* * *
The office atmosphere subtly shifted as Yoonwoo stood still, staring blankly at Dojin without saying a word, but Yoonwoo was only focused on Dojin.
It was a reunion after several months, and an utterly unexpected one at that.
Yoonwoo never in his wildest dreams imagined facing him at his new workplace, as a new employee on the team he was supposed to lead.
Although Dojin had promised to follow him to Seoul, Yoonwoo hadn’t anticipated it happening so quickly, and certainly not at the same company.
The last night in Jeju, Dojin’s fervent confession, suddenly sprang out from buried memory, making his mind confused and complex.
“Senior Designer, I greet you again. I am Kim Dojin.”
It was Dojin who broke the silence.
He approached Yoonwoo’s desk and bowed deeply, with a serious and polite expression, as if he hadn’t been smiling brightly moments ago.
His voice carried the tension of a new employee, along with an undisguised respect and lingering excitement toward Yoonwoo.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am lacking, but I will learn much. Please take good care of me!”
Yoonwoo forcefully suppressed his complicated emotions and replied briefly with a stiff expression.
His gaze remained fixed on Dojin, staring intently.
“…Yes. Mr. Kim Dojin. Welcome. Let’s work well together.”
“Oh my, consider yourself honored to be learning under our Senior Designer, Mr. Dojin. You wouldn’t believe how famous he is. He’s the industry ace, you know.”
Seoyeon, who had been watching from the side, smiled mischievously and patted Dojin’s back.
“Yoonwoo, as I said, Mr. Dojin is new to our studio system, so keep him close by your side for a while and take good care of him.”
She purposefully emphasized ‘close by your side’ and winked.
Yoonwoo let out a small sigh instead of answering.
If he couldn’t avoid it, he had to accept it.
He nodded in a professional manner.
Dojin truly looked happy to be working with Yoonwoo.
He grinned again, then bravely exclaimed, “Yes! I will learn well!”
And so began Yoonwoo and Dojin’s awkward first day in Seoul.
*
Dojin’s desk was assigned near Yoonwoo’s.
Yoonwoo tried his best not to be conscious of Dojin, focusing on his work with his eyes fixed only on his monitor.
However, the feeling of Dojin’s gaze from beyond the partition, and his bright voice as he occasionally answered work-related questions from other employees, kept getting on Yoonwoo’s nerves.
Memories of Jeju kept popping up.
The Gotjawal forest trail they walked together, the abalone porridge he cooked, the chocolate latte he ordered for him at the café, the shout on the night beach, and the confession on Sagyepyeong Beach.
He shook his head deliberately, trying to clear his mind of the thoughts.
‘Focus, Seo Yoonwoo. This is the company, and he is just your subordinate now.’
Dojin was the same.
While trying to adapt to the new environment, his gaze kept drifting towards Yoonwoo.
Yoonwoo’s demeanor and appearance had changed slightly from the last time Dojin saw him in Jeju a few months ago.
The shadow of deep sadness still lingered, but instead of the precariousness of sharp glass shards, he felt a solid inner strength.
His focus on design looked even more professional and attractive than before.
His delicate features contrasted with his sharp, shining eyes, his habit of slightly furrowing his brow when concentrating, the charming mole beneath his eye, and the long, white fingers moving precisely over the tablet.
The coexistence of sensitivity, professionalism, and delicate beauty felt different from how he had appeared in Jeju.
Every time Yoonwoo wasn’t looking, Dojin secretly stole glances at his profile, feeling his heart race.
The other employees also seemed to notice the subtle tension between the two, quietly rolling their eyes and quickly messaging each other.
It was impossible not to notice Dojin’s blatant gaze directed at Yoonwoo.
Sighs from the Omegas in the office could be heard here and there.
In the afternoon, they had a chance to talk briefly about work.
It was when Dojin found and handed over some material needed for a project Yoonwoo was working on.
“Senior Designer, I found the requested material.”
Dojin spoke with a slightly nervous voice.
“…Yes. Thank you.”
Yoonwoo took the material, replying as professionally as possible.
It was a very brief moment, but their fingertips brushed as they exchanged the material.
Yoonwoo involuntarily flinched, and Dojin’s face flushed slightly.
An awkward silence fell between them again. Soon, Dojin quickly returned to his seat.
*
When it was time to leave, Yoonwoo quickly packed his belongings.
He wanted to escape this awkward space as quickly as possible.
Just as he was about to get up from his seat, Dojin carefully blocked his path as if he had been waiting.
“Senior Designer, are you heading home?”
His voice was his usual bright tone, but there was an underlying nervousness.
“…Yes.”
“Um… Senior Designer.”
Dojin hesitated for a moment, then quickly glanced around and lowered his voice, whispering playfully.
“You haven’t forgotten our… kid, have you?”
“Excuse me?!”
Yoonwoo momentarily questioned his ears.
‘Our kid’.
That was not a joke to make between a boss and a subordinate on their first day of working together.
His face flushed bright with embarrassment.
“Wh-What…”
Dojin’s lips twitched as if he found Yoonwoo’s reaction endearing.
He chuckled softly and said,
“Haha, Senior Designer. I mean Gaeul (Autumn), Gaeul! Didn’t you miss our cat?”
“Ah… Gaeul…!”
Only then did Yoonwoo breathe a sigh of relief.
Truthfully, after leaving Jeju, a part of him had always wondered how Gaeul was doing and missed him. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask first.
He knew that hearing about Gaeul would only make him miss him more.
But to be able to see him again like this…
He desperately missed the small creature he had saved, and who, perhaps, had saved him.
“…I missed him very much. Is he doing well?”
His voice softened slightly.
“Of course! He’s doing great!”
Dojin answered excitedly.
“Would you like to go see him?”
“Excuse me? In Jeju?”
Yoonwoo asked, surprised.
“No! He’s in my studio apartment right now!”
Dojin said, his eyes sparkling.
“Really? Why?” Yoonwoo’s eyes widened.
“A big stray dog kept bothering Gaeul, causing him too much stress. My father thought it was too much, so he told me to take him to Seoul. So, when I came up this time, I brought him with me. Fortunately, he’s adapting well.”
Yoonwoo was momentarily speechless.
Gaeul, who was so stressed by a stray dog that he came all the way from Jeju to Seoul.
At that absurd yet somehow poignant story, and at Dojin’s unchanging concern for Gaeul, a genuine smile spread across Yoonwoo’s lips.
“Haha… Gaeul must have gone through a lot.”
He couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped him, his shoulders finally shaking.
It was the first relaxed, comfortable laugh he had let out since returning to Seoul.
Dojin stared at Yoonwoo’s brightly smiling face, captivated, and then, feeling his heart pound violently, he cleared his throat in embarrassment.
He had been rejected, but his affection for Yoonwoo remained unchanged.
No, it felt like it had grown even stronger in the time they were apart.
Worried that Yoonwoo might hear his heartbeat, he subtly stepped back.
Yoonwoo finally stopped laughing and gently touched his reddened eyes.
Then, with a slightly softened expression, he looked at Dojin and replied, as if returning the joke.
“So, you want to go see our kid? Fine. Let’s go, let’s go see our kid.”
He adjusted his bag strap.
Dojin’s face lit up as if he were the happiest person in the world.
Forgetting the awkwardness from moments before, the two walked out of the studio side by side.
Dojin’s studio apartment was a small officetel not too far from Studio Yeon.
As they rode the elevator, Yoonwoo mulled over what had just happened in the office, Dojin’s sudden appearance, and the fact that he was now heading to his home.
Everything still felt surreal to him.
It was as if he had returned to Jeju.
Dojin kept smiling brightly next to him, rambling on about Gaeul.
He talked about Gaeul’s initial unfamiliarity when he first arrived in Seoul, and how he was now fully adapted and acting bravely as if the studio apartment were his world.
Listening to his stories, Yoonwoo involuntarily let out a small chuckle.
The slightly awkward atmosphere from meeting Dojin again gradually eased with the innocent stories of Gaeul.
“We’re here!”
Dojin entered the passcode for the front door and opened it.
And as soon as the door opened, a small shadow shot out like an arrow, as if he had been waiting.
“Meow!”
It was Gaeul. Gaeul was considerably larger than when Yoonwoo last saw him in Jeju a few months ago, and his fur was shiny, suggesting Dojin had fed him well.
Gaeul, who was standing firmly on four legs as if guarding the house, sniffed Yoonwoo.
He probably didn’t recognize him right away.
But Gaeul soon realized that Yoonwoo was a familiar presence and started meowing happily, rubbing his body against Yoonwoo’s legs.
* * *
