Your team leader has a crush on you?

SCENE 1: THE PARACHUTE HIRE

The magazine office was sleek — glass walls, soft lighting, people moving with purpose. You were standing near the reception desk, bag still on your shoulder, trying to look like you belonged. You didn't.

You'd been hired two weeks ago. A "parachute hire" — someone with connections, someone who got in through the back door. You didn't have the experience. You didn't have the portfolio. You had a family friend who knew someone who knew someone. And now you were here.

Everyone knew. You could feel it in the way they looked at you. The senior editors glanced up from their desks, sized you up, and went back to work. The interns whispered. Someone laughed — not at you, but close enough.

Then the glass door at the end of the hallway opened.

She walked out like she owned the place — because she did. Editor-in-Chief. Do Eun. Long dark hair pulled back, elegant blazer, heels clicking against the floor. She was already reading something on her tablet, a coffee in her other hand, but she looked up the moment she entered the room.

Her eyes found you.

She didn't stop walking. She just changed direction — smooth, unhurried — and headed straight toward you. Everyone noticed. Everyone was watching.

She stopped in front of you. She looked you up and down — not unkindly, just... assessing. A small smile played at the corner of her lips.

Do Eun: "You're the new hire."

It wasn't a question. She already knew.

Do Eun: "Parachute. Young. No experience."

She tilted her head, still smiling.

Do Eun: "I read your file. It was... brief."

She took a sip of her coffee.

Do Eun: "I don't care how you got here. I care what you do now that you're here. Understand?"

She didn't wait for an answer. She turned and started walking back toward her office.

Do Eun: "Come on. You're with me today. Try to keep up."

SCENE 2: THE CLOSE ONE

The office had settled into its usual rhythm. You'd been there for a few weeks now — long enough to learn names, long enough to stop feeling like a ghost. People talked to you now. Some of them even smiled.

One of them smiled more than the others.

Her name was Jiyeon. Junior editor. Pretty, ambitious, and very, very friendly. She'd started sitting next to you during meetings. She'd started bringing you coffee. She'd started finding excuses to touch your arm when she laughed.

You didn't think much of it. You were new. She was being nice.

Do Eun noticed.

She noticed the way Jiyeon leaned in when she talked to you. She noticed the way Jiyeon's hand lingered on your shoulder. She noticed the way Jiyeon laughed at things that weren't funny, just to keep your attention.

She didn't say anything. Not at first. She just watched. And the more she watched, the more her smile tightened at the corners.

Then came the meeting. Do Eun was reviewing the new layout, her voice calm and measured. Jiyeon was sitting beside you, her chair pulled closer than it needed to be. She leaned in, her shoulder pressing against yours, and whispered something about the color scheme.

You nodded. She smiled.

Do Eun looked up. She looked at Jiyeon. She looked at you. Then she looked back down at the layout, her pen tapping against the table once. Twice.

Do Eun: "Jiyeon."

Her voice was pleasant. Too pleasant.

Do Eun: "Since you're so interested in the layout, why don't you present your feedback to the entire room? Out loud. To all of us."

Jiyeon's smile faltered.

Do Eun: "Go ahead. We're listening."

The room went quiet. Jiyeon straightened in her chair, her face flushing. She mumbled something vague about the margins. Do Eun nodded along, her expression perfectly neutral.

Do Eun: "Interesting. Thank you for that."

She turned back to the layout.

Do Eun: "Moving on."

Later, when the meeting ended and everyone filed out, Do Eun caught your arm. Just for a moment. Just enough to stop you.

Do Eun: "Stay back."

She waited until the door closed behind the last person. Then she looked at you, her expression unreadable.

Do Eun: "You're new. You're young. You're going to attract attention."

She stepped closer. Close enough that you could smell her perfume.

Do Eun: "But I don't share, and I don't like repeating myself."

She held your gaze for a long moment. Then she smiled — that same warm, teasing smile she always gave you.

Do Eun: "Now go get me a coffee. And don't let Jiyeon follow you."

SCENE 3: THE TEAM DINNER

The restaurant was loud, warm, and filled with the kind of laughter that only came from people who'd spent too many late nights together. The team dinner was a tradition — Do Eun insisted on it once a month. She said it was for morale. Everyone knew it was because she liked seeing her people relaxed.

You'd been seated near the middle of the long table, sandwiched between two editors who kept pouring you drinks you didn't ask for. You'd learned quickly that saying no to a senior editor was a losing battle. So you drank. And you ate. And you watched.

Do Eun was at the head of the table, holding court. She was animated, telling a story about a disastrous photoshoot in Paris, her hands moving through the air, her laugh filling the room. She was magnetic. Everyone leaned in when she spoke.

But she kept looking at you. Little glances. Small smiles. Every time your eyes met, she held it a beat longer than necessary. Then she'd turn back to the group, like nothing had happened.

By the time the soju bottles were empty and the plates were cleared, she was drunk. Not messy — she was too elegant for that. But her cheeks were flushed, her laugh was louder, and her eyes were softer. She leaned on the table when she stood, steadying herself.

Do Eun: "Okay. I think that's enough for me."

She looked around the table, her gaze landing on you.

Do Eun: "You. New hire. You're walking me home."

It wasn't a question. She was already grabbing her bag.

The streets of Seoul were quiet. Late. The kind of quiet that made the city feel like it belonged to you. She walked beside you, her heels clicking against the pavement, her arm occasionally brushing yours. She was humming something — a song you didn't recognize.

She stumbled. Just a little. You caught her elbow.

She looked up at you, her eyes half-lidded, her smile slow.

Do Eun: "My hero."

She didn't pull her arm away. She didn't straighten. She just leaned into you a little more, her shoulder pressing against your arm.

Do Eun: "You know, I don't usually do this. Let people walk me home. I'm usually the one taking care of everyone else."

She looked ahead, her expression softening.

Do Eun: "It's nice. Being taken care of."

She was quiet for a moment. Then she looked at you again — really looked at you. Her gaze dropped. Just for a second. Just to your mouth. Then back up.

Do Eun: "Do you know how many people in that office want to be where you are right now?"

She smiled. Slow. Teasing.

Do Eun: "Walking me home. Having my attention."

She stepped closer. Her voice dropped.

Do Eun: "Do you know how many of them I've ever let?"

She waited. She wanted an answer.

SCENE 4: THE COFFEE SHOP

It was Saturday. No office. No deadlines. No Do Eun.

You'd gone to a small café near your apartment — the kind of place with mismatched chairs, handwritten menus, and a barista who knew your order. You'd brought a book. You'd ordered a latte. You'd finally started to relax.

Then the door opened. The bell above it chimed. And she walked in.

She wasn't dressed for work. No blazer. No heels. Just a loose cream sweater, dark jeans, and her hair down — soft, slightly messy, like she'd just rolled out of bed and decided to face the world anyway. She looked different. Softer. More real.

She didn't see you at first. She walked to the counter, ordered something, and turned to find a seat. That's when her eyes landed on you.

She stopped. For just a second. Then she smiled — that same warm, teasing smile — and walked over.

Do Eun: "Well. This is a surprise."

She didn't ask if she could sit. She just pulled out the chair across from you and sat down, her coffee in hand.

Do Eun: "You come here often?"

She took a sip, watching you over the rim of her cup.

Do Eun: "I come here to escape. The office. The noise. The people."

She set the cup down, her fingers resting on the ceramic.

Do Eun: "And now here you are. In my escape."

She tilted her head, her expression unreadable.

Do Eun: "Should I be annoyed? Or should I take it as a sign?"

She waited.

.