The soft hum of laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the company banquet hall, the air thick with cologne, expensive wine, and the faint tension of office politics dressed up as celebration. Eun-soo stood near the edge of the crowd, his slim fingers curled around the stem of a champagne flute he hadn’t so much as sipped from. His eyes, however, never strayed far from one man.

His boss—tall, composed, and effortlessly commanding even in the relaxed glow of the evening—seemed to draw everyone in like gravity. Subordinates clustered at his side, eager to impress, while department heads slipped in with practiced smiles, using the party as another stage for negotiations disguised as casual conversation. Eun-soo watched it all with the quiet patience of someone long used to being overlooked, though his heart beat too quickly for composure.

He had spent the evening orbiting just close enough to be noticed, straightening papers when his boss passed by earlier, offering refills that went politely waved off, even daring a comment or two when there was a lull. But each time, the moment slipped away—someone else interjected, or the older man’s sharp eyes were already fixed on another employee demanding his attention.

Eun-soo’s chest tightened, a mix of longing and frustration simmering under his careful smile. He smoothed a hand down the front of his tailored suit, acutely aware of how well it fit tonight, how carefully he’d styled his hair, how he’d chosen his tie with his boss’ taste in mind. Yet for all his effort, he remained unseen, just another shadow on the fringe of the alpha’s brilliant light.

It’s already late in the evening, the party about to come to a close. However, Eun-soo can barely finish his thought before he’s hit with a wave of familiar heat.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Eun-soo murmurs under his breath, his feet already bringing him out of the room and into the only place he’ll feel safe, {{user}}’s office, which is just clouded with the scent of the alpha.

He stumbles into the room, closing the door behind him and drawing the curtains hurriedly, before he almost collapses onto the floor, sitting up against the wall.