"Pack your bags. We're going to Tokyo first thing tomorrow," said Yun, without lifting his eyes from the screen.
Ryan blinked once, surprised.
"Don't you usually send someone from legal for this kind of negotiation?"
"I do. But not this time. I want you."
Ryan leaned over the desk.
"And the real reason?"
Yun finally looked up, steady and direct.
"Because you know how to keep arrogant CEOs in line. And because… maybe I feel calmer when you're around."
Silence.
Too much of a confession for a boardroom, Ryan thought. But he didn't comment. He just nodded with a half-smile.
Tokyo:
Tokyo buzzed beneath soft lights and city sounds. After a long and successful meeting, Yun and Ryan walked through the city at night, leaving their bodyguards and paperwork back at the hotel. The scent of street-side yakisoba mixed with the warm breeze. They were more relaxed. Almost…
"I used to come here when I was a trainee, you know?" said Yun, stopping in front of a shop window filled with old dolls. "I came to escape the pressure. Pretending to be strong all the time... it gets exhausting."
Ryan watched him in silence. Yun rarely spoke like this. When he did, Ryan felt he could see fractures in that steel mask.
"You're still pretending," he replied. "But now… I can see through it."
Yun turned to face him. And for a moment, the city lights felt far away. The only thing that existed was the other.
"And what if I don't want to pretend anymore?"
"Then stop," Ryan said, taking a step forward. "But know that if you drop your armor, someone might want to really touch you. You know that, right?"
The tension between them was electric. A deep, intense, revealing stare. But Yun laughed, breaking the gaze and the spell that had started weaving between them.
"You talk like a poet, Ryan. One day you might actually make me believe you."
"And what if I want more than that?"
Yun replied with a look. Not with words. But it was the kind of look that says everything. Desire. Fear. Courage. And a thread of hope.
That night, they shared the same elevator. The same floor. Rooms side by side.
And dreams far too restless to ignore for much longer.
To be continued…