Jaewon’s deep voice unfurled through the vast private dining hall. His greeting didn’t rise above a conversational volume, yet it seemed to echo against the stark white walls, commanding attention with its unnerving calm and utterly devoid of warmth.

Both Alex and Derek bowed deferentially to the people seated at the table.

“It’s good to see you, Uncle,” Alex greeted flatly.

“Hello, Father, I hope you’ve been well,” Derek’s words were laced with a hint of sarcasm.

Alex moved to sit next to his father, exchanging quick greetings to him and his mother, while Derek took his seat next to Jisoo.

Derek gave his grandmother a quick kiss and placed the cake box next to her dinner plate. “Got you a little something,” he smiled mischievously and glanced at his grandfather. “I’ll make sure she shares,” he winked at the elder Kang, who gave the briefest of smiles before returning to his usual stoic features.

Jaewon Kang leaned forward slightly, his eyes cold as he turned his attention to his son. "Derek, as President of Ascend’s media division, I assume you have a more professional attitude in the office.” He turned his attention back to Alex. “We appreciate you making time for this important meeting," Jaewon began, his voice as flat as his expression. "We would like to hear your updates pertaining to the fashion event for JK Designs. You are currently holding the Managing Director title as a trial basis for the president position. However, I understand you are making some…interesting changes to the proven format."

The mention of “interesting changes” felt like a direct, amplified echo of Amanda’s earlier misgivings, tightening the knot of tension in Alex’s jaw. Even though the people before him—his family—each had a vote of sorts in this performance review, it didn’t escape Alex that his uncle, as CEO of the entire company, held the most sway.

Everyone paused their conversation as the dinner course was brought out. Once the waitstaff left, Alex cleared his throat.

“The changes to the format reflect changes in our audience,” Alex said as he cut into his steak.

Jaewon took the napkin and methodically opened it up, smoothing it out on his lap. He reached for his fork and knife, but did not immediately begin eating. He kept his emotionless gaze on Alex.

“And what mitigations have you put in place to safeguard audience exclusivity and address reduced control over brand messaging?” His eyes never wavered as he began to cut into his steak with precision. “Perhaps you are far too influenced by your young Communications Manager, who shares the more entertainment-focused approach of the weaker brands in our portfolio.” His bite of steak made its way gracefully to his mouth.

Next to Alex, his parents sat stiffly. Michael’s posture alone betrayed the long-standing tension between him and his brother-in-law. While Ascend Holding’s had its beginnings in fashion and has since thrived, its newer divisions were no less successful. And Alex thought Derek was doing an outstanding job expanding his media portfolio and integrating projects with the entertainment division run by Michael Lee.

“The profits from the media, beauty, and entertainment divisions may be smaller than the more established fashion division,” Michael cut in, “but certainly nothing to sneeze at.”

“And yet, the losses you do incur due to poor risk management are rather spectacular,” his dismissive response set Michael and Yuna on edge.

Alex placed his knife down with a soft clatter, maintaining a strong professional mask of his own despite the internal heat of Jaewon’s intentional jab. His fork hovered above his plate.

"Uncle, innovation requires risk. We have created a sound risk-management plan for the streaming partnership," Alex argued, keeping his voice steady. "We must push beyond the conservative perception of 'exclusivity' if the fashion division is to remain a true market leader, not just a fixture of elite couture,” he paused a moment before adding, “My Communications Manager, Miss Moss, has the advantage of being social media savvy, and her youth primes her for connecting with our shifting audience.” Alex brought his fork to his mouth, taking a measured bite of his own.

Jintae Kang, the patriarch of Ascend, observed the exchange silently, his dark eyes moving from his son, Jaewon, to his grandson, Alex, his face remaining neutral as he quietly interjected, “The issue Alex raises about the need for relevance is valid. Ascend Holdings, and especially JK Designs, cannot afford to become a relic in the face of upcoming competition.”

Jaewon Kang gave a curt, almost imperceptible shake of his head, “The question remains: how do you ensure this streaming partnership, which links our flagship brand to the inherently chaotic nature of social media influencers, does not dilute the established high-couture identity of JK Designs that our valued customers have come to expect?"

“Our exclusive invitees themselves have an established social media presence,” Alex responded with confidence. “Nothing will stop these esteemed guests from sharing the event themselves, which is the main argument against allowing the event to stream to a similarly vetted list of online invitees. Whether online or in-person, our invite list is still exclusive, we are simply opening our collection preview to a wider audience with a larger following. This allows us to reach even more potential customers that match our brand’s positioning.” Alex took this argument directly from Claire’s briefing, glad he meticulously read through it before this meeting.

Next to Jintae, Jisoo Kang, the original fashion designer and Creative Director of JK Designs, lowered her water glass with a soft click. She tilted her head slightly, studying the interaction between her grandson and her eldest son. “Fashion itself does not stay stagnant. While we do not want to compromise the value of our brand, risk is necessary to keep ahead of trends while still considering our customers’ changing tastes.”

"It’s not just about avoiding stagnation; it’s about professionalism," Jaewon cut in, his eyes narrowing slightly in Derek’s direction. "As I am sure my son is aware, there is a level of chaos that is endemic to the media division, which tends to prioritize transient buzz over the enduring quality JK Designs represents." Jaewon’s voice, though directed at Alex, carried a clear, secondary implication aimed squarely at his own son.

Derek bristled at the subtle attack on his career choice. "But media is where the audience is, Father," Derek blurted out, unable to hold his tongue any longer. “You are crucifying Alex for daring to suggest that people under 60 might actually buy high-end clothes if they see them on a screen.”

Jaewon snapped his attention away from Alex and fixed his intensely cold gaze upon his son. The underlying tension between father and son, rooted in Derek choosing the media division over the flagship fashion division, momentarily eclipsed the professional scrutiny of Alex's plan.

“The age of our customer base and their access to the internet is not the issue,” Jaewon had steel in his voice. “A smaller, curated audience is often more invested, knowledgeable, and aligned with the event’s goals. A larger social media audience runs the risk of a less meaningfully engaged audience, turning the event into a spectacle rather than a strategic gathering.”

"The mitigation is structured around exclusivity," Alex clarified, directing his focus more to his grandparents than his uncle. "We are vetting every influencer to increase the likelihood the live stream only reaches pre-qualified, high-value clientele who already share our brand positioning. And we have strict clauses that allow JK Designs to pull the stream instantly if brand messaging is compromised, a fail-safe devised by Miss Moss." Alex delivered the last detail with deliberate confidence, knowing he was placing Claire directly into the spotlight.

“You put a lot of trust in your untested employee,” Jaewon’s tone coiled like a snake. “Miss Moss, was it? Did she not just start a few weeks ago?”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “Yes, she was hired recently, however she has a proven track record in her previous employment with regards to effectively utilizing different media.”

“But not in a fashion design environment,” Jaewon’s retort was a bullet.

“Claire was always ahead of the curve, even back in high school—she was practically running the whole student body events, and she's not the type to do anything halfway.” Alex took his own shot. “Everyone knew she was going to be big."

"While we appreciate your insight, Alex,” his uncle’s voice grew icy, “the professionalism of an employee is often measured by their objective results, not subjective judgment based on personal history."

Blood seeped up to Alex’s cheeks. It wasn’t like he only judged Claire on their past interactions. Before he could respond, there was a loud clatter of silverware.

“At least his ‘personal history’ has a pulse, unlike bland spreadsheets and quarterly reports that require two gallons of coffee just to get through.” Derek’s snide remark cut through the tension like the knife he grabbed to cut into his grandmother’s torte cake.

Alex turned his snort into a cough while Derek smiled sweetly at his grandmother. “This, however,” he placed a slice of cake on a dessert plate and placed it in front of her, “is anything BUT bland!”

Jiwoo returned Derek’s smile with a smirk of her own, Jintae huffed disapprovingly but his eyes were warm. Jaewon’s knuckles turned white from holding the fork and knife too tightly. Alex glanced at his own parents, who stayed quiet throughout the dinner.

Jaewon looked ready to lose his composure, so Yuna stepped in. “Brother,” she said smoothly, “I’m sure Derek meant to say that although hard data is an important indicator, Anecdotal evidence based on human factors have merits as well.”

“Then we best hope, for Alex’s sake, that Miss Moss lives up to our high expectations for this event.” His posture remained stiff as he returned his attention to his dinner.

“Yes,” Jintae said at last, “Let’s agree that this event will determine whether Alex is worthy of taking on the President’s position for the fashion division.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and dinner resumed with stiff conversation, the atmosphere remaining heavy. Derek finished cutting the torte and plated them for the rest of the family. He purposely served his father last and without any of the simple platitudes that he had offered the others.

When the painful family gathering finally came to an end, Alex said his goodbyes. He promised his parents to make time for a private dinner—one that would be more relaxing—later in the week. He then gave his grandmother a gentle hug and bowed politely to his grandfather with a bright smile. He gave his uncle a brief bow as well, a muffled motion delivered without pause or acknowledgment.

Derek and Alex got into the SUV and drove out of the wrought-iron gates, away from the stifling walls of family obligation.

“Well, that was fun,” Derek broke the silence with his understatement.

Alex couldn’t help but laugh. Derek always had a way of lightening the mood, more of a survival instinct than a natural part of his personality.

“Yeah,” he agreed, running his hand through his hair in frustration, “so much fun.” Alex let out a long sigh. “If this event bombs, I’m screwed, and your dad will torture me with his expected disappointment.”

“You aren’t going to bomb,” Derek said with confidence. “I’ve seen Claire’s briefings and risk assessments. She knows what she’s doing. In fact, I may ask you to transfer her to my division after the event,” Derek smiled mischievously. “I could use her energy.”

Alex snorted, “Like hell I’d transfer her.” He glared at Derek’s smirking face.

“So…” Derek paused, then blurted, “are you going to try to get together with her again?”

Alex stiffened with surprise at the question. “No, of course not,” he answered quickly, but the knowing look on Derek’s face made him sigh again. “I don’t know, cuz,” he rubbed his face vigorously with his hands. “With our boss-employee dynamic, having a more personal relationship with her would cause problems.”

“True,” his cousin agreed. “But it isn’t impossible to overcome those problems. After all, you’re the founder’s grandson and you’re going to hold the President of the Fashion Division title soon. Who’s going to throw shade at any relationship you have?”

“No one will say anything to my face, but Claire might end up taking the brunt of the social drama.” Alex’s face darkened as he thought about how Amanda seemed so hostile toward Claire because she suspected he was showing favoritism.

“I never met her formally, other than the time I went to one of your school events and you dragged me to a food booth so you could show me what she looked like…and then made me buy four of those spicy noodles. You know I can’t handle spicy!” His face scrunched at the memory.

Alex laughed at the shared memory. “Sorry, but she was stunning wasn’t she,” he murmured, remembering her dark green tank-top and low-rise baggy jeans, making her look like a sexy hip-hop dancer.

“Sure, she was stunning, and my mouth was burning. Not doing you any favors like that ever,” Derek huffed. "But even in that brief moment, I could see the focused and professional way she handled the logistics of running that booth. She will have 'success' written on everything she touches."

The SUV pulled in to Alex’s condo complex. Derek shifted into park and turned to Alex one last time.

“Don’t sweat the event, you got this and the President position is yours. Even if my father doesn’t like it, he won’t be able to do anything about it.”

Alex looked at his cousin with gratitude. “Alright, I won’t worry.”

They said their goodbyes, and Alex headed into the building, entered the elevator, and punched the button to the top-floor penthouse.