* * *
To be honest, Wookyung had expected CEO Choi to cause some kind of scene at the company over Director Min.
Even if Saheon had handed her a sweet deal, her precious son had still been kicked out of the company.
But even after two weeks, CEO Choi was oddly quiet.
Instead, rumors about Wookyung and Saheon’s relationship were what really took off.
‘Whatever. Doesn’t matter.’
Sooner or later, interest would die down, and all he had to do was quietly keep doing his job.
“Oh? It’s snowing!”
It was almost time to leave work when Assistant Manager Seon’s voice rang out in delight.
She was staring out the window.
Naturally, Wookyung turned his head too.
Outside, snowflakes like grains of rice were drifting down.
“It’s the first snow.”
“Yeah, it is.”
One by one, the team members turned to look out.
As Wookyung quietly watched the snowfall, he glanced at Saheon.
As always, their eyes met right away.
Maybe Saheon had been watching him this whole time.
Wookyung quickly looked back at his monitor.
His fingers felt unusually light on the keyboard.
[Me: Want to go on a date after work?]
[Saheon: Yeah. Let’s do that.]
He barely suppressed a grin as he read the reply that came back almost instantly.
He had to cover his mouth with his palm to hide his smile.
[Saheon: Go to the car first and wait for me.]
[Saheon: I’ll be there in five minutes.]
A considerate message followed, knowing Wookyung still cared about appearances.
But Wookyung replied with a refusal.
[Me: You go first.
Me: I left the car at home. Wait for me at the subway station.]
[Saheon: At the subway station?]
[Me: Yeah.]
Saheon could’ve questioned that, but he just replied obediently.
Wookyung felt like he should say something more and began to move his fingers.
“Assistant Manager Gil, can I talk to you for a moment?”
But the hesitation quickly vanished.
“Yes? What is it, Assistant Manager Seon?”
“I just passed the other manager and… about the conference room furniture…”
While working with Senior Associate Sun, Wookyung took a few calls, answered questions from Associate Choi, and responded to messages in the team chat—all while time flew by.
[Saheon: I’m heading out now.]
[Me: Okay, see you soon.]
[Saheon: Yeah. Be careful.]
Wookyung smiled faintly at the message.
It was both sweet and silly how Saheon worried about him traveling just a few stops away.
Saheon was the first to leave after saying his goodbyes, followed soon after by the other employees.
“Assistant Manager, aren’t you leaving?”
Associate Choi looked curiously at Wookyung, who still hadn’t shut down his computer.
“I should. Let’s go.”
Finally, Wookyung packed up too.
Just then, he got a message from Saheon saying he’d just arrived.
“You know the chairman’s been tightening up the house rules lately?”
“Yeah.”
Surprised at Wookyung’s easy confirmation, Associate Choi turned to him with a sharp look.
“You really planning to marry Saheon?”
“Yeah.”
Again, Wookyung didn’t hesitate.
Associate Choi now stared at him, mouth slightly open, obviously wanting to say something.
“He’ll talk to you about it soon.”
“Talk about what?”
“There’s just something. That’s all you need to know for now, Choi Siwon.”
Associate Choi looked like he was dying of curiosity, but Wookyung said no more.
Right then, the elevator stopped at the lobby.
“See you tomorrow.”
Without giving Associate Choi a chance to hold him back, Wookyung quickly slipped away and walked toward the subway station.
The snow, once like rice grains, had grown as big as fingernails and blanketed the streets in white.
‘Maybe I should’ve told him to come with me.’
Swallowing that brief pang of regret, Wookyung got on the approaching train.
He found a spot to stand and sent a message to Saheon.
Instead of a reply, a call came in.
—You on the train?
“Yeah. I’m on my way.”
His voice sounded more cheerful than usual.
As they chatted about nothing in particular, the train quickly arrived at their stop.
Anxious, Wookyung hurried off as soon as the doors opened.
Climbing the stairs, walking past the gates, he still heard Saheon’s voice through the phone.
—Take your time. You’ll trip if you rush.
“I know,” Wookyung answered, but he didn’t slow down.
As he neared the exit, spotting a familiar figure filled him with relief—and something he couldn’t quite name.
Maybe it was the man waiting for him in the falling snow.
“Why are you waiting out here? You could’ve waited inside.”
Feigning annoyance, Wookyung tried to ignore the way his heart thudded.
“They say if you catch the first snow, you’ll meet your first love.”
“Oh, please.”
At Saheon’s gentle smile and cheesy joke, Wookyung couldn’t help but laugh.
Then he took the hand that was reaching out to him without hesitation.
The two of them walked side by side, matching steps.
Sometimes they swung their arms playfully, brushing snow off each other’s shoulders and heads.
“Want to stop by there?”
They noticed a pojangmacha glowing warmly nearby.
They’d been there once before.
“Sure.”
Saheon answered casually and changed direction.
Maybe it was because of the snow or the cold—or maybe the time of day—but the place was crowded.
“No seats.”
Looking around, Wookyung pouted.
None of the tables seemed like they’d free up soon.
“What should we do?”
Wookyung glanced around again—and his eyes landed on a brightly lit convenience store across the street.
“Wanna go to my place?”
Saheon, scanning the crowd, followed Wookyung’s gaze.
“Yeah.”
The answer came without hesitation again.
They left the pojangmacha and walked to the convenience store—still holding hands tightly, even for that short distance.
They grabbed a six-pack of beer, a few snacks, some side dishes, chips, and ice cream, and headed to the register with a full basket.
“I’ll pay.”
“No, I will.”
“Since we’re going to my place, it makes sense that I pay.”
“If that’s the case, we should just split it. That’d be fair.”
Even during this brief tug-of-war, their hands remained tightly clasped.
In the end, Wookyung paid and handed the receipt envelope to Saheon.
“Here you go. Since I paid, Director, you can carry it.”
“Of course, Assistant Manager Gil Wookyung. I may not look it, but I’m pretty strict when it comes to splitting bills.”
At Saheon’s deadpan joke, he chuckled softly.
Wookyung couldn’t help but let out a short laugh as well.
“What kind of logic is that.”
As they stepped out of the convenience store, large snowflakes were falling thick and fast, blanketing the street in white.
“That’s a lot for a first snow.”
Saheon looked up and commented.
“Yeah, really.”
Wookyung lifted his head too.
The feeling of cold snowflakes landing and melting on his skin wasn’t unpleasant.
Maybe it felt even nicer because Saheon was beside him.
“Guess I’ll have to commute without the car tomorrow.”
Even now, such practical concerns?
Wookyung gave him a slight side glance—but then realized from what came next that the question had another purpose.
“Looks like I’ll have no choice but to take the subway… It worries me.”
“What are you worried about?”
“Whether I’ll actually make it to the office.”
“You always find your way to the station just fine. What are you talking about?”
“I could end up going the wrong direction by mistake.”
At this point, it was obvious what he was really aiming for.
When Wookyung simply stared at him, Saheon smiled gently and said:
“So let’s commute together tomorrow, Assistant Manager Gil.”
Of course.
Saheon never missed an opportunity.
That tenacity was one of his strengths.
Not that Wookyung minded—in fact, he’d been disappointed earlier that they hadn’t gone home together.
“Shall we?”
Saheon clearly hadn’t expected such an easy agreement.
His eyes widened before curving into a crescent as a beautiful smile spread across his face.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Their joined hands rose slightly, and warm lips pressed gently against the back of Wookyung’s hand.
Though the touch quickly disappeared, Wookyung felt the lingering warmth would stay with him all through their walk.
He didn’t mind it—not at all.
In fact, he found himself wishing moments like this would continue forever.
“I think we should just get married.”
“Sounds great. When?”
Saheon responded instantly, not even hiding how pleased he was by the sudden declaration.
“Still, we should date for at least a year first.”
“A whole year?”
Saheon looked genuinely stunned.
Wookyung nodded firmly.
“Yeah. My dad always said you need to go through all four seasons together before getting married.”
* * *
