His CEO

who's afraid of little old me?

"Are you going to help, or are you just sitting there to distract me?"

Insung chuckled as he was caught staring at her. He wasn't exactly hiding it either. "I'm supervising," he replied. "I have to make sure my fiancé isn't overworking herself."

Jihyo leaned back, tapping her pen against her notebook. "Supervising?" she repeated, tilting her head at him. "If I remember it right, you were supposed to help me with this, not just sit there and stare at me like that."

"Like what?" he countered, leaning a bit closer, his face mere inches from hers. "I'm not just staring, I'm admiring the hardworking woman I'm lucky enough to call my fiancé."

Jihyo rolled her eyes. "You know, staring doesn't really count as 'admiring,'" she quipped, dropping her gaze back to her paperwork, though the racing beat of her heart betrayed her calm demeanor.

Insung rested his chin in his hand, watching her more intensely. "But isn't it good that I'm here? I've heard that people who work too hard sometimes forget to take breaks."

The pen in Jihyo's hand stopped against the paper, though she kept her eyes focused on the text, trying to maintain her composure as she jotted down a few notes. But his voice, his closeness—it was a distraction she was quickly finding impossible to ignore. "Hmm," she managed to say. "And what would you suggest I do about that, Mr. Jo?"

"Maybe... you should let your supervisor decide when it's time for a break."

"And what kind of break do you have in mind?" she replied, almost daring him to close the distance between them.

He didn't move for a second and just looked at her, then his hand reached up and brushed his thumb just beneath her cheekbone. "Maybe something like this," he whispered. However, just as their lips were about to meet, the sound of her phone cut through the moment, breaking the charged silence. "Not again."

Jihyo tore her gaze away, glancing down at her phone's screen where her father's name was flashing. "It's dad."

"Oh."

Jihyo cleared her throat before answering, lifting the phone to her ear. "Hello, Appa?" she said, though a faint blush remained on her cheeks from the almost kiss.

Insung watched her, his playful expression shifting into something softer as he leaned back slightly, giving her space but keeping his eyes on her.

"I heard you and Insung are officially engaged now?"

"Ah, yes, appa," she replied. "Just last night. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to visit and tell you in person."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, a moment of silence that held a weight she couldn't quite place. "I understand. But I'd like for you both to come over tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight. I haven't seen Jihyun in weeks. And... I want to meet Insung again," he added.

Lowering the phone slightly, she looked up at Insung. "Dad wants us to come over for dinner," she said.

"Okay. Let's go."

Taking a deep breath, Jihyo returned to the call. "We'll be there, appa. Ne... see you."

"I suddenly felt nervous when I saw Chairman Song calling you," Insung admitted when Jihyo got off the phone call.

"You know," she began, her voice soft with affection, "you could just call him 'abeonim' since, as you said, you're my fiancé now."

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he shrugged. "That's true," he replied, "but calling him 'Chairman Song' still feels... safer. Old habits die hard, I guess."