⋆.˚ ♬ summary: another day at the office where Johnny needed to deal with your stress after his team messed up. ⋆.˚ ♬ a/n: guys, i used chief and boss as the pairing just so u could picture the differences between their roles, so if that was wrong... blame google... BUT I SWEAR U WILL GET IT. ⋆.˚ ♬ cw: fluff, suggestive, chief!reader x boss!johnny. ⋆.˚ ♬ wc: 2.4k words
Contrary to the usual daily chaos, the marketing sector was completely silent. The atmosphere was, at best, terrible. Everyone was feeding into that heavy tension, where even taking a breath felt like something that needed to be careful, calculated, like any wrong move would be enough to bring everyone’s downfall.
Every pair of eyes was fixed on the glass-enclosed room next door, watching with pounding hearts as you paced back and forth while answering a call.
Your face was harder than stone, and each time your gaze drifted toward your employees, the poor things felt an icy chill run down their spines. Immediately, they’d turn away, pretending to be busy with their computers, desperate to avoid the sharp daggers your eyes seemed to throw at them.
“Guys…” Jungwoo was the first to break the icy silence. “Is today the day we all get fired?”
“Do you think if I cry and get on my knees she’ll have mercy on me?” Lily whispered, peeking over her desk, only to quickly duck back down when your eyes accidentally met hers.
Haechan clasped his hands together in a mock prayer. “Best case scenario? We get out of here with our heads still attached.”
“Who messed up, though?” Karina asked, scanning her colleagues. “I thought this was reviewed.”
“Do we really need to find a culprit?” Haechan shrugged. “We’re all human. Sometimes we make mist—”
“It was Jungwoo, wasn’t it?” Karina cut in.
“Bingo!” Lily and Donghyuck said in unison.
“Guys!” Jungwoo gasped, scandalized. “I thought we were in this together!”
Karina sighed, rubbing her temple, clearly annoyed. “How could you let something like that slip, Jungwoo?”
“Don’t pin the whole thing on me,” he protested, frowning at the injustice. “We all took a final look at it, and you know we didn’t have time to do it carefully.”
The others exchanged halfhearted shrugs. He wasn’t wrong.
The campaign was for a prestigious international company, and you, their terrifyingly demanding boss, had made it very clear: it had to be flawless, and it had to be fast. The deadline was short, but the team had underestimated the workload, pushing it back until they were left with barely any time. In the end, they rushed through it and somehow managed to submit right on time… except for the handful of errors no one had caught.
And those very mistakes were what brought them to this dreadful moment.
“Fuck…” Lily muttered, exasperated. “We’re screwed.”
They all let out a heavy sigh in unison, finally accepting their grim reality.
“What’s with this funeral atmosphere?”
The familiar voice made every head snap toward the office entrance. In an instant, their eyes lit up as if they had just seen an angel descend.
“Boss!” they chorused, their voices brimming with hope, as though their savior had just walked in and promised them a bright, safe future.
Johnny’s brows shot up at the sudden puppy eyes his team threw at him. For a second, he swore they were all about to cry. And he already knew exactly what those eyes were begging for.
A soft laugh slipped from his lips as he set his things down on his desk.
“Hmm… those guilty faces are telling me you pissed off the big boss again, right?” His gaze flicked toward your office, catching the way you paced back and forth, and how your eyes narrowed the second they spotted him.
“Please, please, save us!” Jungwoo blurted out, desperation dripping from his voice. The rest of the team nodded furiously, backing him up like their lives depended on it.
“I just got here and I already have to clean your mess again?” Johnny said, though there was no real scolding in his tone.
“We promise we’ll owe you our lives,” Haechan added quickly. “Just this once, Johnny, please!”
Johnny couldn’t help but chuckle again, his gaze flicking back toward your office. You were wrapping up your call, and the second your eyes found him, he knew it, he’d arrived right on time. His smile spread a little wider.
“Guess I don’t have much of a choice if my friends are in trouble,” he said, patting Jungwoo’s shoulder. The poor guy looked up at him like he was some kind of deity.
Just as expected, you opened the door at that exact moment. Your expression was as unreadable as stone, your gaze sweeping across the room, looking at each of the faces there before landing squarely on Johnny. His smile faded ever so slightly.
“Mr. Suh.” Your voice was calm, but carried that dangerous undertone that had everyone on edge. “My office. Now.” Without another word, you turned your back.
“Yes, ma’am,” Johnny replied with a nod. He leaned closer to whisper as he passed the team, “Wish me luck.”
“Your sacrifice won’t be forgotten,” Lily said dramatically, watching him march into the lion’s den.
Johnny stood politely in front of you, hands clasped neatly behind his back as he matched your serious expression. The door remained open, which meant the team could catch faint snippets of whatever was said. Their eyes were glued to the window, watching every second like it was the finale of a drama.
“I take it you’re already aware of the blunder committed by the team under your supervision, am I correct?” you began, your tone sharp yet measured.
“You’re correct,” he admitted with a small nod, lowering his head slightly. “And I’d like to offer my apology for it.”
“Oh, an apology?” you let out a short, incredulous scoff. “How does an amateurish mistake of this magnitude slip past you, Mr. Suh? Amateur mistakes I wouldn’t expect from interns, let alone my marketing team.”
The words cut like knives, and outside the door the team winced as if you were stabbing directly into their pride. They looked like kicked puppies.
“Do you have any idea how much credibility we risk losing because of such negligence?” you pressed on, arms folded tight, chin lifted like a blade.
Johnny listened intently, his posture steady, unmoved. His calm presence made his co-workers admire him, as usual. They had no idea how he always managed to stay composed in front of you, legs unshaken. Even more surprising, he always somehow managed to calm the storm. Every time he was summoned into your office in situations like this, it was as if he were a professional at handling you. But this time, they weren’t sure if his precious, mysterious skills would be enough.
“The responsibility is all mine,” Johnny said firmly. “If there’s any blame to be taken, it’s mine to carry.”
Your eyes narrowed as you studied him silently for a moment. Then, you circled the rustic wooden table and settled into your chair, resting your arms on the surface, your posture straight and commanding like a merciless queen ready to punish her vassal.
“Close the door,” you ordered, and he complied without hesitation, though not before winking at his colleagues, who gave him sorrowful looks. “And the blinds.”
After following your instructions, he stood on the other side of the table. The room was silent, heavy with anticipation, as your eyes locked. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, your tough facade began to crumble. Your shoulders sagged, the rigidity in your posture softening, and the severe lines of your expression melted into a hesitant, gentle pout.
Johnny’s lips curved into a smile as he watched the change in you, a soft chuckle escaping. That would never get old. He walked around the table to stand beside you, leaning on it casually, his hand reaching up to gently caress your hair, which made you immediately melt.
“You definitely scared them this time, baby,” he commented lightly. “Did we mess up this badly?”
“What do you think? My boss has been talking my ears off since that campaign came out,” you replied, sounding more exhausted than ever.
The whole week had been the worst you’d ever had. Endless meetings, ridiculous deadlines, piles of reports to fill and correct, and now the current problem you were responsible for. You just needed a moment to sit back and breathe.
“Can you hold still a bit longer?” His hand slid down to your chin, lifting your head gently so you’d be facing him. “I promise I’ll take care of all of that.”
His words brought a wave of relief that you hadn’t realized you were holding back. You trusted him, knew he could handle this, but hearing it aloud made your chest loosen just a little. You lifted your hand, brushing your fingers against his, and intertwined them. The warmth of his hand sent a quiet comfort through you, and you rested your cheek against it, savoring the closeness.
“I know they’re capable, so… how did it happen?” you murmured, your voice soft as you pressed the back of his hand gently against your cheek.
“They just slipped up,” he said quietly, careful not to add stress to your shoulders. “I should’ve been more attentive. But I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he gave your hand a gentle squeeze.
You closed your eyes for a moment, then sighed. “We’re lucky the client is an old friend, and nothing worse happened. But I’ll still need to hold them accountable,” you admitted softly.
“I’m just glad you’re willing to give them another chance,” he whispered, pressing his lips gently against the back of your hand. “Did you see their faces? They were about to cry. After today, they’ll never even think about messing up again.”
“You know I can’t be soft on them…” you murmured with a small pout, leaning back slightly in your chair. You didn’t like being seen as that impetuous boss, but letting them relax too much often led to situations like this, so you had to find the balance somehow. “God, I’m so tired.”
Johnny was one of the very few who had ever seen this side of you. No one in the office would ever imagine it: Johnny Suh, the calm and charming fixer, dating the Ice Queen herself. To anyone else, it seemed impossible. Yet here he was, quietly grounding you, letting you let down your walls just enough to breathe.
“I like it when you act all bossy like that,” he teased, finally drawing a soft chuckle from you. “You even scared me earlier.”
“It looked like you were having fun with that act,” you rolled your eyes. “And here I am, tearing my hair out trying to find a way to get you into my office to comfort me without looking suspicious…”
He laughed, tugging gently at your hand, and you rose from your seat, letting him pull you close. His arms wrapped around your waist, holding you snugly. You didn’t hesitate to bury your face in his neck, nuzzling slightly and inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne.
“So you scared the whole team just because you wanted some cuddles?” he asked, resting his cheek against your head.
“You make me sound like a jerk when you say it like that,” your voice came out muffled. You pulled back slightly to look at him. “I was calling them out for real too, okay?”
Your little justification only made him smile wider, he loved teasing you. He tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, eyes roaming your features as he took a closer look. Your beautiful face, tired yet still radiant, made his gaze soften even more.
He cupped your face in his hands and leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to your lips, washing away your pout. His thumbs traced gentle circles along your cheeks. “So… am I making you feel better?” he murmured, planting tender kisses under your eyes and your forehead.
“Very,” you whispered, pressing another soft kiss to his lips in return.
His hand found its way into your hair, tangling gently in the strands as he deepened the kiss, his lips and tongue pushing yours apart with a sweet urgency. You leaned further into him, melting against his touch. His other hand slid down your back, tracing your body until it cupped your ass.
“Johnny…” you warned.
“What?” he murmured against your lips, a teasing smirk in his tone.
“Don’t even start…”
“Start what?” he whispered, cutting you off with another kiss, his hand squeezing you. You pulled back just slightly, a little breathless.
“I know what you’re trying to do,” you accused, though the corner of your mouth betrayed a small, mischievous smile.
“And what am I doing, hm?” he nipped at your lower lip, letting his other hand join the first, cupping both cheeks and pressing you closer against him.
“We’re not going to do that again,” you stated, an he only leaned his head down to your neck, pressing soft pecks along your skin, making you shiver and tilt your head to give him more space.
“Why not? We had so much fun,” he sank his teeth into the soft flesh, making you gasp at the mix of sting and pleasure. His hands slid under your shirt, caressing your belly with feather-light touches.
“And we were almost caught, my love.”
“Lesson learned, right? Now we know we should lock the door,” he whispered, his lips tracing back up to yours, “and be a little quieter. We won’t get it wrong again.”
“Oh my God, you have no shame,” you laughed, hitting his arm. “As tempting as you sound, I won’t fall for it *twice*.”
He pouted jokingly, but the expression soon softened into a smile when he saw how much more relaxed you looked. “You’re no fun.”
You chuckled and pulled away, still smiling. “I think you’ve been here long enough. Time to go back to work.”
He hummed in mock disappointment. “Aw, baby, already?”
“Mhm. And it’s your turn to scold the team, I won’t be the only bad guy here.”
“Fine, fine,” he said, giving you one last kiss. “Should we continue later, then?”
“Yeah,” you replied with a playful smirk. “I might need more than just some cuddles until then.”
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