"So... did you check him out?” Yunjin asked with a teasing grin on her face.
“I did,” Aeri answered, her cheeks flushed beet red.
“And?”
Aeri thought back on that private live she had with Hide. The huskiness in his voice when he guided and instructed her on what to do. The banter. How hard she came. The way he called her sweetheart.
Oh, there's a next time? His voice replayed in her head, making her stomach do backflips.
“He’s good.”
Yunjin's grin widened, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Ohhhh?" she cooed, clearly delighted by the confession. "So like... how good are we talking about?”
“Well,” Aeri circled her forefinger on the rim of her mug. “His content is not raunchy or straight porno. He’s… palattable.”
“Come on. Be specific. I need details."
"Do I really have to go into detail?" Aeri whined, burying her face in her hands.
Yunjin crossed her arms, nodding enthusiastically.
"Absolutely," She declared, crossing her arms and determined not to let her off the hook. "I recommended him, and I deserve a full report. So spill it—what did he do?"
Aeri glanced around the office, making sure no one was within earshot. Then, in the smallest voice possible: "Guided masturbating."
Yunjin's eyes widened, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' of surprise before she burst into giggles.
"No way!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. "Oh my god! That is wild. So he was like... directing you through it? Like a movie director but for... you know?"
"Yep. He invited me on a private live for the whole thing," Aeri stared at her mug, unable to make eye contact. "And that orgasm was... eye-opening."
Yunjin practically vibrated with excitement, her face lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Holy shit," she breathed. "That's actually really hot. I mean, not that I've experienced it or anything—" she quickly backtracked, blushing slightly.
"Girl, shut up. You're the one who recommended him to me," Aeri scoffed.
Yunjin held up her hands in mock surrender, still grinning.
"Okay, okay! I just never expected to actually participate in it," she admitted. "I figured you'd log on, scroll and watch for like five minutes, cringe, and close the tab and question your life choices.”
“I did. Before I even made my profile.”
“But you actually... committed."
"Mhmm," Aeri confirmed flatly.
"And I told you he was the real deal." Yunjin wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she sipped her coffee. “He’s hot, charming, sexy voice…”
"And he's also my neighbour."
Yunjin choked.
Like, actually choked. Coffee splashed over the rim of her cup as she slammed it down, eyes bulging like a cartoon character.
"I BEG YOUR FINEST FUCKING PARDON?!" she shrieked, loud enough that three people at nearby desks turned to look.
"Will you keep it down?!" Aeri hissed, slapping her arm. "I don't need the whole damn office knowing about this!"
Yunjin clamped her mouth shut, her eyes darting around to ensure no one was still watching. She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper.
"You’re telling me HideandTease is your neighbour?" she asked. Like... he lives in the same building? On the same floor? You could run into him in the elevator?"
"Already have. A handful of times."
Yunjin looked like she might pass out from excitement. “This is insane.”
“This is my life now,” Aeri replied. “And my life is currently a cruel, twisted joke.”
"No, no, no," she whispered. "That's a ROMANTIC COMEDY. Straight out of a Netflix K-Drama. Oh my god, what if you fall in love? What if you end up married? What if—"
"Please don't say it like that," Aeri cut her off, exasperated.
Yunjin bit her lip to stifle another giggle, but the excitement was still dancing in her eyes. “Come on! You’re basically living the Y/N life!”
Aeri cringed. “What? No! Keep your Wattpad/Ao3 nonsense to yourself.”
"Sorry," she whispered again, this time more seriously. "But seriously... what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna keep watching his lives? Are you gonna do another private call?"
Aeri straightened in her chair, trying to look professional. "I'll have to. For research. For my article."
Yunjin arched an eyebrow, giving her a long, knowing look.
"Are you sure it’s just for research?" she repeated slowly, savouring each syllable.
"Yes."
"Uh-huh."
"It's called journalistic integrity, Yunjin."
"Mm-hmm. Sure sounds like research to me," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Very professional. Very ethical. I'm sure Soyeon would approve."
Aeri opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out.
"Fuck off," Aeri muttered.
Yunjin cackled, unfazed by the irritation in her friend's voice.
"Denial is a river in Egypt," she sang teasingly, kicking her feet under the desk like a child.
"I hate you," Aeri said.
"No, you don't." Yunjin grinned. "You love me. I'm the only one who knows your secret now."
"That's not comforting."
"It should be. I'm excellent at keeping secrets." A pause. "Except for Ningning. I'm definitely telling Ningning."
"DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE—"
"I'm KIDDING. Mostly."
Aeri dropped her head onto her desk and groaned.
Yunjin cackled, thoroughly entertained by how flustered she was and patted her head mockingly.
“There, there, unnie,” she cooed, her voice still laced with mischief. “Your secret is safe with me. Unless Ningning bribes me.”
"I should never have introduced you to my friends."
Yunjin gasped dramatically, clutching her chest as if wounded.
"Hurtful," she said, feigning offence. "And after I introduced you to HideandTease, too! This is betrayal of the highest order."
“Die,” Aeri flipped her off.
Yunjin took an exaggerated sip of coffee while shooting Aeri a playful glare.
"Hey, ladies."
Both heads snapped toward the voice.
Aeri felt her heart drop to her ass and her soul leave her body.
Mark stood before them with a friendly smile — her ex-situationship, the man who'd spent a year treating her like a yo-yo, now leaning against Yunjin's cubicle like he hadn't absolutely wrecked her.
Aeri's face went pale.
Her heartbeat? Nonexistent.
Her survival instincts? Screaming.
"Hi," Yunjin said brightly, completely oblivious to Aeri's internal collapse.
Mark's eyes flickered between Aeri's flushed face and Yunjin's welcoming smile.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, his tone easygoing.
"No, no, no," Yunjin waved him off. "We were just catching up on some gossip. And no, we're not telling. It's between us girlies."
Mark chuckled, his gaze lingering on Aeri — who was now actively trying to disappear into her chair.
"Gossip, huh?" he mused. "Must be piping hot if you two are this invested."
Aeri swallowed hard. Why did life hate her like this?
Yunjin, ever the oblivious social butterfly, grinned at him.
"Oh yeah," she said cheerfully. "Super juicy gossip — like who's dating who, who cheated on their S.O. with a coworker — you know how it is."
She nudged Aeri subtly with her elbow as if to say: play along.
"Yeah," Aeri coughed. "We were totally up in people's love lives and business and all."
Mark raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by the sudden awkward energy radiating from Aeri.
"Love lives and business, huh?" he repeated with a small smirk. "Sounds intense."
He glanced at Aeri again — her stiff posture, her refusal to make eye contact — and something in his expression softened slightly. Guilt, maybe. Or just discomfort. Hard to tell.
Yunjin looked at her phone, her eyes widening in shock as she gasped. "Oh shit! I'm supposed to be helping Sophia with her column. Gotta go!"
“Wait, what?” Aeri’s eyes widened as she watched Yunjin grab her mug and scurry away so fast she practically left skid marks on the floor.
Don’t leave me alone here, she cried internally.
They made eye contact for half a second before Yunjin disappeared around the corner. In that half second, Aeri saw it: Sorry, not sorry.
Now it was just the two of them. Awkward silence stretched between them like a taut wire about to snap.
Mark cleared his throat, shifting slightly on his feet.
"So... uh," he started, suddenly looking unsure too.
The silence was almost unbearable.
Aeri sat at her desk, not wanting to look up. She hadn't been alone with him since they broke up—since he casually dropped the "there's someone else bomb," like he was just chatting about the weather.
"This is awkward," he chuckled nervously.
Aeri finally lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes for the first time since he'd approached.
Yeah. It is awkward.
She exhaled through her nose. No use pretending otherwise.
"Yeah," she admitted quietly. "Kinda."
Mark scratched the back of his neck — a nervous habit she remembered from when they were... whatever they were.
"How've you been?" he asked, painfully polite.
The small talk was killing her.
"I've been okay. Just busy," she answered vaguely.
He nodded, accepting the response without pushing.
"Cool," he said — another painfully generic reply.
A beat passed. Then two.
This was torture. Two people who used to know each other's rhythms were now reduced to awkward office small talk, like coworkers they barely tolerated.
"And how are things with the new girlfriend?" she asked.
Mark's face cringed slightly.
"Uh... yeah, we're good," he replied, a little too quickly. Then, after a pause, "We broke up, though."
He didn't elaborate. Why would he? They weren't close enough for that anymore.
Aeri blinked, surprised. "Already? It hasn't been a month."
"Well... we weren't exactly dating-dating," he answered, shifting his weight again. "We were taking things slow. Seeing where it would go."
Aeri nodded slowly, absorbing the information.
Taking things slow. Right. That made sense. He never committed easily unless it was serious.
"So... just a fling then?" she clarified, keeping her tone neutral despite the tiny flare of something in her chest — what, she didn't know.
"I mean, when you ended things..." she continued, "you said things were getting serious."
Mark's expression shifted. A flicker of guilt crossed his face.
Right. That conversation.
"Yeah, well," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck again. "Things changed after that."
A vague answer for a vague situation. Typical ex behavior — avoiding real explanations.
“Wow. Y’all barely made it through the honeymoon phase and y’all broke up,” she commented dryly.
Mark let out a chuckle despite himself. “Yeah. Crazy, innit.”
Another heavy silence fell between them. Aeri had nothing else to say—what could she say? "Sorry it didn't work out" felt too insincere, and digging deeper would only reopen old wounds.
Mark shifted his weight again.
"So... now what?" Aeri asked.
Mark exhaled, a small half-smile forming on his face.
"Honestly? I dunno," he admitted with a shrug. "I'm just... figuring things out, I guess."
The air between them was still thick with unspoken history — the good memories, the breakup mess, all of it lingering awkwardly in this moment.
Mark glanced at his wrist watch.
"Uh... I should probably go," he said, gesturing vaguely toward the door. "Johnny's probably looking for me."
There was a pause.
"Hey... uh... we're still friends, right? Despite everything?"
Aeri froze.
Friends?
The question caught her off guard. After the messy situationship, the awkwardness, and now this random office reunion... was that really possible?
She hesitated. Then nodded slowly.
"Yeah," she said softly. "We're still friends."
Mark smiled — a real one this time, not the nervous half-smile from before.
"I'm glad. You're still coming to the work party this Friday?"
Aeri hadn't even considered it yet. But now that he mentioned it, she remembered the email — the one she'd marked as "maybe" and promptly forgot about it.
"Oh... yeah," she confirmed. "I'll come."
The thought of seeing him there — in a more casual setting, with drinks and music — made her stomach flip weirdly again.
"Great. I hope to see you there. We can catch up properly."
Aeri offered a small, polite smile and nodded.
"Yeah... sounds good," she said, her tone careful — not too eager, not too distant. Just neutral.
Mark gave her one last nod before turning and heading off toward his meeting.
Aeri watched him go, her smile fading the moment his back was turned.
Work party. Friday.
"Absolutely not," Ningning deapanned.
Aeri was on a video call with the girls, trying to find something to wear to the work party. Karina was lounging on her bed with the camera at a weird angle, showing her chin. Ningning was in the living room, doing her nails, and Minjeong was in the laundry room ironing her boss’s clothes.
"I didn't even say anything yet," Aeri complained.
"You don't have to say anything. I felt the spirit of a bad decision entering the room through my phone," Ningning retorted.
"Oh my God, Ning. It’s platonic," Aeri rolled her eyes.
"Define 'platonic', babe, 'cause last time you and Mark Lee were platonic, it ended up in the bed with hickeys, regrets after and a situationship that lasted longer than Minjeong's husband during sex."
Minjeong’s face flushed with embarrassment. "Okay. That was uncalled for.”
"I say it with love, unnie," Ningning blew a kiss.
Minjeong flipped her off before she folded the freshly ironed pair of jeans and put them away in the laundry basket.
"So… you're going to the party knowing Mark will be there?" Karina clarified.
“Like I said. The spirit of bad decision has entered the room, and we need to exorcise it immediately.”
Minjeong sighed, placing the white collar shirt onto the ironing board. "I mean… It's just a work party. Not a date.”
“Yet she’s asking for advice on what to wear to said work party.”
"The theme says, dress to impress," Aeri said.
"Impress who?" Ningning asked. "The dude who just got dumped after a month of dating?"
"He didn't get dumped. He said they broke up," Aeri rolled her eyes.
"What a shocker! His relationship implodes faster than the Oceangate Titan submarine before it even got to see the Titanic." Ningning scoffed, blowing her nails. “And to add the cherry on top, you’re already wearing a sexy two-piece lace lingerie and the stockings to go with it.”
Aeri glanced down at her lingerie. The deep red orchids stitched into the sheer mesh popped against her skin, creating a nice contrast with the bold black straps that hugged her hips. A little heart charm hung in the middle of her bra, catching the low light with every breath she took. Meanwhile, the heavy lace of her thigh-high stockings held the garter straps snugly against her skin.
“Hey. This set makes my tits and ass pop out,” Aeri retorted.
“I rest my case,” Ningning replied. “But I agree that set is giving body tea.”
"I dunno. Maybe Mark's changed and maturing," Minjeong offered, setting the iron aside to flip the shirt over.
"He's maturing now?" Ningning exclaimed in disbelief. "This is late-stage. I don't, I don't believe it for a second."
"You're not even giving him a chance," Aeri retaliated.
"Girl, you've given him more samples than the damn kiosks at the mall!" Ningning pointed out.
"Okay, wow. Rude."
"You know, maybe you're right. What am I talking about? Maybe after the 70th breakup within the next few years together, maybe this time he'll actually change."
"For the last time, he just wants us to be friends!"
"So instead of the bar being in the pits of hell, it's just at the gate," Ningning let out a sarcastic laugh, shaking the bottle of nail polish. "The front door, even."
Karina snorted, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Minjeong sighed.
"Okay, okay," Karina interjected, clearly her throat. "Let’s not roast him too hard. Aeri wants an outfit for the party—that’s what we’re here for."
"Why of course, if you're planning on seducing the serial situationship-er, at least look drop-dead gorgeous while doing so. I'll support your rights and your wrongs, regardless, babes," Ningning grinned.
Minjeong rolled her eyes and turned back to Aeri expectantly. "So… what are you thinking?"
Aeri pulled out two dresses and held them up for inspection.
The first was a long-sleeved red number — bold, attention-grabbing, the kind of dress that said look at me. The second was a black bodycon — sleek, understated, the kind of dress that said look at me if you dare.
Ningning didn't even hesitate.
"Black one," she said, gesturing with her nail file like she was making a big point. "Pair it up with a white fur shawl and some silver sandals."
Karina leaned in, inspecting both options with the serious expression of someone judging a competition.
"Black is a good choice," she agreed. "It's elegant. Sleek. Makes a statement without screaming for attention."
Minjeong nodded along, clearly on board with Ningning's fashion dictatorship.
"And the shawl adds that soft luxury baddie touch to it," she added approvingly. "It'll look gorgeous — like old Hollywood but make it modern."
Aeri looked down at the black dress. "You don't think it's too much?"
Ningning snorted, rolling her eyes. "Unnie, you're going to a party where your ex-situationship is going to be present. Too much is the bare minimum at this point."
“Are you taking a plus one?” Karina asked.
“Oooh! Take your hot neighbour,” Ningning gleed with excitement.
“No, I don’t have a plus one,” Aeri pointed to Karina. “And no. I’m not taking my neighbour,” she shot Ningning an unamused look.
"Booo. You're no fun," Ningning pouted, flopping back in her chair.
“We’re not that close.”
“Well… seeing that you’ve seen him boning another chick from your balcony—
“Yah!”
"I’m just saying. The hot neighbour would've been a power move— Mark seeing you with another guy?” Ningning did a chef’s kiss gesture. “Iconic."
“You just want free drama, don’t you?” Minjeong shook her head.
“Of course, drama is the lifeblood of this friend group,” Ningning admitted shamelessly.
Karina chuckled but shook her head. "Plus one or not, the black dress is perfect," she reassured Aeri. "Just go for it— you’ll slay."