The Unquenchable Light on the 20th Floor, Another Kind of Jealousy
At the exact moment Blossoms member Seo-eun was scrolling through photos in her dorm room, a van carrying Eun-jung sped down the dark city streets.
The daytime press conference for the drama Yeoyo War had ended in spectacular success.
With its star-studded cast and an unprecedented production budget, the media and public attention had reached fever pitch. Despite concerns about potential scandals, the event had wrapped up without a single hitch.
Throughout the proceedings, Eun-jung had drawn every eye with her calm, dignified presence amid the barrage of camera flashes and questions.
Even among the countless articles being posted in real time, her pure, elegant beauty shone brilliantly.
After sharing light refreshments and farewells with the other attendees, she climbed back into the van, her body heavy with exhaustion.
It was already past ten at night.
The day after tomorrow, the entire cast would gather for a week of script readings.
As the van cruised along the darkened road, Eun-jung gazed at the lights streaming past the window. The night streets, glowing with neon signs and streetlamps, were dazzling, yet her heart was directed toward only one person.
Namgoong Min.
‘At this hour… is the CEO still at the company?’
After a brief moment of thought, Eun-jung spoke to her manager, Kim Jin-ho, who was driving.
“Oppa. Would it be alright if we stopped by the company for a moment? I’d like to thank the CEO personally for today’s press conference.”
Jin-ho’s eyes flickered subtly in the rearview mirror. His expression carried a knowing look, as if to say, ‘Here it comes.’
He had already witnessed Namgoong Min’s extraordinary consideration toward her and the subtle changes in Eun-jung’s demeanor. He could clearly sense the secretive, dangerous undercurrent flowing between the company CEO and his top actress.
Yet Jin-ho chose not to ask. He simply gave a quiet nod.
“Understood, Eun-jung. If the CEO hasn’t left yet at this hour, he’ll be in his office. Let’s head straight to the Four Square building.”
The van smoothly changed direction and headed toward the Four Square Entertainment building.
Before long, the company headquarters came into view.
Its glass exterior reflected the city lights, glowing softly beneath the dark night sky.
Eun-jung stared out the window, then swallowed hard as her gaze rose to the very top of the building.
The 20th floor. The exact location of Namgoong Min’s office.
In the heavily shadowed upper levels, a single window radiated warm, bright light.
‘He’s still here.’
The moment she saw that light, Eun-jung’s heart began to pound violently.
All the emotions she had suppressed and hidden throughout the day seemed to burst forth at once in front of that glow.
From the driver’s seat, Jin-ho glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
Her excited expression, the tension in her stiffened shoulders, and her trembling gaze fixed on the window outside.
Watching her quietly, Jin-ho clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Aigoo… Eun-jung… You’ve fallen hard.’
To think that even a top actress like Yoon Eun-jung could be completely disarmed after just a few encounters.
Even a woman as beautiful and elegant as her became nothing more than a lovestruck girl in front of the CEO.
His eyes held a subtle, complicated mix of emotions as he remained silent, simply watching her.
‘Eun-jung, this isn’t going to be a simple thank-you, is it? You know that, right?’
He was certain their relationship had already crossed the line of professionalism.
But he kept his mouth shut.
He understood this was a path Yoon Eun-jung had chosen for herself, one she alone would have to bear.
The van quietly slipped into the underground parking entrance of the Four Square building.
Eun-jung took a deep breath. An intense thrill swept through her body at the thought of stepping once more into Namgoong Min’s domain.
“Thanks, oppa. I won’t be long.”
The cool air of the underground parking lot brushed against her cheeks.
Standing in front of the elevator headed for the 20th floor, she felt her fingertips tremble slightly as she pressed the button.
She knew it herself.
Her feelings for Namgoong Min had already gone far beyond simple affection.
He was the one who knew every one of her secrets and had embraced them all perfectly.
Eun-jung felt a dangerous, powerful desire to be acknowledged by him down to her most brazen parts.
A craving to be completely exposed beneath his gaze, to submit to his touch.
Her body grew hotter and hotter, independent of reason, aching for the secret reunion that was about to happen.
Ding—
Eun-jung stepped out of the elevator and walked slowly down the 20th-floor corridor.
In the silent hallway, only the soft sound of her footsteps echoed.
‘How will the CEO react?’
‘Will he be flustered by my sudden visit? Or will he welcome me, saying he’s been waiting?’
‘Everyone’s gone home… It’s just the two of us. Maybe he’s harboring the same secret expectations I am?’
In that short walk, Eun-jung’s mind swirled with worry and excitement, anxiety and anticipation.
Suddenly, she wondered if the 20th floor and the office layout were more unusual than they appeared.
There were no visible CCTV cameras in the office, the hallway, or even inside the elevator.
The secretary’s office wasn’t adjacent to the CEO’s office but was located one floor below on the 19th.
Inside the office was a fully equipped shower room with a spacious dressing area.
Yet compared to the overall size of the 20th floor, it somehow felt insufficient.
‘Is there another secret room besides the shower? Am I overthinking this?’
‘No secretary’s office, no CCTV. It’s almost as if it was designed in advance for secret meetings…’
As her thoughts continued, Eun-jung let out a small, wry laugh.
She was getting way ahead of herself.
To think that from the moment the building was designed—or even during the interior work—they had anticipated secret rendezvous with someone whose identity wasn’t even known yet?
It was ridiculous.
The CEO was probably just extremely private and had designed everything accordingly.
There might be hidden CCTV cameras installed out of sight.
Lost in these thoughts, Eun-jung soon found herself standing in front of Namgoong Min’s office door.
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
She took a deep breath to steady herself. Her fingertips were still trembling slightly.
Knock. Knock.
Her knuckles rapped against the door twice, producing short, neat sounds.
A brief silence followed.
Her heart thundered, filling that silence.
From inside came Namgoong Min’s calm, low voice.
“Yes?”
Eun-jung answered carefully, making sure her voice didn’t crack.
“It’s… Yoon Eun-jung, CEO.”
After speaking, she inwardly scolded herself for her stiff tone.
‘Was that too formal?’
Showing up unannounced this late at night with such a businesslike attitude felt wrong.
She worried about his reaction.
But almost immediately, she heard footsteps approaching from inside.
At the sound of those nearing steps, her breath caught in her throat.
Then his voice came again, this time carrying a mix of surprise and immediate delight.
“Eun-jung? Please come in.”
With a soft click, the door slowly opened.
Namgoong Min stood there, having opened it himself.
The warm office lighting illuminated his tall, imposing frame and gentle smile.
The moment his gaze settled on her, Eun-jung felt as if her entire body had been set ablaze.
He was still wearing a crisp shirt, looking at her without a trace of fatigue.
His eyes held both surprise and genuine pleasure.
Eun-jung carefully grasped the door handle and stepped inside.
Late at night. Just the two of them.
Her heart began to beat quietly, filled with an indescribable sense of anticipation.
While Eun-jung was visiting Min’s office and Seo-eun was reading posts in her own room, another member of Blossoms—the center, Shin Ju-ri—was quietly staring at her phone in her bedroom.
Real-time photos and articles from the Yeoyo War press conference kept pouring in.
In every image, Eun-jung’s beauty was breathtakingly radiant.
It was a massive, authentic historical drama with a production budget unprecedented in Korean drama history.
In fact, even if you expanded the scope to films, it was a colossal project on a global scale—rivaling only major Hollywood blockbusters.
Yoon Eun-jung, cast as the female lead of such a monumental work, exuded confidence and pride beneath her pure, elegant beauty.
And the look in Ju-ri’s eyes as she stared at those photos was anything but ordinary.
‘She’s so beautiful… Could the CEO and Eun-jung really be nothing more than colleagues?’
Even as she muttered this to herself, Ju-ri possessed a beauty that was no less striking.
Her clear, translucent skin and long, silky black hair tied in a soft ponytail.
At 172cm, she had long, slender limbs and a delicate, model-like figure.
While she couldn’t match Seo-eun’s F-cup size, her breasts and hips had a lovely, balanced volume.
The fresh vitality of her twenty years radiated from every inch of her.
With her bright, lovable personality and confident attitude, fans, staff, and fellow members all adored Ju-ri.
She always looked after her members first and never failed to offer perfect smiles and thoughtful consideration to her fans.
Even on days when she felt hurt or sensitive, she never snapped or showed irritation.
But in moments alone, during quiet times like this, her eyes would darken.
Even she found it difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for this feeling.
On the surface, everything was perfect.
Their first full album, now in its final stages, was progressing smoothly, and once again she had been given the most important parts as center.
Her recognition and popularity within the team far surpassed the other members, to the point where people said Blossoms was synonymous with Shin Ju-ri.
In her first year of debut, she had already shot more individual commercials than the group’s collective CFs.
And yet…
CEO Namgoong Min.
Recently, rumors had spread about how exceptionally he was looking after and protecting Yoon Eun-jung, and how the two of them had spent time alone together in his office.
That truth kept shaking her heart without end.
Ju-ri saw Namgoong Min as far more than just a CEO.
His overwhelming ability, his warm consideration, and those eyes that seemed to see through everything.
To her, he was the most wonderful man and an object of admiration.
She deeply idolized him—the national hero who had successfully transformed into the head of a major entertainment company.
And before she knew it, Ju-ri’s heart had come to crave his recognition just as much as her success as an idol.
Yet the fact that his gaze was not directed at her, but poured instead onto Eun-jung, filled her with jealousy.
Yoon Eun-jung.
An intelligent, elegant, and maturely charming top actress.
She possessed a different kind of appeal from Ju-ri’s own pure yet graceful, model-like appearance, and she carried an overwhelming career to match.
Intellectually, Ju-ri understood why she would naturally catch his interest.
But her heart felt differently.
It felt as though Eun-jung had entered a realm she herself could never reach, and a sense of loss washed over her.
‘No. I’m just tired. I’m being sensitive because of the comeback. That’s all.’
Ju-ri desperately tried to deny the reason.
She scolded herself, calling this jealousy and sense of loss childish and immature, then turned her head to stare out the window.
But the images of Namgoong Min and Yoon Eun-jung refused to leave her mind.
His gentle smile. The way he looked after her.
The more those scenes repeated in her head, the heavier her chest grew.
She clasped her hands together on her lap and let out a quiet sigh.
She had no idea how long this feeling would last.
Despite the turmoil in her heart, her captivating rose scent gently filled the room.
As if it were voicing the deep desire within her to seduce Namgoong Min.
