Ëââ§âșââ± under the same skyline | jeung yoonchae
ĘáȘàŒ synopsis the city's most intimidating CEO has mastered every negotiation except the one with her own heart. unfortunately for yoonchae, the only woman capable of unsettling her isn't an employee, an investor, or a rivalâshe's simply someone who visits the office every thursday
ĘáȘàŒ disclaimer ceo! jeung yoonchae x friend! fem! reader, wlw, slowburn, slight jealousy, strangers to lovers (ig?Âż)
ĘáȘàŒ a/n ânew era, new auraâ well miss yoonchae i didnât expected you to truly mean it cuz that is NOT the yoonchae i knew here. she is so smug and attractive i canât. iâm falling so bad for the masc yoonchae agenda tysm.
ĘáȘàŒ song playing love again â dua lipa
âșâ§âË àœàœČââ±âàœàŸ Ëââ§âș âșâ§âË àœàœČââ±âàœàŸ Ëââ§âș âșâ§âË àœàœČââ±âàœàŸ Ëââ§âș âșâ§âË àœàœČââ±âàœàŸ Ëââ§âș âșâ§âË àœàœČââ±âàœàŸ Ëââ§
people often assumed yoonchae liked silence
she simply found it easier than explaining herself
silence never expected too much
silence never asked why she was still at the office when the cleaners arrived or why the lights on the executive floor remained on long after midnight
silence had become familiar
thursday afternoons stopped being quiet
not loud enough to echo through the building
just enough to drift from the lobby whenever the elevators opened
the first time yoonchae heard it, she barely looked up
the second time, she wondered who it belonged to
by the third week, she had unconsciously memorized the time you usually arrived
her assistant noticed first
"you've started taking your coffee downstairsâ
"you used to have it brought upâ
"...fresh air is healthyâ
yoonchae looked over the top of her laptop
"you ask many questionsâ
the assistant smiled knowingly
she absolutely did not stop
"your CEO is terrifyingâ
you whispered it to your friend while waiting for the elevator
"she looks like she could reject my entire existenceâ
"she probably wouldn'tâ
"she'd reject it politelyâ
neither of you noticed the elevator doors opening behind you
"...i don't reject peopleâ
the voice was calm. composed
you turned so quickly you nearly dropped your phone
yoonchae stood there with the faintest hint of amusement in her eyes
she regarded you for a long second
"i would, however, reject bad coffeeâ
"iâve been told i occasionally make themâ
megan covered her mouth to hide a laugh
"that one was actually decentâ
"iâll consider that high praiseâ
the elevator doors closed
"...did i just rate the CEO's joke?"
"you don't even work hereâ
after that day, the conversations became easier
never planned. never long
always interrupted by meetings or schedules
"you answered emails at three in the morningâ
"...how do you know that?"
"the company newsletter accidentally timestamped your replyâ
"...i should speak with ITâ
"no," you laughed. "you should sleepâ
one afternoon, yoonchae found you standing alone in front of the enormous window overlooking the city
"what are you looking at?"
"they all look like they're in a hurryâ
"i don't think being busy has to mean being lonelyâ
she didn't answer immediately
instead, she watched the reflection in the glass
"i imagine that gets people into troubleâ
"it mostly gets them free dessertsâ
a soft laugh escaped her before she could stop it
"you keep acting surprisedâ
she looked away, almost embarrassed
"...i haven't done it muchâ
the famously untouchable CEO smiled now
but enough for people to notice
"i think she likes thursdaysâ
"i think she likes whoever comes on thursdaysâ
no one dared say it loud enough for Jiyeon to hear
though everyone suspected she'd already figured it out herself
the distance between you shrank naturally
not because either of you forced it
because conversations that once lasted thirty seconds somehow became fifteen minutes
because coffee became a habit
because saying goodbye started taking longer than saying hello
one evening, as you prepared to leave, yoonchae stopped you
"...do you have a minute?"
"iâd rather not have this conversation in the lobbyâ
you followed her upstairs
her office felt different at night
the city glowed beyond the glass walls like scattered stars
not empty. just... peaceful
yoonchae rested one hand lightly against the edge of her desk
for someone who negotiated multi-million-dollar contracts without blinking...
she suddenly looked uncertain
"iâve practiced thisâ
"i disliked every versionâ
she let out a quiet breath
"when i built this company, i convinced myself there wouldn't be room for anything elseâ
you stayed silent, letting her continue
"i thought that was enoughâ
She looked at you then, her expression softer than you'd ever seen
"and then you started walking through those doors every thursdayâ
a smile tugged at your lips
"i told myself it was coincidenceâ
âit stopped being coincidence a long time agoâ
"you really were finding excuses to go downstairsâ
"the coffee wasn't that goodâ
a laugh escaped both of you
the nervousness eased. only a little
yoonchae's gaze lingered on yours
"i look forward to seeing youâ
the words were simple. honest
"no board meeting has ever made me nervous," she admitted, almost laughing at herself
"but telling you that..."
"...that somehow feels impossibleâ
"you know what i look forward to?"
"watching the most intimidating woman in the building completely forget how to hide her smileâ
she covered her face for half a second with a quiet groan
"i knew i was becoming obviousâ
"thatâs somehow worseâ
you stepped a little closerânot enough to erase the respectful distance between you, just enough that neither of you had to raise your voice
"i kept visiting because megan works hereâ
"...i started hoping I'd run into someone elseâ
she looked at you as though she'd forgotten the rest of the world existed
"...would it be terribly unprofessional if i asked whether you'd like to have coffee with me..."
"they have excellent cafĂ©s across the streetâ
"i hear the company isn't paying for this oneâ
you let the silence stretch just enough to make her wonder
for the first time in years, yoonchae laughed without restraint
completely unlike the woman everyone believed they knew
as you reached the office door, your hands brushed for the briefest moment
neither of you pulled away immediately
neither of you said anything
some things didn't need words
the city glittered outside the windows, and for once, tomorrow's meetings could wait
thursday had quietly become both of your favorite day of the week.
izzy806
amandla
ellievsbear
pixelskylines
germansingergirl
gummygunk
