THE BLIND DATE MIX-UP||L.HS X P.SH

S E V E N

CHAPTER SEVEN: Sunghoon's master plan (that will probably fail)

sunghoon’s alarm blared at 6 a.m., and he rolled out of bed with a groan, landing face-first on the floor. After his latest blunders at work, Sunghoon had decided it was time to formulate a strategy—an actual plan to survive this nightmare without Heeseung discovering his secret. He dragged himself to the kitchen, brewing the strongest coffee he could muster, and pulled out a notepad.

“Operation ‘Don’t Get Caught’ begins now,” Sunghoon muttered, scribbling ideas furiously. Step one: Avoid eye contact with Heeseung at all costs. Step two: Don’t talk unless spoken to. Step three: Always have an emergency escape route.

Sunghoon downed his coffee in one gulp, steeling himself for the day ahead. As he dressed in his best “I’m just a background character” outfit—neutral colors, nothing eye-catching—Sunghoon repeated his new mantra: Invisible. Unremarkable. Avoidable.

He arrived at the office early, slipping in like a stealth ninja, determined to stay out of Heeseung’s way. But, of course, things never went according to plan.

“Sunghoon!” Heeseung’s cheerful voice echoed across the office, making Sunghoon jump like a startled cat.

“Good morning, Mr. Lee!” Sunghoon greeted, trying to keep his cool while clutching his notepad so tightly it bent in half. “I was just, uh… adjusting the air conditioner settings. Important work, you know.”

Heeseung gave him a bemused smile. “Sure, adjusting the aircon. Anyway, I’ve got an important lunch meeting with some investors, and I’d like you to join me.”

Sunghoon’s eyes widened. Lunch meeting? In public? That was not part of his master plan. “Oh, well, I, um, actually packed my lunch today. Very busy. You know, deadlines and stuff.”

Heeseung chuckled, clearly amused by Sunghoon’s lame excuse. “Don’t worry, it’ll be quick. And I could really use your insight. Plus, lunch is on me.”

Sunghoon’s shoulders slumped. There was no escaping this one. “Great. Can’t wait,” he mumbled, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

📌🖇

The restaurant was swanky—too swanky for Sunghoon’s comfort. He awkwardly fiddled with his tie, which felt more like a noose every second. Heeseung was deep in conversation with the investors, effortlessly charming them with his business acumen. Sunghoon, on the other hand, was sweating bullets, pretending to take notes but actually drawing a cartoon of himself diving into a trash can.

Heeseung noticed Sunghoon’s nervous energy and shot him a reassuring smile. “Sunghoon, why don’t you tell them about our new project? You’ve been working closely on it.”

Sunghoon blinked. “Me? Oh, right, yes. Our… project.” He shuffled through his notes, desperately trying to remember anything relevant. “Well, the project is… uh… really exciting. Lots of moving parts. We’ve got numbers and… charts.” He trailed off, realizing he was babbling nonsense. The investors exchanged puzzled looks, and Sunghoon’s face turned crimson.

Heeseung stepped in smoothly. “What Sunghoon means is that we’re seeing a lot of growth potential, particularly in expanding our digital platforms.” He subtly steered the conversation back on track, saving Sunghoon yet again.

Sunghoon shot Heeseung a grateful look, and Heeseung winked in return. For a moment, Sunghoon’s heart did a weird flip-flop, and he quickly refocused on his doodles.

🖇📌

Heeseung watched Sunghoon out of the corner of his eye. There was something oddly endearing about how flustered Sunghoon got in these situations. He was clearly trying so hard, even if his attempts often ended in chaos. Heeseung couldn’t help but find it amusing.

What’s his deal? Heeseung thought, hiding a smirk as Sunghoon knocked over a glass of water, scrambling to mop it up with a napkin. For someone so seemingly out of his depth, Sunghoon was surprisingly competent when he put his mind to it. And despite all the weird moments, Heeseung liked having him around. Sunghoon was different—refreshingly honest in a world full of people trying to impress him.

“Thanks for handling that, Sunghoon,” Heeseung said as they left the restaurant. “You did well.”

Sunghoon blinked at him, clearly not expecting the compliment. “Oh, uh, no problem. Anytime.”

As they returned to the office, Heeseung found himself glancing at Sunghoon a bit more often. Something about him was stirring an old memory—one that was just out of reach. Have we met before? Heeseung thought, but brushed it off.

---

Back at the Office

Sunghoon slumped into his chair, feeling like he’d narrowly avoided another catastrophe. He fired up his laptop, determined to actually work and not let Heeseung down. But just as he started, his phone buzzed with a message from his friend, Jungwon.

jungwon “Hey, how’s the new boss? Still hot?”

Sunghoon groaned, shooting back a quick reply.

sunghoon:“Yeah, and still terrifying. Almost blew it today at lunch.”

jungwon:“Lol, just keep being your charming self. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Sunghoon rolled his eyes. Charming was the last thing he felt right now. He glanced up, noticing Heeseung in his office, laughing at something on his phone. For a moment, Sunghoon wondered what it would be like to actually talk to Heeseung as a normal person—not as a weird accidental date or a nervous wreck of a secretary. But that was too risky.

Heeseung glanced up and caught Sunghoon’s eye. Sunghoon quickly looked away, focusing intensely on his screen, though his mind was a whirlwind. He had three weeks to figure this out—three weeks before the company party. Three weeks to make sure Heeseung never connected the dots.

No problem, Sunghoon thought, ignoring the pit in his stomach. How hard could it be?