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The young CEO stood in the dimly lit gym, his fists pounding into the heavy bag with a ferocity that matched the storm raging inside him.

Sweat dripped down his face as he delivered blow after blow, the rhythmic thud of his punches filling the otherwise silent room. His movements were sharp, aggressive, fueled by something more than just the desire to stay in shape—it was the anger, the frustration, the lingering bitterness from the past few days.

He exhaled sharply, shaking his hand out after another fierce jab. He was on edge, feeling the burn in his arms and shoulders, but still, it wasn't enough.

He needed something to break the tension, something to silence the thoughts that kept spiraling back to Iseul and what had happened between them.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed from the bench beside him. Sunghoon paused, wiping the sweat from his brow before walking over to check the screen.

The name on the screen made his jaw tighten.

Iseul.

His thumb hovered over the screen for a moment before he reluctantly answered.

"What do you want?" His voice was clipped, laced with frustration.

"Where are you right now? We need to talk."

"Come to the company," he said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "They'll guide you to the annex."

Before she could respond, he hung up.

Finally reaching the company, Iseul was guided by Sunghoon's secretary to the annex, which she quickly realized was essentially his apartment. She didn't pause to think much about the fact that he lived within the company, her mind focused on the task at hand.

She arrived at the door, finding it slightly ajar. Without hesitation, she stepped inside. Her surroundings barely registered as she pushed the door open further, her gaze instantly falling on him.

Sunghoon stood there, his hair disheveled and damp, hanging in strands that were different from the well-groomed look she'd seen just the day before.

For a moment, she forgot what she came here for, caught up in the sight of him.

Iseul's gaze hardened as she stepped closer, voice dripping with frustration. "Why'd you give my brother the cash?"

Sunghoon didn't even flinch, his posture stiffening with every word she spoke. His expression was unreadable, but the coldness in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Easy. You played the part — acting all high and mighty, sending your brother in to clean up your mess. I just did my role in the play," he said, his voice laced with mock amusement.

Iseul's lips twisted into an almost bitter smile, her eyes flashing. "I didn't send anyone. I didn't even know Sohee was coming to you."

Sunghoon's gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing as disbelief flickered in them. He leaned back in his chair, the silence thickening. His hand grazed the edge of the desk as he slowly exhaled, his patience thinning.

"Really? You expect me to believe that?"

The air between them crackled with tension, and Iseul felt the weight of his suspicion. Her heart picked up pace, but she forced herself to stand her ground. "I didn't want any of this to happen, okay? But I can't pay you back now because that idiot used the money to clear his own damn debts."

Sunghoon chuckled loudly, the sound almost mocking in its sharpness. He didn't even bother to hide his amusement as he stood up from his desk, his movements deliberate and casual, like he had all the time in the world to play this game. Iseul, confused by his reaction, followed him, her eyes flicking between his smirk and the immensity of the situation.

"Okay, whatever," Iseul finally muttered, trying to keep her composure despite the rising frustration inside her. "I know it's none of your business, but consider it me being indebted to you."

Sunghoon's laughter only grew, loud and insistent. He exhaled in a mix of disbelief and mockery, his eyes glinting with amusement as he leaned back against his desk.

His hands rested casually behind him as he spoke with a grin, "That doesn't make sense. And it doesn't really matter, anyways. But you know what? I don't want anything from you."

Iseul froze for a second, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. The casualness in his tone only made her more irritable. She opened her mouth to argue, but Sunghoon raised his hand, cutting her off.

"Okay, now you've said it. You can leave."

Iseul's mouth tightened into a line, but she wasn't going to back down now. Her pride flared, and she threw in one last cutting remark, "Okay, fine. See you in hell."

Sunghoon didn't even flinch at her words. He simply crossed his arms, his gaze turning cold and fed up. He'd heard it all before, and nothing she said could hurt him.

But, god, he hated her. That much was obvious. His eyes narrowed as he leaned back in his chair, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion creeping up on him.

Iseul paused at the door, the words hanging in the air, but she wasn't going to let this go. She turned back, her voice steady but laced with frustration.

"I have one last thing to ask you. Why did you change the date of the company's founding? Because I'm pretty damn sure it was founded in 2019, not January 2023—the day of our divorce."

Sunghoon didn't even blink at her accusation. He simply leaned back in his chair, arms folded, the smirk never leaving his face.

"Well, Iseul, that's because my life turned out better the day I divorced you."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

Sunghoon's expression didn't waver, though there was a flicker of something darker in his eyes. "Believe it or not, that very day I met the investor who helped me build all of this," he added, gesturing to the lavish room around them, the empire he'd created from the ground up.

Iseul's face flushed with anger as she took a step closer to him, her fists clenched at her sides. "And you didn't even think about me calling me, huh?" she demanded, her voice sharp, cutting through the tense air between them.

Sunghoon's eyes narrowed, a sneer creeping onto his lips. "Why would I call you? It was already over." His voice was colder than usual, laced with finality, as if he had completely detached himself from everything that had come before.

But Iseul wasn't backing down. She crossed the room, the distance between them closing as her words came out in a low, furious tone.

"Of course, you were going to call me. I've been with you since day one. From the moment you came up with the idea to create your app, I was there. Don't you dare pretend I wasn't part of it." Her voice quivered with frustration, a mixture of hurt and rage clouding her judgment.

Sunghoon's temper flared, the tension between them escalating. His hands slammed onto the desk, the noise echoing in the silent room. "Oh, really? Support?!" His voice thundered in the room, louder than Iseul's. "Because all I remember from those days is me on the streets, begging for help, and you weren't there. Hell, you didn't even support me emotionally. I was alone, Iseul. Alone."

The words hit Iseul like a slap. Her heart raced, but her anger overtook any trace of sadness that tried to creep in. She stood there, fists shaking with the effort to not lash out, her voice growing dangerously calm.

"You think I wasn't there for you? You think it was easy for me, watching you struggle while I tried to keep everything together? You had your dreams, and I had to fight for mine. But I still helped you! I still tried, and you... you never saw it."

Sunghoon ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "It wasn't about you helping me! It was about you standing by me, and you didn't do that. You were too busy with your own shit, too busy being angry about everything else to even notice I was falling apart."

Iseul's chest tightened with frustration, but she was done. "I've been nothing but supportive, but you never saw it, did you? You were too focused on yourself to even appreciate what I did. I gave you everything, Sunghoon, everything, and you tossed it all aside."

They stood there, face-to-face, both seething with anger, both unwilling to give in, both holding onto their versions of the past like weapons. Neither of them willing to admit that, deep down, they both felt abandoned in different ways.

The room fell silent once again, the tension thick in the air as Sunghoon's words lingered. His voice, calm yet edged with cold finality, broke the silence.

"Remember what you said when we broke up?" He took a step closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "You said that you never, ever loved me, and that you'd never want to see my face again. You said it, word by word, so clearly."

Iseul felt a pang of guilt tug at her chest as his words echoed in her mind. She remembered it—her words, spoken in anger and hurt, the final blow to a relationship that had already been torn apart by so many misunderstandings.

She could see the hurt in his eyes now, even though he was trying to mask it behind his usual cold demeanor. As Sunghoon continued to move closer, Iseul's anger began to falter. Her fists unclenched slowly, her expression softening, as though his words were chiseling away at the walls she had built around her heart.

"And now I'm going to say this to you," he continued, his voice even quieter, yet somehow sharper than before. "Get out of my life. Just leave me alone."

The words hit Iseul like a physical blow. They weren't the ones she had hoped to hear, not from him, not after everything they had been through.

And yet, as Sunghoon spoke, there was something in his eyes—a vulnerability that she had never seen before. His defenses, which he had carefully built over the years, were beginning to crack.

But instead of showing empathy, Iseul turned away, her heart racing. She knew this wasn't the time to show weakness. "Get out," Sunghoon's voice was low, but it carried the weight of finality. "You know where the exit is."

Iseul didn't respond. She didn't need to. She could feel the shift between them, the walls thickening once more, as the last remnants of their relationship crumbled. Slowly, without another word, she turned on her heel, her footsteps echoing as she walked toward the door.

Sunghoon remained standing in the same spot, his arms crossed, his eyes still fixed on the ground. He didn't watch her leave. He couldn't. It was too much. And so, in that moment, Iseul left him alone—just as he had asked.

Iseul stood outside the company, her chest tight, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. The cool air did nothing to soothe her as the bitter sting of their argument gnawed at her.

She blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears from spilling, but they were right there, threatening to break free. She clenched her fists, the frustration boiling inside her, refusing to let herself break down.

As she stood there, waiting for a taxi, her gaze fell on the glowing billboard in front of her. The bright lights made the words stand out, but for a moment, she didn't even register them.

But then, her gaze dropped to the words printed in bold, unmistakable letters on the banner:

"Park Sunghoon is searching for talented interns."

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NOW WE'RE COMING TO MY FAV PARTSSA