Chapter 25

The realization that he was in love with her began to crack the once-solid world of Hae-il.

The awareness that had struck him like a fever that morning showed no sign of cooling even as night deepened, gradually paralyzing his reason.

B Project had entered full swing, and work came crashing down on them like a storm. Yet even the extreme physical exhaustion he felt was rendered meaningless in the face of this unfamiliar fever.

It was past ten at night, and the office was quiet, with most of the team members already gone home.

Hae-il’s eyes were fixed on his monitor, but all his nerves were attuned to the woman beyond the partition.

Dongjun sat beside Danbi.

He had joined the company at the same time as Danbi and was the same age as her. Among the team members, he seemed to be the closest to her.

Which made him the most irritating person in Hae-il’s eyes these days.

“Hey, this doesn’t mean anything if it’s here.”

“Where?”

The two of them casually leaned toward the monitor together, whispering about something.

The blue light of the screen flickered across their faces.

Danbi took the mouse from Dongjun and modified the code, then turned toward him and explained something with a faint smile.

Every one of those scenes stabbed into Hae-il’s eyes like thorns.

Before he knew it, the knuckles of the hand gripping his pen had turned white.

And it wasn’t just Dongjun.

The moment he acknowledged his love for her, every man in the world surrounding Danbi had become his enemy.

The rational part of his mind raised its voice, warning him that he was being foolish.

But the beast that had awakened inside him growled restlessly, constantly displaying its vigilance as it guarded its territory.

Even during casual conversations at lunch, or when an employee from another team approached Danbi for work-related reasons, an inexplicable irritation surged up his throat.

Every day, he was restless as though he were being chased by something, his heart growing increasingly impatient.

In the life of Han Hae-il, who had never tolerated a single mistake, one tiny emotion, like a low-grade fever, had become an uncontrollable blaze that was consuming him.

Just then, a languid yawn spread through the quiet office.

“Yaaawn….”

Hae-il instantly recognized the owner of the sound and concentrated all his attention on his ears.

“Sleepy?”

At Dongjun’s question, rustling sounds came from beyond the partition.

“Yeah. I think I need a coffee transfusion.”

“If you’re that sleepy, go to the nap room and get some rest.”

“If I sleep now, I’ll probably sleep until tomorrow morning. I’ll just go to the break room. You… Ah, you’re already drinking one. Be right back.”

“Sure.”

Scrape.

With the sound of a chair being pulled back, the top of Danbi’s round head appeared above the partition before disappearing again.

Now, all that remained were Hae-il, consumed by suffocating jealousy, and Dongjun, who had no idea why he had suddenly become the object of his hatred.

Hae-il bit down on the tender flesh inside his lip.

No more.

Hiding like this and burning himself up with jealousy wasn’t his way.

He had always broken through obstacles head-on and taken what he wanted.

Love would be no different.

If the other person’s heart was a wall firmly shut against him, then all he had to do was break through it.

Hae-il had always been accustomed to receiving romantic interest from others, so although he had never actually tried to seduce anyone, there was no reason he couldn’t.

His tightly clenched fist slowly opened.

Once he had made his decision, the chaos in his eyes hardened into determination.

Hae-il pushed the window he was working on into the corner of his monitor and rose from his seat.

Then, as though possessed, he followed her toward the break room.

Danbi’s footsteps down the hallway were noticeably slow.

Her small shoulders looked exhausted, and the sight tugged at his heart.

He deliberately made the sound of his dress shoes as he walked, announcing his presence, but she never once turned around.

Unintentionally following behind her like this made him look exactly like a stalker.

Danbi entered the break room and stood in front of the coffee machine.

By the time the noise of the machine heating the water had filled the room, Hae-il opened his dry lips.

“Are you very tired?”

At his voice, Danbi gasped and turned around.

Her startled eyes found him, then she visibly relaxed and patted her chest.

At that moment, Hae-il’s gaze fell upon the soft curves created by her hand over her loose T-shirt.

He unconsciously cleared his throat and apologized.

“Oh, I startled you. Sorry. I was making enough noise to let you know I was here….”

“N-No, it’s okay. I’m just a little out of it right now…. Team Leader, are you having coffee too? Should I make you one?”

Danbi gave an awkward smile and naturally turned back toward the coffee machine.

Hae-il answered with nothing more than a silent nod.

The break room was quiet.

The faint sounds of the lit office barely reached this far.

In the silence, only the sound of coffee beans being ground and hot water being extracted filled the space between them.

Being alone with her made inappropriate thoughts keep creeping into his mind.

He forced himself to keep his gaze fixed on the coffee machine, but the afterimage in his eyes kept drifting toward her slightly parted, red lips.

Just as he was losing himself in the subtle movement of those lips, Danbi suddenly turned toward him.

The exact moment their gazes tangled, time seemed to stop.

His ears burned hot, like a child caught doing something he shouldn’t have.

He hurriedly looked away, but by then, his embarrassment must have already been reflected in her eyes.

Danbi stared at Hae-il as he suddenly began clearing his throat for no apparent reason, then cautiously handed him his coffee.

The warmth transmitted through their fingertips was hotter than he had expected.

Holding the paper cup, Hae-il avoided Danbi’s seemingly observant gaze and took a sip of coffee.

“Team Leader, you still haven’t gotten over your cold? It seems like you’ve been coughing a lot….”

There was genuine concern in her voice.

Hae-il laughed bitterly inwardly.

A cold.

His illness had a different name.

Desire for her.

The symptoms grew worse every day.

He had passed through the nights when he couldn’t sleep because of jealousy born from misunderstandings.

Now he was tormented every night by fantasies of holding her in his arms.

It was a terrible fever.

And the only medicine that could cool it was Danbi.

Only her.

“…It just won’t go away.”

At his hoarse voice, Danbi’s eyebrows drooped.

Her gaze slowly traveled over his face, which had grown noticeably gaunter over the past few days.

“Work is important, but please take care of your health first. If you collapse, we’re all in trouble. No, the project will blow up. Don’t skip meals, and get enough sleep….”

Her growing stream of nagging sounded sweet in his ears.

Just knowing that she was worried about him made it difficult for him to suppress the smile rising at the corners of his lips.

He quietly wrapped both hands around the hot paper cup.

Standing alone with her in this quiet space late at night made him feel strangely dizzy.

Wasn’t this almost like being lovers in a secret relationship?

Just then, a small mechanical beep announced that Danbi’s coffee had finished brewing.

She picked up her cup and turned around without a moment’s hesitation.

That utterly unhesitating movement caused something to surge painfully inside Hae-il.

A burning impatience.

Somebody had spent all morning trying to look good for this woman, putting effort into everything from his hair to his watch and even his cologne.

Yet she didn’t seem interested in appreciating any of it.

He couldn’t stand the thought that he was the only one who cherished this quiet space and the time they had alone together.

Before he knew it, Hae-il reached out and stopped Danbi as she was about to leave the break room.

“Danbi.”

She had just taken a sip of coffee and turned back toward him.

Her round eyes were filled with confusion, as though asking what was wrong.

The moment he saw that face, another completely unrelated emotion intruded.

Damn, she’s fucking cute.

Is she a rabbit or something?

This emotion repeatedly destroyed his self-control without warning, growing deeper and more uncontrollable with every passing moment.

No more.

His reason had surrendered long ago.

With his emotions now running wild like an untamed horse, he had no time left to wait.

His feelings were absolutely certain.

The world was filled with wolves targeting her.

And his patience had finally run out.

Hae-il made up his mind.

His voice cut through the quiet air of the break room.

“Could you spare me a little time? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”