Han Serin stood with her champagne glass, watching the podium.

A moment ago the party had been full of laughter; now it was breathing in time with Ha Tae-ung's voice.

When he cracked a joke, they laughed; when he paused, they waited with him; when he lowered his voice, they leaned in without being asked.

He hadn't forced anything, and yet every eye in the room was tied to him.

"And to our new journey together!"

Ha Tae-ung raised his glass, his voice steady. And then—

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!!"

Under the glittering chandeliers, more than a hundred glasses rose at once.

Han Serin raised her glass along with the other guests, but she didn't drink right away.

Strangely, Ha Tae-ung's last words stayed with her.

A beautiful journey together…….

Since she'd started working on Wall Street, she'd met a great many people of every background.

Wall Street people were bound together by self-interest, like it or not, and she'd never seen anyone describe a relationship with them like that.

Here, you could make money or lose it.

People met because they were useful to each other and turned their backs the moment things changed.

Everyone knew that was how this world worked.

In front of people who'd cut their teeth in this world, Ha Tae-ung hadn't hidden his wealth, but he hadn't talked as if it were everything, either.

A relationship you could come back to when you needed each other. Someone you could walk alongside for a long time.

Turning the words over in her mind, Han Serin slowly brought the glass to her lips.

The man on the podium felt more vivid to her than the champagne's bouquet.

He's really something.

She'd never seen a scene like this, not even in dramas or movies.

Her head slowly cleared, as if from a fantasy she'd been drunk on.

A feeling she wouldn't say out loud, but couldn't easily deny, washed over her.

Even when she'd first seen him on the plane, she'd thought he was good-looking.

When he'd traded on Michael Herrington's name, saying he was going to Wall Street…