MM 113

“Yu-young.”

“…?”

“Yu-young!”

“…Ah, Ju-yeon.”

Yu-young’s dazed vision cleared in an instant. Startled, he looked up from where he had been resting his chin on his desk, lost in thought. Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok’s faces came into view as they approached the partition. Ju-yeon, who had brought coffee after feeling sleepy due to the heat from the air conditioning, placed a cup of iced coffee on Yu-young’s desk.

“Is something going on lately? You don’t look like yourself.”

“…Oh, no. It’s nothing…”

Yu-young awkwardly tried to brush it off, but Ju-yeon’s face was serious, her concern evident. After scrutinizing his face closely, she added worriedly,

“Really? You’ve been looking so good recently, but these past few days, you look terrible. Why don’t you take a half-day off?”

“It’s Friday, I can’t take half a day off… I’m fine, really.”

Yu-young smiled awkwardly and waved his hand, but he couldn’t deny that his face had definitely shown signs of fatigue, visible even to Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok.

He hadn’t slept well for days, and yesterday, he stayed up all night. His brain felt numb from the lack of rest. Even when he looked in the mirror, he was shocked by his noticeably rough appearance: dark shadows under his eyes and a sharper jawline. It was no surprise given how little he’d been sleeping lately.

The conversation he’d had with Sun-hyung a few days ago had been the culprit, disturbing his sleep for days now.

“…Sigh…”

Just thinking about it made Yu-young sigh involuntarily. It wasn’t just the lack of sleep; the real problem was that he hadn’t been able to make any decisions for days.

Not only that, but he hadn’t been able to tell Do-won about meeting Sun-hyung. Yu-young knew that once Do-won found out, he would definitely take some action, and the inevitable consequences were something Yu-young feared. Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to imagine how to handle what came next.

At that moment, Ju-yeon’s phone began ringing from her desk. She quickly rushed back to answer, and Yoon-seok, who had been standing nearby, gently placed a hand on Yu-young’s shoulder. He began massaging it slowly.

“Assistant Han. Are you alright? I’m worried about you.”

“Ah…”

Yu-young recognized the touch. If it were before, he would have smiled, maybe even teased Yoon-seok for being so attentive.

But despite the massage not being objectively bad, it felt strangely uncomfortable. Yu-young wasn’t sure why, but it was unsettling. He tried to smile awkwardly, and as he gently grabbed Yoon-seok’s hand to push it off,

“Yoon-seok.”

“…Ah, Team Leader.”

Just then, Do-won’s cold voice rang out from behind them. Startled, Yoon-seok turned his head toward Do-won, but his hand remained on Yu-young’s shoulder.

Do-won approached with firm steps and immediately grabbed Yoon-seok’s wrist, pulling his hand away from Yu-young’s body. The atmosphere froze.

Yu-young, taken aback, could only watch in silence. On the surface, Do-won appeared expressionless, but the air around him was unmistakably tense, even frightening.

Soon, Do-won’s chilly voice shot toward Yoon-seok,

“I’d prefer it if you refrained from this kind of contact between alpha and omega at work.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Only then did Yoon-seok awkwardly bow his head in apology. Do-won’s dry gaze shifted toward Yu-young.

“Assistant Han, come to my office.”

After saying that, Do-won turned and walked toward his office with resolute steps. Yu-young, who had gotten up from his seat, gave Yoon-seok an awkward smile before following Do-won into his office. Yoon-seok, with a dark expression, watched his back.

“You called for me?”

Yu-young swallowed nervously as he stood, unable to sit, before asking Do-won politely. Do-won, who had been silently watching him, let out a deep sigh.

“Assistant Han.”

“Yes.”

“What’s going on? You don’t look well lately.”

Do-won’s long fingers came closer, brushing Yu-young’s face. The pheromones emanating from Do-won were a stark contrast to the uncomfortable touch from Yoon-seok earlier.

It felt warm, comfortable, and even pleasant. But at the same time, it also felt strange and awkward. Yu-young was conflicted, but that was how he felt.

“…It’s nothing.”

“It’s nothing? You’re looking worse than ever. Look at your face.”

Do-won’s voice carried genuine concern. To an outsider, his tone might have sounded the same as usual, but Yu-young could clearly sense the unease and restlessness in his demeanor.

That made Yu-young’s heart flutter. What if all of this was just a mirage that would disappear soon? He’d been having that thought a lot lately, though he didn’t fully realize it. He was startled by the thought and quickly blinked, pushing the distraction away.

As Do-won gently reached to turn his face, Yu-young took his hand and discreetly pulled it away.

It was a polite rejection, but Do-won, who had been quietly watching unauthorized copy Yu-young push him away with obvious signs, slowly opened his mouth.

“Would you like to take the rest of the day off and rest?”

A gentle voice. A worried face. And a warm hand extended toward him. All of it was starting to make Yu-young feel nauseous. He quickly shook his head.

“No, no. I don’t need to leave early.”

“Assistant Han.”

“…If you don’t have anything else to say, I’ll go now.”

Yu-young quickly spoke and fled from the office before Do-won could stop him. It was too difficult to stay with Do-won in this state. He needed time alone to think, even if just for a little while.

Yu-young didn’t go straight back to his desk but instead went to the bathroom. Through the mirror, he saw his disheveled face.

Ssss- Water started running from the faucet. He deliberately turned on the cold water, splashing his face with it. As the water dripped from his face, he wiped it, letting out a quiet sigh.

There was only one solution that came to mind. There was no other choice. visit our site But it was the most courageous thing he had to do in his entire life.

He could do it.

Yu-young muttered to himself, staring into the mirror.

The day after tomorrow would be the day they gathered at his family home to celebrate Do-won’s birthday. Yu-young made up his mind to have everything ready for action by then, sending a firm, silent cheer to his reflection in the mirror.

…

After washing his face, Yu-young slowly took off his pajamas and pulled out a freshly laundered shirt. His hands fumbled slightly more than usual as he buttoned it.

A long yawn escaped him. Despite having breakfast and taking a short nap, his exhaustion refused to subside.

Though it had been Saturday yesterday, an urgent matter had come up, and all the members of Team 1 had come to work in the morning. After worrying about everything for days and having to come in on the weekend, he was absolutely exhausted.

But today, he had to gather himself. Even though it was Sunday, a day when he could rest, he had promised to gather at his family home for dinner to celebrate Do-won’s birthday, which was only one day away.

Facing his mother always made him nervous. Especially after the last [visit our site]time when they met with Sun-hyung. But it couldn’t be helped. After all, he couldn’t refuse to go on Do-won’s first birthday after their wedding.

“Assistant Han.”

“…Yes?”

Knock, knock. Long fingers tapped on the table near Yu-young’s place. When he looked up, he met Do-won’s gaze directly. Upon meeting Do-won’s face, full of worry and concern, Yu-young realized he had been staring blankly, lost in thought, while eating.

“Ah… Team Leader.”

Do-won’s face, which had been staring at him intently, was devoid of any smile. His voice was heavy as he asked seriously,

“Be honest with me. You’ve been acting strange for the past few days. Are you sick, Assistant Han?”

“No… It’s nothing. I’m not sick…”

“Come here.”

Despite Yu-young’s insistence that he was fine, Do-won didn’t stop. He reached over the table and placed his hand on Yu-young’s forehead. After confirming that his temperature was normal, Do-won’s face still carried a look of worry.

“You don’t have a fever, but… why do you look so drained? Should I make you some tonic?”

Do-won muttered in a serious tone.

“Or maybe, is it because you feel uncomfortable going to my house?”

“What? No, not at all! It’s nothing like that.”

“If that’s the case, you don’t have to go. Assistant Han, feel free to say it.”

Yu-young, desperate, hurriedly waved his hand to stop Do-won, feeling the atmosphere as if Do-won might call his family to cancel the visit.

“No, Team Leader. Really, it’s not like that. I want to go. It’s our first birthday together.”

“Birthdays come every year, what’s the big deal? Your condition is more important.”

Do-won gently grabbed Yu-young’s wrist, [Read on]pulling it toward him. He threaded his fingers between Yu-young’s, clasping his hand with a soft, warm grip.

At that moment, Yu-young almost burst into tears. Uncomfortably smiling, he twisted his hand out of Do-won’s grasp and quickly stood up from his seat.

“I’m done eating, Team Leader. I… I’ll go and prepare now.”

“Alright. Don’t feel pressured. If you’re too tired, just rest a bit more.”

“I’m fine. I’ll be out soon.”

Do-won’s persistent kindness shook Yu-young’s heart even more strongly today, to the point where he felt nauseous. It was becoming unbearable. Yu-young fled to his room, closed the bedroom door, and let out a long sigh.