By Zephyria 
He deliberately lagged a few steps behind.
The sounds of dress shoes and sneakers mixed together, creating a disjointed rhythm. Han Jin-seo, who had been walking ahead, gradually slowed down and soon began walking shoulder to shoulder with Hui-won.
“I don’t think you like me, do you?”
He didn’t appreciate the conversation being initiated so casually. Hui-won blew out a short breath and replied listlessly.
“No, I do.”
“Yes, you do. You used to smile at me so nicely at first. But now you’re being cold.”
Han Jin-seo presented his well-groomed face. When Hui-won didn’t react at all, his long eyes folded into a sly shape. His eye smile seemed to read meaningfully.
“Was that day the problem after all? Did I completely ruin it for you?”
“I guess so.”
“Is there no way to make up for it?”
“I don’t think there’s any need to.”
Hui-won’s gaze went upwards. Damn it, it’s only the 4th floor. He’s already out of breath. Hui-won paused on the landing, trying to catch his breath.
“Go ahead.”
He said it out of courtesy, but Han Jin-seo just stood there blankly. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, as if intending to wait.
“Ah, it’s okay. I wanted to take a break too.”
He’s such a pain, really. Hui-won openly frowned. When his legs started moving again, Han Jin-seo followed like a magnet. Not surprising. Hui-won just looked ahead and walked.
“What’s your relationship with Executive Director Kwon Young-je?”
“What about it?”
“It’s not normal for an executive director to visit his secretary’s house. Especially on a day off, to an Omega living alone.”
“……”
“I naturally assumed you were lovers. But after seeing you today, I’m not so sure. Ah, maybe it’s a company secret? A secret relationship? But you know? Company romances are always obvious, even if you try to keep them secret.”
Hui-won stopped walking. Han Jin-seo, who had been following, also stopped abruptly.
“Is it fun?”
“Excuse me?”
“Is it fun messing with me?”
Hui-won’s expression hardened coldly. He looked down at Han Jin-seo with a chilly gaze.
“You’re free to fantasize, but do you have to tell me about it?”
Hui-won was inwardly surprised even as he spoke. Ah… this is too much like Executive Director Kwon. His way of speaking must have rubbed off on him without him realizing it.
But he was also annoyed. He didn’t want to respond to Han Jin-seo’s ridiculous questions one by one, and more than anything, he didn’t want to get involved with him anymore.
Hui-won ruffled his hair and let out a tired sigh.
“Who cares? Let’s just stop bothering each other. I’m exhausted.”
He gave a warning and started up the stairs again. Now that he wasn’t being followed anymore, only the sound of Hui-won’s dress shoes echoed. After climbing half a floor more, Hui-won, who was turning the corner of the stairs, suddenly looked back.
Han Jin-seo was standing there, staring blankly at where Hui-won was standing. He looked somehow hurt.
Whether he was or not, Hui-won went his own way, but he couldn’t take more than a few steps before stopping. He couldn’t help but be bothered by the presence he had left behind.
Hui-won let out a troubled breath. Before long, he grabbed the stair railing and glared down.
“What is it?”
“……”
“Never mind if you don’t want to talk.”
That…, a very small voice caught Hui-won’s attention. He stopped and watched as Han Jin-seo began to mutter.
“It’s just my job. I’m someone who lives off people’s attention, so I can’t help but be bothered when someone dislikes me.”
“……”
“I was sorry about last time. I felt like I made a mistake unintentionally, so I was worried about it. Now that I’ve signed a contract with Apex, I thought I shouldn’t keep going like this… I was trying to lighten the mood.”
His face, looking up at him, was quite pitiful. It was as if the male lead from a drama had popped out, with tears about to fall at any moment. It was a pathetic face that most people would have fallen for.
Hui-won quietly looked down at Han Jin-seo. Unfortunately, the Alpha actor’s face attack didn’t work on Hui-won. He was too immune to it, having been exposed to a much more impressive face.
“You’re quite the actor.”
“…It didn’t work?”
Han Jin-seo’s lips curled up into a smirk. He strode up the stairs with his long legs and quickly caught up with Hui-won.
“Wasn’t that pretty convincing just now? I put on quite the performance. You’re more perceptive than I thought.”
Hui-won didn’t respond. Whether he listened or not, Han Jin-seo kept talking to himself next to him. Why is the 8th floor so far away? He couldn’t help but sigh.
***
After finishing all the preparations for going to work, he stood in front of the mirror. Hui-won adjusted his tie knot and examined his face.
‘Your aura has changed a lot since you went through heat.’
Kwon Young-je’s words from yesterday had been bothering him ever since. But even looking closely, he couldn’t find any particular changes.
The face reflected in the mirror looked somehow desolate, so he smiled widely, showing his teeth. Oh, maybe it’s not so bad? Neatly dressed in a suit and practicing smiling, he felt like he was back in his rookie days.
As usual, he went to Kwon Young-je’s house. At 7:30, he appeared without fail.
Kwon Young-je in his black suit looked particularly dashing today. Hui-won took a step forward and greeted him first.
“Good morning, Executive Director.”
He smiled brightly as he had practiced. Purely and cleanly.
“……”
Kwon Young-je, who was walking over, stopped abruptly when he saw it. He stared at Hui-won’s face without blinking.
“What is it?”
“I thought it would be nice to start the morning with a good feeling…”
“Seeing Secretary Kim’s forced smile doesn’t make me feel good.”
“……”
“Don’t do unnecessary things and get in.”
It’s said that no one spits on a smiling face, but that proverb doesn’t apply to Kwon Young-je. Such a llama-like human.
Hui-won wiped away his smile and returned to his original expression. After seeing Kwon Young-je get into the car, he got into the driver’s seat as well.
Pulling on his seatbelt, he cautiously looked at the back seat. He was looking down at the floor with his arms crossed. He had a thoughtful look on his face, as if something was on his mind. Thinking that he shouldn’t bother him, Hui-won wisely kept quiet.
That afternoon, Kwon Young-je handed Hui-won a list of necessary materials. He also instructed him to find out if the archives could be used right away.
“I’ve already obtained permission to use the archives. Should I bring the items listed here?”
“Let’s go together, there are some things I need to look for myself.”
So the two of them headed to the 12th floor. Hui-won tagged his employee ID in front of the tightly closed iron door. The door clanked open as soon as it was approved.
The archives were dark and gloomy, with not a single ray of light. This was because there were no windows inside. He turned on the lights, smelling the slightly musty odor of dust. As the surroundings brightened all at once, the true appearance of the archives was revealed.
Rows of steel shelves lined up tightly along narrow passages. Books, files, CDs, and paper boxes were neatly arranged in each compartment with labels and classification tags. At first glance, it looked like a library or a supply room.
“Then I’ll start looking for the items on the list.”
Hui-won took the initiative to move first. He thought it would be quite dusty, so he took off his jacket first. He neatly folded his clothes and put them aside, then roamed the aisles with only a piece of paper in his hand.
While Hui-won was busy searching for materials, Kwon Young-je was opening a scrapbook file a little further away. Rare foreign materials that could not be transferred to data had to be searched for individually in this way.
Occasionally, the sound of people could be heard in the silence. Hui-won scurried between the compartments like a squirrel, collecting materials.
Before he knew it, he had approached where Kwon Young-je was standing. Hui-won reached up to a high compartment with his back to him.
His arms were already full of case studies. The weight was considerable, and his left arm was already trembling. Hui-won took out a thick book and stacked the books in his arms on an empty shelf. He had found almost everything, so now he just had to choose the last CD.
He let out a short breath and turned around, and at that moment, the lights went out with a thud. The illuminance disappeared in an instant, and an impenetrable darkness descended.
“I think there’s a power outage.”
Hui-won didn’t panic and groped around. He fumbled in his pants, but his cell phone wasn’t there. He belatedly realized that he had put it in his jacket pocket.
“Executive Director, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
He heard a familiar voice right in front of him. And a small presence too. Kwon Young-je didn’t seem very surprised. He sighed softly and rustled for a moment.
Soon, a faint light seeping from the cell phone screen illuminated the floor. With that alone, he could roughly estimate the outline of the surroundings.
“Let’s get out of here for now.”
“It’s no use. The door won’t open because the power is out.”
Since it was a system that opened and closed with a computer system, it couldn’t be opened even if they called someone. They were trapped.
“…It’ll be restored soon.”
Five minutes at most? It was a sudden event, but it was clear that it would be resolved soon unless it was a major accident. Hui-won swept back his hair and leaned slightly against the hard shelf.
His eyes were gradually adjusting to the darkness. He could see Kwon Young-je well even in the dim cell phone light. He also seemed to have resigned himself to waiting, as he had one hand in his pants pocket and was leaning against the shelf. Every time the cell phone light went out, the sound of clicking buttons continued.
The distance was only a foot, and it was right in front of him. He wondered if he should move slightly, but that would feel too obviously like he was avoiding him, so he decided to stay still.
“……”
“……”
Waiting without talking was a pain in the ass. As the silence continued, his mouth became parched and his hands were covered in cold sweat. It was awkward to be alone with Kwon Young-je, but it hadn’t been like this before.
Maybe it was because he had done all sorts of things with him. Just thinking about being trapped alone in a closed space made his body tense up on its own.
Pheromones were also flowing out of Kwon Young-je. It seemed that he also found this situation uncomfortable.
Hui-won’s pheromones also reacted to the elegant but strangely sexual pheromones. He swore, this was definitely not intentional. It was just that his body was swaying on its own because of learned memories.
Hoo, Hui-won took a long breath. It would be nice if there was at least a window, but it was maddening to be surrounded on all sides. When he rubbed his lips, he felt a hot heat. Why are his cheeks so flushed? He suddenly thought it was fortunate that Kwon Young-je couldn’t see his flushed face in the dark.
Thinking that it would be better to avoid the situation, he turned around, and at that moment, something hard brushed against the back of his arm. The case studies that had been stacked on the shelves fell to the floor with a crash.
“Ah.”
They were all precious materials, so he reached out urgently. As he bent his knees and groped around on the floor, Kwon Young-je, who couldn’t bear to watch, also lowered his posture.
“Executive Director, you can just stay there.”
“……”
He silently picked up the books. He searched the floor, relying only on the small light coming from his cell phone. The distance was too close. Close enough to hear each other breathing.
In an instant, the light from the cell phone disappeared, and the surroundings became a pitch-black darkness again. Hui-won reflexively reached out and touched something smooth. When he groped it, it was… Kwon Young-je’s hand.
He quickly let go as if he had been shocked.
“I didn’t touch this on purpose, so it was an unavoidable situation.”
He was so surprised that his words came out jumbled. He had even been warned not to make contact before, so Hui-won was even more out of his mind.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the back of Hui-won’s neck tightly. Although it was dark, he could tell that Kwon Young-je’s face was close enough to feel his breath on his cheek.
“That day….”
The fingers that were holding his neck pressed down on his flesh. His voice was also intermittently cut off, as if he was struggling to endure something.
“I shouldn’t have slept with you.”
“…Excuse me?”
As soon as Hui-won’s mouth opened, Kwon Young-je’s lips collided with his. Hot flesh instantly filled his mouth and wrapped around his stiff tongue, sucking it.
Thud, Hui-won slumped down, touching the books he had stacked up again. He didn’t care at all about the books that were losing their balance and falling, and only pulled on Kwon Young-je’s collar.