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

T H I R T E E N

CHAPTER THIRTEEN; THE OFFICE RUMOUR MILL

Sunghoon’s Monday morning started like any other—except for the nagging sense of dread gnawing at his insides. It had been two days since his dinner with Heeseung, and while they had returned to their usual work routine, something had changed. Sunghoon had hoped his feelings would subside if he buried himself in spreadsheets and reports, but every time he glanced at Heeseung, his stupid heart skipped a beat.

Today was no different. Sunghoon strolled into the office, holding his coffee cup like it was his only source of sanity, when he noticed something strange. People were staring at him. Like, really staring.

Coworkers who normally nodded politely or ignored him altogether were suddenly whispering to each other, sneaking glances his way. Sunghoon frowned, glancing down at his outfit. Had he spilled coffee on himself? Was his fly down? He patted himself down but found nothing amiss.

Trying to shake off the weird vibe, Sunghoon made his way to his desk, hoping to find refuge in the quiet of his workspace. But as he passed by, he caught snippets of hushed conversations that made him pause.

“Did you hear about Sunghoon and Heeseung?”

“No way. Are they really...?”

“I saw them together at the restaurant on Saturday. They looked so cozy.”

Sunghoon’s eyes widened. He wasn’t imagining things. He was the center of an office gossip storm, and from the sound of it, Heeseung was right in the eye of it too.

📌🖇

Heeseung was used to being the subject of office chatter—being the new CEO and his father’s son came with the territory. But this morning, the whispers were louder, and they weren’t about his leadership or his latest business decisions. No, they were all about Sunghoon and him.

Heeseung tried to keep his expression neutral as he entered the office, but he could feel the curious eyes following his every move. He made his way to his office, catching snippets of conversations that only confirmed his suspicions.

“I swear, they were laughing and everything. It’s like they were on a date.”

“Sunghoon, of all people? That’s unexpected.”

Heeseung stifled a smile. He didn’t mind the rumors, if he was being honest. In fact, the idea of people thinking he and Sunghoon were close brought an unexpected warmth to his chest. But he knew Sunghoon wouldn’t feel the same way. If anything, Sunghoon would be mortified.

📌🖇

By lunchtime, the rumor mill was in full swing, and Sunghoon couldn’t escape it. He sat at his usual spot in the cafeteria, pretending not to hear the gossip that buzzed around him like a swarm of bees. It was everywhere. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, every conversation seemed to circle back to him and Heeseung.

“Did you see the way they were looking at each other during the meeting? There’s definitely something going on.”

“Do you think Sunghoon’s dating the boss to get a promotion?”

Sunghoon nearly choked on his sandwich at that one. His hands trembled slightly as he took a sip of his drink, trying to calm himself down. This was a nightmare. It wasn’t just his awkward dinner with Heeseung that was under scrutiny—it was his entire career. And the idea that people thought he was using Heeseung for personal gain made him sick.

Just as he was about to leave, a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought. “Sunghoon, are you okay?”

Sunghoon looked up to see Sooyoung, a fellow employee and one of the few people at work who didn’t irritate him. She sat down across from him, her expression a mix of concern and curiosity.