#innovative hiring strategies

[trufynd01]

TruFynd redefines recruitment by delivering innovative and customized talent solutions that meet the unique demands of modern businesses. From sourcing niche professionals to streamlining hiring processes, we ensure your organization has the workforce it needs to succeed. Learn how TruFynd’s expertise can help build your dream team in this comprehensive blog.

[capstone-solutions]

Innovative strategic talent acquisition services for business growth

Unlock your company's potential with our strategic talent acquisition services. We focus on identifying and attracting the best candidates who align with your business goals. Our approach goes beyond filling positions; we build long-term strategies to secure top-tier talent that drives success and innovation. From understanding your unique culture to offering data-driven insights, we ensure your organization stays ahead in the competitive talent market.

[mohitjoshi041]

How International Executive Search Firms Can Help Enterprises Prepare for the Future?

International executive search firms play a crucial role in helping businesses navigate the evolving global landscape. By leveraging their expertise and global networks, these firms can identify and recruit top-tier leadership talent that aligns with an organization’s long-term vision. They help enterprises stay competitive by sourcing executives with the right skills, experience, and cultural fit for international markets.

These firms also offer valuable insights into emerging trends and leadership best practices, ensuring companies remain agile and forward-thinking. Through strategic talent acquisition, international executive search firms empower enterprises to adapt to future challenges, drive innovation, and maintain sustainable growth. Their ability to scout top executives across diverse markets enables companies to build strong, diverse leadership teams that are essential for success in a dynamic business environment. For more information click here

[barefoot-talent]

How Busy Professionals Can Achieve More with Barefoot Talent and Virtual Assistant Services

As a busy professional, balancing the many responsibilities of managing a growing business while staying on top of daily tasks can be overwhelming. With constant meetings, client calls, project deadlines, and administrative work, it’s easy to lose sight of your business goals. However, outsourcing services such as Virtual Assistant in Australia, dedicated virtual teams for business growth, and remote staffing solutions can provide the support you need to achieve more with less stress.

Barefoot Talent offers affordable virtual assistant packages and back office support solutions designed to streamline your operations and help you focus on growing your business. Let’s explore how leveraging virtual assistant services and business process outsourcing (BPO) can help busy entrepreneurs and professionals accomplish more and reduce their workload.

1. The Power of Outsourcing Services for Businesses

Outsourcing has become a game-changer for busy professionals. Instead of managing everything on your own, you can delegate tasks to specialists in areas like online business management (OBM) services, task automation for small businesses, and general administrative support.

By utilizing remote staffing solutions, you can hire highly skilled professionals without the overhead of maintaining a full-time, in-house team. Whether you’re managing a startup or scaling a medium-sized business, customized BPO services can help optimize your operations and free up valuable time. By outsourcing non-core tasks, you can focus on the strategic activities that drive growth.

For example, hire task-based virtual assistants to handle repetitive duties such as data entry, customer support, and scheduling. This allows you to concentrate on more important, growth-driven activities.

2. Hire Virtual Assistants for Small Businesses

Small business owners often find themselves wearing many hats, from managing daily operations to marketing and customer service. However, trying to manage everything can lead to burnout and missed opportunities. That’s where virtual assistants for small businesses come in.

Hiring a virtual assistant in Australia provides an affordable solution. Virtual assistants can take over administrative tasks such as email management, scheduling, social media management, and customer service. This ensures your business remains efficient, even when things get busy.

Barefoot Talent offers affordable virtual assistant packages that are specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of your business. With this support in place, you can spend more time focusing on scaling your business and achieving your goals.

3. Streamline Operations with Outsourcing

Outsourcing can be an effective way to streamline operations and boost efficiency. By outsourcing tasks like customer service, data management, or lead generation, you can maintain focus on your core business functions without becoming bogged down by day-to-day administrative work.

For example, consider hiring a full-time OBM for entrepreneurs to manage complex projects, optimize business processes, and supervise your remote team. A qualified OBM ensures your business systems run smoothly, allowing you to delegate tasks confidently. As a result, you’ll experience increased productivity and a more seamless workflow.

Outsourcing recurring tasks, like bookkeeping or payroll management, is also essential for consistency. Business process outsourcing for startups allows you to offload these responsibilities, making your business more scalable and less reliant on internal resources.

4. Leverage Remote Teams for Scaling Your Business

As your business grows, having the right team is crucial. By leveraging virtual teams for scaling businesses, you can tap into specialized talent without the expense of hiring a full-time in-house team.

Barefoot Talent offers dedicated virtual teams for business growth, allowing you to handpick professionals who match your specific needs. Whether you need marketing experts, customer service representatives, or tech support, these virtual teams become an extension of your business.

Remote team building strategies enable you to manage a global workforce, providing you with the flexibility to scale operations without the complications of managing a large, in-house team. With the right remote team, you can maintain high-quality service and drive business growth, even while working remotely.

5. Cost-Effective Outsourcing for Entrepreneurs

Managing business costs is always a top priority for entrepreneurs, and outsourcing provides a cost-effective solution. Hiring remote professionals or virtual assistants allows you to access specialized skills without the added costs of office space, employee benefits, or training.

For example, you can hire task-based virtual assistants on a project basis, ensuring you only pay for the services you need. Task automation for small businesses can further enhance cost savings by eliminating the time spent on repetitive tasks. With the right tools and the support of virtual assistants, you can automate social media posting, email marketing, customer follow-ups, and more.

This model gives you the flexibility to invest in your business’s growth while keeping costs under control.

6. How to Get Started with Virtual Assistant Services

Getting started with Virtual Assistant services is easier than you think. Begin by identifying the tasks that consume the most time in your business. Do you spend hours managing emails, scheduling meetings, or organizing your calendar? Once you understand your needs, you can begin exploring affordable virtual assistant packages that match your budget.

Next, connect with a provider like Barefoot Talent, which offers remote staffing solutions tailored to the unique needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses. Whether you need a full-time OBM for entrepreneurs or a dedicated virtual team, they can help connect you with the right talent.

Once you have the right team in place, start delegating your tasks. As you begin outsourcing non-essential work, you’ll notice an increase in your productivity and an improvement in your work-life balance.

7. Achieve Business Goals with the Right Support

Outsourcing essential tasks like customer support, project management, or administrative duties allows you to remain focused on your core business objectives. With the right support in place, such as virtual assistants and remote staffing solutions, you can ensure your business operates efficiently, even in the most hectic periods.

Whether you require back office support solutions, business process outsourcing for startups, or task-based virtual assistants, Barefoot Talent can help your business run smoothly and stay on track to meet its goals. By implementing customized BPO services, you can streamline operations and scale your business with ease.

Conclusion

Outsourcing is a vital tool for busy professionals and entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses without compromising quality. With the right outsourcing partner, such as Barefoot Talent, you can delegate time-consuming tasks and focus on what matters most—growing your business.

Whether you need virtual assistants in Australia, dedicated virtual teams, or task automation for small businesses, outsourcing provides the flexibility and support necessary to thrive in today’s competitive market. By leveraging virtual teams and remote staffing solutions, you can achieve your business goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

[alliance00]

Vice President Recruitment In the Digital Age: What You Need To Know

How do you plan Vice President recruitment for various digital transformation initiatives? This guide is a must read to make VP recruiting highly relevant to achieving set goals!

When your company needs top-level candidates for the Vice President role, do you just send a profile description to the HR with some hints and wait for a shortlist of candidates? The interviews are then arranged?

Well, that is definitely not the right way anymore. In fact there are high chances of disastrous results.

Either you might get someone with a flashy background who will turn out to be a misfit for your business. Or you might hire someone who has less expertise, vision, and charisma than most of your competitors.

We are moving forward in a digital economy where the entire business landscape has changed. The leaders you need to guide growth in the future might not be the veterans who are looking back in the golden past.

In this blog, we are focusing on Vice President recruitment for businesses undergoing wide-scale digital transformation.

We think the majority of mid-sized and large companies will be in this category. This blog about Vice President hiring for digital transformation leadership can serve as a valuable reference point.

Vice President Recruitment For Improving Digital Transformation The role of Vice Presidents (VPs) are unique – they have to guide the C-Suite and the executive management. A VP dons many hats-top-ranking facilitator, intermediary, adviser, collaborator, mentor, and strategic problem solver.

For companies undergoing digital transformation, many new VP roles have come up. Let’s explore the key ones.

VP Recruiting For Overcoming Technology Challenges There are several VP roles involved in assessing and resolving technology challenges in a company. Companies hire a Vice President of Technology Operations to initiate or speed up technology transformation that will undoubtedly be the phase of maximum challenges.

Hiring A VP of Technology Operations should be about hiring a top-level leader who can guide the C-Suite to anticipate, address, and manage the potential problems and resistance to new tech-enabled operations models.

If you need a champion to provide strategic leadership for identifying the right tech investments that will give a high ROI, you can hire a Vice President of Digital Strategy. He or she will assess digital positioning moves and guide the development of well-defined, SMART digital strategy to run the right initiatives for tech-based business transformation.

VP Recruiting For Process Transformation If your company is embarking on an enterprise-wide transformation journey, it means you are ready to remove all off-grade working models enterprise-wide. It also means a huge part of your business is on stake.

You cannot afford a single wrong move.

You need to recruit a genius in process excellence or process transformation. You can consider hiring a VP of Process Excellence or a VP of Operational Excellence. The VP should have experience in building and maintaining a Center of Excellence division which will own all process improvement moves. The VP will also guide the division to align process mapping and future operations design with strategic planning, feasibility needs, and potential opportunities.

You will also have to plan for Vice President staffing solutions – providing the VP with the right staff to achieve the goals set for the role.

VP Recruiting For Data-Driven Operations Management If you think a leader overseeing digital transformation is similar to one for data-driven operations, you can be totally wrong.

Data-driven operations are mostly conducted through integrated platforms that connect all employee work across divisions and geographies and the supply chain. To cite some examples, a firm creating AI-based analytics products to improve diagnosis or treatment of certain diseases, an online financial analytics business, and smart factories.

If you are planning to launch or expand such a business, you will need to hire a Vice President of Data Management or Data Operations. He or she will be an experienced leader who understands and improves data engineering, data science and analytics, and real-time intelligence to improve product design, engineering, and delivery.

You will also have to conduct Vice President staffing accordingly – hiring the right team of data scientists, data modeling experts, and engineers to support the VP.

VP Recruiting For Improving Digital Maturity There is a long line of myths and misinformation related to defining and understanding digital maturity. It becomes necessary to get it right if your company is planning to invest millions in improving digital maturity levels.

There are different phases an organization has to go through when creating insight-driven operational improvement moves. It is best to take advice from an expert digital maturity consulting firm and identify top-level roles you will need to fill for directing all the moves. For example, companies hire a Chief Digital Officer and Process Excellence Consultant along with recruiting a Vice President for Digital Transformation.

Information about different top leadership recruitment needs might bewilder you for a bit. That is natural. But it is the right time to consider moves like Chief Data Officer hiring or senior vice president recruitment for making your digital transformation journey profitable.

View Source: - Vice President Recruitment In the Digital Age: What You Need To Know

[teju55]

Egg Whisk Market Report Analysis Growth 2024|2032

Egg Whisk  Market Research Report gives a comprehensive overview of the market, highlighting the key market growth trends, new opportunities, threats, and drivers. Also given is the market's CAGR value. Market research on Egg Whisk provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of company profiles, development updates, industry size, and market share across all over geographical regions The report also provides a comprehensive primary analysis of the market with an emphasis on the supply chain, segmentation, application types, key players, and industry sectors of the market. It offers a thorough grasp of the entire ecosystem, together with in-depth knowledge of important market categories and the impact they have on particular regions.

Who is the largest manufacturers of Egg Whisk Market worldwide?

Best Manufacturers

OXO

Ouddy

Utopia

Kuchenprofi

Cuisipro

WMF

Kuhn Rikon

Barmix

Chefaith

Norpro

Winco

What are the types of Egg Whisk available in the Market?

Traditional Stainless Steel

Silicone Coated

Others

Types help provide a comprehensive understanding of the diverse landscape within the Egg Whisk market. Keep in mind that the categorizations can evolve as technology advances and market trends change. This study presents the production, revenue, price, market share, and growth rate of each type of product, basically divided into

What are the factors driving application of the growth of the Egg Whisk Market?

Online Sales

Offline Sales

These applications highlight the versatility of Egg Whisk and their potential to enhance visual experiences across a wide range of settings and industries. This study focuses on the status and outlook for key applications and end users, consumption (sales), market share, and growth rate for each application, based on end users and applications

Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Egg Whisk in these regions till the forecast period [2024 2031]

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)

Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Key-Reasons for Purchasing Egg Whisk Market Report:

Comprehensive Market Insights: This market report offers an in-depth analysis, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of the Egg Whisk market, including current trends, growth drivers, and potential challenges. It acts as a valuable source of information to make informed decisions.

Competitive Intelligence: Gain a competitive edge with detailed insights into the competitive landscape. Understand your key competitors' strategies, market share, and positioning within the industry, allowing you to refine your own strategies effectively.

Market Size and Forecast: Access precise market size data and forecasts, aiding you in assessing the market's potential and planning for the future. Make data-driven decisions regarding investments and expansion opportunities.

Targeted Market Segmentation: This report breaks down the market into specific segments, helping you identify niche markets or consumer segments that align with your business objectives. Tailor your marketing efforts and product development to suit these segments effectively.

Risk Assessment and Mitigation: Identify potential risks and challenges within the market and develop strategies to mitigate them. A thorough risk assessment can help you safeguard your investments and adapt to changing market dynamics.

Regulatory Insights: Stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and compliance requirements affecting your industry. Ensure your business operations are in alignment with regulatory changes to avoid legal complications.

Browse More Details On This Report at : - https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/market-reports/egg-whisk-market-116651

Business Research Insights

Phone:

US: (+1) 424 253 0807

UK: (+44) 203 239 8187

Email: sales@businessresearchinsights.com

Web: https://www.businessresearchinsights.com

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High Fiber Biscuits Market

Moving Company Software Market

Egg Whisk Market

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Entertainment and Media Market

Blue Light Blocking Glasses Market

[truefirms-staff-augmentation]

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[enhasntty]

Love on The Line - LHS

pairing: lee heeseung x f!reader summary: At BrightSpark Solutions, your rivalry with the playful Heeseung turns into unexpected sparks during a high-profile project. Between late-night brainstorming, office pranks, and your brother’s matchmaking antics, love starts to bloom in the chaos. warnings: includes kissing, playful flirting, tension, bickering, teasing, playful banter, reader has a younger brother and he calls her "Noona" genre: romance, co-workers to lovers wc: 14.6k

likes and reblogs are highly appreciated!

The fluorescent lights of the BrightSpark Solutions conference room buzzed softly as the clock struck 10 a.m. You sat at the large glass table, fingers laced neatly in front of you, a small stack of notes by your side. The morning coffee rush had left the faint scent of vanilla lattes and caramel macchiatos lingering in the air, but you were too focused to notice. Across the table sat Lee Heeseung, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed smirk playing on his lips, a complete contrast to your poised demeanor.

The weekly team meeting had always been competitive, but today was different. The stakes were higher. Manager Kim had dropped the bombshell just a day earlier—a high-profile client was considering hiring BrightSpark to handle their next major marketing campaign, and the responsibility of landing the deal would likely fall on whoever impressed him the most during today’s meeting.

You weren’t about to let Heeseung, your biggest rival, take that win.

“Alright, let’s get started,” Manager Kim announced, his authoritative voice cutting through the murmurs. He adjusted his glasses, glancing around the room. “As you all know, this potential client could be a game-changer for us. I want to hear your ideas. Impress me.”

You cleared your throat and stood, clutching the edge of your laptop. “I’d like to go first.”

“Of course you would,” Heeseung quipped, leaning forward slightly, the corners of his lips twitching in amusement.

Ignoring him, you clicked on the first slide of your presentation. “My concept focuses on storytelling. This campaign isn’t just about selling a product; it’s about connecting emotionally with the target audience. I’ve outlined a multi-platform strategy to build a narrative that resonates with them.”

You went on to explain your vision, your voice steady and confident. The room was quiet, except for the soft tapping of someone taking notes. Manager Kim nodded occasionally, his expression unreadable.

As you finished your presentation, you glanced briefly at Heeseung. His smirk was gone, replaced with a raised brow and a look of mild interest.

“Thank you,” Manager Kim said as you sat down. “Heeseung, you’re up.”

Heeseung stood with a casual air, pushing his chair back with his foot and sauntering to the front of the room. He didn’t even bother with notes; he simply pulled up his presentation, hands in his pockets as he addressed the room.

“My approach is simple,” he began, his voice smooth and confident. “People don’t want to feel like they’re being sold something, they want to feel involved. This campaign should be interactive, something that makes the audience feel like they’re part of the brand.”

His presentation was polished, and his ideas were bold and innovative. You hated to admit it, but he had a way of commanding attention effortlessly. The way he gestured, his sharp wit, and his subtle confidence was infuriating how good he was at this.

As he wrapped up, he shot you a quick glance, his smirk back in full force. You looked away, frowning slightly.

“Both excellent ideas,” Manager Kim said, his hands clasped in front of him. “But I think this project requires something a little… extra. That’s why I’m assigning both of you to work on it together.”

Your heart sank.

“What?” you blurted, your voice soft but incredulous.

“Sir, with all due respect,” Heeseung began, trying to hide his own surprise.

Manager Kim raised a hand to cut him off. “You’re both BrightSpark’s best. This client is too important to risk on just one perspective. I want both of you on this.”

You exchanged a quick glance with Heeseung, who looked equally displeased.

“This isn’t up for discussion,” Manager Kim added. “I expect results. You’ll have your first joint brainstorming session tomorrow morning. Dismissed.”

Back at your desk, you buried your head in your hands, groaning softly.

“I’m guessing the meeting didn’t go as planned?” Chaewon’s voice came from beside you.

You glanced up to see your best friend leaning against your desk, her auburn hair tied into a short ponytail. She held a cup of coffee in one hand and a knowing smile in the other.

“Manager Kim wants me to work with Heeseung on the campaign,” you muttered.

Chaewon’s eyes widened. “What? Him?” She slid into the empty chair beside you. “This is going to be so entertaining.”

“For who? Because it’s definitely not me,” you grumbled.

“Oh, come on,” Chaewon teased, nudging your shoulder. “It’s not like he’s terrible to look at. And admit it, you secretly like how much attention he gives you.”

Your cheeks flushed. “He does not give me attention. He’s just, ugh, Heeseung!”

Chaewon laughed, clearly enjoying your misery. “You know, the way he argues with you all the time? Classic flirting behavior.”

You shook your head, refusing to let her words get to you. “It’s not flirting. Heeseung just likes to win.”

“Mm-hmm,” she said, clearly unconvinced.

Meanwhile, across the office, Heeseung was slouched at his desk, tossing a stress ball in the air. Jay perched on the edge of the desk, watching him with amusement.

“So,” Jay said, dragging out the word, “you’re working with her now?”

“Don’t remind me,” Heeseung muttered, catching the ball and squeezing it in frustration. “She’s so annoyingly perfect all the time.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “Perfect? That’s an interesting word choice.”

“You know what I mean,” Heeseung said quickly. “She’s always so calm, so composed. Like nothing ever rattles her. It’s infuriating.”

Jay smirked. “Right. Infuriating. And the fact that you bring her up in every conversation has nothing to do with the fact that you like her?”

Heeseung scoffed. “I don’t like her. I just…” He trailed off, searching for the right words. “She’s… competitive. It’s fun to challenge her, that’s all.”

“Sure, sure,” Jay said, clearly unconvinced.

“Besides,” Heeseung continued, tossing the stress ball back into the air, “she probably hates me.”

Jay laughed. “Hates you? Dude, she wouldn’t argue with you so much if she didn’t care. Trust me, she likes you.”

Heeseung frowned, his mind drifting back to the way you’d looked at him during the meeting—frustrated, sure, but there had been something else in your eyes. He quickly shook the thought away.

As the day dragged on, you tried to focus on your other tasks, but your thoughts kept drifting back to the campaign, and to Heeseung.

How were you supposed to work with him? He was charming, sure, but also insufferable. Every interaction with him felt like a battle, and yet, there was something oddly exhilarating about it.

“Stop overthinking,” you muttered to yourself, pushing the thoughts aside. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and you needed to be prepared.

The next morning, you arrived at the office earlier than usual, determined to set the tone for your first brainstorming session with Heeseung. Armed with neatly typed notes and a freshly brewed coffee, you claimed one of the small meeting rooms. The space was bright and organized, with a whiteboard on one wall and a sleek table in the center. You placed your materials in the exact center of the table, ensuring everything was perfectly aligned.

Ten minutes later, the door swung open, and Heeseung strolled in, late as usual. He carried nothing but a pen tucked behind his ear and an air of casual arrogance that immediately set your teeth on edge.

“You’re late,” you said, glancing pointedly at the clock.

“Fashionably late,” Heeseung replied, flashing you a grin. “You didn’t miss me that much, did you?”

You ignored the comment, gesturing toward the seat across from you. “Let’s get started.”

Instead of sitting where you’d indicated, Heeseung plopped into the chair right next to you.

“What are you doing?” you asked, narrowing your eyes.

“Sitting,” he said innocently. “Why? Do you have assigned seating too, Ms. Control Freak?”

Your jaw tightened. “I am not a control freak.”

“You’re totally a control freak,” he said, smirking as he leaned back in his chair. “Look at this.” He gestured toward the neatly arranged notes in front of you. “Your papers are color-coded, for crying out loud.”

“It’s called being prepared,” you shot back. “You should try it sometime instead of showing up with nothing but that ridiculous smirk.”

“Ouch.” Heeseung placed a hand over his heart in mock offense. “You wound me.”

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t help the small smile tugging at your lips. Despite his infuriating demeanor, there was something oddly endearing about how easily he got under your skin.

The session quickly turned into a battle of wills.

“We should focus on a digital-first approach,” you argued, jotting ideas onto the whiteboard. “The client’s audience is primarily online, so that’s where we need to meet them.”

Heeseung leaned back in his chair, twirling his pen between his fingers. “Sure, but that’s obvious. If we want to stand out, we need to do something unexpected. How about guerrilla marketing? Something bold and interactive.”

“Interactive campaigns are risky,” you countered, turning to face him. “What if it flops? We’d waste the client’s budget.”

He shrugged. “Sometimes you have to take risks. Not that you’d know anything about that, Ms. Play-It-Safe.”

You crossed your arms, glaring at him. “And sometimes you need to be practical, Mr. Half-Baked-Ideas.”

For a moment, the two of you simply stared at each other, the air between you crackling with tension. Finally, Heeseung broke the silence with a chuckle.

“You’re really something, you know that?”

“Is that your way of admitting I’m right?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head, still smiling. “Not a chance.”

Just as you were about to fire back a retort, a small voice called out from the doorway.

“Noona!”

Your heart melted instantly as you turned to see your younger brother, Minjun, standing in the doorway with a wide grin. He was clutching a small stuffed bear in one hand, his backpack slung haphazardly over one shoulder.

“Minjun?” you said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Mom had a meeting nearby, so she said I could come see you after school,” he explained, walking into the room. He paused when he noticed Heeseung, his big, curious eyes taking in the stranger.

“Who’s that?” Minjun asked, pointing at Heeseung.

Heeseung smiled, leaning down to Minjun’s level. “I’m Heeseung. And you must be Minjun, right?”

Minjun nodded, looking delighted. “How did you know my name?”

“She talks about you all the time,” Heeseung said, shooting you a sly glance.

You felt your cheeks heat up. “I do not.”

“Yes, you do,” Heeseung said with a laugh.

Before you could argue, Minjun walked up to Heeseung and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Heeseung.”

Heeseung grinned and shook the tiny hand, his usual teasing expression softening. “Nice to meet you too, Minjun.”

To your utter surprise, Minjun didn’t let go of Heeseung’s hand. Instead, he tugged on it, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Do you work with my Noona?”

“I do,” Heeseung said.

“Is she a good worker?” Minjun asked, tilting his head.

Heeseung laughed, glancing at you. “She’s… very good at what she does.”

“See, Minjun?” you said, ruffling his hair. “Even Heeseung can admit I’m good at my job.”

Minjun nodded seriously, still holding onto Heeseung’s hand. “I like you,” he declared.

You blinked in shock. “Minjun!”

“What?” Minjun said innocently. “He’s nice.”

Heeseung chuckled, his ears turning slightly pink. “Thanks, buddy. I like you too.”

Minjun’s unexpected visit completely derailed the rest of the meeting. He insisted on sitting on your lap while you worked, occasionally chiming in with his own “ideas” for the campaign, which mostly involved adding superheroes and dinosaurs.

Heeseung, to his credit, played along, even sketching a quick dinosaur on the corner of your notes to make Minjun laugh. You couldn’t help but notice how gentle he was with your little brother, his usual sarcasm replaced with genuine warmth.

By the time your mom came to pick Minjun up, the entire office was buzzing about your “adorable little brother.”

Later that afternoon, you were tidying up the meeting room when Sunghoon and Yuna walked in.

“So,” Yuna said, leaning against the table with a smirk, “what’s going on with you and Heeseung?”

“Nothing,” you said quickly, glancing up from your notes.

“Really?” Sunghoon said, raising an eyebrow. “Because the way he was looking at you earlier… pretty suspicious.”

You rolled your eyes. “He wasn’t looking at me.”

“Yes, he was,” Yuna said, grinning. “And don’t even get me started on how cute you two were with Minjun.”

“We weren’t being cute,” you insisted.

“Oh, please,” Sunghoon said. “If you guys aren’t dating yet, it’s only a matter of time.”

“Exactly,” Yuna added. “You’d make such a cute couple.”

You sighed, shaking your head. “Can we not do this right now?”

“Fine, fine,” Yuna said, holding up her hands. “But don’t say we didn’t tell you.”

As they left the room, you couldn’t help but wonder if there was any truth to their teasing.

Meanwhile, Heeseung was back at his desk, staring at the tiny dinosaur he’d doodled on your notes. He smiled to himself, thinking about Minjun’s wide-eyed innocence and the way you’d softened around your little brother.

Jay walked by and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“No reason,” Heeseung said, quickly flipping the page.

Jay smirked. “Uh-huh. Let me guess… it’s about her?”

“Shut up, Jay,” Heeseung muttered, but the smile lingered on his lips.

The office was eerily quiet at night, the usual hum of conversations and ringing phones replaced by the steady ticking of the wall clock. The overhead lights cast a warm glow on the small meeting room where you and Heeseung were holed up, brainstorming for the campaign. The faint aroma of coffee lingered in the air, mingling with the sound of your pen scratching against paper.

It was well past office hours, but neither of you seemed eager to leave. Or maybe, neither of you wanted to admit defeat by calling it a night first.

“I still think we should focus on the customer journey,” you said, jotting another note onto the whiteboard. “If we can show the client how their product fits seamlessly into their audience’s lives, it’ll be a win.”

Heeseung leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he studied your work. “It’s not bad,” he admitted, though his tone made it sound like he was giving a grudging compliment. “But it’s missing something dynamic. What about an experiential element? Something that makes people feel like they’re part of the brand.”

You turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “You mean like that VR campaign you suggested earlier?”

“Exactly.”

“That was a terrible idea, Heeseung.”

“Was not.”

“Was too.”

He chuckled, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hand. “You’re lucky you’re cute when you’re bossy.”

You froze, the pen slipping from your fingers and clattering onto the table. “Excuse me?”

Heeseung grinned, clearly enjoying the way your eyes widened and your cheeks flushed. “I said you’re lucky you’re cute. Why? Did I catch you off guard?”

“N-no,” you stammered, looking away quickly.

“Hmm,” he said, tilting his head. “You’re staring at me a lot tonight, you know. Should I be worried you’re falling for me?”

Your head snapped back toward him, horrified. “I am not!”

The words tumbled out so quickly that they sounded more like a squeak, and Heeseung couldn’t help but laugh. The sound was warm and genuine, not his usual teasing chuckle, and for a moment, it caught you off guard.

“Relax,” he said, still smiling. “I’m just messing with you.”

You frowned, though the heat in your cheeks gave away your flustered state. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice softening. “But you’re fun to mess with.”

The conversation shifted as the brainstorming stalled, both of you leaning back in your chairs and staring at the whiteboard covered in half-formed ideas. The quiet of the room wrapped around you like a cocoon, making the usual tension between you feel strangely less sharp.

“I’ll admit,” Heeseung said after a long pause, “this whole ‘teamwork’ thing isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be.”

You glanced at him, surprised by his sudden honesty. “Really?”

He nodded, his gaze fixed on the whiteboard. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re still a control freak.”

“Thanks,” you said dryly.

“But…” He hesitated, fiddling with the pen in his hand. “You’re also… good at this. Like, really good. It’s kind of annoying how much you seem to have it all together.”

You blinked, caught off guard by the rare glimpse of vulnerability in his voice. “I don’t, though,” you said quietly. “Have it all together, I mean.”

He finally looked at you, his usual smirk replaced with a softer expression. “You seem like you do. Always calm, always prepared. Meanwhile, I’m just… faking it most of the time.”

You tilted your head, studying him. “You? Faking it? You’re one of the smartest people I know, Heeseung. You’re always so confident.”

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, well, confidence is easy to fake when everyone expects you to be the best. You don’t have a choice but to keep up the act.”

For a moment, the air between you grew heavier, the weight of his words settling over you. You’d always seen Heeseung as this untouchable force—effortlessly talented, infuriatingly self-assured. But now, you realized there was more to him than the arrogant façade he wore so well.

“I get it,” you said softly. “The pressure to prove yourself. To be perfect all the time. It’s exhausting.”

Heeseung looked at you, something unspoken passing between you in the quiet. “I didn’t think you’d understand,” he admitted.

You offered him a small smile. “I’m not as put-together as you think, Heeseung. I just try hard to look like I am.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and for the first time, it felt like you were truly seeing each other—not as rivals, but as two people navigating the same struggles.

The moment was broken when Heeseung stood suddenly, stretching his arms above his head. “Alright, enough of the deep stuff,” he said, his usual playful tone returning. “I’m grabbing coffee. Want one?”

You nodded, grateful for the distraction. “Black, please.”

“Got it,” he said, heading for the door.

As soon as he left, you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. Your heart was still racing from the unexpectedly candid conversation, and you couldn’t shake the image of his soft smile from your mind.

In the hallway, Heeseung passed by Chaewon and Jay, who were chatting near the coffee machine. They stopped when they noticed him, exchanging knowing looks.

“Heeseung again?” Chaewon whispered, glancing toward the meeting room.

Jay grinned. “I’m telling you, something’s definitely going on with those two.”

Chaewon giggled. “They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately.”

Heeseung cleared his throat loudly, and both of them turned to face him, their expressions suspiciously innocent.

“Can I help you?” Heeseung asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope,” Chaewon said sweetly, though the glint in her eyes gave her away.

“Just making an observation,” Jay added, smirking.

“Right,” Heeseung said, grabbing two cups of coffee and heading back to the meeting room. He could still hear them whispering behind him, but he chose to ignore it.

When he returned, you looked up from your notes, offering him a small smile as he handed you your coffee.

“Thanks,” you said, your fingers brushing his briefly as you took the cup.

“No problem,” he said, sitting back down across from you. “Ready to get back to it?”

You nodded, though your mind was still reeling from everything that had happened that night.

As the two of you returned to brainstorming, the air between you felt lighter somehow, the sharp edges of your rivalry softened by the quiet understanding you’d found. For the first time, you wondered if maybe, just maybe, working with Heeseung wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The office had officially descended into chaos—or at least, that’s how it felt when Heeseung started leaving silly notes on your desk.

The first one appeared on your keyboard: “Are you sure you’re not a control freak? Just checking.”

You stared at the note, dumbfounded. You immediately turned to see if he was lurking nearby, but he was nowhere in sight.

Annoyed, you crumpled the note and tossed it into the trash, but the smirk on your face betrayed your amusement.

The next day, another note: “Hope your coffee’s as perfect as your ideas. Oh wait, it’s probably not.”

You groaned. It was getting ridiculous. But rather than letting it slide, you decided it was time to strike back.

When Heeseung stepped out for a meeting, you quietly swapped his coffee cup for a decaf. It was a small thing, but you could already picture the look on his face when he took that first sip.

Heeseung retaliated with little acts of sabotage—stealing your pens, hiding your notebooks, and even changing your desktop wallpaper to a picture of a cat in a business suit.

“Really, Heeseung?” you asked, staring at the screen.

“What?” he said, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “It’s a professional look.”

The office watched the pranks unfold with great interest, enjoying every moment of the harmless back-and-forth. Sunghoon and Yuna had taken it upon themselves to organize bets, placing wagers on who would confess their feelings first.

“Heeseung’s gonna crack first,” Sunghoon declared confidently, sipping his coffee. “You can tell by how often he looks at her.”

“You think?” Yuna raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, he’s pretty good at pretending like he’s not interested. But she’s definitely more than a little soft on him.”

The two of them exchanged glances, and you could hear the faint whispers whenever you and Heeseung passed by. It was a weird mix of fun and embarrassment, and you were trying your best to ignore it.

One afternoon, the tension between you and Heeseung reached a new peak. You were deep into a debate about the best direction for the campaign.

“I’m telling you,” you said, tapping the whiteboard with your marker. “This is a great idea. It’s fresh, it’s bold, and it speaks directly to the target audience.”

“Fresh, bold, and completely impractical,” Heeseung shot back, leaning in with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You’re missing the whole point. This campaign needs to stand out. Not be a snooze fest.”

“It’s not a snooze fest!” you argued, frustration bubbling up. “It’s grounded in reality!”

Heeseung’s lips twitched into a teasing grin. “Reality’s boring.”

The banter between you both had always been playful, but this time, something was different. The words you exchanged seemed to hang in the air longer, and the intensity of your rivalry felt almost… charged.

You were so focused on arguing that you didn’t notice the loose cord at your feet until it was too late.

One second, you were standing tall, passionately defending your idea. The next, your foot caught on the cord, sending you tumbling forward.

“Heeseung!”

Your heart leapt into your throat as you felt yourself falling, bracing for impact. But before you could hit the floor, a pair of hands shot out and caught you by the waist.

Heeseung’s grip on you was firm, but his breath was shallow as he steadied you. You could feel the warmth of his body so close to yours, and for a moment, neither of you moved.

You blinked up at him, suddenly aware of how close you were. His face was inches away, his breath mingling with yours. His dark eyes were wide, caught off guard by the accidental intimacy.

“I… uh… you okay?” he asked, his voice sounding oddly strained.

“Yeah… I think so.” You felt your face heat up, but you couldn’t look away. Heeseung’s hands were still on your waist, and your heart was pounding in your chest.

Neither of you seemed to know what to do next. It was as though the world had slowed down for that brief, accidental moment, leaving both of you caught between the lines of rivalry and something else—something neither of you were ready to confront.

Before you could fully process what had happened, Heeseung cleared his throat and gently let go of you.

“Guess I should watch where I’m going,” you said quickly, stepping back and trying to act like nothing happened.

“Yeah, or maybe I should’ve made sure you didn’t trip over that stupid cord,” Heeseung muttered, running a hand through his hair. His usual teasing grin had faltered slightly, replaced by an uncertain expression.

You weren’t sure what to make of it. The moment felt too real.

“So…” you said awkwardly, clearing your throat. “About the campaign.”

Heeseung nodded, his usual smirk creeping back. “Right, back to work. I’m still not convinced by your idea, though.”

“Of course you’re not,” you said, trying to play it cool, though your heart was still racing.

But despite the playful banter, neither of you could fully shake the electricity in the air. It was like something had shifted between you, even if neither of you wanted to admit it.

As the day wore on, the office chatter grew louder.

Chaewon stopped by your desk, raising an eyebrow as she watched you and Heeseung from the corner of her eye.

“Is it just me, or did something happen between you two?” she asked, a sly grin on her face.

“Nothing happened,” you said quickly, too quickly.

Chaewon smirked. “Uh-huh. Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

Jay appeared beside her, and the two exchanged a knowing look.

“So, who’s gonna confess first?” Jay asked, crossing his arms.

You shot him a glare. “We’re not confessing anything.”

But as you glanced toward Heeseung, who was now looking at you with an unreadable expression, you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, the lines between rivalry and something more were starting to blur.

The conference room was filled with the low hum of conversation as your team prepped for the big client presentation. BrightSpark Solutions had landed a high-profile meeting with a new client—a startup that had just secured major funding and was looking to revamp its image. This could be a game-changer for the agency, and the pressure was on.

You were ready, dressed in your best professional attire, your notes organized and the presentation slides perfect. But as you made final adjustments to the projector, you couldn’t help but notice the charming man who had just walked in. His name was Eunwoo, the CEO of the new client, and his bright smile seemed to light up the room.

Eunwoo was tall, with well-groomed dark hair and a tailored suit that fit him perfectly. He was charismatic in that way that made everyone in the room immediately pay attention, but he seemed particularly fixated on you. He flashed you a warm smile as you caught his eye, and you offered a polite one back, keeping things professional.

“Shall we get started?” you asked, gesturing to the presentation board.

“Oh, I’m sure this will be impressive,” Eunwoo said smoothly, his voice rich with charm. “But I’m more interested in getting to know you, personally. What do you think of the future of marketing?”

Your eyebrows shot up, caught off guard by his directness. “Well, I think it’s about understanding people more deeply. It’s not just about selling a product, but creating a connection with your audience.”

Eunwoo nodded thoughtfully, his gaze lingering just a little too long. “I couldn’t agree more. It’s refreshing to meet someone with such a deep understanding of what really matters. Maybe you could give me a personal tour of your thoughts sometime.”

The remark was playful, almost flirtatious, and it made you feel a little uncomfortable, though you kept your composure. You had dealt with flirtations before in this line of work, but something about Eunwoo’s attention made you uneasy—especially when you glanced over at Heeseung.

His posture had stiffened, and there was a small crease between his brows as he watched Eunwoo and you interact. Heeseung wasn’t usually the type to be visibly bothered by anything, but now he looked unusually tense.

You turned your attention back to the presentation, trying to focus. “Well, let’s get started,” you said, moving ahead with the first slide.

The meeting proceeded without further incident, but the entire time, you couldn’t shake the feeling that Eunwoo was paying you an unusual amount of attention. And each time he directed a compliment your way, you noticed Heeseung’s gaze shifting between you and the CEO, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

After the meeting, the team gathered in the break room to debrief.

“Great job, everyone,” Manager Kim said, though his attention was clearly focused on the next steps. “We’ll know the client’s decision soon. For now, enjoy the break.”

The team scattered, but you found yourself cornered at the coffee machine by none other than Heeseung, who had been unusually quiet throughout the meeting.

You turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. “What’s up? You’ve barely said a word since the presentation.”

Heeseung’s expression was neutral, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. “Nothing,” he muttered, his gaze dropping to the cup in his hands.

You shrugged, not sensing anything wrong. “You’re being weird.”

“I’m not being weird,” Heeseung shot back, though his tone was a little sharper than usual.

You frowned. “Okay, then. Whatever you say.”

You poured yourself a coffee, turning to leave the break room, but Heeseung’s voice stopped you.

“I don’t get it,” he said, almost to himself. “Why was he so… interested in you?”

You turned back, confused. “Eunwoo? He’s just being friendly. It’s part of the job. We’re all supposed to impress the client.”

Heeseung shook his head, his jaw tightening. “No, it’s more than that. He was flirting with you.”

You blinked, taken aback by his bluntness. “What? No, he wasn’t.”

Heeseung’s eyes narrowed. “He was. He was way too interested in you.”

You laughed nervously, unsure of how to react to the sudden tension. “He’s just a charismatic guy, Heeseung. You know, it’s part of his charm.”

Heeseung didn’t respond immediately, his gaze locked on you with a strange intensity. There was something about the way he was looking at you—something almost… possessive.

“Well, he’s got nothing on me,” Heeseung muttered, almost under his breath.

You raised your eyebrows, still not fully understanding the shift in his demeanor. “What are you talking about?”

But Heeseung didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed his own coffee, took a deep sip, and started walking back toward his desk without another word.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze. Every time you tried to approach Heeseung, he was either too busy with work or too lost in his thoughts to acknowledge you. It was as if the playful, teasing side of him had disappeared completely, replaced by an almost… cold detachment.

Chaewon, noticing the change in Heeseung’s behavior, sidled up to you during lunch. “Something’s off with him today,” she remarked, glancing over at Heeseung, who was absorbed in his laptop screen.

“I know, right? He’s been weird since the meeting,” you replied, picking at your salad absentmindedly.

“Do you think… he’s jealous?” Chaewon asked, her voice lowered as if she were sharing a secret.

“Jealous? No way. Heeseung’s not like that,” you scoffed.

But even as you said it, a small part of you couldn’t deny the possibility. The way Heeseung had reacted to Eunwoo’s attention, the way he seemed to care more than he let on—it all felt different.

Chaewon raised an eyebrow. “I’m just saying, it’s a possibility. I mean, who else would have the nerve to act like that if not someone who’s a little jealous?”

You sighed, trying to brush off her teasing. “Please, I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Chaewon didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press the issue. “You’ll figure it out eventually,” she said with a grin. “I’m just saying, I can see it.”

Later that day, you caught Heeseung sneaking glances at you from across the office. Every time you looked up, his eyes would flicker away, as if he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. It was almost like he was… waiting for you to make the first move.

It didn’t make sense. Why would Heeseung be acting like this? He’d always been competitive, sure, but this was different. He was acting like you belonged to him in some way—and the strangest part was, you couldn’t figure out if you liked it.

As the day wound down and the office began to empty out, you found yourself standing at your desk, collecting your things for the evening. Heeseung was still there, sitting at his desk, his focus seemingly entirely on his laptop.

Just as you were about to leave, he stood up abruptly.

“I’m not gonna let him get away with it,” he muttered, almost to himself, but loud enough for you to hear.

You blinked, puzzled. “What?”

Heeseung looked up at you, his eyes intense. “I’m not gonna let that CEO keep flirting with you. You’re my—”

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing what he was about to say. His expression changed quickly, and he cleared his throat, looking away. “Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And with that, he walked out of the office, leaving you standing there, your heart racing from the unexpected exchange.

What had just happened? Was Heeseung… jealous?

It had been an unusually quiet morning at BrightSpark Solutions. Heeseung wasn’t teasing you, no pranks had been played, and he hadn’t made a single sarcastic comment. For some reason, that unsettled you more than the usual chaos.

You were at your desk, editing a campaign brief when a familiar, high-pitched voice broke through the office noise.

“Noona!”

Your head snapped up just as Minjun came barreling toward you, his backpack bouncing as he ran. His cheeks were flushed from the cold air outside, and his smile stretched from ear to ear.

“Minjun!” you exclaimed, standing up just in time to catch him in a hug. “What are you doing here?”

“Chaewon-Noona said I could visit since school got out early,” Minjun chirped, his innocent eyes sparkling. “I missed you!”

Chaewon peeked her head around the corner, grinning. “He begged me. I couldn’t say no.”

You smiled warmly, ruffling Minjun’s hair. “Well, I’m glad you’re here, but you know the rules, no causing trouble, okay?”

Minjun nodded obediently before turning to look around the office, his eyes wide with curiosity. That’s when he spotted Heeseung, who was walking toward your desk with a coffee in one hand and a small bag of snacks in the other.

“Is that for me?” you asked, surprised, as Heeseung placed the items on your desk without a word.

“Don’t read too much into it,” he said casually, though there was a flicker of something softer in his expression. “You skipped breakfast again, didn’t you?”

Before you could respond, Minjun piped up, his voice loud and cheerful. “Is he your boyfriend, Noona?”

The office went dead silent.

You froze, your cheeks flushing instantly. “Minjun, what are you talking about?”

Minjun tilted his head innocently, pointing at the snacks. “He brought you food! That’s what boyfriends do!”

The room erupted into laughter, and you could feel every pair of eyes on you.

Heeseung, however, didn’t miss a beat. He crouched down to Minjun’s level, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. “You caught me,” he said, winking. “I’m her boyfriend. What gave it away?”

Your jaw dropped. “Heeseung!”

“What?” He straightened up, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “The kid’s got great instincts.”

Minjun clapped his hands together, delighted. “I knew it! You’re a good boyfriend, hyung.”

You buried your face in your hands, mortified. “Minjun, he’s not-”

“Now, now,” Heeseung interrupted, grinning. “Let the kid believe what he wants. It’s harmless.”

Harmless? Your heart was racing, and your face felt like it was on fire. Harmless was the last word you’d use to describe this situation, especially when you could hear Chaewon and Jay whispering behind you.

The rest of the day was a blur. Word spread quickly, and before long, your supposed “relationship” with Heeseung became the talk of the office. Everywhere you went, coworkers gave you knowing smiles, and Sunghoon even had the audacity to ask if wedding bells were in your future.

“Don’t let it get to you,” Chaewon said, trying to stifle her laughter. “Honestly, it’s kind of cute.”

“It’s not cute,” you grumbled, glaring at her.

Chaewon shrugged, clearly unbothered. “If you ask me, Heeseung didn’t seem too bothered by it.”

That comment stayed with you as the day went on. Was Heeseung really unbothered, or was he just better at hiding his feelings than you were?

By the time the workday ended, Minjun had already declared the office his second home. He’d charmed everyone, from the interns to Manager Kim, and even managed to coax a laugh out of Yuna, who rarely broke her professional demeanor.

When it was time to leave, Heeseung surprised you by offering to walk you and Minjun home.

“It’s getting late,” he said, shrugging as if it were no big deal. “And I wouldn’t want Minjun to get tired on the way.”

You hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed. Minjun was practically bouncing with excitement, holding Heeseung’s hand as you made your way out of the office.

The walk home was surprisingly peaceful. The streets were quieter than usual, and the cool evening air felt refreshing after a long day.

Minjun was full of energy, peppering Heeseung with questions about his job, his favorite foods, and whether or not he liked superheroes.

“I’m more of a villain guy,” Heeseung said with a smirk, causing Minjun to gasp dramatically.

“You can’t be a villain, Hyung! Noona needs a hero!”

Heeseung laughed, a warm, genuine sound that made your heartache in the best way.

“Alright, fine,” he said, ruffling Minjun’s hair. “I’ll be the hero, just for you and your Noona.”

You glanced at him, surprised by how naturally kind he was to Minjun. It wasn’t the first time you’d seen this side of him, but it still caught you off guard. Beneath all the teasing and arrogance, there was a softness to Heeseung that he didn’t let many people see.

When you finally reached your apartment, Minjun was yawning, his earlier excitement fading into sleepy contentment.

“Thanks for walking us home,” you said, unlocking the door.

“No problem,” Heeseung replied, his hands in his pockets. He glanced down at Minjun, who was leaning against your side. “Get some rest, kiddo. Being a matchmaker must be exhausting.”

Minjun giggled, his voice muffled by your coat. “Goodnight, hyung.”

As you ushered Minjun inside, you turned back to Heeseung one last time.

“Goodnight,” you said softly.

Heeseung smiled, his usual smirk replaced by something softer. “Goodnight, control freak.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the smile that crept onto your face. As you closed the door, you realized something had shifted between you and Heeseung.

It wasn’t just rivalry anymore. It was something more, something you weren’t quite ready to name—but something you knew you wouldn’t be able to ignore.

The client meeting had gone surprisingly well. Even Heeseung, who usually found something to nitpick, seemed impressed. You were feeling pretty good about yourself as the two of you left the client’s office building and stepped out onto the busy downtown street.

But as you glanced up at the darkening sky, your optimism began to fade. The once-pleasant afternoon had given way to ominous clouds, and the air was heavy with the promise of rain.

“We should hurry,” you said, quickening your pace.

Heeseung, walking leisurely beside you, shoved his hands into his pockets. “Relax, it’s just a little rain. You’re acting like it’s a hurricane.”

You shot him a look. “You say that now, but I’ll be the one stuck listening to you complain when your shoes get wet.”

Heeseung smirked, clearly unbothered. “I don’t complain. I just… make insightful observations.”

Before you could respond, the first drops of rain began to fall, quickly escalating into a full-blown downpour. People on the street scrambled for cover, and you grabbed Heeseung’s arm, dragging him toward the nearest coffee shop.

The small café was cozy and crowded, filled with people seeking refuge from the rain. You managed to snag a table by the window, the two of you sitting across from each other as the rain pounded against the glass.

“Great. Now we’re stuck,” you muttered, shaking the water off your jacket.

“Could be worse,” Heeseung said, leaning back in his chair. “At least we have coffee.”

You sighed, brushing your damp hair out of your face. Heeseung had already ordered for both of you—your usual latte and his preferred black coffee—and was now watching you with an amused expression.

“What?” you asked, narrowing your eyes.

“Nothing,” he said, though his grin suggested otherwise. “You just look very… flustered.”

“I’m not flustered,” you said quickly, though you could feel the heat rising to your cheeks.

Heeseung raised an eyebrow. “You sure? Because you’ve been glaring at me since we sat down.”

You rolled your eyes, taking a sip of your latte to avoid responding. The truth was, being stuck with Heeseung in such close quarters was throwing you off more than you cared to admit.

By the time the rain finally eased up, it was nearly evening, and the streets were still slick with water.

“Let’s go,” you said, standing up and grabbing your bag. “We’ll miss the last bus if we wait any longer.”

Heeseung followed you outside, where the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. You were about to start walking when he reached into his bag and pulled out an umbrella.

“Since when do you carry an umbrella?” you asked, genuinely surprised.

Heeseung shrugged, opening the umbrella with a practiced motion. “What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

The umbrella was just big enough for two people, and you hesitated for a moment before stepping under it. Heeseung tilted it slightly to make sure you were fully covered, and you tried to ignore the way your shoulders brushed as you began walking.

The streets were quiet, the sound of rain and your footsteps the only noise. You were both silent at first, but the tension between you was palpable.

“Why are you so quiet?” Heeseung finally asked, glancing at you.

“I’m just tired,” you replied, though that wasn’t entirely true. Being this close to him was making it hard to think straight.

Heeseung chuckled softly. “Tired, huh? Or are you still mad about earlier?”

You frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“At the meeting,” he said, his tone light but teasing. “You got all defensive when I said your presentation was ‘too polished.’”

You stopped walking, turning to face him. “Because you always have to find something to criticize. Why can’t you just admit when I do a good job?”

Heeseung blinked, caught off guard by your sudden outburst. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just joking—”

“That’s the problem!” you interrupted, your voice trembling slightly. “You’re always joking. You never take anything seriously.”

Heeseung’s grip on the umbrella tightened, and for a moment, he looked like he was about to argue. But then his expression softened, and he let out a frustrated sigh.

“I take you seriously, okay?” he said, his voice quieter than before.

You stared at him, stunned into silence.

“I take you seriously,” he repeated, his gaze meeting yours. “Probably more than anyone else.”

The weight of his words hung in the air, and you didn’t know how to respond. Before you could say anything, Heeseung cleared his throat and looked away, his usual smirk creeping back onto his face.

“Anyway,” he said, shifting the umbrella slightly, “let’s get going before you catch a cold.”

The rest of the walk was quiet, but the atmosphere between you had changed. You couldn’t stop thinking about what Heeseung had said, the sincerity in his voice lingering in your mind.

When you finally reached the bus station, Heeseung held the umbrella over you until you were safely under the awning.

“Thanks,” you said softly, your heart still racing.

Heeseung nodded, his usual playful demeanor returning. “Don’t get used to it.”

You rolled your eyes, but the small smile on your face betrayed you. As you boarded the bus, you couldn’t help but glance back at him one last time, wondering if there was more to Heeseung than you’d ever realized.

The morning started as it always did—with a new wave of gossip.

“Did you hear? Apparently, they walked home together last night.”

“Are they actually dating? Or is it just Heeseung being… Heeseung?”

You sighed as you overheard the whispers from the interns near the coffee machine. It had been like this for days, ever since Minjun’s “boyfriend” declaration. No matter how many times you denied it, the rumor mill at BrightSpark Solutions only seemed to churn faster.

“Heeseung brought her coffee again this morning,” Yuna muttered to Sunghoon, who was pouring sugar into his tea. “That’s not normal coworker behavior, right?”

“Definitely not,” Sunghoon replied, grinning. “I’m putting my money on him confessing first.”

You tried to tune them out as you made your way to your desk, but it was impossible to ignore the smug look on Chaewon’s face as she leaned over your cubicle.

“So,” she began, resting her chin on her hands, “how’s the office power couple doing today?”

“Chaewon,” you groaned, dropping your bag onto your chair. “Please stop.”

She smirked, undeterred. “I’m just saying, you two have been spending a lot of time together lately. And the way he looks at you—”

“There’s nothing going on,” you said firmly, though your cheeks betrayed you by flushing pink.

Chaewon raised an eyebrow. “Sure there isn’t. But for the record, I think you two would be adorable together.”

Before you could respond, Heeseung strolled into the office, his usual confident stride turning more heads than you cared to admit. He flashed you a lazy grin as he walked by, and you quickly looked away, pretending to be engrossed in your laptop.

Chaewon snickered. “Yup. Totally nothing going on.”

By lunchtime, the gossip had reached ridiculous levels. Even Manager Kim, who was usually oblivious to office drama, commented on how “well you and Heeseung have been working together lately.”

But the real chaos began when Chaewon and Jay decided to intervene.

“We need to speed this up,” Jay whispered as the two of them huddled near the printer.

Chaewon nodded, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Agreed. It’s painfully obvious they like each other, but neither of them is going to make the first move.”

Jay grinned. “I have an idea. How do you feel about supply rooms?”

You were in the middle of reviewing campaign drafts when Chaewon appeared beside your desk, looking unusually serious.

“Hey, can you help me grab some supplies from the storage room?” she asked.

You frowned. “What do you need? I can grab it for you.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” she insisted, waving her hand. “I just need an extra pair of hands. It’ll only take a minute.”

Reluctantly, you followed her to the supply room, which was tucked away in a quiet corner of the office. When you stepped inside, the shelves were packed with office supplies, and the faint smell of cardboard lingered in the air.

“What exactly are we looking for?” you asked, glancing around.

“Uh, paper clips,” Chaewon said vaguely.

You turned to ask her where they were, only to find her standing in the doorway with a sly smile.

“Chaewon, what are you—”

Before you could finish, she shut the door and turned the lock.

“Good luck!” she called through the door, her laughter echoing as she walked away.

“Chaewon!” you shouted, jiggling the handle. It wouldn’t budge.

Just then, you heard footsteps behind you, and you turned to see Heeseung standing in the middle of the room, holding a box of printer paper.

“What’s going on?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.

You groaned, leaning your forehead against the door. “Chaewon locked us in.”

Heeseung raised an eyebrow. “Locked us in? Why?”

“Because she’s Chaewon,” you muttered. “And because everyone in this office has apparently decided that we’re their new favorite soap opera.”

Heeseung chuckled, setting the box down on a nearby shelf. “I mean, can you blame them? We are pretty entertaining.”

You shot him a glare, but he just smirked, clearly enjoying your frustration.

For the next fifteen minutes, the two of you tried everything to get the door open, from picking the lock with a paperclip—to calling Jay, who conveniently “couldn’t hear his phone.”

“This is ridiculous,” you muttered, sitting down on a crate.

“Agreed,” Heeseung said, leaning against the wall. “But hey, at least it’s not the worst place to be stuck. We’ve got snacks.”

You followed his gaze to a shelf stocked with granola bars and bottled water, and you couldn’t help but laugh despite yourself.

“Glad to see you’re making the best of this,” you said dryly.

Heeseung shrugged, his expression softening. “You should try it sometime. Not everything has to be a big deal, you know.”

You rolled your eyes but didn’t respond. The truth was, you were starting to envy Heeseung’s ability to stay so relaxed in any situation.

As the minutes ticked by, the silence between you grew heavier. You found yourself stealing glances at Heeseung, wondering—against your better judgment, what he was thinking.

Finally, he broke the silence.

“You’re awfully quiet,” he said, tilting his head. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” you lied, fidgeting with the hem of your sleeve.

Heeseung raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Come on, you can tell me. We’re stuck here anyway.”

You hesitated, debating whether or not to say anything. But the weight of the gossip, the teasing, and your own swirling feelings finally got to you.

“Do you ever… wonder if people are right about us?” you asked softly, not meeting his gaze.

Heeseung blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Right about what?”

“About… us,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything, and you immediately regretted bringing it up.

But then he smiled, his expression unusually sincere. “Well, I can’t speak for them,” he said, “but I know what I think.”

You looked up at him, your heart pounding. “And what do you think?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but just then, the door creaked open, and Jay’s grinning face appeared.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jay said, clearly not sorry at all. “But Chaewon said I had to let you out eventually.”

You quickly stood up, brushing past Jay without a word. Heeseung followed behind you, his usual smirk firmly back in place.

“Let’s call this a draw,” he said, leaning down so only you could hear. “For now.”

The office was eerily quiet at night. Most of your coworkers had already left, the usual hum of conversation and clatter of keyboards replaced by the steady ticking of the wall clock.

You glanced at the time—9:14 PM.

“Remind me why we’re still here,” you mumbled, rubbing your tired eyes.

Heeseung, sitting across from you at the shared desk, looked up from his laptop with a mischievous grin. “Because we’re perfectionists. Or at least you are. I’m just here for moral support.”

You shot him a look. “Moral support? You’ve done nothing but steal my snacks and make fun of my color schemes.”

“I call it constructive criticism,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t suppress a small smile. Despite his teasing, Heeseung had actually been helpful tonight. The campaign you were working on was one of the biggest projects of your career, and his sharp eye for detail had saved you from more than one embarrassing mistake.

Still, working late with him came with its challenges—namely, how effortlessly he managed to get under your skin.

The two of you had been at it for hours, but the atmosphere had shifted as the night wore on. The usual bickering gave way to something quieter, more comfortable. At some point, Heeseung had moved his chair closer to yours, and now you were sitting so close that your elbows brushed whenever you reached for something on the desk.

“Okay, hear me out,” Heeseung said, breaking the silence. “What if we scrap the entire tagline and go with something simpler? Like, ‘Bold ideas for a bold future.’”

You looked at him skeptically. “That’s… not terrible. But it sounds like every other campaign ever made.”

Heeseung feigned offense, clutching his chest dramatically. “Wow. Remind me never to share my brilliant ideas with you again.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “I’ll take your ideas seriously when you take mine seriously.”

“I do take you seriously,” he said, his tone softening. “I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t.”

The sincerity in his voice caught you off guard, and you found yourself meeting his gaze. For a moment, neither of you said anything.

“Anyway,” Heeseung said after a beat, breaking the silence. “How’s this for an alternative tagline: ‘BrightSpark—lighting up your tomorrow’?”

You groaned. “That’s even worse. Were you trying to make it sound like a toothpaste ad?”

Heeseung burst out laughing, and you couldn’t help but join in. The sound of your laughter filled the empty office, and for a moment, you forgot about the project, the deadlines, and everything else.

As the laughter died down, you realized how close Heeseung had leaned toward you. His elbow rested on the desk, his chin propped on his hand, and his eyes were fixed on yours with an intensity that made your heart race.

You froze, suddenly hyperaware of the small space between you. The playful teasing in his expression had been replaced by something else—something that made your stomach flutter.

“Heeseung,” you said softly, your voice barely audible.

He tilted his head slightly, a small smile playing on his lips. “What?”

“I—” You didn’t know what you were going to say, and before you could figure it out, the moment was interrupted by the sound of the office door opening.

“Hey, are you guys still—oh.”

You turned to see Sunghoon standing in the doorway, a folder in his hand and a curious look on his face.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked, though the smirk tugging at his lips suggested he already knew the answer.

“No,” you said quickly, scooting your chair back. “We were just… working.”

“Right,” Sunghoon said, clearly unconvinced. He walked over to your desk and set the folder down. “Manager Kim wanted me to drop this off. Something about final approvals.”

“Thanks,” Heeseung said, his tone casual, though you noticed he avoided looking at Sunghoon.

Sunghoon lingered for a moment, glancing between the two of you before finally walking away.

As soon as he was gone, you let out a frustrated sigh.

“Well, that was awkward,” you muttered, avoiding Heeseung’s gaze.

He chuckled softly. “It’s Sunghoon. Everything he does is awkward.”

Despite yourself, you laughed. But the charged moment from earlier still lingered in the back of your mind, making it hard to focus on anything else.

The two of you worked in relative silence for the next hour, though the atmosphere felt different. Every time Heeseung leaned closer to point something out on your laptop screen, your heart skipped a beat, and you couldn’t stop wondering if he had felt the same tension as you had earlier.

By the time you finally wrapped up for the night, it was nearly midnight.

“Ready to call it a night?” Heeseung asked, stretching his arms over his head.

“Definitely,” you said, packing up your things.

As you walked out of the office together, the cool night air was a welcome relief from the stuffy office.

“Thanks for sticking around tonight,” you said as you reached the subway station. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Heeseung smiled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Anytime. But don’t get used to it.”

You rolled your eyes, but the teasing tone in his voice made you smile.

As you went on the bus, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something between you and Heeseung had shifted—and that it was only a matter of time before things changed even more.

The evening started like any other, with you rushing home after work, exhausted but relieved to finally relax. Minjun had been unusually quiet during dinner prep, which should have been your first clue that something was up.

“Minjun,” you called from the kitchen, where you were chopping vegetables. “Can you set the table? Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Okay!” he chirped from the living room.

It wasn’t until the doorbell rang that you realized he was up to something. You frowned, wiping your hands on a towel. “Were we expecting someone?”

Minjun poked his head around the corner, grinning mischievously. “I might’ve invited someone over.”

Your heart sank. Minjun had a habit of inviting his friends over at the worst possible times—like the time he brought three classmates home right before your big presentation, leaving you scrambling to entertain them.

“Who did you invite?” you asked warily.

Before he could answer, the doorbell rang again, and Minjun darted to open it.

“Hi, Heeseung!” Minjun’s excited voice echoed through the apartment.

Your stomach dropped.

“Minjun!” you hissed, rushing to the door just in time to see Heeseung step inside, a bemused smile on his face.

“Hope I’m not intruding,” Heeseung said, holding up a bag of takeout desserts. “Your little brother insisted I come over for dinner. Said you needed some company.”

You glared at Minjun, who was bouncing on his toes like he’d just pulled off the prank of the century. “Minjun, you can’t just invite people over without telling me!”

“But you’re always talking about him,” Minjun said innocently. “And he brought cake!”

Heeseung laughed, clearly amused by the situation. “I promise I didn’t mean to crash your dinner. I can leave if you want.”

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “No, it’s fine. You’re here now. Might as well stay.”

Dinner was… chaotic, to say the least.

Minjun, thrilled to have Heeseung as a guest, spent the entire meal peppering him with questions.

“So, Heeseung,” Minjun began, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, “do you like my Noona?”

You nearly choked on your rice. “Minjun!”

“What?” Minjun said, blinking innocently. “He’s always nice to you. And he brings you coffee. Isn’t that what boyfriends do?”

“Minjun, that’s enough,” you said firmly, your cheeks burning.

Heeseung, however, took it in stride. He leaned back in his chair, a playful grin tugging at his lips. “I mean, your Noona’s great. Who wouldn’t like her?”

Your eyes widened, and Minjun gasped dramatically. “So you do like her!”

“Minjun!” you exclaimed, wishing the ground would swallow you whole.

Heeseung laughed, clearly enjoying your discomfort. “I didn’t say that. But for the record, your Noona is pretty amazing.”

You stared at him, too flustered to respond. Minjun, meanwhile, was grinning like he’d just solved the mystery of the century.

As the meal went on, Minjun’s questions only got worse.

“When are you getting married?”

“Minjun!”

“How many kids do you want?”

“MINJUN!”

Despite your mortification, Heeseung handled it like a pro. He answered Minjun’s questions with good-natured humor, all while sneaking in compliments that made your heart race.

“She’d make an amazing partner,” he said at one point, glancing at you with a soft smile. “She’s kind, hardworking, and always looking out for the people she cares about.”

You froze, unsure how to respond. Was he just playing along for Minjun’s sake, or did he actually mean it?

After dinner, Minjun insisted on showing Heeseung his favorite video game, leaving you to clean up in the kitchen. You were halfway through washing the dishes when Heeseung appeared beside you, rolling up his sleeves.

“You don’t have to help,” you said, glancing at him.

He shrugged, grabbing a dish towel. “I want to. Plus, it’s the least I can do after crashing your dinner.”

You smiled despite yourself. “This was all Minjun’s idea, you know.”

“I figured,” he said, laughing. “The kid’s a natural matchmaker.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t encourage him.”

For a while, the two of you worked in comfortable silence, the sound of running water and clinking dishes filling the room. But as the last plate was dried, Heeseung spoke, his voice softer than usual.

“You know,” he began, folding the dish towel and setting it aside, “Minjun’s not wrong about everything he said tonight.”

You froze your hands stilling over the sink. “What do you mean?”

He leaned against the counter, his gaze steady and unwavering. “I mean, he’s right about you being amazing. And about me liking you.”

Your heart skipped a beat. You turned to face him. “Heeseung, I—”

“I’m not saying it to make you uncomfortable,” he added quickly, his usual playful grin replaced with something more sincere. “I just… I feel like I’ve been dancing around it for too long, and Minjun kind of gave me the push I needed. You don’t have to say anything, but I wanted you to know.”

You stared at him, your mind racing. Heeseung liked you? Heeseung—the same person who teased you relentlessly and called you a control freak—actually liked you?

“I… don’t know what to say,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

Heeseung chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “You don’t have to say anything right now. Just think about it. And, for the record, I think Minjun would make a great best man someday.”

Your cheeks burned, but before you could respond, Minjun bounded into the kitchen, holding a controller.

“Heeseung, come play with me! I need someone on my team!”

Heeseung straightened up, giving you one last smile before turning to Minjun. “Alright, little man. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

As the two of them disappeared into the living room, you leaned against the counter, your heart pounding.

Heeseung liked you.

The morning started like any other at BrightSpark Solutions: the hum of conversations, the rhythmic clicking of keyboards, and the faint aroma of coffee wafting through the air. But for you, there was a noticeable difference—Heeseung.

Ever since his unexpected confession at your apartment, things between the two of you had been different. Not awkward, surprisingly, but more… charged. His teasing had taken on a softer edge, and you found yourself smiling more often, even when he was being his usual annoying self.

Today, he was seated at the desk beside yours, balancing a pen on his finger while waiting for his files to load.

“Hey,” he said, leaning slightly toward you, the pen rolling off his hand. “Do you think we should pitch the ‘Bold Futures’ tagline today? Or do you want to play it safe with the original idea?”

You barely glanced up from your laptop. “The ‘Bold Futures’ tagline is a death sentence. Stick with the original.”

He grinned, resting his chin on his palm. “You’re so confident. It’s honestly intimidating sometimes.”

You arched an eyebrow, finally meeting his gaze. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not,” he said smoothly. “It’s actually kind of hot.”

Your breath hitched, and you quickly looked away, your face warming. “Heeseung!”

“What?” he said, laughing softly. “Am I wrong?”

Before you could respond, he casually reached over and tugged the pen from your hand.

“Hey!” you said, glaring at him.

“You’ve been clicking this for the past five minutes,” he said, spinning the pen between his fingers. “It’s distracting.”

“It’s my pen,” you shot back, reaching for it.

Heeseung smirked, holding it out of your reach. “Not anymore.”

You stood up, trying to grab it, but he quickly leaned back, holding the pen over his head.

“Lee Heeseung!” you said, half-laughing, half-annoyed.

“What’s the magic word?” he teased, his grin widening.

“Give. It. Back.”

“Close, but no cigar,” he said, enjoying himself far too much.

You reached for the pen again, leaning across the desk, and your fingers brushed against his hand just as your coworker Sunghoon let out an exaggerated cough.

You froze.

Slowly, you turned to see half the office staring at you, some with raised eyebrows, others barely suppressing laughter.

The moment was short-lived, though, because Manager Kim stepped out of his office, his sharp gaze zeroing in on you and Heeseung.

“Lee, Y/N,” he called, his tone stern.

You and Heeseung straightened up immediately, the playful atmosphere evaporating.

“Could you come to my office for a moment?”

“Yes, sir,” you both said in unison, shooting each other a look as you followed him into the glass-walled room.

Manager Kim folded his arms, leaning back against his desk. “I’ve been watching you two lately,” he began, his tone measured but firm. “You seem… very comfortable with each other.”

Your stomach sank.

“I don’t mind a little camaraderie among coworkers,” he continued. “But this project is too important to risk any distractions. So, from now on, you’ll be working on separate tasks. Understood?”

Your eyes widened. “Separate tasks?”

He nodded. “Y/N, you’ll focus on the visuals and presentation materials. Heeseung, you’ll handle the copy and client communication. Report directly to me if you need clarification.”

“But-” you started to protest, only to be cut off by Heeseung.

“Understood, sir,” he said smoothly, his expression neutral.

You glanced at him, surprised by his calm acceptance. Manager Kim dismissed you both, and as you walked back to your desks, you couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration.

The next few days felt… wrong.

You missed the easy banter and playful arguments that had made working with Heeseung bearable—even fun. Without him by your side, the office felt dull, the silence almost oppressive.

Every time you glanced over at his desk, you found him hunched over his laptop, headphones in, completely focused on his work. He didn’t even glance your way, and it stung more than you cared to admit.

Chaewon, ever observant, noticed your foul mood almost immediately.

“Okay, spill,” she said, sitting on the edge of your desk during lunch. “Why do you look like someone stole your puppy?”

You sighed, poking at your salad with a fork. “It’s nothing.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, clearly unconvinced. “Does this ‘nothing’ have anything to do with Heeseung?”

You looked up sharply, and she smirked. “Thought so. What happened?”

“Manager Kim split us up,” you admitted. “We’re working on separate tasks now.”

“And you’re sad because…?”

“I’m not sad,” you said quickly, but Chaewon raised an eyebrow.

“You miss him,” she said matter-of-factly. “Don’t even try to deny it.”

You opened your mouth to protest but closed it again, realizing she was right.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the office, Jay was having a very similar conversation with Heeseung.

“You’ve been weirdly quiet lately,” Jay said, leaning back in his chair. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Heeseung said, typing furiously on his keyboard.

Jay snorted. “Right. And I’m the CEO of BrightSpark. Come on, man, talk to me. Is this about Y/N?”

Heeseung paused, his fingers hovering over the keys. “Manager Kim split us up.”

“And?”

“And it’s… annoying,” Heeseung admitted. “I’m used to working with her. Now it feels like something’s missing.”

Jay chuckled. “Look, just hang in there. Knowing Y/N, she’s probably just as miserable as you are right now.”

By the end of the week, you couldn’t take it anymore. You missed Heeseung’s annoying jokes, his ridiculous nicknames for you, and even the way he stole your pens.

As you packed up for the day, you glanced over at his desk one last time. He was still there, his head bent over his laptop.

Taking a deep breath, you walked over and tapped his shoulder.

Heeseung looked up, surprised. “Hey.”

“Hey,” you said softly. “I, uh… I just wanted to say that I miss working with you. It’s weird, not having you around.”

His expression softened, and for the first time all week, you saw a hint of the familiar grin you’d missed so much.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice equally quiet. “I miss it too.”

For a moment, the two of you just stood there, the unspoken understanding between you saying more than words ever could.

As you walked out of the office together, you couldn’t help but smile. 

TYPING THING

The office was unusually quiet for a Friday afternoon, with most of the staff either wrapping up for the weekend or grabbing coffee to get through the last stretch of the day. You were at your desk, double-checking slides for the upcoming client presentation, your focus unwavering.

Heeseung, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as productive.

For the last twenty minutes, he’d been sitting at his desk, staring at the small piece of paper in his hand. Scribbled on it were the words he’d been too chicken to say out loud:

I like you. More than I probably should. But I think you’re amazing.

Heeseung read the note for the fiftieth time, his nerves getting the best of him. It wasn’t grand or overly poetic, but it was honest, and it was him. He figured that might be enough.

He cast a glance at your desk. You were so absorbed in your work, your soft voice barely audible as you answered a question from Yuna. Heeseung felt his heart skip a beat, and before he could overthink it, he folded the note and slipped it into your desk drawer when no one was looking.

“Step one complete,” he muttered to himself, quickly returning to his desk and pretending to work.

Later that evening, you packed up your things and headed out with Minjun, who had insisted on meeting you at work. Heeseung had ruffled Minjun’s hair on the way out, earning a cheeky “Bye, hyung!” that left Heeseung smiling to himself.

But what neither of you noticed was that Minjun, curious as ever, had opened your desk drawer while waiting for you. He’d seen the folded piece of paper and thought it was a doodle Heeseung left for him (a habit Heeseung had developed during Minjun’s office visits). Without a second thought, Minjun tucked the note into his pocket.

The next morning, you were seated at the breakfast table, sipping tea as Minjun bounded into the room, holding a piece of paper.

“Noona!” he chirped, waving it in front of your face. “Look what I found in your drawer!”

You blinked, setting your mug down. “What is it?”

Minjun handed it over proudly, and your stomach did a backflip as your eyes scanned the words.

I like you. More than I probably should. But I think you’re amazing.

Your heart raced. You immediately recognized Heeseung’s handwriting.

Minjun grinned innocently, leaning on the table. “Is it from your boyfriend?”

“W-What?” you stammered, feeling heat rush to your cheeks.

“Isn’t it from Heeseung Hyung?” Minjun asked, tilting his head. “He’s always smiling at you. And he brought you snacks the other day. That’s what boyfriends do, right?”

You couldn’t decide if you wanted to laugh or hide under the table. “Minjun, it’s not–he’s not-”

Minjun pouted. “But I like him. Can’t he be your boyfriend?”

You sighed, folding the note and setting it aside. “It’s complicated, okay?”

“Why?” Minjun asked, his wide, innocent eyes making your heartache. “Do you not like him?”

Your face burned. “Minjun, eat your breakfast.”

Minjun grinned knowingly, taking a big bite of toast. “You do like him,” he mumbled through a mouthful of food.

You groaned, covering your face with your hands. This was not how you imagined starting your weekend.

Meanwhile, Heeseung was at home, pacing his living room.

“She’s going to see it today,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “And she’s either going to think I’m sweet or an idiot. Probably an idiot.”

Jay, who was lounging on Heeseung’s couch, looked up from his phone. “You’re overthinking it. She’s definitely going to think it’s sweet.”

“You don’t know that,” Heeseung shot back.

Jay shrugged. “Okay, but let’s say she does like it. Then what?”

Heeseung froze. “I… don’t know. Confess, I guess?”

Jay smirked. “You ‘guess’? Come on, man, you’ve been pining after her for months. You need to have a plan.”

Heeseung groaned, flopping onto the couch beside Jay. “Why is this so hard?”

“Because you’re making it hard,” Jay said. “Just tell her how you feel. Worst-case scenario, she doesn’t feel the same, and you move on.”

Heeseung glared at him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Back at your apartment, you stared at the note again, Minjun’s words echoing in your mind.

Was it possible that Heeseung really felt that way? The thought made your chest tighten, a mix of excitement and nervousness bubbling up inside you.

Chaewon’s voice rang in your head: You miss him. Don’t even try to deny it.

With a deep breath, you grabbed your phone and opened a text thread with Heeseung.

Hey, are you free later? I think we need to talk.

Your finger hovered over the send button for a moment before you hit it, your heart pounding.

Seconds later, the “typing…” bubble appeared, and your stomach flipped.

Yeah, of course. Is everything okay?

You smiled faintly. That was so like him—always checking in.

Yeah. I’ll let you know when I’m free.

As you set your phone down, Minjun peeked over your shoulder, his face lighting up. “Are you texting Heeseung Hyung?”

You gave him a look. “Don’t you have homework to do?”

Minjun grinned. “Nope! Can I invite him over for dinner again?”

You sighed, ruffling his hair. “Maybe.”

Minjun beamed, clearly pleased with himself. As he darted off to watch cartoons, you shook your head, a small smile tugging at your lips.

Minjun might have been a little troublemaker, but you had to admit—his matchmaking skills weren’t half bad.

The afternoon passed in a blur of anxious thoughts and restless pacing. You had texted Heeseung again, asking him to meet you at a quiet café near your apartment. It was a neutral, low-pressure spot, perfect for whatever this conversation would turn out to be.

As you sat at a corner table, fiddling with the edge of your cup, you tried to mentally rehearse what you would say. But every time you formed a sentence in your head, it sounded either too vague or too awkward.

The sound of the bell above the door snapped you out of your thoughts. Heeseung walked in, scanning the room until his eyes landed on you. He smiled, his usual confidence tempered with a hint of curiosity.

“Hey,” he said as he slid into the seat across from you. “What’s up? You seemed… serious.”

Your heart pounded. He looked too good in his casual hoodie and jeans, his hair slightly tousled as if he’d just rolled out of bed.

You forced yourself to smile. “Thanks for coming. I just—there’s something I need to ask you.”

Heeseung tilted his head, leaning forward slightly. “Go ahead.”

You reached into your bag, pulling out the folded note Minjun had so helpfully delivered. Placing it on the table between you, you said, “I think this is yours.”

His expression froze. For a moment, he stared at the paper as if it were a live grenade. Then, with a nervous laugh, he picked it up.

“Ah… so you found it,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Actually, Minjun found it,” you said, unable to hide your small smile. “He was convinced it was from my ‘boyfriend.’”

Heeseung groaned, covering his face with one hand. “Of course he did.”

You bit your lip, watching as he slowly set the note down. “Is it true? What you wrote?”

Heeseung took a deep breath, his playful mask slipping for a moment. “Yeah, it’s true.”

Your eyes widened slightly. You had expected him to dodge, to brush it off with a joke, but here he was, being completely honest.

“I’ve liked you for a while now,” he continued, his voice softer than usual. “I just… didn’t know how to tell you. And I wasn’t sure if you felt the same.”

Your heart felt like it was doing cartwheels. “Heeseung, I—”

He cut you off, his gaze meeting yours. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t feel the same. I get it. I just needed you to know.”

The sincerity in his voice made your chest ache. You took a shaky breath, your voice barely above a whisper. “I do feel the same.”

Heeseung blinked, his surprise evident. “You… do?”

You nodded, your cheeks burning. “I didn’t realize it at first, but… I think I’ve liked you for a while, too.”

For a moment, neither of you spoke, the weight of the confession settling over the table. Then Heeseung’s lips curved into a grin.

“So… does this mean Minjun was right?” he teased, his confidence returning. “I am your boyfriend now?”

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t help the smile tugging at your lips. “Don’t push your luck.”

He laughed, leaning back in his chair. “Too late. I’m never going to let Minjun live this down.”

You shook your head, but there was no denying the warmth that spread through you at the thought.

When you walked through the door later that evening, Minjun was waiting in the living room, his face lighting up the moment he saw you.

“Did you see Heeseung Hyung?” he asked eagerly.

You sighed, ruffling his hair. “Yes, Minjun, I saw him.”

“And?”

“And… you were right.”

Minjun’s eyes widened. “So he is your boyfriend now?”

You groaned, but your blush gave you away. “Go do your homework!”

Minjun darted away with a triumphant grin, leaving you to collapse onto the couch, your heart still racing.

This wasn’t how you had imagined things unfolding, but as chaotic as it had been, you couldn’t help but feel like everything was exactly as it should be.

The day of the big project presentation had finally arrived, and the energy at BrightSpark Solutions was electric. After months of brainstorming, late-night revisions, and a few too many arguments that had led to your newfound relationship, it all came down to this moment.

You were pacing the hallway outside the conference room, clutching a printed copy of the pitch deck. Heeseung leaned casually against the wall, watching you with an amused smile.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” he teased.

You shot him a glare, though your lips twitched with a smile. “This is huge, Heeseung. What if something goes wrong?”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong,” he said confidently, stepping closer and gently prying the deck from your hands. “We’ve practiced this a hundred times. You’ve got this. We’ve got this.”

You sighed, the warmth in his voice calming your nerves. “You’re way too relaxed.”

He smirked, leaning down slightly. “That’s why we make such a great team. You worry enough for both of us.”

You rolled your eyes, but your heart fluttered. Even now, his confidence was annoyingly reassuring.

Inside the conference room, the air was thick with tension as the high-profile clients took their seats. Manager Kim gave you both a firm nod before signaling for you to begin.

As the presentation unfolded, you and Heeseung fell into a seamless rhythm. Your calm, explanations paired perfectly with his engaging, charismatic delivery. The clients nodded along, visibly impressed by the visuals and strategies you’d spent countless nights perfecting.

By the time the Q&A session ended, the clients exchanged a few whispered words before standing.

“This is exactly what we were looking for,” one of them said with a smile. “We’re excited to move forward with BrightSpark.”

Relief flooded you as the room erupted into polite applause. You glanced at Heeseung, who grinned and gave you a small thumbs-up.

The second you stepped out of the conference room, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding. “We did it,” you whispered, leaning against the wall.

Heeseung stood beside you, his grin widening. “No, you did it. You were amazing in there.”

You shook your head, still catching your breath. “We both did it. This wouldn’t have happened without you.”

Heeseung turned to face you fully, his expression softening. “Well, I’m proud of us. But mostly, I’m proud of you.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the way he was looking at you—like you were the only thing that mattered in the world. The noise of the office faded into the background as he stepped closer.

Before you could overthink it, Heeseung tilted his head and whispered, “Can I kiss you?”

Your breath caught, and you managed a small nod.

Heeseung leaned in, his hand gently brushing against yours as his lips met yours in a kiss that was both soft and electric. For a moment, everything else disappeared, and all you could think about was how right this felt.

The door to the conference room burst open, and the sound of cheering snapped you back to reality.

“Congratulations!” Chaewon shouted, leading a group of coworkers who had clearly been eavesdropping.

You and Heeseung jumped apart, your faces turning bright red as the group flooded into the hallway.

“Oh my god,” Yuna squealed. “Were you guys just kissing?”

“I knew it!” Jay crowed, pointing at Heeseung. “You owe me twenty bucks!”

Heeseung groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Seriously? You guys couldn’t give us five minutes?”

Chaewon smirked, crossing her arms. “Not a chance. Besides, it’s about time you two got together officially.”

You buried your face in your hands, utterly mortified. Heeseung, however, quickly recovered and slung an arm around your shoulder.

“Alright, alright, let’s hear it,” he said, grinning. “How many of you had bets going?”

Nearly everyone raised their hands, much to your dismay.

“I hate all of you,” you mumbled, though you couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at your lips.

As the celebration continued, you found a quiet moment with Heeseung near the break room.

“Well, that wasn’t exactly how I pictured our first kiss,” you admitted, your cheeks still warm.

Heeseung laughed, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. “Yeah, but it’s kind of perfect, isn’t it? Pure chaos—just like us.”

You smiled, leaning into his touch. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”

Heeseung’s gaze softened, and he laced his fingers with yours. “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

As the sound of your coworkers’ laughter echoed down the hall, you realized he was right. It wasn’t perfect, but it was yours. And that made it more than enough.

BrightSpark Solutions buzzed with its usual energy, but this time, it was different. The project that had brought you and Heeseung together had long since been wrapped up, earning the company not only a high-profile client but also a glowing reputation. However, the real headline—according to the office gossip mill—was that the two of you were now officially dating.

As you walked into the office hand in hand with Heeseung, the sound of mock cheering and applause greeted you.

“Oh, look! The lovebirds have arrived,” Jay called out, grinning from his desk.

Yuna leaned over, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Should we throw you another party, or is it too soon?”

Chaewon gave a dramatic sigh. “Honestly, it’s exhausting watching you two be so cute all the time.”

You rolled your eyes, your cheeks flushing. “I don’t know why you guys are so obsessed with us.”

“Because you’re finally together after months of unresolved tension!” Yuna exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “Do you know how hard it was to watch that? It was like a slow-burn romance novel, but with fewer cliffhangers.”

Heeseung laughed, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “Admit it, though. It was worth the wait.”

Jay pretended to gag. “Ugh, save it for after work. Some of us are single, you know.”

Later that day, Minjun made his usual post-school visit to the office, bouncing in with the enthusiasm only a child could muster.

“Hi, Noona! Hi, Heeseung hyung!” he greeted, skipping over to your desk.

“Hey, buddy,” Heeseung said, crouching down to Minjun’s level. “What’s up?”

Minjun puffed out his chest like he had an important announcement. “I told my teacher that I have a new brother now.”

Your jaw dropped. “Minjun!”

“What?” he said innocently. “You told me Heeseung Hyung is your boyfriend, and boyfriends are basically brothers, right?”

Heeseung bit back a laugh, clearly enjoying your embarrassment. “I mean, he’s not wrong.”

Minjun beamed, clearly proud of himself. “And when are you getting married? Can I be the ring boy? I’ll wear a suit!”

The office erupted into laughter, Chaewon and Jay practically falling out of their chairs.

“Minjun, we’re not—” you started, but Minjun wasn’t done.

“And after that, are you gonna have kids? Can I help name them? I think ‘Superman’ would be a good name if it’s a boy.”

Yuna choked on her coffee, while Heeseung leaned against your desk, absolutely loving the chaos. “Superman, huh? That’s a lot to live up to.”

“Stop encouraging him!” you hissed, swatting his arm.

Minjun, undeterred, turned to Heeseung. “You’ll marry her, right? You like her, don’t you?”

Heeseung crouched down again, grinning. “Of course I like her. But marriage is a big step, little guy.”

Minjun frowned, clearly unimpressed with that answer. “Well, hurry up. I want cake.”

That evening, after work, you and Heeseung walked Minjun home. He skipped ahead, humming to himself, clearly plotting your wedding and future children’s names in his head.

“I think your brother’s going to start planning the menu next,” Heeseung said, smirking.

You groaned. “He’s out of control. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I think it’s cute,” Heeseung said, bumping your shoulder with his. “Besides, he’s got good taste. You’d make a great wife.”

You stopped in your tracks, turning to face him. “Are you serious right now?”

Heeseung shrugged, his grin widening. “What? Can’t I be honest?”

You stared at him, flustered, before Minjun called from up ahead. “Hurry up, lovebirds! I don’t want to miss my cartoons!”

Laughing, Heeseung grabbed your hand and pulled you along.

Back at BrightSpark, life continued as it always had—only now, you and Heeseung were the unofficial couple everyone rooted for. You still bickered over small things, like who got to control the music during late-night work sessions or whose turn it was to grab coffee. But at the end of the day, it was clear to everyone that you were both undeniably happy.

Minjun, of course, took full credit for your relationship, often reminding anyone who would listen that he “made it happen.”

During one particularly busy afternoon, he visited the office yet again, walking straight up to Manager Kim and asking, “When are Noona and Heeseung Hyung getting married? They’re really slow.”

Manager Kim, barely holding back a laugh, turned to you and said, “You know, I think your brother might have a future in project management.”

Chaewon leaned over and whispered, “Or matchmaking.”

You groaned, but as you glanced over at Heeseung, who was busy playfully arguing with Minjun about superhero names, you couldn’t help but smile.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was yours—and that made it all the more special.

lmk if there are any mistakes and please like, reblog, and comment it is appreciated very much

[mariacallous]

The thing about the takeover of key US government institutions by the world’s richest man and his strike force of former interns is that it’s happening so fast.

It’s been three weeks since Elon Musk’s agents took over the government’s IT and HR departments. Since then, the movements of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency have had the cartography of a horror movie, DOGE picking off agencies one by one based on slasher logic, feeding an unslakeable thirst for cost-cutting and data.

Every day brings fresh incursions. Three weeks ago the United States believed in humanitarian aid. It helped people who had been ripped off by big corporations. It funded the infrastructure necessary to make America a beacon of scientific innovation. Now the United States Agency for International Development is gutted, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is on ice, and National Institutes of Health grants are handcuffed. So much for all that.

These are spreadsheet cruelties, executed with a click. The loss of real peoples’ jobs and lives—yes, despite what X-famous conspiracy theorists will tell you, USAID saved lives—all immaterial compared to the pursuit of a tighter balance sheet.

Three weeks ago, a 19-year-old who calls himself “Big Balls” online didn’t have access to government personnel records and more. A 25-year-old with a closet full of racist tweets hadn’t gotten the keys to Treasury systems that pay out $5.45 trillion each year. Elon Musk hadn’t turned the Oval Office into a romper room for his 4-year-old son.

The speed is strategy, of course, flooding the zone so that neither the media nor the courts can keep pace. Lawsuits and court orders move on a different timescale than this slash-and-burn approach. (At this pace, DOGE will have tapped into every last government server long before the Supreme Court even has a chance to weigh in.) But it’s also reflexive. The first order of business in a corporate takeover is to slash costs as quickly as possible. If you can’t fire people, offer them buyouts. If they won’t take the buyouts, find a way to fire them anyway. Keep cutting until you hit bone.

This is how you get an executive order declaring that “each agency hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart,” an arbitrary ratio with no regard for actual staffing needs. It’s how you get hundreds of federal government buildings on the auction block no matter how fully occupied they are. It’s both extreme and ill-considered, a race to empty the town’s only well.

And then … what? This is the question that Elon Musk and DOGE have failed to answer, because there is no answer. Does the United States government need to become a profit engine? To return shareholder value? Does Medicaid need to demonstrate a product-market fit in time for the next funding round?

This is consultant logic. This is an engineering sprint whose inevitable finish line is the unwinding of the social contract. Democracy doesn’t die in darkness after all; it dies in JIRA tickets filed by Palantir alums.

It’s somehow even worse than that, though. Suppose you take this whole enterprise at face value, that the United States should go through the private equity ringer. It does not take a Stanford MBA to know that cutting expenses only helps half of your profit and loss statement. Any serious attempt to treat the US like a business would involve increasing revenues. So where are the taxes? And why demolish the CFPB, which has paid out over $20 billion to US citizens—shareholders, if you will—through its enforcement actions?

In the coming weeks and months, as this farce continues to unfurl, remember that the goal of most acquisitions is not to benefit the acquired. It is to either subsume or discard, whichever generates the highest return.

Elon Musk’s unprecedented influence over the executive branch will ultimately benefit Elon Musk. The employees in charge are his employees. The data DOGE collects, the procurement contracts they oversee, it all flows up to him.

And it’s flowing too quickly to keep up with, much less to stop.

[thursdayisbetterthanfriday]

Cybernetics with Chinese Characteristics & why we suck at the real Grand Strategy Game

Part 2 - The Quickening

Back in 2023, I wrote this more blog-like post about the mid 20th century McCarthyite purges of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the knock on effects that had - Namely the inception of the Chinese nuclear program, one-child policy and Chinese computing scene.

Since nothing is new under the sun, we have recently witnessed yet another example of America shooting itself in the foot, yet again, due to it's McCarthyite style purge of Chinese technology.

The release of the Chinese created AI system DeepSeek R1 last week has lead to the largest US stock market loss in history with NVIDIA stock decimated.

A record $465 Billion was wiped off its valuation in a single day. In 2024, the government of Turkey spent this much in a year on it's responsibilities?

Why did this happen?

As always, a lot can be put down to US foreign policy, and the in-intended implications of seemingly positive actions.

Do you want to start a trade war?

Back in the relatively uncontroversial days of the first Trump Presidency (Yes it does feel odd saying that) there were scandals with hardware provided by Chinese company Huawei. This led to the  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 which explicitly banned Huawei and ZTE's hardware from use in US Government institutions. It also meant the US had to authorise US component manufacturer purchases by these companies.

Crucially this had a 27 month window. This allowed both companies to switch suppliers, and production to domestic suppliers. This actually led to Chinese chip advances. Following on from this came the 2022 move by the US Department of Commerce: "Commerce Implements New Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor Manufacturing Items to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) ". This further limited the supply of semiconductor, supercomputer, and similar hardware to the PRC and associated countries.

Ok, well so far this is fairly dry stuff. You might think it would hamper Chinese development and, to some extent, it did.

It also proved to be the main catalyst for one financial quant.

Meet the Quant

Meet Liang Wenfeng (梁文锋). Educated to masters level, Liang was keen to apply machine learning methods to various field, but couldn't get a break. Finally, in the mid 2000's, he settled on a career investigating quantitative trading using machine learning techniques.

He became successful, founding several trading firms based around using machine learning methods, but his interest in base AI never seemed to cease. It was in 2021 that he started purchasing multiple NVIDIA GPUs to create a side project, leading to the creation of DeepSeek in 2023.

Now, due to import limitations, there were limitations on computation. This, however, did not stop DeepSeek's programming team.

Instead they used it as their strength.

Constrains Breed Innovation

For many years, the Western model of AI releases have focussed on making ever larger and larger models.

Why?

Let's break this down from an evolutionary point of view. Modern Western technology companies are largely monopolistic and monolithic. Many of these companies have previously hired staff at higher salaries not to fill roles, but to deny their competitors, and middle market firms, high-flying staff.

They also closely guard trade secrets. What's the training data? What algorithms were used in construction? Guess you'd better chat up some Silicon Valley bros at parties to find out.

For these kinds of firms, having control over large models, housed in data centres makes perfect sense. Controlling model deployment on their own computing systems, and not using local machines, means that they can not only control their systems more carefully, it also means that they can gatekeep access.

If your business model is to allow people to access your models on your servers, and your employees are focussed on making the biggest, best, models, there is no impetus to innovate more efficient, smaller models.

Companies such as OpenAI therefore have the following traits:

Research/Model focus on size over efficiency

Profit driven culture, with emphasis on closed source code

OpenAI's initial focus was as a non-for-profit developing Artificial General Intelligence. This became a for-profit driven company over time. - “I personally chose the price and thought we would make some money.” - Sam Altman

Staff working within paradigm they set in the early 2020's with established code libraries and direct contact with hardware companies creating chips

Significant capital investment - Upwards of several $ billions

DeepSeek, in comparison, is slightly different

For DeepSeek, necessity made innovation necessary. In order to create similar, or better models, than their counterparts, they needed to significantly optimise their code. This requires significantly more work to create, and write, libraries compared to OpenAI.

DeepSeek was started by financial quants, with backgrounds in mainly mathematics and AI. With a focus on mathematics and research, the main drive of many in the company has been exploration of the research space over concerns about profitability.

DeepSeek has also done what OpenAI stopped years ago: actually releasing the code and data for their models. Not only can these models therefore be run via their own gated servers, anyone can replicate their work and make their own system.

For DeepSeek, their traits were:

Research/Model focus on both efficiency and accuracy

Research driven culture, with open nature - “Basic science research rarely offers high returns on investment” - Liang Wenfeng

Strong mathematical background of staff, with ability to work around software, and hardware, constraints

Low capital investment of around $5.5 million

From an evolutionary point of view, DeepSeek's traits have outcompeted those of OpenAI.

More efficient models cost less to run. They also more portable to local machines.

The strong ability of DeepSeek's research focussed staff allowed them to innovate around hardware constraints

Opening up the code to everyone allows anyone (still with the right hardware) to make their own version.

To top it off, the cost to make, and run, DeepSeek R1 is a fraction of the cost of OpenAI's model

House of Cards

Now we can return to today. NVIDIA has lost significant market value. It's not just limited to NVIDIA, but to the entire US technology sector with the most AI adjacent companies losing from 10% to 30% of their valuation in a single day.

The culture, and business model, of OpenAI isn't just limited to OpenAI, but to the entire US technology ecosystem. The US model has been to create rentier-style financial instruments at sky-high valuations.

US tech stocks have been one of the only success stories for America over the past few decades, ever since the offshoring of many manufacturing industries. Like a lost long-unemployed Detroit auto-worker the US has been mainlining technology like Fentanyl, ignoring the anti-trust doctors advice, injecting pure deregulated substances into its veins.

The new AI boom? A new stronger hit, ready for Wall Street, and Private Equity to tie the tourniquet around its arm and pump it right into the arteries.

Like Prometheus, DeepSeek has delved deep and retrieved fire from the algorithmic gods, and shown it's creation to the world. The stock market is on fire, as the traders are coming off of their high, realising they still live in the ruin of barren, decrepit, warehouses and manufactories. The corporate heads, and company leaders reigning over the wreckage like feudal lords, collecting tithes from the serfs working their domain.

A Tale of Two Cities

The rise of DeepSeek isn't just a one-off story of derring-do in the AI world: It's a symbolic representation of the changing world order. DeepSeek is but one company among many who are outcompeting the US, and the world, in innovation.

Where once US free-markets led the world in manufacturing, technology and military capability, now the US is a country devoid of coherent state regulated free-market principles - its place as the singular world power decimated by destroying the very systems which made it great.

"Our merchants and master-manufacturers complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price, and thereby lessening the sale of their goods both at home and abroad. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people." - Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

By selling the jobs of working class communities to overseas businesses, destroying unions and creating rentier based business models without significant anti-trust measures, US business and political elites have sealed the present fate of the country.

The CCP led, but strongly anti-trust enforcing, China has been able to innovate, ironically, using the free-market principles of Adam Smith to rise up and create some of the world's best innovations. The factories, opened by Western business leaders to avoid union/worker labour costs in their own countries, have led Shenzhen, and similar cities, to become hubs of technological innovation - compounding their ability to determine the future of technologies across the world.

Will America be able to regain its position on top? It's too early to say, but the innovative, talented, people who made America in the 20th century can certainly do it again.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerated the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself...

We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.

Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred.”

Until then, here's a farewell to the American Century 在那之前, 再见美国世纪

[quackity1999]

What is the capital's name of Las Nevadas?

las nevadas is both a capital and a country, functioning as an independant hub that primarily focuses on the splendour, entertainment, and pleasure of its citizens and business partners alike. we've got a fair amount of landmarks, restaurants, casinos, a theatre, and a strip club.

there's also a . . wedding pavillion that doesn't serve its original purpose anymore.

our country is run by me, quackity.

the main builder around here is foolish, so if there's any damage done to buildings or fixtures, send your concerns to him— or toward the infrastructure department.

fundy, i believe, takes care of some aspects of our marketing and innovations/new projects; he's got a good eye for things such as that. there's been enough times i've had to remind him that graffiti is not an option, but— anyway. other times he's busy bartending.

purpled, on the other hand, works with the primary security department by maintaining the utmost protection of the city, and serves as law enforcement and border control. he's also in charge of managing any military tactics or defense supplies— due to his extensive background in being a mercenary for hire.

awesamdude and i are business partners, hence being the reason we even have ATMs in the first place— he generously provides las nevadas with them. sam and i figure out retention strategies, benefits, upcoming training programs for staff in various businesses. he handles a lot of the payroll costs and promotional expenses— as well as taxes and banking operations! so if there is need for financial assistance (which might be often), feel free to contact him. when he's not off dealing with being the warden of pandora's vault.

and my personal assistant, charlie, better known as slime— is still undergoing the training process. he's a quick learner, most of the time. just ensure to keep him out of areas he shouldn't be in. and— don't offer him anything; he'll probably eat it. and then tell you how you'll die. um. i believe he's very reliable, though!

[trufynd01]

TruFynd is India’s premier recruitment agency, offering specialized staffing and HR solutions in IT, Non-IT, and manpower consultancy. With innovative recruitment strategies and tailored services, we help businesses find top talent while providing job seekers with exclusive career opportunities.

[felassan]

Article: 'Exclusive: Connie Booth, One of the Chief Architects of PlayStation's First-Party Studio System, Is Joining EA'

Veteran executive spent more than 30 years at Sony before her departure in 2023.

Excerpt:

"Former PlayStation executive Connie Booth, one of the chief architects of PlayStation's first-party strategy before her unexpected departure in 2023, is joining EA to help lead its studios amid its ongoing restructure. Booth's title will be Group General Manager, Action RPG, with a portfolio that will include EA Motive (Iron Man), Cliffhanger (Black Panther), and BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect). She will report directly to EA Entertainment head Laura Miele. "Connie spent more than 30 years helping to build Sony Interactive Entertainment’s internal studios and is responsible for guiding the development of some of their biggest franchises, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 & 2, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, to name just a few," Miele said in a statement. "She is known for having created an incredible developer-first culture and supporting creative vision while driving innovation. I have known Connie for many years and have always been impressed by her love and commitment to games. She especially cares about game developers. She has an impeccable reputation within the development community and will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our games." [...] Booth's hiring points to EA's desire to replicate some of PlayStation's current exclusives strategy, in which it has found success with large-scale single-player games such as God of War and Spider-Man. In initiating its current restructure, EA has said that it is prioritizing its own franchises and that one of its pillars is "blockbuster storytelling" — an area in which Booth has considerable experience. One of Booth's major tasks will be revitalizing BioWare, which is hoping that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will reverse its fortunes after Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda. BioWare suffered painful layoffs in 2023 and its next entry in the Mass Effect franchise remains in pre-production."

[source]

[source]

[mahou-furbies]

Closing thoughts on Magilumiere

The third mahou anime of the season, and also the third one to land in the "I had quite many issues, but still had a good time and wish it well" tier.

The story is set in a modern Japan where monsters cause trouble and magical girl monster exterminator is a line of work for adults. The main character Kana is a new magical girl hire at a start up company.

One issue I have is how the big companies vs little startups thing is presented in such a black and white way. Like the CEO of a big company is just super rude and condescending to the people around him and does things like throw the payment money to the floor for his employee to pick it up and remind her that she can only afford a few minutes of his time because his salary is so much bigger than hers. Why not have him stop his limousine so he can go kick an abandoned puppy he saw in a ditch to really drive home the message while we're at it? Social media has made it very apparent that big CEOs can be self absorbed and greedy idiots completely removed from the real world, but I don't think this makes for interesting storytelling in this case.

Then there's the startup side, which is portrayed as a perfect utopia, which I would otherwise be ok with if it wasn't for the way it's contrasted with the big companies. But now with the way things are I would have liked to see some of the downsides of startups for balance, like long hours or uncertain job security. And I don't know if this would make more sense for the Japanese audience, but to me it was just wild how the main characters' company is treated to have a radically innovative ideology when their strategy is... taking a look at the monster first before deciding what kind of magic to fire at it. Like the monsters have been around for years, but nobody else had ever thought about having on call tech support available for the technology powered magical girls when they engage in these dangerous battles?

I also have some trouble with some of the more "anime"/outlandish elements since a lot of the setting leans towards realism. Like even back when I started the manga I always thought that Kana's kiddy twintail hairstyle is kind of dumb when she's supposed to be an adult entering the workforce. Especially the oversized lab coat wearing child genius mechanic feels so out of place, she wasn't annoying as a character but she just completely takes me out of the story. I'm aware that plenty of serious anime have quirky characters and over the top designs and it's kind of unfair to single this one out, but I really think it would have benefited from a more grounded approach. And you can still give them cool magical girl designs even if their civilian hair is more tame!

Alright now that we got that out of the way let's list some things I liked because I do in fact enjoy this series. Of course the premise of working adult magical girls is interesting to those of us who haven't been in school for years, and I think the story does a good job exploring it. And also now there's no teen drama which also feels refreshing.

Also while I did complain about the portrayal of the main characters' business being overly positive in comparison to their competitors, I do actually like them quite a lot when they're just doing stuff on their own, it seems like it would be such a great place to work. The cast is fun and has good chemistry with each other, and from the newbie Kana's pov it feels wholesome how supportive all her sempai are. Especially boss man Shigemoto steals the show with his magical girl cosplays and tired energy every time he is on screen. Finally the season ends on a high note character wise when it highlights Kana's character development from an insecure beginner to a more confident mentor, overall she had a pretty good arc.

[bikwin5]

Five things Nintendo does differently from other idol talent agencies

This is an experimental article style post written as if it were in the world of console idols. If you wish to know more about console idols see this post.

Nintendo has been praised for their unique process of producing "Console idol" talent, which they began in 1983 to promote their home console the Famicom (NES) in Japan. Since then these idols have taken the country by storm, and in recent years have had their influence spread to many parts of the world. Nintendo's approach not only as a video game maker but as a talent agency should be examined, so we've compiled a list of things Nintendo does significally differently from other companies in the talent industry.

Product endorsement

To those uninitiated with idols in Japan it would still come to no surprise that they, like any other celebrity, are frequently featured in product tie-ins. They appear in TV commercials and print ads, drawing consumers' attention to the product. Console idols do this as well, but even the uninformed can come to the conclusion that these idols are very much intertwined with their product, to the point where they are something of an extension of the product themselves.

When Nintendo unveils a new piece of hardware, be it a home console or handheld, they unveil an idol to go along with it. The idol may not have even begun recording, but their primary costume is complete and ready to be shown off in promotional material. While many idols take a one-and-done approach to product tie-ins, the console idol does not have this freedom. They are bound to the hardware of their character, with their contract lasting for its entire life cycle. Furthermore, the music the idol creates is attributed to and included as a part of Nintendo's games, making both the hardware and software an extension of the image character the idol represents.

This approach applies to all console idols, not just Nintendo's, but as they pioneered this style it's no doubt worth mentioning for them in particular. Since the consumer can purchase hardware as well as software tied to the idol, this deepens the fan's connection with them as they can now feel as if a part of the idol is with them. Nintendo is also able to sell the hardware's story as a narrative for the idol. For example, the Wii U can be seen as a unappreciated underdog while the Switch is portrayed as an uplifting comeback. Nintendo also attracts non-idol fans with this strategy too, as their games sell well enough that many who have never even heard of console idols purchase and enjoy them. It's often said that Nintendo could do away with the idol business entirely and subsist entirely off of video game sales, but this has been met with skepticism.

Solo performers only, not exclusively

Nintendo almost exclusively hires idols as solo performers, keeping to the rule of having one per system (save for one exception). This system has its advantages and disadvantages. Producing so few idols allows Nintendo to pour as many resources as they can into promoting each one. This results in a system where even the least popular Nintendo idols have at least tens of thousands of fans across the world. However, not having these idols in a group has them miss out on many advantages such as group performances and popularity rankings, or so it seems at a surface level.

The truth is a bit more complicated. Nintendo actually does assemble their idols into temporary units on occasion, performing on stage when there is a simultaneous release across multiple systems. The earliest known example of this is when Famicom and Game Boy debuted Dr. Mario together in a striking duo unit, complete with unique choreography. Sometimes these units have names, for example Wii and DS's unit was named "Innovation". These temporary units strengthen the bond between idols and fans, drawing fans of each idol closer to each other.

In addition, fans have taken to grouping Nintendo idols into unofficial units based on who was active at what point in time. These unofficial units are identified in photoshoots and other events where all active Nintendo idols were seen together. Idols are also capable of being part of multiple units. For example, Nintendo 64 can be grouped into an unofficial unit alongside Super Famicom and Game Boy, but she can also be grouped alongside GameCube and Game Boy Advance later in her career. Fans not only hold unofficial popularity rankings among these units but also across all Nintendo idols, effectively treating the entire history of Nintendo idols as one big idol group that spans decades.

Public vs. private

Most idol production companies are known for being private and relatively small despite their control over the entertainment industry. Nintendo, alongside most companies with console idols, do not operate this way, and therefore are publicly traded, allowing shareholders to influence the trajectory of a console idol's career. This also means Nintendo is legally bound to share financial information about the company, giving them a degree of publicity not seen with other talent agencies. This can lead to positive or negative perceptions about the company. In 2012, the year the Wii U was released, Nintendo suffered their first annual loss since entering the console business, causing a huge blow to the morale of the idols working there at the time.

Nintendo allowing themselves to be public opens themselves up to not only corporate shareholders but also fans willing to play the stock market. Whether they do or do not wish to make a profit is irrelevant, as from a fan perspective this allows them to "own" a piece of Nintendo and, by extension, part of the currently active idols, furthering their connection. One notorious incident in 2023 occurred when a particularly passionate fan at a shareholder meeting reportedly disrupted the event to discuss Nintendo's preference for female idols. A strange thing to rant about, as Nintendo has always produced female idols due to targeting their key demographics, but that is an issue for another article.

Overseas popularity

It's no doubt that idols in Japan have struggled to gain popularity outside of the country. Only in recent years through the help of the internet have they began to gain fans overseas. The parasocial idol-fan relationship that the industry is built upon is difficult to replicate when fans live across an entire ocean, after all. Recently production companies such as Cover Corporation have branched out to international affairs in Indonesia and English-speaking countries. However, in the case of Nintendo, they don't need to put in nearly as much effort to attract international fans.

In the 80s and early 90s console idols were rarely known to those outside of Japan. The NES and SNES had promotional "pop star" type idols, but these performers were hired by Nintendo of America in a way very different from the usual process. Regardless, this made many international fans interested in the concept, and some even went out of their way to learn about the Japanese idols. One fan in an old issue of Nintendo Power wrote that they prefer seeing Famicom's performances to NES.

However, Nintendo disbanded the practice of regional idols after the SNES, leading to a disruption among more seasoned fans. They wanted more, and so they turned to Nintendo's next biggest console, the Nintendo 64. This was a factor in causing both the N64 system and idol to become disproportionally popular in the United States. This would then carry on with future console generations, with many overseas fans celebrating and tracking down merchandise of their favourite Nintendo idol, with most having never attended an official concert or fan event at all.

The relationship these overseas fans have with the idols is not one to one with those in Japan, however. As stated previously, Japanese idols frequently rely on parasocial relationships with fans to retain loyalty. For overseas fans, this relationship persists by the purchasing and discussion of goods such as hardware and software, and even some imported idol-specific merchandise. In this sense idols are seen moreso as the typical celebrity among core Nintendo fans overseas. This may sound strange but a parallel to this could be described by fans' perception of Reggie Fils-Aime, the former president of Nintendo of America. While fans would form a cult of personality around him in the form of discussion and transformative works, they rarely treated him as someone they would have the opportunity to meet. It's this distinction that gives international Nintendo idol fans a perception that is completely different from other idol fans.

Draconian practices

While it's well known that idols are given little control over their careers, Nintendo places restrictions in ways that other talent agencies could not even begin to think of. Whether these restrictions are because of privacy concerns, brand image, tradition, or a mix of all three is unclear, as Nintendo has made very little public statement on these matters. Regardless, there are a number of them we know well enough to discuss here.

Nintendo is particularly strict about idols revealing personal information. This is most likely to protect the idols' privacy, but many think it is entirely arbitrary. Idols are not allowed to use their real names, even internally at Nintendo, although they usually end up being leaked or revealed post-graduation. Other personal information is not allowed to be revealed such as their place of birth, what school they attended, and friend codes for any Nintendo systems. This practice only began to ramp up around the revealing of Nintendo 64, where her name was revealed only after a few years. Many agree these practices are a step too far, as it creates a barrier between connecting idols and fans, something talent agencies would normally never want.

While not specific to Nintendo, console idols are bound by contract for a number of years, and only once. Console idols almost never return to Nintendo post-graduation, with the exception of the Famicom and Super Famicom Classic concerts in 2016-2018. The length of the contract is not always clear at the start of the idol's career. Nintendo is notorious for extending or shortening contract lengths depending on the lifespan of the associated system. In the case of a failure such as Virtual Boy, the contract can be quickly terminated, but this has rarely happened. Most idols have no choice but to finish their time with Nintendo, whether they like it or not.

Nintendo places high restrictions on what idols can and cannot do with their games. Modified or unofficially emulated titles are absolutely not allowed at any events. Even the games by themselves have restrictions. One such story told by 3DS in a post-graduation interview reveals that she pitched the idea to live stream a "Nuzlocke challenge," in Pokemon Moon, a challenge in which Pokemon must be released once they faint, and was denied this without any chance of negotiation. Even mentioning modified titles in public spaces such as social media are prohibited, and even graduated idols have made and promptly taken down controversial statements for fear of Nintendo's practices.

[satoshi-mochida]

‘Spaghetti anime’ mech tactical RPG NITRO GEN OMEGA announced for PC - Gematsu

DESTINYbit, the Italian studio behind Dice Legacy, has announced NITRO GEN OMEGA, a “spaghetti anime” tactical RPG blending cinematic mech battles, team management, and sandbox RPG elements. It will launch for PC via Steam in 2025.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

A spaghetti anime turn-based tactical RPG where you lead a crew of mercenaries through wastelands overrun by ruthless machines. Engage in high-octane cinematic Mech battles, recruit pilots and grow relationships. Play solo or join an online world where every character is procedurally generated.

Story

Humanity has lost the war against the machines. The world is overrun by them. What is left of the population has retreated to a few cities and outposts constructed atop of giant pillars. The end is coming—slow and inevitable—but for now, life goes on. People still need food, supplies, technology from the old world, or sometimes just something to get them going. You are the commander of a mercenary crew, surviving by taking on contracts for the cities. Build and tune your Mechs. Recruit pilots and watch them bond aboard the airship: your mobile base. Complete contracts and engage in high-octane cinematic Mech battles featuring a unique Timeline system. Play solo or join a persistent online world featuring permadeath, where every character is procedurally generated.

Innovative Timeline-Based Combat

NITRO GEN OMEGA is a turn-based tactical RPG featuring an innovative timeline-based fighting system that blends deep tactical gameplay with the feeling of directing your own anime episode.

Command a crew of four pilots, each responsible for different systems inside your Mech. Order your Driver to dodge, your Gunner to shoot, your Engineer to deploy coolant and your Operator to throw smoke grenades.

Use your equipment and intuition to discover your enemies’ intentions. Plan your actions during the Planning Phase and watch them unfold in a truly cinematic way during the Resolution Phase.

A challenging, high-stakes experience where injuries and even death are real threats to your crew. Managing morale is crucial, as pilots may act on their own in unplanned Dramatic Moments. The pressure of combat might lead them to a Crisis or Breakdown… but it’s in these critical moments that true heroes are made. Watch your pilots surpass their limits and overcome the odds in a fighting system inspired by shonen anime.

Customize Your Mech and Train Your Crew for Battle

Your Mech is the only way to traverse the harsh and impervious wastelands. Choose your playstyle and customize its loadout to tackle the challenges ahead.

Obtain new parts for your Mech and assemble them to achieve the perfect balance of protection, heat generation and ammo management. Fine-tune your build and evolve your combat strategies.

Unlock and choose between three distinct Mech models, each offering a unique playstyle and set of parts to collect.

But a Mech is only as powerful as its crew. Train your pilots, unlock new abilities and use them inside and outside of combat. Assemble an ace team and have them work together in battle.

Grow Relationships Aboard Your Airship

The Airship is more than just your base of operations. It’s where your pilots live, unwind, and build relationships between battles.

Earn Activity Points by fighting in Encounters and spend them aboard the Airship to assign your Pilots to various Activities.

Cooking delicious meals will enhance your crew’s performance in combat. Training in the boxing ring or reading magazines can improve your Pilots’ skills. Scavenging the wastelands can yield equipment that will unlock new Activities for your Airship.

Manage your crew’s morale and navigate the consequences of events happening on board. Watch your Pilots grow over time, forming lasting Friendships or Rivalries that can impact how they behave in battle.

Hire Pilots and Explore the Wastelands

A large open world for you to explore aboard your Airship. Fly across a continent overrun by Machines and make a name for yourself among the settlements.

Traverse a vast open world continent. Visit cities and outposts. Discover Machine Lairs and Events scattered through the world.

Complete Contracts for the settlements to build your reputation. Buy parts for your Mech, cooking ingredients, magazines and more. Heal your Pilots, refuel your Airship and venture again into the Wastelands.

Hire new procedurally generated pilots to expand your crew. Each one is unique, with different looks, Aspirations, Traits and preferences. You’re not just building a team—you’re building a family.

Play Solo or Join a Persistent Online World

Play single-player or join other players in an asynchronous online experience where every character is unique.

Your crew is one-of-a-kind and permadeath works on a global scale. Every character is generated on the server and scattered across the world.

Trade loot and Pilots with other players. Assemble the team of your dreams, knowing that every character is unique. Share your crew’s legacy and write their history together with other players.

Duel in friendly player-versus-player. Build your strategy and outsmart your opponents in a battle system designed from the ground up for multiplayer.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visitt he official website here.

Announce Trailer