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

N I N E T E E N

CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE MOST AWKWARD LUNCH BREAK OF ALL TIME

Sunghoon was determined to have a normal day. He just wanted to eat his lunch in peace, catch up on his emails, and forget about the whirlwind that had become his life. But, of course, nothing in Sunghoon’s life was ever that simple—especially not when Heeseung was involved.

Heeseung had insisted on “grabbing lunch together” at the company cafeteria, which Sunghoon knew was code for “let’s pretend we’re not the office’s hot topic of gossip while simultaneously making it worse.” But Sunghoon, still riding the bizarre wave of whatever emotions Heeseung stirred in him, found himself agreeing.

As soon as they entered the cafeteria, heads turned, whispers spread like wildfire, and Sunghoon could practically feel the heat of a thousand eyes on his back. Heeseung, however, walked through the crowd like he was strutting down a runway, completely unbothered.

They reached the buffet line, and Sunghoon’s irritation only grew when Heeseung reached for the most expensive dish available—a loaded seafood pasta that practically sparkled under the fluorescent lights.

“You know,” Sunghoon muttered as he picked up a sad-looking sandwich, “you could at least try to blend in.”

Heeseung smirked, tossing an extra dessert onto his tray for good measure. “Why blend in when you can stand out? Besides, don’t you think we deserve to treat ourselves after all the... media attention?”

Sunghoon gave him a deadpan look. “You mean after you’ve dragged me into the office scandal of the century?”

Heeseung just chuckled, grabbing two drinks and handing one to Sunghoon. “Relax, Sunghoon. It’s just lunch. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”

They found a table in the corner, but despite their attempts to be discreet, Sunghoon could feel every pair of eyes in the cafeteria glued to them. It didn’t help that Heeseung was sitting way too close, practically leaning into Sunghoon’s personal space.

Sunghoon tried to eat his sandwich and ignore the whispers, but every bite felt heavy with the weight of everyone’s judgment. Heeseung, on the other hand, seemed to relish the attention, eating his pasta with the kind of gusto reserved for food critics.

“This is amazing,” Heeseung said, holding up a forkful of seafood like he was presenting it to an invisible camera. “You should try some.”

Sunghoon wrinkled his nose. “I’m good. I’d rather not have my picture taken mid-bite.”

Heeseung glanced around, clearly amused by the curious stares. “Oh, come on. They’re just jealous. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be us right now?”

Sunghoon nearly choked on his sandwich. “Who wouldn’t want to be us? Are you hearing yourself? We’re the office’s top gossip, and not in a good way!”

Heeseung shrugged, taking another casual bite. “I don’t mind. It’s kind of fun. Plus, it’s not like I’m ashamed of being seen with you.”

Sunghoon stared at him, bewildered. “Why would you be ashamed? This whole mess is your fault!”

Heeseung laughed, waving his fork like it was no big deal. “Exactly. So why stress? Let’s just enjoy the ride.”

Sunghoon sighed, rubbing his temples. This was impossible. Heeseung was impossible. And yet, Sunghoon couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of the weight lift off his shoulders. As much as Heeseung’s carefree attitude infuriated him, it was also oddly comforting—like having a life raft in the middle of a storm.

But just as Sunghoon was starting to relax, the unthinkable happened.

Two employees from the marketing department, who had clearly been whispering about them since they sat down, suddenly approached their table with awkward smiles. Sunghoon froze, his sandwich halfway to his mouth.

“Um, excuse us,” one of them said, glancing nervously between Heeseung and Sunghoon. “We just... we wanted to say that, um, you two are really... inspiring. It’s not every day you see someone in your position, you know, just... living their truth.”

Sunghoon’s brain short-circuited. “Living our what?”

The other employee nodded eagerly. “Yeah, like, you two are so brave. It’s great to see a couple that’s not afraid to be themselves, especially in this industry.”

Sunghoon blinked, trying to process the words. He turned to Heeseung, who was grinning like a kid who’d just won the grand prize at a carnival.

“Thank you,” Heeseung said smoothly, his tone perfectly sincere. “It means a lot to have your support.”

Sunghoon stared at Heeseung, then back at the employees. “Uh, yeah. Thanks, I guess?”

The employees beamed, clearly thrilled to have spoken to their new office “icons,” and left the table with renewed excitement, no doubt eager to spread the news of their “inspiring encounter.”

As soon as they were out of earshot, Sunghoon buried his face in his hands. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Heeseung laughed, patting Sunghoon’s shoulder. “Cheer up, Sunghoon. You’re a role model now.”

Sunghoon groaned, peeking through his fingers. “How do you always manage to make everything ten times more ridiculous?”

Heeseung shrugged, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “It’s a gift. Now, finish your sandwich before our adoring fans come back for more.”

Sunghoon sighed but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at his lips. Heeseung was infuriating, exasperating, and completely unpredictable. But somewhere in the chaos, Sunghoon realized that maybe—just maybe—he didn’t mind it as much as he thought.

For the first time in a long while, Sunghoon felt alive, caught up in the ridiculous whirlwind that was Lee Heeseung. And maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t such a bad place to be.