By Zephyria 
What exactly is an office romance?
It is a form of love where, just when you’re so head-over-heels that you could die just by looking at them, you are blessed with the ability to see their face all day long, even at work.
And it is a form of love where you turn the thrill of worrying about being caught by those around you into heart-fluttering excitement… or rather, that was off the table because Yi-ho, the party in question, was far too timid.
Like autumn leaves changing color, small routines began to fill their office romance.
Whichever of the two finished their work early around lunchtime would leave the office first. Before exiting the door, their eyes would briefly meet—a silent greeting meaning, See you in a bit.
The person who left first would wait in the car, and once the other messaged saying they were heading out, they would swiftly rush to the first-floor basement exit to make the rendezvous.
In this manner, the two would have a cozy meal at a place slightly removed from the company and return to face a happy afternoon.
Yet, even in such modest dates, adversity existed.
“Team Leader Song, where are you going?”
While waiting for Min-gyu, the window of a car parked right next to him slid down. When the person inside called out to him and waved, Yi-ho felt as if his heart were about to drop out of his chest. Barely clutching his heart, he opened his own window and greeted, “Hello, Team Leader Lee…”
“We already said hello this morning. I asked where you’re going.”
“Oh, I, I’m not really going anywhere…”
I’m going to a kalguksu restaurant that Cha Min-gyu and I found yesterday while hugging each other tight, to have a meal and a fantastic lunch date!
…Since he couldn’t possibly say that, his words trailed off into a mumble.
However, his lover was the type of person who acted like a contrarian—pretending not to hear when called, but popping up unexpectedly when not. Even now, as soon as his name came up, he appeared with a flashing notification on the phone.
Cha Min-gyu
[Song-song’s darling is leaving now >_<] [Take me to the kalguksu place as a rehearsal for kidnapping me to Amsterdam] [(Emoticon)] Are you insane? Yi-ho repeatedly tapped the '-' key on his keyboard. He was certain that this suspicious behavior was being seen clearly by Team Leader Lee. “W-where are you going, Team Leader Lee?” Team Leader Lee simply smiled, eyes crinkling. A laugh echoed inside his closed mouth for quite a while. Yi-ho felt that even if a ghost haunting the company appeared right now, it wouldn't be scarier than this. “It seems you and I have the same objective, Darling?” “...Pardon?” “I'm in the exact same situation as you.” No way. There was no way Team Leader Lee was about to go on a date with Cha Min-gyu. As Yi-ho looked at him blankly, Team Leader Lee waved his phone. “You come to the car when you have a phone call that would be embarrassing for others to hear. I'm going to have a video call with my daughter. She's at her grandmother's today instead of going to kindergarten.” “Ah, I see. I see...” “I wonder who Team Leader Song is contacting. Well, I don't know who it is, but I can guess the relationship. Isn't there no need for Team Leader Song to hide it? You're at the prime age for it. Some people, like Team Leader Cha, brag to the whole neighborhood that they have a lover; what's wrong with having a quick call with a partner, hm?” “N-no, it's not that. Me too, family. It's family. With my mother...” Mother, I'm sorry... The son, who rarely initiated contact and lived by the motto that no news is good news, apologized to his mother, who was being used for his romance, and vowed to call her to check in this evening. Vrrr—. At that moment, the phone began to vibrate. The caller was, naturally, Cha Min-gyu. He likely called out of frustration because his lover, who had spammed '-' in the chat, wasn't answering. “Oh my, I wonder who it is.” “Ah, excuse me.” “Don't mind me and just answer. I'm tight-lipped.” “It's really not that, j-just a moment.” Yi-ho pressed the call button, whipped his body around to the opposite side, and whispered. “U-um, come a bit slower. Right now...” -Ah, I get the situation. What, I thought something had happened. He could see Min-gyu in the distance. Having watched Yi-ho's situation, he hung up and approached. ...Huh? Is this okay? Team Leader Lee also quickly noticed Min-gyu's approach. “Team Leader Cha is here too. Is the company launching a new app in our parking lot today?” Since the team leaders of Development, Planning, and Marketing were all gathered, it wasn't an unreasonable joke. “What are you two doing here?” Min-gyu approached the space between the two cars. His question was asked in a very flat tone, the complete opposite of Yi-ho's pounding heart. “Team Leader Song, I thought you were going to eat. Aren't you going?” “Hey, Team Leader Cha. Don't interfere. Team Leader Song said he was contacting his lover.” “No, it's not a lover...! I was just about to go eat...” Then, Min-gyu's gaze turned toward Yi-ho. “Ah, are you dating?” The face asking the question was a half-and-half mix of the handsome lover and the obnoxious Team Leader Cha. It was confusing, making it unclear which side was causing his heart to race. One thing was certain: with him standing there, Yi-ho didn't want to say he didn't have a lover. “...Yes. I am.” “Wow, finally, finally! Someone has appeared who recognizes Team Leader Song's true value! Since when have you been seeing each other?” “It hasn't been long...” “Mm-hmm, I got it. Keep it a secret. See Team Leader Cha? This kind of romance lasts longer. Look at him, coming here secretly to call because he doesn't want to waste a minute of his lunch break. Team Leader Cha brags so much about having a lover, but I've never seen him make a single phone call.” T-that's because... his lover is sitting right in front of him... “Hmm, you're right. I've been a bit negligent in contacting my lover.” “......” Yi-ho just blinked his wide eyes. Min-gyu shrugged. “Team Leader Song, why did you keep it a secret that you started dating? It's not like I prayed for you to stay single for the rest of your life; I would have congratulated you if you told me.” “Ah... haha, yes. I just find secret dating more comfortable...” “Aww, it's so fresh and lovely, really.” “Hmm...” Min-gyu, pretending to check the time on his watch, suddenly opened Yi-ho's car door and climbed into the passenger seat. “Let's go. No matter how great dating is, you have to eat. I'll introduce you to a great restaurant that's perfect for going with a lover.” “Oh, that's good. Team Leader Song, go and learn a lot. That's an area where you can't compete with Team Leader Cha.” “Ah... haha, yes...” “You have to get along well with people you find uncomfortable so you can resolve things better when you fight with your lover later!” “...Yes, then, I'll be going. Team Leader Lee, have a good call.” “Ah, right. That's why I came down here. I almost forgot while talking.” Once Team Leader Lee's attention shifted away from them, Yi-ho was finally able to drive off with Min-gyu as originally planned. As soon as the driver's side window closed, Yi-ho let out a long sigh. “Is it always this hard just to have one meal...?” “Team Leader Song.” “Why are you calling me like that again?” “Did you make it obvious that you're dating?” “I don't know. I think I got buried by someone else, so I don't think I did.” “Who is that someone?” “...My lover.” Min-gyu laughed and playfully grabbed Yi-ho's arm. “Darling, you said a coworker told you about a great restaurant to go to with a lover? Where is it?” “...Team Leader Cha is going to put it in the GPS.” “Really? What a great colleague. Stay close with him. Maybe even sneak some kisses at work.” “Sure, that'll be a great way for both of us to become unemployed together, Darling.” Only after leaving the parking lot did the tension finally seem to ease. It was partly due to the effect of Min-gyu's constant nonsense beside him. To top it off, Min-gyu patted Yi-ho's shoulder. “Office romance isn't easy. None of the things I said to Team Leader Lee were lies. Even the part about not praying for Song-i to stay single was a lie.” What do you mean? Yi-ho's eyebrows shot up. “Thinking about it now, even when I asked Song-i if he had a lover, I think I secretly hoped he wouldn't date anyone. I was afraid that if he got a lover, he wouldn't play with me.” “...I didn't lie to you. I told you there was no way I'd get a lover.” “But now you have a precious lover, Darling.” “A bit too big to be 'precious'... more like a giant lump...” The navigation alerted them to a speed bump. Thanks to slowing down, they passed over it with a smooth jolt. The brief feeling of weightlessness felt exactly like his current mood. “What do you want to drink?” Following the meal, Yi-ho beat him to it by pulling out his wallet first at the cafe. He was also on guard, just in case Min-gyu tried to approach the counter first. Min-gyu smiled, spreading his empty hands as if surrendering. “Team Leader Song, if you act like that, I might just try to create the most expensive menu item in this cafe by adding every single option.” “What are you planning to drink? The price isn't the problem; if you keep drinking things like that, you'll go into glycemic shock.” Many of the most expensive drinks in the cafe were things Min-gyu preferred. Strawberry lattes, some-kind-of shake, some-kind-of smoothie, and so on. Min-gyu drank coffee and tea too, but he still frequently ordered those kinds of drinks. Now that they were lovers, Yi-ho felt like adding a word of nagging about it. “Am I being regulated right now? This is refreshing, Darling.” The last three syllables, 'Darling,' were at a volume meant only for Yi-ho. Since there were about ten minutes left of the lunch break, the cafe was crowded with people from the DL Division. Only Yi-ho, who was less immune to such dizzying situations, widened his eyes and glared at the smiling Min-gyu.