Young In unintentionally blurted out the words that were on her mind.

“Didn’t you go to drop off Ms. Baek Hee Ran?”

Sung Hyuk calmly nodded.

“I did drop her off.”

Young In tried to appear nonchalant, hiding her disappointment.

“Ah, I guess Ms. Baek Hee Ran’s house must be close by.”

Otherwise, there’s no way he could have dropped her off and returned so quickly.

“Well, I’m not sure if Baek Hee Ran’s house is close or far from here.”

“…?”

Young In raised her slightly lowered gaze to look at him.

“I dropped her off right where you’re standing now.”

Sung Hyuk approached Young In, who was standing two steps away from the entrance, as he continued speaking.

“Ji Sang wanted to talk about the USI investment, so I was on my way to the car to take the call. We came out together. I politely said goodbye and told her to take care getting home from this spot.”

As his finger pointed at his feet, Young In let out a chuckle.

Though she disliked how her mood swung with every word Cha Sung Hyuk said, she couldn’t deny feeling good at the moment. Imagining Baek Hee Ran’s expression also gave her a sense of satisfaction.

“Shouldn’t you say you saw her off instead of dropping her off?”

“Right, let’s call it seeing her off.”

A peculiar smile appeared on Sung Hyuk’s face as he readily agreed.

“Did you think I went to drop off Baek Hee Ran?”

“The deputy team leader said Ms. Baek Hee Ran asked to be dropped off by the CEO, and then both of you disappeared…”

“Did you feel bad thinking I went to drop off Baek Hee Ran?”

“Why would I feel bad about that?”

“You seemed really happy to see me just now. Was that my imagination?”

“It was your imagination.”

“Alright, let’s say it was my imagination.”

Sung Hyuk’s smile blatantly conveyed that he was letting it slide out of pity for her pretense, but Young In was in no position to be picky right now. She was grateful enough that he didn’t press the issue.

“By the way, why did you come to Team 5’s dinner?”

“In case Ji Seung Chan tried to pull something on you again.”

“Do you think I’m stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice?”

“He might try a different method.”

“So you came to be my knight in shining armor?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Should she praise a life that strives for consistency between words and actions?

As Young In fell into deep contemplation, Sung Hyuk asked,

“They say men are black knights and women are black roses, right?”

“That’s what they say.”

“Be my black rose tonight.”

“…?”

As Young In tilted her head sideways, Sung Hyuk jingled his car keys and grinned.

“I’m too drunk to drive. Take me home.”

Young In wrinkled her nose and gave him a sidelong glance.

“Why do you keep bringing your car when you go to bars?”

“I came suddenly, so I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t just leave it behind.”

“That aside, speak properly. You’re not drunk, you just had some drinks. Do you think I don’t know your alcohol tolerance?”

Perhaps she should say she didn’t know. After all, she had never seen Cha Sung Hyuk drunk.

No matter how much he drank, he remained the same as usual, except for his eyes and movements becoming slightly languid.

Still, it was clear that he couldn’t possibly be drunk from just a few beers.

“Just pretend you don’t know for today.”

His bold, or rather brazen, request made Young In smile.

Alright, let’s pretend. Let’s do as he asks, pretending to give in.

Young In looked at the gentle smile the cynical man showed only to her, and conveyed words she couldn’t speak aloud in her heart.

Senior, you’re drunk on alcohol, and I think I’m drunk on you.

She wished she could get so drunk that she couldn’t think at all. She wanted to abandon her pathetic and trivial reason and do as her heart desired. It was painful and sad that she couldn’t.

“You’ll take me home, right?”

Just as Young In silently nodded, a gentle voice was heard.

“Young In.”

Young In and Sung Hyuk’s gazes converged on one spot. Standing there was Jin Gyo.

“Oh? Senior, you haven’t left yet? I thought you’d gone since I couldn’t see you.”

“How could I leave without saying anything to you? I met someone I know and was at another table for a while.”

“Ah, I see.”

Jin Gyo glanced at Sung Hyuk and then turned his eyes back to Young In. His lips curved into a gentle smile.

“Young In, can you take me home?”

Young In’s pupils wavered in confusion.

“Ah, Senior. I’m currently…”

“You’re my manager, aren’t you? The one month you agreed to be my on-site manager isn’t over yet. Taking me home is part of your job.”

Jin Gyo pressured Young In with a gentle but firm tone.

Knowing that if she had to choose between what she wanted to do and what she had to do, she should obviously choose the latter, Young In bit her inner lip and turned to Sung Hyuk.

“I’m sorry. I’ll call you a taxi, so leave your car here and take the taxi home. I’ll bring the car to you later.”

Contrary to the expectation that he would be displeased, Sung Hyuk showed a very generous response.

“Why are you sorry? You’re just being faithful to your duties.”

Of course, his gaze towards Jin Gyo was utterly cold. It was because he knew Jin Gyo was being deliberately difficult right now.

“Take Actor Seo Jin Gyo home safely. I’ll wait here.”

Young In shook her head with round eyes.

“Don’t do that.”

“Go on.”

Sung Hyuk, showing a faint smile, turned his gaze back to Jin Gyo.

“After the promised period is over, I will never send Young In like this again.”

He was determined to never accept such conditions again, no matter what kind of threat Young In might make.

A moment later, the taxi Young In had called arrived in the suffocating silence.

“Get in.”

As Jin Gyo opened the back door, Young In quietly got into the taxi. She felt an intense gaze but didn’t look back. She feared that if she saw Sung Hyuk’s face, she might tell Jin Gyo to go alone.

The taxi, with Jin Gyo on board as well, departed for its destination.

Young In didn’t say a word until the taxi arrived in front of Jin Gyo’s apartment. It wasn’t a silent protest. She simply remained quiet because Jin Gyo didn’t say anything either.

Young In could guess why he had asked her to take him home. She was more uncomfortable with the situation itself than angry at him. It was awkward and embarrassing to be entangled with Sung Hyuk in this way.

Jin Gyo got out of the stopped taxi first, and Young In asked the taxi driver to wait a moment before following him out.

“Go inside, Senior.”

“I’m sorry for acting childishly.”

“No, you made a legitimate request.”

“Request…”

A bitter smile spread across Jin Gyo’s lips. It was true, but it felt like confirming that he had acted pettily and pathetically.

Suddenly, he remembered what Hee Ran had said when they met in front of the bathroom earlier.

“Oppa, you like Chae Young In, don’t you?”

“I have no reason to answer you.”

“You’re not denying it.”

“…”

“From the looks of it, it seems like you’re the only one who likes her. What’s so lacking about Seo Jin Gyo?”

He sighed, wondering why he had to fall for a woman who left no room for anyone else.

He had never felt intimidated by anyone before, but he never dreamed he would meet an opponent like Cha Sung Hyuk and even feel inferior.

As he grew increasingly dissatisfied with his increasingly pathetic self, he found himself asking questions he already knew the answers to.

“Want to come up for a bit?”

Young In calmly shook her head.

“No, I have to go.”

“To CEO Cha?”

“Yes.”

“It took nearly 30 minutes to get here, so it’ll take an hour to go back. Even a normal person would find it hard to wait that long. Do you really think Cha Sung Hyuk will be waiting?”

“He’ll be waiting. He’s the kind of person who would wait all night if I don’t go.”

“…”

“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning, Senior.”

Young In got into the taxi, leaving Jin Gyo silent behind her.

“Driver, please take me back to where we came from earlier.”

Young In’s expression and voice were tinged with anxiety. She couldn’t show it in front of Jin Gyo, but she couldn’t help feeling restless.

A whole hour.

As Jin Gyo said, it was a long time even for a normal person to wait, let alone the impatient Cha Sung Hyuk. Yet, knowing he would be waiting made her heart race.

Young In took out her phone and composed a message.

After writing and deleting the message repeatedly, she finally put down her phone without sending it. It seemed pointless to say something so obvious when she knew he was the type to wait all night.

The taxi returned to its original location 55 minutes after departing.

Young In paid and got out of the taxi, momentarily freezing. Sung Hyuk was sitting on the stone flower bed in front of the pub.

Young In approached him hurriedly with a surprised look.

“Why are you here? You should have waited in the car or gone inside.”

Sung Hyuk slowly raised his head.

“To look pitiful.”

“…”

As Young In furrowed her brow, he tilted his head curiously.

“Don’t I look pitiful?”

“Not at all.”

She wondered why this man looked stylish rather than pathetic even while crouching down.

“What good would it do for you to look pitiful to me?”

“Well, I was hoping to appeal to your sympathy, at least.”

The fact that she found it endearing that the least pitiful man in the world was trying to look pitiful made her think that not only was Cha Sung Hyuk going crazy, but she was losing her mind along with him.

“Get up.”

Sung Hyuk remained seated and only stretched out his right hand.

“Help me up.”

Young In hesitated for a moment before grasping his outstretched hand. But before she could even pull with force, she was suddenly yanked forward.

“Ah!”

Her upper body lost balance and lurched forward, and when she came to her senses, she was already in Sung Hyuk’s arms.