* * *
“Haha… Thank you. You’re always looking out for this incompetent subordinate of yours.”
Wookyung tried to laugh it off and brush past the moment. But contrary to his hopes, Director Choi had no intention of letting it slide.
“No, it’s not just anyone. It’s because it’s you, Wookyung.”
“Why? What do you even know about me?”
Forced to finally confront the situation, Wookyung asked, almost accusingly. Director Choi fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting into the distance, lost in thought.
If he has to think this hard about it, it’s probably not a good enough reason. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to clear things up before things get too uncomfortable?
The guy’s only been here for two months—he probably doesn’t even understand the risks of dating in the workplace yet.
“I ran into Woohyun hyung while jogging in the park.”
“…What?”
What kind of random statement was that? How did the conversation suddenly veer in that direction? Wookyung was caught completely off guard, but Director Choi continued as if nothing was out of place.
“He really likes talking about all sorts of things. I’ve never seen someone who could talk that much without stopping.”
“…Yeah, he’s a bit of a chatterbox.”
Wookyung couldn’t deny it. Even he, when talking to Gil Woohyun, sometimes wondered if the guy had always been this talkative.
Then again, I never really paid enough attention to notice before.
Woohyun had always fussed over him like a proper older brother, but back then, Wookyung had thought it was all just an act.
“Especially when it came to family. He said he misses you more now that you’re apart.”
At first, he thought this was just another off-topic ramble, but now the conversation kept circling back to family, and that made Wookyung uneasy.
“And the person he talked about the most… was you, Wookyung.”
Of course. Of course, his bad feeling had to be spot on.
He had the overwhelming urge to demand what exactly did he say?—the question was at the tip of his tongue.
But at the same time, something warned him not to ask. So, he barely held himself back.
Unfortunately, unlike him, Director Choi wasn’t done talking yet.
“He told me he has a cute little brother. A bit aloof, but still.”
“…Who?”
“Woohyun hyung’s little brother.”
That… that can’t be me. There’s no way he’s talking about me.
Yet, oblivious to Wookyung’s inner turmoil, Director Choi kept going.
“He said you act like you don’t care but are actually really considerate, and that you’re diligent to a fault—so much so that it makes people want to take care of you.”
How did the conversation end up here?
Wookyung was suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to escape.
The more Director Choi spoke, the itchier his fingers and toes felt, and the heat creeping up his ears and neck was unbearable.
He wanted to do something—anything—to distract himself. No, scratch that. He just wanted to get out of here.
Why had his phone, which had been ringing incessantly earlier, gone completely silent now?
Did everyone just forget about me?
At every office gathering, there were always people who quietly slipped away. Maybe everyone assumed Wookyung had done the same and stopped looking for him.
“One day, he even showed me a picture of you.”
Just as Wookyung’s mind was wandering, Director Choi dropped another bomb.
“…A picture?”
“He said it was just a casual photo of your daily life.”
Wookyung knew that Woohyun liked taking pictures of their family—he always had, and their parents loved it.
Most of the time, Wookyung just let it happen. But what the hell had he shown Director Choi?
This was bad. He needed to message Woohyun right now and demand an explanation.
Just as he started reaching for his phone, Director Choi’s voice came, low and steady.
“Hearing so much about you… I started to get curious. If someone sees you as that lovable, I wondered what it would be like to meet you in person.”
Wookyung’s hand froze mid-air.
That didn’t make any sense. Their first meeting hadn’t exactly been pleasant.
“When I was offered a position in Korea, I immediately thought of someone. It might sound ridiculous, but—”
“Yeah, it does.”
Please don’t say it was me.
“But it’s true. I just figured… it was finally time to come back.”
“You mean you hadn’t visited Korea even once before?”
From what he’d heard, Director Choi was the grandson Chairman Choi favored the most. Wouldn’t that mean he should’ve at least visited during holidays or birthdays?
“My situation’s a bit complicated. My relationship with the rest of the family… especially with my uncle, is strained.”
“Ah…”
Wookyung vaguely recalled hearing something about that. Maybe in the company group chat? So it wasn’t just a baseless rumor.
But honestly, so what?
Family feuds happen all the time. That didn’t seem like a good enough reason to have stayed away.
“I was just a kid back then, and going up against him was impossible. Even my aunt didn’t call me back, knowing that.”
“…And yet you still came.”
“It was time.”
His gaze lingered on Wookyung.
There was something in that look that made Wookyung’s stomach twist. A realization he wished he hadn’t reached.
He tried to break eye contact, but he could still feel Director Choi’s gaze brushing against his cheek. He needed to change the subject—fast.
But what? How?
“You know, I actually heard from Woohyun hyung that you started working here.”
“…Why did he even bring that up?”
Seriously, what was it with Woohyun spilling his business to random people?
Was he that desperate to talk about Wookyung to someone across the ocean?
Did he not realize that no one else found this stuff interesting? Not that Woohyun was the type to care about that.
“So?”
Even as he groaned in frustration, Wookyung motioned for Choi to continue.
Director Choi tried to suppress a smile.
Because, damn it, even this reaction was adorable.
“But then, my aunt just happened to suggest I start working there too. Quite the amusing coincidence, don’t you think? And then Woo-hyun said something interesting.”
Choi cleared his throat, as if trying to rid his voice of the amusement that had seeped in, before continuing.
“He told me that you take the subway to work every morning. So if I took the same train, I might just run into you by chance.”
The memory of that day was still vivid. The subway station packed with people. Searching but failing to find the person he had been looking for, only to notice a familiar back when he stopped in disappointment.
The faint scent that lingered in the air—so subtle that only he seemed to catch it. Then, when the owner of that scent had turned around in irritation, the moment their eyes met—pure astonishment.
Would you be surprised if I told you I recognized you instantly?
“Huh? Don’t tell me you actually—”
“That’s right. Woo-hyun tipped me off. Guess he noticed I was paying more attention than I let on.”
“What the—!”
If Woo-hyun were standing in front of him right now, Wookyung would have grabbed him by the collar and shaken him senseless. If something like that happened, shouldn’t he have at least told him?!
“You could’ve at least said something first.”
Now that he thought about it, that was true. If he had spoken up back then, things might have turned out a little differently. At least he wouldn’t have mistaken him for some subway creep and gone out of his way to avoid him.
“I’d only seen your photos before. Seeing you in person, I wasn’t entirely sure at first.”
“What, was I worse than my photos?”
“Of course not. If anything, you were… quite—”
Quite what? Just say it already! Holding back like that only made people more curious.
“Mm…”
No matter how much Wookyung urged him with his eyes, Choi either didn’t notice or was deliberately dragging it out for fun.
“Are you that curious about how I saw you?”
Strangely enough, he couldn’t bring himself to deny it. But admitting it outright wasn’t an option either. Unfortunately, Choi seemed to have a knack for reading answers in silence.
“You were even more stunning than I expected.”
Yeah, right. That had to be a lie. Wookyung shot him a skeptical look, but Choi only smiled in response, eyes twinkling.
Clearly, he had no intention of revealing the full truth. Fine. In that case, there was nothing left to discuss. Wookyung was about to get up when—
“Wookyung.”
The way Choi called his name, gentle and firm, made him pause.
“If you’re okay with it… how about we take the time to get to know each other?”
Wookyung knew this wasn’t just an invitation for a simple friendship or a casual workplace relationship. That much was obvious.
“Do you like me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
How could he be so sure?
“I just kept thinking about you, and it happened. Then when I actually met you, you were even more captivating than I expected.”
“I don’t have pheromones. I’m a Beta. I can’t satisfy an Alpha. And you’re saying you still feel that way?”
Choi held his gaze with quiet certainty.
“Of course. When people like each other, when they fall in love, that’s all that really matters. Traits don’t change that.”
* * *
