• Falling For You • |A JongSang love story|

9 - A New Perspective

Jongho sat at his desk, the faint hum of the office filling the air around him. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the surface as he scrolled through the latest reports on his computer. Everything was in order, just the way he liked it—meticulous and efficient. But something, or rather someone, had been throwing his usual focus off balance for days now.

Yeosang.

Jongho's eyes flicked up from the screen, landing on the figure across the room. Yeosang was standing by the printer, his expression tense as he fiddled with the machine, clearly struggling. Jongho could see the way Yeosang's fingers trembled slightly as he tried to figure out what was wrong, but he didn't ask anyone for help.

Jongho raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair as he watched the scene unfold. Yeosang was determined—quiet, but stubborn in his own way. He didn't like showing weakness, and Jongho found that... endearing, though he would never admit it. There was something refreshing about Yeosang's timid nature in a world where everyone was constantly vying for power or attention.

Despite the frustration on his face, Yeosang continued to struggle with the printer, biting his lip in concentration as if he could will the machine into working.

Jongho sighed softly, shaking his head. He shouldn't care. It wasn't his problem. Yeosang would figure it out eventually—or he wouldn't, and that would be his lesson to learn. But before Jongho could convince himself to stay seated, he was already standing, moving toward the printer without a word.

Yeosang didn't notice him at first, too caught up in his attempt to fix the machine. Jongho silently stepped up beside him, reaching over to press a few buttons, quickly resetting the printer's system. The whirring sound of the machine starting up again filled the air, and Yeosang blinked in surprise, turning to see Jongho beside him.

Jongho didn't meet his gaze. He kept his focus on the printer, making sure it was working properly before stepping back and walking away. He didn't need to say anything—it was fixed, and that was that.

But as he walked back toward his office, he heard Yeosang's soft voice behind him.

"Thank you."

Jongho's steps faltered for just a second, but he didn't turn around. Instead, he kept moving, quickly retreating to the sanctuary of his office. He could feel Yeosang's eyes on him, but he forced himself not to react. It was nothing—just a simple task, something anyone could have done.

So why did his chest feel tight?

He sat back down at his desk, trying to refocus on the reports in front of him. But his mind kept drifting back to the way Yeosang had looked at him—those wide, innocent eyes full of surprise and gratitude. It was a look that unsettled him in ways he couldn't explain.

Jongho pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the rapid thump of his heartbeat. Why was he reacting like this? His heart was racing, his palms slightly damp, and there was an unfamiliar warmth spreading through his body.

This wasn't normal. He didn't get flustered—especially not over something as trivial as helping an employee with a printer.

But Yeosang wasn't just another employee, was he?

Jongho closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He wasn't sure what it was about Yeosang that got under his skin. Maybe it was the contrast—how different Yeosang was from the people he usually worked with. There was a softness to him, a quiet determination that Jongho found himself drawn to, even if he didn't understand why.

But that didn't mean anything. Jongho wasn't the type to let emotions get in the way of his work, and he wasn't about to start now.

Still, as the hours passed, Jongho couldn't shake the image of Yeosang's shy smile from his mind. And no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the rapid beating of his heart reminded him that something was different—something he wasn't ready to face.