Start-Up

Coffee Break

In-jae stifled a yawn as she focused on reading through the report on her computer. She was tired, but it was a happy kind of tired. Her days were busy as they approached Demo Day, but her nights were happy as she spent more time with Ji-pyeong.

The thought of him made her lips curve into a small smile that she quickly hid as she turned her attention back to her screen. He was right, it was a relief to be able to relax around someone and not have to pretend to be strong all the time. It was taking some getting used to, being vulnerable around him, but he always made her feel like she was safe with him.

"Ms. Won?"

She startled at the sound of his voice, and saw him standing at the doorway.

"Could I see you outside for a moment?" he asked, sounding completely professional.

She nodded and walked over to him, shutting the door behind her.

"What is it, Mr. Han?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He handed her a cup of coffee. "Here. Black with two sugars," he said, keeping his face expressionless.

She looked up at him in surprise as she took the cup from him. "How did you--" he winked at her and she blushed. Of course he knew. She had made a cup of coffee for herself at his place when they had breakfast together.

"I thought you might need one. I needed one too, after last night," he said, a teasing tone creeping into his voice.

In-jae blushed harder as her eyes darted around nervously and she glared at him. "Ji-pyeong, I swear, I'm gonna--" she stopped abruptly as someone passed them, and Ji-pyeong cleared his throat.

"Ms. Yoon asked me to give you these files," he said, his tone back to all business.

She took the folder from him and opened it. She sputtered and nearly laughed out loud when she saw the blank pieces of paper inside. She looked up at him and saw the twinkle in his eyes, and his dimples flashed briefly as he smiled.

"Thank you for these, Mr. Han," she said, holding the coffee cup to her chest and covering it with the folder.

"You're welcome, Ms. Won," he said formally as he held the door open for her and she went back into her office.

Ji-pyeong watched as she walked back to her desk and discreetly took a sip of coffee before going back to work.

"So what were you doing last night?"

Ji-pyeong whipped around to see Ms. Yoon standing behind him with a knowing smile on her face.

"Ms. Yoon!" he said, clutching his chest, "You almost gave me a heart attack."

Ms. Yoon stepped closer to him and peered into In-jae's office, then looked at him. In-jae glanced at the door quickly, and when she saw her mentor with Ji-pyeong, she darted her eyes back to her computer screen.

"This makes sense," Ms. Yoon tapped her chin with a smile, then began to walk away.

Ji-pyeong fell into step beside her as they walked back to their office. "So, Demo Day is coming up," he said, desperately trying to spark a conversation that would distract Ms. Yoon from him and In-jae.

"Ah yes. It will be interesting to see the two sisters face off, especially since they're working with the same technology," Ms. Yoon said.

"Samsan Tech is ready," Ji-pyeong assured her.

"So is In-jae Company," she replied as they stopped in front of Ji-pyeong's office. "Ms. Won is a very capable CEO."

Ji-pyeong nodded, then turned to enter the office as Ms. Yoon started to walk away.

"Oh and Mr. Han?" Ms. Yoon called out, and he looked at her.

"I can give you actual files to deliver next time," she winked at him, then turned away before Ji-pyeong could say a word.