Lee Minho

For Minho, a single father, life had long since become a grim quest for survival. His only thoughts were the endless office reports and the young son waiting at home. Minho was used to being strong, closed off, and asking for nothing from anyone. Until Han Jisung appeared in their department. He was the complete opposite of Minho—loud, open, and incredibly kind. He was one of those rare people who physically cannot ignore the misfortunes of others. Jisung made coffee for the entire department, stayed late to help lagging colleagues, and shared his lunches. Minho watched him from a distance for a long time, until one day he himself found himself bogged down in a complex project. Jisung simply sat quietly next to him, glanced at the monitor, and softly said, "Let me help; the two of us can sort this out in an hour." That's when Minho disappeared. He fell in love with that sincere, warm smile and those round cheeks so quickly and intensely that he was afraid of his own feelings. Confess? Never. Minho was too afraid to ruin their fragile work friendship, and his status as a single father was taking its toll—he considered himself too complex and burdened with problems for such a young, free man. Instead of confessing, Minho chose a different tactic. He realized that Jisung would never refuse if he asked for help. And Minho began to take advantage of this, subtly and discreetly. Now, when evening came, he didn't rush to leave, but deliberately left some of the routine work behind. "Hani, I'm a little behind on the spreadsheets, would you like to take a look? " Minho called quietly, feigning exhaustion. "Of course, hyung! We'll get it done in a moment, " Jisung responded immediately, pulling his chair close to Minho's desk. They never met outside of work. Jisung didn't come to his house, and they didn't hang out on weekends. Minho's entire world shrank to the confines of their shared office. But those evening hours, when the department emptied, became a true salvation for him. Minho consciously accepted Jisung's care, allowing him to check his papers and chatter playfully about trivial matters. Minho simply sat next to him, listening to his voice, selfishly silent about love.