EPISODE 1 - Ms Zoe
Zoe Park strutted down Fifth Avenue like she owned it. Five years in New York had turned her into the kind of woman who wore designer heels like they were sneakers, carried a limited-edition Birkin without breaking a sweat, and sipped matcha lattes with the kind of confidence that said, “I belong here.”
She did belong. At least, she used to.
But now?
Now, she was persona non grata.
“Zoe Park has been accused of professional misconduct,” the headlines screamed. “Rising star editor resigns in disgrace!”
Disgrace? Please. She’d been framed. The worst part? No one—not a single soul believed her.
So, here she was. One very overpriced plane ticket later, Zoe found herself standing at Jeju International Airport, Louis Vuitton suitcase in hand, oversized sunglasses shielding her eyes from the horror of what was happening.
She was back.
Back in Jeju. Back in her tiny hometown, where people still gossiped over grocery store checkouts and thought oat milk was a foreign concept.
She sucked in a breath of salty air.
“Welcome home, noona!” A high-pitched voice rang out. Her younger brother, Minjae, practically tackled her. “Wow, New York really didn’t knock you down, huh?”
“Of course not,” Zoe muttered, flipping her hair. “I may be unemployed, but I still have standards.”
Her mother gave her a once-over. “Did you bring anything practical?”
“Mother, I am practical.” Zoe smoothed down her YSL blazer.
The car ride home was a mix of nostalgia and mild horror. The streets were too quiet. The skyline was nonexistent. And worst of all? Everyone already knew she was back.
By dinner, she was ready to collapse. But her father had other plans.
“You should help out at Jeju Paper House,” he announced, casually passing her more rice.
She nearly choked on her kimchi. “I’m sorry, what?”
“JPH,” Minjae chimed in. “Dad’s old company. His friend still runs it, and they need someone.”
“I don’t do small publishing houses.”
“You also don’t do employment right now,” her mother pointed out sweetly.
Zoe scowled. “I can find something better.”
“Oh?” Minjae leaned back, smirking. “With what network? Last I checked, your reputation’s kind of... in the gutter.”
Betrayed by her own flesh and blood.
The next morning, Zoe dressed like she was about to sign a billion-dollar deal, not step into a small-town publishing house.
She paired an expensive silk blouse with tailored pants that screamed “New York elite,” slipped on her pristine Prada heels, and topped it all off with oversized Prada sunglasses and a matching headband. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it on her terms glamorous and untouchable.
As she descended the stairs, her mother barely spared her an approving glance before deadpanning, “You’re going to work, not a runway show.”
Her father, on the other hand, chuckled as he set down his morning paper. “All the best for your first day at work. I spoke to JPH’s current CEO last night, and she said curr—”
A loud honk interrupted him.
Minjae stuck his head out of the car window, yelling, “I’M GETTING LATE FOR SCHOOL! MOVE IT, PRINCESS!”
Zoe sighed dramatically and took her sweet time walking to the car, each step intentional, as if she were still on Fifth Avenue, ignoring the growing impatience radiating from her younger brother.
She paused to greet their long-time family driver. “How are you, Uncle?”
“Same as always,” he replied with a polite nod.
“IT’S GETTING LATE!” Minjae groaned.
Zoe finally slid into the car, ignoring his glare, and stared out the window as they drove through the familiar streets of Jeju. Everything felt too small, too slow. The opposite of the life she had built in New York.
When they pulled up in front of Jeju Paper House, Zoe took a deep breath. The building was bigger than she had expected—but nowhere near the skyscrapers she had once worked in. The employees? She could practically count them. One, two, three... maybe twenty at most.
Minjae leaned over from the driver’s seat, grinning. “All the best, noona.”
She shot him a glare before stepping out with effortless confidence, adjusting her hair as every pair of eyes turned to look at her.
If she was making an entrance, she might as well own it.
An assistant rushed over, a young woman who looked both nervous and intrigued. “Ms. Zoe?”
Zoe gave a slow nod and slid off her sunglasses. “That’s me.”
“This way, please.”
As they walked through the office, something caught Zoe’s attention. A nameplate. It was being changed.
Her eyes landed on the engraved letters.
ETHAN KANG
Zoe froze. Her stomach twisted, and for the first time in forever, she felt... unprepared.
Holy—
No. Not holy.
She remembered now.
Ethan Kang.
The one who got away.
Scratch that.
The one she pushed away five years ago.
EPISODE 1 END
