"Hello, you two"

Dan Tae smiles with his snake eyes bouncing between the two. 

"I wanted to talk to you", he aims at Su Ryeon. 

She lifts her chin defiantly. 

"We have nothing to say. Please let security you out". She feels the corners of Logan's eyes trained on her.

"Not so fast". He takes a step towards her. In all the years she'd been married to him, he rarely displayed that obvious malevolence. Now he's closer to her than he's been since they divorced. "You have something that I want." He smiles smugly, patting his cravate. "And you're gonna give it to me, or else…" 

He raises his eyebrows threatenly and Su Ryeon plants her heels on the ground. What if he's serious? What will she do if another scandal breaks threatening her work and personal life? His off white teeth glow menacingly. 

"Spare me your theatrics, Joo Dan Tae". 

He takes her hand and pulls her forward, speaking the words to her ear.

"Come or you'll regret it". His fingers press on her forearm and she shakes it off. 

At her sudden move, Logan takes a step to her, obscuring Dan Tae's view. His body hides her protectively while his face remains calculatingly impassive. 

"Oh, you and the boy idol wanna make a scene? Right here?" He gestures at the people walking around the ground floor, who'd easily ditch their work to get their fill of office drama. Dan Tae assesses Logan, who's unmoving and stern. "What are you, her bodyguard?" 

"Enough" she hisses. "Let's go". She acquiesces sparing a parting glance at Logan. Dan Tae leads her away with a hand on her waist and she sees Logan's clench fists, his body still ready for the fight he couldn't give. 

Having no other option, Su Ryeon escorts this personification of her evil past to her office. 

—

As soon as the door closes, she turns to him.

"What do you want, Joo Dan Tae?"

He registers the question but walks leisurely around the room, looking at the awards in her bookcase, the art on the wall, reaching her wide mahogany desk with idol photos and schedules on it. He lifts a trophy turning his back on her. She grabs it from him, putting it down. Undisturbed, he sits on her chair. He motions for her to sit opposite and she doesn't. 

"Me and my lovely new wife are moving into the music industry as well. Cheon Academy will produce some of the biggest artists of our time". 

He pauses, expected to be congratulated. 

"Did you come here and threaten to cause a scene to tell me that?" 

"I am here, in this" he looks around squinting his eyes "modest office, because you will sell me stocks of this company, to regain a position in this field". 

"Why on earth would I do something like that?" She sits down and meets his arrogant stare. He wants something from her, that's in character. While they were married, he took everything from her, control of the house, the children, her wealth, her life. He takes and takes and takes until people are empty. 

But not this time.

"Your petty actions caused me to lose them in the first place. The directors ousted me from the company I helped raise." He doesn't even admit to being bested by her. After all this time, he denies she was the one that beat him. "So you owe me that. I'll give you a fair price for the stocks", he says absentmindedly, taking her answer for granted. "You're looking to expand the agency, you'll need more shareholders". 

"This is the smart business decision", he says patronisingly. 

The nameplate on her desk proves she is the one making smart decisions. 

"No. This will not happen".

His smirk fades and he clutches his hands. 

"I don't wanna be CEO, I want the part that's corresponding to me! It's fair that you give me something after you took everything from me." He hits the desk with his hand and it shakes violently. She's startled. 

He purses his lips and gets up, approaching her slowly, like a dangerous predator. 

"You've punished me enough. Time to end this. I'm not perfect, but neither are you, Shim Su Ryeon."

He's intimidating, but doesn't actually have anything on her, she thinks. 

"It ends with you out of here". 

He laughs and towers over her frame. 

"The company did better when I was here. You lack the killer instinct, honey, and that's why you're never gonna be respected". 

She wants to encircle his neck with her palms and make him hurt. But losing her composure is exactly what he wants and she won't give him the satisfaction. She rises from her seat, matching his posture. 

"You think being harsh made you a good agent? You dragged the name of the company through the mud after the papers found out how you were treating the idols. I had to change the name of the company to save face. And to get people to trust us. Your harshness made you an abusive manager and father. So don't come at me for my style of leadership."

"Leadership?" He laughs evilly. "You're not a leader, honey. You're a glorified housewife, still running behind kids. Telling them where to go and what to eat, when to sing and what to play." He puts her hands on her small shoulders, chilling her to the bone. "How is that different from what you were doing at home?"

His hands feel like weights pushing her down until the ground swallows her. Her chest is heavy, making breathing arduous. 

She sees images of her in the past in this exact position. She wore something he didn't approve of and he stripped her of her dignity with a comment. The twins failed a test and he embarrassed them among their friends. It's what he does, squeeze people under his thumb until they have no will to resist. 

"Enough", she hisses, lifting her chin. "You want to make me feel small because it's the only way you'll ever feel strong. You only go against people you think are weaker. Like trainees, your kids, me. But I'm not falling for it, and there's no way I'm selling you a single stock. You're never gonna set foot here again. Go back to your new wife. After all, leaching off women is what you do best". 

"You're acting tough, Shim Su Ryeon. But you know you're no match for me. You never were. You're still the pathetic woman crying on her knees over her ruined painting." Flashes of broken frames come before her eyes, and the screeching of the canvas being torn, her last safe place being turned to ashes. Her hands roll into fists, her nails biting the soft skin painfully. Tears threaten to come and she holds her ground.

He grabs the frame of her and the twins and runs a filthy finger through the glass. "I'm the only one that's seen the real you, Shim Su Ryeon. And no matter how successful you become, you're never gonna escape your nature. You're a scared and weak woman". 

She tries to take the photo, but he hides it behind his back mockingly. 

"Everyone sees you that way. Everyone". His tongue clicks. 

"Give me what I asked for, or you'll be sorry. You have a week. Or else…" he lifts the frame to her eyes and opens his palm. The glass shatters into a million pieces. She doesn't hear him leave. 

—

Su Ryeon is in a trance, it may have been seconds since he left, or hours. She's hunched over the picture, gathering the shards of glass. Her kids' smiles are like needles to her chest. 

How can the man still demand what is hers? It was painful to face what he'd done and leave him. It hurt like pulling a sword off her chest. But she did it and she survived. She hoped what she took from him was to keep him away. And she's not naïve, it's not about having stocks, he won't be satisfied until he takes everything. His ego can't stand the loss, he's aiming to regain his position, now taking her from his hands. 

She was fooling herself, hoping his rudeness at the party was an empty moment of arrogance. It was just the beginning. 

She can stand up for herself, but the moment he mentioned her kids, her blood ran cold. He'll hurt them to get to her. He'll hurt everyone she loves. 

The fog of her fury still clouds her mind, when footsteps approach and Logan rushes into her office. He spares a look at the pieces of glass and touches her shoulders, inspecting her up and down. 

"Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?" he puts his hand on her upper arm carefully, angling her towards him. "I was so worried". 

Her head is pounding with Dan Tae's threats, and the sight of Logan brings her out of her thoughts. 

"Su Ryeon Ssi". A hand cradles her face and lifts it, coming face to face with two worried eyes. 

Her head is burning and the words are stuck on .

"Are you hurt? Did he do something to you?" Logan's tense voice cuts through. "Su Ryeon!" He thumbs her cheek and inspects her head to toe. "Are you alright?" 

"You can't be here. Please, Logan". 

"It's okay." He takes the broken glass out of her hands, careful not to scratch her. 

There's a million things swimming in his cobalt irises and the way he's gritting his teeth, he's more terrified than she is. He takes a breath to calm, more for her sake than his. 

"Darling" he coaxes searching for her hand. It's still frozen in shock, as are her other limbs. "I was so worried." His thumb draws circles on her pulse point, feeling the blood pumping through her veins. He pushes the spot gently, as if to reset the rhythm of her heart. "Let's get you calm. Come here". 

As he moves to put his arms around her, offering the only comfort she needs, she wakes from the trance. 

"Stop it." She pushes him away fervently, almost losing his balance. "The walls are glass, people can see." Indeed, muffled noises can be heard from outside the door. She can't do this right now, after that fight she can't have something else to be afraid of. If someone sees them now, everything will be destroyed. 

"Logan, I can't deal with that now, please leave". 

He's got a lost look, mixed with worry and restraint. 

His fist clasps and pain mares his features. He retreats, piercing her with a look of agony. 

The last thing she sees is blood drops coloring the pieces of glass. Her own hands bear no scars and that's when it hits her. She hurt him. Tears finally run down her eyes.