Monday morning arrived with a strange sense of calm.
Kyrah sat at her desk, staring at the schedule on her computer.
For once, there wasn't a crisis waiting for her.
No urgent calls.
No unexpected client complaints.
No last-minute changes.
She smiled.
Maybe this week would be easier.
"Good morning."
She looked up.
Seojun stood beside her desk, holding two cups of coffee.
"Good morning."
He placed one cup in front of her.
Kyrah looked at it.
"What's this?"
"Decaf."
She smiled.
"You remembered."
"I remember a lot of things."
She picked up the cup.
"Thank you."
He looked at her for a moment.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
Kyrah laughed.
"You ask me that every day."
"Because you give me the same answer every day."
"Maybe because I'm fine."
He smiled.
"Maybe."
He started walking away.
Kyrah looked at the cup again.
A small smile appeared on her face.
---
Around ten o'clock, the team gathered for their weekly HANEUL HOME meeting.
Kyrah stood at the front of the room.
"Let's start with the client feedback."
Xiumin opened his tablet.
"The latest responses are mostly positive."
"Mostly?"
"There are a few concerns about the automated energy settings."
Kyrah nodded.
"Let's address those first."
Youning began explaining the technical side of the issue.
Kyrah listened carefully.
She asked questions.
She made notes.
She suggested adjustments.
Everything was going normally.
Until she suddenly stopped.
Her stomach tightened.
She placed a hand beneath the table.
Peppa.
She could feel him moving.
A small smile appeared on her face before she could stop it.
Flora noticed.
So did Seojun.
Neither said anything.
Kyrah took a breath and continued.
"Youning, can you send me the updated data by this afternoon?"
"Sure."
"Thank you."
The meeting continued.
---
Afterward, Youning approached Kyrah.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"You've been different lately."
Kyrah froze for half a second.
"Different how?"
"I don't know."
He thought about it.
"You seem more tired."
Kyrah smiled.
"I'm working a lot."
"You've always worked a lot."
She laughed.
"Maybe I'm getting older."
Youning smiled.
"I don't believe that."
"Why?"
"You're still the same person who stayed in the office until midnight during the launch."
"That was different."
"How?"
"I had something to prove."
"And now?"
Kyrah paused.
"Now I have something to protect."
Youning looked at her.
She realized what she'd said.
Her expression changed.
"I mean the project."
Youning smiled.
"Of course."
He didn't press.
But as he walked away, curiosity remained on his face.
---
At lunch, Kyrah sat with Flora.
Seojun joined them a few minutes later.
He placed a small container on the table.
Kyrah looked at it.
"What is that?"
"Fruit."
She smiled.
"I already have food."
"I know."
"Then why did you bring this?"
"You said you liked mangoes."
Kyrah stared at him.
"You remembered that?"
Seojun looked almost amused.
"Yes."
Flora looked between them.
She decided not to interfere.
Kyrah opened the container.
"You cut them?"
"Yes."
She laughed.
"You really didn't have to."
"I know."
Kyrah smiled.
"Thank you."
She took a piece.
Seojun watched her eat it.
"Good?"
"Yes."
"Good."
He sat back.
Flora shook her head.
"What?"
Seojun asked.
"Nothing."
"You're smiling."
"I smile."
Kyrah laughed.
"She does."
Flora nodded.
"Exactly."
Seojun looked suspiciously between them.
"What are you two hiding?"
"Nothing," they said together.
Seojun laughed.
"Okay."
---
Later that afternoon, Kyrah was working in her office when Seojun knocked.
"Come in."
He entered.
"Do you have a minute?"
"Yes."
He closed the door.
"I wanted to discuss your schedule."
Kyrah looked up.
"What about it?"
"You've been taking on too much."
"I can handle it."
"I know."
She smiled.
"There you go again."
He smiled.
"I'm serious."
He sat across from her.
"You don't have to attend every meeting."
"But I'm the project head."
"And the project won't collapse if you miss one meeting."
Kyrah looked at him.
"I don't want people thinking I'm not committed."
"They won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've seen what you do."
He leaned back.
"You've already proven yourself."
Kyrah became quiet.
Seojun continued.
"You don't have to keep proving it."
Those words touched something inside her.
She looked down at her hands.
"Sometimes I feel like if I slow down, everything will catch up with me."
"What do you mean?"
She hesitated.
"Nothing."
Seojun didn't push.
Instead, he said,
"Then don't slow down."
Kyrah looked up.
"But?"
"Change your pace."
She smiled.
"That sounds like something my doctor would say."
"Then maybe your doctor is right."
Kyrah laughed.
"Maybe."
Seojun stood.
"Think about it."
"I will."
He reached the door.
Then he turned.
"And Kyrah?"
"Yes?"
"Whatever happens, you don't have to handle everything alone."
Her eyes met his.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she smiled.
"Thank you."
He nodded.
"Anytime."
He left.
Kyrah remained sitting at her desk.
She didn't understand why his words affected her so much.
Maybe because she had spent so long believing she had to handle everything alone.
And Seojun never asked her to be helpless.
He simply reminded her that she didn't have to be alone.
---
That evening, Kyrah was packing her things when Xiumin walked over.
"Kyrah."
"Yes?"
"You're leaving?"
"Yes."
He looked at the clock.
"It's six."
Kyrah smiled.
"I'm learning."
Xiumin laughed.
"Good."
He picked up a folder.
"Actually, I wanted to ask if you could review this tomorrow."
"Sure."
He handed it to her.
Then he paused.
"You really are different."
Kyrah raised an eyebrow.
"Again?"
He laughed.
"I'm not saying it's bad."
"What are you saying?"
"You just seem…"
He searched for the right word.
"Happier."
Kyrah smiled.
"Maybe I am."
Xiumin nodded.
"Good."
He walked away.
Kyrah looked around the office.
Flora was already packing her things.
Youning was speaking to someone on the phone.
Xiumin was still going through his files.
And Seojun's office light was still on.
For the first time, Kyrah realized something.
She had slowly built a life here.
Not the life she had once imagined.
Not the life she had planned.
But a life that belonged to her.
And somewhere inside that life was Seojun.
Not as her savior.
Not as the man who had come to fix everything.
Just Seojun.
The man who remembered her favorite fruit.
The man who brought her decaf coffee.
The man who noticed when she was tired.
The man who never made her feel like her pregnancy diminished her.
The man who somehow made ordinary days feel a little warmer.
Kyrah picked up her bag.
She smiled to herself.
Maybe that was what made him dangerous.
Not because he was trying to win her over.
But because he wasn't trying at all.
He was simply being himself.
And slowly…
she was beginning to notice.