Finally I knew my place

Lehan kept trying to get closer to me, and I kept trying to avoid him as much as possible. But guess what? Every time I tried to step one foot away, he somehow managed to step one foot closer. It was like a weird, unspoken game between us. Days passed like this, with me failing miserably at maintaining any distance.

Then one night, something strange happened. I woke up feeling thirsty and decided to refill my water bottle. As I walked past Lehan's room, I noticed the door was slightly open, and the lights were off. But I heard a faint sound—like someone crying.

At first, I was scared. Lehan hadn't stayed in this house since I moved in, so what was going on? My brain whispered, Just go back to bed, but my gut told me to check. Curiosity won.

I tiptoed into the room and switched on the light. What I saw froze me in place. Lehan was sitting on the floor, his head buried in his hands, crying.

I had never seen him like this before—so vulnerable, so broken. The confident, smiling Lehan I knew was nowhere to be found. This was a side of him I didn't know existed.

I went closer to him and sat beside him. Gently, I tapped his shoulder. He slowly looked up at me with teary eyes.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

He shook his head and said, "Nothing," before pulling me into a hug and breaking down completely. He cried his heart out, and I just sat there, unsure how to comfort him.

After a moment, I handed him some water and sat with him on the bed. "What's wrong?" I asked again, trying not to sound too pushy.

He stayed silent, his face still heavy with whatever was troubling him. I didn't want to force him to talk, so I let it go. He laid down on the bed, looking utterly exhausted.

"Don't worry about anything," I said softly. "We can talk about it in the morning." I stood to leave, but he grabbed my hand.

"Don't go," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

So, I sat down in the chair next to him, letting him hold my hand as he drifted off to sleep. After he finally fell asleep, I gently covered him with a bedsheet and quietly left his room.

The next morning, after I woke up, I went to check on Lehan. He was still asleep. So, I called Alex to inform him that Lehan wouldn't be coming to the office today and asked him to take care of things.

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, clearly confused.

I replied, "Lehan will explain later, just do as I said." Then I hung up.

I tried waking Lehan up, but he was still in deep sleep. Later, when he finally woke up, I prepared breakfast for him. The silence between us was thick, neither of us speaking.

After he finished eating, I asked, "Can I go out today?"

He initially refused, but I insisted. Eventually, we went to see a comedy movie. Lehan smiled a lot while watching it, and for the first time in a while, I felt a bit of relief.

After the movie, we took a walk and sat under a tree. I gently grabbed his hand and asked, "What happened, Lehan?"

He smiled softly at me and said, "I don't have anything now. Staying here and taking care of this branch was my choice, but now it's about to close. We don't have any more funds to produce games or movies. This company has never been profitable. I managed somehow, but I can't do this anymore. It's going to close soon. I feel like a total failure.

I didn't know how to comfort him. I simply said, "It's okay, we'll figure it out soon." I knew my words probably wouldn't bring him much comfort, but I tried my best.

Then, he went home. Before he left, I added, "Let's talk about the project. If we do one good project, it'll definitely be a success. Don't lose hope."

He smiled at me softly and said, "Thank you."

I don't know why, but I couldn't bear to see him so sad. I just wanted to help him, to make everything better.

After that, Lehan decided to produce a sniper game, and we all worked hard on it. It took three months to complete. During those three months, I stayed by his side and took care of him as much as I could. I never expected to get so close to him, but somewhere along the way, my heart began to fall for him. I didn't want to do anything else at the time; I just focused on work.

Somehow, after all the hard work, we finished the project. One day, I told Lehan, "I want to say something, but I'll tell you after the app launch."

He asked, "What is it?" but I didn't answer.

Finally, launch day arrived. Lehan's family came to the office for the event. It was the first time I'd seen his family. His father looked exactly like him, and his stepmother looked like she had won the world—wearing all the expensive things. His sister was with them too.

We, the office staff, watched them with awe, thinking, Wow, these are rich people.

Then, a woman in her thirties, looking absolutely gorgeous, joined Lehan's family. Everyone was talking about her, but no one knew who she was. The buzz was palpable.

The event went smoothly and was a success. I went to the restroom afterward, only to overhear people gossiping outside. They were talking about the woman who had come with Lehan's family.

"She's the daughter of a family friend," one person said. "And she's Lehan's fiancée."

The gossip continued, with everyone agreeing that she was the perfect match for him.

I stood there, frozen. I didn't know how to feel or what to do. Even though I'd stayed by Lehan's side, supporting him as much as I could, it didn't feel like enough. They were rich, perfect for each other—and I was just... me. I had foolishly forgotten my place.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn't want to make a scene. I quickly washed my face, tried to pull myself together, and went back to the office as if nothing had happened.

The girl who was referred to as Lehan's fiancée was in his cabin. They were talking and laughing together. Honestly, even though it felt like my heart was being torn apart, I couldn't help but admire them. They looked so good together. Everyone in the office adored them, and I found myself joining in too. Yes, that was the place—I knew my place that day.

Lehan saw me while chatting, and honestly, it felt like my heart broke a little. But I forced a smile and looked away.

Then, he came outside with the girl and introduced her as a friend to everyone. We all welcomed her warmly.

After I finished my work, I went home. Lehan's family was sitting in the hall, chatting with his grandparents. I didn't think it was a good time to enter, so I was about to go back outside, but Grandpa noticed me and called me over.

Lehan's mom said, "I saw you at the office. What are you doing here?"

Grandpa replied, "She's staying here."

Suddenly, his mom asked, "Why is she staying here? Is it to take care of you?" Lehan tried to deny it, but I interrupted and said, "Yes."

I didn't want to stand there any longer, so I left the room.

After some time, Lehan came to my room.

"I want to apologize," he said.

I asked, "Why?"

He replied, "For the way my mom talked about you, as if you were a servant."

"It's okay," I said. "It's not completely a lie. I'm here to take care of them."

He asked, "Why are you acting so weird? Did something happen?"

I replied, "Nothing."

He smiled with excitement and asked, "What were you going to say? You said you had something to tell me after the app launch."

I took a deep breath and said, "I got a new place. One of the girls on my team and I are going to share it."

In my mind, I thought, I prepared this in the afternoon. I don't want to stay here anymore. It's making me feel uncomfortable.

Lehan looked surprised and asked, "What? Why are you suddenly doing this?"

I explained, "It's closer to the office, and if I stay with her, I'll have some company. That's all. Don't worry about it. I've already decided to move.