The clatter of chopsticks and polite laughter filled the private room, but Ga-young barely registered the noise. Her eyes betrayed her, flicking again and again toward Min-jae across the long table. He looked maddeningly composed, speaking to Mr. Han as though the world couldn't touch him—until his gaze cut back to her. Sharp. Unflinching. Her pulse stumbled.
"You should try this," Ji-hoon's voice slipped in, warm and gentle, as he placed food on her plate. His smile was steady, protective… familiar. Too familiar.
The motion wasn't lost on Min-jae. His dark eyes slid toward Ji-hoon, then back to Ga-young. A faint, almost annoyed sigh left his lips as he swirled his wine.
The air thickened. Invisible, but undeniable.
"This is boring," Ji-hye suddenly declared, breaking the stiffness. "Let's do something fun."
"That would be less suffocating," Ga-young murmured, emptying her glass.
"How about a drinking game?" Mira clapped, her grin mischievous.
Mr. Han immediately whispered, "You know Mr. Min can't handle too much alcohol."
The room hushed as Min-jae leaned forward, voice low, deadly serious. "Are you doubting me?"
"N–no, sir—"
"Then are you saying I'd lose before I even begin?" His tone was silk, but the weight behind it made Mr. Han's face blanch.
"Mr. Min!" Ji-hye interrupted, way too casually. "Stop scaring my assistant team leader. He's fragile." She pointed at Min-jae as though she were scolding a child.
Min-jae's lips curved into a smirk. "Fine. What are the rules?"
"I really don't think you should—" Ga-young tried, but Min-jae's voice cut through hers.
"Thank you, Ms. Choi, for your concern," he said, eyes briefly grazing her. "But I have a driver." He tapped the table. "Let's begin."
Hera uncorked the wine with a satisfying pop. "The game's called Truth or Drink. You either answer honestly… or drink. Refuse both?" She raised her brows. "Two shots."
"That's cruel!" Ga-young exclaimed, but Hera only smirked.
The first few rounds passed in laughter until Ji-hye leaned forward, mischief glinting in her eyes.
"Alright, Ga-young. Who here do you think is the most attractive?"
The room erupted in giggles.
Ga-young froze, eyes darting between Min-jae and Ji-hoon. Heat prickled her neck. Before anyone could read her silence, she snatched her glass and downed it in one gulp.
"Boo!" Hera whined dramatically. "We all wanted to know!"
Under the table, Ga-young kicked Ji-hye hard.
"What? I'm just playing!" Ji-hye hissed, rubbing her shin.
The next question struck harder. Mira leaned in, eyes twinkling. "Mr. Min-jae… if you had to date anyone here, who would it be?"
The room gasped, clapped, laughed.
Min-jae's gaze locked on Ga-young. He didn't blink. Didn't move. The seconds dragged, thick as tar. Her heart thundered painfully in her chest. She prayed he wouldn't say her name.
And then—he tipped his glass back, draining it.
The laughter was nervous this time.
"See?" Ji-hye groaned. "No fun if you all just drink!"
But the rules had changed. "You can only drink twice," Mr. Han declared boldly.
"Agreed," Hera said with a grin.
The questions grew sharper. Until—
"Ms. Choi." Min-jae's voice cut through the chatter like glass. All eyes snapped to him.
Ga-young froze.
"What's the one thing you regret saying to me?"
The entire table went silent. Hera, who never stopped smirking, even raised her brows.
Ga-young's throat constricted. Memories stabbed at her. Words she shouldn't have said, ones that had torn something fragile apart.
Ji-hoon shifted, uneasy. Mrs. Kim muttered under her breath, "They… knew each other before?"
Ga-young lifted her glass with trembling hands. But before she could drink, Ji-hoon's hand darted out. He took it from her, downing it in one smooth motion.
The table erupted in cheers. But Min-jae's gaze never left her. He scoffed softly, then poured himself another shot and downed it.
The tension was unbearable now. Ji-hye quickly intervened. "Alright, that's enough. We should stop before—"
"One more!" Hera insisted, eyes gleaming. And before anyone could stop her, she shot a question at Ji-hoon.
"Mr. Park, do you have a crush on Ms. Choi?"
The room exploded.
Ga-young's eyes flew wide. Min-jae's expression didn't crack—until he suddenly pushed his chair back and stood. "Excuse me. I need to make a call." His voice was steady, but his movements were too sharp, too fast, as he strode out.
"Wait—" Ga-young started, but Ji-hoon's voice drowned hers.
"Yes," he said firmly, smiling despite the shock in his eyes. "I like Ms. Choi. A whole lot."
The room erupted again, but Ga-young sat frozen.
She barely noticed Ji-hye excusing herself, following Min-jae. She only snapped back when the laughter around her felt unbearable. Cursing under her breath, she stood and left the room.
---
Outside, Ji-hye found Min-jae leaning against his car, arms crossed. She handed him a bottle of warm milk.
"You should sober up," she teased softly.
"I didn't even drink that much." His jaw was tight.
"I didn't expect you to lose your cool. You always keep it in the shadows."
Min-jae exhaled. His voice was quiet. "I don't know why I got upset."
Just as Ji-hye was about to answer, Ga-young stepped out into the night air. She froze at the sight of them. Ji-hye gave a small sigh, patted Ga-young's shoulder, and walked away.
Ga-young approached hesitantly. "Are you… alright?"
Min-jae smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "What did you think would happen to me? The room was suffocating. I needed air."
"I'm… sorry," she whispered.
"Why apologize if you did nothing wrong?" His voice softened for a fraction of a second, then hardened again. He handed her the bottle of milk. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Ms. Choi."
And with that, he walked past her.
Ga-young clutched the milk against her chest, her heart twisting painfully. Was he hurt? Or was she foolish to think so?
"You stupid Choi," she muttered, hitting her forehead lightly.
---
Later, when everyone else had left, only four remained—Min-jae, Ji-hoon, Ji-hye, and Ga-young. The silence pressed down like a storm.
"I'll drop you off," Ji-hoon offered gently.
"I'll take her," Ji-hye countered, her tone deceptively calm.
"Thanks, Ji-hoon," Ga-young said quickly. Then, forcing herself to face Min-jae, she whispered, "Goodnight, Mr. Min-jae."
He only looked at her, unreadable. Ji-hoon waved warmly. "Get home safe. I'll call you."
Min-jae scoffed.
Ga-young let Ji-hye drag her toward the car. A moment later, Min-jae's black ride screeched to a halt, the door opening like a blade. He stepped in without a word, the car disappearing into the night.
An hour later, Ga-young was sprawled flat on her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as though it held all the answers she desperately wanted. Why me? she groaned inwardly. Out of all people, why did she have to be the one stuck in the middle of this ridiculous mess?
On one hand, there was Ji-hoon—the audacity of him—standing in front of the entire team, casually exposing her like she was some kind of prize he'd just won. And then there was Min-jae, unreadable and sharp, who had the nerve to tell her not to get ahead of herself. His words replayed in her head like a cruel joke, each echo making her toes curl until she kicked her legs in the air, smacking the air in embarrassment.
"Ugh!" she muffled into her pillow. This is social death. Actual death.
The shrill ring of her phone cut through her silent funeral of dignity. She didn't need to check the caller ID—she already knew who it would be. With a resigned breath, she swiped to answer.
"Hello," she said, her voice soft and a little tired.
"Are you alright?" Ji-hoon asked, his tone careful.
Ga-young sat up. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied quickly.
"I wanted to apologize for earlier. You seemed uncomfortable with what I said."
She hesitated, then admitted honestly, "I was just… surprised. I didn't expect you to say something like that in front of everyone."
There was a short laugh on his end. "Maybe that's just my biggest flex."
Ga-young smiled faintly, though she didn't reply.
"Are you free tomorrow?" Ji-hoon asked, almost casually.
"Yes… why?" she asked.
"I promised I'd take you out for dinner before I leave. I think tomorrow would be the best time."
She exhaled slowly. "Okay, let's do it."
"I'll send you the address," he said, his voice lightening.
"Alright, I'll be waiting."
"Thank you… and I'm sorry again."
"It's fine," Ga-young murmured, walking over to her window, the night air brushing against her skin. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Good night."
"Good night," she said before hanging up.
As the room fell silent again, she rested her chin on her arm against the windowsill. A sigh slipped out of her lips, almost like a secret.
"Please… don't ask me out, I can't afford to turn you down" she whispered.