Part 1. Rule 1. Friendship Is Forever

　　The sky was so blue it made you want to dive right out of the office window. Lavish weather for a Monday, given how there weren’t any public Monday holidays until Children’s Day, and that was two full months away. The spring sun’s rays failed to reach the Monday zombies shuffling about the office, only barely illuminating a few spots near the windows. A few sentimental souls, longing for the outside world, snapped a few photos of the sky through the dusty windowpanes before trudging back to their desks.

　　Still early in the morning, a small whiteboard hung on the door of Conference Room 2 on the fifth floor. On it, Development and Marketing were listed as participants for a meeting. The long table inside was already half filled.

　　“Good morning.”

　　“Oh, hey. Morning.”

　　Routine greetings were exchanged as team members walked in one by one. Each newcomer offered a polite nod before pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

　　Whether by coincidence or design, the dev team mostly occupied the shadows of the room, while the marketing team gathered in the light. And it wasn’t just their seating choices that contrasted. So did the color of their clothes. If a dev was ever dressed like one of the more understated members of marketing, people would suspect they were sneaking out for a job interview during lunch.

　　Just as the room was filling up, one of the devs arrived with a laptop tucked under his arm.

　　With pale skin that suggested far greater familiarity with monitor glare than sunlight, he made his way to a seat in the back, the ice in his Americano clinking audibly. He was like an apparition from the abyss, even within the dev team, a group that was already relatively shrouded in shadows. Even his line of sight seemed to have tired shadows as he slumped into his chair and scanned the room.

　　“Where’s Cha?”

　　“He stepped away to see the Head of Business for a moment.”

　　“He’ll be back soon.”

　　The marketing team members all chimed in simultaneously. Amidst the chatter, one of the higher-ranking managers nudged a colleague from Development. The subtle jerk of their chin toward the head of the dev team was asking, What kind of mood is your boss in today? The silent X traced with a finger in reply signaled that they were in for some trouble.

　　Before long, the rhythmic click of shoes echoed down the hallway.

　　“Sorry I’m late.”

　　The atmosphere of the room instantly changed at the sight of his imposing physique and impeccably tailored suit. While everyone else offered a nod or a brief greeting, the head of the dev team just opened his laptop with an air of total indifference.

　　The head of the marketing team set his tablet down beside his laptop and took the seat right next to the dev team lead. The hem of his tailored pants rose as he sat, revealing his sleek ankles. Glancing at the other team lead, the dev team’s lead furrowed his brows in irritation.

　　“Good morning, Song.”

　　“Do I look like I’m having a good morning?”

　　The sun slipped behind a cloud as if right on cue, casting a shadow over the conference room. Everyone else exchanged nervous glances as the mood darkened with the sky, but the head of the marketing team seemed unperturbed as he replied.

　　“Fair enough. I was just being polite. Who’d be happy on a Monday, right? I appreciate the honesty.”

　　“What the hell is with that promotional video?”

　　Alas, Cha’s attempts to beat around the bush were quickly shot down by Song’s sharp hiss.

　　“Impressive, right? The response has been incredible.”

　　“Oh, I bet it was. You sold them a goddamn fairy tale. Who’s going to be responsible for building that thing?”

　　A bright, beaming smile was his only answer, carrying a crystal-clear message. You, duh. You’re the one with a master’s and doctorate in engineering. What, did you think I was going to build it? You know I can’t write a single line of code.

　　“I know you’ll do a fantastic job. I really am sorry about springing it on you like this.”

　　“You know I’m not asking for an apology. You can’t just pretend something’s a finished product when it hasn’t even left planning.”

　　“It’s not like I made it up out of thin air. All I did was give an early preview of a fantastic feature planned for release.”

　　“Ugh…”

　　“With all the press releases the competition was churning out, I figured we’d all be out of a job if we didn’t do at least that much. Besides, that was the only way to get approval from upper management.”

　　Cha Mingyu rolled his chair closer to Song Iho, who had squeezed his eyes shut to suppress his boiling anger.

　　“And I had total faith that our brilliant Song Iho would pull through.”

　　“…”

　　Sure, Song Iho knew that marketing always came with a bit of exaggeration, but still. The mess he was being expected to clean up after Mingyu ran his mouth was a bit too much.

　　“Come on, Song. I’m counting on you.”

　　The dev team lead recoiled like a nocturnal animal suddenly exposed to bright light as the head of the marketing team leaned in close, glaring at Mingyu for making promises he couldn’t deliver.

　　It might have looked like the marketing team lead was trying to butter him up, but they both knew that the head of the dev team would have to cave in the end. It wasn’t like they had any choice. Mingyu had already made his promise, so Iho had to make it happen.

　　“…When did you say the deadline was?”

　　The dev team’s head opened his laptop with a heavy sigh. The marketing team lead leaned in even closer, bringing his face right up to the screen.

　　“Well, it’d be nice if you could keep sharing regular updates, even if it’s an unfinished build, so…”

　　“…This okay for a halfway point, then?”

　　“Hmm. Can’t we push it up a bit?”

　　“Please tell me you have a conscience.”

　　“I wasn’t joking, but the vibe says I should pretend I was. Fine. Let’s go with the date you suggested.”

　　As the two bickering team leads began reluctantly hammering out details, a visible wave of relief washed over the rest of the staff, who had spent the entire meeting darting nervous glances around the room.

　　“Then we’ll proceed with that schedule. You’re a lifesaver, Song.”

　　The marketing team lead packed up his tablet while maintaining his impenetrable, polite smile directed at the dev team lead, who remained icy to the very end. At the signal that the meeting was over, everyone began gathering their belongings.

　　“I’ll leave it to you, Song! Have a great…”

　　Just as the marketing team lead stood up, a hand slammed against the wall right beside his shoulder, blocking his path.

　　“Your team can leave, but you stay behind, Cha. Let’s have a little chat.”

　　“Oh, come on… It’s a busy morning. I have other things to do, you know.”

　　“…”

　　“Alright, fine.”

　　The conference room door clicked shut, leaving only the two team leads inside. Through the frosted glass, the dev team lead’s silhouette could be seen tilting his head up toward the taller head of the marketing team. Everyone else hurriedly ducked toward the stairwell to try and dodge the flying sparks.

　　“Ugh… That was tense. And here I thought things would end peacefully for once. Is Song really that pissed?”

　　As the group headed down the stairs, someone cautiously asked a member of the development team walking beside them.

　　“W-Well… We’re just as surprised as you are. Iho isn’t usually the type to pick fights, but whenever he’s dealing with Mingyu, he always gets so fired up, so…”

　　The truth was, the dev team was at the bottom of the food chain and rarely had the leverage to stand their ground like this. The reason that Dev Team Lead Song Iho had pushed back so fiercely was that Marketing had dropped one hell of a bombshell this time.

　　Sensing the need for damage control, Senior Manager Kang, the marketing team’s second-in-command, softened her tone.

　　“Ugh. I am so sorry for all the trouble. But with all the baseless hype coming from our competitors, we had to fight fire with fire, so… Still, I guess we went too far, huh…?”

　　“Exactly! Man, the other companies were lying through their teeth! But we had faith in Song and the dev team, so we thought we could risk going out on a limb.”

　　The developers’ eyes flickered at the shiny carrots Marketing was dangling in front of them.

　　“I-It’s fine. Have to promote the company, right? I’m sure you had it tough at Marketing.”

　　“We’re counting on you and your leader, guys. Just build the thing the best you can, and we’ll handle the rest. We’ll hype it up across every news outlet and social media platform as the next big thing.”

　　“T-That’s a lot of pressure…”

　　“Let’s get some coffee on the way back. My treat. A little fuel to cheer everyone on.”

　　“Wow, thanks!”

　　“And that includes the dev team. I suggest you think about your orders before we get there.”

　　“Right… Thanks…”

　　The two teams’ members headed toward the café, the atmosphere warm and friendly. A stark contrast to the storm brewing back in the meeting room.

　　Meanwhile, inside the conference room, the two team leaders remained locked in a standoff. After a long stare-down, Song Iho, the head of the dev team, let his eyes scan down the other man’s body.

　　“Cha Mingyu.”

　　“Yes, Song Iho?”

　　Cha Mingyu curled the corners of his mouth into a smile that had been pivotal in closing countless major deals. But despite being faced with such a cheery smile, Song Iho’s expression remained sour, as if he’d bitten into something rotten.

　　“Would you roll up your pants for me?”

　　“I’ll have you know that’s sexual harassment. Shall I start recording?”

　　Iho quietly glared at Mingyu’s joke.

　　Mingyu slumped his shoulders in defeat, realizing that Iho wasn’t going to buy his act of digging around his pockets for his phone.

　　A moment later, he pulled up his pants, revealing dark gray socks wrapped around his prominent anklebones, held firmly in place by garters around his calves. Iho inhaled at the sight.

　　“ARGH! STOP STEALING MY SOCKS!”

　　“Ack!”

　　A fist flew toward Mingyu’s broad back, still bent over from rolling up his trousers. The marketing team lead hunched his large frame, dodging Iho’s second swing.

　　“Ow, Songi, that hurts! You might be staying in the office all day, but I’ve got field meetings! I need to look sharp!”

　　“Then buy your own! Stop taking them out of my closet!”

　　“Huh? Who said I took them from your closet?”

　　“…Then where?”

　　“The dryer. They were sitting there for two whole days, so I felt sorry for… Ow! That really hurt! That was a real punch that time! You broke my shoulder! Looks like my Songi’s really going out of his way to help me file for workers’ comp…”

　　Just to remind everyone, there wasn’t a lead developer in the world that could beat a marketing team lead with words. Even if they weren’t your typical office colleagues.

　　But not every battle was fought with words. Dodging Song Iho’s tightly clenched fist, Cha Mingyu continued to whine, half-serious, half-joking, as he backed away and grabbed the conference room door. Iho, closing the distance with quick strides, suddenly froze in his tracks. Opening the door would break the soundproofing. Clutching the handle in self-defense, Mingyu extended his free arm.

　　“I’ll make sure to wash them before I put them back! Take good care of the dev work, Songi!”

　　A finger heart appeared right before Iho’s eyes, followed by a cheeky wink before the large frame slipped out through the door.

　　“Ugh…”

　　Song Iho let out a long sigh, gathering his laptop and coffee cup from the table before smoothing back his disheveled hair with one hand.

　　An image flashed through Iho’s mind. A black strap cutting across a muscular, well-defined calf, and his own sock, clinging tight to Cha Mingyu’s leg.

　　His lip turned red as he began to gnaw at it, his ears burning just as hot.

　　“If you were going to steal mine, you could’ve at least left a pair of your own behind…”

　　Fifteen years had passed since Cha Mingyu transferred to Song Iho’s school during their second year of high school. And during that time, they had gone to the same university, joined the same company, and even ended up in adjacent teams.

　　The relationship that had tenaciously persisted was still alive as the two turned thirty-three. For one, an irreplaceable friendship. For the other, a long-held, unrequited love.