In his arms, he held a massive, bright yellow bouquet of freesias—nearly as large as Yoonwoo’s upper body.
The sweet, fresh scent of the freesias diffused softly throughout the office.
“Chief!”
Dojin stood before Yoonwoo, offering the bouquet with a radiant smile as if welcoming a triumphant general.
Yoonwoo was taken aback by the unexpected gift, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Dojin…? What is all this?”
“It’s a gift for the Chief, who has finally cleared his name!”
Dojin answered energetically.
“You’ve really been through so much, Chief. I saw everything. I know how much mental strain you’ve endured.”
Yoonwoo felt his eyes well up again at the fragrant scent of the freesias and Dojin’s warm heart.
He took the bouquet and said in a low voice.
“…Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Dojin… I wouldn’t have been able to resolve this while being falsely accused…. Thanks to you, I cleared my name and I think we got a good result. Thank you, really.”
His voice was filled with heartfelt gratitude.
Dojin’s ears turned red at Yoonwoo’s words, making him shy, but he soon flashed a cheeky smile and took a step closer.
“Are you that thankful? Really?”
He whispered softly, looking playfully into Yoonwoo’s eyes.
“Then, go on a date with me. Now that all the upsetting things are over, we should let it all go and have a proper change of pace!”
Yoonwoo was momentarily flustered by the sudden date proposal, but seeing his sparkling eyes and sincere expression, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
And perhaps, he had been wanting this date with Dojin as well.
He gave a very small nod.
“…Okay.”
“Wow! For real?!”
Dojin barely managed to hold back a cheer as if he had won the world, clenching his fist.
His face was filled with unmistakable joy and excitement.
“Then this weekend morning! I’ll come pick you up!”
Just then, the door to the CEO’s office opened and CEO Kang Seoyeon emerged. She smiled meaningfully at the sight of the two of them and said,
“My, my, our Chief! Excited now that your name is cleared, huh? I knew it! But listen, just because the plagiarism dispute is over doesn’t mean company work is over. Actually, it’s increased—a whole lot!”
Just as Seoyeon said, once the truth behind C Company’s plagiarism dispute was revealed, the industry’s reaction was explosive.
Companies that had severed or put their contracts with Studio Yeon on hold were now jostling to offer apologies and expressing their desire to proceed with contracts.
Inquiries from new companies, having heard of Studio Yeon’s capabilities and Seo Yoonwoo’s reputation, flooded in.
Studio Yeon had truly been blessed with an opportunity from disaster.
“So, everyone, stay sharp and let’s work hard! Oh, and!”
Seoyeon shouted to the staff.
“To celebrate our Chief clearing his name, I’m buying everyone a high-end beef dinner tonight!”
“Wooooaaaah!”
The employees cheered in unison, and the office was once again buzzing with a festive atmosphere.
Amidst the noise, Yoonwoo and Dojin looked at each other and smiled quietly.
It was a warm, hopeful moment where everything seemed to be finding its proper place.
The promised weekend morning arrived.
Although the season was winter, the sunlight streaming through the window was exceptionally warm.
Yoonwoo woke up much earlier than usual.
Today was his first official date with Dojin. Thanks to that, he had tossed and turned all night.
Yoonwoo stood in front of his open closet for a long time.
Was choosing an outfit to wear really this difficult?
He took out various clothes, held them up to his body, and paced in front of the mirror.
When he received the dinner invitation from Dojin in Jeju before, he had felt no excitement or desire to dress up, but now it was different.
He was excited.
He wanted to look good for him. In the end, he had been up since dawn, showered, and even applied a face mask for the first time in ages.
He had spent over an hour choosing his clothes, but finding the perfect combination was not easy.
Checking his watch, the time Dojin was supposed to arrive was approaching.
Finally, he settled on ivory cotton pants, a neat basic white t-shirt, and his favorite light sky-blue knit cardigan over it. He hurried out the front door.
When he stepped out in front of the officetel building, Dojin, who had arrived a little early, was waiting, leaning against his car.
But his appearance was quite different from usual.
He, who usually wore comfortable hoodies or sweatshirts, was dressed stylishly today, as if he had just jumped out of a fashion magazine.
Inside a sophisticated dark navy blazer, he wore a neat white round-neck t-shirt, matched with beige chino pants that slightly revealed his ankles.
His hair was lightly curled, naturally covering his forehead, and his skin seemed to glow more than usual.
Add to that his tall height and broad shoulders—which exuded the unique reliability of a Dominant Alpha—his dark brown eyes shining in the sunlight, his sharp nose, and his soft smile.
He brought Yoonwoo the same thrill as a male lead in a romance movie.
Seeing him approach with a wide smile upon spotting him, Yoonwoo felt his heart thumping in his chest before he knew it.
Coincidentally, the sky-blue cardigan Yoonwoo had agonizingly chosen matched Dojin’s navy blazer, and his ivory pants matched Dojin’s beige pants in a subtle tone-on-tone harmony, looking like a couple’s outfit that anyone would assume was planned.
As soon as Dojin saw Yoonwoo, he widened his eyes and approached with a bright smile.
After scanning Yoonwoo’s outfit from top to bottom, Dojin said in a playful voice.
“Oh? Chief! Today… it looks like we’re wearing a couple’s outfit?”
At his words, Yoonwoo’s face turned bright red.
“Pfft….”
Seeing Yoonwoo’s flustered reaction, Dojin finally burst into laughter.
Yoonwoo’s shy appearance felt incredibly cute.
Yoonwoo watched Dojin’s laughing face and, without realizing it, laughed along with him.
Dojin didn’t forget the gentlemanly gesture of opening the passenger door for Yoonwoo.
As he got into the car, Yoonwoo asked curiously.
“Where are we going today?”
Dojin winked like a mischievous boy and answered.
“Hmm… I thought we could take a trip to a world of innocence!”
Before long, they arrived at an amusement park filled with colorful balloons and upbeat music.
Yoonwoo burst into laughter as he saw the giant wooden structure set up at the entrance.
“This is my first time at an amusement park after turning thirty.”
Dojin laughed along beside him and said.
“It’s my first time at an amusement park, too. I’ve always wanted to come here with you, Chief, at least once.”
The two bought day passes and began to enjoy the rides like little children.
Initially awkward, Yoonwoo was drawn in by Dojin’s bright energy and gradually regained his vitality.
They screamed together on dizzying roller coasters, and in front of the carousel, they complained that it was childish but ended up riding the horses together and taking photos.
They spent time picking out cute animal headbands for each other and laughing, and shared trivial stories while eating cotton candy and churros.
For lunch, they ate pasta and steak at a restaurant with an outdoor terrace.
The time spent sitting by a sun-drenched window, chatting warmly, was peaceful and heartwarming.
While walking after lunch, Yoonwoo stopped for a moment in front of an ice cream shop.
He had seen the chocolate-flavored ice cream that Dojin liked.
Yoonwoo went inside and bought two, handing one to Dojin.
“Dojin, you like chocolate flavor, right?”
Dojin was surprised and touched that Yoonwoo remembered even his trivial preferences, and took the ice cream with a moved expression.
Just as he took a bite of the cool, sweet chocolate ice cream—a little girl who had let go of her mother’s hand and was running toward them collided with Dojin while holding her own ice cream.
With an “Oof!” sound, the strawberry ice cream the girl was holding spilled all over Dojin’s pants.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry! I’m so, so sorry!”
The girl’s mother ran over in a panic, bowing her head repeatedly.
Dojin’s clothes were already a mess with the red strawberry ice cream.
Yoonwoo was flustered for a moment, but Dojin reacted in an unexpected way.
“Oh, it’s fine, Ma’am.”
Dojin looked a bit surprised, but he immediately walked over to the girl, who was crying on the ground, knelt down, and matched her eye level.
“Hey there, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
His voice was infinitely gentle and soft.
He patted the girl’s head and waited for her to stop crying, and even reassured the mother by saying, “Kids can be like that. Please don’t worry too much.”
Yoonwoo watched that scene quietly.
In a situation that could have been embarrassing and annoying, he prioritized the child and was considerate of the other person.
At his gentleness and maturity, Yoonwoo felt a corner of his heart warm up without realizing it.
And once again, his heart throbbed.
Was this… the emotion he had been trying to ignore, yet could not deny—this thrill?
Once the situation was settled, Dojin approached Yoonwoo with a sheepish expression and said.
“I’m sorry, Chief. It’s our date, but my clothes are… I’ll go to a nearby clothing store and change into new clothes quickly.”
Yoonwoo nodded and took off the cardigan he was wearing and wrapped it around Dojin’s waist.
“Wait a second, Dojin. Cover it with this and go.”
Dojin’s face turned red at the scent of Yoonwoo’s cardigan wrapped around his waist and the faint, pleasant fragrance wafting from it.
Touched by Yoonwoo’s considerate and kind actions, he felt his heart racing as if it would burst again.
