She tried to wiggle her fingers out of his grasp, but once caught, there was no escaping. Her powerless hand moved as he directed.

Tae Hong’s five fingers completely overlapped hers, with only the index finger between them. Though it was just hands overlapping, it felt like a strong pump squeezing her heart.

The only sound in the quiet car was his tapping on the touchscreen. Thinking this couldn’t go on, she tried to pull her hand away, but how could it break free?

Her fingertips tensed with nervousness. Unable to do anything, her fingers moved this way and that as he directed. As if teaching a child how to type for the first time.

“Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin seems to have trouble pressing the keys.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t press them, just that his fingers were faster. But this time he called her Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin. Was using just her name earlier a mistake?

It was foolish to fixate on one mistaken form of address. This made it seem like she cared about trivial matters.

She clenched the fingers of her other hand resting on her knee. Whether he noticed or not, he leisurely typed in the address. With each letter he pressed, her clenched fingertips grew redder.

Even after the navigation started giving directions, Hae Jin’s hand remained caught in his large one. The address was entered, so she should pull away, but she couldn’t.

Thump thump.

It felt like her heartbeat was resonating to her fingertips. She fidgeted, afraid his sharp senses would notice.

“Um, um, Team Leader.”

To stammer at a time like this – she knew she should act calm and nonchalant in these situations, but her head and body were not cooperating.

“Let’s go.”

Tae Hong gently squeezed Hae Jin’s hand, then let go. Only when his large warm hand moved away did she feel the cool air on her skin.

Had his hand been hotter? She gripped the steering wheel tightly to shake off the lingering sensation on the back of her hand. Only that would help her forget Tae Hong’s touch.

Throughout the drive, neither of them spoke. Tae Hong just looked out the window, while Hae Jin kept glancing at him.

Was he really unbothered? Their hands had been joined as they gazed at each other for several seconds. Trying not to let him notice her pounding heart, she ended up gripping his hand tightly like a fool.

His eyes seemed to waver slightly at her unconsciously strong grip, but no.

This too must be her imagination. He just missed the timing to let go when she unexpectedly grabbed his hand. Hae Jin reassured herself again that it was a light, simple matter.

The destination wasn’t far. Hae Jin parked in front of the lobby. Naturally, she looked up at the hotel flaunting its luxury.

“This wasn’t the original place, was it?”

It clearly wasn’t the hotel Byung Soo had booked. Hae Jin looked back and forth between the hotel and Tae Hong, her gaze drawn again to the grand exterior.

“I changed it. To here.”

“Why?”

“I thought this place would also help with Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin’s work.”

Her gaze, which had been carefully examining everything, fixed on Tae Hong. He casually started taking luggage out of the trunk.

It meant he personally made the reservation for a schedule even Byung Soo didn’t know about. A wave of gentle emotion washed over her. She quickly secured her suitcase that Tae Hong had taken out, lest the feeling surge like a tidal wave.

As she walked quickly ahead of him, he caught up with his long legs and stood beside her.

“You’re not strong enough. Move aside.”

He abruptly pulled the suitcase handle from Hae Jin’s hand again. Once more, their hands inevitably brushed. She concluded that this level of contact didn’t bother him.

“I’ll pull it.”

“I can pull it on wheels myself.”

Not to be outdone, Hae Jin reclaimed her suitcase from his hand. She walked ahead to avoid his persistent gaze.

After checking in, she held two keycards. Though on the same floor, judging by the numbers, the rooms were far apart. Hiding her relief, she handed him one.

“Shall we go up?”

Quick rest was the answer to dissolve the day’s weariness. If anything, resolving emotional fatigue was more urgent than physical fatigue right now.

Hae Jin stood in front of the elevator first. Perhaps due to the late check-in, they were the only ones pulling suitcases. So they were also the only ones to board the elevator.

The gold-trimmed elevator doors opened, and they entered side by side. She pressed the button for the 25th floor and mentally counted the rapidly rising numbers. She waited for it to quickly reach 25.

“Are you going to rest right away?”

Words predicting an extension of work hours were heard.

“Yes. I’m going to rest.”

It was an immediate answer. Without the slightest hesitation or doubt. Tae Hong asked again as if he’d heard something unthinkable.

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

All the energy meant for her body had been consumed by emotions. Fatigue began to rush in rapidly.

“Is this your first business trip?”

“Yes. And I drove quite a long time on this first trip.”

After the rest stop, Hae Jin did all the driving, citing the meal cost as reason. Her tense state of mind also played a part. She had been obsessed with not making mistakes, not getting anything wrong.

And then there was Tae Hong’s behavior. Subtly speaking informally, calling her by name only. Then their joined hands and meeting gazes. All of it came crashing down as fatigue.

“My dedicated rookie seems to have terrible stamina.”

Tae Hong clicked his tongue and looked down at Hae Jin as they arrived. Hae Jin exited first, with Tae Hong following.

Stepping out of the elevator to see two paths, Hae Jin turned the opposite way from Tae Hong without checking.

“Team Leader, thank you for your hard work today. I’ll see you early tomorrow morning.”

She wanted to wrap up with a farewell greeting and quickly lie down in bed. Just as she was about to bow her head and walk forward, Tae Hong gestured.

“Do you have any work instructions at this late hour?”

She asked, emphasizing how late it was. Of course, she hoped there wouldn’t be any. Hae Jin frowned slightly before putting on her social mask again.

Tae Hong answered her clenched-teeth expression with a sneering smile and scoff.

“This way.”

Leaving just those words, he walked in the opposite direction from Hae Jin. When Hae Jin said “What do you mean?” and checked the numbers on the wall and room key, it was in the same direction as him.

Surely it wouldn’t be right next door or right across, right? Even if it was a different room, she hoped there would be some distance between them, if only for peace of mind. But hopes were just hopes.

Tae Hong’s room was directly across from Hae Jin’s.

“Well then, Assistant Manager Jung Hae Jin. I see you’re so tired you can’t even read numbers properly.”

He looked straight at her flustered face, shrugging his shoulders. He clearly made the reservation himself, so did he do this on purpose?

“Get some good rest tonight.”

Still staring at her bewildered expression without missing a thing, he gave his final instruction.

“Knock on my room door at 6 AM tomorrow.”

It was today’s final order and tomorrow’s first task. 6 AM? She didn’t even wake up that early for work in Seoul.

“6 AM?”

“Is there a problem?”

“How can a business trip start earlier than regular work?”

“Because it’s a business trip.”

This is ridiculous. She forcibly closed her mouth that wouldn’t shut. She wanted to wring her hands.

“Let’s meet at 6 in workout clothes. Now get some good rest.”

Hae Jin watched Tae Hong’s room door close with a click and hung her head.

**

Was this Seoul or the business trip location?

The alarm inevitably rang at 5:30 AM. Only Hae Jin’s slender arm emerged from the cozy bedding. Her hand pitifully searched for the phone on the nightstand.

“Hah.”

She sighed deeply, eyes wide open. She thought she’d fall asleep right away after entering the room. But she hadn’t slept a wink.

With her hands on her chest, her heart kept pounding. On her stomach, the parts that had touched him burned like fire.

What was this?

Eyes open or closed, hands up or down. Her mind was full of Moon Tae Hong, and she kept feeling the sensation of contact with him.

Each day was a series of tensions, mistakes equaled ability, and a boss’s words could make her mood go up and down dozens of times a day, so she was being sensitive.

It was just his unconscious actions without any thought, and she alone was being overly sensitive.

That’s what she had to think to feel at ease. She told herself she was just overreacting.

The deeper she thought, the more it would hinder her work and affect her concentration on future projects. So she comforted herself that it was due to her desire to be useful to him.

It was a tentative conclusion from last night, but even that conclusion wavered back and forth, with no real resolution.

At 5:45 AM, fully prepared, she stood in front of his room.

Knock knock.

“Team Leader. It’s Jung Hae Jin.”

The room door opened, and he stood there with neatly groomed hair, wearing workout clothes.

“You woke up early.”

Even at 6 AM, his clear voice and glowing skin caught her eye. What time did he wake up?

“You woke up early too, Team Leader.”

In contrast, why were her eyes so puffy from lack of sleep? Seeing Tae Hong’s perfect appearance from early morning, her gaze hurriedly moved from head to toe.

“Is there a problem?”

Yes, there is. Of course. The problem is you’re too perfect. Your flawlessness is surreal.

“Want to come in for a bit?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not quite ready yet, so do you want to wait inside or out here?”

You look completely ready though. If you’re not fully prepared, I can wait in my room, is what she should have said.

She couldn’t give the perfect answer. His hands hanging neatly at his sides made her feel his touch from last night.

This was unfair. Despite her room being right behind her, her gaze and heart were drawn forward.

She had put up ironclad defenses to keep him out of her home, but the hotel room environment easily broke down those boundaries.

“I-I’ll wait inside. Haha.”

What’s with that awkward laugh, Jung Hae Jin? Tae Hong lightly stepped aside. It meant for her to enter.

The door closed with a bang.