Ryeowook was a man who loved to play by the rules. And not just in the sense of games either but in life.

Ryeowook had his life mapped out and by that, it meant a schedule that he kept to very strictly. Like in this case, it was a Monday morning and Ryeowook's alarm had gone off at seven, as it always did on a weekday. He then proceeded to roll around in bed for five minutes before getting up to shower and pick his clothes for the day. It wouldn't do for him to turn up in anything less than his best.

He didn't like it whenever people commented on his schedule, be it his parents or the occasional and rare friends (actually his only friend) that he had over. Besides, it wasn't like his schedule was exactly the same all the time, he did mix it up a bit on occasion.

On weekends he gave himself fifteen minutes of lie in time before he got up.

That was a huge difference.

Big big difference that had the rest of his schedule all slightly different as well to accommodate the extra ten minutes spent rolling around. But what was life without some quirk?

Ryeowook washed his coffee cup and dried it quickly, placing it in the rack neatly for him to use again for coffee tomorrow. He munched on his usual breakfast of toast and jam as he slipped on his dress shoes and locked his front door securely, testing and making sure that the door could not be opened without a key. It wouldn't do for him to be careless and come home to a house ransacked of all his things.

He was not paranoid, he was simply over zealous.

Looking at his watch, Ryeowook saw that it was precisely eight in the morning. The time that he usually set off for work. It really would not be right if he was late. Ryeowook set off at a trot, heading for the stairs leading down his building.

it was time for him to head to work.

-

Ryeowook stared at his shoes as he waited for the elevator, twisting his ankles just slightly to the left and right to check the shine on his shoes, pleased that he could actually see the faint reflection of his face in the shine. Tapping his fingers gently against the leather of his briefcase, Ryeowook waited patiently for the elevator in the middle.

There were three elevators, but Ryeowook always took the one in the middle. He liked the one in the middle.

A female colleague he recognised vaguely from his floor waved him over from the elevator on the left but he declined as politely as he could with a bright smile and a small dip of his head. He didn't feel comfortable getting into any other elevator. It was why he got here as early as he did, so he could use the time to wait for the middle elevator.

it was his favourite.

The small 'ding' sound alerted him to its arrival and he stepped in, graciously heading towards the far right corner to accommodate the other people entering the lift.

A low voice asked him what floor and he looked up in surprise. There was a blond man dressed immaculately in a simple business suit, gesturing and bowing at all the employees entering the lift. Ryeowook bit his lip to keep from laughing because for all the elegance that the suit represented, his hair was a mess of shaggy strands, falling messily over his head and reminding him of instant noodles. It wasn't a bad look actually, the hair actually looked pretty good on him. People looked curiously at the unfamiliar presence before replying and he simply smiled, bowed and pressed the elevator buttons for them. Ryeowook didn't realise that the man was staring expectantly at him for awhile before he shook himself and replied, 'Twenty third floor please'.

The man smiled at him before dipping his head and turning back to face the elevator panel.

Ryeowook peeked at him from his position all the way at the back, his task made easier by the reflective surface of the elevator walls. They never had an elevator man, elevator door man, Ryeowook wasn't really sure what to call him, before. He wondered why management decided that they needed one now. But he simply shrugged and waved the thought off, it wasn't his business to poke into why management decided they needed an elevator babysitter. If it was not going to affect his day, he didn't see why he should bother.

The elevator shuddered to a stop at the seventh floor and the man held the door open for the people leaving, smiling at all the women blushing before him even as he bowed low. 'I'm Kim Yesung, please take good care of me.'

He repeated the action at every floor they stopped on. Ryeowook caught the tiniest of smirks on his face as the women giggled their way out, caught only by the reflective surface of the walls as he turned back to face front again and he refrained from snickering himself. A playboy then, Ryeowook mused to himself, it was sort of fitting, and then wrote him off just like that.

When it was finally his turn to exit, Ryeowook stared a little when the man, Yesung, bowed to him as well, with the slightest hint of a flirtatious smile on his face. 'My name is Kim Yesung, please take good care of me.'

Ryeowook had to force himself not to stare at the man whose blond bangs were now falling messily into his eyes as he bowed and he hurriedly dropped his head in a small acknowledgement before rushing out into the hallway and into his cubicle. He dropped into his seat clumsily, pressing a hand to his chest in an attempt to try and even out his breathing.

What was that? Ryeowook asked himself. He was just flustered that's all, he was not attracted to the man at all. He caught him by surprise that was all.

'Ryeowook-ah!' Someone screamed his name from the other side of the wall partition and Ryeowook yelped.

Hyukjae grinned as he rested his chin on his arms, peering down at Ryeowook from where he was kind of propping himself up on the partition. Ryeowook grabbed a pencil and hurled it at him and Hyukjae ducked, chortling to himself.

'Don't do that! One day I'm going to get a heart attack and you'll be sobbing over my dead body regretting every single mean thing you've ever done to me.'

'I'd think I'd prefer grabbing all your nice stationary and stashing it in my cubicle before burning all your documents around you in a bonfire to send your burning body to hell,' Hyukjae tossed the pencil back. 'Actually on second thought, throw that pencil again, it's pretty nice. I want to keep it.'

'Go back to work you .'

Hyukjae wrinkled his nose at him before complying, calling out a 'Fried chicken for lunch later?' and laughing as Ryeowook threw another pencil over the wall.

Smiling to himself, Ryeowook turned back to his own desk, straightening out whatever needed to be put back into place before putting his briefcase on the table and extracting the documents he would need for the morning's work. Hyukjae was his best friend, his only friend actually but that didn't degrade his best friend status at all. He was the only person that managed to throw sudden wrenches into Ryeowook's schedule and get away with it. Somehow, when Hyukjae proposed fried chicken when all he wanted to eat was bibimbap, Ryeowook couldn't find the heart to splash cold water all over his suggestion when he smiled his wide gummy smile. He guessed that he really was thankful for Hyukjae.

He leaned back in his chair and stared at the drawing board just to his left, considering the adjustments he could make to the plans for the building he was currently designing. An architect's work was hardly ever done. He had to design and sketch, wait for feedback and repeat the process all over again. It was tedious, but Ryeowook loved his job. He loved seeing buildings that he had designed, like it was his baby.

Buildings had always been his passion. The lines, the structure, the design of every single building, they were all so unique. Ryeowook had always wanted to have his name on one. Other people did paintings, wrote books or came up with culinary dishes. He wanted to designs buildings that made people sit up in wonder and amazement.

And he was very good at what he did.

Ryeowook picked up another pencil and got back to work.

-

'So did you have fun mingling with the masses?'

Jongwoon rolled his eyes, shrugging out of his simple blazer and hanging it up on the coat hook. Grabbing his favourite Lanvin blazer from where it had been carefully hung up, Jongwoon his arms into the sleeves, fixing the cuffs so it was more comfortable, before turning to face Sungmin. 'I wasn't mingling with the masses. I was simply assimilating into the workforce to get a handle on how my people think.'

Sungmin waved his hand around like he was swatting a fly. 'Whatever hyung. I still say you were mixing with commoners.' But then he grinned and Jongwoon knew he was kidding. Sungmin knew how important the workers were and he was just teasing. 'Discovered anything?'

'Not much, it was just the first day anyway. I'll probably have to keep this up for awhile so people don't get suspicious if the elevator guy disappears,' Jongwoon grinned, walking around the huge desk to where Sungmin was currently lounging in the chair, feet up on the mahogany wood. 'Oi get out of my chair.'

'Yes Mr CEO.'

'Don't call me that ,' Jongwoon took a swipe at Sungmin but he just skipped back, laughter dancing in his eyes and filling the room. 'Don't you have work to do?'

'Well yes, but you would think that being childhood friends with the CEO would give me some sort of benefit and leeway in me finishing my assignments no?'

'No.'

'You've changed Jongwoon. Becoming a CEO has made you boring.'

'Get out Sungmin! Go do your work!' Jongwoon made to get out of his chair, scowling threateningly and Sungmin laughed again.

'Alright alright I'm going!' Sungmin bowed mockingly, waving at Jongwoon. 'Have a nice day Mr CEO!'

Jongwoon's scowl melted into a smile as Sungmin shut the door. He could never really be angry at Sungmin; they had known each other for way too long for that to happen. Especially since they both shared a love for architecture and made sure they had gone to the same college to boot. Of course Sungmin preferred more hands on work, liking a more in depth participation in the designing process which explained why he had, time and time again, refused Jongwoon's father's offer of promotion to Junior Principal. Sungmin deserved it more than anyone, being such a hard worker, but he didn't want an administrative position; he wanted to be in the office where he could have his hands deep in blueprints and scales.

Jongwoon on the other hand, for all his love of architecture and excellence in it, when left to his own devices, produced designs not for the common liking. His designs were very good yes in the technical sense, but in the aesthetic sense not so much. It helped that this was his father's company and he had assisted his father for a long time now, flitting from department to department and picking up individual tricks that were unique to each. He had just returned from a long period spent in their European branch learning the intricacies of French architecture and now his father was making him a Senior Partner now that his father had decided to stop taking that much of an interest in the company. 'You're ready now,' he had said but Jongwoon didn't feel ready.

He did the best he could though, delving into the reports of the past few months and taking note of the past few high profile clients that they have had. He made note of their production process and speed and wrote down a note to visit the construction department in order to determine their process of on site construction and if it could be sped up.

The decision to disguise himself as a simple lift man was important. He needed to get a feel for things around here, and what better way to do it then listening in on the gossip of the other workers as they took the elevator up and down to and from work. He only needed to be there in the morning and evening anyway. Already recognising some of the key people in the office, Jongwoon was already getting a sense of the politics that were at play in the office. He was pretty confident nobody would recognise him. Back when he was still jumping from department to department, his hair had been black and neater then, now with this mop of hair that his hairstylist had convinced him to try, nobody would even take a second look. Except the ladies of course.

Jongwoon straightened his tie before reviewing the documents for the meeting later that day.

There was work to do.

-

A paper ball landed on the sketches of an apartment complex that he was currently working on and Ryeowook jolted, his pencil leaving an ugly skid mark across the east wall that he was currently sketching.

'Lee Hyukjae!' He screamed, not caring about the volume of his voice since it was already past eight and there was nobody else except the pair of them left on this level. Ryeowook didn't really like staying past six to finish his work but he needed to get this done before the client came in by the end of the month so he had regrettably adjusted his schedule for this inconvenient overtime.

Hyukjae leaned against his desk, . 'Ryeowook go home. Go home so that I can go home. I can't leave until I'm sure that you're leaving too and I have a date tonight so please please please leave.'

'You can leave on your own you know. I'm only going to leave at nine.'

'Like I would leave you here alone,' Hyukjae snorted. 'You're so tiny you could get attacked by anybody and then what would I do without somebody to annoy throughout the day? And why nine? Can't you just come back tomorrow and finish it?'

'Get out of here. I'm finishing up here too, I promise I'll leave in ten minutes.'

Hyukjae narrowed his eyes. 'Promise?'

'I promise,' Ryeowook rolled his eyes, crossing his fingers behind his back. Hyukjae was a good friend but so overprotective sometimes. He looked down at his small and petite body and guessed he deserved it. 'I'll text you when I'm home okay?'

'Okay!' Hyukjae grabbed his bag, waving as he ran out of the office. 'Bye Ryeowook see you tomorrow!'

Ryeowook turned back to his sketch after waving him off, deciding to finish the structure of the room before leaving precisely at nine. What Hyukjae didn't know wouldn't kill him.

Of course the office was already dead silent by the time he'd finished and he quickly collected his things and left the office just at the clock struck nine, slightly unnerved by how quiet the entire building was. He had stayed late before but not without anybody else and he was nervous about the absence of any other human beings.

The lift dinged and he looked up, all ready to step in when he jerked back, a small gasp leaving his mouth at the presence of another human being. Jongwoon blinked at him, peering at him from behind those messy blond bangs of his.

'I'm sorry, did I scare you?'

'No no it's fine Yesung,' Ryeowook took a deep breath before stepping into the lift carefully. 'I just didn't expect anyone to still be around.'

Jongwoon hit the door close button and they stood in silence as the lift slowly descended. Peeking at him, Ryeowook bit his lip before deciding he had nothing to lose by making simple conversation. 'I didn't know that your hours were so late? There can't be many people waiting for the elevator at such a late hour?'

'Huh?' Jongwoon was confused until he remembered that Ryeowook only knew him as the lift man. 'Today is er, special. I had to wait for some VIPs to leave and them down before I could go home.' It was partially true, he did have a meeting with some important clients earlier and had to work late settling their accounts.

'Oh.'

'And yourself?'

'I had some important projects to finish.'

'You have a lot of work to do?'

'Not that much actually. I just like being very precise, sort of a perfectionist I guess,' Ryeowook laughed.

Jongwoon smiled too. 'That's not a bad thing.'

'Thanks,' Ryeowook smiled at him, it was nice to be appreciated for his weirdness sometimes, before his forehead creased as he frowned. 'I must be more tired than I thought though. I seem to remember you having on a navy blazer this morning, but now it's black.'

, Jongwoon cursed mentally. He didn't expect to be running into anyone this late so he hadn't bothered changing into the other simple blazer. Discreetly tucking the label into the pockets so Ryeowook wouldn't notice the brand, Jongwoon laughed nervously. 'Yeah someone bumped into me with some hot coffee so a co-worker lent me this one to wear first.'

'Wow that's unfortunate but that's okay! It looks expensive too.'

'I think it's just a good material,' Jongwoon winced under Ryeowook's scrutinising gaze and looked up in relief when the lift dinged, signalling their arrival in the lobby. 'Oh we're here.'

Jongwoon waited for Ryeowook to step out before smacking himself on the forehead and following behind him. Ryeowook turned to nod politely at him before heading for the huge glass doors leading to the street. Jongwoon looked to the door leading down to the carpark where his car was waiting before spinning around and yelling at Ryeowook.

'Hey! I never did get your name!'

Ryeowook stopped and turned, smiling sweetly at him. 'It's Ryeowook. Kim Ryeowook.' He turned to push at the doors, turning around the corner to where Jongwoon couldn't see him.

Jongwoon grinned to himself. Work seemed to be starting out well for him already.

He whistled as he walked to his car, jingling his keys and thinking of polite nods, sweet smiles and the twenty third floor.

-

Ryeowook signed his name at the bottom of the blueprint with a flourish, grinning broadly at the finished design. Weeks of hard work and he finally pleased with what he had come up with. Now he could only hope that the client did too. He spun in his chair and chucked an eraser over the wall partition, listening for a reaction and giggling when he heard Hyukjae's outraged yelp.

He popped his head over the wall, his grin only growing bigger as he watched Hyukjae rubbed the side of his head with a huge pout on his face. 'Well I wonder what happened.'

'You , of course you know what happened. You were the one who threw it. You're not getting it back by the way.'

'It's fine. I dropped that eraser in my coffee earlier today,' Ryeowook snickered as he watched Hyukjae splutter and scrub at the side of his face with his shirt.

'What do you want Ryeowook?'

'I'm done with my work for today, thought I might leave a little earlier.'

'Wow amazing. Did you write that in your schedule too?' Hyukjae ducked to avoid another eraser. 'You're not getting that one back either.You going to drag me off with you?' He scowled and waved his pencil in Ryeowook's face. 'I'm busy.'

Ryeowook harumphed before dropping back into his seat. He stared at his design again for awhile before rolling it up and sealing it nicely. Walking around the office to the hugest office in the corner of their level, he knocked gently at the door, waiting for the soft 'Come in!'

The door pushed open easily and he laid the blueprints on the table. 'I'm done with the Rochelle job, Mr Lee.'

'Please please,' Sungmin waved him off with a huge smile. 'I've always told you to call me Sungmin. We've been working together for ages now.'

Ryeowook shifted uneasily. He didn't feel comfortable but he guessed he could try. 'Yes Sungmin.'

Sungmin laughed. 'I know you're uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it. Do you still have work to do?'

'Just little projects, nothing I can't handle.'

'Alright.'

Ryeowook bowed and made to leave but Sungmin called out again, stopping him in his tracks.

'Just a heads up. A few weeks from now, there will be a huge client coming in and we'll have to go talk to the big boss about it okay? Our department will be handling the whole shebang.'

'Oh?' Ryeowook blinked confusedly. 'I thought Mr Kim was more of a hands off person.'

'That was the old Mr Kim. The new Mr Kim on the other hand,' Sungmin rolled his eyes. 'He's a piece of work. But you'll like him. I'll see you then.'

'Yes Mr. - Sungmin.'

They both laughed and Ryeowook inclined his head again, closing the door behind him as he left.

Sungmin had been the department head for as long as he'd been here, possibly before that, Ryeowook didn't know. Usually you required at least ten years of experience before you could even be considered for the position but apparently Sungmin was brilliant, or so the gossip went. He hadn't disappointed so far. He was fair too, and more of a friend than a supervisor. There was that memorable time that Sungmin had popped his head over the wall next to Hyukjae's desk, scaring the poor man with a big yell and making him throw his donut into the air.

They still remind him of that occasion whenever there was an office function.

Packing up his stuff, he blew Hyukjae a kiss as the latter grimaced and threw a wad of paper at him. Ryeowook skipped nimbly out of the line of fire and towards the elevator where he hummed happily, waiting for the one in the centre as always. Hyukjae had laughed at him once and tried to drag him into another elevator. But when Ryeowook had nearly passed out from screaming, Hyukjae had backed right off immediately. It wasn't that he was OCD or anything, he just had certain rules in life that he liked to follow.

Ryeowook squeezed himself into the elevator, pushing himself into the space he spotted at the back after nodding happily at Jongwoon. It had been two weeks since Jongwoon had started work and the two had acknowledged each other every day since, since of course Jongwoon was only working the central elevator and that was the only elevator Ryeowook ever took. They never had the opportunity to speak again privately, only exchanging greetings every time they passed. But Jongwoon liked to think that Ryeowook's smile brightened up a notch whenever it was directed at him.

(Ryeowook liked to think that the man he knew as Yesung sounded extra happy whenever he said 'Have a nice day.')

Nodding apologetically at the man whose toes he had stepped on, Ryeowook turned back to face the front, smiling politely at the other workers he recognised as the door slowly slid shut. The ride down was slightly slower today; they should really look at getting the lift maintained soon, Ryeowook thought distractedly as he contemplated the ramyun that he was going to have for dinner.

The man behind shifted around to get some space and Ryeowook shifted with him, trying to accommodate him as best as he could. It was the least he could do.

Ryeowook froze.

The hand on his squeezed him harshly and Ryeowook squirmed uncomfortably, wondering if it was just a mistake and the lift was more crowded than he had thought. He inched forward and the man mimicked his actions, his hand sliding around slowly to Ryeowook's front.

Ryeowook bit his lip, hands nervously at his sides as his heart rate sped up. He couldn't believe that he was actually being ually violated in an elevator full of people and the man was getting away with it. Ryeowook choked as the man bent his head slightly, whispering, 'If you scream, I'll tell everyone that you started it. So be a good boy and be quiet.'

Jongwoon turned his head slightly at all the movement, smiling as usual when his eyes fell on Ryeowook. He frowned slightly at the look on Ryeowook's face and his eyes flickered to the large man behind him. Ryeowook shook as he tried to figure out a way to stop the man from touching him. He was never one for confrontation and he knew he was tiny; he wouldn't survive if the guy decided to beat him up.

But when the guy's hand finally stopped moving and grabbed a handful of Ryeowook's inner thigh instead, almost at his crotch, Ryeowook couldn't bear it anymore.

Ryeowook stumbled away, nearly bowling over the few people in front of him as he yelled out, half crying, 'Stop touching me!'

The elevator went silent as the man's gaze turned to steel. Whispers flew around as Ryeowook struggled to breathe properly, trying to show that he was not afraid of him he glared at the man when he was secretly panicking inside.

The doors opened at the familiar 'ding'.

The bystanders rushed out of the lift, gathering around in bunches and whispering amongst themselves as Jongwoon made his way to Ryeowook, who had practically scrambled out of the lift and pressed his back against the near wall. 'Ryeowook? Are you okay? What's going on?'

'The - the guy. He was gro - groping me inappropriately,' Ryeowook stammered out, gripping onto Jongwoon's sleeve as he tried to form coherent sentences. He barely knew Jongwoon but Jongwoon was all he had standing between him and the other man right now.

The man snorted. 'I was not. You came on to me.'

'I did no such thing!' Ryeowook screamed indignantly. 'You touched me!'

'Ryeowook it's okay I will handle this,' Jongwoon soothed him before turning back to face the man. 'Sir? Are you an employee in this building?'

'No I was just visiting my girlfriend at work. Yeah. See? That's a good reason. Why would I touch him? I have a girlfriend.'

'And she's really charming I'm sure but can I see your ID please?' Jongwoon held out a firm hand.

The man stared at him. 'You're kidding right? You believe him?'

'Well he doesn't look like he's lying does he? He looks genuinely terrified of you so either you're lying or Ryeowook is in the wrong line of business and should go into acting right away.' Jongwoon tapped his foot on the ground impatiently as he waited, signalling the security guards to come over. 'ID please.'

'I'm not giving you my ID. You know why? Cause that little was asking for it!'

Ryeowook gasped at the words but Jongwoon reacted faster, his face hardening in anger and he twisted the man's arm up and behind him, pressing his head towards the ground. 'Okay that's enough sir, we'll take this to the police.' Jongwoon walked the protesting and struggling man to the security station where he handed him off to the guards, ignoring his blustering about how his father was going to hear about this.

Jongwoon returned to Ryeowook, waving away the curious bystanders as he gripped his elbow. 'Hey Ryeowook. Are you okay? Are you hurt?'

'No,' Ryeowook looked up with glassy eyes. 'But I'm cold.'

'I think you're going into shock. Sit down okay,' Jongwoon helped him to a chair in the lobby foyer worriedly, taking off his blazer and placing it over Ryeowook's shoulders. 'Can you count to ten for me please?'

Ryeowook inhaled shakily, had to take a deep breath once, twice before he managed to count to ten coherently. Jongwoon smiled, pleased. 'Good good. Now can you wait here? I'm going to get you some hot tea to calm you down.'

He stood up but Ryeowook latched onto him with an iron grip, voice slightly hysterical as he pleaded. 'Can you please stay Yesung? Don't leave me by myself.' He looked at the still struggling man just a few metres away, terrified, and then back at Jongwoon, as if trying to tell him that he was still afraid.

Jongwoon sighed. He beckoned a guard over and whispered his request for some tea before sitting down in the chair next to Ryeowook. Clasping Ryeowook's hands in his, he rubbed them a little to warm them for they were ice cold and still trembling. 'It's going to be okay.'

'Okay,' Ryeowook's eyes found his, still a little glassy but much more lucid than earlier. 'Okay.'

More people flooded the lobby as the next round of elevators reached the ground floor.

'Oh my god Ryeowook! What happened!' Hyukjae ran over to where they were, dropping his bags and kneeling down in the space next to the chair.

Ryeowook took one look at his best friend and forgetting about the crowd around them, promptly burst into tears. He dropped his head onto Hyukjae's shoulder and muffled his sobs, releasing all the pent up terror that he had felt since twenty minutes ago. Hyukjae patted his back gently, glaring at everybody around them until they backed away and stopped gawking. Jongwoon gestured to Hyukjae, mouthing the whole story and Hyukjae's mouth fell open in an 'O'. He started Ryeowook's back comfortingly and murmuring reassurances to him in a low voice.

Jongwoon watched awkwardly, wondering who exactly Hyukjae was because they hadn't been introduced. His attention was diverted by the arrival of the hot tea and he took it from the guard, setting it down on the other side of Ryeowook.

'Make him drink it,' he whispered to Hyukjae and Hyukjae nodded, mouthing back a low thanks.

Jongwoon patted Ryeowook twice on the shoulder before turning to leave. Ryeowook lifted his head up, slightly tear streaked but he had stopped crying and was mostly just shaky now. 'Yesung!'

He turned expectantly.

'Thank you,' Ryeowook smiled. It was watery and trembling but it was a smile. He shrugged Jongwoon's blazer off and handed it to him, slightly wobbly on his feet.

Jongwoon simply took it and nodded and smiled back before folding the blazer over his arm. His throat worked, feeling like there was a ton of things that he wanted to say to Ryeowook before he simply turning on his heel and heading to his car. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Jongwoon made a mental note to check if the guy was being charged and if Ryeowook had to go down to give a statement. The keys in his pocket jangled cheerily, directly opposing his emotions and the secret burning in his chest that made him wish he had actually punched the guy or caused some physical damage.

His mind went to Ryeowook's terrified face and he sighed, dragging a hand down and across his face. He wished he could do more.

Then he thought of the unknown man that had hugged Ryeowook so tenderly and he sighed again.

There was already someone else taking care of Ryeowook.

-

'Thank you' were the first words that Ryeowook said to him when he returned to work three days later. Jongwoon had dug into employment records and found out that Sungmin was in charge of the department Ryeowook was in. He had dropped by to pressure him into giving Ryeowook a few days off but Sungmin did it on his own when he heard. When Sungmin had found out about what happened, it was all Jongwoon could do to stop Sungmin from rushing down to the police station to beat the hell out of the guy. Besides, it turned out that the guy already had a couple of priors and was going to jail for thirty years without factoring in the assault on Ryeowook. Ryeowook had decided to drop the case, deciding that it wasn't worth the hassle and the emotional trauma to go through with it.

'Ryeowook's one of the best boys I have. He's so sweet it makes you want to pet him on the head every time,' Sungmin explained when he had finally calmed down and kept his nunchaku away. 'Like a little puppy. He's adorable. I bet he was terrified.'

'Burst into tears in some guy's arms actually.'

'Figures. I bet it was Hyukjae wasn't it?'

'Who?' Jongwoon frowned jealously.

Sungmin shook his head. 'You need to take more interest in your employees Jongwoon hyung.'

'Hey I do take an interest! Why do you think i'm working the lifts?'

Sungmin waited for Jongwoon to leave his office before muttering under his breath. 'To see Ryeowook apparently, since you know his name and everything.'

Jongwoon willed his knees not to tremble as he tried to smile reassuringly at Ryeowook. Ryeowook avoided the eyes of everyone else in the lift, preferring to stare at his own feet as he entered and push his way towards the back. Jongwoon stopped him with a gentle arm on his shoulder, pulling him instead to stand next to him where he could keep an eye on him.

'Stand here,' he whispered out of the side out of his mouth. 'I'll keep you safe.'

The embarrassment that Jongwoon was feeling at his honest words was outmatched by the lump in his throat as Ryeowook's eyes shone with emotion and he whispered back a heartfelt 'thank you'. He cleared his throat loudly and bowed clumsily to the next person to step in, not missing the soft laughter as Ryeowook watched him trip over his own two feet.

Jongwoon was so screwed.

-

'We have to meet the big boss today.'

'Today?' Ryeowook pouted. 'But I just got back. I'm so behind on schedule and everything. I don't even have any ideas.'

'It's fine don't worry too much. I'm sure he'll love all your ideas,' Sungmin waved his concerns off and smirked to himself. He bet Jongwoon would love anything that Ryeowook said, even if the words were 'I need a raise'.

Ryeowook winced visibly. 'If you say so.'

'I do. So we'll meet at two at level thirty five okay? You're okay now right.'

'I am Sungmin.' And he really was. It had been a fearful first few days of shying from anybody who even looked in his direction but after nothing had happened to him over the past few days, Ryeowook had slowly forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. Hyukjae had helped by glaring at anybody who had stared too long but this was his problem.

Sungmin saluted jokingly and walked off.

He nodded and turned back to his work, biting his lip at the thought of heading to the very top of the building. It was where all the big shots worked and he never thought that he'd be seeing it so soon. The excitement and tension was going to make him throw up. If he didn't faint first.

Ryeowook looked at his watch. Three more hours. He had three more hours to make himself presentable and coherent. And come up with some new ideas quick.

-

Sungmin had briefed him on the project on the way up. They had been commissioned to design a theatre for the arts that would accommodate everything from dance to concerts to operas to graffiti. Basically everything that was considered art. Ryeowook had winced. This was going to be a huge project and take up a lot of his time but it would look good on his resume if he ever had to look for another job. Besides, having his name on such a huge building was an honour. He would make sure to do his best.

He interlocked his fingers to keep from trembling and Sungmin nudged him with a large smile. 'Don't worry too much, you're one of the best we have.'

Pulling nervously at the dress shirt that he had rolled up to his elbows, Ryeowook took a deep breath as Sungmin led him down the opulent hallways to a huge office probably half the size of his department.

'Wow.'

'Yeah,' Sungmin grinned. 'Jongwoon has a thing for space.'

Ryeowook barely even registered the name before Sungmin had knocked and they had entered. The first thing he did was bow as he heard Sungmin introduce him with a hint of laughter in his voice, something that he did not understand. What was so funny?

'Ryeowook this is Kim Jongwoon, our new CEO.'

'Nice to meet you Mr Kim I'm - holy .' Ryeowook's hand flew up to cover his mouth.

Jongwoon grinned. 'I know full well your name isn't holy .' The pair of them were way too amused, grinning at Ryeowook as he stared from one person to the other. 'Hello Ryeowook.'

'But - but - you - elevator - I - what?' Ryeowook still wasn't processing right so Sungmin led him to the one of the long couches surrounding a coffee table and pushed him to sit down.

'He likes to mingle with the commoners,' Sungmin whispered conspiratorially.

Ryeowook piped up indignantly. 'Commoners?'

Jongwoon clenched a fist and waved it towards Sungmin as Sungmin skipped back, chortling. 'Shut up Sungmin.'

He sat down on the couch facing Ryeowook, grinning away like it was both Christmas and his birthday. 'Hello Ryeowook. I believe we haven't met properly, or well, we haven't in your case. I'm Kim Jongwoon, CEO of Kim's Architects and Co. It's very nice to meet you.'

Ryeowook stared stupidly at the hand that Jongwoon extended for a few seconds before finally reaching out to shake it. 'Wow this is real. You're real. And not a lift man.'

'No he is not,' Sungmin was still giggling in his seat next to Ryeowook. 'He's a rich bastard.'

'Sungmin!' Jongwoon barked out, embarrassed. 'Can't we just discuss the project like normal people?'

'Yeah,' Ryeowook replied in a daze. 'Just as soon as I get over the fact that you're worth like half a billion dollars.'

Sungmin laughed so hard he fell out of his seat and had to be helped back up by both Jongwoon and Ryeowook. But he said it was worth it.

-

'Um,' Ryeowook mumbled intelligently when the discussion was over and they were all packing up their things.

He stared at Jongwoon for awhile and the latter stared meaningfully at Sungmin. Sungmin backed off, hands raised. 'I get the hint. I'll wait outside.' He juggled his papers and opened the door, popping his head back in to call out, 'Play nice boys. No on the desk.'

The door shut behind him and Jongwoon raised a sheepish hand to rub at the back of his neck. 'Sorry. He's your department head. You know how he is.'

'Yeah,' Ryeowook laughed a little before collecting himself. He fidgeted, not sure how he should behave around Jongwoon now. Jongwoon waited patiently for him to speak, watching him fidget as he tried to make sense of their new situation. Unfortunately, the first thing that Ryeowook was blurted was 'So do I call you Yesung or Jongwoon or Mr Kim?'

Jongwoon threw his head back and roared with laughed. Ryeowook stared at him perplexedly as he laughed and laughed, almost bending over with his hands on his knees as he wheezed for breath. 'I'm sorry?'

'No no it's fine,' Jongwoon managed to get out. 'It's just, Kim Ryeowook you are one of a kind.'

'Yeah I have no brain to mouth filter sometimes,' Ryeowook cracked a small smile.

'Jongwoon, you can call me Jongwoon. We're practically friends already.'

'Okay. Jongwoon it is. I'll do my best but I still slip up and call Sungmin Mr Lee sometimes so you have to remind me.'

'I will make sure to do that.'

Ryeowook picked up his things, making sure they were all in a neat pile before turning to Jongwoon again. 'I was wondering if we could get coffee later after work?'

Jongwoon blinked rapidly. 'LIke a - '

'Oh no no,' Ryeowook flushed a dull red. 'I just wanted to thank you for, for you know, saving me. I was going to buy you dinner but I now think I can only afford coffee.'

'Coffee is great,' Jongwoon reassured him, willing away the disappointed feelings that Ryeowook didn't mean for it to be a date. 'I'll see you downstairs at half past six?'

'Yeah.' Ryeowook bowed again quickly before turning to leave the office. His heart was thumping away erratically at the fact that Jongwoon thought they were going on a date. Did he want them to go on a date?

He turned just steps from the door, where they both knew Sungmin was listening in. 'By the way - '

Jongwoon looked up expectantly.

I knew your black blazer was Lanvin, Mr CEO. Next time pick a cheaper brand.' Ryeowook grinned mischievously before slipping quickly out of the door, Sungmin having narrowly avoided falling inwards.

Jongwoon roared with laughter. Ryeowook was really one of a kind.