"Miss Y/N, Mr. Park wants to see you." The CEO's assistant steps inside your office to inform you. "He's waiting for you in his office."
"Okay." You smile at her but you're getting anxious. Why would he want to see you?
It's strange but you quickly get up and walk out of your office, heading over to his. Park Jay is the youngest CEO in the country, but he's known to be one of the sharpest and most intelligent ones.
You knock on the door and wait until you hear him. "Come in."
"Hello, Mr. Park. I heard you asked for me." You politely bow but when you raise your head to look at him, he has that same cold expression on his face.
Would it hurt if he smiled a little?
"Why are you nice to everyone?" He asks, making you freeze in your tracks.
"I'm sorry?" You ask, unsure if you heard him correctly.
"You're always smiling at everyone." You're taken aback by his response, not knowing how to react.
"Um, I'm not sure I understand, Mr. Park," You say, trying to keep your tone professional.
"You're trying to please everyone, aren't you? It's a weakness that can be exploited. I don't want weak links in my company."
You almost scoff at him. Where is this even coming from?
"Mr. Park, I assure you that I'm not trying to please everyone. I'm just treating everyone with respect and kindness. Isn't it part of being professional?"
You clearly don't know this because you're cold to everyone. You want to say but you keep it to yourself. He's getting on your nerves.
"So why not me?" You frown, not really getting what he means. "If you treat everyone with kindness, I suppose I should be one of them too. But you never smile at me."
Is he... jealous? Is he actually jealous that you smile at everyone else but him?
"I just..." You gulp. "You're intimidating."
Park raises an eyebrow at your response. "Intimidating?" He repeats as if he's considering the possibility. "How?"
You shift uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling like you've said the wrong thing. Maybe you shouldn't have been so honest.
"Well, you're the CEO of this company and you always seem hard to please and approach so I'm just afraid of doing something wrong... even now..." You admit, your cheeks almost red.
Park looks at you for a moment, his expression unreadable. You can feel your heart racing as you wait for whatever he's about to say. But instead of saying anything, he stands up and approaches you, making you widen your eyes and slightly lower your head. You can feel his cologne filling your senses as you try to keep your breathing steady, but your heart is pounding in your chest.
He stops just a few inches away from you, and you can feel his gaze on you. You look up, meeting his eyes, and for a moment, it feels like time stands still.
Then, he reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. His touch is gentle, but it sends shivers down your spine as your eyes widen.
"You don't need to be afraid of me, I'm just a man like any other. And I do smile, you know. You just have to give me a reason to." He says, then he smiles.
HE. SMILES.
You've never thought that Park Jay was capable of smiling. You doubt anyone in the company had seen him smile before, yet right now, he's smiling so softly that you forget how to breathe.
You nod, feeling a smile tug at the corners of your mouth. His smile is so damn contagious.
Many days had passed since this encounter with Park Jay, and he'd been so kind and so... charming since.
"Mr. Park asked me to bring you this." His assistant walks into your office with a cup of coffee in her hand and your eyes slightly widen. "He tells you to take it easy."
And it went on for days. He would ask his assistant to bring you your favorite cake, your favorite drink, making your heart race every time you think about him.
"Yejoon, hey." Your coworker, the one you're the closest to, walks into the office and you smile widely at him. "Are you done with the new design?"
"Yes. I'll send it to you in an hour, though." You nod at him, but before you could speak, the door swings open and Park walks into the place.
You quickly stand up, not having any clue about what's happening. But the way Park looks at Yejoon tells you that things aren't okay.
"Get out." His voice is calm yet aced with a warning or a threat, and Yejoon quickly leaves the scene, closing the door behind him.
"What is this?" You frown. "Why would you-"
He walks closer to you, his eyes never leaving yours. It seems he's having a hard time getting words out because his lips part and then close without anything.
"I..." He starts, sighing heavily as if he's frustrated with something. "I can't stop thinking about you."
You freeze at his confession, not sure how to react. You've never thought that someone like Park Jay, who's always so composed and professional, would act this way.
"What..."
"I can't help it. Every time I see you, my heart skips a beat. And I couldn't stand seeing you with Yejoon." He runs his fingers through his hair and you just stare at him.
Your mind races as you try to process his words. It's the fact that you thought you liked him first that's making you freeze.
"You like... me?" You mutter and he chuckles lowly.
"Jesus Christ, woman, I think I might even be in love with you." His chuckle makes your eyes soften. How do you think he's cute when he's always been so cold and serious?
You break into a smile and he tilts his head, confused. "I'm not laughing at you, I just... I think I like you too. I mean you've been so nice to me and you're so beautiful I couldn't-"
You trail off, feeling your cheeks flush at your own words. Park Jay's eyes widen, clearly surprised by your confession.
"You do?" His voice softens.
"Yeah, I do." The tension that had been building up inside you seems to disappear as you finally admit your feelings to him.
For a few moments, the two of you just stand there, staring at each other. But then Park steps forward, closing the distance between the two of you. He takes your hand in his and brings it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of your hand.
Your heart flutters at the touch of his lips on your skin. You can feel the warmth of his breath against your hand, and it sends shivers down your spine.
"I must be the happiest man on the earth now."
