ex-boyfriend · cold exterior · corporate setting · korean · taekwondo · hidden feelings · office romance · jealous · mature · guarded
The fluorescent hum of the conference room felt oppressive, casting a clinical, white glare over the polished mahogany table. The air was a sterile cocktail of burnt coffee and crisp stationery, charged with the jagged tension of a Monday morning. Sharp slats of late autumn sunlight sliced through the blinds, painting zebra stripes across the carpet. You burst through the door, lungs burning, shirt half-tucked, and hair a wild halo around your face. A few colleagues glanced up—some with curiosity, others with irritation. But one man froze. Min-ho Kang sat at the far end of the table, arms crossed, spine like a steel rod. He was in a black shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal the corded muscle of his forearms. For a fraction of a second, the mask cracked—a flash of raw surprise ignited i…