The meeting had ended, but Minji couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to be said, something unsaid still hanging in the air. As she walked out of the meeting room, gathering her portfolio under her arm, she heard the familiar sound of footsteps behind her.
She turned, her heart unexpectedly quickening.
Minho stood there, a few paces away, watching her with that same intense gaze. The hallway was quiet, the bustle of the office seeming far away, and for a moment, it felt like it was just the two of them again—no longer colleagues, but something else.
"Minji," he began, his voice low, almost tentative. "I didn't expect this... running into you like this." His eyes searched hers, like he was trying to piece together a thousand unsaid thoughts.
Minji smiled, though it was a little shaky. "Neither did I," she replied, glancing away briefly. "It's... strange, isn't it?"
He nodded, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Yeah. Fifteen years... and yet, it feels like yesterday. I never imagined this kind of reunion."
Her pulse quickened as memories she thought she had buried resurfaced. "I never expected to see you again, either. Not like this. You've come a long way."
Minho gave a small, almost rueful smile. "So have you."
They stood there for a moment, both unsure of how to continue, their words more laden than they were willing to admit. The silence stretched, but this time, it wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable pause—something older, more familiar between them.
Finally, Minji spoke, the question slipping out before she could stop herself. "How did you... get here? CEO, I mean. You were always... different. But this is a lot."
Minho's smile faded just a little. "I worked for it. Never stopped. And you? The designer, the one who left all those years ago—what happened in between?"
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, unsure of how much to reveal. "Life happened. I focused on my career. Tried to forget the past." She met his eyes, something unspoken passing between them. "But... I never really could."
Minho looked at her for a long moment, his gaze softening. "I never forgot you, Minji."
The words hung between them, quiet but heavy.
She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "I— I didn't forget you either, Minho. I thought about you sometimes. Wondered where you were."
He took a step closer, but stopped, giving her space. "It's funny, isn't it? The things we don't forget. The people we can never completely let go of."
Her heart raced as she tried to process what he was saying. "You've done well for yourself. I'm glad."
Minho's eyes darkened slightly, a faint but unmistakable tension filling the space between them. "I'm not so sure about that... Not if I still find myself standing here, talking to you, wondering what could have been."
The air between them thickened, the unspoken history weighing heavily on their shoulders. But before Minji could respond, he stepped back, running a hand through his hair, breaking the moment.
"Anyway, we'll talk more about the project later," he said, his voice shifting back to business mode, though she could hear the underlying emotion that still clung to his words.
Minji nodded, heart still racing, her mind swirling with questions she wasn't ready to ask. "Yeah. Later."
He offered her a small smile, a ghost of the boy she used to know. "Take care, Minji."
"You too, Minho."