Ritsu Onodera, Takashi Kondo, opens a new chapter in his career after quitting his father’s publishing house to escape the shadow of family prestige. He hopes to join Marukawa Publishing, aiming for a berth in the literary department, only to be assigned to Emerald, the famous shōjo manga division. At first he contemplates resigning, unsettled by his new boss, Katsuyuki Konishi as Masamune Takano, whose blunt manner and intimidating presence test his resolve. A sharp early rebuke—Takano calling him “useless”—becomes the spark that hardens Onodera’s ambition, pushing him to prove his worth and adapt to a demanding world where work and romance often collide.
As the story unfolds, Onodera learns a startling connection: Takano’s old family name was Saga, and he was an older high school classmate to Onodera, the very person he once loved and confessed to. Takano makes a startling confession of his enduring feelings and vows to win Onodera’s affection once more. What follows is a slow, careful pursuit that rides on pride, past hurts, and the delicate balance of power within a publishing house, charting how their shared history advances into a fragile, evolving romance.
The series also follows two other couples who share the newsroom and the bookshops that feed their worlds. Editor Yoshiyuki Hatori, Yuichi Nakamura, works alongside his longtime friend and the manga artist he oversees, Yoshino Chiaki, Shinnosuke Tachibana, as their personal bond deepens amid professional obligations. In a parallel thread, Kisa Shouta, Nobuhiko Okamoto, fixates on a charismatic bookstore employee, Yukina Kou, Tomoaki Maeno, weaving a romance that contrasts with Onodera’s and Takano’s uneasy dance.
A supplementary storyline centers on Yokozawa Takafumi, Kenyu Horiuchi, a salesman and Takano’s longtime friend, who is moved to new feelings after a painful breakup by Kirishima Zen, Toru Furuya. Kirishima, a widower and single father, enters Yokozawa’s life and opens a path toward fresh emotional possibilities, enriching the tapestry of connections that define the series.
Across Emerald and beyond, the characters navigate ambition, loyalty, and desire, painting a portrait of the publishing world where professional ambition and intimate longing often intertwine. The narrative treats each relationship with care, presenting milestones, miscommunications, and reconciliations that push the characters toward growth while staying true to their core aspirations and vulnerabilities.
