* * *

In the end, Jingyeom paid for the drinks. Using a debit card in his name was more enjoyable than he’d expected.

No longer was it Baek Jinwoo’s card in his wallet, but Baek Jingyeom’s.

Perhaps out of consideration, they all ordered Americanos, leaving Jingyeom in a bit of a dilemma.

Though he wanted to drink coffee, he couldn’t because of the caffeine.

After staring at the menu, he tugged on Jinwoo’s sleeve.

“Do you think I can have that one?”

“What?”

“Decaf Americano!”

“Even decaf has caffeine in it, you know.”

“That’s true, but there’s really very little!”

Jingyeom pointed to a pamphlet that claimed it removed 99.9% of the caffeine.

“I want to try it too. It’s like a working person’s potion!”

“…But just have a little.”

After finally getting permission, Jingyeom happily placed his order.

He had at last obtained an iced decaf Americano.

He gazed at the coffee, its radiant color enticing, and quickly took a sip through the straw.

His cheeks hollowed as he sucked, and soon the coffee traveled up the clear straw, with his red tongue following soon after.

“Ugh.”

“Hahaha!”

Soohyuk burst into laughter, watching Jingyeom wrinkle his nose and stick out his tongue after tasting the coffee.

Not wanting to spill what Jingyeom had bought for him, Soohyuk held his cup with both hands, shoulders shaking as he chuckled.

Wonbeom also smiled, though not as broadly as Soohyuk.

“It tastes bad, doesn’t it? I’ll get you something else. How about an ade?”

“…No, I’ll finish this.”

“But it’s probably not good…”

Jinwoo gently rubbed Jingyeom’s hunched back.

Since he had likely never had coffee before, it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t like the taste.

Even when taking medicine, Jingyeom would immediately ask for candy if there was even a hint of bitterness left in his mouth.

“I can drink it. I’m a working person now too!”

Strictly speaking, he was just a two-week temp, not a full-time employee.

Jinwoo couldn’t understand what kind of image Jingyeom had in his mind about being a working person.

For Jinwoo, working people were those whose shoulders were always slumped under the weight of numerous burdens, whether from colleagues, bosses, or the struggle of overtime—the plight of salaried employees.

Sure, some people took pride and joy in their work, but Jinwoo had yet to meet anyone like that.

Well, except for one person.

Tak Wonbeom.

He seemed certain about everything he did. He tackled problems head-on and invested generously if something seemed worthwhile.

His love for the company was apparent.

Maybe that’s why those who worked closely with him seemed to develop a contagious loyalty to the company.

Even Secretary Yang, who always joked about toppling Director Tak and kept a resignation letter tucked away, clearly took pride in his work.

When Jinwoo first joined as Wonbeom’s secretary, he didn’t take it seriously.

But as he observed Secretary Yang, his mindset and attitude gradually shifted.

Jinwoo wondered if he should shatter some of Jingyeom’s illusions about working life, so he wouldn’t be too disappointed later.

The thought crossed his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

So, he just watched Jingyeom as he grimaced while continuing to drink the coffee.

“Do you want to add some syrup? It might make it taste better.”

“Not a chance. I’m going to drink it like this.”

Jingyeom insisted stubbornly.

Dozens of times he tried to sip through the straw, but the amount that disappeared was so little it was barely noticeable.

Soohyuk couldn’t stop laughing at the sight, which made Jingyeom glare at him.

“Are you glaring at me now? Does that mean you’re getting more comfortable with me?”

“…I wasn’t glaring. Just looking.”

“Now you’re even lying. I saw you glaring just now—your eyes were right here.”

Soohyuk lightly touched the corner of Jingyeom’s eye and then withdrew his hand.

The pressure made Jingyeom naturally scrunch his eyes closed.

As Jingyeom closed his eyes, the image replayed in Soohyuk’s mind as if in slow motion. Jingyeom tilted his head slightly to the side, squeezed his eyes shut, and then shook his head from side to side.

For that moment, time seemed to slow down.

Soohyuk let out a low sigh.

‘…This is dangerous.’

It wasn’t just a little dangerous. It was seriously risky.

Every time Soohyuk met Jingyeom, his internal danger alarms would go off.

Ignoring them would mean he’d have to deal with the consequences later.

Soohyuk ruffled his hair with one hand and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

‘He’s dangerous in so many ways. Is he trying to bewitch someone?’

Unaware of how Soohyuk was looking at him, Jingyeom continued his determined challenge of drinking his coffee.

Jinwoo, sitting beside him, was also cheering him on, unable to suppress his smile.

Jingyeom’s strong resolve to finish the drink was just too adorable.

As Soohyuk walked alongside Jingyeom, he gradually slowed down his pace and then moved closer to Wonbeom.

“Did you smear honey on your lips or something? You’re even quieter than usual today.”

“Maybe it’s just that you’re too loud.”

“Then why don’t you say something? Neither you nor Secretary Baek are good with words, so I have to fill the silence. Otherwise, Baek Jingyeom would be bored.”

“…”

Bored, huh? Maybe he was right.

Wonbeom himself couldn’t deny that it was Soohyuk who kept the conversation going.

He wasn’t much of a talker by nature, and Jinwoo only spoke when necessary.

Even with Jingyeom, most of his words were expressions of concern.

Wonbeom glanced at Soohyuk, surprised.

“Since when did you care about others?”

“I care more than you do.”

Soohyuk responded nonchalantly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Wonbeom.”

Wonbeom’s steps faltered for a moment. In the past, Soohyuk often called him by his name, but since they started working at the same company, he mostly addressed him as Director Tak.

Even when he did use his name, it was usually for something necessary.

When Wonbeom stopped walking, Soohyuk took a step forward and turned slightly to face him.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun lately.”

“…”

“Baek Jingyeom is just too much fun.”

How should he respond to that? Should he say that he feels the same? Is that the right answer?

Soohyuk’s gaze on the silent Wonbeom was somehow intense.

It was clear that Wonbeom was feeling uneasy.

That Tak Wonbeom, who even frowned when Soohyuk showed interest in Baek Jinwoo, was now turning his eyes away.

‘Baek Jingyeom really is a fox, isn’t he? How many people has he bewitched?’

Soohyuk let out a small chuckle. Just how many more people would Jingyeom captivate before stopping?

“I don’t want to clash with you. Physically, I’d lose.”

“…”

“I’ve taken a break from working out lately, so I feel even less confident.”

He said it with a slight frown, as if he was joking, but Wonbeom knew he was serious. It was his way of warning him.

To tell him not to show interest in Baek Jingyeom.

This time, it was Wonbeom who let out a small laugh.

“Well, Baek Jingyeom has been amusing me a lot lately too.”

“Are you determined to enjoy this as well?”

“That’s up for interpretation.”

Wonbeom moved towards Jingyeom and Jinwoo, who were waiting ahead.

Soohyuk closed his eyes for a moment as the dangerous scent brushed past him.

The sudden darkness and Jingyeom’s bright smile when he opened his eyes were stark contrasts.

A soft sigh escaped Soohyuk’s lips.

If things continued like this, it wouldn’t just be a joke—he might actually be in real danger.

And not anyone else’s, but his own.

---

From the very first day, Jingyeom found himself up against the formidable foe of office overtime.

There wasn’t much he could do about it, though.

His tasks were limited to making copies or shredding documents.

He thought about cleaning, but since there were people hired for that, it wasn’t necessary.

Every now and then, Jinwoo tried to give him some work, but he was too busy with his own tasks, and there wasn’t much that Jingyeom could handle. He couldn’t just send him home early either.

Unable to bear the boredom of sitting still, Jingyeom got up to explore his surroundings a bit.

Most people had already gone home, but there were still some offices with lights on.

‘Wow… this place is huge.’

The space was divided only by partitions.

Jingyeom, afraid of disturbing anyone, peeked around from the entrance and then turned away.

After being blasted by air conditioning all day, he felt a bit chilly and stuffy, so he decided to go to the rooftop garden to get some fresh air.

The rooftop garden, designed for employees to relax, was quite well-maintained. It was just past 7 p.m., so the sun hadn’t set yet.

‘There must be people who take care of all this, right? Wow, there are even flowers.’

Jingyeom wandered around the rooftop garden, admiring the view. Just as he was about to sit on a bench to rest, he heard the door open.

He turned his head and saw three people entering the garden.

They were probably working late, judging by the small paper cups in their hands. The essential fuel for overtime—instant coffee.

The three of them looked around, checking if anyone else was there.

Jingyeom was sitting inside an arch-shaped fence covered in vines, with his back to them, so they couldn’t see him.

“Is anyone here?”

“No, no one’s here.”

Not noticing Jingyeom, the three of them leaned against the railing and began chatting. They started with some trivial talk before quickly moving on to complaining about their boss.

Jingyeom hesitated, wondering when he should leave.

‘I should’ve left earlier…’

If he left now, it would be awkward for them, so he decided to wait a bit longer. That’s when the topic of conversation changed.

“Whew… Did you guys see it? That beige outfit.”

Realizing they were talking about him, Jingyeom pricked up his ears.

“Yeah. Who wears something like that to work?”

“Ugh, that’s not even the issue. Isn’t he a parachute hire?”

“Another one? Which department is he in this time?”

“They say he’s Director Tak’s secretary. Ha! Doesn’t everyone know he’s the real power here? Does he really need to fill every spot with his own people? Director Sun was also brought in by Director Tak, right?”

When the two names were mentioned, Jingyeom, who had been staring at his toes, lifted his head.

“There was a lot of talk about that back then too. But Director Sun does his job well, doesn’t he?”

“Even if he’s good at his job, a parachute hire is still a parachute hire. It’s not just Director Sun, what about Baek Ji… What’s his name? That secretary.”

“Baek Jinwoo.”

“Yeah, anyway, he also got in because of Director Tak’s backing, right?”

Jingyeom blinked rapidly, not quite understanding what he was hearing. Then his brows furrowed deeply.

‘Are they badmouthing Jinwoo?’

* * *