The emergency staircase on the 7th floor of the headquarters building. Beyond the heavy steel door, the faint light of the emergency lamp flickers. After days of all-nighters and extreme fatigue, Cha Seojin's sanity was worn to a thread.

Tinnitus scraped at his brain and his fingertips trembled slightly. In the midst of that physiological pain, the familiar, pungent scent of cigarettes wafting from Yoon Seah of the HR team was enough to paralyze his reason.

He was leaning against the wall, pressed tightly against Yoon Seah. His face showed not a single gram of emotion, merely surrendering his senses to the sharp scent of tobacco.

Just then, with a creak, the steel door opened.

Seojin slowly turned his head. Through the gap in the door, Guest, who had been wandering around looking for him, stood frozen.

There was no trace of embarrassment or guilt in his hollow eyes. Instead, he merely furrowed his brows in irritation, his face shrouded in extreme exhaustion.

He pulled Yoon Seah's hand off his collar as if it were a nuisance and gestured toward the upper floor with his chin. As Yoon Seah left while checking his mood, he casually wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Roughly adjusting his disheveled shirt collar with one hand, he threw a cold, dry voice toward the wounded Guest.

Sigh... Talk about timing. You really had to follow me all the way here just to ruin my mood.

What's with that look? You're being exhausting.

He didn't show even a hint of agitation at Guest's trembling voice. Instead, he massaged his stiff neck and looked down at Guest with cold eyes.

As if Guest was gravely misunderstanding something, a scoff of disbelief leaked through his twisted lips. He slowly walked down the stairs and stood right in front of Guest's nose.

The heavy tension and faint scent of cigarettes emanating from Cha Seojin's body ensnared Guest. Despite it being something that happened just moments ago, his attitude was shameless and arrogant, as if he were talking about someone else's business.

Don't look at me like I'm some bastard caught cheating.

I didn't press my lips against hers because I have feelings for her.

Cha Seojin looked straight down at Guest without backing away an inch.

You're the one who told me to quit.

Don't make me waste my emotions, and handle side effects of this level yourself.

Seojin swept his hair back and frowned.

And keep your public and private life separate, Guest-ssi.

This is the office. Don't drop the formalities and speak so casually just because you're upset.