No exit to this daytime thirst It's just instinct, all I want is you no doubt
part one
Syntrinx was one of the largest companies in Seoul, renowned for its amazing technology, and a very prestigious company. Landing a job there was like winning the lottery; you’d be set for life.
[[Monday, 08:00am, 2025]]
The 7 of them huddled around the coffee machine, whispering amongst themselves.
HS: “We need to get rid of him. I don’t care how but get rid of him.” his fists clenched tightly around the cup
Sunoo: “Any ideas?” he asks, nursing the steaming coffee
Jake, hesitant, but clearly with ideas, finally speaks.
Jake: “What if we just.. stop? Don’t give him any work, stop briefing him on tasks. Ice him out.”
The other 6 pause, looking at him with varying expressions
Jay: “What, like get him fired by forcing him to be incompetent? I like it.”
he says, a smirk that doesn’t reach his eyes creeping up on his face
By the time the new year rolled around, the 20th new hire had also been fired due to incompetence. The 7 of them took advantage of how strict the higher-ups were, using it to their advantage. Theres one thing they hate more than a new person. Sharing their space. So naturally, any newcomers were gone within the month.
[[ 2026, the beginning of the first quarter. ]]
Jungwon and Ni-ki get to the office, holding an envelope.
Ni-ki: “Good news guys. We officially have another new hire. She’s pretty too.”
Both him and Jungwon look disgustingly excited, clearly having opened the resume beforehand.
Sunghoon approaches them with long strides, taking the envelope from Ni-ki. He opens it, scanning the documents inside.
Name: Y/N
Age: 20
A small photo attached of her face in the corner. Y/N was in fact pretty. And a foreigner? Even better. No allies, new city, new company.
Sunghoon lets out a sharp laugh, like he found treasure.
Sunghoon: “Twenty-one.”
The others immediately understood, another target.
They pass around the resume, all sharing the same look. Excitement.
Jay: “She’s starting tomorrow?”
Heeseung: “Mm. She is.”
They all laugh together, the sound grating to outsiders.
[[Meanwhile, somewhere in Seoul..]]
The apartment was far from luxury. A boarding house, the size of Y/N’s bathroom back home. Regardless, she was grateful to have the opportunity to move here finally.
The hum of the refrigerator and the occasional traffic drifted in through the window.
Y/N sat on the floor, laptop glowing in front of her. On her bed, a freshly ironed outfit for her first day tomorrow, a notebook with meticulous plans, and finally, the copy of her employment contract. She re-read the contract time and time again, squealing in excitement.
“Syntrinx”. Y/N repeated, making the name sound natural rolling off her tongue. A smile spread across her face. She couldn’t believe it. Getting a job in a new country hadn’t been easy for her. Being a foreigner meant every interview felt twice as hard. Some companies rejected her before she could even begin to present herself. Others praised her qualifications yet chose someone else.
Her inbox was filled with emails of rejection, all sounding the same.
“Unfortunately..”
“We wish you the best..”
“We have decided..”
She stopped counting a long time ago. Until she came across Syntrinx. They were different. She could tell they cared about results. Experience. Qualifications. Things she could do.
A pleased grin spread across her face, she leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Tommorow, she was officially starting to show for her hard work. A real career. A future. No more pot noodles and dreading the monthly bill for the boarding house. Freedom.
Her phone buzzed, lighting up the room. Her mother.
“Take it easy on your first day.”
Y/N laughed to herself, knowing she was going to do everything but take it easy. She was going to arrive 30 minutes early. Nothing would ruin this opportunity. Not impossible workloads, not difficult coworkers, not long hours, nothing. She hadn’t moved halfway across the world, faced dozens of rejections, just to “take it easy”.
Whatever Syntrinx threw at her, she’d make sure to handle it. Tomorrow would officially be here first day. And she was going to make sure it wasn’t her last.
[[ Tuesday, 07:30am.]]
Y/N arrived at the company 30 minutes before her shift as promised. The building was intimidatingly large, the logo printed massively on the side. She walks in, security posted on the side, the insides lavish. She confidently strode to the front desk.
The receptionist smiled.
“You’re early.”
Y/N smiled back.
“I know.”
After pleasantries were exchanged, she was escorted up to her department. It was the 16th floor. The elevator let out a pleasant hum, the doors sliding open. However, the moment the doors open, seven pairs of eyes landed on her. The silence was deafening.
Y/N resisted the urge to make a face. The air was strange. Uncomfortable. Like she interrupted something. The group of guys started openly. Not subtle glances. Actually staring. Like they were picking her apart with their eyes with no shame. She’d dealt with it before. As a foreigner, she tended to attract attention. But still, a little professionalism wouldn’t hurt.
The woman next to her finally spoke up, clearing her throat.
“Everyone, this is Y/N. She’ll be joining your team starting today.”
Silence. The 7 simply just.. looked.
The woman started looking mildly irritated at their reaction. Or rather, lack of.
“Well?”
Jungwon was first to speak, plastering a bright smile on his face.
“Right.” he laughed “Sorry.”
He didn’t look sorry at all.
Y/N’s eyes scanned the room.
One of them, Sunghoon was openly studying her like a puzzle. Another looked amused. One, disappointed, and one far too excited.
This was weird. Very weird.
“Nice to meet you all.”
Y/N bowed politely. The seven exchanged quick glances.
Heeseung leaned back in his chair. “Nice to meet you too.”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Y/N already knew to be careful around him. He screamed trouble.
The manager clapped her hands.
“Perfect. Heeseung? You’ll be training her.”
The smile dropped off his face so fast, the manager already walking away before he could object.
The office fell into that same silence again. Y/N took her own initiative and approached him.
She stood in front of him, staring. He stared right back. Y/N already had enough of this weird energy, finally speaking.
“Well?”
HS: “Well, what?”
Y/N: “Aren’t you training me?”
The rest of them immediately looked away, trying not laugh. And failing.
Heeseung was caught off guard. He was used to the new hires cowering. Too afraid to speak.
Y/N glanced at the clock on the wall.
“Well? Are you planning on training me through telepathy?”
Jake nearly choked on his coffee. The group looked genuinely surprised. Probably the most emotive they’d looked since Y/N walked in.
Heeseung stood slowly, his chair rolling back into his desk.
A sickly smile grew on his face.
“You’re going to be interesting.”
Y/N picked up her bag. “I get that a lot.”
The 7 of them shared a look, identical. This wasn’t going to be an easy cookie to crack.
The rest of the morning was a disaster. Or atleast, that’s what the 7 intended.
Heeseung dumped a stack of documents onto her desk.
“Read these.”
She glanced at the pile. There had to be hundreds of pages.
“All of them?” She asked, slightly baffled by this idiotic request.
“Yes.” He responded, voice clipped.
“Preferably before lunch.” He added, tone almost mocking.
She stared at him. Her jaw was clenched and a small smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.
An hour later, he returned.
“Finished?”
“No.”
“Too hard?”
“No.”
He frowned slightly, glancing at the others. Y/N kept typing.
The next assignment was even worse. 3 separate projects. A software she had never used before. Instructions that were just filler words and completely useless. Whenever she asked Heeseung for guidance, he gave the shortest answers humanly possible.
“Where can I find client files?”
“Server.”
“Which folder?”
“Client folder.”
She muttered under her breath, “Very helpful.”
A sarcastic remark.
He heard. He didn’t say anything, just smirked to himself.
By lunchtime, her head was aching. By 3, she wanted to destroy the monitor. By 5, she miraculously completed everything he’d given her. When Heeseung returned to her desk, he expected frustration. Tears. Or even a complaint. His eyes narrowed.
“Finished?”
She looked up.
“Most.”
“Most?”
“Im just double checking some things.”
He stared for a second, baffled. He noticed the notebook. Pages filled with handwriting. Explanations, Questions, solutions. She had practically made her own training manual.
Annoying. So fucking annoying.
“Anything else?” She asked.
“No.”
“Good.” She kept working.
She just dismissed him?
Heeseung never wanted to throw a stapler at someone more.
[[ Midday, Lunch break. ]]
The rooftop has become unofficially theirs years ago. No managers. No interns. No interruptions.
A cigarette glowed in Sunghoon’s slender fingers. Jake leaned against the railing. Jungwon sat on a ventilation unit. The rest scattered around the rooftop. For a while, they were quiet.
Then-
HS: “She’s so fucking annoying.”
Heeseung’s sudden declaration was met with laughter.
Ni-ki: “You’ve known her six hours.”
HS: “Ive known her long enough.”
Sunoo: “How did she do with the stack of documents?”
HS: “Finished it.”
Jay: “The software?”
HS: “Finished it.”
Jungwon: “The client database?”
“Finished it.”
The laughter stopped. Jake frowned. “Are you serious?”
Heeseung nodded, frustration all over his face.
“She made notes.”
They collectively groaned.
“Great. Shes one of the those.” Ni-ki said, dragging a hand down his face.
“One of what?” Jake asked.
“Competent ones.”
No one liked competent ones. They stayed longer. Created problems. Fought back.
Sunghoon exhaled smoke into the air. “So, whats the plan?”
The group fell silent. 20 people. 20 successful removals. The process was usually simple. Exclude, ignore, and make them work like dogs, make management think they’re incapable. They eventually left. But something was different this time. Y/N was never intimidated. Not a single time.
Jungwon sighed, irritation obvious. “I don’t think she’ll quit easily.”
Heeseung agreed, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“It’ll be more interesting.”
They exchanged knowing glances. And far below them, Y/N was slaving away at her desk, unaware of the discussion taking place above her. Twenty-one. Their newest target. And for the first time in a long time, a challenge.
Two weeks. Two entire weeks.
Twenty previous hires had never lasted this long.
Yet somehow, Y/N was still here.
Still arriving early. Still leaving late. Still smiling.
The printer jammed? She fixed it.
A client complained? She handled it.
Someone “accidently” forgot to include her in an important email chain?
She found the information herself. It was infuriating.
Heeseung slammed a folder onto the conference room table.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Nobody disagreed. Around the room sat six equally irritated men. Sunoo was exhausted. Jay was rubbing his temples. Jake had developed the habit of glaring at Y/N from across the office whenever she solved a problem. The worst part? Management loved her. Yesterday alone, she received praise from three different department heads.
“Do you know what she did this morning?” Jungwon asked.
Nobody answered.
“She thanked me.”
The room feel silent.
Jungwon looked genuinely offended.
“I ignored her for two weeks.”
“And?” Ni-ki asked.
“And she thanked me for helping her.”
“You didn’t help her.”
“I know.”
Sunghoon let out a long sigh.
“Everything we do backfires.”
Because it was true. The isolation didn’t work. The impossible workloads didn’t work. The lack of support didn’t work. The constant inconveniences didn’t work. If anything, she seemed more determined every day. Heeseung dropped into his chair.
“She’s stubborn.”
“No.” Jay corrected.
“She’s fucking crazy.”
“Same thing.”
“No, there’s a difference.”
Another silence settled over the room. For the first time in years, they had no plan. No obvious weakness. No easy to push someone out. Then Sunoo spoke.
“What if we’re approaching this wrong?”
The room turned towards him.
“What do you mean?” Jake asked.
Sunoo leaned back.
“We’ve been treating her like every other hire.”
“Because she is.”
“No.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“No she isn’t.”
The room slowly quieted. Because deep down, they all knew he was right. Every previous employee had cracked under pressure. Y/N hadn’t. Every previous employee had eventually left. Y/N looked like she’d chain herself to her desk before quitting.
“So what?” Heeseung asked.
Sunoo hesitated.
Then-
“We stop treating her like an employee.”
The room went still. No one laughed. No one made a joke. Because they immediately understood what he meant. A dangerous grin slowly appeared on Jay’s face.
“That’s a terrible idea.”
“It is.”
“And we’re all thinking it.”
Jungwon groaned loudly.
“This is going to end badly.”
“Probably.”
“For who?”
No one answered. Across the office, completely unaware of the discussion taking place behind closed doors, Y/N sat at her desk. Focused. Determined. Typing away at her computer. Completely oblivious to the fact that after two weeks of failure, the seven had finally decided to change tactics. And for the first time she’d arrived at Syntrinx, that might actually be a problem.
The change started on Monday. At first, Y/N thought she was imagining it. A chair placed just slightly too close to hers. A hand lingering on her desk while she worked. Someone leaning over her shoulder despite there being plenty of room. Small things. Annoying things. Things that couldn’t be reported. By Wednesday, she knew it wasn’t an accident. Y/N was carrying a stack of folders through the office when someone brushed past her. A sharp sting snapped against her shoulder. Her entire body froze. Her bra strap beneath her blouse had been pulled and snapped. The sound echoed in her ears, folder nearly slipping from her hands. Slowly, she turned around. Ni-ki looked sway suspiciously fast. Jake suddenly found his monitor fascinating. Sunoo was staring into his coffee. Cowards. Fucking cowards. Y/N narrowed her eyes.
“Which one of you did that?”
Silence. Not a single response. A few shoulders shook. Laughing. They were laughing? Her jaw clenched.
“Are you children?”
That wiped the smiles off several faces. Without another word, she walked away. The folder hit her desk harder than intended. Across the office, the seven exchanged glances.
“She’s angry.” One of them said, in a mocking tone.
“No way.” Another replied sarcastically.
“Really?” A snicker followed.
For some reason, their irritation had evolved into something else. Not friendship. Definitely not friendship. But they seemed obsessed with getting a reaction out of her. Unfortunately for them, Y/N’s preferred reaction was pretending they didn’t exist. And that was driving them insane.
Friday arrived. Y/N was trying to finish a report when a shadow appeared beside her desk. She didn’t look up. “What?” She said. The shadow lingered. “What?” She said again. Still typing, she finally looked up. Heeseung. Of course. “What do you want?” Heeseung leaned casually against the wall. “Someone’s awfully hostile.” A scoff escaped her lips. The other 6 stopped pretending not to listen. Heeseung blinked. She returned to her report. Conversation over. She dismissed him. Again. For a second, he looked genuinely offended. Then pushed himself upright.
“Youre impossible.”
“No.”
She didn’t even look at him.
“Im busy.”
Heeseung stood there for another second. Waiting, Expecting something. A reaction. AN argument. Anything. Instead, she simply continued working. He eventually left. The moment he disappeared; she heard muffled laughter from the far side of the office. Idiots, every last one of them. She worked too hard to get this job to let a group of overgrown children drive her out.
Another week later..
It didn’t feel like work anymore. Not entirely. At first it was the same routine. Assignments designed to overwhelm her. Instructions that didn’t make sense. Silent coordination between the 7 that made her work harder than it needed. All because they wanted that same reaction again. But she didn’t react the way they wanted. She adapted. Every single time. And it was becoming a problem.
Jay was the first to change tactics. He stopped blocking her. Started correcting her. In meetings, he would casually interrupt. “That’s not how the system works.” She would glance at him. Check her notes, then respond calmly. “Then the system documentation is outdated.” And she would right. Every time.
They regrouped countless times, all resorting to different methods. Nothing seemed to get through to her. Except that one incident. They had all seem to think about it, but no one dared do it again after her explosive reaction. Then, the divide started. They went off on their own, all determined to break the new hire. But the lines started blurring. They didn’t know if it was about getting rid of her or getting her attention.
Friday, 08;42pm
Y/N was working overtime as usual. Sunghoon and Jake were unfortunately assigned a last-minute urgent task, meaning they had to stay back. The two of them sat together at Jake’s desk, working on the project. Neither of them said it, but they both noticed how the other kept glancing in the direction of her. An hour later, they still had a long way to go. Sunghoon went out to the closest convenience store to grab some needed energy, leaving Jake alone with Y/N.
He openly started at Y/N’s back as she worked. He thought she wouldn’t notice. Until her voice filled the silence.
“Why are you staring?”
He was caught off guard but quickly regained composure.
“I’m not staring.” He stated, all matter-of-factly.
She turned around, looking right at him. Her cheeks, slightly pink from the humid office. For a second, his mind went blank. He never saw her in this light before. Until he realised who he was looking at. Jake leaned back slightly, trying to recover his usual careless expression.
“If I was, it’s because you’re loud.” That caught her off guard.
“Loud?..”
“Yeah.” He said, gesturing vaguely at her desk. You’re typing too loud.”
Her expression shifted slightly.
“You talk a lot for someone who’s supposed to be working.” She said. He tilted his head. “I am working.”
“On what?” He glanced at her screen. Then back at her.
“Looking at productivity patterns.”
“That sounds made up.”
“Its not.”
“It is.”
A faint smirk tugged at his lips before he caught himself. She saw it immediately.
“Why are you really still here?” She asked. He didn’t answer straight away. Sunghoon had gone out. He could’ve gone with him. He could’ve focused. He should’ve focused. Instead, he found himself watching the way she worked without hesitation.
“Am I not allowed to look at you? Does it make you uncomfortable?” he said, his tone shifting to one that was supposed to make her uncomfortable.
She looked at him, eyes narrowed slightly. It turned from a back and forth to the same old Jake. She scoffed, turning back to her desk. But the quiet didn’t last long. He was at her desk in just a second, stopping in front of her. She looked up at him, confused but also.. a different feeling brewing in her.
The office was dark, his chiselled features looking even more sharp in this lighting. And for the first time while she was working there, she had never wished for Sunghoon to come back more. Not because she was scared or uncomfortable, but because she wasn’t.
Unconsciously, she swallowed hard. He still had the same smirk plastered on his face. Cocky. Confident. Knowing. Like he could see right through her. He bent down to eye level, looking right at her lips.
“I asked you a question. Am I not allowed to look at you?” he said, amusement written all over his face. The answers usually come quickly to her. She was sharp. Always had the last word. But this time? She was at a loss for words. Suddenly, the office was suffocating. Her thighs squeezed together so tightly, sweat beading on her body. Why was she feeling this way? It didn’t go unnoticed to him either, the amusement getting even bigger. His fingers brushed a stray hair behind her ear, patting her cheek condescendingly.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about our secret.”
She was speechless. Before she could even speak, if she could even speak, Sunghoon walked in on cue, and Jake straightened up. They exchanged a glance, like he immediately knew what happened whilst he was gone. She turned off her monitor, packing her bag and practically bolting from there. She needed fresh air.
The night air hit her like a smack. What the hell was she doing? Why did she not say anything? Her feet were moving, her brain running a hundred miles a minute. She paused, looking back at the office from the ground. Her heart dropped. Sunghoon, standing there, looking right at her. She could see him clearly, a perverted smirk on his face. A knowing one. The same way Jake had looked at her in the office, like they’d just discovered the greatest weapon to use on her. She looked at him for a moment, then turned and kept walking.
The next day, she arrived at the office. The 7 of them were there before her this time. She walked in, and to her horror, they were smiling at her. The same way Jake did. The same way Sunghoon did. She looked away, going straight to her desk. During the day, she went to the bathroom. A long walk down the hall. She turned the corner, just to walk right into a chest. She stumbled back, looking up. Jake. And he wasn’t alone. Sunghoon stood behind him, leaning against the wall. They both looked at her with those same eyes as yesterday. It was driving her insane. She side stepped, wanting to just go about her day. He stepped in her way again.
“Move.” She says, trying to make her voice steady.
He laughs.
“Why? Avoiding us?”
She looked up at him, eyes darting between the two.
“What do you want?”
They exchanged a glance.
“Admit it.” Sunghoon says, looking at her.
“Admit what?” She says, knowing exactly what he means.
“You like it. The way we look at you.” Jake says, his excitement barely concealed.
She looked back at him, swallowing hard. Unconsciously, making sure the hallway was empty.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She deflected, but they noticed the way she couldn’t make eye contact again. Sunghoon came closer, tilting her chin up.
“Don’t be embarrassed. We want it too.” He spoke.
She paused, looking at him. All logic went out the window. Whether or not she admitted it, they were all good looking. She was stressed. They were practically offering themselves up to her. The empty bathroom was right there. Her priorities were all out of order; the thorough version of herself who would never let it escalate to this was buried under something else. A want. A need.
Before she knew it, they were leading her into the bathroom. And she wasn’t resisting. The door shut, sealing her fate. Their hands explored with impatience, her blazer already on the floor. Jakes lips had already latched onto her neck, kissing her and leaving hickeys. Sunghoon’s fingers worked expertly against her blouse, unbuttoning them. They moved so in sync, stripping her clothes down. Her hands fell to her side, palming one of them. She didn’t know where they began and where she ended. Her eyes opened, pulling at their shirts. They understood, taking off their clothes too. Jake unhooked her bra, both watching greedily as they exposed her. He kissed down from her collarbone, making his way to her chest, soft whimpers leaving her mouth. Sunghoon had kneeled on the floor, slowly pulling down her panties. He pocketed the panties whilst she was distracted, practically groaning at how wet she was. His hands ran up and down her thighs, her legs twitching. His fingers ran through her folds, watching her face intently. The way she whined for more was intoxicating. They both noticed. And they wanted more. His mouth moved closer, sucking on her clit, while Jakes mouth continued his assault on her chest, his arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her steady. His fingers inched closer, inserting one as he sucked expertly. She moaned, pleading for more. His finger moved, curling when he reached her sweet spot. Then he added another finger, speeding up. The sweat beaded on her forehead, her eyes rolling back. Her legs were shaking, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of tears. Jake kissed her, silencing her moans. Sunghoon was relentless, his speed never faltering. She was close, crying out. Her hands gripped Jake’s shoulders so hard, digging her nails in as she came on Sunghoon’s tongue. He didn’t let up, fingering her through her orgasm, not even giving her a second to think. He finally pulled his fingers out, sucking them clean. Jake slowly pushed her to her knees as they both, in sync, pulled down their boxers. She looks at the two cocks, intimidated. They both were clearly blessed in that department. Sunghoon guided her hand to his cock, and she started pumping him in her fist. Meanwhile, Jake slapped his cock against her lips, demanding she open up without speaking. And of course, she obeyed.