Author’s Note & Disclaimer/Content Rating! CAST
Hello Lovelies! Welcome
To everyone reading Annoyingly In Love,
Thank you for giving this story a chance.
This novel was created with so much love, frustration, laughter, and emotional chaos poured into every chapter. At its heart, Annoyingly In Love is a story about two people who are completely different yet somehow find comfort in each other in the most unexpected ways.
Kenji and Naoki may argue constantly, drive each other insane, and pretend not to care—but beneath all the teasing and tension is a story about vulnerability, healing, trust, and learning how to let someone into your life when you’ve spent years pushing everyone away.
I wanted to create a romance that feels both funny and emotionally intimate. A story filled with sarcastic banter, lingering glances, office gossip, late-night conversations, jealousy, misunderstandings, and the terrifying realization that love can slowly sneak up on you when you least expect it.
I truly hope this story makes you laugh, scream, blush, cry, and fall in love with these characters as much as I did while writing them.
Thank you for reading and supporting my work.
With love, Fatima Tangara
Disclaimer/Content Rating!
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, companies, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or events is purely coincidental.
This story may contain:
Strong language
Emotional themes
Workplace conflict
Romantic tension
Suggestive content
LGBTQ+ / BL themes
Jealousy and misunderstandings
Mild mature themes
Reader discretion is advised.
Content Rating
Rating: 16+
Genres
BL Romance
Office Romance
Romantic Comedy
Slow Burn
Enemies to Lovers
Drama
CAST!
Aihara Kenji
Birthday: January 9, 1997
Place of Birth: Yokohama, Japan
Zodiac: Capricorn
Height: 183 cm (6’0”)
Blood Type: A
Occupation: Executive Director at Kuroshi Media
Relationship Status: Single
Relationship History:
Had one serious relationship during university that ended badly after emotional betrayal.
Since then, he has avoided relationships entirely and buried himself in work.
Personality:
Cold, perfectionistic, intimidating, emotionally guarded, secretly caring.
Family:
Father: Aihara Masato — corporate lawyer.
Mother: Aihara Reiko — former pianist turned art professor.
Younger Sister: Aihara Emi (23) — fashion design student.
Close Friends:
Shun Kazama
Riku Hayashi
Habits:
Drinks black coffee constantly.
Overworks himself.
Removes glasses when stressed.
Fun Fact:
Despite his cold image, he secretly watches cheesy romance dramas alone at night.
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Takayama Naoki
Birthday: August 21, 1998
Place of Birth: Osaka, Japan
Zodiac: Leo
Height: 178 cm (5’10”)
Blood Type: O
Occupation: Creative Content Editor at Kuroshi Media
Relationship Status: Single
Relationship History:
Casual flings in the past but never seriously committed to anyone.
Has secretly feared abandonment after being left behind by people important to him.
Personality:
Loud, playful, charismatic, teasing, emotionally intelligent beneath the chaos.
Family:
Mother: Takayama Yui — café owner.
Older Brother: Takayama Renji (33) — photographer living in Kyoto.
Close Friends:
Mei Fujimoto
Haruto Shin
Eventually becomes closest to Kenji.
Habits:
Steals Kenji’s coffee on purpose.
Uses annoying nicknames for coworkers.
Hums while working.
Fun Fact:
He remembers tiny details about people without realizing it.
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Shun Kazama
Birthday: April 15, 1996
Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
Zodiac: Aries
Height: 185 cm
Occupation: Head of Marketing at Kuroshi Media
Relationship Status: Secretly dating Haruto Shin.
Personality:
Confident, sarcastic, observant.
Family:
Only child.
Close Friends:
Kenji
Haruto
Role in Story:
Kenji’s closest friend and emotional support.
Constantly calls out Kenji’s obvious feelings for Naoki.
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Mei Fujimoto
Birthday: September 30, 1999
Place of Birth: Sapporo, Japan
Zodiac: Libra
Height: 165 cm
Occupation: Social Media Manager
Relationship Status: Complicated.
Personality:
Energetic, dramatic, gossip queen.
Family:
Younger twin brothers.
Close Friends:
Naoki
Haruto
Role in Story:
Starts office betting pools about when Kenji and Naoki will finally kiss.
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Haruto Shin
Birthday: November 18, 1995
Place of Birth: Kobe, Japan
Zodiac: Scorpio
Height: 181 cm
Occupation: Senior Photographer
Relationship Status: Dating Shun Kazama.
Personality:
Calm, flirtatious, mature.
Family:
Father: Chef.
Mother: Novelist.
Close Friends:
Shun
Naoki
Role in Story:
Gives Naoki relationship advice while pretending not to care.
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Riku Hayashi
Birthday: June 3, 1997
Place of Birth: Nagoya, Japan
Zodiac: Gemini
Height: 179 cm
Occupation: Human Resources Manager
Relationship Status: Single
Personality:
Friendly, clever, chaotic instigator.
Family:
Older sister.
Close Friends:
Kenji
Mei
Role in Story:
Lives for office drama and unintentionally fuels gossip.
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Saeko Mori
Birthday: February 27, 1994
Place of Birth: Kyoto, Japan
Zodiac: Pisces
Height: 170 cm
Occupation: Chief Executive Officer of Kuroshi Media
Relationship Status: Divorced
Personality:
Elegant, intelligent, terrifyingly perceptive.
Family:
Ex-husband overseas.
Close Friends:
None publicly.
Role in Story:
Notices Kenji’s feelings before he does.
Constantly places Kenji and Naoki on projects together “for productivity.”
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Yuna Tachibana
Birthday: July 11, 2000
Place of Birth: Fukuoka, Japan
Zodiac: Cancer
Height: 160 cm
Occupation: Intern
Relationship Status: Single
Personality:
Sweet, shy, observant.
Role in Story:
Accidentally witnesses several romantic moments between Kenji and Naoki.
Becomes everyone’s source of “inside information.”
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Daichi Kuroda
Birthday: December 5, 1993
Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Height: 187 cm
Occupation: Rival Executive at Kuroshi Media
Relationship Status: Single
Personality:
Competitive, polished, manipulative.
Role in Story:
Creates tension between Kenji and Naoki.
Secretly interested in Kenji professionally—and maybe personally.
