Past

Yunho's POV

When Kwon Boa strutted into his office in her red heels, Yunho felt intimidated. Her heels clanked loudly in his quiet office. Alongside her was one of the HR. She introduced Boa to him as the newly hired and additional secretary for both him and his dad, the Chairman.

"Good day, Mr. Jung. This is Kwon Boa. She'll be working closely with you, the chairman, and your secretaries, Ms. Choi Yeo-jin and Mr. Lee Soo-hyuk. I’m just touring her around before I hand her to Ms. Choi for the assignment" she said to Yunho. 

She then turned to Boa, "And Ms. Kwon, the CEO, Mr. Jung Yunho"

And that was how she first met Kwon Boa.

"Welcome, Ms. Kwon. Hope you'll enjoy your stay here" he held his hand out

"I most definitely will, Mr. Jung" she then shakes his hands. Even the grip she had on his hand had riled him up. The power this woman holds. 

He refrain himself from smirking. Yunho could use a strong-willed person as an addition to his company.

"We’ll be going now, Mr. Jung. We have to meet with the chairman next," said the HR.

"Alright then. See you soon, Ms. Kwon" he said.

"Likewise, Mr. Jung" she bowed to him gracefully and went on to continue with the tour. Yunho stood there, eyes on Ms. Kwon until they turned around the corner and disappeared.

Boa likes to be in her game. The next time Yunho saw her, she was dressed in an above the knee gray tailored dress. She swayed with purposeful steps. With every step she took, she exuded an air of confidence that could turn heads around the office.

Yeo-jin, briefed Boa of today's appoinments, and without hesitation, Boa took charge. As someone who has no secretarial experience, she breezed through his priorities, handled dozens of calls with calm efficiency that made Yunho and Yeo-jin impressed.

Yunho leaned back in his chair. He observed her from the glass window that separates them and realized that they found him not just a secretary, but also a strategic partner that could manage the demands of his role. As the days went by, it was clear that her confidence wasn't just a facade. It was a driving force that elevated the entire office atmosphere.

Yunho looked away from his computer to rub his drying eyes. There were piles of documents he needed to review, his calendar on the other side were full of color-coded marks. The responsibility he held became heavy day by day. 

There was a knock on his door. He rubbed his temples to ease the headache that was coming and then straightened himself on his seat.

“Come in,” 

Boa entered through his door with a clipboard on hand, “Mr. Jung, your next meeting is in fifteen minutes. Some of the guests are already in the conference room.”

Yunho can’t help but sigh, “Thank you, Ms. Kwon. I’ll be there shortly”

Boa lingered by the door for a moment before exiting his office. Weird.

Just as the door clicked close, his phone rang to a familiar tune. He glanced at the screen, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. It was Jaejoong.

“Hey, Boo,” he said tiredly.

“Yunho, are you alright? You sound exhausted” Jaejoong’s concerned voice echoed through the phone.

“I’m alright. I have another meeting in fifteen minutes,”

“Oh . .” 

“Is there something wrong?” It was Yunho’s turn to be concerned.

“Oh it's nothing. I thought we could finally have dinner together," Jaejoong said solemnly.

Guilt gnawed at him, “I’m sorry for not calling so soon about it, boo. It’s been a crazy week”

Training to be the next in command of a business empire is no joke. In the span of two years, Yunho has created a commanding presence, and has a mind that can manuevered through meetings and discussion with strategic finesse. But keeping that kind of facade can be draining. And he was glad that he had Jaejoong as his pillar of strength for over the past two years.

Jaejoong, the angel that he was, remained steady on the other line, “No worries, hon. I understand. Take your time. I’ll always be here”

“Thank you, Jae. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Don’t fret over it. Relax while you still have time. I’ll see you soon?”

“You’re always the best, Jae” Yunho’s heart melts.

“I love you” 

“I love you more,”

As Yunho hung up on the phone, a new found calm settled over him. With renewed determination, he straightened his tie, gathered the scattered papers, and headed towards the conference room.

It had started with enthusiasm and anticipation, but then it turned into a more intense discussion of strategic plans, and other heated debates.

By the time they came up with some mutual resolution it was almost 9 pm. As the exhausted participants gathered their belongings and filtered out of the conference room, Yunho slumped on his seat as the last of them were out.

He heard the door click open and immediately sat up, thinking it was one of the participants from earlier. When he looked up, it was just Boa with a plastic bag in her hand.

“I thought you might be hungry now, so I went down the street and grabbed us some dinner” She raised the plastic bag in her hand.

Right on cue, Yunho’s stomach grumbles, “Sorry about that,” he shyly said.

“No worries. Seeing how intense that meeting was and how late it is now, it’s understandable that you’re hungry by now,” She said with no malice. Boa emptied the plastic bag and laid variants of dishes on the conference table.

“Oh wow. How thoughtful Boa-sshi. They look so delicious,” He somehow remembers his husband at home and his home cooked meals. A smile blossoms on his face.

“You look happy,” Boa stated. She sat down close beside Yunho. 

“I just suddenly thought about my husband,” he chuckled. 

“You’re married, Mr. Jung?” Boa can’t help but question

“Yes. It’s been two years now,” Yunho replied sheepishly. “How about you, Boa-sshi? Are you in a relationship as well”

“I’m single, Mr. Jung. Things didn’t work out the previous” She said nonchalantly.

“Is that so? Well too bad for that man, because I think you are lovely,”

Boa laughs a little, “You don’t have to flatter me, Mr. Jung. Besides, it's all in the past now,” there was a paused from her briefly, “I’ve been a bit focused on my career that I somehow neglected some aspects in my personal life,”

“Maybe he can’t handle an independent career woman like you. I’m sure you’ll find the right one oneday. Just have faith.” Yunho said and smiled at her. 

“Thank you,” Boa smiles at him. Yunho looked away when he felt something flutter in his chest.

“The food is going to get cold if we don’t eat them now. Let’s dig in?” he said and started passing her utensils. 

For the first few minutes, they just ate quietly and awkwardly. Yunho tried to break the ice and soon after the room was filled with laughter. 

They were like old friends who hadn't seen each in a long while.

10 pm hits, and then 11.

And then the midnight hits. 

Yunho had forgotten to call back to his husband that night.

It was almost midnight when they both got out of the office building. The air was unusually cold. Yunho noticed how Boa shivered a little when there was a sudden gust of wind.

“Here,” Yunho draped his jacket on Boa, “We don’t want you getting sick now,” he teased.

“Thoughtful of you Mr. Jung,” she playfully thanks Yunho

“Let me take you home. It’s quite late now and it's quite dangerous to let you go on your own,”

“Oh it’s alright. My place isn’t that far from here. I could always take a cab,” she insisted. She tugs the jacket closer to her as there was another gust of cold air. Boa could smell Yunho’s scent on the coat.

“Nonsense! What if the cab doesn’t take you to your destination,” he exclaimed. "You wait here while I get my car, okay? I'll drive you there” he didn’t wait for her to reply.

What a persistent man. Boa thought. 

Working closely with him the past month, she could see why the man was notorious and respectable in the industry. But during their dinner together at the conference room, Boa saw another side of him. A playful and boyish one. 

He was a talkative fellow. He never ran out of topics to talk about. She could listen to him talk about anything all day. She laughs as Yunho talks animatedly about his antics. It just goes to show that deep inside he is just like any other ordinary guy.

“What are you smiling at?” Yunho asked. He was smiling as well as. 

“Oh nothing" she playfully replied.

“Well come on now! We don’t want you to freeze here,” Yunho led her to the passenger seat. Then went to the other side, ready to take Boa home.

“So where are we off to?” he said while buckling his seatbelt.

“At Seocho-gu, near the train station”

It wasn't a dull trip to Boa's place. They fell into another fit of laughter as they continued on what was left of their conversation at the conference room. 

Her stomach hurt from all the laughter, and Yunho felt good because he never knew someone who could find his ridiculous stories and antics from the past funny.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination. Yunho opened the car door and held out his hand for her. He then led her to her door step, like a gentleman would. They didn't notice they were still holding hands.

“Thank you for driving me here. You really didn’t have to, Mr. Jung”

“Yunho. You can just call me Yunho when we are not at work” he said shyly. Boa chuckled at Yunho's reaction. Yunho is also capable of being shy. Boa made a mental note.

“Okay, Yunho. I should get in. Thank you so much” She thanked him and gently tugged her hand out from Yunho's caloused one. She looked at him adoringly one last time before entering the house.

Days turned to weeks, and then to months.

It had been months since that day and it was obvious to them that they had become inseparable. Even in their busiest time, they somehow managed to find a way to be in each other’s space.

As time goes by, the lines between personal and professional become a blurred line. Casual conversations extended beyond business, delving into more shared interests, dreams, and life outside the office space. Yunho found solace in Boa’s company, her presence lifts the stresses of his high-powered life.

Initially confined to office matters, began to evolve into a camaraderie that lingered beyond the confines of work hours. Dinner together when their hours extend from their usual 9-5 have been an occurrence lately. 

Yunho didn’t grapple with the realization that he was developing feelings that were shifting into a dangerous territory. He remained ignorant of the moral implications of his actions. Gaslighting himself into thinking this is just what friends do. But he tries to hide all of this from knowing eyes. 

Try as he might to hide, Yeo-jin's eyes and intuition were sharp. So was Yunho’s father, Sung-ho.

Yeo-jin didn’t miss the not-so subtle stares Yunho and Boa gave each other. With that, she had her suspicions. She mentally notes every move they made, and it was painfully obvious that they were having an affair. And by the looks of it, it won’t stop any time soon.

She then thought about Yunho’s husband, Jaejoong. Lovely Jaejoong would be devastated to the core if he finds out about his husband’s indecency.

It was at Yunho’s welcome engagement party as the next CEO when she first met Jaejoong. 

Yeo-jin was inspecting the overall atmosphere of the party. Taking notes on what other things they needed for the guest. It was when she took notice of Jaejoong, who was sitting at a corner away from the bustling guests. He was lovingly watching Yunho on the other side, who was talking to some important business partners along with his father.

Noticing that the conversation might take a while, Yeo-jin crosses to where Jaejoong was sitting so he could keep him company. 

“Enjoying the event, Mr. Kim?” Yeo-jin checks up on him.

“Everything is lovely, Ms. Choi. But this really isn’t my scene if I were to be honest,” he said, feeling a little bit ashamed. “But I see that Yunho is enjoying it, so I guess I’m okay with it,” he bounced back.

To Yeo-jin, it was quite endearing to see how supportive Jaejoong was. Yunho was one lucky bastard.

"Mine too. I'd prefer to be in my home right now and lounge on my couch, catch up with my books and whatnot. But hey, this counts as overtime so there really is no complaining" she chuckled.

They immerse themselves in mutual topics. From books, TV shows, music, and cooking. And in no time, they have formed a wonderful friendship.

Yeo-jin had briefly known Jaejoong at that time, but she treasured every moment of it.