Sung Hyuk just changed clothes and immediately left the house, getting into the elevator.

While the elevator was going down to the first floor, he put on the hat and mask he had hastily grabbed, and as soon as the door opened, he dashed out.

His destination was the subway station.

The distance from home to the subway station was about 1 km.

He calculated that if Young In had left the car keys at the front gate security office and sent a message right away, he could catch up.

Sung Hyuk ran like mad, truly living up to the expression of cutting through the wind. He couldn’t remember the last time he had run at full speed like this.

He always ran on the treadmill at the gym, but running outside like this was his first time since being discharged from the military.

The wind brushing against his cheeks and his breath coming up to the edge of his chin felt pretty good. Maybe it was the anticipation of being able to meet Chae Young In that made him feel good.

Fortunately, his expectations were not disappointed.

Upon spotting the welcome back figure, he made a final sprint and grabbed Young In’s arm just as she was about to go down the subway station stairs.

“Caught you.”

Young In turned around startled, her face filled with bewilderment.

“What? How did you…”

Realizing he was blocking the subway entrance, Sung Hyuk pulled Young In aside.

“To commute together. I came chasing right after hanging up the phone.”

After being dazed for a moment, Young In’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you afraid I’ll stand next to another man?”

“No, I’m afraid another man will stand next to you.”

Young In couldn’t bring herself to be angry at him, who was breathing heavily under his mask.

“Are you going to work like this?”

Young In’s gaze stopped at his baseball cap, then moved down to his short-sleeved t-shirt, training pants, and sneakers.

“I didn’t have time to dress properly.”

He didn’t have time to put on a suit, so he wore workout clothes that would take at most 5 seconds to put on, and he even brought a hat and mask thinking Young In wouldn’t be able to stand next to him if his face was exposed.

“I have clothes at the company. I can change when we get there.”

“What if I had contacted you long after leaving the car behind? Why did you run here like this?”

She felt ridiculous for worrying about what would have happened if he had come for nothing, even though she hadn’t asked him to follow.

“The you I know is someone who takes care of things right away when there’s something to be done, not someone who waits a long time.”

“…”

Until recently, she was confident that she knew everything about the man called Cha Sung Hyuk, but now that confidence was shaken. She couldn’t predict his actions at all.

On the other hand, it seemed like he knew everything about her, which made her feel a bit unfair.

“Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

Young In opened and closed her mouth a few times, then let out a deep sigh and started walking.

Even though he had disguised himself to some extent, she wondered if there really would be no one who recognized him.

Lost in thought and moving her feet mechanically, Young In only remembered Sung Hyuk’s presence after entering the ticket gate.

When she turned around, she saw him tapping his mobile phone on and off at the ticket gate terminal.

Young In quickly approached Sung Hyuk and gestured for him to move aside. Then she stood face to face with him across the metal fence.

As she had guessed, he wore a very displeased expression.

“Why doesn’t my phone work.”

“Not all phones work just because you have one.”

“Then?”

“You need to register a card.”

“Oh, really?”

Sung Hyuk had only seen it on TV and had never ridden the subway even once in his life.

He had ridden a bus just once.

It was the day he heard Young In say she liked to sit in the very back seat of the bus, look out the window, get off anywhere, and go into a pretty cafe to drink a warm cup of tea. It was also the day he confirmed that it didn’t suit his taste, but it was still a special experience.

Come to think of it, his first time riding a bus and his first time riding the subway were both with Young In. The only difference was that on that day, Young In had paid for his bus fare too.

“Does your credit card have a transportation card function?”

“I don’t know. But I forgot to bring my wallet. I only grabbed my phone.”

The corners of Sung Hyuk’s eyes crinkled prettily.

“Buy me a ticket.”

It was a charming eye smile that could captivate anyone.

Why was her heart pounding even though it wasn’t the first time she’d seen it?

Young In quickly lowered her eyes and rummaged through her bag to take out her wallet. Then she handed him a credit card with the transportation card function.

“Use this to tap.”

Nodding, Sung Hyuk returned to the ticket gate, tapped the credit card, and passed through the barrier that had blocked his way earlier. He felt secretly proud for no real reason.

“Let’s go.”

Young In grabbed the clothes of him who was confidently walking in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going? It’s not that way.”

“It’s not?”

“It’s this way.”

Sung Hyuk followed closely behind Young In who was leading the way. However, while going down to the platform, people who had just gotten off the arriving subway started coming up the stairs in droves.

He thoroughly protected Young In to ensure she wouldn’t be swept away or bumped by the crowd.

Young In, who had gone down the stairs under excessive protection, lined up in a place where there weren’t many people.

“Is it always this crowded, or is today particularly bad?”

When Young In turned around, she saw a serious face.

“It’s always like this during rush hour.”

His expression hardened even more.

“Don’t ever take the subway again.”

“I barely take it once or twice a month.”

After getting a job that required mobility, Young In couldn’t use public transportation as much as before. She would use the subway or bus to commute the next day only when she had left her car at work due to a drinking appointment.

“Don’t even take it those once or twice. Take a taxi.”

“I take a taxi when I have time. I only take the subway occasionally when I might be late.”

“Just be late then.”

Young In realized there was no way to persuade him when he was so adamant. She knew the best response at times like this was to counter strongly.

“Even if it looks chaotic, there are rules. Don’t make a fuss.”

“…”

Sung Hyuk, hearing the words “don’t make a fuss” for the first time in his life, was at a loss for words.

A few minutes later, the experienced subway rider and the novice boarded the arrived subway.

Although he was a beginner, Sung Hyuk with his innate sense immediately grasped where the safest space was.

“Stand here.”

He led Young In to stand between the door and the priority seats, and created a wall with his arms and body.

Due to people cramming in, the two were perfectly pressed together. It was no different from an embrace.

As Sung Hyuk’s scent enveloped her nose, Young In lowered her chin slightly, feeling needlessly embarrassed. But because she was so close to him, her forehead lightly bumped against his chest.

Just as the startled Young In was about to raise her head, she felt a hand gently cupping the back of her head. It was as if telling her to stay as she was.

He seemed to know that it was more comfortable than keeping her head rigidly upright.

Perhaps the saying “The first time is difficult, but the second time is easy” should be used in situations like this.

It might have been self-justification to think that since they were already touching, it wouldn’t be a big deal to lean in a bit more.

Sung Hyuk endured, trying his best not to pressure Young In, and Young In, pretending to give in to his touch, was able to spend a time comfortable enough to forget they were in a crowded subway.

Young In realized an awkward fact when the announcement for their destination came on.

The two of them were standing next to the left door, but they needed to get off on the right side.

Young In tilted her head back as far as she could and looked up at Sung Hyuk.

“It’s not this side.”

“What’s not?”

Not hearing the first two syllables, he lowered his head and brought his ear close to Young In’s lips.

“We need to get off on the other side.”

For a moment, Sung Hyuk’s body stiffened. The warm breath brushing against his ear was unbearably stimulating.

Crazy from the morning.

After regaining his composure with a deep breath, he straightened his head as if nothing had happened. Then he gently grasped Young In’s hand.

“Stay right behind me and follow.”

Their clasped hands were firmly fixed at the small of Sung Hyuk’s back.

Young In followed him with small steps and was able to get off the subway without bumping into anyone else, thanks to the path he cleared with his body.

Having gotten off almost last, the platform was quite empty as the crowd had already ebbed away like the tide.

Sung Hyuk took Young In to a corner.

“You go first. I’ll follow slowly behind.”

“Okay.”

Young In was grateful to him for saying what she should have said herself. However, it was actually Sung Hyuk who said thank you.

“Thank you. I was able to commute safely thanks to you.”

He took out the credit card from his pocket and held it out.

“It’s not over yet. You need to tap it once more when exiting.”

“Oh, really?”

“Give it to me later.”

“What if I go on a spending spree?”

“I’ll report it, of course.”

Sung Hyuk burst into laughter as he watched Young In turn away primly.

After leisurely looking around the subway station as if he had all the time in the world, he walked slowly from the station to the company as if out for a stroll. Even though he didn’t have a car, he went up to the 8th floor through the parking lot.

He took a detour thinking Young In would have entered through the front door on the first floor.

When he entered the CEO’s office, the secretary’s desk was empty.

Thinking she might have gone to the bathroom or had other business, Sung Hyuk opened the door to his private office and paused.

There was a woman sitting cross-legged on the sofa.

He immediately recognized the woman with elegant brown wavy hair wearing a long chiffon dress with a flamboyant floral pattern.

An actress who had become SL Entertainment’s top earner in a single bound last year when the drama she appeared in after 5 years since her debut became a huge hit.

Known as the wannabe of women in their 20s and 30s for her fearless and confident image, it was Baek Hee Ran.