* * *
Yoonwoo, who had been quietly listening, was the first to move.
He walked with an unwavering stride into the break room where Minjae and his colleague designer were.
Startled by his sudden appearance, the two quickly shut their mouths.
Yoonwoo looked directly at Minjae.
His eyes were cold and quiet.
Within them was a solidity, unlike the past, that showed no sign of wavering.
“Mr. Minjae.”
Yoonwoo called his name in a low voice.
“Yes… Yes?”
Minjae stammered in surprise. His face had gone pale.
“If you have something to say about someone else, say it in front of the person. Talking behind someone’s back is not polite.”
Yoonwoo’s voice was quiet but resolute.
“And if you have complaints or disagreements about work, raise them formally during the meeting. I will prove my design judgment and competence through results. However, I will not tolerate you arbitrarily assessing my sensibility or ability based on my secondary gender, or slandering me with unconfirmed personal matters.”
He looked at Minjae and the terrified colleague next to him in turn, and continued.
“Studio Yeon is a place where we work based on skill, not a place to divide hierarchy through secondary gender or gossip. Everyone here is doing their best in their respective roles. I expect you to maintain the basic courtesy of mutual respect while working. Please be mindful of this in the future.”
There was no emotional agitation in his words, but this made him all the more commanding.
Faced with his firm and principled attitude, Minjae’s face turned red, and he lowered his head, unable to respond.
The colleague next to him also avoided eye contact, fidgeting nervously.
Dojin, who had been watching the entire exchange with bated breath from the break room entrance, unknowingly clenched his fists.
Yoonwoo’s response was beyond what he had imagined.
Yoonwoo had managed to hide the pain caused by those insulting words, but he neither ran away nor crumbled.
He handled the situation on his own terms, in the most professional and dignified way possible.
His firmness, built upon overcoming his past hurts, his integrity in upholding principles, and the unique sense of nobility that emanated from him.
Dojin was once again, and more intensely than ever before, captivated by that image.
‘Ha… seriously, how much more charming can this person possibly be…? How much more does he intend to make me fall for him…?’
His heart was pounding madly.
He realized that Yoonwoo was not just a fragile person to be protected, but a strong individual whom he respected and wished to emulate with all his heart.
Yoonwoo didn’t look at them again.
He poured water into his cup and returned to his desk.
He focused on his monitor as if nothing had happened, but his heart was quietly stirring.
There was a slight tremor from the fact that he had faced the situation and voiced his thoughts, combined with the feeling of Dojin’s intense gaze supporting him.
That gaze was strangely comforting.
Dojin watched Yoonwoo’s back for a long time, his eyes filled with a mix of respect and excitement.
His feelings for Yoonwoo were settling deeper and more firmly in his heart.
*
The meeting ended awkwardly, but the work was not over.
Minjae’s arbitrarily altered proposal still had to be fixed personally by tonight to be shown to the client tomorrow.
Yoonwoo sighed deeply and focused on the monitor again.
‘Haa… I definitely have to work late tonight. To finish all this… I’ll have to push until at least 11 p.m.’
His mind was complicated by the amount of work piled up, but he was a professional and the head of a studio.
It was a team member’s mistake, but he had to take responsibility and complete it no matter what.
He got another cup of coffee and rolled up his sleeves.
As Yoonwoo worked fiercely, the office lights began to turn off one by one after quitting time.
All the other employees discreetly left, but Yoonwoo remained at his desk.
However, Dojin was also lingering near Yoonwoo, not having packed his bag. His face was full of concern.
“Senior Designer, aren’t you leaving?”
Dojin asked cautiously.
“…No. I have to revise this by tonight. Please go home first.”
Yoonwoo said, without taking his eyes off the monitor.
“I’ll stay too.”
Dojin said without hesitation.
“We can finish it faster if we do it together. And… this is a team-wide task, after all. You don’t need to do it all by yourself, Senior Designer.”
He deliberately gave a work-related reason, but his eyes were full of concern that he couldn’t leave Yoonwoo alone, along with the desire to stay.
Yoonwoo looked at his face for a moment.
He could sense his sincerity.
He had thought it would be more comfortable to be alone, but he didn’t dislike Dojin’s offer.
In the end, Yoonwoo didn’t reject his kindness.
“…Okay. Then I appreciate your help.”
And so, the two sat side by side, immersed in the revision work late into the night.
In the quiet office, only the sounds of the keyboard, mouse clicks, and their low voices occasionally asking and answering each other’s opinions echoed.
Yoonwoo’s sharp, accurate instructions and Dojin’s quick comprehension and intuition created a surprising synergy beyond expectation, and the work progressed much faster than anticipated.
As they focused on the design together, the unpleasantness and fatigue accumulated during the day seemed to gradually fade away.
“It’s finished…”
The revision work finally ended past 10 p.m.
Yoonwoo took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and let out a sigh mixed with deep exhaustion.
Dojin also stretched his stiff neck and closed his laptop.
“You worked hard, Mr. Dojin. Thanks to you, we finished quickly.”
“Not at all! I learned a lot because of you.”
Dojin smiled brightly. He looked more proud than tired.
Yoonwoo hesitated for a moment.
After a day of being scratched and exhausted by the incident with Minjae, he wanted to lean on someone for comfort.
Even for a brief moment, he needed sweet, warm solace, just like the chocolate latte from earlier in the day.
The image of a fluffy ball of fur, Gaeul, came to his mind.
And naturally, Dojin’s face, who would be next to him.
He mustered a great deal of courage and opened his phone messenger.
Then, he sent a message with an embarrassed heart to Dojin, who was sitting right next to him packing his bag.
[Mr. Dojin, can I come over to your place to see Gaeul today? Need healing 🙁 ]
“Huh?”
Ting went the sound, and Dojin, checking his phone right next to him, widened his eyes.
He looked alternately at the screen and Yoonwoo’s face in disbelief, then his face lit up with an uncontrollable mixture of joy and excitement.
Yoonwoo was the one who initiated coming over to see Gaeul!
With trembling fingers, he quickly sent a reply.
[Of course!!! You are more than welcome!!! I will make you something delicious! (^・ω・^ ) << Gaeul is waiting too!]
His message, full of exclamation marks, contained undisguised excitement and joy.
Yoonwoo chuckled softly at Dojin’s dramatic reply.
His honest and unadorned reaction was endearing, and he was grateful that his sudden request was accepted so warmly.
The hardened part of his heart felt like it was gently melting once more.
“Shall we go now then?”
Yoonwoo replied verbally instead of through messenger and stood up.
“Yes! Yes! Let’s go!”
Dojin jumped up and even tried to carry Yoonwoo’s bag for him.
Yoonwoo smiled and politely declined.
“What would you like to eat, Senior Designer? It’s late, so let’s have something light.”
“Hmm… How about the Gambas you made last time? That was delicious.”
“I happen to have the ingredients at home! I’ll go quickly and make it for you.”
The two left the studio door with lighter steps, chatting back and forth.
Unlike the brightly lit office, darkness had completely fallen outside.
It was just as they turned into the dimly lit alleyway under the streetlights.
A familiar figure, yet with an air of subtle unfamiliarity, was walking towards them from the opposite direction.
A dark navy suit of the finest material, perfectly tailored without a single crease, a subtly shimmering silk tie and cufflinks, and an expensive watch on his wrist that seemed to denote his status, flashed.
His hair was neatly slicked back with pomade, fully revealing his defined features and sharp jawline.
He had lost weight due to the emotional stress of the past few months, making his features even more pronounced, giving him a cold, sharp, and sculptural feel.
It was a beauty that was somehow precarious and chilling, unlike the tenderness Yoonwoo had once loved.
Cha Juwon, exuding an overwhelming presence like a well-made statue.
His appearance was impeccable, but upon closer inspection, his face clearly showed deep fatigue and a weary loneliness that he couldn’t hide.
He was staring fixedly at Yoonwoo and Dojin, walking directly towards them, as if he had been waiting for them there all along.
The moment he saw Yoonwoo with Dojin, his eyes flickered faintly.
He looked only at Yoonwoo, with an earnest, desperate look, like someone who had just found a precious thing he had lost for a very long time.
* * *
