"You wanted to meet me?" Dahyun inquired, noticing Sana's disinterest in her cup of coffee. That brought the woman back to reality, and she shifted her eyes to Dahyun, who chuckled lightly at her action. "Are you okay? You seemed to be thinking about something really deep."

Sana pressed her lips together, attempting to find the proper words. What she is about to take up is something she would not do if she had a choice. "I'm embarrassed, and I know I'd appear to be a thick-faced person asking you about this, Atty. Kim," she whispered, unable to look Dahyun in the eyes. "But I really need your help," she continued.

"Hmm?" Dahyun arched both brows, sensing the other woman's uneasiness. It alarmed her, but she resolved to keep a straight face. "Tell me," She urged, "and I'll do everything I can to help you; after all, I still owe you something."

"It's actually about that," Sana said.

"What about it?"

"Have you found any position available for me?" Sana inquired, finally gathering the confidence to look the other in the eyes. "I simply..." she fidgeted her thumbs anxiously as she clenched her hands under the table. "I'm trying to deal with a personal matter right now, and I'm short in finances to support it," Sana murmured, her tears welling up again.

"What's the matter?" Dahyun asked, her elbows extended over the table. She couldn't bring herself to reach out and ask Sana to take her hand. After all, they didn't know each other all that well. However, Dahyun's sympathy for the woman is heartfelt. "Ms. Son hasn't contacted me yet, so I'm not sure if she has anything for you," she admitted openly.

After hearing that, Sana's heart grew heavier, and she felt even more hopeless. Her odds of finding employment any time soon are at an all-time low. This simply implies that it will take her a long time to get her father out of jail, and she fears that it will be too late by then.

"If you need money..." Dahyun couldn't finish because the woman cut her off.

"I can't accept that kind of help," Sana murmured, shaking her head. She sniffled as she continued, "I can't even get a job yet, so how can I be so sure when I'll be able to pay you back?" It made sense, and Dahyun didn't want to pressure the woman to take something from her. "It's difficult for me to take any money unless I know I'll be capable of paying it little by little soon. And it is impossible to do something like that without getting a higher-paying job."

Dahyun could only answer, "I understand, Sana." She sighed, wanting to know more about the situation, but the fact that it was none of her business held her back. "I'll follow up with Ms. Son, and if it's necessary, I'll put the pressure on her to do it right away."

"No, it's fine," Sana said, shaking her head. "You don't have to do that, Atty. Kim," she added.

"I'll do it," Dahyun assured. "This is the only assistance I can provide, and it is the only one I believe you will accept," she explained. "Please allow me to help you in this manner."

Sana bobbed her head, made more emotional by Dahyun's willingness to help her in some way. "Thank you, Atty. Kim," she said quietly.

"Don't thank me just yet," Dahyun said. "I haven't done anything for which you should be thankful, and I can't even promise you anything," she breathed.

"It's enough that you came to meet me and listen," Sana smiled, fighting back tears that couldn't be stopped regardless.

Nayeon and her team, on the other hand, had just begun a meeting. Jihyo, one of the heads, has requested an urgent meeting. Jeongyeon already knew what this was about, whereas Nayeon had no idea, but she experienced a discomfort within that was caused by something she couldn't explain.

"As we all know, or most of us know, a multinational artist is supposed to sign a partnership with our company," Jihyo said, peering at Nayeon, who simply bobbed her head and smiled. Jeongyeon noticed the expression made and remembered how the woman had inquired about yet another person that night when she delivered the news. She thought Nayeon should have sounded more dissatisfied at the time.

"What?" Nayeon mouthed to Jeongyeon as she noticed the other was staring at her.

"Nothing," Jeongyeon mouthed as well.

"Unfortunately, Ms. Chou instead signed with Son & Art, our rival company," Jihyo said, causing the other members of the meeting to gasp softly.

"It is sad news, but I hope that instead of this, discouraging us," Jihyo paused, hoping to make a great point, "Why don't we think of it as our driving force to perform much more for our company's growth?" she questioned, but then it made no difference to the other people's expressions. Everyone seemed to be anticipating Ms. Chou to join the company. "This is a favor I'm asking of each and every one of you." "If we let this significantly affect us now, we might not win the following awards night."

"We will win," Nayeon stated confidently, trying not to seem concerned by it. "We also thought they had an advantage last year because they had dinner with one of the line judges."

"But not only did our presented original art earn the top spot, " Jeongyeon interrupted, drawing everyone's attention to her. "We also won the award for the best art firm out of all that exists here in South Korea," she said. "One more win and we'll be qualified for international events," she added.

"This is not the time to be discouraged, everyone," Jihyo replied, softly pounding both fists on the table. "With or without Ms. Chou, the victory is ours."

"With or without Ms. Chou, the victory is ours," Jeongyeon spoke, her eyes fierce, mirroring Jihyo's expression when she said these words earlier. As Nayeon sorted through some papers, she discreetly laughed. Jihyo, on the other hand, glared at Jeongyeon, but the woman continued to . "What? It's great," she exclaimed, just to irritate the other further. "How long did you ponder about such a line? Do you have a script?"

"Will you shut up?" the woman asked, rolling her eyes before settling down on the sofa.

The two are currently with Nayeon in her office because it is the closest, and aside from their laziness to walk to their own workstations, they believed it had been a long since the three of them had gathered here.

"I was trying to cheer them up," Jihyo sighed. "Did you see the look on their faces? It's as if the entire world has collapsed around them and they're about to die."

Oh well, it wasn't an exaggeration. Perhaps these individuals are simply accustomed to winning and feel threatened by this sudden news. In any case, I can't blame anyone for being terrified. They are all aware of the amount of pressure Nayeon puts on them whenever these things are about to occur. If they miss this year's award ceremony, they may be able to get fewer better parts at work. Nayeon would almost certainly be considerably tighter at that time.

"Let's be honest," Jeongyeon stated, drawing the attention of the other two women. "Ms. Chou suddenly signing with Son & Art without first notifying us is extremely concerning."

"Yeah," Jihyo could only respond while Nayeon remained silent, her gaze returning to the paperwork above her desk. "Do you think Son Chaeyoung and Kim Dahyun have a source in our team? Like an inside person..." she inquired, "They seem to always be knowledgeable of what we are planning. The coincidences are becoming increasingly suspicious."

"Ah," Jeongyeon realized, bobbling her head. "You're right; perhaps they have a spy, or if not, they've installed a microphone on the underside of the trashcan in the meeting room."

"What?" Jihyo's forehead furrowed in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Like it's in the movies! Are you stupid?" said Jeongyeon, prompting Jihyo to scoff.

"How can I be the stupid one when you're the one comparing reality to a movie?"

"It's still a possibility," the woman asserted, making the other grumble in annoyance. "I should go check the bin later."

"Nayeon, can you talk to your friend? Things are going mental with her," Jihyo remarked, making Nayeon chuckle and shake her head in disbelief of these two. "Don't just laugh; I fear Jeongyeon's condition is becoming serious."

"Admit it, Park Jihyo, you are this crazy at times as well."

"Yeah, at times," Jihyo replied. "Yours is consistent, so we're strikingly different."

"You're such a bully, Jihyo." Jeongyeon chose to ignore their petty argument in favor of a more rational one. She posed herself a question as she looked at Nayeon's serious expression. "Nayeon-ssi," she called, causing the woman to lift both eyebrows at her. "Why don't you seem concerned about Ms. Chou?" Jeongyeon inquired.

"I don't have time to worry about things that can't be changed," Nayeon simply replied, remaining unconcerned. "There are more important things for all of us to think about," she added.

"Talking about more important matters," Jeongyeon added, causing Nayeon to hum. "Minatozaki Sana must be someone significant."

"Significant? Not at all," Nayeon scoffed, shaking her head sharply.

"You requested that I conduct a background check on her."

"Hold on," Jihyo distracted, confused. "Minotazaki Sana? Who is that?" she inquired, only to be met with a shrug from Jeongyeon. "A background check? Is she a gang member or… an offender? What?"

"At first, I thought so," Jeongyeon chuckled. "Nayeon had never asked me to run a background check before, so I assumed it was related to our work," she explained. "But I didn't see anything like that." "She's an average woman who works at a salon; she has a few other jobs, but they're all non-permanent ones."

"And you're interested in her for what reason, Nayeon?" Jihyo asked, directing her focus to the woman, who had her lips parted, unsure what to say. "Who is she?"

"No one," murmured Nayeon. "It was just someone I assumed would be relevant... I guess," she went on. "But she isn't, so leave her."