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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Caught It
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Seonghyeok just changed clothes, then immediately left the house and took the elevator.
While the elevator descended to the first floor, he, wearing the cap and mask he'd grabbed in a rush, shot out as soon as the doors opened.
His destination: the subway station.
The distance from his house to the subway station was about 1km.
His calculation was that if Yeongin had sent the message immediately after dropping off her car keys at the main gate security office, he could catch up.
Seonghyeok ran like a madman, so fast it was as if he was cutting through the wind. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd run at full speed like this.
He'd always run on a treadmill at the gym; this was his first time running outdoors since his military discharge.
The wind brushing his cheeks, his breath catching in his throat—it all felt surprisingly good. Perhaps he was simply in a good mood because of the anticipation of seeing Chae Yeongin.
Fortunately, his anticipation wasn't in vain.
Spotting her familiar back, he made a final sprint and grabbed Yeongin's arm just as she was about to descend the subway station stairs.
"Caught you."
Yeongin, startled, turned around, her face filled with bewilderment.
"What is this? How did you get here...?"
Realizing they were blocking the subway entrance, Seonghyeok pulled Yeongin aside.
"To go to work together. I came right after you hung up."
Her bewilderment lasted only a moment before Yeongin's eyes narrowed.
"Are you worried I'd stand next to a man?"
"No, I'm worried a man would stand next to you."
Yeongin couldn't bring herself to be angry at him, as he was still panting heavily beneath his mask.
"You're going to work looking like this?"
Yeongin's gaze traveled past his baseball cap, over his short-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants, finally stopping at his sneakers.
"I didn't have time to get properly dressed."
He hadn't had time to put on a suit, so he'd grabbed workout clothes, which took a generous five seconds. He'd even brought a cap and mask because he figured Yeongin wouldn't let him stay by her side if he showed his face.
"I have clothes at the office. I can change there."
"What if I had contacted you much later after leaving my car? Why did you run all this way?"
She could have dismissed it, thinking she never told him to follow and it was none of her business if he wasted his time, but she found herself inexplicably worried about what would have happened if he *had* wasted his time.
"The Yeongin I know takes care of things right away if they need to be done. You're not someone who puts things off."
"..."
Just a short while ago, she had been certain she knew Cha Seonghyeok well, but now that certainty wavered. His actions were utterly unpredictable.
On the other hand, it felt a little unfair that he seemed to know everything about her.
"Let's go. We'll be late."
Yeongin parted her lips a few times, then let out a deep sigh and started walking.
Even with his disguise, she wondered if no one would recognize him.
Deep in thought, mechanically moving her feet, Yeongin only remembered Seonghyeok's presence after she had passed through the turnstile.
Turning back, she saw him repeatedly tapping his phone against the turnstile scanner.
Yeongin quickly approached Seonghyeok and motioned for him to step aside. She then stood facing him, with the metal barrier between them.
Just as she expected, he wore a very displeased expression.
"Why isn't my phone working?"
"Just having a phone isn't enough."
"Then what?"
"You need to register a card."
"Oh, really?"
Seonghyeok had only seen subways on TV; he had never once ridden one in his life.
He had ridden a bus exactly once.
That was the day he'd heard Yeongin say she liked sitting in the back of the bus, watching the scenery, then getting off anywhere to go into a pretty cafe and drink a warm cup of tea. It was also the day he confirmed it wasn't to his taste, but it had been a unique experience nonetheless.
Come to think of it, both his first bus ride and his first subway ride were with Yeongin. The one difference was that on that day, Yeongin had even paid his bus fare.
"Does your credit card have a public transport function?"
"I don't know. But I forgot my wallet. Only brought my phone."
Seonghyeok's eyes crinkled charmingly.
"Buy me a ticket."
It was an enchanting eye-smile, enough to charm anyone.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen it, so why was her heart pounding?
Yeongin quickly lowered her gaze, rummaged through her bag, and pulled out her wallet. She then handed him a credit card with the public transport function.
"Tap this."
Nodding, Seonghyeok returned to the turnstile, tapped the credit card, and passed through the barrier that had blocked him moments before. He felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
"Let's go."
Yeongin grabbed his clothes as he confidently started walking in the wrong direction.
"Where are you going? Not that way."
"It's not?"
"It's this way."
Seonghyeok followed closely behind Yeongin as she led the way. But as they descended to the platform, people poured out of a newly arrived subway train and began to stream up the stairs.
He meticulously protected Yeongin, ensuring she wasn't swept away or bumped by the crowd.
Receiving excessive protection, Yeongin descended the stairs and queued up in a less crowded spot.
"Is it always this crowded, or is today especially bad?"
Yeongin, turning around, saw his serious face.
"It's usually like this during rush hour."
His expression hardened further.
"Don't ever take the subway again."
"I barely take it once or twice a month."
Since taking a job that required mobility, Yeongin hadn't been able to use public transport as much as before. It was mostly just using the subway or bus to commute the next day if she left her car at the office after a drinking engagement.
"Don't even take it those one or two times. Take a taxi."
"I take a taxi when I have time. The subway is only for when I think I might be late."
"Just be late, then."
Yeongin realized there was no persuading his resolute stance. She knew the best approach in such situations was to respond firmly.
"Even if it looks chaotic, there's a system to it. Don't make such a fuss."
"..."
Seonghyeok, who had never in his life been told not to make a fuss, was rendered speechless.
A few minutes later, the subway veteran and the novice boarded the arriving train.
Even as a beginner, Seonghyeok had an innate sense and immediately grasped where the safest spot was.
"Stand here."
He led Yeongin to stand between the door and the priority seating, forming a wall with his arm and body.
Because people kept pushing in, the two were pressed perfectly close together. It was practically a hug.
As Seonghyeok's scent enveloped her, Yeongin felt a wave of awkwardness and instinctively lowered her chin slightly. But they were so close that her forehead bumped softly against his chest.
Just as a flustered Yeongin tried to lift her head, she felt a gentle hand cup the back of her head. It was as if he was telling her to stay put.
He seemed to know that it was much more comfortable than holding her head stiffly upright.
Was this the kind of situation where one would say the first time is hard, but the second is easy?
Maybe it was just self-rationalization, thinking what harm could come from leaning a little longer now that they were already touching.
Seonghyeok tried his best not to press against Yeongin, and Yeongin, pretending to be unable to resist his touch, surrendered to it, spending a comfortable time that made her forget she was in a packed subway train.
Yeongin realized an awkward truth when the announcement for their destination came on.
They were standing next to the left door, but the door they needed to exit was on the right.
Yeongin tilted her head back as far as it would go and looked up at Seonghyeok.
"Not this way."
"What's not this way?"
Not hearing the first two syllables, he lowered his head, bringing his ear close to Yeongin's lips.
"We need to get off through that door."
Seonghyeok's body stiffened instantly. The warm breath brushing his ear was stimulating to an unbearable degree.
*Crazy, this early in the morning.*
Regaining his composure with a deep breath, he calmly straightened his head as if nothing had happened. Then, he gently took Yeongin's hand.
"Stick right behind me and follow."
Their clasped hands were firmly fixed at Seonghyeok's lower back.
Yeongin, following him with short steps, was able to get off the subway without brushing against anyone, thanks to him pushing a path with his body.
Since they were among the last to exit, the crowd had already ebbed away like a tide, leaving the platform quite spacious.
Seonghyeok led Yeongin to a corner.
"Go ahead. I'll follow slowly."
"Okay."
Yeongin was grateful to him for saying what she needed to say herself. Yet, it was Seonghyeok who actually spoke the words of gratitude.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I made it to work safely."
He took out the credit card from his pocket and offered it.
"It's not over yet. You need to tap it again when you exit."
"Oh, really?"
"Give it to me later."
"What if I go on a spending spree with it?"
"I'll just report it, then."
Seonghyeok let out a chuckle, watching Yeongin turn away with a sassy air.
He, who had leisurely explored the subway station as if he had all the time in the world, then strolled from the station to the office like someone out for a walk, went up to the 8th floor via the parking lot, despite not having a car.
He had taken a detour because he assumed Yeongin would have entered through the main entrance on the first floor.
Upon entering the CEO's office, he found the secretary's desk empty.
Thinking she might be in the restroom or on another errand, Seonghyeok opened his office door and paused.
Because there was a woman sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.
He recognized the woman immediately: elegant brown wavy hair, a flamboyant floral chiffon long dress.
An actress whose drama, her first in five years since debut, became a massive hit last year, instantly propelling her to the top of SL Entertainment's sales.
It was Baek Huiran, known as the 'wannabe' for young women in their twenties and thirties, with her uninhibited and confident image.
