Min-jae sat at the head of the expansive conference table in the glass-and-steel boardroom of the Kang Group headquarters, the weight of the room bearing down on him like a thousand-pound boulder. His father had been clear: This was where he belonged, whether he liked it or not. Tae-hyun had forced his hand, pushing him into the role of CEO despite Min-jae's vehement protests.
The boardroom was filled with high-powered executives from the Kang Group, all seasoned veterans in the world of business, but their eyes kept drifting to the young man at the head of the table. The same young man they had once dismissed as a spoiled playboy—now a chiseled, impeccably dressed leader, his V-shaped torso a testament to his years of grueling physical transformation. His hair was perfectly styled, and the cold, calculating gleam in his eyes betrayed none of the emotion or hesitation that had once defined him.
He was, in every sense, a different man.
Tae-hyun had forced him into the CEO role, demanding that Min-jae prove himself—both to the family and to the world. And so, Min-jae had embraced it, with a fierce determination to prove that he was more than the heir who had once squandered his potential. Every board meeting, every business deal, every decision he made was calculated with precision. He no longer cared about the luxuries of the chaebol life; his focus was on power—on control.
As the meeting unfolded, Min-jae led with quiet confidence, his voice cool and authoritative. He listened carefully to every point made by the board members, before asserting his opinion with the calm assurance of someone who had earned his place. His ability to dissect complex business strategies, weigh the risks, and make decisive calls left his colleagues in awe.
But Min-jae's thoughts were far from the present moment. He was distracted by the image of his ex-fiancée, Yoo Seo-jin. The woman who had once shattered his world with her rejection. He didn't think of her often, but when he did, there was always a gnawing ache—a reminder of the person he used to be. He no longer cared about her, about winning her approval. She was a ghost from his past, but that didn't mean he didn't wonder how she would react when she saw him again.
It wasn't long before Min-jae's answer came—completely unexpected, and yet inevitable.
Seo-jin stared at the screen in disbelief, her hand shaking as she scrolled through the latest news articles. The headlines were everywhere: Kang Min-jae Appointed CEO of Kang Group. Her mind struggled to make sense of it. This couldn't be real. There was no way the same lazy, entitled playboy she had once known—who barely scraped through his degree—could possibly rise to the top of a multitrillion-dollar conglomerate.
She dismissed the news with a scoff. Lies, she thought bitterly. He was always an embarrassment. He doesn't deserve this.
But as the days went on, the news refused to die down. And then came the invitation—a joint venture meeting between the Yoo Group and the Kang Group, the two powerhouses in the industry. A deal that would shape the future of artificial intelligence. The companies had been negotiating for months, but now it was time for the final discussions.
Seo-jin tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in her gut. But when she stepped into the sleek, modern Kang Group headquarters for the first time in four years, she couldn't shake the sense that something was... off.
The moment Seo-jin walked into the boardroom, she froze. At the head of the table, leading the meeting with the same stoic intensity that had always marked him, was Min-jae. She had heard the rumors, seen the pictures, but seeing him in person was something entirely different. He was no longer the overweight, childish playboy she had cast aside.
Min-jae stood before them—lithe, muscular, and breathtakingly handsome, his sharp jawline and intense gaze leaving no room for doubt: he was no longer the man she had rejected. His presence in the room was commanding, as if he had always been meant to lead.
Seo-jin couldn't help but be taken aback. She had assumed the rumors of his transformation were exaggerated. But this... this was beyond anything she had imagined.
And there he was, his eyes cold and indifferent, not even acknowledging her presence. For a moment, Seo-jin's heart lurched. She had expected anger, resentment, maybe even a trace of longing in his eyes. But there was nothing. He didn't care. He was completely detached from the past they had shared.
As the meeting progressed, Seo-jin's attention shifted back to Min-jae. His brilliance in the boardroom was undeniable. He navigated the complexities of the joint venture with ease, his strategic insights cutting through the noise of the other executives. Every word he spoke was measured, deliberate, and convincing. The other board members seemed in awe of him, nodding their heads in agreement, visibly impressed by the young CEO's uncanny ability to lead with such poise and expertise.
Seo-jin watched in stunned silence. She had always known Min-jae was capable of more than he let on, but this... this was a man who had far surpassed her expectations. He was a leader now, not a boy who squandered his future. He was someone who could command a room, dictate terms, and make people listen.
He was nothing like the man she had broken off the engagement with.
And yet, there was something unsettling about him. His indifference stung—an emotional distance that seemed impenetrable. He wasn't the Min-jae she had known, the one who had been desperate for her approval, the one who had loved her with all his heart. He had erased that part of himself, along with everything else.
Seo-jin was left with a bitter realization. The man who once adored her was gone, replaced by a figure who had no need for her anymore. She had broken him, and in doing so, she had lost him forever.
After the meeting, Min-jae remained in the boardroom, signing off on documents and issuing orders to the team. His mind wasn't on Seo-jin, or the pain she had caused him. There was no room for that anymore. All that mattered was business, results, and moving forward. His past was irrelevant.
He glanced up, his eyes briefly meeting Seo-jin's across the room. For the first time in years, he felt something stir inside him. But it wasn't love. It was indifference.
With a steady hand, he signed the final document and turned back to his work, his focus unbroken.
Seo-jin lingered for a moment, her heart heavy with emotions she couldn't quite place. She had always thought she would be the one to move on first, to find someone new, someone who would make her forget Min-jae. But now, seeing him—cold, confident, and utterly indifferent—it was clear that she was the one who had been left behind.
The man she had known was gone. And in his place stood a stranger, a figure of power and success who no longer cared about her or anything they had shared.
Seo-jin had lost him. And now, she would have to live with the consequences.