The following morning, sunlight poured through the windows of Mirae's shop, casting golden streaks across the polished floor. The scent of dark chocolate and roasted cacao beans lingered in the air—comforting and familiar. Mirae stood behind the counter, her fingers absently tracing the ridges of a wrapped Promise bar. Her lips still held the memory of last night's kiss.
Everything felt… new.
But peace, she had learned, was often the quiet before a storm.
The front doorbell jingled sharply, breaking her reverie. She looked up, expecting Doekyom. Instead, a tall, striking woman stepped in. Her posture was graceful yet commanding, dressed in a sleek black coat with sunglasses pushed atop her head. There was something unmistakably polished—and cold—about her presence.
Mirae instinctively wiped her hands and greeted her with a polite smile. "Welcome to Baby Chocolat Paradise. How can I help you?"
The woman's eyes scanned the room with subtle disapproval before resting on Mirae.
"You must be Kang Mirae."
Mirae's smile faltered. "Yes… I am."
"I'm Chae Yerin," the woman said crisply. "I'm Lee Doekyom's fiancée."
Time stopped.
Mirae blinked, unsure if she had misheard. "I'm sorry…?"
Yerin removed her gloves one finger at a time, placing them delicately on the counter. "Don't look so surprised. It's not official yet, but our families have been planning this merger for years. His father has already approved the match."
Mirae's heart hammered in her chest. "He never mentioned—"
"Of course he didn't," Yerin said, with a cool smile. "Because he's impulsive. He thinks with his heart, which is a luxury men like him can't afford for long. Especially when they're being distracted by… small shop girls."
There was no mistaking the sting in her tone.
Mirae stood her ground, though her fingers clenched behind the counter. "I don't know what you're trying to do—"
"I'm trying to save you the heartbreak," Yerin interrupted. "Lee Doekyom has obligations. Expectations. You think he can walk away from all that just to play house with you in this tiny chocolate shop?"
Her words were sharp, deliberate, and delivered with elegance honed from years of power plays.
But Mirae wasn't the same timid girl she had once been.
She stepped around the counter and faced Yerin directly. "Maybe he can't walk away from everything. But he's not the only one making a choice. I'm not here because I want convenience. I'm here because we created something together—something real."
Yerin raised an eyebrow, amused. "How romantic."
The doorbell rang again.
Doekyom walked in.
His eyes swept over the scene—Mirae's flushed face, Yerin's calm composure, the tension thick in the air.
"Yerin?" he said, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
Yerin turned to him, slipping back into her polished charm. "We need to talk, Doekyom. Preferably somewhere… private."
Mirae's heart dropped—but she refused to look away.
Doekyom met her gaze, and in his eyes, there was a flicker of pain. But more than that—resolve.
"I'll talk to you," he told Yerin. "But not behind Mirae's back."
Doekyom led Yerin to the seating area near the window, a spot usually reserved for tastings. Today, it felt like a negotiation table. Mirae stood behind the counter, pretending to sort inventory, but her ears caught every word.
Yerin crossed her legs elegantly, taking off her coat and draping it over the chair. "You could have told me, Doekyom. I had to find out from an investor that you've been spending your nights at a chocolate shop."
He didn't sit. "Because I don't owe you explanations anymore, Yerin. Our families may have discussed a merger, but I never agreed to a marriage."
She gave a soft, practiced laugh. "Don't be naive. It's not about romance. It's about legacy. Your father wants to secure your position, and mine is offering the cleanest path."
"My position?" His voice hardened. "You mean in a life I don't want anymore? Running my father's shadow empire while pretending I care about boardrooms and champagne deals?"
"Doekyom," she said, gentler now. "This thing with Kang Mirae—it won't last. She's a phase. You're a Lee, and the world doesn't let people like us marry for love."
He stared at her for a long moment, then slowly sat across from her.
"You're wrong," he said quietly. "You think this is about rebellion. But Mirae isn't a distraction. She's my decision. My direction. And if choosing her means I lose the empire, then I'll build something new. With her."
Yerin's mask slipped just for a second—shock flickered in her eyes before she caught it. "You'd really throw away generations of legacy for her?"
"No," he said. "I'm throwing away your expectations of who I should be."
At that moment, Mirae stepped forward—not to interrupt, but to place a cup of hot cocoa on the table. For both of them.
Yerin stared at the steaming cups, her lips tightening. "Is this your way of saying goodbye?"
Mirae met her gaze calmly. "No. This is my way of showing that I'm not afraid of you—or your world. I don't need to fight with knives when I can speak with chocolate."
There was a tense silence.
Yerin stood slowly, putting on her coat. "You're making a mistake, Doekyom."
"Maybe," he said. "But it's my mistake to make."
Without another word, she turned and left, the bell jingling softly behind her.
Doekyom sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. Mirae stepped beside him, unsure whether to speak.
He looked at her. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
She shook her head. "No. I needed to see it. I needed to know how far you'd go to stand by me."
They stood in silence, the quiet hum of the kitchen behind them.
Then Mirae smiled faintly. "You missed the morning rush, by the way. We sold five boxes of Promise bars."
His lips curved. "Then I guess we better make more."
And just like that, in the wake of confrontation, the day carried on—with two hearts a little stronger and a bond a little deeper.
Later that night, the kitchen lights glowed softly as Mirae and Doekyom worked in quiet harmony. The storm of the morning had passed, but its ripples still lingered beneath the surface like a current waiting to stir again.
Mirae rolled the last of the ganache into perfect spheres, her hands moving with practiced ease. "What flavor is this one?" Doekyom asked as he carefully sealed a tray of finished truffles.
She looked up at him with a small smile. "Rose water, white chocolate, and a hint of cinnamon. I call it 'New Bloom.'"
He chuckled, his eyes softening. "You name your chocolates like they're poetry."
"They are," she replied. "Each one holds a moment, a feeling. A risk."
Doekyom leaned on the counter. "And what moment is this one?"
She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the cooling tray. "Hope. The kind you try to believe in again, after everything feels broken."
He didn't speak right away. Instead, he stepped beside her, wiping a smudge of cocoa from her cheek. His touch lingered just long enough to make her heart stutter.
"You were incredible today," he murmured.
"So were you."
They stood in stillness for a beat, and then Doekyom reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. He handed it to her with an uncertain expression.
"What is it?" she asked, taking it.
"It's the lease agreement. For the building next door."
She opened the paper and scanned the text, her eyes widening. "Wait… You bought the old gallery space?"
He nodded. "I've been thinking. What if we expand Baby Chocolat Paradise? Create a full café, maybe a workshop space upstairs. I know it's a risk. But I don't want to wait anymore. I want to build this with you."
Mirae stared at him in disbelief. "You want to go into business with me?"
"No," he said, his voice gentle. "I want to build a life with you. And this—this is how we start."
Her chest tightened, emotions bubbling so high she couldn't speak for a moment. All she could do was nod.
"Okay," she whispered.
He grinned, relief flooding his face. "Really?"
"Yes," she said, her voice firmer now. "Let's do it. Let's grow this place. Together."
Just then, thunder rumbled in the distance, and the power flickered.
The kitchen went dark for a moment, leaving only the sound of their laughter echoing between the stainless steel walls and the smell of rose chocolate lingering in the air.
Doekyom reached for her hand in the darkness.
And there, in the quiet shadows of their dream, a spark lit between them—steady, brave, and ready for whatever came next.