She returned to office, there were files she needed important ones for a presentation. She told herself it was just that.
But part of her also needed the silence.
Outside, the rain, but by the time she reached the 14th floor, it had turned heavy, streaking the glass like falling threads. Mira stood near the large window at the end of the hallway, watching the city blur into soft grays and flashing reds.
Her clothes clung to her from the walk in soaked at the shoulders and sleeves. She shivered slightly, brushing wet strands from her face.
She didn't notice Jae Min at first.
He was down the hall, leaning casually against the doorframe to the strategy department. Watching her. Not like before not with teasing smirks or smug interest—but like he was seeing her for the first time.
Maybe it was the way her shoulders were slightly slouched. Maybe it was the storm reflected in her eyes.
Whatever it was, it tugged something in him.
He disappeared for a moment.
Then, soft footsteps.
A warm paper cup appeared in her peripheral vision.
Mira turned slowly to see Jae Min holding two coffees one already in his hand, the other extended toward her.
"You looked like you needed this," he said, voice unusually calm. Gentle.
She hesitated, then took it. Their fingers didn't touch, but the moment felt intimate anyway.
"Thanks," she said, voice soft.
They stood by the window together, the silence stretching comfortably now.
"I'm… sorry," Jae Min said after a moment, not looking at her. "For making you uncomfortable before. For pushing when I didn't know what you were carrying."
Mira blinked at him. This wasn't the usual Jae Min.
"If you ever need something…. I'm not him, Mira. I don't want to be one more person you have to protect yourself from."
Her grip on the cup tightened slightly. "Ares…." she began, then stopped herself.
Jae Min turned his head slightly. "He's okay. Just…. sad."
Mira looked away.
"He's been through a lot," Jae Min added. "Family stuff. Stuff I wouldn't wish on anyone. Even now, he's trying to hold everything together."
"I didn't know."
"You're not supposed to," Jae Min said. "He doesn't let people see him break. But he's not made of stone, Mira."
Neither of them spoke for a while after that.
Outside, the rain continued.
But inside, there was a quiet warmth in the stillness between them—coffee in hand, burdens unspoken, and the shared knowledge that sometimes, letting your guard down was harder than holding it up.