Ye Jun
The applause died down slowly, like it was embarrassing to stop, and then the main lights ca back up just enough that everyone started milling around like ants at a picnic nobody asked for. The celebration hall was basically the company’s fancy basent, long tables shoved against the walls, trays of sandwiches, a lot of food and drinks and an open bar that was already doing numbers because free booze plus awkward networking equals chaos. Music thumped low, so generic corporate playlist that tried to be chill but sounded like elevator jazz.
I stood near the refreshnt table pretending to study the fruit skewers like they held the secrets of the universe. My heart was doing that stupid flip-flop thing it used to do when Ohm walked past in middle school, except now it felt like soone had cranked the volu to eleven and also poured gasoline on it. Titi had vanished sowhere, probably flirting with the lighting guy or stealing champagne flutes a nd Si-woo was across the room talking to Dad, arms crossed, looking like he was one wrong word away from punching a wall.
Then I slled him.
Not slled like cologne or soap. Slled like him. That sa warm, cedar-and-sothing-sweet scent that used to make feel safe when we were kids, except now it hit different sharper, heavier, like it was reaching straight into my chest and squeezing. Alpha. Possessive. Claiming. My knees almost gave out. I gripped the edge of the table so hard one of the plastic cups rattled.
"Hey, kiddo."
Voice right behind . Low. Smooth. Too close.
I turned so fast I almost knocked over the whole tray of lon balls.
Ohm stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of sothing clear that he definitely wasn’t drinking. Up close he was even worse. Jaw sharp enough to cut glass, eyes dark and amused, that stupid rolled-up sleeve showing the veins in his forearm like he knew exactly what he was doing. He looked down at actually down, because the bastard had grown like a goddamn tree and his mouth curved just a little.
"Still can’t climb monkey bars, huh?"
I laughed before I could stop it. Sharp, breathless, embarrassing. "Fuck you. I climbed them fine once you stopped hogging the ladder like a greedy little shit."
He stepped closer. Not a lot. Just enough that the air between us got thick. His scent rolled over again, deliberate this ti, like he’d turned it up on purpose. My throat went dry. My pulse slamd in my ears. And yeah down there. Instant, humiliating slick. I pressed my thighs together so hard I probably bruised myself more.
"You grew up," he said, eyes flicking over slow, like he was cataloging every change. "Still got that mouth though."
"And you grew into an asshole who thinks showing up after ten years makes you charming." I tried to sound bitchy. It ca out shaky. "What, you miss that bad you had to fly here and ruin my life in person?"
He chuckled. Low. The sound went straight to my dick. "Saw your na on the family rger docs. Figured I’d co say hi. See if you still blushed like a kid when I got close."
I felt my face heat. "I don’t blush."
"You’re doing it right now."
"Shut up."
He leaned in. Just a fraction. Enough that I could feel the heat off his chest. "You sll good, Ye Jun. Sa as always. Sweeter now."
My breath hitched. Loud. Obvious. I hated how obvious it was.
Before I could fire back sothing that might’ve saved my dignity, a hand clamped around my wrist hard. Right over the fading bruise.
Si-woo.
He stepped between us like he owned the space, shoulder shoving Ohm back half a step without actually touching him. His grip on my wrist tightened until I hissed.
"He’s with family," Si-woo said. Voice low. Dangerous. The kind of quiet that makes people flinch.
Ohm didn’t flinch. He looked at Si-woo’s hand on , then at Si-woo’s face, then slowly very slowly back down to where Si-woo’s thumb was pressing into the exact spot he’d marked last night. His eyes narrowed. Just a flicker. But I saw it. Recognition. Possession. Challenge.
Ohm smiled. Polite. Sharp. "Family. Right." He looked at over Si-woo’s shoulder. "We should catch up properly. Later. Alone."
Then he just... walked away. Like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb and strolled off whistling.
Si-woo’s grip didn’t loosen. If anything it got tighter. I yanked my arm but he held on.
"Let go before I scream," I muttered.
"You’re leaking," he growled under his breath.
He dragged closer, voice dropping so only I could hear. "You think I’m gonna stand here while you get Horny for so guy you haven’t seen since you were twelve?"
"I’m not Horny for anyone, you jealous fuck."
"Liar."
I glared up at him. "You don’t get to act possessive after you fucked and ghosted at 2 a.m. like I was a hookup you regretted."
His jaw ticked. "You begged for it."
"Yeah, and you loved every second, so don’t play saint now."
We were nose to nose. People were starting to glance over. I didn’t care.
Then Titi appeared like a hurricane in heels.
"Ohm Narravit, you absolute dick!"
She shoved past Si-woo, didn’t even look at him and planted herself in front of Ohm, who’d turned back around at the sound of her voice. She had her hands on her hips, champagne glass dangling dangerously.
"You forget I exist the second you see him? After all those years I carried your fat ass on my back when you couldn’t ride a bike? Rude!"
Ohm laughed. Full, real laugh. The kind that used to make stupid when we were kids. "Titi. Still loud as hell."
"Damn right. And you... " she poked his chest "... owe at least three hugs and an explanation for why you’re looking at Ye Jun like you wanna eat him."
Ohm’s eyes flicked to . Smirked. "Maybe I do."
I choked on air.
Titi cackled. "Knew it! You always did have a thing for him. Even when he was a scrawny little gremlin."
"Excuse you," I snapped. "I was adorable."
"You were a nace," she shot back. "And he still followed you around like a lost puppy."
Ohm shrugged. "Guilty."
Si-woo made a noise that sounded like a growl caught in his throat.
Titi finally noticed him. "Oh. Hi, grumpy. Didn’t see you there. You good?"
Si-woo didn’t answer. Just stared at Ohm like he was imagining twelve different ways to bury him.
Ohm t his eyes. Calm. "Nice family you’ve got here."
Then he turned back to Titi, slung an arm around her shoulders like they were still kids, and steered her toward the bar. "Co on. Catch up before your boy over there tries to fight ."
They walked off. Laughing. Her head on his shoulder. His hand on her back.
I watched them go and felt sothing ugly twist in my stomach.
Si-woo finally let go of my wrist. "You okay?"
"No," I said. "I’m not."
He didn’t push. Just stood there breathing hard.
Across the room Ohm was talking to Dad now. Laughing at sothing Dad said. Si-woo joined them a second later probably to make sure Ohm didn’t breathe in my direction again. The three of them looked like a fucked-up business eting from hell. But my dick was still rock hard and I didn’t know who it was craving for, Ohm or Si woo.
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