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Episode 8: Close Proximity

The office was silent, except for the faint hum of the air conditioner. It was late—too late for anyone else to still be around. Hyun-jin sighed, rubbing her temples as she tried to focus on the confidential project Cha Joo-wan had personally assigned to her.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from Joo-wan:

— “Conference room. Now.”

Her chest tightened. She hesitated for a moment, then gathered her files and made her way down the hallway. The building felt like a ghost town, every step echoing in the emptiness.

When she entered the conference room, he was already there—seated casually at the head of the long table, his jacket draped over the chair, tie slightly loosened.

— “You’re late,” he said smoothly, though his eyes gleamed with something that wasn’t irritation.

— “I… I was finishing the data review,” she replied, carefully placing the files on the table.

Joo-wan stood and slowly walked toward her. His movements were deliberate, each step echoing in the silence until he was standing just inches away.

: He leaned over her shoulder to glance at the documents, his chest brushing lightly against her back. The heat of his body seeped into hers, and the faint scent of his cologne made her dizzy.

— “You work too hard,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. “Tell me… is it because you want to impress me? Or because you’re afraid of disappointing me?”

Her breath caught. His words pressed against her defenses, as if he already knew the answer she was too afraid to admit.

Hyun-jin shifted, but his hand came down on the table beside hers, caging her in. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the world shrank to just the two of them—the ticking clock, the dim light, the storm of emotions swirling between them.

She swallowed hard. “This… this isn’t professional, sir.”

Joo-wan’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. “Professionalism has never stopped you from feeling something… has it?”

Her heart pounded, torn between resisting and surrendering. His gaze dropped briefly to her lips, and for a terrifying second, she thought he might kiss her right there in the empty office.

Cliffhanger: The sound of the doorknob turning shattered the tension. Someone else was about to walk in.

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