened. And yet…. there's softness somewhere. Someone."
Ares didn't answer, but a flicker of something unreadable crossed his eyes.
Ji-Won tilted his head. "The girl."
Jae Min shifted slightly. Ares's jaw clenched.
"I reviewed the reports. Mira Jeong," Ji-Won continued. "The girl you hired, promoted, and now… protect."
"She's none of your concern."
"She is if she's clouding your judgment."
Ares stepped forward, voice suddenly sharper. "Watch your words."
Ji-Won's smile faded. "Son, I'm not your enemy. But I will be, if you let someone turn you into your father's mistake."
That struck a nerve.
Ares's tone dropped. "You were his mistake. You left him to die cleaning up your mess."
The room went silent.
Jae Min looked between them but remained still. This wasn't his war.
Ji-Won's expression flickered just for a second but he recovered quickly. "He died building this company. I lived to protect it. And now, so will you."
"I'm not you," Ares said. "And I don't need saving."
"No," Ji-Won replied, "you need reminding. Blood built this company. But emotion will bring it down."
He walked slowly to the window, voice calm again.
"She doesn't belong here, Ares. Not in this war. Let her go."
Ares remained frozen.
"She has secrets," Ji-Won added. "I've seen the kind of quiet girls who wear masks. Trust me. You don't want to find out too late."
A long silence passed.
Finally, Ji-Won turned back to them, his coat already buttoned.
"I'll be watching," he said, then added with deliberate weight: "As a father. And a director."
He walked to the door, paused once to glance at Jae Min.
Ares hand tightened into a fist on the table.