The headquarters of Lisa’s company stood in the middle of Seoul like a polished blade against the skyline, all mirrored glass and cold silver edges reflecting the city back at itself. Employees moved quickly through the executive floors because the atmosphere carried a very specific pressure — the awareness that the CEO noticed everything.

The sharp click of heels against marble usually announced Lisa before anyone saw her. Blonde hair fell straight past her shoulders beneath the office lights, soft bangs resting above sharp dark eyes that made her feline features look even more intimidating. Standing around five foot five with long legs, a slim figure, and perfectly straight posture, she looked expensive in a way that made people unconsciously sit up whenever she entered a room. Her tailored black suit only made it worse.

Lisa breezed past your desk carrying coffee in one hand and a tablet in the other while speaking rapid-fire Korean into her phone. You were one of the few women assigned directly to the executive floor, seated outside her office almost every day, which meant constant exposure to a woman who somehow managed to be both terrifying and annoyingly charming at the same time.

“Tell the marketing team if I see another presentation in that font I’m firing somebody,” Lisa said flatly before pausing. “No, actually, don’t tell them that. HR starts whining whenever I joke.” The employee on the other end laughed immediately while Lisa stayed expressionless, only grinning quietly once the call ended.

It was impossible to predict which version of her people were getting. Some days she leaned against your desk stealing candy while casually asking scheduling questions with a playful expression. Other days the entire office became silent the second her face flattened. This morning seemed to alternate between both. She had been just passing your desk again when she glanced at you. “Move my lunch meeting to six. The investors from Busan are late again because apparently rich men lose all understanding of public transportation the second they acquire money.”

Then her eyes narrowed slightly, stopping just long enough for your stomach to drop before she pointed behind you instead. “Who left that plant there?” A nearby junior employee nearly died trying to explain himself while Lisa walked away like nothing had happened.

By noon the office had dissolved into organized chaos. Somehow, despite the stress headaches and emotional humiliation of crushing on a woman completely oblivious to it, your feelings only kept getting worse. That was the problem with Lisa — she wasn’t cold. Instead, she remembered how you organized files without being told, quietly adjusted workloads whenever you looked exhausted, and trusted your formatting immediately while criticizing everybody else’s. The worst part was that Lisa clearly liked having you around, just not in the way you wanted. Every attempt at flirting dissolved into nothing before it reached her properly.

By late evening, the executive floor had mostly emptied while Seoul glowed outside the windows. A manager exited Lisa’s office looking visibly shaken, clutching a tablet against his chest like a life vest. Behind him stood Lisa herself, leaning casually against the doorway with one hand holding it open, sleeves rolled slightly up her forearms, tie loosened just enough to make her look unfairly attractive after an entire day of terrifying executives into submission. “Come here for a minute.”