Work Text:
Jo Yi Seo never thought that there would be a day where she would come to admit defeat. She's used to winning, obsessed in winning to the point where she isn't above hurting others just to get what she wants.
However, as she watched the news that morning — shattered pieces of glass and spilled coffee on her kitchen floor — she knew that this might be one that she had to raise the white flag to.
First thing that came to mind as she heard the headline was: ahh, I have to quit. I don't want to, but I have to. She will have to discreetly train Hyun Yi, Tony, and Seung Kwon all the things she knows and get them to do it as perfectly as she does.
She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her coz with Seung Kwon, she might end up resigning at the age of 80.
Nevertheless, she had to quit.
Second thing that came to her mind is that she's gonna miss them. The Original Five as their employees call them. She's gonna miss DanBam. She's gonna miss IC Co. And of course, she's gonna miss her Daepyonim.
The thought made her eyes glassy. I might never see him again. And with that, a single tear escaped her eye. She wiped it angrily, bending down to gather the shattered pieces of her favorite coffee mug and threw it in the trash before proceeding to mop her kitchen floor.
The next thing she knew she was running late so she rushed out the door and flew to the parking lot, speeding her way to their office.
I'm gonna miss this.
The whole ride it was the only thing floating in her mind.
She parked her car and hopped out, walking towards the elevator.
Fuck, I'm really gonna miss this.
She loves working in IC Co. It was safe to say that in the five years she had been working there, it had been her whole life. She wasn't particularly a workaholic, she just simply enjoys working in IC Co.
The pay was just a perk, of course. The main reason being the man behind the CEO Position.
It was hard not to cry yourself insane in the safe space behind the elevator doors, she realized. But she's a professional and she'd rather die than be caught crying her eyeballs out by any of their employees.
The first thing she heard as soon as she got inside the shared space of the Original Five was the worried voice of her Daepyonim calling Soo Ah.
She knows he didn't mean to but the way he walked past her broke her heart into a million pieces.
Suddenly, that special feeling she momentarily felt when she realized how worried her Daepyonim is about her when she fainted from overworking flew out the window together with her hopes and dreams.
It was like an out-of-body experience, what she felt. But she smiled and proceeded to her office, thoroughly avoiding the look of pity on Hyun Yi's eyes and the sympathetic look on Seung Kwon's.
I always get what I want.
She laughed to herself. She's willing to bet a hefty sum of money that Soo Ah is looking smug right now.
Saeroyi likes me. And he doesn't change.
With a bitter smile, she carried on with her work. After all, she has to finish all this by Friday.
-------
Days flew by without a hitch. She successfully (and discreetly) turned over all her projects to Hyun Yi, Tony and Seung Kwon.
Hyun Yi looked concerned, Seung Kwon looked annoyed and Tony just looked delighted to be entrusted with more tasks.
None of them asked anything, though, and for that, Yi Seo thinks she succeeded.
Her resignation letter sat comfortably on top of her coded drawer and she's confident that no one would be fearless enough to try and decode it.
She was at the lobby when she saw her back. When she turned, she smiled at her and greeted her, "Annyeong." as if they were old friends who finally get to meet despite their busy schedules.
She hated every single moment of it from the second she greeted her to the part where they sat at a cafe down their office.
"Congratulations." Yi Seo said the moment the waiter left after serving them their orders. "You won." She continued, sipping her iced Americano.
"What's this?" She chuckled and it was so condescending, Yi Seo wants to slap her face. "Is this an admission of defeat I'm hearing from you, cutie?"
Oh Soo Ah could be a little shit but Yi Seo has to give it to her how she hid this side of her well whenever Park Saeroyi is around.
Smirking back, she answered, "I'm simply implying that the act of blowing the whistle is a hard feat. Something I'd never thought you of all people would have the balls to do." She leaned back, crossing her arms around her chest. "Especially, knowing how you are."
Resting her elbows on the table and intertwining her hands together with her chin resting atop, she bat her eyelashes and asked, "And how exactly am I?"
"You're a coward." Yi Seo smiled sweetly as she said this. "You're someone who'd rather think of herself and what's good for her rather than think about others."
"That's rich coming from you." She laughed heartily.
"True," Yi Seo flashed her dimple and conceded. "I am selfish, sure, but my selfishness left me standing by his side as he continue to rage his wars, giving him exactly what he wants, getting him exactly where he wants without disappointing him even once."
"And look where it got you."
Fuck. She thought. That fucking stung.
She wants nothing more but to maul her but all Yi Seo did was to chuckle and say, "How scary it must've been for you to resort to such drastic, out of character measures." Then she bat her eyelashes as she leaned into the table, asking, "Are you that unsure of yourself? That you might not be the one in the end?"
She laughed, hard, and shook her head before standing up, saying, "Sorry, dear, I'd love to chat more but I gotta go." She bent down slightly so they were eye to eye. Brushing a strand out of Yi Seo's face as she continued, "Royi-ah is waiting for me."
She didn't watch her go. She just stared out the window, sipping her iced Americano, wishing she ordered a hot one instead.
The burning sensation would've been a good excuse for the tears.
------
The thing about Jo Yi Seo is that when she gets mad, she goes ballistic.
And when she can't exactly go ballistic to the person she's mad at, she turns towards her surroundings instead.
Thinking back how smug Oh Soo Ah has been made her stride towards the large board room in their office building just to throw the glass of water she made her assistant get for her to the other side of the room.
The count to three became ten then twenty before she managed to fully calm down. Then she walked towards where she threw the glass, picking up the pieces.
It was maddening, how confident Soo Ah was when she said Park Saeroyi was waiting for her. So maddening that she didn't even hear someone entering the board room.
"Yah, Jo Yi Seo!"
It almost deafened her, hearing such loudness at such proximity that she had to wince.
Looking up, it was her Daepyonim.
"Are you nuts? Why are you clutching that?"
She looked down and realized that her hand was bleeding.
She blinked and suddenly had the urge to laugh at his question.
Exactly, why am I clutching something that's only hurting me?
After staring at it for a few seconds, she looked up, smiled and said, "It's alright. My pain tolerance is incredibly high, don't worry about it."
Then she stood and threw it in the bin, walking out of the board room like her hand isn't dripping with blood.
When she saw one of the utilities, she simply instructed him to mop the board room and thanked him.
"Ma'am, your hand..."
She smiled once more and said, "It's fine."
"No, it's not." She didn't realize that he was right behind her. She couldn't understand why he would make a scene by grabbing her hand and taking her to his office to treat such a minor wound.
"Daepyonim, it's really fi—"
"It might get infected and become worst if we don't treat it now so just stay still."
She was surprised when some time later, Park Saeroyi asked, "Why are you crying?" Cupping her face ever so gently and wiping her tears before continuing, "Does it hurt that badly? You should've said so."
And before she knew it, her mouth ran away from her.
"I told you." She said, wiping her tears as well and Saeroyi just sat there, confused. "I told you but you didn't listen."
"I didn't hear you say anything. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I understand."
And with that, she thanked him, got up and left.
And something about the way she left gave Saeroyi a strange feeling that she might not be coming back.
------
Park Saeroyi's strange feeling came back along with a physical manifestation of his fears.
It was Friday night and as tradition, they are in DanBam, the second one they opened after Jangga Co. bought the building they are renting the first one with.
The view in the balcony is stunning as usual and everyone is present, even Soo Ah.
It was also a celebration for officially defeating Chairman Jang and buying out Jangga Co.
Everyone was pleasantly buzzed and having a great time. Even Yi Seo, which is kind of weird considering she was never in a good mood whenever Soo Ah is around.
A few more drinks later and Yi Seo turned towards him, saying, "Congratulations, Sajangnim."
He smiled at her — the kind that he didn't know he only reserves for Yi Seo while the rest of the DanBam crew sneaked meaningful glances at each other that even Soo Ah caught on — and was about to say that it was a team effort when she cut him off, saying, "So I guess you won't be needing me anymore, right?"
And everything came to a halt.
Tony stopped strumming the guitar. Seung Kwon stopped making faces. Hyun Yi stopped laughing while Soo Ah just gulped her beer rather loudly.
And Park Saeroyi?
Well, it's safe to say that time stood still for him and his whole world cracked.
He choked, too much feelings to actually complete a sentence. "Wha— What do you mea—"
Yi Seo then slid an envelope in front of him and Park Saeroyi thanked the heavens that he was sitting down, what's with how his legs suddenly feel like jelly.
"You— What are you—"
She poured herself a glass of soju as Park Saeroyi began breathing heavily. "I already told you, Sajangnim." She said, downing her glass. "I'd quit the moment you two became a thing."
"What?" He asked, confused.
"Well, you don't have to verbally say it to my face." She laughed, downing another glass.
"Are you drunk?" He doesn't understand why she's doing this. There's just no way she would do this to him, not after everything they've been through.
"I printed that last Monday." She replied, as a matter-of-factly.
"It was fun while it lasted." She said, looking at each and everyone of them.
"Anyways, I gotta go." She stood up and gave a little wave at the whole crew. "Can't really miss my flight tonight."
Park Saeroyi grabbed her hand tightly that he felt guilty when she winced but not guilty enough to let go. "Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving." She replied, looking amused. "I just told you that."
"You told me you'd quit if we became a thing."
"Yeah."
"We aren't."
Park Saeroyi doesn't really give a fuck right now about the gasps he heard or if he hurt Soo Ah, he doesn't really care about anything right now aside from making sure Yi Seo doesn't leave.
She scoffed. "It's only a matter of time before you—"
"You don't know that."
She laughed bitterly and said, "Well then, do you like me?"
I do. Park Saeroyi wants to say. I do, so bad.
What exactly is stopping you?
Suddenly, the excuses he made, the guilt and the worry didn't seem too important anymore.
How could it? When the one he made those excuses for, the one he feels guilty towards, the one he worries the most is about to walk out of his life for good?
Unfortunately, his silence was taken negatively because she said, "See?" as she smiled and proceeded to remove his hand on hers.
She hugged him, running a hand up and down his spine, whispering, "Take care of yourself, alright?" to his ears before turning back to the group, waving goodbye and leaving.
Saeroyi patted his hair, catching his breath like he ran a mile before he tried to sprint after her. Tried, because Soo Ah clutched onto him.
"Don't go." She said. "Stay." She said.
(And you can just imagine how the rest of the DanBam crew was reacting as this whole thing goes down. It was more golden than any K-Drama they have seen — not that Seung Kwon had seen many, of course.)
But he just... couldn't.
"I gotta—"
"You said you like me. Of all people, you at least should continue liking me."
He stared at her eyes and pleaded, "I can't."
He didn't have to voice it out for Soo Ah to hear it loud and clear.
When asked, she'd always say that she blew the whistle as her payback for the college tuition fee that Mr. Park paid. But deep down, she knows, it was never the case.
Deep down, she knows she thought — hoped — that this single act of kindness from her would help her pull Saeroyi back to her grasp and prevent him from wandering.
She thought wrong.
And with that, her hand slid down from his, letting him go as he ran after Yi Seo.
The girl didn't manage to go that far. Walking on the footbridge, he chased after her and grabbed her hand.
"Sajangnim, I already told you—"
But she didn't get to finish what she was saying because suddenly, his mouth was on hers. Pressing, gentle but filled with declarations.
"I need you." He said and his lips brushed against hers with every word that fell out of his mouth.
"The company—"
"No, I..." He emphasized. "I need you, Yi Seo-ah."
She moved backwards a bit, staring into his eyes, searching for something.
"Do you like me?" She asked.
"No." He replied. "I love you." Then proceeded to capturing her lips once more.
And ever since then, their days had gone by as usual.
Both working as usual.
And dating as usual.