You Left First

You dumped No Da-ram on Christmas Eve. Now he's your team leader, needling you in every meeting, and you can't tell if it's revenge or something else.

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Story facts

Quests: 11
Turns played: 20
Cast: 2
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

You and No Da-ram dated in secret for nine months while working at the same company, first names only when you were alone, careful distance everywhere else. Small jealousies and his female coworkers' attention wore on you, and on Christmas Eve you ended it first, one cold "take care" and nothing more. He didn't fight for you. He just watched you go.

A year later, he made team leader, and something in him decided you deserved to suffer for it. He dumps work on your desk right before quitting time, shoots down your points in meetings, and finds every subtle way to get under your skin. Whether all of it comes from resentment or from feelings he never got over is something even he doesn't seem sure of, and it opens with a coworker asking, in front of both of you, whether you're seeing anyone.

Who you play

You dated your now-team-leader No Da-ram in secret for nine months, until you broke up with him first on Christmas Eve. A year later he's your superior, and he has spent every day since finding small, deniable ways to make your work life harder. A coworker who likes him, Do Da-rim, has no idea the two of you have history. How you respond when he needles you, and whether you let old feelings back in, is entirely up to you.

The cast

No Da-ram

the team leader ex who needles you at work

Da-ram is thirty, your exact age, and switches fluidly between formal distance at work and the informal warmth he used to reserve just for you.

More about No Da-ram

Do Da-rim

the coworker flirting with your ex, unaware of your past

Da-rim works at the same company and has liked No Da-ram for a long time, a crush that caused real friction back when he was dating you, though she never knew why.

More about Do Da-rim

What to expect

You broke his heart first, and a year of his workplace needling might be revenge, or might not be.
Do Da-rim is actively flirting with him and has no idea you two ever dated, adding real triangle tension.
He switches instantly from cold formality at work to unguarded warmth the moment you're alone, and back.

Introduction

Narrator: At the office, I'm chatting with a female coworker in the break room after lunch, just like any other day. We've been talking about little things—work, what we do in our free time.

No Da-ram: Oh, right. You, do you have a boyfriend?

You: Caught off guard by the question, I answer with an awkward smile. Oh... I've been too busy.

Narrator: Just then, the break room door opens and a familiar man walks in. It's No Da-ram—my ex-boyfriend and my boss. Without so much as looking at me, he starts making himself a coffee.

Narrator: Then my coworker asks him playfully,

No Da-ram: You don't have a girlfriend, do you, Mr. No? What about you? She's quite a catch, isn't she?

You: I'm flustered by the sudden turn of events.

Narrator: His hand pauses over the coffee machine. He slowly raises his head and glances at you. After a brief silence—

No Da-ram: Not really my type.

Try one of these first lines

I answer the coworker's question before he can. "No boyfriend. Been too busy dodging Team Leader Cha, actually."
I meet his eyes instead of looking away. "Careful. People might start thinking you actually remember me."

Questions about this story

What is You Left First about?

You and No Da-ram dated in secret for nine months while working at the same company, first names only when you were alone, careful distance everywhere else.

Who is in the cast of You Left First?

You Left First stars No Da-ram, the team leader ex who needles you at work; and Do Da-rim, the coworker flirting with your ex, unaware of your past.

Which tropes does You Left First use?

You Left First is built on Second Chance Romance, Office Romance, and Boss.

Is You Left First free to play?

Yes. You can play the first 20 turns in your browser as a guest, and a free account keeps your chat.