Work Text:
Romance dramas or movies usually ends with a confession—or more often, a marriage.
Weddings were meant to symbolize a happy ending; portrayed as the final destination of the protagonists’ love, where all the longing, misunderstandings, and years spent loving each other finally amount to something.
The result of two people in love choosing each other despite everything and will live happily ever after.
Wonwoo leaned back in his seat and quietly stared at the document that had just been placed in front of him. He remained still, eyes tracing the paper without much reaction.
Across from him sat Mingyu, who released a deep sigh before finally speaking.
“Let’s get a divorce.”
Only then did Wonwoo look up.
He kept his expression blank as he looked at the other man; no confusion, no disbelief, not even a trace of surprise on his face.
After a brief silence, he uncrossed his arms and adjusted his posture before extending his hand toward him.
“Give me a pen,” he said with no hesitation.
It had been three years since Wonwoo Jeon, Chief Executive Officer of Jeon Corporation, and Mingyu Kim, heir to the Kim Company, entered an arranged marriage organized by their families in hopes of strengthening their business’ partnership.
Exactly one year later, on this very day, their divorce was approved.
Their marriage had never been built on love in the first place; it was simply a decision made by two influential families who believed combining their companies through their sons would secure an even stronger relationship. But whatever practical advantages the arrangement was supposed to bring quickly became irrelevant the moment Wonwoo and Mingyu realized they could barely stand being around each other.
They had gotten on each other’s nerves even from the very first time they met.
Unfortunately, marriage wasn’t enough to change that.
If anything, living together only proved how incompatible they were.
Both of them slept in separate bedrooms, sat across from each other during meals with enough distance as if if they weren’t sharing the same table, and passed by one another in the hallways of their house without slowing down, greeting each other, or even bothering on giving the other a glance.
Their conversations rarely lasted long, too. And whenever they did, they usually ended in arguments over things neither of them would even ‘remember’ the next day.
So when Wonwoo finished his studies and was eventually assigned as the CEO of Jeon Corporation, he decided there was no reason to continue the arrangement. The marriage had already fulfilled its purpose in everyone else’s eyes, and to him, it had never served one to begin with.
Marrying Mingyu Kim had been one of the worst decisions his family had ever made.
Now that they were divorced, he was freer than ever.
At least, that was what he believed.
“What was that dog’s breed again?”
The thought appeared so randomly that Wonwoo paused in the middle of reviewing documents, his pen hovering near his lips as he frowned slightly and tried to remember.
It was Mingyu’s family’s dog.
He remembered liking it. More than liking it, actually. Every time they visited the Kim residence, the dog somehow ended up sitting next to him instead of Mingyu, and Wonwoo always found it entertaining.
But what breed was it?
He tapped the pen against his chin once, then twice.
Nothing.
Wonwoo let out an irritated sigh and leaned back. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath. “Why am I even thinking about this?”
Still, his curiosity remained.
After another minute of unsuccessfully trying to remember, he pulled his phone from his pocket and opened his old conversation with Mingyu.
Their chat history wasn’t particularly active. They had lived in the same house for two years, after all, and didn’t exactly text each other unless necessary. But Mingyu used to occasionally send pictures of the dog whenever he visited his family, mostly because he had once noticed Wonwoo paying more attention to the animal than to the actual family gathering itself.
Wonwoo scrolled upward expecting to find it quickly.
Yet he only kept on scrolling.
Two years turned out to be much longer than he remembered. And now, his patience began wearing thin.
Wonwoo clicked his tongue then exited the conversation. He pressed on to Mingyu’s contact profile, deciding it would be easier to access the shared media directly rather than continue searching manually.
The moment the page opened, his thumb instinctively moved toward the photo section.
Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other plans.
His thumb ended up slipping into the call button instead, accidentally pressing on it.
Wonwoo’s heart skipped a beat as he watched the screen change.
Calling.
For some reason, his body stopped responding immediately and all he could do was watch the call continue ringing while his brain struggled to catch up with what had just happened.
When he finally snapped back into his senses, his eyes widened and quickly moved to end it.
But before he could, the ringing suddenly stopped.
Then a voice he hadn’t heard for a while spoke through the speaker.
“…Hello?”
Wonwoo immediately dropped the call.
MINGYU KIM
Audio call – 20s
Wons?
Is everything okay?
WONWOO JEON
That was an accident, sorry.
You have blocked this user.
His secretary, Junhui Wen, arrived at the office not long after and immediately noticed something was off with his boss.
Wonwoo was sitting behind his desk looking unusually stressed—far too stressed for someone who usually carried himself with an almost irritating level of composure. His laptop remained open in front of him, untouched, while one hand pressed against his temple as if he were trying to physically stop himself from thinking.
“Sir?” Jun called out cautiously. “Is…everything okay?”
Upon the sound of his voice, Wonwoo slowly lifted his head and looked at him with an expression Jun couldn’t easily fathom; something between disbelief, regret, and mild humiliation.
“…Sir?”
After a few seconds of silence, Wonwoo finally spoke.
“I accidentally called Mingyu.”
Jun blinked.
For a moment, he thought he heard things wrong.
“Mingyu?”
Wonwoo simply gave a small nod.
Jun continued to stare at him. Then, his eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face.
“MINGYU???”
Another nod.
Jun let out a short laugh, “You’re joking.”
Wonwoo slowly turned his head and raised one eyebrow at him.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
The instant shift in his tone answered the question before secretary Wen could.
Jun gulped, composing himself before letting out a sigh.
“Sir, out of all the people in this world you could’ve accidentally called…” he trailed off, crossing his arms as he stepped closer to his boss’ desk. “…it had to be your ex-husband?”
At that, Wonwoo shut his eyes tightly and pressed his fingers harder against his forehead before leaning back into his chair as though the memory itself was exhausting him.
Jun paused for a brief moment, then spoke again upon realizing something.
“Actually… no. Why were you even checking your messages with him in the first place?”
Wonwoo opened one eye. “Where are your formalities, Secretary Wen?” his voice came out sharper, as he straightened in his seat and fixed at his secretary with an unimpressed gaze. “I’m still your boss, you know.”
Jun stared at him blankly before rolling his eyes and letting out an exasperated sigh. “My apologies, sir,” he said, so dryly, sarcasm evident in his tone.
Tilting his head, he added, “But seriously. How did that even happen?”
Wonwoo clicked his tongue and shifted his gaze elsewhere.
“It just…happened.”
Jun let out a soft hum and narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced. “I don’t believe you.”
Wonwoo simply remained silent as his secretary continued to stare directly at him, his expression still perfectly composed.
He tries to ignore it; straightening a document on his desk, picking up his pen only to set it down again, then staring at his laptop screen without actually taking in a single word.
But the silence only stretched further.
Wonwoo lasted approximately three more seconds before he finally groaned in defeat, dropping his head back against his chair.
“Fine!”
He drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, then steadied himself before swallowing hard.
“I suddenly remembered the dog his family owned.”
Jun only hummed in response.
“I couldn’t remember the breed and it was bothering me for I don’t know reason. Then I recalled Mingyu used to send me photos of it before, so I opened our old messages thinking I’d just check the media section,” he explained, letting out a sigh as he glanced at his secretary. “I opened the chat and tried to tap the button at the top to view the pictures…”
He hesitated, looking away. “…and somehow, my finger pressed the call button instead.”
Jun’s lips parted slightly, but Wonwoo kept going before he could even react.
“I panicked. I didn’t end it right away.”
His secretary’s expression shifted to something between disbelief and dread.
“Then right when I was about to hang up, he…picked up.” Wonwoo trailed off, biting his lower lip.
“Oh, that’s bad.”
“I know.”
Jun cleared his throat. “So? Did you two talk?”
Wonwoo quickly shook his head. “No. I instantly dropped the call as soon as he said ‘hello’. Though he just sent me a message asking if everything was okay.”
“What did you reply?”
“I told him it was an accident then blocked him.”
Jun simply stared at his boss for several seconds before letting out a long sigh of disbelief.
“I feel like my hair’s going to turn white because of you.”
Wonwoo frowned. “It’s because you’re older than me.”
Jun scoffed, looking so offended. “Older?” and pointed at himself, “FOR ONE MONTH.”
“I don’t care. Still older.” his boss didn’t even blink.
Jun finally approached his boss’ desk, and, without much hesitation, sat right on top of it.
Wonwoo looked up at him, then briefly glanced down at the spot his secretary had sat on before giving him a look that clearly asked why he was sitting there.
The latter simply ignored it and stayed seated, arms still crossed. “And if he messages you again through a different social media platform or from another number, what would you do?” he asked.
“Block him again, duh?” Wonwoo answered quickly.
Jun let out a short, humorless laugh. “I know you’re my boss but I really feel like flicking your forehead harshly right now.”
Wonwoo glares at him and shoots back, “Okay, then what do you expect me to do? That was completely an accident, and I was simply curious about the dog’s breed. It doesn’t mean anything at all.”
He then swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat before continuing. “He’s my ex-husband. It’s been already a year since the divorce, and we haven’t had any contact since then. He’s no longer a part of my life. He has never been, so I don’t think I should even be stressing about this anymore.”
Jun eventually hopped down from the desk. “Okay, if you say so.” then pulled a stack of papers from his bag and handed them over. “This is the project awaiting your approval. The legal team asked for it to be reviewed within the day so they can finally proceed.”
Wonwoo took the documents and started scanning them.
“Don’t stress yourself over your ex-husband anymore. Let’s get back to work.”
“I’m your boss,” Wonwoo said flatly, still reading.
“Okay, boss. Let’s get back to work,” Jun repeated with emphasis.
Wonwoo scoffed and turned his head toward his secretary, who was already making his way out of the office.
He simply shook his head in disbelief and shifted his focus back on the documents, reading it with one hand while the other reached for a bottle of water on the side of his desk.
As he set the papers he’s been holding down to open the cap of the bottled water, his phone suddenly lit up.
Ding!
And without hesitation, he picked it up.
But the moment he saw what was written in the notification, he nearly choked on his drink.
Notification: Unknown sender
This is Mingyu.
Is everything okay? Why did you call?
“Shit.”
He stared at the screen for several long seconds, frozen, his thumb hovering as if he was about to open the message.
Then, he heard a knock.
Before he could even respond, the door to his office finally opened slightly with his secretary’s head appearing through the gap.
“What?” Wonwoo asked, irritated. “Tell the legal team I’m still reviewing the documents.”
“Uh… well…” Jun scratched the back of his head.
“What is it? Just spit it out.”
Instead of answering, his secretary slowly pushed the door to open wider.
The light from the hallway immediately spilled into the room, and for a few seconds, the person standing behind the door was only a silhouette.
But the moment Wonwoo finally saw who it was, he nearly dropped the phone he was holding.
It was no other than his ex-husband.
Mingyu Kim.
He instantly turned his head toward his secretary, his expression screaming a silent: why is he here?!
Secretary Wen returned a look that said he had no idea either. And without further ado, he quietly stepped out, leaving the two alone in the office.
Wonwoo’s eyes returned to the man who’s now slowly approaching him, his steps careful as possible.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, trying his best to keep his composure.
Mingyu didn’t respond and continued to walk toward him, his gaze locked firmly on Wonwoo the entire time.
“That call was just an accident,” Wonwoo went on quickly, almost defensive. “I was curious about something and ended up checking the photos we’ve exchanged over the years because I was trying to find what I was thinking of—”
Before he could continue rambling, Mingyu finally looked at him, his expression softening as he stopped right in front of the desk.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
Wonwoo frowned. “Huh?”
“I just woke up when you called, so I wasn’t fully aware when I read your reply to my message. I thought you meant something else,” Mingyu explained. “I misunderstood it and thought you’d been in an accident.”
He let out a small breath. “Then I rushed here to your company when I asked Secretary Wen where you are and he told me you’re here in your office.”
Wonwoo went completely silent. His heart began to beat faster, louder than usual, warmth creeping up his neck and face.
It took him a few seconds before he could finally speak again.
“Why did you rush here?”
Mingyu blinked. “I just told you the reason.”
Wonwoo raised a brow slightly, and it took Mingyu a moment longer to realize what he was actually being asked.
Mingyu breathes in before answering, almost hesitant. “I was worried.”
“Worried about what?” Wonwoo pressed.
Mingyu lowered his head and exhaled deeply. Then he looked back up at him.
“You,” he said quietly, almost under his breath. His hands tightly curled into a ball. “I was worried about you.”
Wonwoo scoffed. “You must be out of your mind. Leave my office unless you have something work-related to discuss.”
Mingyu stepped forward. “You had me worried, Wonwoo—”
“I don’t see how that’s my fault.”
“What? No! I mean, can you at least—”
“There’s nothing for us to talk about. I’d appreciate it if you leave my office. Now.”
Wonwoo gestured toward the door.
Mingyu stared at him in disbelief, only to be met with Wonwoo’s cold and unyielding expression.
After a moment of silence, Mingyu nodded slowly and backed away.
“Alright. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
He made his way to the door, angling his body as he reached for the knob until his back was almost completely turned to Wonwoo.
“I’m really glad you’re okay,” he muttered. “It’s nice seeing you again after a while, Wons.”
Wonwoo’s jaw tightened upon hearing the nickname, his breath catching in his throat.
“It’s CEO Jeon to you.”
Mingyu let out a soft, quiet chuckle, almost bittersweet, before finally opening the door and making his way out of the office.
As soon as silence filled over the room, everything came crashing down on Wonwoo all at once.
Guilt began to creep in slowly into his body, but he immediately forced it down, telling himself there was no reason for it.
Mingyu was his ex-husband. Nothing more.
He’s no longer his responsibility.
But the weight pressing against his chest refused to ease.
His throat tightened, his vision blurring slightly as he clenched his fists against the desk, trying to hold himself together.
After a few seconds of struggling to breathe past the lump in his throat, he buried his face in his hands.
“Stupid Mingyu Kim” he cursed under his breath. “So damn stupid.”
Wonwoo slammed both of his hands against the desk and lifted his gaze straight toward the door, his eyes sharp.
“He didn’t even bother questioning why I’d still be in my office if I actually got into an accident!”