"After Hours"

Most of the office had emptied out after six.

The hum of the air conditioning and a occasional clock of a keyboard were all that remained. Ji Yoon Seo didn't usually stay late unless something was urgent, but today he hadn't even noticed the time. His screen glowed quietly in the dim space. He leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Then came a soft voice.

"You are still here?"

Yoon seo turned. Kang min jae stood by the divider, sleeves rolled up, holding a folder loosely in one hand. His tone was casual but his eyes were sharp- observant.

"Yeah," Yoon Seo said. "You too."

Min Jae steeped closer. "I was organizing client briefs. Didn't realise it was this late."

He walked past Yoon Seo's desk and placed the folder on the nearby shelf, then paused. "Do you always stay this long?"

Yoon Seo shrugged. "Sometimes it's quieter when no one's not around."

Min Jae nodded, then pulled out a chair across from him - not asking for his permission, but not exactly assuming it either. "Mind if I sit here?"

Yoon Seo didn't answer, but he didn't object either.

For a while, neither spoke Min Jae started flipping through something on his tablet. Yoon Seo returned to his screen, or pretented to.

It was strange. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable. It was still. Settled.

After a few minutes, Min Jae spoke again, his voice lower. " Do you like working here?"

Yoon Seo blinked. That wasn't the kind of question people usually asked- not this early. Not in this tone.

"It's fine," he said after a pause. "Steady."

"That's not a yes."

Yoon Seo looked up. Min Jae's expression was unreadable, but there was no mockery there. Just quiet interest.

"I guess I stopped asking myself if I liked it." Yoon Seo admitted. " It's just what I do now."

Min Jae tilted his head slightly. "You don't strike me as someone who does things just to do them."

Yoon Seo stared at him, unsure how to respond. No one ever talked to him like this- not at work, anyway.

Min Jae stood suddenly, slipping the tablet back into his bag. "Sorry, that was probably too personal."

He turned to leave, then hesitated.

"You helped me a lot this week," he said, I know you didn't have to."

Yoon Seo's voice was quiet. "I noticed you were trying. That's enough."

Min Jae's eyes flicked to him- that same unreadable softness from their first meeting.

"Good Night, Yoon Seo-ssi"

When the elevator doors closed behind him, Yoon Seo sat for a long time, staring at the spot where Min Jae had been.

For the first time in a while, the silence didn't feel empty. It was full of unspoken hope, fragile but finally taking root. It lingered between them, soft and steady, like morning light through trees.

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