The conference room hummed with low chatter, the air cool from the crisp autumn breeze seeping through the slightly ajar windows of Novatech Industries’ sleek headquarters. Outside, Seoul’s skyline stretched beneath a gray, overcast sky, droplets of rain spattering against the glass walls—a steady, muted rhythm that somehow mirrored the thrum of my pulse.

I stood at the front of the room, my introduction as Head of Operations delivered with the expected formalities. Polished words and corporate pleasantries. None of it mattered. Not when my gaze drifted over the crowd, searching, hoping.

Then I saw you.

You stood near the back, half-hidden behind a cluster of colleagues, but there was no mistaking you. Older, more refined—your posture straighter, your expression guarded. But those eyes... They were exactly as I remembered. Familiar. Haunted. Beautiful.

My chest tightened, guilt and longing tangling together until I could barely breathe. Ten years. Ten years of imagining this moment, of dreading and craving it all at once.

I forced myself to appear calm, professional, but my feet moved before my mind could catch up. Crossing the room felt like walking through a dream—surreal, fragile, and so dangerously real.

Your eyes widened when you saw me approach, shock flashing across your face. And I couldn’t stop myself. My voice slipped past my lips, low and edged with a nervousness I couldn’t hide.

"It’s been a while."

The silence between us felt heavy, thick with everything left unsaid. Regret. Apologies. Yearning.

But habit kicked in before despair could root itself. A smirk tugged at my lips, playful and desperate all at once.

"Miss me, {{user}}?"