HEXELG

CAFFEINE & CODE
A GL slow-burn romance by HEXELG

She's just the barista.
She's the most feared CEO in the city.
Neither of them expected to become the most important part of each other's routine.

Rina Cha is shy, clumsy, and just trying to survive her shifts at Syntek Corp's elite café. Her idea of danger is spilling oat milk on a customer-not walking into the executive elevator and meeting Kira Yoon, the company's untouchable CEO.

Kira runs the tech empire like a machine-flawless, cold, and emotionless. She doesn't do distractions. Especially not flustered girls with crooked foam hearts on their lattes.

But somehow, Rina becomes her only exception.

Now, Rina is bringing Kira coffee every day... and something deeper is brewing between them. In a world of polished glass, power suits, and unspoken rules, can softness survive?

Or will Kira code her heart out of reach?

Caffeine & Code

Rina didn't show up for her shift the next morning.

The café felt empty—and Kira had never even cared what it felt like before.

She told herself it was fine. Logical. Temporary.

"She's giving me space," Kira thought.

But the silence pressed in like a system error with no debug code.

📉 Syntek's Performance Meeting – 59th Floor

"CEO Yoon, a statement regarding the ethics complaint?"

All eyes were on her. Helena's among them.

"I've reviewed the concern," Kira said, her voice crisp. "There is no policy breach. The employee in question is not directly under my management chain, nor has she received any unearned benefit."

"Still," Helena pressed, "don't you think it's risky to get involved with someone inside the company?"

Kira turned her gaze on her. Sharp. Measured.

"What's truly risky, Ms. Wu, is assuming that I haven't already considered every possible outcome."

But Kira's voice softened—unexpectedly.

"And for the record… some risks are worth it."

A younger Kira sat in a hospital room.

Beeping monitors. Her father asleep in the bed.

She scrolled through code on her laptop, fingers trembling.

"Syntek merger blocked. CEO under investigation."

She'd taken control of the company the next day.

"No distractions," she'd told herself."Only output."

And for years, that had been enough.

☕ Outside the Café – Late Evening

Kira stood at the curb, coffee in hand. The lights inside were off.

Sweatshirt. No makeup. Eyes tired.

They stared at each other for a beat.

"I didn't like being disposable," she replied.

"Then why did you try to protect everything but us?"

"Because I've never had anything like this. And I don't know how to hold it without breaking it."

"You don't have to hold it alone."

Then—finally—Kira held out her hand.

System Vulnerable