Morning came on kinda pale and blurry through the window, the city all smeared like some watercolor painting from the nonstop rain. Shadows dragged out long in the empty office hallways, cut only by the light from computer screens and the little sounds of papers moving around.
Minjae walked in with his coat still wet on the shoulders. He moved steady, not rushing or anything, but deep down he felt the leftover tiredness from not sleeping much. That confession from Yuri stuck in his head, Yura's calm words kind of pushed at his chest, and Ha Seori's gentle warmth hung on him like the faint taste of wine after a sip. All those moments were small, you know, but they stayed sharp and clear, not fading into the usual daily stuff.
He slid into his seat, fingers hitting the keys in that automatic way. The screen glowed to life, but his gaze went right to the window. Rain ran down in skinny streams, making the city skyline look fake and far off. This quiet, breakable calm wrapped around him, interrupted just by the sound of footsteps coming closer, measured and even.
"Here's the updated report you asked for," Seori said. She was right there by his desk, holding the folder, standing calm but her voice soft, like there was more she wasn't saying out loud.
Minjae took the folder. Their hands touched for a second, long enough to stir up something inside he wasn't ready to put a name to.
"Thanks," he said low, his eyes lifting quick to meet hers.
Seori didn't step back right away. She stayed there, sort of testing the quiet space between them. "If you ever want to talk about stuff beyond work," she finally said, her tone gentle like always, "I'm here. Not only as HR."
Her words landed soft, like an offer without any push.
"I'll remember that," Minjae answered.
The smile she flashed was quick, barely there, but it left something behind in the spot she left empty when she walked off, as if a bit of her stuck around anyway.
The day kinda fell apart into bits of meetings, signing things, and going through the usual approvals. Numbers kept scrolling on his screen, graphs changing with every key he pressed, but none of that broke through the tight knot of thoughts building up inside him. It was getting late in the afternoon when Yuri showed up, her vibe calm but you could tell she was there. She set down a hot cup of coffee on the corner of his desk.
"I thought you probably didn't get a chance to grab one," she said, leaning easy against the divider.
Minjae eyed the cup, feeling the heat come through his hand when he picked it up. "Yeah, I didn't. Thanks."
Her mouth curved into a little smile, but her eyes scanned his face like she was looking for something. "I know things have been... weird lately."
He used silence as his go-to, you know, it felt safe. He let that hang now, even though he figured it wasn't cutting it.
Yuri took a breath. Her voice went quieter. "I'm not trying to push. But I meant it from last week. I like you. Not just 'cause you're calm or smart, but 'cause you're different. I don't need you to say anything now. I just wanted to be straight about it."
Minjae looked down at the dark coffee swirling around. The cup felt warm, solid in his grip, but part of him inside stayed cold, like it couldn't be reached.
"I get that," he said, picking his words careful. "It's not like I'm ignoring you. I just... don't know how to handle feelings I've never dealt with before."
Her smile got a touch deeper, soft but sure. "That's good enough for me."
And then she went. No asking for more, no pressure, just the leftover ring of her being real about it all.
The sun was down low by the time Yura's meeting invite hit his inbox. Simple line in the subject. No details. Just their names together.
The room she picked had a view over the city, glass walls picking up the first evening lights starting to sparkle. She was standing when he came in, arms crossed, her reflection showing double in the glass.
"Sorry about calling this so late," she said with a half-smile that had a bit of twist to it.
"No issue," he said back, sitting down opposite her.
They skipped the reports or any numbers stuff.
Yura leaned in, putting her hands together on the table. "You're the type who absorbs everything without making a sound. I like that. But I know silence can swallow you up easy." She stopped for a beat, eyes locked on his. "I need you to know, you don't have to figure us out right this second. We're not trying to trap you or anything."
Minjae let his fingers draw little circles on the table's wood without thinking. His voice came out low, not sure. "I've never had people... give affection like this, out in the open. It feels like I don't deserve it."
Her eyebrows went up a little, soft. "It's not about earning it, Minjae. It just comes."
That sure tone in her voice threw him off. He looked right at her eyes, searching around, but there was no doubt there.
"You don't need to hold it all by yourself," Yura said, sitting back. "But if being alone is what you want for now, we'll give you that space. Till you're set."
The words stuck in his throat, mixed up between thanks and not believing it. He just nodded, but Yura seemed to get all of it from that quiet anyway.
By week's end, the whispers had grown into this bigger thing. Over by the copier, in the break area, between typing sounds, talks kept circling back to the same topic.
"Have you seen? They're always hanging around him."
"Yuri, Yura, and Seori, it's like some love triangle or whatever."
"Nobody's got the guts to just ask him. He's got that... vibe where you can't touch him."
Laughter came after, but under it there was real interest, maybe even a bit of jealousy. Minjae, the guy who stayed quiet in the back, had turned into the center of all these talks somehow.
He acted like he didn't hear them. Inside, though, their words just echoed the mess already churning in him.
Up above the regular office buzz, Rennor was in his suite with all the glass walls. A digital map filled the screen in front of him, nodes and lines and markers flashing like they meant something, but they didn't really. Another report landed. Another nothing.
"No digital tracks. No proxies. No shell setups," the analysts told him.
But who owned Hwaryeong Group stayed buried under layers of legal stuff and quiet.
Rennor's jaw clenched as he bent forward, eyes going over the mess of useless info. "He's always ahead by one move," he said under his breath.
Perfection wasn't real. Somewhere in there, a weak spot was hiding, waiting. He just had to keep digging, deeper.
That night, the three women ended up at this quiet spot off the main road, a restaurant tucked away. It wasn't set up ahead, but none of them looked shocked when the others showed. They all ended up at the same little table in the corner, candle flames dancing between them, other people's low talks softening their own words.
Yura stirred her tea around. "So. What's the plan here?"
Seori let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "You mean about Minjae? Or about us?"
Yuri gave a small smile, kinda twisted. "Both."
The quiet stretched out while they thought it over.
"I care for him," Seori said plain. "But I won't let it mess with you two."
"Same here," Yura said. "We're not against each other. Just three folks pulled toward a guy who doesn't get how to let himself be noticed."
Yuri looked down at her hands. "He has no clue what to do with this. But I think he wants to figure it out."
They all shared this quiet look, like they got it.
"Then we back him up," Seori said.
"To being friends," Yura added, raising her glass, "and whatever happens next."
They touched glasses light, making this silent deal between them.
Back at his place, Minjae stood in front of the big windows. The city throbbed down there with neon lights and car beams scattered around, but his eyes went beyond it. His reflection shook a bit in the glass, like the shape of a person stuck between who he was.
He thought about Yuri's straight-up honesty that didn't waver, Yura's patient way, Seori's quiet kindness. They had reached out without holding back, giving him this warmth he couldn't even call by name.
His hand stayed near the glass, not quite pressing on it.
Dragons aren't built for love, he thought. Not the human kind, anyway. His old life had power, being alone, always watching, but never letting the guard down. Never showing the soft spots.
But now, in this breakable human form, he shook at the sound of real talk from the heart.
How do you answer back to affection when you've never thought you were worth it? he whispered.
Nothing came back. Just the even patter of rain on the balcony, like the city was feeling sorry with him.