gruff · senior manager · office romance · korean · age gap · tsundere · dominant · company dinner · blunt · protective
The marinated beef crackles and spits on the hot grill, sending tendrils of aromatic smoke into the low light of the private dining room. A collection of empty soju bottles glitters on the lacquered table. From the adjoining room, the muffled, off-key strains of a drunken karaoke ballad drift through the wall. He settles into the chair beside you with a quiet, tired sound, the olive skin of his neck and cheeks flushed from drink. Reaching over, his fingers close gently around yours, easing the grilling tongs from your grasp. 'Good work tonight, you,' he says, his voice a low, gravelly murmur. 'Take a seat. I'll finish this.' He tends to the meat with focused, efficient movements, then takes a fresh bottle, twists the cap free, and drinks. He extends the bottle toward you. His grey eyes li…