Chak lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and slowly began washing me, his touch gentle and careful. I leaned against him completely, letting myself melt into the warmth of his body and the feeling of his hands moving over my skin. After drying me off, he kept leaving small kisses everywhere, soft and unhurried.
When he finished, he picked me up again and carried me back into the bedroom before carefully placing me down in the armchair near the bed. He walked to the wardrobe and pulled out our clothes.
"Chaky," I murmured, watching him quietly, "I don't want to go to work."
"You're going, Artist," he replied calmly as he started dressing me himself.
I knew if I looked at him sadly enough, there was always a chance he would change his mind.
But this time he didn't.
Instead, he buttoned his own shirt while standing in front of me, completely composed again, like the man from earlier had disappeared somewhere beneath the CEO mask he wore so naturally. Then he walked to the nightstand and pulled out a small black box.
I watched curiously as he opened it and put on a pair of black glasses.
And just like that—
dangerous.
Actually dangerous.
My breath caught immediately.
Chak noticed, of course.
"What?" he asked as he adjusted the glasses.
"That should honestly be illegal."
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "Dramatic again."
"You literally transformed into a doctor in three seconds."
He stepped closer, fixing the collar of my shirt with infuriating calmness. "And yet you're still staring."
"I'm your boyfriend. It's my job."
"Hm."
That tiny sound alone nearly ruined me again.
Before I could say anything else, Chak leaned down and pressed a quick kiss against my forehead. "Come on. Coffee before you start flirting with me again."
"I never stopped flirting with you."
"I noticed."
He took my hand and led me downstairs toward the kitchen, still holding onto me like it was the most natural thing in the world. I was half awake, half following him blindly, still distracted by the glasses.
The moment we stepped into the kitchen though, both of us stopped.
A maid standing near the counter nearly dropped the mug she was holding.
Her eyes widened in complete shock as she stared at us.
"Oh— Sir Chak?!"
Chak blinked once, clearly not expecting anyone there this early.
The maid quickly straightened herself, looking both embarrassed and confused. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I thought you already left for Slovenia this morning."
I frowned slightly, confused for half a second before remembering.
Right.
The Slovenia trip.
Chak answered before I could say anything. "We're leaving this afternoon instead."
"Yes, sir," she replied quickly, still looking surprised to see us standing there together like this.
I glanced at Chak while he calmly walked toward the coffee machine as if nothing happened.
The maid quietly turned away again, pretending not to listen, though the poor woman was absolutely listening.
I moved closer to Chak and lowered my voice. "She definitely knows we woke up late because of you."
Chak handed me a cup of coffee without even looking at me. "Because of me?"
I stared at him in disbelief.
"You literally pinned me to the bed this morning."
"And you moaning so much," he replied calmly.
My mouth fell open.
The maid suddenly coughed into her sleeve, clearly trying not to laugh.
"Chak!"
He finally looked at me then, completely unreadable behind those black glasses. "Artist, drink your coffee."
I narrowed my eyes at him while he took a slow sip from his own cup like the most unbothered man alive.
Honestly?
Those glasses were becoming a serious problem.
We finished our coffee surprisingly fast after that, mostly because every time I looked at Chak, those black glasses distracted me all over again.
The maid wished us a safe trip before disappearing toward the pantry, probably relieved to escape whatever strange energy we had brought into the kitchen this morning.
Meanwhile, Chak picked up my bag for me before I could even reach for it.
"I can carry my own things," I complained automatically.
"I know."
"Then why are you carrying them?"
Without missing a beat, he answered, "Because I want to."
I stared at him for a second.
Then quietly gave up arguing.
A few minutes later, we were already inside the car, the city slowly waking around us as Chak drove us toward the company building. Morning sunlight reflected against the windows while soft music played quietly in the background.
For once, neither of us spoke much.
I was still sleepy enough to lean my head against the seat, watching the streets pass by while Chak drove with one hand resting lazily on the steering wheel.
And unfortunately—
the glasses were still there.
"You're staring again," Chak noted calmly without taking his eyes off the road.
"I'm trying to understand why you suddenly look like the CEO of an underground criminal organization."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Then, after a moment, Chak slowed slightly near a large intersection.
"This is where we first saw each other."
I blinked and looked outside.
The intersection.
For a second, I just stared at it while memories slowly returned.
First day of work
Traffic.
That black car.
And him.
"You remember?" I asked softly.
"I remember everything about that day."
Something warm twisted painfully inside my chest.
The light ahead turned red, forcing the car to stop.
Chak leaned back slightly against the seat, gaze still forward. "I was wearing these glasses then too."
I looked at him again.
Right.
He had been.
Back then, he had looked untouchable.
Cold.
Completely out of reach.
"I remember thinking you were terrifying," I admitted quietly.
One corner of his lips lifted faintly. "Smart instinct."
I laughed softly.
Then I remembered something else.
"But when you got out of the car…" My voice slowed slightly. "You took them off."
Chak finally turned his head toward me.
The city noise outside suddenly felt distant.
"Mhm."
"Why?"
For a second, he didn't answer.
Then his gaze softened in that dangerous way only I ever got to see.
"Because I wanted you to see my eyes."
My breath caught instantly.
Chak looked back toward the road just as the light changed green again, driving forward like he hadn't just destroyed my entire emotional stability before nine in the morning.
Meanwhile, I sat there silently, heart beating way too fast.
"…You can't just say things like that so casually."
"I can," he replied calmly.
I turned toward the window immediately, trying to hide the smile pulling at my lips.
Behind me, I heard Chak laugh quietly to himself.
And somehow—
that sound still felt like home.
By the time we reached the company building, both of us had already slipped back into our usual roles almost effortlessly.
Almost.
Because every now and then, when Chak glanced at me over the top of those glasses, I remembered exactly how the morning had started, and suddenly acting normal became significantly harder.
The car stopped in the underground parking garage.
Before getting out, Chak looked at me briefly. "You go first."
I immediately understood why.
If we walked in together after arriving late, looking like this, people would start talking within five minutes.
Not that they didn't already talk.
But still.
I unbuckled my seatbelt slowly. "How long?"
"Fifteen minutes."
I sighed dramatically. "So cold."
"You'll survive."
"Barely."
The corner of his mouth twitched faintly before he reached over and fixed a strand of hair that had fallen into my eyes. The gesture was quick, subtle, but so naturally affectionate it made my chest tighten.
Then, just like that, the CEO expression returned.
"Go, Artist."
I narrowed my eyes at him before finally stepping out of the car.
The elevator ride up felt strangely normal after the chaos of the morning. Employees greeted me politely as I walked through the office floor toward my desk, and I greeted them back while trying very hard not to think about the fact that less than an hour ago I had been sitting in Chak's lap under a blanket.
Taeng looked up the second he saw me.
"…You're late."
"So are you."
"Yes, but I look stressed. You look suspiciously happy."
I immediately sat down at my desk. "I don't know what you mean."
Taeng stared at me for a long moment.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"…Oh no."
"What?"
"You have that face."
"What face?"
"The 'I definitely kissed the CEO before work' face."
I nearly choked on absolutely nothing.
Before I could answer, the atmosphere around the office shifted subtly.
People straightened slightly.
Conversations quieted.
And fifteen minutes after me—
Chak walked in.
Composed.
Perfectly dressed.
Cold expression back in place.
Black glasses still on.
He moved through the office with calm confidence while employees greeted him respectfully, none of them noticing anything unusual.
Or at least that's what I thought until his eyes briefly lifted toward me across the room.
Just one second.
One look.
But I felt it instantly.
Taeng followed my gaze.
Then slowly looked between the two of us.
"…Absolutely not," he muttered under his breath.
I grabbed random papers from my desk immediately, pretending to be extremely busy.
Meanwhile, Chak continued walking like nothing had happened at all.
Completely professional.
Completely controlled.
Until he passed my desk and calmly placed a coffee beside my laptop without even slowing down.
"Bring me a coffe." he said smoothly before continuing toward his office.
The entire department went silent.
I stared at the coffee.
Then slowly at Taeng.
Taeng stared back at me with the exhausted expression of a man who had finally connected every possible dot.
"…You two are unbelievable."