Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
A hand emerged from beneath the blanket, groping blindly across the mattress in search of the phone.
Without even looking, it managed to silence the alarm, and the obnoxious noise ceased.
The hand quickly retreated back under the covers.
Once again, the room was filled only with the sound of soft, steady breathing.
Curled up like a ball and lost in his dreams, Seungho stirred restlessly.
This time, it wasn’t the alarm but a loud ringtone that jolted him awake.
Half-asleep, he extended his hand again, fumbling blindly for his phone before bringing it to his ear.
“…Hello.”
“Son!”
“Mom…”
“Why does your voice sound like that? Don’t tell me you’re still sleeping!”
His mother’s voice, equal parts surprise and concern, startled Seungho awake.
He immediately threw off the covers, sitting up to check the time on his phone.
Surely, he must have misread it.
He rubbed his eyes roughly with his palm before staring at the screen again.
“Gah!”
It couldn’t be.
It was unbelievable.
He had only closed his eyes for a moment, but somehow, twenty minutes had passed since the alarm.
Fully awake now, a cold sweat ran down his back.
“Oh my, Seungho, were you really sleeping?”
“Mom, I’ll call you later. Gotta go.”
Hanging up, Seungho flung himself out of bed and dashed to the bathroom.
He barely waited for the shower to warm up before plunging under the water.
Scrubbing hastily, he finished in record time, grabbing the shirt he had prepared the night before.
It clung uncooperatively to his damp skin, but he managed to wrestle his arms into the sleeves and button it up.
Thank goodness he’d prepped his clothes—otherwise, he might’ve lived up to his nickname, “The Sleep Bug,” by being late on his first day of work.
Having completed his morning rush in just a few minutes, Seungho bolted out of his dorm room.
He took the stairs two at a time, quickly spotting the shuttle bus queue outside the dorm building.
Panting, Seungho took his place at the back of the line.
This wasn’t the leisurely morning he had envisioned, but at least he wasn’t late.
Within two minutes, the bus arrived, and Seungho boarded, snagging the last available seat.
He scanned the bus as he caught his breath.
Despite it being the morning commute, the passengers looked like wilted bean sprouts, exhausted and lifeless.
Most seemed ready to call it a day before it even began.
The man sitting beside Seungho was no exception.
Arms crossed, he leaned against the window with his eyes closed, lips slightly parted as if asleep.
Yet something about him was strangely captivating.
Seungho sneaked a curious glance.
Unlike Seungho, who still felt awkward in his new suit, the man’s tailored attire looked flawless.
The way the suit hugged his frame suggested he was meticulous about his fitness.
And his face—he was undeniably good-looking.
Wow…
As Seungho’s gaze wandered from the man’s face to his necktie, he noticed the tie’s subtle, elegant color.
It caught his eye.
With a suit in a similar shade back in his wardrobe, he thought it might be nice to invest in a tie like that.
The shuttle bus ride wasn’t long, and before he knew it, they were nearing their destination.
Through the windshield, Seungho could see the wide entrance gates of the company.
“…Huh?”
The bus driver suddenly swerved sharply near the gates, causing the passengers to lurch to the right.
Most were slouched in their seats and barely affected, but Seungho, who had been sitting upright to admire the view, was caught off guard.
To make matters worse, he had been fiddling with his tie, leaving him completely unprepared for the sudden motion.
“Huh?”
In his attempt to steady himself, Seungho instinctively reached out.
His hand landed somewhere unexpected, somewhere warm and firm.
The man beside him snapped his eyes open, his sharp gaze locking onto Seungho.
Their eyes met briefly before both glanced downward.
Seungho’s hand was resting on the man’s thigh.
More precisely, it was dangerously close to his inner thigh, alarmingly near his groin.
It was unmistakably a precarious spot.
Beneath his palm, he could distinctly feel the outline of… something.
Something solid.
Something that, based on its size, was impossible to ignore.
Frozen in shock, Seungho couldn’t move.
The man, his brow furrowed and his gaze growing colder, glared at Seungho and hissed through gritted teeth:
“Move your hand. Now.”
Only then did Seungho realize where his hand was. He snatched it back as if burned.
The man uncrossed his arms, running a hand roughly through his hair as if trying to calm himself.
Seungho, now mortified, gripped his offending hand tightly and bowed his head in apology.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
At that moment, the bus stopped, hissing as the doors opened.
The previously lifeless passengers sprang up and began filing out.
Still reeling from the incident, Seungho stood and apologized again.
“I really am sorry.”
“Just get off the bus.”
The man gestured coldly.
Since he was sitting by the window, Seungho had to move first.
He shuffled awkwardly toward the exit, feeling the man’s sharp gaze on his back the entire time.
Once off the bus, Seungho turned to face the man, who had followed him out.
The man, now standing, towered over Seungho.
With his imposing height and piercing eyes, he stared down at Seungho, his broad hand loosening his tie slightly.
He looked ready to say something, but instead, he simply watched, his expression unreadable.
Seungho, overwhelmed, bowed deeply.
“I’m really sorry. It was a terrible mistake on my part.”
“What department are you in?”
“Ah, well… I’m not sure yet. It’s my first day.”
The man narrowed his eyes, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“I-I’m so-rryy-”
As Seungho fumbled for words, trying to apologize again, the man interrupted.
“Forget it. You said it was a mistake.”
With that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and strode off toward the security checkpoint.
Watching him disappear into the crowd, Seungho let out a shaky breath.
“Hah…”
Seungho stared blankly at the path he was about to take.
‘Will I really be able to handle working life?’
Oversleeping and causing an incident first thing in the morning didn’t bode well.
A wave of unease crept over him as he headed to work for the first time.
‘No. No way.’
Shaking his head, Seungho forced himself to dismiss the negative thoughts.
He didn’t want to start this milestone—the first day at his first job—with such a mindset.
Pressing his lips into a firm line, the dimples in his pale cheeks deepened.
Standing amidst the bustling parking lot, he steadied himself and began walking in the same direction as the others.
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