* * *
His forehead and cheeks stung. His back and the nape of his neck too, no doubt.
As soon as Wookyung walked through the company lobby, he ignored the stares and headed for the elevator.
“I don’t remember being this noticeable at work…”
He had no idea his looks had made him quietly famous as one of HK Furniture’s ‘office hotties’.
He just assumed the gossip wouldn’t go past his name and department.
Surely not his face.
Not knowing the low-key rumors floating around about the handsome “Mr. Gil from HK,” he found all the attention confusing.
“Hey, Assistant Manager Gil!”
He was just about to get on the elevator when a familiar voice called out.
At the same time, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned his head without much emotion.
Of course—it was Assistant Manager Kim, offering an awkward but friendly smile.
He probably hadn’t expected all the eyes that followed once he called out to Wookyung.
“Business trip go well?”
He stood unusually close to Wookyung and whispered.
Since they both worked on upper floors, the crowd kept pushing them toward the back wall of the elevator.
“Yeah.”
“Sure looks like it. For being away so long, your face looks fresh. Didn’t even take a day off, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Huh. Must’ve eaten something good while you were away?”
Wookyung finally looked at him.
He didn’t get why the guy was making such pointless small talk.
When their eyes met, Assistant Manager Kim licked his lips and leaned in even closer.
Wookyung tried to pull back, but Assistant Manager Kim noticed and quickly changed the subject.
“How’s Director Choi? He say anything special?”
So that’s what he was after.
For a moment, Wookyung could’ve sworn everyone in the elevator had perked up their ears.
He even caught a few people glance at him through the mirrored wall, only to quickly look away.
He had intentionally fed Assistant Manager Kim that rumor, but the reaction was stronger than expected.
“Should I be pleased about this?”
He stayed quiet, scanning the others around him.
Growing impatient, Assistant Manager Kim pushed again.
“Didn’t come to work together today? I heard your places are only 10 minutes apart by car.”
That bit especially—no one would know unless someone had leaked Saheon’s info.
Wookyung couldn’t let that slide.
“And how do you know that?”
“Well, I mean…”
Didn’t take much to figure out it was probably Assistant Manager Park from HR, the office chatterbox.
“We agreed to commute separately.”
No need to mention how he and Saheon had argued the whole way home about that.
Saheon, of course, wanted to show off their relationship.
Wookyung argued there was no way a low-level employee like him could ride to work with the Director every day.
“Okay, maybe I was being a bit stubborn.”
Even Wookyung knew it was a pride thing.
Still, making it too obvious they were dating would cause more trouble than it was worth.
“Man, you’re picky in weird ways.”
“What did I do?”
“Nothing. Just funny, you always said you wouldn’t do workplace romance, but now you’re with Director Choi. Not exactly a ‘steel wall,’ huh?”
What nonsense is he going on about now?
The elevator, which had been stopping at almost every floor, was finally clearing out.
Maybe that’s why Assistant Manager Kim’s voice started getting louder too.
“Still, gotta say, you’ve got guts. You said you wouldn’t date at work, and now you landed the biggest fish. The owner’s bloodline! Damn…”
“Landed”… what the hell?
Wookyung just stared at him blankly, and that seemed to make Assistant Manager Kim nervous.
“I mean, you two were friends back in school, right? Still, it was just middle school, and he’s been in the U.S. ever since.”
“Yeah. He said he came back just to see me.”
Wookyung casually dropped the line that he knew would catch ears.
Of course, Saheon had been the one who told him to say it.
Just knowing each other wouldn’t spark enough gossip—there had to be some reason they reconnected.
Thinking about it, Wookyung suspected Saheon might actually be enjoying all this chaos.
“What?”
That reaction didn’t come from Assistant Manager Kim.
Another employee, who’d still been in the elevator, accidentally let it slip.
Realizing it, he slapped a hand over his mouth, clearly revealing himself.
Then he met Wookyung’s eyes in the mirror, panicked, and bolted the second the doors opened.
Hopefully, that was his floor.
“Seriously, Gil. Are you bragging right now? Huh?”
“He said that to me, I’m telling you.”
“And you’re bragging about that now? Director Choi liked you first! You know that, right!”
Wookyung just shrugged, saying nothing.
That nonchalant gesture only riled the other person up more—not that Wookyung realized it.
“Wow, seriously? I didn’t think Assistant Manager Gil was like that. Total fox, huh? A sly little fox.”
“Assistant Manager Kim, get out. We’re here.”
Assistant Manager Kim, who had been about to retort, suddenly snapped back to reality and quickly stepped out.
But even then, she didn’t forget to get in the last word.
“I’ll message you the rest later.”
What more is there to say?
Wookyung didn’t reply, just waved his hand dismissively.
Maybe she took it as agreement, because she waved goodbye and disappeared.
Left alone at last, Wookyung finally pulled his phone from his pocket.
He’d noticed the faint vibrations earlier.
He hadn’t checked it—because he already knew who it was from.
As expected, it was from Saheon.
Saheon: Did you get to the office?
Saheon: I’m in the parking lot. Where are you?
Saheon: Should I grab coffee on the way?
Three messages, all questions.
All asking where he was.
Probably sent because Wookyung had insisted on commuting separately this morning.
His contact name had changed too.
He’d originally saved it as Director Saheon, and when Saheon saw that, he’d looked a little hurt and asked how long Wookyung planned to keep up the formality.
So Wookyung had changed it right then and there.
Just seeing that name made the corners of his lips twitch.
He was about to reply when his phone started ringing.
“Were you just staring at the messages this whole time or what.”
Despite his muttered complaint, he didn’t hesitate to answer.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes sparkled just a bit.
—Wookyung, that’s too mean. How could you not reply even once?
The moment the call connected, an adorably sulky voice came through.
Wookyung, caught off guard by the affectionate tone, rubbed the back of his neck and answered flatly.
“I was commuting. Packed subway, crowded elevator… couldn’t check my phone.”
—Hmm… So you weren’t ignoring me on purpose?
He couldn’t exactly say no.
He figured Saheon already knew.
As he hesitated, the elevator doors slid open—and there he was.
A man holding a phone to his ear.
Broad shoulders, tall frame, a face that could draw anyone’s eyes.
An alpha, commanding even without a trace of scent—his pheromones meticulously controlled.
“I thought you’d be coming up right about now. Perfect timing.”
He smiled faintly, the corners of his lips curving up—still so dazzling.
The fact that this man was dating him felt surreal all over again.
“Wookyung?”
“I talked to Assistant Manager Kim just now. Told him you joined HK Furniture to see me. He freaked out, said I was bragging.”
The rule to use formal speech in the office had been Wookyung’s idea.
But even when Saheon dropped it suddenly, Wookyung didn’t bat an eye.
“Why would that be bragging?”
His tone matched too.
Wookyung had somehow expected him to say just that, but hearing it straight from Saheon made his stomach flutter.
“You should’ve said I liked you first.”
“Assistant Manager Kim asked first.”
“So you said yes?”
“Well.”
He hadn’t exactly said it—but Saheon, catching his drift, smiled like that was good enough.
Then he took Wookyung’s hand and pulled him to stand beside him.
Wookyung hesitated but let him.
The hallway to the office was empty anyway.
‘Or even if someone did see… so what?’
Everyone on the TF team probably already knew.
Emboldened, Wookyung matched Saheon’s pace.
Saheon’s expression softened even more.
That day, people often spotted the two of them at the café, chatting in the rooftop garden, or eating lunch together.
Thanks to that, the office messenger and anonymous bulletin boards buzzed all day, and by the time evening came, there wasn’t a soul left who didn’t know they were dating.
And so began the office romance Wookyung had sworn would never happen.
* * *
