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Join the ServerThe next day, after arriving at the office, Hyun-woo listened to Jung-hoon’s report and spoke briefly.
“I think I’ll need to leave a little early today.”
“O-oh… is that so?”
“…?”
For some reason, Jung-hoon looked unexpectedly flustered.
Up until now, whenever Hyun-woo said he was leaving early, Jung-hoon simply nodded without question.
It was convenient — no one here ever interrogated him about personal matters.
But today, Jung-hoon reacted strangely.
Hyun-woo stared at him in confusion.
“Then… what time will you be heading out?”
“Let’s see. Maybe about an hour earlier than usual.”
“I understand.”
Noticing Hyun-woo’s puzzled stare, Jung-hoon hurriedly nodded and slipped out of the office.
It was odd, but probably nothing serious.
Hyun-woo leaned back in his chair.
He was supposed to meet Hyun-jin outside today.
He didn’t know what was planned, but meeting outside instead of at home made him wonder if Hyun-jin was overexerting himself.
Still, he must have prepared something sincerely.
It would be cute regardless.
Hyun-woo smiled softly.
Time passed, and soon it was the afternoon meeting time.
“Deputy Director, the meeting preparations are complete.”
“All right.”
Hyun-woo stood up.
Starting the week with a meeting was never pleasant, but with the project resuming, his schedule had grown even tighter.
“…Hm?”
The meeting room area felt unusually restless.
As he approached with Jung-hoon, Hyun-woo tilted his head.
“No, if you leave it somewhere this obvious—”
“Is this really how we’re supposed to set it up?”
Quiet whispers leaked from behind the door.
Hyun-woo stopped in place, feeling suspicious.
A memory surfaced — the time Seung-hyuk had clashed with another employee.
It was his last day as an intern today… had something happened again?
His chest tightened with unease, but before he opened the door—
“Deputy Director! Let me check inside first!”
“O-oh… very well.”
Unusually eager today, Jung-hoon darted into the meeting room.
Hyun-woo, thrown off by the enthusiasm, simply nodded.
Moments later, the inside fell silent.
Jung-hoon reappeared with a wide smile.
“Nothing’s wrong. Please come in.”
“…I see.”
Suspicion remained, but the room was quiet, so he couldn’t press further.
Hyun-woo stepped inside.
“…….”
The room looked perfectly normal.
Employees sat calmly, just as they always did.
Maybe he had misheard earlier.
After a small hesitation, he took his seat at the head of the table.
The meeting began.
“…and once XX Company replies, we’ll be able to proceed.”
“Good work. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
With the final agenda handled, the meeting came to an end.
The rest would continue once partner companies got back to them.
Hyun-woo gathered his documents to return to his office.
Tak.
“…?”
Suddenly, the lights went out.
He froze, startled.
They hadn’t used the projector recently, so there was no reason for the lights to be off.
Was it a power outage?
He turned toward Jung-hoon—
“Happy birthday, Deputy Director!”
“…!”
Jung-hoon approached holding a cake.
Large, topped with candles matching Hyun-woo’s age, glowing warmly in the dark.
“Happy birthday!”
“Congratulations!”
“This is…”
Hyun-woo stared blankly at the employees.
They smiled at his reaction and began singing a birthday song together.
Hyun-woo, startled, couldn’t respond right away.
“Please blow out the candles, sir.”
“A-ah… yes.”
He stiffly nodded and blew on the candles.
They weren’t many, yet it strangely felt overwhelming.
Clap, clap, clap.
When the candles went out, the lights returned.
Hyun-woo looked around at the applauding people, his cheeks faintly warm.
“When did you prepare all this?”
“Haha, we did it while working, so don’t worry.”
“Ahem.”
They must think he’s a workaholic.
Embarrassed, he cleared his throat.
“Actually, it was Mr. Lee Seung-hyuk’s idea.”
“…Seung-hyuk?”
“Yes.”
Hyun-woo looked toward the staff and spotted him standing quietly between them.
“We all felt bad for misunderstanding him. We wanted to hold a small farewell gathering today, but he insisted we celebrate your birthday first.”
“Oh…”
“And Deputy Director, you always take care of us, but we’ve never done anything for you.”
“……”
Before the regression, Hyun-woo had always worked like he was being chased.
Becoming a chaebol heir overnight had never been easy.
He had kept distance from employees, thinking they would feel burdened by him.
But now he wondered if that might have made them feel neglected.
“Take care of you? I only nag all of you.”
“Hehe, someone who only nags wouldn’t stay late working with us.”
“Oh…”
Chief Oh covered her mouth and laughed.
Others chimed in after her.
“The beer you recommended was great, sir!”
“I’ve been buying it myself now.”
“Your taste is impressive, Deputy Director.”
A wave of compliments left Hyun-woo flustered.
“Let’s all have cake!”
“Yes!”
Jung-hoon set the cake down and began cutting it evenly.
Everyone gathered with bright faces.
Of course, the first slice belonged to Hyun-woo.
“Ah… thank you.”
A few employees shyly offered him small birthday gifts.
He tried to refuse, but they insisted they weren’t expensive.
He accepted them in the end.
Maybe days like this weren’t so bad.
Hyun-woo smiled lightly.
“Let’s all leave early today. It is Friday.”
“Yes, sir!”
With cream on his lips, Jung-hoon answered happily.
Seeing that made Hyun-woo smile comfortably for the first time in a while.
“Everyone, head home safely.”
“Have a wonderful evening, Deputy Director!”
He felt unexpectedly close to them.
It warmed his chest.
“Hyung, you’re going to meet Joo Hyun-jin now, right?”
“Uh…”
Seung-hyuk had followed naturally to the basement parking lot.
Hyun-woo looked at him quietly.
He recalled what Chief Oh had said —
that the celebration had been Seung-hyuk’s idea.
After thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“Thank you. For earlier… I heard you were the one who suggested it.”
“Yes. But everyone participated because they care about you.”
“……”
Those words eased something in his chest.
He had always worried he acted too harshly, that he resembled the “original” Joo Hyun-woo too much.
But maybe he wasn’t doing so badly after all.
“…Anyway, thank you.”
“Can I go with you?”
“……”
“Yes?”
Hyun-woo suddenly found himself unable to push him away.
He bit his lip.
“I’ll listen to you better from now on.”
“Ugh…”
“So… can’t you take me with you?”
“……”
Seung-hyuk reached out and gently pressed a finger against Hyun-woo’s lips.
Startled, Hyun-woo turned away.
“I told you not to do that at work.”
“Sorry.”
“……”
This obedient version of him felt unfamiliar.
In the past, it would’ve been unimaginable.
Could he really trust him now?
When Cha Kwon-oh and Hwang Do-kyung trapped him, Seung-hyuk had rushed in to save him — risking himself.
The thought made Hyun-woo’s chest tingle faintly.
He exhaled softly and gave a small nod.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore The Moon Reflected In The Water. Start reading now!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
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