Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Will you marry me?”

Sunoo says it like it’s nothing. Like it’s a normal question. Like he’s asking if Heeseung has eaten yet.

Heeseung blinks. “W—what?” 
If anyone had walked past Director Lee Heeseung’s office at that exact moment, they would have seen two things:One, Kim Sunoo, mid-level manager, consistently ranked top in performance reviews, standing far too casually in front of a desk most employees approached like it might bite them. And two, Lee Heeseung…looking, for once, completely caught off guard.

“Marriage,” Sunoo clarifies, a little quieter this time. “Legal. Registered.”
“I know what marriage is,” Heeseung says. “Why are you asking me?”

Sunoo exhales softly, setting the folder in his hands on the desk.

“Have you seen the housing policy?”
Heeseung’s expression shifts. “Executive allocation.”
“They adjusted the weighting.”
“They always do.”

Sunoo flips the folder open, tapping a page.

“Married employees get priority. Dual-income households rank higher.”
Heeseung glances down. “That’s not new.”
“They widened the gap.”

A small pause.

“Single applicants get pushed down.”
Silence.
Sunoo doesn’t look at him when he says it next.
“…A lot.”

That’s the part that matters.

Heeseung leans back slightly. “And your point?”

Sunoo lets out a breath.

“I can’t afford rent anymore.” It lands clean, no embellishment. Heeseung doesn’t interrupt. “I mean, I can,” Sunoo adds lightly, like he’s smoothing over the weight of it. “If I want to spend most of my salary on a place that barely fits a bed.” A small shrug. “Or I could… not do that.”

He taps the paper again.

“Married internal employees get company housing. A detached single family house with a yard and a car space and 2 minutes away from the building. It'll be granted on a leasehold so the deed title won't be ours... but.... Bigger space. Lower cost. Close to work. I don't see any loopholes.”

A beat.

Heeseung studies him. “And you came to me.”
Sunoo smiles, just a little.“You’re the most convenient option.”
“Convenient.”
“Same company. Clean record. No complications.”

That part sounds practiced. 
“And… you wouldn’t make things messy, Director.”
That part doesn’t.
“...And you think I’ll agree, because?” Heeseung asks.

Sunoo hesitates. Barely.

“I think you wouldn’t say yes to something that doesn’t benefit you.” He slides the document closer. “There’s no emotional obligation. No interference with work. It’s just legal.” A small pause. “We don’t even have to act like an actual couple outside inspections.”

Silence stretches. Sunoo doesn’t fill it.

Heeseung taps the edge of the paper once. “…Three years.”
“Minimum lease term.”
“... and if it ends early?”

“We... get a penalty of the lease cost plus 12% surcharge, plus we get sued for fraud. So...”

“Can you afford the potential penalties?”
“…No. I wouldn't even be begging you this if I can afford anything in this economy."

Another pause.

“And if I say no?”
Sunoo’s fingers tighten slightly against the folder. “…Then I'll find someone else.”

Light. Carefully light, but he doesn’t look away. For a second, his worry almost shows, then he smiles again. Soft and easy. The say Manager Kim Sunoo always was.

“So,” Sunoo says, tapping the paper lightly, “will you marry me?”

Heeseung looks at him, really looks this time.

“…Hmm. On one condition.”

Sunoo blinks. “…Okay.”

A pause, then a smile.
Then...

“I want a child with you.”

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