His CEO

fallen

As Insung opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the warm sensation of a hand holding his. He turned his head slightly and found Jihyo's face inches away from him, her head resting on the edge of the bed while er hair cascaded over her face, and her soft breathing was the only sound in the quiet room.

His heart fluttered with a mixture of emotions upon seeing her up close. The thought of she had taken care of him through the night, and the sight of her there made him smile.

Suddenly, Jihyo stirred from her sleep and Insung quickly closed his eyes, pretending to still be asleep. Then, he heard her gasp softly.

"Aigoo, his temperature is still high," she murmured, a hint of panic in her voice. He felt her begin to pull her hand away, but he tightened his grip, keeping her close.

"Stay," he whispered, his eyes still closed. "Just stay beside me."

Jihyo froze for a moment, her breath hitching. "Insung-ssi, I... I don't think we should continue to be like this," she said softly, her voice trembling.

Insung opened his eyes, looking directly into hers. "Jihyo-yah," he said gently, his hand moving to cup her cheek. "I don't care how we started. What matters is how I feel now. I want you here, with me."

Before she could protest further, he pulled her into a gentle embrace. His arms wrapped around her, and she hesitated only for a second before melting into his warmth.

"Insung-ah," she began, but he silenced her with a soft, reassuring hug.

"Just stay," he whispered into her hair. "Stop thinking about anything or anyone right now."

She relaxed completely, her arms finding their way around him. They stayed like that; the world outside was completely forgotten, at least for now. And eventually, they drifted back to sleep, still holding each other close.

The sun was high in the sky when Jihyo and Insung finally woke up, still wrapped in each other's arms. Jihyo insisted on preparing breakfast for Insung as a way of paying back to him since he usually prepared their meal for the past times they were together. As they sat down to eat, the comfortable silence was interrupted by a knock at Jihyo's door.

Jihyo quickly got up to answer it, revealing her best friend Yoojin standing there with a pack of homemade side dishes.

"Surprise!" Yoojin beamed, holding up the pack. "I brought you some homemade side dishes from my mother's hometown and to celebrate your successful contract signing."

Yoojin's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Insung standing behind Jihyo, his hair tousled and his shirt slightly wrinkled. Jihyo's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she stepped aside to let Yoojin in.

"Uh... I assume you already know about him," Jihyo began awkwardly. "But yeah, this is Insung."

"Hi," Insung said with a polite nod, offering a small smile.

Yoojin looked between them, eyebrows raised. "Well, this is a surprise," she said, setting the side dishes on the table. "But he's the one Yejin always talks about, right?"

"The one who always annoys her— yes, that's me," Insung explained jokingly.

"Right, Insung-ssi. Speaking of Yejin, you might want to hide because they are on their way too," Yoojin advised.

"What?!" Jihyo shockingly said. "How much time do we have left?"

"Less than 15 minutes at its maximum. They're already at the parking."

"Why didn't you say right away?!"

"Yah, it was obviously a surprise! And besides, I didn't know you had someone over!"