The days blurred together for Seo Joo-won as he continued his internship at Hanlim Corporation. Each day felt like a never-ending cycle of work, competition, and tension. His interactions with his fellow intern, Park Min-seo, grew colder by the day. Min-seo's subtle jabs and sarcastic remarks were beginning to wear on Joo-won, but it wasn't just Min-seo he had to worry about anymore. It was Kim Joon-ho.
The CEO's presence loomed large over Joo-won's life at Hanlim. No matter how many tasks he completed, how many long hours he worked, it seemed that nothing was ever good enough to catch Kim's attention in the way he hoped. Every time he thought he had earned a moment of recognition, Kim's piercing gaze would pass over him with indifference, as if he was nothing more than another face in the crowd.
Yet, there were moments when Kim's gaze lingered just a little too long, when the air between them seemed charged with something more than just professional obligation. In those fleeting seconds, Joo-won felt the heat rise in his chest, his heart pounding in his ears. Was it possible? Could the CEO, the untouchable Kim Joon-ho, be... interested in him?
But no. Joo-won quickly shook the thought from his head. Kim Joon-ho was a man of control—impossibly distant and precise. There was no room for feelings or distractions in his world. Still, Joo-won couldn't help the pull he felt each time their paths crossed.
One evening, as the workday wound down and the office began to empty out, Joo-won stayed late once again. The pressure of his workload seemed never-ending, and there was an unspoken competition between him and Min-seo to see who could impress the CEO more. As Joo-won sat at his desk, furiously typing up a report, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, slow and deliberate. His heart skipped a beat.
It was Kim Joon-ho.
Joo-won quickly straightened up, trying to mask his anxiety as the CEO's figure appeared at the entrance to the office. Kim's eyes swept over the room, his sharp gaze locking onto Joo-won with a calculated precision.
"You're still here," Kim remarked, his tone flat but somehow filled with a deeper meaning that sent a thrill through Joo-won's spine. "You're pushing yourself too hard."
"I... I wanted to finish the report for tomorrow's meeting," Joo-won explained, his voice betraying his nervousness.
Kim didn't respond immediately. He simply walked closer, stopping just a few feet from Joo-won's desk. The space between them seemed to shrink, and Joo-won felt the air grow heavier with each passing second. Kim's presence was overwhelming, and the way he stood there, observing him, was almost suffocating.
"I see," Kim finally said, his voice low. "But you're not just here to finish reports. You're here to prove something. Aren't you?"
Joo-won's breath caught in his throat. There it was again—the unspoken challenge, the implication that there was more to his internship than just work. The unspoken desire hanging in the air was undeniable, and for the briefest moment, Joo-won wondered if Kim had noticed the same tension that had been building between them.
"I... I just want to do my best," Joo-won replied, his heart racing faster now.
Kim studied him for a long moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. The silence between them stretched, and Joo-won felt like he was on the verge of saying something—something that could change everything.
And then, without warning, Kim took a step closer, his body hovering just inches away from Joo-won's. Joo-won's breath hitched, his mind racing as the CEO's presence flooded his senses. Kim's eyes didn't leave his, and there was a flicker of something—something dangerous and undeniable—in his gaze. The space between them was electric, charged with an intensity that made Joo-won's skin tingle.
"You want to impress me?" Kim whispered, his voice a seductive promise. "You'll need more than hard work, Seo Joo-won. You'll need to prove you're willing to sacrifice."
Joo-won's mind was spinning. He couldn't think straight. His body was responding to Kim in ways he didn't fully understand. The way Kim looked at him, the way he moved, was all too much for Joo-won to process. Every part of him screamed to pull away, to maintain the professional distance he had been trying to uphold—but a deeper, darker part of him didn't want to let go.
Before Joo-won could respond, the CEO turned away, his sharp movements cutting through the tension.
"Get some rest, Joo-won," Kim said, his voice returning to its usual indifference. "You're not going to impress me by working yourself to exhaustion."
With that, he walked out of the office, leaving Joo-won standing there, completely shaken. The world felt out of focus as Joo-won processed the encounter. What had just happened? Was Kim testing him? Or had something deeper been at play?
For the rest of the evening, Joo-won couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing between him and the CEO. A dangerous, forbidden attraction that neither of them could ignore.