The employee café terrace on the third floor of the BC Holdings standalone building.
There were always more employees coming and going there than you could count.
Where many people pass through, a variety of topics will circulate.
Among them, the one most often on everyone’s lips lately was, without question, about a single person.
"Did you hear about the new Division Head who came last week?"
"New Division Head? Oh, you mean the new head of the Finance Management Division?"
Of the two women facing each other over coffee at the table, one’s eyes sparkled.
"They say he’s a stunningly handsome Alpha. And the way he works—on a different level from the old-fashioned previous Division Head."
"And besides that? Didn’t you hear anything else?"
"Hear what?"
The woman who had raised the topic of the new Division Head lowered her voice suggestively for her still-bright-eyed companion.
"That the Division Head is actually the true successor of the Baekcheong Group chairman…."
"Order up!"
Their conversation was mercilessly drowned out by the barista’s ringing voice from the counter. Their table happened to be very close to the pickup zone.
A young man in a crisp suit standing at the pickup zone had no choice but to overhear them. He let out a small sigh—It’s that story wherever you go.
Despite his mild face, the man at the pickup zone had a strongly built body and stood a full 190 tall, so his presence was considerable. The two women, drawn by the barista’s call, even snuck glances at him.
Sensing their eyes, the man hurriedly turned his gaze to the coffees he’d ordered, wondering if they’d heard him mutter.
He carefully checked the five cups set on the pickup ledge. The barista placed four of them into a drink carrier while reciting the add-ons for each coffee. There were so many and so varied add-ons per cup that even reciting them for verification, the barista hesitated and mixed them up a bit.
Listening, the man asked,
"Which one only has the extra two shots?"
"This one. The only one you asked to separate out with two extra shots, right?"
The barista slid forward the single cup not in the carrier. On its side was a quick scrawl, "2S." The other cups were marked with all sorts of notations; this one alone was clean.
With the four-cup carrier in one hand and the hot two-shot Americano in the other, the man looked positively solemn about guarding at least that coffee with his life.
Accepting the barista’s thanks, he left the café and headed for the lobby elevators. His long legs, proportional to his height, closed the distance to the elevator in no time.
In the employee elevator, he pressed 15.
After riding up with a few employees for other floors, he alone got off on 15.
Passing through the busily moving Strategic Planning Office, he strode down the long corridor. Only after passing several meeting rooms and a break room did a large double door, like for a main conference room, come into view.
No sooner had he opened the door and stepped in than an excited voice pounced.
"Wow! My stim pack!"
The woman at the counter—Secretary Yang Jiyeon, late twenties—came trotting out with a bright voice. The runner about her age handed her the four-cup drink carrier wholesale.
"Please check that everything’s as ordered." New chapters come out on g.com first.
"It will be. You’ve never gotten this wrong, Mr. Wonwoo."
At the trust in her words, Jung Wonwoo scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
Holding the Americano with the extra two shots, Wonwoo headed for the Division Head’s office.
Just as he was about to knock, Jiyeon stopped him.
"Go in a little later. The Head of Strategic Planning is in there now."
Wonwoo lowered the hand that had been about to knock and looked back at her. She had already pulled out her own coffee and was taking a tasting sip.
"How long has he been here?"
"Right after you left to run the errand. It’s just to get sign-off on the final proposal for the W Project, so it won’t take long."
Savoring the sweet coffee, Jiyeon held out Wonwoo’s cup. The suggestion was to drink together while they waited for the report to finish.
But Wonwoo shook his head and stood like a sentry by the office door. He meant to deliver the hot coffee to his boss first before touching his own. Jiyeon rolled her eyes and muttered, "Such a good dog, a good dog," but he pretended not to hear.
When she came back out after carrying the remaining coffees into the secretary’s room, a stir was just then felt beyond the Division Head’s door.
The one who came out when it opened was the middle-aged Head of Strategic Planning alone. The tension was written all over his face and only eased a little once the office door had fully closed.
Jiyeon had already put on her business smile. The lively mood from a moment ago, coffee in hand, had been tucked away. Professionally, she saw the Strategic Planning Director off with polite formality.
Wonwoo knocked on the Division Head’s door the moment the director left the reception area.
Knock, knock—
"Division Head, I’ve brought the coffee you asked for."
"Come in."
Turning over the clear baritone from inside, Wonwoo opened the door.
The office was exceptionally neat and orderly. Not a single messy spot anywhere; even the new Division Head’s desk was immaculately arranged. All the furnishings, including that desk, were unified in dark wood tones, lending both elegance and heft.
Though only a week had passed since his appointment, the office seemed cut to match the new Division Head exactly.
Carrying the coffee carefully in both hands, Wonwoo approached Division Head Baek Kanghyeon.
Kanghyeon looked busy checking a report on his PC. Drawing close, Wonwoo set the coffee down softly on the desk, deliberately not to disturb.
"Thank you for the trouble."
The young Division Head’s voice was so pleasant that Wonwoo jerked his head up before he knew it. Just then, his eyes met Kanghyeon’s directly.
"Ah—no, not at all."
He stammered without meaning to. Feeling foolish, his face flushed hot.
He hurried to slip out of the office without showing it, but a voice came from behind.
"You can leave on time. Please pass the same on to Driver Yoon."
At that, Wonwoo turned back, surprised.
"Don’t tell me you’re planning to work late again today?"
Even as he asked, worry leapt ahead.
Since taking office, Baek Kanghyeon had not left on time a single time.
Always overtime, overtime, overtime, overtime.
And not just any overtime—he worked straight through until around midnight. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Even with meetings or business trips, it was the same: endlessly working until near midnight.
He was a crazy workaholic who came in on weekends, and even came in when there was nothing to do. If he weren’t a Dominant Alpha, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to have collapsed from overwork already.
Even so, he insisted everyone else leave on time. Not only every team in the Finance Management Division, but also his executive assistant Jung Wonwoo and the dedicated driver assigned as Driver Yoon.
Few employees would refuse to leave on time, but Wonwoo was different. As the executive assistant who had to support Baek Kanghyeon closest and be his hands and feet, he had no desire to leave his boss alone and go home like this.
"What if you ruin your health."
Wonwoo finally voiced his worry.
Lifting the coffee Wonwoo had brought, Kanghyeon looked at him.
"Do I look that fragile to you?"
"No, not like that, it’s just…."
Who would dare say, to his face, that Baek Kanghyeon looked weak. He was a lofty Dominant Alpha who made you tense up on instinct just by facing him.
And Wonwoo himself was, ‘for the time being,’ an Alpha.
He knew well that an Alpha’s body was robust enough to go without even minor ailments most of the time.
But if he kept working without a thought for his body like this, even an Alpha could collapse—especially one like Kanghyeon.
To Wonwoo, who was floundering for words, Kanghyeon spoke as if to reassure him.
"Maybe it’s because I was handed a major project right at appointment; there’s a lot to do. Once the contract is properly concluded, it’ll ease up, so there’s no need to worry too much."
"…Yes."
Was it his imagination that he felt as if an invisible pair of big ears drooped?
Without thinking, Kanghyeon recalled the Saint Bernard kept at Cheongunjae. The way it would gallop up to flop on its back with its belly up, or trail along groaning—it somehow resembled Jung Wonwoo.
With a faint, brief smile, Kanghyeon raised the hot coffee to his lips.
"Head in early and rest up. Tomorrow will be especially busy."
"Uh—ah! Yes!"
Wonwoo, who’d been staring blankly at him, came to and answered rather heartily. Then he fled the Division Head’s office in a hurry.
Before long it grew a little noisy outside, but it subsided quickly.
Holding the coffee in his mouth, Kanghyeon glanced out the window at a passing thought. Among the many buildings, a particularly tall officetel, not far away, caught his eyes.
After gazing a moment at the top floor of the officetel, he turned back to his work again.
***
Before he knew it, it was well past midnight.
In front of Kanghyeon’s home, Kwon Haeil stood with his arms crooked in a sullen cross, wearing a dissatisfied look. The door he was glaring at with abandon showed no sign of opening.
You’re not coming home by this hour? Today again? Are you out of your mind?
For some reason, there was no trace of leisure on Kwon Haeil’s face.