yeonjun catches the shift before he actually sees her. maybe it’s instinct at this point, something wired too deep to ignore no matter how much time passes between moments like this. his steps slow for half a second down the hallway, shoulders tense beneath the weight of exhaustion and whatever else still lingers there, unspoken and old. he doesn’t interrupt. doesn’t greet her.
the conversation with her manager keeps moving and he lets it. keeps his expression flat enough, jaw tight as he glances away toward nothing in particular, like the polished floor suddenly deserves his full attention. it should’ve been easy by now, pretending she was just another familiar face in a building full of them. some days it almost is. today isn’t one of those days.
when the conversation ends and she steps away, he finally looks properly. only for a second. brief enough that it could pass as accidental if someone else noticed it. his tongue presses against the inside of his cheek before he exhales quietly through his nose. then, because standing there any longer would make it obvious he’d noticed at all, yeonjun shifts his bag higher onto his shoulder and starts walking again. slower than before, but not slow enough to call attention to it.
he takes a few steps, accidentally missing one and it causes him to bump into her. "sorry" he mumbles.
the impact is barely there, more brush than collision, but it’s enough to make her stop. his apology hangs briefly between them, swallowed almost immediately by the distant noise of the building. her gaze lingers for a second too long to be polite.
a harden expression clear on her face when the words tasted like venom when she said, ❝it’s fine.❞
she reaches up to adjust the strap of her bag against her shoulder, attention already shifting elsewhere, as if the interaction has taken exactly as much from her as she intends to give.
❝excuse me.❞
