Yes, Boss | A Ryeji Rivals Romance

Unspoken Desires

The days that followed were a delicate dance.

Yeji kept her distance from Ryujin, but only just. They were still competitors, their rivalry very much alive, but the lines between rivalry and something far more intimate had blurred. Their interactions were laced with the kind of tension that made her pulse quicken—a fleeting glance, a hand brushing against her arm, a whispered word too close to her ear.

It wasn't just professional anymore. It was personal. And it was maddening.

Yeji found herself thinking about Ryujin constantly. At night, when the city was quiet and she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, she would replay their moments over and over again. The way Ryujin had kissed her on the rooftop, fierce and unrelenting. The way her body had responded, betraying the control Yeji had fought so hard to maintain. She hated that Ryujin had this effect on her, hated that her presence could so easily unravel the calm, composed façade she had spent years perfecting.

But what was worse, what gnawed at her more than anything else, was that deep down, part of her "wanted" to be unraveled.

It was late one evening when things finally came to a head. The office was nearly empty, the dim lights casting long shadows across the floor as Yeji worked late, as usual. She was focused on the final preparations for the girl group's debut, her mind consumed with schedules, marketing strategies, and press releases. But no matter how hard she tried to stay focused, her thoughts kept drifting back to Ryujin.

She was halfway through typing an email when her phone buzzed on the desk.

Ryujin: "You still at the office?"

Yeji stared at the message for a moment, her heart picking up speed. She hesitated before typing a reply.

Yeji: "Yes."

There was a pause, then another buzz.

Ryujin: "Come to the elevator. Now."

Yeji frowned, her fingers tightening around her phone. The last time they had met late at night, it had ended in that kiss—intense, reckless, and impossible to forget. She knew where this was headed, knew she should ignore the message, stay at her desk, and focus on her work. But the pull was undeniable, and before she could stop herself, she was already standing, slipping her phone into her pocket as she headed for the elevator.

The hallway was quiet as she approached, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. When she reached the elevator, she hesitated, her hand hovering over the button.

What are you doing? she asked herself, but her body was already moving, her finger pressing the button before her mind could catch up.

The doors slid open, revealing Ryujin standing inside, leaning casually against the back wall. She was dressed in her usual effortless style—a fitted black blazer over a low-cut top, her hair tousled in that way that always looked like she'd just rolled out of bed, and yet somehow, it worked.

The doors closed, leaving them in the enclosed space together. The air was thick with tension, the same kind of charged atmosphere that always seemed to follow them wherever they went. Ryujin's eyes were locked on Yeji, her lips curving into that familiar, maddening smirk.

"You came," Ryujin said softly, her voice low and smooth.

Yeji crossed her arms, trying to maintain some semblance of control. "What do you want, Ryujin?"

Ryujin pushed off the back wall and took a step closer, her eyes never leaving Yeji's. "I think you know exactly what I want."

Yeji's breath hitched, but she forced herself to remain composed. "We've been over this. It's not happening."

Ryujin stopped in front of her, their bodies almost touching, her gaze dark and intense. "You keep saying that. But then you keep coming back."

Yeji's pulse quickened, her heart pounding in her chest. Ryujin was too close, her presence overwhelming. She could smell her perfume, feel the heat radiating off her skin, and it was making it impossible to think clearly.

"I'm not here for this," Yeji said, her voice shaky despite her efforts to sound firm.

Ryujin tilted her head, her eyes roaming over Yeji's face. "Then why are you here?"

Yeji opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Because the truth was, she didn't know. She didn't know why she had come, why she kept letting herself get pulled into Ryujin's orbit, why she couldn't just walk away.

"I don't know," Yeji whispered, her voice barely audible.

Ryujin's hand reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair away from Yeji's face. Her touch was soft, but it sent a shiver down Yeji's spine, igniting that familiar heat that had been simmering between them for weeks. "You do know," Ryujin murmured, her fingers lingering at the edge of Yeji's jaw. "You just don't want to admit it."

Yeji's breath caught, her heart racing as Ryujin's hand trailed down, brushing lightly against her collarbone. The touch was barely there, but it was enough to make Yeji's skin tingle, her body reacting in ways she didn't want to acknowledge.

"This is dangerous," Yeji whispered, her voice trembling. "We can't do this."

Ryujin smiled, her hand slipping lower, her fingers teasing along the edge of Yeji's blouse. "Who says?"

Yeji's resolve crumbled. She hated how Ryujin had this power over her, how her touch could make her forget every logical reason to stay away. But the way Ryujin's fingers grazed her skin, the way her breath brushed against her neck—it was intoxicating, and Yeji couldn't resist.

She closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath as Ryujin leaned in, her lips brushing against Yeji's ear. "You don't have to fight this, Yeji."

Yeji's hands clenched at her sides, torn between pushing Ryujin away and pulling her closer. "This isn't right."

Ryujin's lips hovered just above her skin, so close it made Yeji's head spin. "It feels right to me."

The words sent a jolt through Yeji's body, and before she could stop herself, she turned, her hands grabbing the front of Ryujin's blazer as she pulled her into a fierce, breathless kiss. Ryujin responded instantly, her arms wrapping around Yeji's waist, pulling her closer as their bodies pressed together.

The kiss was electric, filled with all the tension and desire they had been holding back for so long. It was rough, desperate, as if both of them were trying to claim something they had been denying for too long.

Ryujin's hands roamed over Yeji's body, pulling her closer, deeper into the kiss, and Yeji couldn't stop herself from melting into the heat, into the sheer need that had consumed her.

But as the kiss deepened, Yeji's mind screamed at her to stop. This was too much, too dangerous. She was on the verge of losing control, and if she didn't pull back now, there would be no turning back.

With a sudden burst of willpower, Yeji broke the kiss, stepping back, her breath ragged, her heart pounding. Ryujin looked at her with a mix of surprise and frustration, her lips still parted, her chest rising and falling with the same uneven breaths.

"I can't," Yeji gasped, shaking her head. "We can't."

Ryujin's eyes flickered with something—disappointment, maybe?—but she didn't push. She nodded slowly, stepping back to give Yeji space. "Okay."

Yeji swallowed hard, her body still trembling from the intensity of the moment. She couldn't look at Ryujin, not right now. She needed to regain control, to remind herself why this was a mistake.

"I need to go," Yeji whispered, not trusting herself to stay in the elevator a second longer.

Without waiting for Ryujin to respond, Yeji turned and left, her legs unsteady as she made her way back to her office. Her mind was spinning, her emotions a chaotic mess of desire, frustration, and confusion.

She had crossed a line, a line she wasn't sure she could come back from. But as she walked away, she couldn't deny the truth that was gnawing at the edges of her mind.

She wanted Ryujin.

And no matter how hard she tried to fight it, that desire was only getting harder to ignore.