* * *
Choi Siwon walked out of the conference room like a defeated soldier, looking deeply disheartened.
Silence fell in the room for a moment.
Wookyung’s mind was a tangled mess from the bomb Choi Siwon had just dropped, and Saheon appeared to be lost in thought in his own way.
“I’m sorry again, Wookyung. I shouldn’t have spoken without talking it over with you first. That was my fault.”
Saheon was the first to break the silence.
“Haa…”
Wookyung let out a long sigh.
Honestly… he had thought he’d been handling things with Choi Siwon relatively well.
From the start, he had been careful to give no room for misinterpretation and had completely blocked any advance.
Maybe he’d been overconfident.
But Saheon’s bombshell had shaken Choi Siwon enough that he ended up blurting out a confession he had clearly been keeping bottled up.
‘What am I supposed to do about this mess?’
As soon as he left the room, he’d have to face him again—what kind of expression should he wear? And what would Choi do next?
“You don’t need to worry about Choi Siwon. He’s not the type to do something reckless and expose his feelings in front of everyone.”
“For someone like that, he sure acted like he forgot where he was just now.”
“That was because I provoked him. Normally, he cares a lot about what others think and tries to act mature, right?”
‘So you knew that and still provoked him?’
Wookyung was dumbfounded and nearly snapped back, but held his tongue.
What’s done is done.
The real issue was what comes next.
“That may have been true before he said it. But now that it’s out in the open, he won’t act the same.”
Choi Siwon had finally put his feelings into words.
And words—they hold a surprisingly strong power.
Once something that’s been buried inside is spoken aloud, your behavior and even your expressions start to change.
“You’re still worried?”
Of course he was.
Even now, his eyes kept drifting toward the conference room door because of Choi Siwon.
More precisely, because of the coworkers who might be watching him.
Plus, the idea that Choi Siwon might be wondering what was going on inside even after walking out… that was also bothering him.
“If you’re that concerned, I’ll keep Choi Siwon away from you today.”
“How? And more importantly, why?”
Saheon was acting strangely out of character today.
Sure, Choi Siwon was involved, but Saheon had still openly revealed their relationship to others without warning.
Now he was talking like he was going to send someone who was supposed to be working off somewhere else.
‘Are all Alphas like this?’
“Because you’re uncomfortable.”
“That’s something I should handle on my own.”
“But it’d make me uncomfortable to watch you go through that.”
Come to think of it, it was the same with Director Min.
Before he started dating Manager Shin, he might’ve been a bit intense, but he wasn’t this pushy.
But after they started dating, he slowly began to act more controlling, more reckless, saying things like: ‘I’m doing this for you.’
Saheon was just more honest about it, that’s all.
“This isn’t something you need to interfere with.”
This was clearly something Wookyung had to deal with himself.
When he firmly drew the line, Saheon’s face fell with disappointment.
Seeing that expression didn’t make Wookyung feel great either.
Still, when it came to this, he couldn’t back down.
“You’re right. I know you handle things well. I do… But if this gets noticed by others, that’s going to be trouble, isn’t it?”
Even as he said that, explaining his actions, Saheon was being gentle.
“Besides, the CEO Choi asked me for a favor earlier anyway, so it’s fine. Let’s just stay apart for today.”
Now that Saheon had even thrown in the excuse that CEO Choi was looking for Saheon, Wookyung reluctantly backed off.
When he nodded in agreement, Saheon visibly relaxed.
“Sorry, for doing things my own way again. Just let me win this one, Wookyung. Next time, I’ll ask first, and I’ll listen properly.”
‘This is exactly why.’
This is why Wookyung kept falling for Saheon.
Unlike someone else, Saheon didn’t just drag him along without care.
He apologized right away when he was wrong, reflected on it, and actually changed his actions.
‘This is bad.’
Even that—seeing it in a positive light—was dangerous.
“…Promise me.”
When Wookyung backed off a little more, only then did a smile spread across Saheon’s lips.
They playfully hooked their pinkies together.
Then their eyes met.
Gulp.
Why did he just swallow like that?
He glanced toward the door of the conference room.
No one seemed to be paying attention.
“Wookyung.”
When he heard his name, his gaze returned to him.
As if under a spell, he leaned forward.
Their lips met in an instant.
Even as he left the conference room, Wookyung still had some lingering concerns.
But they were unnecessary.
No one paid him any attention.
Assistant Manager Pyeon was busy on a call with someone from another department, and Senior Associate Sun and Senior Associate Lee had left to check on furniture items from the factory.
Assistant Manager Oh was typing busily, and Associate Choi was nowhere to be seen.
‘Where did he go?’
Now that the person he’d been most worried about wasn’t around, Wookyung looked around the office in curiosity.
But that tall figure was nowhere to be found.
“Associate Choi was called by the Vice President Choi a little while ago. He went that way.”
Surprisingly, it was Assistant Manager Oh, who’d been looking at the monitor, who told him where Choi Siwon went.
“Oh…”
“I mean, it’s not like anyone doesn’t know Choi Siwon’s the Vice President Choi’s son, so it’ll be fine.”
Hearing the short exclamation from Wookyung, he must have thought he was flustered, so he added that.
Instead of correcting the misunderstanding, Wookyung just nodded.
Whatever the case, it was a relief that Choi Siwon had left before Saheon intervened.
Still, he couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened in the conference room.
Especially that kiss they sealed with linked fingers…
“Haa…”
Looking over the list Saheon had handed him, Wookyung shut his eyes tightly, then opened them.
His mind kept wandering, and he couldn’t concentrate.
Maybe he needed something to drink before he got back to work.
He stood up and grabbed his tumbler.
Should he go for strong plum tea, or drink Ssanghwa-cha to calm his mind?
His head was aching a bit, maybe from how on edge he’d been earlier—so the herbal tea seemed like the better choice.
As he turned, he subconsciously looked toward where Saheon was sitting.
Their eyes met immediately.
Saheon was smiling gently.
Embarrassed, Wookyung quickly looked away.
‘What the hell, really.’
It was like Saheon had been staring at him all along.
The eye contact was too perfect.
Feeling a sudden warmth creep up his neck, Wookyung rubbed the back of it with his palm and turned away.
Creak.
That sound of a chair being pushed back—it happened just then.
No way… Was Saheon following him?
Worried, he hurried into the break room and turned around.
But no one had come in after him.
“So embarrassing…”
What was he even so self-conscious about?
Wookyung’s head drooped low.
The nape of his neck flushed faintly red.
After a moment, he lifted his face slowly.
Fortunately, the break room was still empty.
Buzz.
He had just picked up a stick of Ssanghwa-cha, full of nuts, that Manager Pyeon had specially gotten for him.
Then—out of nowhere—a lukewarm palm landed on the back of his neck.
“Wh-what…?”
“You feel a little warm.”
Startled by the sudden touch, Wookyung jumped back in alarm.
Then he glanced to the side. He’d known who it was the moment the hand touched him—of course, it was Saheon.
“What are you doing?”
Wookyung whispered, worried someone outside might overhear.
“Are you still not feeling well? Do you want to go to the hospital?”
Saheon asked in a similarly hushed voice.
But why was he slipping in that subtle touch again?
Flustered, Wookyung quickly pushed Saheon’s chest away with his hand.
So much for just being into fitness—he was seriously solid.
No, that’s not the point!
“Assistant Manager Pyeon and Assistant Manager Oh are outside, okay? Keep your distance.”
“Neither of them are coming back soon, so don’t worry. Just tell me how you’re feeling.”
Wookyung shot Saheon a glare for acting so carefree and took a step back.
What could he do when this broad-shouldered Alpha showed no intention of moving away?
It was like they were glued together or something.
Grumbling internally, he tapped the sachet of Ssanghwa tea.
“It’s not serious enough to make a fuss. Just go back to your work, Director. A cup of this should do the trick.”
“If it gets worse, take some medicine.”
“I told you, it’s not that bad. And hey, what’s wrong with this? Ssanghwa tea’s supposed to be good for you.”
Granted, it couldn’t compare to the real decoction, but still—there’s such a thing as a placebo effect.
He was about to tear open the sachet when it was suddenly snatched out of his hand without warning.
“Then wait here. I’ll go buy the real thing.”
Left staring at his now-empty hand in disbelief, Wookyung watched as the man who had taken his tea squeezed his hand once before walking out of the break room.
“…What the hell?”
Suddenly alone, Wookyung scratched at his ear and grumbled.
Maybe the redness on his skin, briefly visible under the collar, was indeed due to his condition—just like Saheon said.
Glance.
He looked at the Ssanghwa tea stick once more before turning away without regret.
Honestly, whatever Saheon brought back would probably be better—and tastier.
* * *
