the rapid grating of a marking pen on the paper disturbed the royal silence that had taken place in the office that yuta had compared to the chateau of versailles days before.

there, on his massive office armchair, sat jung jaehyun, ceo of jung corporation, reading carefully a contract with another considerably smaller automobile company before agreeing to all of its terms and signing it.

the atmosphere in the room was calm, allowing jaehyun to work in silence and in peace; there was no one to disturb him.

this was one of the reasons why jaehyun didn't want a secretary. the ceo needed silence to work. complete silence preferably. the walls of his office were soundproof so that he didn't hear the chatter of his employees outside, and the widows were small enough to let the light come in but to prevent the noises of the road nearby to bother him.

jaehyun must admit he had found nakamotors' headquarters beautifully modern, with bay windows extending from the floor to the ceiling, but he couldn't imagine working in such a place. of course not, the one or two times he had been there, he had been able to hear the roaring of people's engines down the road, those people owning luxury cars who loved to get noticed by people in the streets. sure, jaehyun did also like to make his engine roar and make people look at him whenever he was driving his car, but he couldn't stand that noise when he needed to work.

the ceo of jung corporation heaved out a sigh before collecting all of the paper sheets composing the contract and arranging them in the right order to staple them. he then placed the contract aside before taking another one that he had yet to read.

the rise of nakamotors and all of the formalities it required took a lot of jaehyun's time, and the ceo found himself dealing with nakamoto more than intended, and thus, spending less of his time doing the work he needed to do – and he did have plenty of things to do.

thankful of the few moments he had to himself, jaehyun focused on his work, approaching the first page of the new contract to read the words better and assure that he didn't miss a single word. however, a few lines into the contract, the phone resting on the corner of his table disturbed the silence, making him slam the piece of paper back on the table grumpily.

he quickly checked the number appearing, reading the word 'tailor' underneath.

"jung jaehyun speaking, hello?" the ceo stated as soon as the phone was placed next to his ear.

"mister jung, the suits you ordered are ready." jaehyun's personal tailor spoke on the other side of the line. "shall i have them delivered at your office? or at your house?"

"no need. i'll come pick them up myself." the ceo replied simply.

"okay, i'll be waiting for you then."

"great. see you later." jaehyun finished, not letting the opportunity to his tailor to speak again as he hung up and placed the phone back at its place.

once the silence had come back in the old-fashioned office, jaehyun concentrated on his contract again, his eyes scanning carefully every line to make sure he had all of the elements in hand before making a decision that may or may not impact jung corporation.

one may believe being a ceo is great because you become the face of a company, or of a brand, and because you are the one to lead everything going on within this company. and well, this is not entirely false. but there is another aspect that shall not be neglected, and that is responsibilities.

being a ceo means being responsible, and take responsibility for anything that may happen within the business. this means that everything the employees do may become one day a source of judgement from other rivals, and may become an attack point to weaken the company. and this very aspect causes the company to always be endangered; you never know what could happen.

jaehyun had received the business from his father who had gifted him his position around a year ago, and one of jaehyun's top priorities was to make his father proud.

the man was always saying that jaehyun wouldn't be able to lead jung corporation, that business was something tough that wouldn't be safe in jaehyun's hands. but after long years of jaehyun working hard and trying to show how determined and ready he was for the job, his father had finally given in, and transferred to jaehyun the title of ceo.

hence, showing his father that he is able to run a company, and that he is able to make the right decisions for his business is the only thing that matters to jaehyun. and if at the same time he could erase nakamotors' name from the surface of earth and show his dad that not only did he know how to manage the 1st automobile company, but that he could also make them become a monopoly, then, his father would finally acknowledge that he had done the right decision and that jaehyun was truly worthy of being his son.

and to reach those goals, it was important for jaehyun to make sure that every step that he took – as little as they may be – was the right one. and so, each contract that he signed must be going perfectly with jung corporation's interest and be fitting with the future of jung corporation.

the silence was once again disturbed by a phone ringing, but this time, it wasn't his business phone, but his personal phone.

the ceo placed back the contract on the table before pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the name of the person who disturbed him. as expected, it was his dad, surely calling – once again – to question his decisions and make sure that he hadn't done a mess with the business.

jaehyun was seriously starting to wonder when his father would start trusting him and not disturbing him for more than a day.

"dad." the ceo simply let out, leaning back on his armchair, knowing very well that these kinds of conversations could last hours.

"jaehyun, how have you been going? and how had the business been going?" the man asked.

"well, and well." jaehyun replied. "i know how to deal with a company, dad, everything is going smoothly."

"very good." jaehyun's father hummed. "but have you seen the latest article posted in autoinfo?"

the ceo removed the phone from his ear for a second while he let out a sigh.

autoinfo was a weekly newspaper with the most recent updates on the automobile sector. it included pictures of various cars, articles on the newest technologies created around cars, lots of numerical data on the sector, and also interviews, reports and quotations of different ceos or investors of the automobile sector.

while jaehyun found this newspaper very superficial and made for people who did know nothing about cars, it seemed like it had become his father's bible. he would always find articles, pictures or simply ideas that he would then reproach jaehyun not to know about.

and of course, this time was no exception.

"i'm not sure about which article you're talking about." he answered, hoping that his father wouldn't make a fuss about it.

"jung jaehyun, you are such a disgrace! working in the leading automobile company and not even reading autoinfo! i thought i had told you that it was the most important thing to check each week! and you know that..."

too bad, today wasn't the day he wouldn't make a fuss about it.

so, jaehyun put the phone on speaker, placing it on the table in front of him while he closed his eyes, patiently waiting for his dad's tantrum to be over.

once again, outbursts like these could last for long, so better be comfortably seated and preferably with something to get entertained.

"yes dad, i know." jaehyun sighed. "but it was very busy this week, that is why i couldn't really check. i've been meeting with nakamoto a few times to tighten our relationship."

"yeah, well, you should still find a few minutes to check it!" the ceo's father scolded his son once again.

"i will dad, i'm sorry." jaehyun apologised, no ounce of sincerity in his voice. "tell me about the article."

"to make it very simple, the article explained that more and more shareholders were getting interested in nakamotors. and because everybody wants a share and invest in this company, this adds even more value to nakamotors." he told, making jaehyun's eyes widen.

"they're growing faster then."

"faster than ever." jaehyun's father approved. "and we're not going to be able to stop them if it keeps going..."

"so, i need to find lots of people to invest in jung corporation more." jaehyun said, now sitting up straight on his armchair as his eyes danced across his office desk, glancing at each piece of paper scattered on it in hope of finding an idea.

"basically, yeah." the adult hummed. "or if it's too hard, just to make sure your main shareholders have bigger shares. this could be a solution as well."

jaehyun stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to think of how he could do.

"i'm having a meeting with mister hu on monday next week. he's one of our biggest shareholders, i could ask him." jaehyun then states, feeling a bit more relieved now that he had found a possible solution.

"yes, this would be perfect. and hopefully he will be okay with it."

"don't be ridiculous, dad." jaehyun snorted. "who wouldn't want more shares of a company as promising as jung corporation?"

and well, jaehyun's father didn't comment on that.

☏

"thank you for coming to nano electronics, we hope to see you again soon." sicheng said with a smile as he handed the man his bag full of wires and conncetors that he just had bought.

"thanks a lot, bye."

"goodbye." sicheng added as the man left the shop by the front door.

as soon as the customer was out of sight, the chinese male heaved out a long sigh, resting his elbow on the counter and rubbing his forehead with his palm.

they were on a shortage of staff at the shop, and so, sicheng's boss had decided that he would be the one to stay in and manage the shop instead of going out to fix people's electrical issues.

honestly, sicheng didn't have a problem with that. he was fine selling things in the shop and helping customers with whatever they needed; he was passionate about this universe.

the only problem had to be his boss. the man was a real scumbag who had little to no respect toward sicheng. the chinese male had been trying to find a new job for a while, hoping to leave his bossy superior behind and go in a company in which him and his talents would be appreciated, but unfortunately, the only two interviews he had participated in had not been convincing.

so, sicheng was stuck at nano electronics, where his boss overworked him and paid him very little... but well, at least he was doing something he liked doing.

the little bell signalling that a customer had come in suddenly dinged, making sicheng stand up straight again at the speed of light.

"hello!" he exclaimed rapidly, his eyes widening at the sight of the person who had just come in. "m-mister jung? what are you doing here?"

"hello sicheng. i came to drop your tuxedos." jaehyun explained, showing the large black cover which hid four hangers carrying expensive tuxedos.

"my tuxedos?" sicheng repeated bewildered.

"yes, my tailor came a week ago to take your measurements for new tuxedos that fit you." jaehyun explained, placing the pieces of clothing in their cover on the counter in front of sicheng.

with a shy hand, the chinese male unzipped the cover and revealed the first tuxedo, a pale grey suit with matching pants and a think black edging around the collar. then, he lifted the expensive-looking fabric to glance at the second, third and fourth tuxedos, each of them being of different colours or materials.

"i-i... your tailor had said it was for one tuxedo..." sicheng stammered, not knowing what to say. these four pieces of clothing probably cost more than his appartement, he definitely couldn't afford something like this. "i-i... i can't accept..."

"of course, you can." jaehyun replied immediately. "and you will, it's an order."

"b-but..."

"consider it a repayment for the help you're giving me." jaehyun told, making sicheng blink a few times.

sicheng looked down at the tuxedos again before meeting eyes with jaehyun.

"does that mean that i need to act as your secretary again?" he asked in a low voice.

"i'm afraid it does." the ceo nodded. "i need to get as close to nakamoto as i can. and i believe i won't be able to do that without you."

"why...?"

"because each time you are around, nakamoto seems like he prefers talking with you rather than doing business with me." jaehyun explained clearly, making sicheng freeze and stay silent for a while.

"sicheng!" a voice echoed from the door behind sicheng, the chinese male immediately recognising his boss' voice and pushing the expensive tuxedos on the side so that they were out of view. "i hope you're not making our clients runaway with your..."

the boss stopped in the middle of his sentence as he made an eye-contact with someone he recognised from seeing on tv so many times.

"m-mister jung, from jung corporation..."

jaehyun straightened his back and tugged on the collar of his shirt in a way to assert dominance. "in person."he stated simply under sicheng's boss eyes.

"i-it's a pleasure to have you here, how may i help you?" the man asked immediately, flashing his brightest smile to the ceo.

"well, actually..." jaehyun glanced at sicheng who had considerably paled since his boss had entered the room. "...i would have liked to have a talk with sicheng's superior, if that is possible, of course."

the chinese male's eyes widened at those words, and his boss's head immediately turned towards him with a scowl, already expecting the worst feedback ever.

"that would be me." the man replied. "are you about to complain on his work?"

"oh, no. quite the contrary actually." jaehyun stated with a smile, making sicheng's eyes widen even more, and his boss' face become livid.

"p-pardon?" he stuttered.

"sicheng intervened at my headquarters a few weeks ago, and i must admit he did a brilliant work. i had the opportunity to discuss a bit with him while he intervened on the computers, and i must admit he's a very nice asset for nano electronics." jaehyun told with a sincere smile, glancing at sicheng from time to time. "it is rare to find people as passionate as him in what they do. you are lucky to have such a great worker among you."

sicheng's boss stayed silent for a while, too stunned to speak.

he had always found that sicheng worked too slow, and took too much time slouching instead of working. and he couldn't believe that the ceo of jung corporation was complimenting him like this.

"i was truly impressed by his professionalism." jaehyun continued. "i believe sicheng could deserve a reward, or maybe a raise in his salary for such work."

"i-i... i-i'll think about it, yes..." sicheng's boss stammered out, glancing at sicheng a few times.

"great." jaehyun flashed the man a smile. "then, may i ask you one little favour, please?"

"sure..." sicheng's boss tried his best to show a sincere smile despite not being able to digest what jaehyun had just told him.

"there are still a few departments at the headquarters which haven't been renovated in terms of electronic material, and i was wondering if sicheng could be doing it for us."

this was the last straw for sicheng's boss. he couldn't believe this was real. jung jaehyun couldn't be praising sicheng like this, it wasn't possible.

"y-you want sicheng? a-are you sure?" he questioned.

"yes, it would be fantastic if he could come."

the man diverted his eyes to his chinese worker, silently asking him if it was possible and earning a shy nod from sicheng.

"yes, okay. sicheng will be coming to your headquarters for the equipment. would you need other workers as well?"

"i don't think so." jaehyun shook his head. "sicheng is such an efficient worker that he'll finish everything in a record time."

there was another silence during which sicheng's boss once again tried his best to process jaehyun's words without losing his sanity.

the ceo then coughed before checking his watch and feinting surprise.

"oh my god, i'm going to be late to my meeting." he declared. "thank you very much for your help. sicheng can come the day after tomorrow from 9am. he will be needed the whole day. goodbye."

"goodbye mister jung, it was a pleasure to have you here." sicheng's boss was quick to say, bowing as jaehyun left the store to get back in his expensive car.

sicheng stayed silent, anxiously expecting an outburst from his boss. in order not to meet his eyes, sicheng focused on jaehyun as got into his car and drove away.

what the hell had just happened to him?

"first a sugar daddy... and now this?!" his boss exclaimed, faced contorted in a mix onf anger and confusion. "tell me sicheng, how many more secrets are you going to keep from me, huh?"

☏

"who's participating in the dinner tomorrow night?" yuta suddenly asked, his head perking up and looking in taeyong's direction as the male finished typing an email.

"let me check, one second." the secretary informed, his eyes switching to his second screen to open the list of guests in the event calendar. "there will be a few minor shareholders, and their plus one." taeyong told. "i'm sending you the list so you have it."

"thank you." yuta nodded before focusing back on his own computer screen to open taeyong's message and scan the list of guests.

the secretary then went back to work, checking the emails he received and focusing on the propositions of partnerships with other companies. under yuta's request, nakamotors needed to grow, and to become something familiar to everyone, even people who knew nothing about cars. and what a better way to get known better than doing partnerships with other companies?

taeyong opened mail after mail, reading the details of what had been proposed by each of them as he took notes and ranked them in order from most to less interesting. he still had a few days to treat these demands, and he was supposed to present to yuta what he thought was the most relevant two days later so that the marketing team could tell them it it could be possible or not. speaking of which, yuta had a meeting planned with them in order to discuss about it in advance – and if taeyong remembered well, the meeting was supposed to be right now.

all it took were two seconds for taeyong to reopen his agenda and to show yuta's personal agenda, only to realise that he was indeed right.

"yuta?" he called, making the ceo hum.

"yeah, what it is?"

"aren't you supposed to have the meeting with the marketing team right now?" taeyong questioned. "you know, for the partnership advertisement support."

the ceo frowned before checking his watch and gasping.

"oh fuck!" he exclaimed. "i had completely forgotten about it! thank you taeyong, i owe you one!"

"no problem." the secretary replied, flashing his ceo a smile as the male jumped off his chair and ran out of his office, heading directly towards the lift which would bring him to the marketing floor.

on his side, still in the office, taeyong sighed before focusing once again on the dozens of emails he had received about partnerships.

it seemed like sending emails for partnerships was a bit like sending job applications. at some point, people sent stuff to everyone and anyone, simply hoping to get taken somewhere...

in the midst of his 21st email, taeyong was interrupted by his phone ringing, causing him to jump slightly at the sudden ringtone. the secretary leant over the desk to check the caller id, and he gasped out loud as he read 'jung jaehyun' on the screen.

"oh my god, he's calling." the secretary panicked for a second before hitting the side of his head. "taeyong get a hold of yourself." he scolded himself. "he may be handsome, he's just you're boss' rival. stop acting like a lovesick teenager when you're obviously neither lovesick, nor a teenager. plus, he's just calling for business-related matters, not for you!" the boy then took a deep breath before clicking on the screen to accept the call. "nakamotors, lee taeyong speaking, hello?"

"hello mister lee, mister jung from jung corporation on the phone." jaehyun spoke on the other side of the line, and taeyong had to hit the side of his head again to make sure he didn't daydream at the sole sound of the handsome man's voice pronouncing his last name. oh, how much he wanted to tell him that he could call him 'taeyong', just to hear the ceo speak up his first name... but he had noticed that jaehyun never called them by their first name, only their last name.

"good morning mister jung, how may i help you?"

"i was calling because during our last meeting, mister nakamoto requested to meet our chief engineer, but he was on leave. he came back from his leave today, and he would be delighted to meet mister nakamoto tomorrow if it works for you too." jaehyun explained.

after a few seconds more of daydreaming, taeyong opened his and yuta's agendas to check if there was an empty window in their time table.

"well, we would be available after lunch tomorrow. say, 2pm?" taeyong suggested. "but we shall be back at our headquarters by 4:30pm because yuta and i have an appointment."

"sure, that would be perfect. tomorrow from 2pm to 4pm." jaehyun repeated. "my secretary and i will be waiting for you at our headquarters."

"great." taeyong added, a smile etching onto his face at the thought of seeing the handsome ceo again. "thank you very much for calling."

"oh, wait, i had another request." jaehyun was quick to add, making taeyong flush red immediately.

he had almost hung up on jaehyun when the male had other things to tell him.

oh god, this could have turned into a big scandal between the two companies, thank god taeyong hadn't been too stressed and pressed the button too quickly.

"o-oh, sorry!" the secretary stammered.

"it's no worries." jaehyun stated before coughing. "so, i was wondering if it could be possible to have a dinner together this week?"

"oh, sure, let me check." taeyong replied immediately, already feeling giddy at the idea of meeting jaehyun once again and over dinner. "so..." the secretary continued while checking his and yuta's timetables. "...i'm sorry but yuta doesn't have availability this week for dinner. he's taken every night."

"well, that's good. i was hoping that yuta wouldn't be available so that i could have a dinner with you only."

shock. pure shock. this was the only thing taeyong could feel at the moment.

he wasn't even sure he had heard jaehyun's words right. maybe he had imagined them? maybe he had daydreamed again?

there was no way in hell jaehyun had just stated that he didn't want to have a dinner with yuta, but only with taeyong. it wasn't possible.

"h-huh... s-sorry, i'm not s-sure i understand y-your question." taeyong stuttered, his cheeks flaming red, his hands trembling in nervousness and his heart missing beats every second.

"you told me yuta wasn't available this week for dinner. but does that mean you are unavailable every night for dinner as well?"

taeyong was seriously starting to malfunction, and all jaehyun could probably hear on the other side of the line were long blanks.

he couldn't believe he had heard it right and that jaehyun was really proposing him to have dinner together, just the two of them.

it would surely be for business matters, just like it always was, because they were businessmen after all, this was what they did. but whether it was for business matters or not, this didn't matter, he had just been proposed to have dinner with jung jaehyun, the ceo of jung corporation, the handsome man that had caught his eye immediately during the congress held at nakamotors...

"i-i..." taeyong stuttered, incapable of forming words because of his whole persona being a mess.

"say, tomorrow night? are you available tomorrow?" jaehyun asked.

"i... h-huh, n-no, sorry, i can't tomorrow." taeyong shook his head to wake himself up before staring at his timetable again. "i... i have a dinner with shareholders." he quickly justified himself.

"okay, then, the day after? are you available the day after tomorrow?"

taeyong took a deep breath, staring at the empty spot on his timetable.

"y-yes..." he muttered. "i-i'm available."

"perfect!" jaehyun exclaimed. "then let's have dinner together the day after tomorrow!"

"sure..." taeyong stated in a daze. "let's have dinner together the day after tomorrow..."

the secretary winced as he pinched himself with all of his might, immediately feeling the burning pain on his skin.

so, he wasn't dreaming. he was really about to have a dinner with jung jaehyun...