Chapter Text
Jake Sim was still sunshine.
But he was sunshine behind a thin grey cloud.
He laughed with his colleagues the way he always did—bright, lighthearted, teasing—but something was missing.
A spark.
A note of sincerity.
Whenever the elevator dinged, whenever the heavy footsteps of the CEO approached, whenever the atmosphere shifted cold and crisp with Heeseung’s presence…
Jake quieted.
His jokes faded.
His voice dropped.
His shoulders tensed.
And every time it happened, Heeseung noticed.
He didn’t react.
He told himself he wouldn’t care.
He told himself it was better this way.
But every time Jake fell silent, something inside Heeseung twisted like a knife.
After a few days, the office lobby buzzed with excitement when little Lee Jungwon bounded in with a panda plushie in hand. The staff adored him—he was polite, soft, and adorable—but it was Jake he ran to immediately.
“Yunie!” Jungwon squealed, practically leaping into Jake’s arms.
Jake’s entire face softened. “Wonie! Look at you—you’re so cute today!”
Jungwon nodded proudly and snuggled into him.
From across the office, Junho stood holding a gift bag he had brought for the child.
He smiled sweetly, but Jungwon didn’t even look at him. When Junho stepped closer—
“Jungwon-,” he cooed, “I brought you this teddy bear. Want to see?”
Jungwon didn’t even blink in his direction.
Instead, he whispered loudly to Jake, “NO.”
Jake choked on air trying not to laugh.
Junho’s pretty smile cracked for half a second before he forced it back on.
Heeseung, who stood near his cabin door, sighed, rubbing his forehead.
“Jungwon,” he said firmly, “be nice. Junho is an important guest. He’s very sweet.”
Jungwon turned and stared Junho dead in the eyes.
Then he looked at Jake.
Then back at Junho.
And rolled his eyes so dramatically even the security guard snorted.
Jake struggled not to burst into laughter. Junho’s face burned with quiet rage. He glared at Jake as if Jake had offended him personally.
But Jake hadn’t even spoken.
He had only held Jungwon.
Only smiled at the kid with genuine warmth.
Something Junho knew he could never imitate.
Junho approached Heeseung later, voice dripping with practiced sweetness.
“Your son has… preferences,” he said with a pout. “He seems overly attached to that intern.”
Heeseung stiffened. “Jake gets along with him. It’s nothing more.”
“Is it really?” Junho asked, his gaze piercing. “People talk, you know. They say Jake is becoming more than just an intern to you.”
Heeseung’s jaw tightened. “He’s not.”
“Of course.” Junho smiled bitterly. “You’d never have feelings for someone so young… so clumsy… so simple.”
Heeseung didn’t reply.
But the words stuck like thorns.
And they hurt.
More than he wanted them to.
When the business party invitation arrived, Jake showed up with the same effort he put into waking up every morning—barely any.
Yet somehow…
He looked stunning.
A silk white shirt, with a delicate bow tied at its collar, tucked into fitted dark trousers, hair styled loosely, lips tinted instinctively with a soft flush.
His scent was warm vanilla, nervous and sweet. He drew attention the moment he entered the hall.
Whispers were heard.
“He’s adorable”
“He doesn’t look like an intern today…”
“You sure you don’t have a boyfriend, with his face card? I mean, sir would also melt at your prettiness. ”
Jake flushed. “N-No I don’t!”
But whispers continued.
And from the corner of the hall, Heeseung heard every word.
Although Jake tried to avoid alcohol, his colleagues insisted.
“Just one drink, Jake”
“It’s sweet, you won’t even feel it!”
“It will help you loosen up!”
Jake reluctantly took the glass.
It looked sweet.
But the moment he drank it, warmth rushed through his body.
He blinked, dizzy.
That warmth turned into a haze.
Then into intoxication.
His vision blurred.
He tried to step aside to clear his head—but an arm suddenly blocked his path.
A familiar cologne.
A repulsive smile.
Juseong.
Jake’s stomach tightened.
“You look pretty today,”
Juseong whispered, grabbing his wrist. “Wanna go somewhere private?”
Jake froze. “Let me go.”
“Come on. It’s not your first time being clumsy—don’t act innocent now.”
Jake stepped back—
But the room spun.
His heart thudded.
His legs gave out—
He stumbled.
Right into a hard chest.
A steady grip caught his shoulders, gripping tightly.
Jake looked up—
Heeseung.
His breath left him.
Heeseung’s voice was a low growl. “I told you not to drink without knowing what it is.”
Jake pulled away, voice small and shaky. “I didn’t—I didn’t want to—”
“Stop being reckless.”
“Reckless for drinking and behaving like an adult?”
“You are not mature enough to do this, you’re just being irresponsible.”
“Why do you care so much, Sir? Weren’t you the one who told me to behave like an adult for once?”
Jake snapped back, tears welling in his intoxicated eyes. “This is what an adult does, drink, party, seduce!”
Heeseung stared at him.
Something broke in his expression.
“Don’t say that,” he whispered.
Jake laughed bitterly. “Why not? It’s true. You treat me like I’m some child bothering you when I—”
He choked.
Heeseung stepped closer. “When you what?”
Jake looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“It doesn’t!” Jake’s voice shook. “Because even if I did feel something, you would never—”
Heeseung grabbed his wrist.
Jake gasped.
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Heeseung said hoarsely.
“Why?” Jake whispered. “Because you can’t say your real feelings out loud?”
Heeseung’s breath shuddered.
And before either could think—
Heeseung cupped Jake’s face.
Jake froze.
Their eyes met.
The world disappeared.
Jake whispered, “Why are you looking at me like that, Sir…?”
“Because I’m conflicted, whether to protect you, or to ruin you,” Heeseung breathed.
And he kissed him.
Soft.
Slow.
Desperate.
Jake melted instantly, gripping his shirt, letting himself be pulled closer.
The kiss deepened, warm and intoxicating. They stumbled backward, lips never parting, everything burning between them.
One touch led to another.
One kiss led to more.
And before the night could stop them—
they lost their restraint.
Noth rough.
Just soft hands, trembling breaths, quiet whispers, and the warmth of two people who had been aching for too long.
A night where alcohol loosened words, but emotions spoke louder.
A night neither of them was ready for.
Sunlight filtered into the room as Jake blinked awake.
His head throbbed.
His limbs ached.
His lips tingled.
He slowly pushed himself up.
The room was empty.
The sheets beside him were cold.
Gone.
Heeseung was gone.
Jake swallowed, heart stinging sharply.
He remembered flashes—
The argument.
The confession hidden in anger.
The kiss.
Heeseung’s hands.
His whispers.
The warmth.
The softness.
Jake buried his burning face in his palms.
Oh God…
But beneath the embarrassment was something else.
Hope.
A dangerous, fragile hope.
He kissed me like he cared…
He held me like he wanted me…
…does he feel something for me?
Jake’s chest fluttered.
He had no idea that in another part of the hotel—
Heeseung stood staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, gripping the sink.
Cold.
Frozen.
Terrified.
“I can’t do this,” he whispered to himself. “He’s too young. I’ll ruin him. I’ll mess everything up.”
His hands shook.
“I can’t let him think this means anything. I have to push him away.”
Because Heeseung felt something.
Something deep.
Something dangerous.
Something he didn’t think he deserved.
And in trying to protect Jake—
He was about to break him instead.