SIDE STORY 1

Friday afternoon.  

Loosening his tie and rolling up his sleeves, Taejun sat behind a large desk, furiously typing on the keyboard.  

On the monitors installed in a 3×3 grid on the wall, financial news and stock market numbers flashed chaotically. Above the monitors, LED clocks displayed the time in major stock markets around the world.  

Under Taejun’s watchful eye, the red numbers indicating minutes simultaneously changed from 59 to 00.  

Eastern Standard Time, exactly five o’clock in the afternoon.  

Taejun stood up abruptly, neatly fastening his shirt cufflinks and tightening his deep navy tie. He grabbed the suit jacket hanging on a hanger, slipped his arms into it with a fluid motion, and fastened the first button.  

Opening the office door, Taejun walked out with a stern face, moving through the office filled with employees. His demeanor was so austere it bordered on ascetic.  

Despite his considerably large height and build, he lacked the clumsy feel typical of big men.  

Taejun’s walk was heavy, yet his concise and disciplined movements made him appear nimble. However, when he approached, he exuded an indescribable aura of intimidation.  

This was due to his scars, associated with colorful rumors from his past, his cold gaze, and his overwhelming physique.  

As Taejun closed the distance, employees who had been sneaking glances quickly lowered their eyes. When he passed right by them, they held their breath as if a fierce, wild beast with piercing eyes was walking by.  

There were few people on Wall Street with a unique background like “TJ Baek.”  

His ability to remember everything he saw and heard wasn’t particularly noteworthy. Wall Street was a place overflowing with geniuses from all over the world. However—  

[He’s a former Green Beret who took down the most notorious terrorists in Afghanistan!]  

[He fought kidnappers armed with guns barehanded to save his fiancée and niece, and while he only suffered minor gunshot wounds, he left the kidnappers half-dead!]  

[You know the TES convention held in Las Vegas? Oh, remember the mass shooting incident a few years ago? The ‘Stapler Hero’ who became a sensation for being caught on security cameras during that time? He grabbed a stapler from the conference table, jumped up, and threw it, causing the gunman to drop his weapon! That Stapler Hero is the CEO of our company.]  

Employees viewed Taejun, who had legendary heroic tales they’d never heard of, with a sense of awe.  

Taejun’s private life was shrouded in mystery. However, the fact that he was a devoted husband was an open secret.  

Employees who had seen his wife at company events consistently reacted with shock. She had large eyes that seemed to take up half of her youthful face, and she greeted everyone with a bright, loving smile. She spoke in a gentle, whispering voice.  

When Taejun looked at his wife with a dazzling smile, dimples showing, employees felt confused, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.  

Thus, when employees saw the CEO leaving the company earlier than usual on a Friday afternoon, they could guess the reason.  

Ignoring the stares of employees watching him, Taejun exited the office and arrived at the elevator.  

Someone was already standing in front of the elevator, a step ahead of him. It was Junhee.  

As Taejun approached, Junhee greeted him with a nod. Taejun returned the greeting with a slight nod.  

Kim Junhee and Baek Taejun, co-CEOs of TJH Capital known as ‘Day and Night,’ rarely worked overtime. However, this did not mean they were negligent in their work.  

Both handled a brutal workload. They simply adhered strictly to leaving work on time, even if it meant working late into the night from home.  

Junhee, as usual, was impeccably dressed from head to toe, wearing his signature relaxed expression with a hint of a smile.  

Employees who quickly averted their eyes when meeting Taejun’s gaze couldn’t take their eyes off Junhee, as if entranced.  

Despite their opposite personalities, one thing the two men had in common was that Junhee, like Taejun, was an incurable romantic.

Junhee, with a relaxed expression that contrasted with his anxious gestures, repeatedly pressed the elevator button, unusually slow that day.  

‘He knows pressing it like that won’t make the elevator come any faster.’  

There was a time when he found it difficult to understand heightened emotions and impulsive actions. A period when he observed the world from a detached perspective.  

His habit of organizing things tidily with rational thinking and making precise decisions with logical judgment, moving in the most efficient way, remained unchanged.  

However, there was something different now.  

Salvation, light, life itself. His lifeline.  

The force that enveloped him warmly and gently was simultaneously the most fatal to him. He worshipped the contradictory power his wife held over him.  

To the extent that he could kiss the ground she walked on.  

Since meeting Minhee, his life had changed. The monochrome world was now filled with vibrant colors that made his heart flutter. The muffled sounds of the world beneath the surface were now clearly audible.  

However, there was one thing that never improved.  

When physically apart from Minhee for extended periods, an inexplicable dark and cold anxiety slowly consumed his heart.  

The deeper his love grew, the deeper the anxiety became. Taejun tried his best not to show Minhee this anxiety.  

It was a self-destructive emotion that his loving wife, who warmed his world just by existing, would never understand. It was right for him to handle these feelings alone.  

Beside Taejun, Junhee, who had been staring at the LED display with his arms crossed, pressed the elevator button once more.  

It was obvious where Junhee wanted to rush off to on a Friday afternoon. Everyone who knew him was aware of how crazy he was about his wife. 

Taejun had been spending more time with Junhee outside of work because their wives were close like sisters. They even went on vacations together. 

Taejun, who had witnessed Junhee’s foolish behavior multiple times, thought to himself with a hint of self-deprecation, 

‘I thought Junhee had it all together. Good to know I’m not the only one who’s lost it.’

Just then, a teasing voice interrupted his thoughts.  

“What’s got you in such a good mood? You look like you want to burst out laughing.”  

Junhee mimicked Taejun’s expression, slightly lifting the corners of his lips. 

The two had become much closer than before, enough to casually refer to each other as “friends,” a word that once felt foreign to them.

Taejun, folding his arms slowly, suddenly spoke.  

“The button.”  

Junhee raised an eyebrow as if to say, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’  

“…?”  

“It works with just one press. Thought you might not know.”  

When Taejun pointed to the elevator button with his chin and pointed out his foolishness, Junhee opened his mouth to retort. Just then, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened.  

Not wanting to miss it, Taejun and Junhee hurriedly stepped inside. When the two robust men entered, the rather large elevator felt full.  

An employee who had hurriedly approached upon seeing the open doors changed direction to the adjacent elevator, avoiding eye contact with them. Employees avoided riding the same elevator with them, as if they were going to roast and eat them inside.  

“Baek Taejun, this is your fault.”  

Junhee grumbled, and Taejun snorted.  

As the elevator descended, the numbers dropped rapidly.  

“Do you have a date with Minhee?”  

At Junhee’s question, Taejun silently nodded slightly.  

“Me too. I have to pick her up in front of the company. I hope the Midtown traffic isn’t too bad…”  

Junhee murmured anxiously, glancing at his watch.  

After exiting the elevator, the two parted ways at the building’s main entrance. Junhee raised his hand lightly.  

“Have a good weekend.”  

“You too.”  

Parting ways with Junhee, Taejun quickly headed to a nearby Italian espresso bar.  

Minhee particularly liked the coffee there. So, on days they had a date, she often waited there, sipping coffee.  

Taejun had tried several times to persuade her that he would pick her up or that she should wait in the car driven by Anton, but each time she smiled brightly and insisted.  

‘It’s something I enjoy, so don’t stop me. Waiting there for you to finish work is so exciting and makes me happy. Don’t take that joy away from me.’

When Minhee said this and smiled sweetly at him, Taejun was left speechless, unable to think of a single word to refute, and just nodded.  

The espresso bar, filled with the rich aroma of coffee, was bustling with office workers, as usual. In addition to the long bar where the barista took orders, round standing tables were placed throughout.  

It was customary to share the high tables used while standing, even with strangers, by politely asking.  

Taejun scanned the interior with a sharp gaze, looking for his wife.  

As the man standing at the central standing table left with his espresso cup, Minhee’s figure was revealed. In front of her was a coffee cup and a half-eaten cookie on a saucer.  

“Ha.”  

A man was standing very close to Minhee. Taejun’s face instantly twisted into a fierce scowl.