After Hours Temptation 3
321 Words
Chapter 3: Lines Unspoken
The next few days were different.
Min-jae didn’t call Ha-eun into his office again.
He didn’t linger near her desk.
He didn’t look at her longer than necessary.
And somehow, that was worse.
Every time his footsteps passed behind her, her spine stiffened. Every time he spoke her name during meetings, her focus shattered.
She wondered if she had imagined it all.
The tension.
The silence.
The way the air had changed between them.
---
Friday night came quietly.
Too quietly.
Ha-eun was packing her bag when her phone vibrated.
Min-jae: Stay.
One word.
No explanation.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Then she typed back: Okay.
---
The office was nearly dark when she reached his floor. Only his office light was on, casting long shadows across the hallway.
The door was already open.
“You came,” he said without looking up.
“You told me to.”
He finally raised his eyes.
“That wasn’t an order.”
Her heart thudded painfully. “Then what was it?”
A long pause.
He stood, slowly walking toward her, stopping just short of invading her space.
“A choice,” he said.
“One you didn’t have to make.”
“I know.”
“And yet,” he added quietly, “you still chose to come.”
Silence wrapped around them.
She swallowed. “Why?”
His jaw tightened, just for a second.
“Because every time I see you,” he said, voice low, controlled, “I have to remind myself why I shouldn’t.”
Her breath faltered.
“Sir—”
“Min-jae,” he corrected. “Not here.”
The distance between them felt razor-thin now.
“This is dangerous,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he agreed.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them stepped away.
And in that moment, the line they had both pretended not to see finally disappeared
- Writer
