Quietly Yours | BEOMJUN

1. Introduction

The doors slid open and Choi Yeonjun stepped inside, his suit crisp and expressions unreadable.

Conversations in the hallway softened immediately. Voices lowered and shoulders straightened. A few people bowed slightly as he passed but he didn't acknowledge any of it, his eyes already on the schedule tablet in his hand.

The elevator doors closed behind him with a quiet ding. The ride up was silent. He stood alone with his hands folded behind his back and his gaze fixed on the glowing numbers changing slowly as the elevator moved higher.

When the doors opened again, the office floor was huge. Glass walls, muted colors, everything exactly where it was meant to be.

He walked straight to his desk and picked up a file that way lying on the table. He opened it, flipped through the pages, marked corrections and closed it, picking another one.

His assistant stood at the door, knocking gently on the glass. Yeonjun didn't look up.

"Speak"

The assistant told him about some changes in the schedule and he told him about the files. The instructions he gave were brief and clear. He spoke without showing any kind of emotions.

The assistant nodded, relief flickering across his face before he disappeared down the corridor. Hours passed like that. The sky outside his office windows darkened, city lights glowing one by one below.

Yeonjun didn't notice until the office lights dimmed automatically, reminding him of the time. He gathered his things and picked his bag up, leaving.

His apartment greeted him with silence when he unlocked the door. He entered inside, setting his keys down on the cabinet as one of the maids came and kept it in its usual place. Another maid lined his shoes up and hung his jacket neatly.

He picked up the glass of water kept on the coffee table in the living room and stood by the window, looking at the city spread out beneath him, alive, loud and distant. His phone buzzed on the counter, reflecting a message from his parents, but he didn't open it.

As the CEO, Yeonjun's name alone carried weight, his decisions final and unquestioned. Workdays ended late, but home never demanded anything of him. His apartment was vast, huge and always in order before he even stepped inside.

Staff moved around his absence, ironing his clothes, aligning his shoes and even smoothing his sheets into perfect corners. He never asked for it, it simply existed for him.

His parents had once tried to control his life. Loud, suffocating and demanding, but Yeonjun had walked away the moment he could stand on his own feet. He maintained his distance and did whatever he wanted to.

He made himself successful without their help. He worked day and night without caring about himself or anyone else. He didn't have anyone else except his best friend.

________

On the other hand, laughter spilled into the hallway before the door even opened. Choi Beomgyu slipped his shoes off at the entrance, barely managing to hang his bag properly before someone tugged at his sleeve.

He laughed, crouching down immediately, listening with a smile as small hands gestured wildly in front of him, handing him a paper which he assumed was a drawing the kid drew.

"Really? A dinosaur and a spaceship?"

He said with wide eyes and a wide smile. The kid nodded proudly.

"That's incredible!"

Beomgyu patted the kid and he ran away to show the drawing to his friends. Beomgyu stayed a little longer than he was supposed to that day.