IS IT HIM?

A tap on her desk drew Aera's attention from the neat sketches on the blank sheet to the man in a vibrant black-and-red tee and ripped jeans, casually leaning on the edge.

"Yes, Taehyung?" she asked.

"Call me Tae," he replied with a grin, the candy stick in his mouth adding to his playful demeanor. Aera responded with a tight-lipped yet amused smile, entertained by his upbeat energy.

"How can I help you, Tae?"

"Oh, right. Here are the blueprints for the new project," he said, handing her the drafts. "Make sure your designs align with them."

"Thanks, Tae."

"Anytime, Buttercup."

The playful nickname, paired with Taehyung's deep voice and a wink, left Aera shifting in her seat, a faint blush warming her fair cheeks. Being the focus of his attention stirred a restless feeling within her, prompting her to instinctively skim through the designs, pretending not to notice him for a moment. However, the charade lasted only briefly before Jihee, her colleague, entered the scene carrying drinks for the two of them.

"If it isn't my favorite Gucci boy!" Jihee exclaimed, clearly delighted to see Taehyung.

"And if it isn't my gorgeous woman, getting sexier by the minute. Have I mentioned how that sweater perfectly shows off your stunning curves?" Taehyung quipped with a playful smirk.

Grasping her drink, Aera leaned back in her chair and quietly watched her coworkers transform into part-time entertainers as she sipped. When she first witnessed their playful banter, she was stunned, eyes darting between Taehyung and Jihee as they casually exchanged flirtatious remarks. But now, having grown used to it happening at least ten times a day, it had become a welcomed distraction.

"Gosh, you've said that already this morning. Tell me something new," Jihee said, rolling her eyes as she took her seat next to Aera.

"Oh, so what if I say your hips are to die for? Because I truly admire the baby bump they proudly carry," Taehyung remarked, leaning over the desk and gazing dreamily at Jihee's protruding belly. He reached out to touch it, but a swift swat from Jihee's hand made him pull back with a pout.

"Let's just say, you should appreciate the baby's father who put the baby in me."

"Did someone mention me?"

Aera couldn't help but giggle as Mark, Jihee's boyfriend, appeared, towering over everyone with his well-built physique right after being mentioned. Despite his height, which might intimidate some at first, he was a genuinely nice guy in his late thirties.

"Taehyung did. He had something to say to you. Right, Tae?" Jihee teased, batting her lashes at Taehyung, who froze, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Jihee and Aera saw him reluctantly shift toward her boyfriend, stammering, trying to "say something" he hadn't even planned.

"O-Oh, yeah. I wanted to-uh, I wanted to say that your, uh. . ." Taehyung faltered, words catching in his throat with every nervous gulp. Struggling to escape the awkward moment, he awkwardly slung an arm over the guy's shoulder and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. It was clear he wasn't as comfortable around him as he was with Jihee.

"H-Height, your height! What's the secret to being so tall, man?"

"Adolescence, dude," Mark replied with a shrug, his lips pressed into a straight line.

"Oh, when did you meet her?"

"Probably around seventeen."

"I hit puberty at fifteen," Taehyung said, shoving his hands into his pockets before clicking his tongue. "She was wild."

"Yeah?" Mark asked.

"Yeah," Taehyung nodded.

As the two men continued their discussion about manhood, Aera and Jihee exchanged a knowing glance, shaking their heads in sync.

"All men—" Jihee muttered dryly, tilting her head for Aera to chime in.

"—are idiots," Aera added with an exaggerated sigh, playing along.

They were just about to return to work, leaving the men to their conversation, when a faint curse from one of the employees caught their attention. Aera frowned, glancing over to see a colleague glaring at a retreating figure.

"It's probably Mr. Jeon. Don't bother," Jihee said casually.

Aera couldn't locate Mr. Jeon from where she sat, but Jihee's comment stopped her from investigating further.

"Okay," she muttered, a bit half-heartedly.

Aera had gathered considerable knowledge about Mr. Jeon, the CEO's younger brother, through occasional office chatter. She also got a glimpse of his indifferent personality during a meeting held a few days after she joined. However, what she didn't expect was how disturbingly familiar his face would seem-more unsettling than reality itself. Had it not been for his distinct personality, she might have lost her grip, convinced he was her long-lost best friend.

With her thoughts drifting, she spent nearly an hour tuned out of the discussion, focused on scrutinizing every detail of Mr. Jeon's face. Doe eyes, thin lips, and an oval face-he seemed like a perfect replica of her childhood friend. The fact that he also had the exact same eight-letter name was almost too coincidental for her to believe it was someone else.

As time went on, Aera began to notice the intense, fiery gaze he carried, contrasting sharply with the animated expressions she had once known. The warm, bunny-like smile she remembered was absent from his lips, which were set in a firm line. His face had lost all softness, defined instead by a sharp jawline that kept his mouth tightly closed and rarely allowed a smile. Perhaps it was maturity that had changed him, she reasoned. However, her doubts were soon rekindled when she accompanied Mr. Jeon on a client visit and confronted him for the first time.

Numerous curious stares questioned her unusual enthusiasm for what seemed like a trivial visit, but they shrugged it off, reasoning that it was simply because it was her first one at Kim Enterprises. Her nervous excitement was evident, her heart pounding in sync with her heavy footsteps as she approached a certain office. Her mind was no help either, constantly running through a buffet of scenarios since she had learned who she would be accompanying.

Would he be surprised to see her after so many years? Since his disappearance, she had gone to bed each night wondering when they would meet again. Would he look into her eyes and say, "I missed you"? Would he ask how she had been, or wrap her in a warm hug, as they had done so many times back in school? Because she certainly would, tears barely held in check.

Aera held a stack of files tightly against her chest with one hand, while her other hand was poised to knock on the door. She hesitated when she saw him speaking softly on the phone. His deep voice echoed off the glass walls, and his unguarded expression revealed the ordinary man beneath his striking appearance. In his appealing twenties, he seemed to be far away from the world. The black dress shirt he wore accentuated his strong physique, with the rolled-up sleeves hugging his muscular arms and revealing dark, tattooed skin that caught her eye. She couldn't resist the magnetic pull toward his captivating stance and moved her shiny stilettos in his direction, like a moth drawn to a flame, unwittingly heading toward her own downfall.

"Jungkook. . ." Her voice barely registered in her ears, leaving her uncertain if she had spoken at all. However, his lackluster "yes" without even looking at her confirmed she had. When he finally glanced at her after pausing the call, she hoped for a flicker of recognition, wishing he would say her name and acknowledge that it was his best friend standing before him. But his brown eyes showed only the blankness of encountering a stranger, treating her as one without any sign of familiarity.

"I don't recall having a client scheduled today, Miss. May I ask who you are?" Jungkook asked politely, his brow furrowing in confusion as he checked his schedule for any missed appointments.

"Han Aera," she replied in a flat tone, still reeling from the shock. The man she had desperately hoped would recognize her didn't even seem to realize she was a colleague, hired at the same company.

"Han Aera? Ah, I see. You'll be assisting me with Mr. and Mrs. Seo. Alright. Are we good to go?"

"Yes," she replied curtly.

"Good," he muttered, reconnecting his phone before speaking to the person on the other end. "Apply an ice pack and let him rest until I get home to check on it myself, Rhea."

"Let's get going, then," Mr. Jeon muttered, grabbing his coat and marching out of the office. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder, barely checking if Aera had moved. But she hardly noticed.

Lost in thought, Aera's mind drifted, her inner turmoil pulling her away from the conversations around her. At night, sleep eluded her. She lay still, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling as if it replayed every memory of her best friend—from their childhood to the moment she met someone who looked just like him.

The same name, the same face, yet an entirely different personality. How was that even possible?

It can't be. Something's off. . . Aera thought.

She had been left utterly speechless, caught in the tangled web of nature's inexplicable mysteries. But that didn't mean she would simply overlook its malicious schemes and move on. For all she knew, it could be a complete bluff—or destiny playing cruel tricks on her. After all, her past had its fair share of dirt.

But what if he wasn't the Jungkook she knew? What if he was someone else entirely? This question, more than any other, unraveled her composure. Aera didn't want to jump to conclusions based on mere suspicions, especially when the thought of the consequences made her heart race. The agony of losing hope after years of yearning would devastate her. And heaven help her, the struggle to resist a man who reminded her of her beloved, day after day at work, would slowly consume her from within.

However, she couldn't spend the rest of her life cowering, endlessly weighing the pros and cons of what might have been if she hadn't let fear cloud her judgment. Not only would it waste her time, but it would also prolong her suffering. After all, what good ever came from delaying the inevitable? It only served to ruin the lives of both the innocent and guilty alike. So why gamble just to protect a heart that would inevitably break? Why not strengthen it, so it could endure instead?

Determined, Aera resolved to gather every bit of information she could about Mr. Jeon and brace herself for whatever challenges the future had in store. To her surprise, it wasn't difficult to ask questions about him as he was often the subject of workplace gossip. So, when she discreetly inquired with her coworkers, they eagerly filled her in, assuming she was just curious as a new employee. That was how she became friends with Jihee.

Through their casual conversations, Aera learned about Mr. Jeon's past, and it shattered all her previous assumptions. Unlike her best friend, who had roots in Busan where they grew up together, Mr. Jeon was an orphan raised in a Daegu orphanage. This orphanage was supported both financially and emotionally by Kim Seokjin, the CEO of Kim Enterprises, who was so moved by the young boy's plight that he took him in as his own younger brother.

Kim Seokjin had always desired a sibling to care for, but his parents, having struggled for years to have another child, never had more than him. Seeing Mr. Jeon as the brother he had longed for, he brought him into his home and fulfilled that long-held wish.

With everything falling apart, Aera was experiencing desolation for the first time in her life. The emptiness and lack of emotion consumed her, leaving her soul feeling hollow. Even silent cries might have been a relief compared to the lifeless stare she had fixed on nothing.

"Aera?"

Shaking off the blurriness clouding her vision, she refocused on the blinking cursor on her computer screen and turned to Jihee, whose eyes were similarly fixed on the monitor. "Yes?"

"Do you have any plans for the New Year on Thursday?" Jihee asked.

"Nothing special. Why?" Aera replied, swirling the brown liquid in her mug before taking a long sip, savoring its warmth as it spread through her chest.

"Great! Would you mind joining us at the company's party? It's going to be fun, believe me."

"Will you keep me company?"

"Of course," Jihee said with a smile.

"Sure. Just text me the details after work," Aera said, returning the smile. After another sip of her bittersweet coffee, she went back to preparing the layouts for the mini tea garden, tailored to Mrs. Seo's preferences.