By mid morning the office had settled into its usual rhythm, but Jungkook still felt the lingering weight of curious glances. Every time someone passed his desk, he had the strange feeling that they were trying not to stare. It made focusing on the numbers in front of him nearly impossible. Hannah leaned against the divider of his desk, pretending to review a file while her eyes kept drifting toward him.
"You look tired," she said casually.
"I slept fine."
"That was not my question."
Jungkook kept his attention on the spreadsheet glowing on his screen. "Then ask the right one."
Hannah hummed thoughtfully. "Alright. Why did you come to work with Mr. Kim this morning?"
Jungkook's fingers paused over the keyboard.
"Coincidence," he said quickly.
Hannah raised an eyebrow that clearly said she did not believe a word of it. Before she could press further, the phone on Jungkook's desk rang. Both of them looked at it. Jungkook picked it up.
"Hello?"
The assistant's voice came through calmly. "Mr. Kim would like to see you in his office."
Jungkook felt a strange tightness settle in his chest. "Right now?"
"Yes." He hung up slowly.
Hannah's curiosity sharpened. "What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"Sure."
Jungkook stood, straightened the papers on his desk, and walked toward Taehyung's office. The glass walls reflected the office lights as he approached, and he could already see Taehyung inside. The man looked completely different from the version Jungkook had seen that morning.
The soft shirt and messy hair were gone. Taehyung sat behind his desk in a perfectly tailored suit, posture straight, expression cool and unreadable as he studied the documents in front of him. Jungkook knocked once.
"Come in."
The tone was calm but distant. Jungkook stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Taehyung did not look up immediately. He continued reading whatever was in his hands as if Jungkook were not even standing there. The silence stretched long enough to make Jungkook uncomfortable. Finally Taehyung placed the file down and lifted his gaze.
"Sit."
Jungkook obeyed, lowering himself into the chair across the desk. Taehyung slid a thick stack of papers toward him.
"I reviewed your last report."
Jungkook glanced down at the pages. "Is something wrong with it?"
Taehyung leaned back slightly. "Several things."
Jungkook frowned.
"The projections in the third section are weak," Taehyung continued calmly. "You relied too heavily on last year's numbers instead of adjusting for the current market."
Jungkook flipped through the report quickly. "But the market shift was only two percent. It would not change the final outcome."
Taehyung's gaze sharpened. "You are assuming stability."
"That is what the data suggests."
"Data suggests many things," Taehyung replied. "Your job is to question it."
Jungkook pressed his lips together.
Taehyung continued speaking as if he had not noticed the tension forming. "You will redo the projections and submit a revised report."
"By when?"
"End of the day."
Jungkook blinked.
"That is not enough time."
Taehyung did not react. "Then work faster."
Jungkook stared at him. The workload he was being handed was far heavier than anything he had been assigned before. It would normally take two days to complete properly.
"You are giving this to me alone?" Jungkook asked.
"Yes."
Jungkook exhaled slowly, trying to keep his frustration contained.
"Is there a problem?" Taehyung asked.
Jungkook looked up sharply. Something about the calm way Taehyung asked the question made the irritation inside him flare hotter.
"You were not this critical yesterday."
Taehyung's expression did not change. "Yesterday was not today."
The answer felt like a wall slamming shut. Jungkook's jaw tightened. Just this morning Taehyung had been cooking breakfast and casually tugging at his shirt sleeve in the kitchen. Now he acted as if none of that had happened. As if Jungkook had imagined it.
"Fine," Jungkook muttered, gathering the papers.
He stood from the chair, but before he could reach the door Taehyung spoke again.
"Jungkook."
Jungkook turned back reluctantly.
"Yes, Mr. Kim?" The title sounded sharper than usual.
Taehyung studied him quietly for a moment. "If the workload is too much, you can admit it."
Jungkook almost laughed. "You think I cannot handle it?"
"I did not say that."
"You implied it."
Taehyung rested his hands lightly on the desk. "Then prove me wrong."
The challenge in his voice was subtle but unmistakable. Jungkook stared at him for a long second. "Is this a test?"
Taehyung did not answer. That silence was answer enough. Something inside Jungkook snapped.
"Are you treating me like this because I stayed at your place last night?"
The question slipped out before he could stop it. The air in the office shifted instantly. Taehyung's eyes darkened slightly.
"You are here as an employee," he said evenly. "Nothing else."
The words were clean and precise. Jungkook felt heat rush to his face, half anger and half embarrassment.
"Right," he said quietly.
He turned and left the office before Taehyung could see the frustration on his face. Back at his desk, Hannah looked up immediately.
"Well?"
Jungkook dropped the stack of papers onto his desk with a soft thud. "He gave me more work."
"That is it?"
Jungkook opened the first page of the report. "That is enough."
Hannah leaned closer, glancing at the pile. "You are finishing all of that today?"
"Yes."
Her eyes widened slightly. "He is testing you."
Jungkook knew that already. Across the room, through the glass walls of his office, Taehyung watched Jungkook settle at his desk and immediately begin working through the report. The boy's posture was stiff with determination.
Taehyung exhaled slowly. He had expected frustration. Maybe even defeat. Instead Jungkook looked more stubborn than ever. And for reasons Taehyung did not fully understand, watching him rise to the challenge made a faint smile appear on his face.
Matt showed up at the office again just as the afternoon light began to soften through the tall windows of the building. His presence was impossible to miss. While most people entered the floor with quiet professionalism, Matt walked in as if the place already belonged to him. Tall, blond hair slightly tousled, an easy confidence in his stride, he greeted the receptionist with a bright smile before making his way toward Taehyung's office without hesitation.
A few heads turned. Some people whispered softly among themselves. Foreign visitors were rare enough, but one who walked straight into the CEO's office as if it were the most natural thing in the world drew attention immediately.
Jungkook noticed him too, the most. He was halfway through revising the third section of his report when he saw the familiar figure through the glass wall. Matt pushed the office door open without knocking. A moment later, Jungkook saw Taehyung stand from behind his desk.
Matt pulled him into a quick hug, laughing about something Jungkook could not hear. The casual way he called him "Tae" carried easily through the quiet office space. Jungkook forced his eyes back down to his screen, but his concentration had already fractured.
About twenty minutes later the glass door opened again. Taehyung stepped out first, coat draped neatly over his arm. Matt followed beside him, still talking animatedly, hands moving as he spoke. Whatever he was saying seemed amusing enough to pull a small smile from Taehyung's otherwise composed expression.
The sight made several employees glance at each other again. It was rare for Taehyung to leave before the usual time. Yet that afternoon he did exactly that. Without much explanation, he informed his assistant that he would not be returning for the rest of the day. Then he walked toward the elevators with Matt beside him, their conversation continuing in quiet English as they disappeared from the office floor together.
That evening the city lights of Seoul slowly came alive outside Taehyung's penthouse windows. The glass walls reflected the golden glow of the skyline while the distant noise of traffic hummed far below. Inside, the atmosphere was far more relaxed than the rigid professionalism of the office.
Matt had made himself comfortable the moment they arrived. He tossed his jacket over the back of a chair and walked around the living room as if it were a familiar place. In many ways it was. He had visited enough times over the years to know exactly where everything was. Taehyung poured them both a drink while Matt leaned against the kitchen counter, watching him with an amused expression.
"You work too much," Matt said casually, accepting the glass.
Taehyung let out a quiet breath. "Someone has to run the company."
Matt laughed softly. "You always say that."
They moved to the couch, the conversation shifting easily between English and Korean as they talked about everything that had happened since their last meeting. Matt's voice carried warmth and energy while Taehyung listened, occasionally smiling in a way that few people ever saw in the office.
Hours passed almost without them noticing. By the time the second bottle of wine was opened, the distance between them had faded into something softer and more familiar. Matt leaned closer as they spoke, their shoulders brushing now and then. The easy laughter from earlier gradually settled into quieter conversation.
At some point Matt reached for Taehyung's hand, his thumb tracing absent circles against his skin while he continued talking. Taehyung did not pull away. The city outside grew darker while the lights of the penthouse dimmed to a softer glow.
Eventually the conversation slowed entirely. Matt shifted closer, his voice lowering as he said something that made Taehyung shake his head with a quiet smile. Whatever hesitation remained faded between them as the night carried on, the familiar comfort of each other's presence making it easy to forget the world outside for a while.
The quiet intimacy between them lingered in the dimly lit living room as Matt leaned closer, his hand still loosely holding Taehyung's. For a moment it felt natural, familiar even. Matt's presence had always been easy to fall back into. His warmth, his laughter, the way he spoke Taehyung's name so casually.
"Tae," Matt murmured, his voice softer now.
He leaned in, closing the small distance between them. Taehyung did not move at first. For a brief second he allowed it, the closeness, the warmth of someone who had known him long before most people around him now. But just as Matt's lips brushed near his, Taehyung suddenly turned his face slightly away.
Matt paused. Taehyung gently pulled his hand back, the movement careful but firm. He leaned back against the couch, running a hand through his hair as he exhaled slowly.
"What's wrong?" Matt asked quietly.
"Nothing," Taehyung replied, though his voice lacked its usual certainty.
Something unsettled him in a way he could not quite explain. The moment had felt right a hundred times before. Yet tonight there was a strange heaviness sitting in his chest, a lingering thought that refused to leave.
Images from earlier in the day flickered briefly through his mind. Jungkook's stubborn expression. The way he had argued back without hesitation.
Taehyung frowned slightly at himself. Matt studied him for a moment longer but did not push further, sensing the shift in his mood. The night continued, but the earlier ease between them had quietly faded into something more thoughtful.