* * *
Several months had already passed since Yoonwoo returned to Seoul and joined CEO Kang Seoyeon’s ‘Studio Yeon.’
The season was heading back towards autumn.
Leaving behind the blue sea and wind of Jeju, and the short but intense time he spent there, Seoul was still stark and busy, but Yoonwoo’s time was no longer stuck in the past.
He was moving forward, slowly but surely.
The past hadn’t completely vanished.
Sometimes, very occasionally, Yoonwoo would spot Juwon lingering in front of the officetel building on his way home from work.
With a face much more gaunt and darker than before, Juwon would watch Yoonwoo enter the building from a distance.
He never dared to approach, his eyes complex and pitiful, as if he had something to say.
In the beginning, his heart dropped a few times, and the hard-won composure he had built up crumbled.
But now, Yoonwoo was no longer fazed when he saw him.
He simply ignored him, treating him completely as if he were invisible.
Just as one might pass a stone on the roadside or an advertisement billboard.
Juwon would always hesitate, watching Yoonwoo’s resolute and cold back, before turning away with a bitter heart.
Their relationship remained in that respective stasis.
Since returning to Seoul, Yoonwoo had continued to stay in the officetel that Juwon had left him as ‘compensation.’
Initially, it was because he had nowhere else to go immediately, but as time passed, another reason emerged.
Although he considered moving because the place was steeped in their unpleasant memories, obstinacy took root.
‘Why should I be the one to flee because of that man, because of those memories?’
This was now entirely his own space, the place where he would rise again through his own strength.
Furthermore, it was close to Studio Yeon, his new workplace, and in the complicated city of Seoul, he didn’t want to go to the trouble of leaving a familiar place to find a new abode.
In fact, the biggest reason was that he was simply too busy to look for a new place.
*
The small studio that Seoyeon had founded grew incredibly fast after Yoonwoo joined.
As word spread through the industry that ‘Seo Yoonwoo is back,’ clients who knew his skill defected from the struggling CS Design and turned to Studio Yeon, as if by prior arrangement.
Yoonwoo’s innovative results and perfectionistic work ethic demonstrated at CS in the past were already well-established in the industry, making his return a huge issue in itself.
Thanks to this, a series of significant projects, unbelievable for a fledgling studio, poured in.
Seoyeon subsequently recruited additional skilled, experienced designers, and the staff had grown to five people.
Consequently, Yoonwoo was spending busy days and nights fully immersed in work.
In a quiet alleyway in Seongsu-dong, the office of Studio Yeon, located in an aesthetically pleasing building converted from an old factory, was bustling under the late autumn sunlight.
Beneath the warm light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, five employees were busily working at their respective monitors.
Various design drafts and sketches were scattered messily across the large table in the center of the office, and the walls were covered with inspiring images and project progress boards.
A mix of youthful, vibrant energy and the passion of intense creativity filled the space.
In the innermost part of the office, by the wide window, was the desk of ‘Senior Designer Seo Yoonwoo.’
He was alternating between his laptop screen and tablet, reviewing a new corporate branding renewal project that had just come in.
The hollow, empty eyes he had when he left for Jeju were now hard to find.
He was still thin and his face was expressionless, not revealing much emotion, but his sunken eyes held a new vitality, and his physique felt firmer than before.
Above all, the sharp focus and depth that radiated from his eyes when he was absorbed in design proved that he had fully returned as ‘Designer Seo Yoonwoo.’
Of course, the deep wound in his heart had not completely healed.
Memories of the past occasionally troubled him, and he still maintained an invisible wall in his relationships with people.
In particular, he tried hard to keep more distance than necessary from Alpha and Omega colleagues.
But he was fighting not to be consumed by the past anymore.
Just as he had resolved on the Sagyepyeong Beach in Jeju.
He now had a new world: design, and Studio Yeon.
“Senior Designer, could I trouble you for some feedback on this part?”
A junior designer, who had just joined a month ago, approached him cautiously.
“Yes, just a moment.”
Yoonwoo momentarily paused his work and shifted his gaze to her monitor.
“The interaction feedback for the user tapping on this part is too weak. You need to provide a more distinct visual or auditory response so the user can properly recognize it. Check it again and…”
He calmly but accurately pointed out the issues.
The junior designer receiving his feedback was nervous, but she diligently took notes, trying not to miss a single piece of his advice.
Seoyeon watched Yoonwoo with a satisfied look from her office.
She was grateful and proud that Yoonwoo had accepted her offer and was finding his place again as a designer.
The depressed, despairing figure she had seen in the motel was gone.
She wanted to do her best to help Yoonwoo spread his wings once more here.
Seoyeon smiled contentedly, got up from her seat, and walked out to approach Yoonwoo.
“Ah, Yoonwoo. You know we have one more new designer starting today, right? We were so busy that I barely had time to conduct the interview, but a friend I had been keeping an eye on applied, so I hired him right away. His portfolio is good, and he seems to have a good personality, too.”
“Yes, I heard,” Yoonwoo replied without taking his eyes off the monitor.
He knew a new person was coming, but he didn’t pay much attention to it.
He was already overwhelmed just with the current project.
“I’m sure the CEO picked a good person.”
“His skill is decent, and above all, he seems like a very positive and cheerful guy. He’s friendly and sociable, so the office atmosphere will improve even more. Take him under your wing and look after him for a while, Senior Designer.”
Seoyeon winked playfully, her smile somehow mischievous, and patted his shoulder.
Just then, the office door opened, and a new figure entered.
Seoyeon cheerfully waved towards the entrance.
“Oh, Dojin-ah! I mean, Mr. Dojin! You’re finally here! We’ve been waiting!”
‘Dojin.’
At the sound of the overly familiar name, Yoonwoo instinctively raised his head.
The moment he saw the person standing at the office entrance, Yoonwoo’s eyes widened.
His heart felt like it plummeted.
That face had looked at him worriedly as he stood by the gate at Jeju Airport.
That person who had turned his back and covered his ears not to hear Yoonwoo’s desperate cry on the night beach, and who had taken attentive care of him while driving him around Jeju.
The young man who, despite Yoonwoo rejecting his confession on their last night in Jeju, had bravely promised to come to Seoul.
It was Kim Dojin.
“Alright, everyone, attention for a moment! This is Kim Dojin. He’ll be working with us starting today. We’ve known each other for a while, and he’s joined us through a great opportunity.”
While Seoyeon introduced him enthusiastically, Dojin gave a slight bow and walked into the office.
He looked completely different from the shabby hoodie-wearing figure Yoonwoo had first seen at the airport.
Perhaps due to his taller height and broader, well-built shoulders, he exuded the presence of a strong Alpha.
The stylish knitwear and slacks, though casual, fit him well, giving him the vibe of a fresh young man rather than a green boy.
At his sudden appearance, his handsome looks, and the undeniable aura of a dominant Alpha, several Omega employees in the office stopped what they were doing and looked at him with slightly captivated eyes.
However, he completely ignored the attention focused on him and moved his eyes quickly, searching for something.
Then, the moment he spotted Yoonwoo in the back of the office, the rigidity vanished, replaced by a dazzling, dog-like smile that spread across his entire face.
It was a smile filled with undisguised delight and excitement, directed only at one person.
Struck directly by that smile, Yoonwoo felt his breath catch.
Seoyeon watched Dojin and Yoonwoo closely, then introduced Yoonwoo to Dojin, playfully raising an eyebrow.
“Mr. Dojin, this is our Senior Designer Seo Yoonwoo, the core of Studio Yeon and your mentor. Say hello.”
Yoonwoo felt his heart begin to pound violently at his unexpected appearance.
The memories of Jeju, his confession, Yoonwoo’s rejection, and the final promise he had made… everything rushed in at once, confusing his mind.
He couldn’t say a word, only staring blankly at Dojin, who was still smiling brightly at him like a puppy.
His heart fluttered, but at the same time, it beat with a sense of unease.
* * *
