I tell myself this, and desperately try to believe it, but inside, I am twisted in a knot. There’s another detail that feels off—why are they asking my mother to come? Unlike other parents, mine are pretty hands-off about my career. I can’t even remember the last time they had a meeting with DB.

I try not to spiral as I text Umma at work and quickly get dressed. I put on a pair of leather pants with a pale pink blazer—an outfit I always feel powerful in no matter how many times I wear it. I need the extra boost of confidence to face whatever is waiting for me at headquarters.

I arrive at DB and Umma’s waiting there out front; she squeezes my hand but looks just as confused as I feel. As we make our way to the boardroom, my phone rings with an incoming call from Sunhee. I turn it on silent. Whatever she wants will have to wait.

I knock on the boardroom door and enter.

Mr. Noh is there along with Mr. Han and a few other DB execs. By now, my heart is basically up inside my throat, making it hard to swallow. Why are so many execs here? I’m instantly reminded of the time when I was a trainee and I had to convince the execs to give me a second chance in this very boardroom. Only that time, I had Yujin there to back me up. This time, I have my mother, which only gives me a greater sense of foreboding.

“Ahnyounghasaeyo,” I say, bowing.

“Rachel, Mrs. Kim,” Mr. Noh says. “Take a seat. We ask that you please don’t record this meeting.”

My joints are stiff as I lower myself into a chair. I’ve never been asked not to record a meeting before—it’s not something that would have ever occurred to me anyway. What is going on? I look to my mom, but again, she’s equally lost.

Mr. Noh’s face is drawn and serious and, surprisingly, a little shell-shocked as if he himself isn’t ready to say whatever it is he called me in for. He clears his throat, folding his hands on top of the table. The other execs stay perfectly silent, looking at me with somber expressions. I glance at his desk, expecting to see a photo of me and Alex kissing at the train station in Zermatt. But the desk is startlingly clear.