OFF THE RECORD

“Chapter 2 : The Waiter Mistake ”

Yoona Song's POV

I walked away with my head held high and my face perfectly blank, keeping my steps steady and measured even though my heart was racing far too fast against my ribs. We had been hidden completely behind a thick marble pillar, far from the cameras, far from the main crowd, far from every pair of watching eyes. No one saw us talking. No one interrupted. No one was there to whisper a name or give me even the smallest hint of who stood right in front of me. I had absolutely no idea.

I kept walking until I reached the quietest stretch of hallway near the service elevators, where the thrum of music grew faint and the murmur of conversation faded to nothing at all. Only then did my knees almost give out. I leaned back against the cold marble wall, squeezed my eyes shut tight, and let everything that just happened finally sink in.

What on earth did I just do?

I stood there for what felt like forever, replaying every second in my head, cringing harder with every breath. Then as I turned to walk toward the main exit, one of the large display screens mounted near the door caught my eye. It was playing a live feed of the event, showing the stage and the guests gathered around it. For a fleeting moment, his face flashed up bright and clear. Sharp jaw, dark eyes, that soft familiar smile that millions adored. Bold white letters blared underneath him: LUMINA7 LEE JIN HO — GLOBAL AMBASSADOR FOR FAME JEWELRY.

My blood ran cold right down to my fingertips. That was when I finally realized the full weight of my mistake.

Tonight? I walked right up to Lee Jin Ho. LUMINA7's Lee Jin Ho. The most famous man in this entire room. The idol whose face was on billboards across every continent. The man who sold out stadiums in minutes, whose name trended worldwide with a single breath. And I looked him straight in the eye and asked him for warm water and band aids. I really, truly thought he was a waiter.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole right there.

Of course he was dressed in black. Of course he stood still by the wall looking calm and patient. I was so tired, so distracted, so busy wanting nothing more than to disappear for a little while, that I did not even look properly at his face until it was far too late. I saw only a tall man in dark clothing standing where staff usually waited. I did not see the way the fabric fit with quiet luxury. I did not notice the small, subtle details that marked him as someone far more important than any server. I was too busy hurting, too busy exhausted from months of back to back meetings, endless travel, and everyone around me treating me like a trophy instead of a person.

And then he looked at me with those dark, warm, amused eyes, and said he was observing that the most beautiful woman in the room thought the most handsome man worked for her.

My face burned so hot I thought I might actually pass out right there against the wall. My ears felt like they were on fire. I have handled hostile board meetings, ruthless business rivals trying to outmaneuver me, reporters digging for scandal, and family members trying to marry me off to strangers. I have faced down grown men twice my size who thought a young woman could never run an empire. I have never been this embarrassed in my entire life.

I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him he had no right to tease me like that. I wanted to say anything at all just to fill the silence. But all I could do was turn and walk away fast before I made an even bigger fool of myself, before I stammered or tripped or said something even more ridiculous.

But even as I stood there hiding, I could not get him out of my head. I had expected arrogance. I had expected annoyance. I had expected him to roll his eyes, call me rude, or walk away the moment I spoke. Instead he just smiled. That soft, genuine smile that did not feel like a performance for anyone else. Like he found me funny. Like he saw past the cold mask I always wear, past the CEO title and the Song Global name, and saw exactly how tired I really was.

No one ever looks at me like that. Everyone sees my father's name first. They see my net worth, my position, what they can gain from knowing me. They see the Ice Queen, the heiress, the deal maker. They never see the girl who just wants to take off her heels, drink something that is not champagne, and go home to a quiet house where no one expects anything from her. They never see the girl who is still learning how to be strong every single day.

But he did.

And when I glanced back halfway across the room, convinced I had gotten away unseen? He was still standing right where I left him. Still watching me walk away. And when I frowned at him, catching him red handed staring, he just grinned wider. That maddening, lopsided grin that made my chest do something stupid I refused to name.

Idiot. Infuriating, universally handsome i***t.

I pulled my phone out of my clutch, ready to call my driver and get as far away from this building as possible, but my hand was still shaking. I told myself I should be angry. I should be offended that he stared. I should be relieved I would never have to see him again after tonight. That this was nothing but a stupid mistake I would laugh about years from now.

But as I stood there, staring at the glowing screen of my phone, I knew I was lying to myself. There was something about him. Something different. Something that made my pulse race even when I was sure I wanted nothing more than to run.

I walked over to the large glass doors and looked out at the city lights stretching endlessly before me. Manhattan glittered like a sea of diamonds, bright and beautiful and so very far away. For a moment I wondered if he was still standing there by the pillar. If he was still thinking about me. If he found this whole night as strange and unexpected as I did.

A notification popped up on my screen. My mother again. Did you leave already? Please tell me you spoke to Minho from SJ Group. He is such a nice boy. I swiped the message away without reading the rest. For once I did not care what she thought. For once I did not care about any of it.

All I could think about was a man in a midnight blue tuxedo, standing alone by a pillar, smiling like he had just found something he had been looking for his whole life. And the fact that I had walked right up to him and asked him for warm water.

I let out a long shaky breath and pushed off the wall. My driver was waiting out front. I should go. I should get in the car, go home, and forget any of this ever happened. I had a company to run. I had deadlines to meet. I had no time for distractions, and certainly no time for a man who was already a household name, who lived under a spotlight brighter than any I had ever known.

So why was I standing here, lingering by the exit longer than I needed to, part of me hoping he would walk this way?