The air felt different the next morning. Seo Joo-won entered the office with a mix of exhilaration and trepidation. Every glance, every whisper from his colleagues, seemed amplified, as if they could sense the unspoken truth hanging between him and Kim Joon-ho.
Joo-won tried to bury himself in his work, hoping to distract himself from the events of the previous night. But no matter how much he focused, his thoughts kept circling back to the kiss. The way Kim had looked at him, touched him—it was a memory he couldn't shake, no matter how inappropriate it was.
Later that day, an email pinged into Joo-won's inbox.
From: Kim Joon-ho
Subject: Progress Report
Message: My office. 3 PM. Bring the updated files.
The words were innocuous, professional on the surface, but Joo-won couldn't help reading into them. He glanced at the clock—3 PM was only an hour away.
When the time came, Joo-won made his way to Kim's office, files in hand. The walk felt like an eternity, his heart pounding harder with every step.
He knocked on the door, and Kim's voice called out, "Come in."
Joo-won entered, his nerves tightening as he saw Kim standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to the door. The late afternoon sun cast a golden glow over the room, highlighting the sharp lines of Kim's silhouette.
"Close the door," Kim said without turning around.
Joo-won obeyed, the soft click of the lock echoing in the silent room.
Kim finally turned, his gaze meeting Joo-won's. "Do you have the files?"
"Yes, sir," Joo-won replied, stepping forward to hand them over.
Kim took the files but didn't look at them. Instead, he set them on his desk and leaned against it, folding his arms as he studied Joo-won.
"You seemed distracted today," Kim said, his tone casual but laced with something deeper. "Is everything all right?"
Joo-won hesitated. "Yes, sir. I've just been focused on the campaign."
Kim smirked, the corner of his mouth curling upward. "Focused, hm? That's good. Focus is important. But tell me—how do you plan to handle distractions?"
The question caught Joo-won off guard. "Distractions, sir?"
Kim took a step closer, the space between them shrinking. "You know what I mean."
Joo-won's breath hitched as Kim reached out, his fingers brushing against Joo-won's tie. "You're ambitious, Joo-won. I admire that. But ambition alone isn't enough in a place like this. You need to learn how to navigate the... complexities of the corporate world."
Kim's hand slid upward, his touch light but deliberate, sending a shiver down Joo-won's spine. "Can you do that?"
Joo-won's voice was barely above a whisper. "I... I'll try."
Kim smiled, his eyes darkening. "Good. Because this game we're playing—it's not for the faint of heart."
The air between them crackled with tension, the unspoken desires they had both been suppressing threatening to spill over. Joo-won's mind screamed at him to stop, to walk away, but his body refused to move.
Kim closed the remaining distance, his lips capturing Joo-won's in a kiss that was more intense, more demanding than the one before. Joo-won melted into it, his hands instinctively reaching for Kim's shoulders as the world around them faded away.
When they finally broke apart, Joo-won was breathless, his cheeks flushed.
Kim's gaze softened, but his voice remained firm. "Remember, Joo-won—once you step into this world, there's no turning back."
Joo-won nodded, the weight of Kim's words settling over him. He knew he was in deep now, playing a game he didn't fully understand but couldn't walk away from.