The biggest regret of my life was choosing this company purely because my boss was devastatingly handsome.

I had thought I could earn money while admiring eye candy.

What I didn’t expect was to get verbally executed every single day.

Right now, my boss—Ethan Shaw—was resting his chin on one hand, long fingers tapping lightly on the proposal I had stayed up all night to finish.

He flipped through a few pages, then glanced at me, his voice calm to the point of cruelty.

“Team Lead Song,” he said flatly, “this proposal of yours is… impressively energy-efficient.”

I lowered my eyes.

I knew there was a “but.”

“No innovation. No feasible execution plan. It perfectly maintains the industry standard of mediocrity.”

He paused, then added lightly:

“How do you manage to stay this consistently average?”

Me: “……”

I clenched my fists so hard I nearly ripped my manicure off.

In my fantasy, I had already taken off my heels and smashed him over the head.

In reality, I picked up the documents he tossed back onto the desk, lowered my head, and smiled politely.

“I’ll revise it immediately, Mr. Shaw.”

His cold gaze swept over me. He tapped the table impatiently.

Standing beside him, Mark Wilson instantly caught the cue and eagerly handed over another proposal.

He didn’t forget to shoot me a smug look.

“Mr. Shaw, I stayed up two nights straight for this one. Please take a look.”

Mark and I belonged to rival planning teams. We had never gotten along.

Seeing that smug expression made my blood pressure spike.

I silently prayed Ethan Shaw wouldn’t say anything nice.

Fortunately, he never disappointed.

“Deputy Lead Wilson,” he said, voice calm, “if effort were a virtue, then this two-nights-without-sleep proposal of yours would be a moral exemplar.”

“Unfortunately, I’m running a company. Not a monastery.”

“Perhaps you’d like to find somewhere else to cultivate yourself?”

Mark’s smile froze on his face.

He awkwardly took the documents back.

“I’ll… revise it immediately, Mr. Shaw.”

I pressed my lips together, secretly giving Ethan Shaw a mental thumbs-up.

The next second, he stood up and said coldly:

“If neither of you submits an acceptable proposal by the end of work tomorrow, go to HR and process your resignation yourselves.”

Ethan. Shaw. The human skin-flayer.

Thumbs-up revoked.

 

I worked overtime until ten p.m. before finally finishing the revision.

The moment I shut down my computer, my phone buzzed.

Z: Baby, what are you doing?

I lowered my head and typed furiously.

Selling my soul to a heartless capitalist.
I hate him so much.
He verbally tortured me again today.
Sharp tongue, poisonous mouth—if he ever kissed someone, she’d probably die of poisoning.
Oh wait, he’s single. Of course he is.
There are men and women in this world, and then there’s Ethan Shaw.
He deserves his own species.

I unloaded everything in one go.

The chat screen turned completely green.

Then—

Transfer Received: $8,888

Z: You worked hard, baby. Go eat something nice.

Honestly?

Money really is the best skincare product.

Just looking at the amount made half my resentment evaporate.

The rest turned into confusion.

How could two men be this different?

Z was someone I met through a game—now my online boyfriend.

Gentle. Patient. Generous. Polite.

And he sent me eight-pack abs every day for free.

Compared to him, Ethan Shaw was just… a man.

I grabbed my bag and left the office, texting as I walked.

Husband!
You’re the best man in the world!
You treat me like treasure!
Wait for me half an hour, okay? When I get home I’ll take you to the Valley (game) 😘
I want to stick to you in the Valley right now 😚🔥

I was waiting for a reply when I caught sight of a tall figure in my peripheral vision.

Startled, I shoved my phone into my pocket.

Maybe it was guilt from just trash-talking him, but I blurted out:

“Mr. Shaw… you’re leaving on your own?”

He glanced at me.

“What? Do you want to leave work for me?”

Me: “……”

For a six-figure salary, I endure.

My phone vibrated nonstop in my pocket—Z must’ve replied.

But I didn’t dare check.

Ethan Shaw was taller than me. If he glanced down and saw me calling another man “husband”—

That would be… socially fatal.

Inside the elevator, I tried to minimize my presence, staring at the floor numbers like my life depended on it.

Then, in the reflective doors, I saw Ethan Shaw looking down at his phone—

And smiling.

A strange, unfamiliar smile.

Holy hell.

Ethan Shaw… smiles?!

What kind of deity was on his screen?!

I stared too long and got caught.

He immediately wiped the expression off his face and looked at me coolly.

“Team Lead Song,” he said, “am I really that astonishing?”

Me: “……”

I showered at lightning speed and flopped onto my bed, ready to log in.

The moment Z came online, I dragged him into the voice room.

“Husband! You’re here! I missed you so much—come stick to me!”

“Let’s play the mage today, okay? I bought you a new outfit.”

If Z had one flaw, it was that his gaming skills were… questionable.

But that was fine.

I handled the killing.

He handled being pretty.

That was how I’d won him over in the first place.

A low chuckle came through my headset.

“Feeling better now?”

I grinned.

“Much better. As long as I don’t share air with my heartless boss, I’m instantly happy.”

There was a brief pause.

Then he said, amused:

“Then wear a mask to work tomorrow. Would that help?”

Me: “……”

“Husband, don’t be greasy.”

We didn’t play many rounds—it was late.

We switched from game voice to a call.

“Husband,” I reminded him, “you haven’t sent me abs today.”

Three photos arrived instantly, from different angles.

I zoomed in on each one carefully.

After a moment of silence, he laughed softly.

“Baby, do you like them?”

I kicked my legs in the air.

“They’re deadly!”

Every day and never boring.

“Then… would you like to see them in person?”

My finger froze on the screen.

We’d been together online for almost a year.

This was the first time meeting up had come up.

Honestly, I hesitated.

I was afraid he wouldn’t match my imagination.

Afraid I wouldn’t match his.

What started impulsively had somehow lasted this long.

But thinking about it… we really got along.

He absorbed all my emotional trash, never lectured me, never lost his temper.

My heart softened.

Sensing my hesitation, he didn’t push.

“It’s okay. We can wait.”

“Baby, don’t worry. We’ll take it slow.”

Warmth flooded my chest.

Then courage followed.

I took a deep breath.

“Husband… let’s meet.”

“This Saturday. Movie?”

Today was Tuesday.

Three days to prepare.

He was quiet for a few seconds, then chuckled.

“Baby, it’s just a date. You don’t have to act like you’re heading to an execution.”

Me: “……”

Fine.

Flaw number two of my online boyfriend:

Occasionally, he carried the same unexpected humor as Ethan Shaw.

“What else would you like to do?”

“Chinese food or Western?”

He chatted casually, filling the silence, discussing details.

By the end, the restaurant wasn’t decided—but the menu was practically ordered.

Somehow, I wasn’t nervous anymore.

Instead…

I was looking forward to it.

Saturday arrived faster than I expected.

I stood in front of my mirror for the fifth time, tugging nervously at my dress.

Not too formal.
Not too casual.
Pretty, but not like I was trying too hard.

This was my first time meeting an online boyfriend in real life.

Correction—my first time meeting Z.

My phone buzzed.

Z: I’m downstairs.

My heart skipped violently.

I grabbed my bag and rushed out.

The movie theater lobby was crowded, voices echoing, lights bright. I scanned the area instinctively—

Then I froze.

Standing near the ticket counter was a tall man in a black coat, posture straight, shoulders broad. One hand was in his pocket, the other holding a phone.

I recognized that silhouette instantly.

My boss.

Ethan. Shaw.

My brain short-circuited.

Why was he here?

Maybe… coincidence?

I turned around immediately, planning to pretend I’d come to the wrong place.

Before I could escape, my phone rang.

I looked down.

Incoming Call — Z

With trembling fingers, I answered.

“Hello…?”

At the same moment—

The man in front of me lifted his head.

Our eyes met.

His expression shifted from neutral to something unreadable… then slowly, unmistakably, amused.

“Baby,” he said calmly, into his phone.

“I’m right in front of you.”

The world collapsed.

I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing like a malfunctioning device.

“You— You—”

Ethan Shaw hung up, slipped his phone into his pocket, and took a step closer.

“So,” he said lightly, “you really do hate your boss.”

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

“You’re… Z?” My voice came out broken.

He nodded. “In the flesh.”

I took three steps back.

“No. No way. This has to be a scam. A social experiment. HR testing my loyalty.”

His lips curved.

“I transferred money to you every time you complained about me. That’d be a very expensive HR policy.”

My knees went weak.

“You… you sent me abs—”

He interrupted calmly. “Real ones.”

I screamed internally.

“So all those nights— the voice calls— the games—”

“All me,” he said. “Including dying repeatedly in your jungle because I’m terrible at games.”

I covered my face.

“I called you heartless. A skin-flayer. A non-human species.”

“I remember,” he said thoughtfully. “Very vividly.”

“I said you’d poison your girlfriend with a kiss!”

“That one hurt,” he admitted. “Slightly.”

I wanted to cry.

“Why?” I finally asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked at me for a long moment.

“Because with you,” he said, voice low, “I was finally just Ethan. Not a boss. Not a CEO.”

“And because,” he added, “you liked me before you knew who I was.”

My chest tightened.

“So… all those transfers…”

“Because you were upset,” he said simply. “And I wanted to make it better.”

I bit my lip.

“You’re a terrible boss.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“But,” he continued, stepping closer, “I’m a very serious boyfriend.”

I looked up at him.

“…Do I still get the abs?”

A smile—real, warm, unmistakably Z—spread across his face.

“Lifetime access,” he said. “With hands-on viewing.”

I inhaled sharply.

“Ethan Shaw,” I said, “starting Monday, I’m wearing noise-canceling headphones at work.”

He chuckled.

“Deal,” he said. “As long as you stop trash-talking me in the group chat.”

I thought for a second.

“…No promises.”

He laughed, took my hand gently, and squeezed.

“Movie first?” he asked.

I nodded, heart pounding.

Maybe my boss was a heartless capitalist.

But my online boyfriend—

Was real.

And stupidly, dangerously perfect.

END