* * *
Having said that, CEO Han grabbed my forearm and sat me on the table, then smiled as if he were drawing something.
My pants were getting wet. I wasn’t sure if it was just from the spilled tea or if it was from being overwhelmed by his scent.
Biting my lip repeatedly, I moved my mouth a few times before I managed to push out a single word with my tongue.
“I’m sorry.”
“Go ahead, if you want. But do what you need to do first.”
“Work…?”
“You’ve been working comfortably so far, haven’t you?”
His face, smiling brightly, showed not a single trace of shadow.
The morning sunlight touched his shoulder at just the right moment.
With an elegant posture, he tapped my cheek lightly and stood up.
“You’ll be happy, Seonyul. You’re officially working overtime. To finish a month’s worth of work by the end of this week, you won’t even get to go home. See, you shouldn’t just touch things randomly.”
Wait, what did you just say?
Are you serious right now?
I shivered in my wet clothes.
Goosebumps ran up my neck.
I had made up my mind this morning to leave work on time, but I guess that wish wasn’t meant to be.
There are a few things that every office worker says but never actually follows through on, and one of them is leaving work on time.
The moment you decide to leave early, work piles up, leading to overtime.
And even though you often talk about quitting, carrying your resignation letter in your bag, you can’t actually do it because of loan payments and credit card bills.
And despite your desire to take a day off on a golden day between public holidays, you hesitate, unable to take that precious day.
Surprisingly, I fit all three of those categories.
I should blame my overly optimistic self from this morning.
Who else is there to blame?
It’s like those kids who aren’t good at studying.
Before they even start preparing for exams, they rearrange their desks, put things in order, stack papers in neat piles, and meticulously clean off any stains from the desk.
Only then do they pick up a pencil, only to feel tired and decide to take a nap instead.
Perhaps CEO Han was that kind of person too.
As I checked the documents that needed shredding, I pulled up my pants and thought about tightening my belt.
I grabbed the falling box once again.
My pants were soaked through, like I had an accident, with the lower part turning black from the spilled tea.
Since I couldn’t walk around in those, I borrowed CEO Han’s pants, but there was one problem: the size.
No matter how tight I fastened the belt, the waist was too big, and the length was so long that I had to roll them up.
Even if I put aside those trivial matters, what kind of boss lets his only assistant walk around in such a ridiculous outfit?
His unreasonable behavior, telling me not to waste time, was seriously getting on my nerves.
“CEO, is this all the documents that need shredding?”
“For now. Once you’re done with those, it should be more or less finished.”
This was a task that could have been completed quickly with more people, but because of the confidentiality of the documents, it was just the two of us in his office.
Watching him carefully examine each document, he looked quite serious.
At some point, he had even taken off his jacket and vest, rolling up his sleeves as if he was hot.
“Once you’re done shredding, we’ll review the performance reports from the past five years.”
At this rate, next thing you know, he’ll be checking pens to see if they still have ink, drawing lines in different colors.
I mindlessly rolled up my sleeves as I fed another handful of paper into the shredder.
I had already taken off my jacket by the time I decided to tidy up the office.
Although the vest was a bit loose, I had no choice.
If I tightened it to fit my waist, I’d look like a delicate omega, so removing it would only complicate things for me.
The shredder made a constant droning sound.
As I watched the paper get cut into tiny pieces, a gloomy thought crossed my mind — is this what my future looks like?
I grabbed another handful of papers and waited to feed them into the shredder, scratching the back of my neck when I heard a voice right behind me.
“Seonyul.”
I turned my body at the sound, and CEO Han lightly grasped the wrist that was holding the papers and took them from me.
Tilting his head slightly, he looked down at my wrist.
“Did you hurt yourself?”
When I glanced at it, I saw a round red mark.
It was unmistakably a kiss mark, left from last night.
Ah, damn it.
That stupid, no, that awful mark.
Damn it, damn it!
My eyes fluttered as I alternated between looking at the mark on my inner arm and at CEO Han, who was staring intently at it.
Swallowing nervously, I calmly responded.
“I got hurt while moving things earlier.”
“The inside of your arm.”
“…Yes.”
The heavy silence hit me like a punch to the side.
How could I have missed that?
He had spent the night biting, kissing, and savoring me, and yet I hadn’t noticed this?
It was in plain sight if you rolled the sleeve twice.
I wet my lips and nodded slightly.
“My skin is sensitive, so even a small bump leaves a noticeable mark. I also bumped into the corner of a bookshelf earlier.”
“The bookshelf is taller than you.”
“That one, over there.”
Holding my breath, I pointed with my fingertips to a corner where a bookshelf was located.
It had a unique L-shape design.
The edges were rounded, but you could still bump into them if you weren’t careful.
I tilted my head slightly and drove the point home. He couldn’t catch on now.
Please just let this go.
Please.
“It’s just a bruise.”
“A bruise, huh…”
Lowering his gaze, he gently traced the bruise with his thumb, slowly feeling around the area as if drawing over it.
His eyelids fluttered slightly, and his lashes trembled faintly.
Sunlight streamed in, tinting the ends of his lashes white.
There were times I wondered if he was mixed-race, his features were so light.
Most dominant alphas I knew, like Vice President Han, had dark and sharp features, but Han Doha, this man, was an exception.
With honey-colored hair and light-colored eyes, he stood in stark contrast to his strong, broad shoulders and solid chest, which his thin shirt couldn’t conceal.
His delicate coloring was juxtaposed with his defined physique, making him all the more captivating.
That contrast seemed to be the reason why Han Doha drew so much attention.
“Yes, your skin is quite delicate. Extremely so.”
As he took a breath, his white shirt stretched tight across his chest.
At the same time, a familiar scent drifted to my nose.
It was Han Doha’s scent.
He had started to release the pheromones he had been holding back all this time.
It was soft, as if it were caressing me, completely different from the overpowering presence that had flooded the hotel room the night before.
The movement was desperate, as if pleading for recognition.
Each slow blink revealed and concealed hazel eyes in a steady rhythm.
Every time the hand grazed my skin slowly, pheromones wrapped around me, timed perfectly with the touch.
“Now that I think about it, isn’t it time for your annual health checkup? How do you plan to stay by my side with such a fragile body?”
His soft voice sent chills down my spine. He fiddled with the inside of my wrist, lowering his head slightly.
Soon enough, his hand dropped. Just as I was about to sigh in relief, CEO Han pulled me by the waist.
My body, as if hooked, leaned toward him, so close that my chest almost touched his.
“Look at this. When I pull, you come along, and bruises appear here and there. You don’t seem very healthy.”
“I’m fine. I’ve never taken a sick day while working.”
I replied curtly, lowering my head slightly to hide the redness spreading across my face.
He might hear my pounding heart.
We were that close. I hurriedly grabbed CEO Han’s forearm and stepped back, but something hard pressed against my heel, and I glanced down to see the shredder I had forgotten about.
As I tried to step aside, his arms closed around me, trapping me.
“Just because you haven’t taken a sick day in the past doesn’t mean you’ll stay healthy.”
His breath was so close now, it felt like my face was burning up even without looking.
I deliberately held my breath, turning my head slightly away.
“It almost feels like you’re hoping I’ll get sick. Then I can take a sick day?”
“…No. I just don’t want you to get sick.”
“If I do, I’ll report it to you first.”
“…Yeah, I figured. If this had been easy from the start, I wouldn’t have had to think so much about it. It’s always difficult.”
As CEO Han muttered, the pheromones filled the room again.
A tingling sensation crawled in my lower belly, and a cool chill spread down the back of my neck. Sweat seemed to form on my palms.
His hand, gently caressing the inside of my arm, felt as if he was handling a delicate sculpture, both tickling and intentional.
I barely suppressed the urge to gasp. I needed to take the suppressant.
The small pill in my jacket pocket felt more necessary than ever.
My heart thudded loudly.
I lightly tapped my cheek with the back of my hand, mouthing words but struggling to speak.
Finally, I managed to ask a question.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about for a while now. May I ask?”
Driven by a sense of duty to divert attention from this situation, I wracked my brain for something to ask.
* * *
Oh my goddd
Oh whattttt
Thanks
Thanks
I want to read next chapter
Next
🥺🥺🥺
How are they both so dumb and cute at the same time 😭