Saturday afternoon, a cafe in Gangnam. Late autumn sunlight was pouring in at an angle through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Joo Hyun, who had arrived first and sat in a corner seat, was fiddling with his phone with a cup of espresso in front of him.

His suit jacket was draped over the back of the chair, and the sleeves of his navy shirt were folded once. He was dressed a bit more loosely than usual. Still, his neatness remained unchanged.