Meetings were supposed to be professional.

They were supposed to be about projects, deadlines, and serious discussions.

Not about Minra’s personal life.

And definitely not about her texting a faceless singer every night.

But of course—Reyne was there.

“Oh, don’t mind Minra.” Reyne said casually, leaning back in his chair. “She’s been too busy texting her faceless boyfriend to focus lately.”

The room froze.

Minra’s soul left her body.

Shuun, who had been flipping through reports, stilled.

The air grew heavy.

Silence.

Absolute, deafening silence.

Reyne blinked.

“Wait… why does it feel like I said something I shouldn’t have?”

Because he did.

Minra wanted to crawl under the table and die.

Because everyone knew.

Shuun wasn’t the kind of boss who cared about small distractions.

He allowed a little slack off, a bit of office banter.

But once it was brought up in public—

He had to do something.

To preserve his authority.

To maintain his image.

And Minra knew.

She was about to get scolded.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

.

Shuun set down the file slowly.

He didn’t look at Reyne.

Didn’t even acknowledge him.

Instead, his sharp gaze landed on Minra.

“Miss Seo.”

Her throat dried.

“Are you texting during work hours?”

She swallowed.

“I—No, sir, I only check my phone during breaks—!”

“Is that so?”

The weight of his voice made her stomach twist.

“Then tell me.” Shuun continued, leaning forward slightly. “Why do I keep seeing you distracted?”

Her heart sank.

This wasn’t just about Reyne’s comment.

This was him making an example out of her.

So that no one else would dare bring up personal distractions in meetings again.

She clenched her fists.

She wanted to defend herself.

Wanted to say, “I work hard every single day!”

But she couldn’t.

Because this was work.

And at work, Mr. Hwa was her boss.

Not Shuun, the man who sent her one message a day.

Not that she ever knew.

So she simply bowed her head.

“Understood, sir.”

And that was that.

The meeting continued.

But Minra?

She sat there, sullen, frustrated, and absolutely exploding inside.

.

That night, Minra stormed into her apartment, still boiling.

She wasn’t the kind of employee who slacked off.

She wasn’t the kind of worker who ignored deadlines.

And yet, one little comment from Reyne, and suddenly she was being scolded?

It was so unfair.

And before she could stop herself—

She grabbed her phone.

Opened her messages.

And typed.

[Minra: My boss scolded me today. Who does he think he is?]

[Minra: I work my ass off every single day. But the one time I get distracted for like, two seconds, suddenly I’m the worst employee alive?]

[Minra: Even you, who never know me, actually brighten my day. But my boss— Mr. Hwa just makes it worse.]

[Minra: Anyway, don’t mind me, you don’t have to read this. Just venting…]

She hit send.

Threw her phone onto the bed.

And sighed, rubbing her temples.

It wasn’t like Shuun was going to reply immediately anyway.

His messages were always once a day.

She had plenty of time to cool off and forget about it.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Until her phone buzzed.

Immediately.

Minra froze.

Eyes widening.

Slowly, she reached for her phone.

And stared at the screen.

[Shuun: …who does he think he is, huh?]

Her entire soul left her body.

.

Shuun had been working.

Reviewing reports.

Making decisions.

Convincing himself that he wasn’t waiting for her reply.

And then—her messages came in.

And for the first time since this started—

He replied immediately.

Now, he stared at the screen.

Reading her words.

Again.

And again.

“Even you, who never know me, actually brighten my day.”

The sentence wouldn’t leave his head.

She had no idea.

No idea who she was really complaining about.

And somehow, that made it worse.

“But Mr. Hwa just makes my day worse.”

He frowned.

Had he really been that harsh?

Had she really looked that upset?

Shuun leaned back in his chair, exhaling.

He had only done what was necessary.

Had only scolded her to maintain order.

So why—why was he overthinking this now?

Why did it suddenly bother him that she thought he was unfair?

Why did it feel like he had ruined her day more than he should have?

And worst of all—

Why did it matter so much?

.

Minra stared at her screen, frozen.

Shuun had never replied this fast before.

And he had never sounded like that.

Like he was…

Thinking about it.

For some reason, that made her nervous.

Slowly, she typed back.

[Minra: It’s alright. This has nothing to do with you, Shuun. I was just mad. It’s not a big deal.]

She hesitated.

Then, after a long pause—

[Minra: …but maybe he could be a little nicer sometimes.]

She hit send.

Not expecting much.

But this time—

Shuun didn’t wait until the next day.

This time—he answered immediately.

[Shuun: I guess.]

Minra blinked.

What?

She stared at her phone.

Completely speechless.

She hadn’t expected an actual response.

And now, for the first time…

For the first time, it felt like she was talking to someone real.

Not just a singer.

Not just a voice.

Someone who was listening.

And she had no idea—on the other side of the city, Shuun sat at his desk, rereading his own message.

Wondering why he had said that.

And why, for the first time, those words actually hit him.

.

Chapter 10: "The Apology She Never Expected"