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Chapter 75

She caught a taxi as soon as she left the café. Normally it would have taken about an hour, but since it was Friday evening, even getting out of Seoul took forever. And not long after, raindrops began to splatter against the window.

"Can't you go faster, sir?"

"I'd love to, but look at the traffic up ahead. Nothing I can do about it."

The driver gestured toward the windshield. Cars were lined up bumper to bumper. Getting stuck at this hour was going to delay her quite a bit.

If she didn't see him today—if not today... would she ever find this courage again? Tomorrow, she'd probably lose her nerve and keep her distance again. She wanted to go to him and pour out her feelings, just as she felt them now.

The clock in the taxi was nearing 8 PM. Her phone was dead. She'd been so preoccupied debating whether to postpone her plans with Jeong-woo that she'd forgotten her battery was nearly empty.

She'd had a few percent left when she met Jeong-woo, but it had drained completely in the meantime.

What time had he said he'd arrive?

She remembered he'd texted her the arrival time, but she'd barely glanced at it, thinking she wouldn't go anyway. He'd said sometime in the evening, so if she went now, she should be about right. But could she find him without any plan?

She could charge her phone at the airport and call him. There would be somewhere to do that. She habitually reached for her phone to search, then looked at the dead screen and put it back in her pocket with a sigh.

"What time is your flight?"

The driver assumed she was departing and asked about the flight time.

"I'm picking someone up."

"Then tell them to wait. With this rain, I'd love to go faster, but I just can't."

She tried to calm her anxiety, leaning back and staring out the window. The rain, so uncooperative today, fell steadily.

---

There were so many cars heading to the airport on a Friday evening. Even near the airport, cars were stuck waiting. She checked the meter and handed the driver a few ten-thousand-won notes, then opened the door and stepped out.

"Miss! You forgot your change!"

She said it was fine, closed the door, and ran toward the airport. The rain drenched her, but getting inside as fast as possible was all that mattered.

Thankfully, she hadn't been dropped off too far, and she reached the airport quickly. But the problem was its size. She hadn't been here since her overseas vacation a few years ago.

She couldn't remember where the arrivals hall was. She grabbed a nearby airport employee and asked frantically.

"A flight from Hong Kong—it's supposed to arrive this evening—where do I go?"

With her hair dripping wet, babbling about a Hong Kong flight, the flustered employee frowned and pointed toward the departure hall.

The large airport clock was approaching 10 PM. The departure hall looked quiet, which made her more anxious. She looked up at the flight schedule screens. There was nothing listed for Hong Kong. She scanned the board multiple times—it wasn't easy to spot among all the text.

Had he already left? He'd said he'd arrive in the evening, so he must have been here for a while. Her legs gave way, and she crouched down. She'd left Jeong-woo and rushed out like someone out of her mind. How confused must he have been? Saying she needed to express her sincerity, that she had to go right now—she must have looked insane. The thought made her laugh bitterly.

Here she was, soaked and stranded at the airport.

"What are you doing here?"

A familiar pair of polished shoes caught her eye. She looked up at them, then slowly raised her head. Those arrogant eyes she'd seen so many times were looking down at her.

"You said you had plans. That you couldn't come."

"......"

"Or is this where you were meeting Jeong-woo?"

His tone was sharp and twisted. Especially when he said the name 'Jeong-woo,' his irritation was unmistakable. She pushed herself back to her feet.

"Didn't you say you'd arrive this evening?"

"What happened to your hair?"

"Did you just arrive?"

"Why are you here?"

They only asked each other questions without answering any.

"The flight was delayed by two hours. That's why I just landed."

She finally let out a sigh of relief. She'd been so scattered that she'd doubted herself—maybe she was imagining things. Perhaps her longing had clouded her judgment. But hearing him answer, she was certain it was him.

"Why are you here? And what happened to your head?"

He touched her hair, asking. He'd never touched anyone's hair so freely before, but now he seemed to do it naturally, brushing through her damp strands.

"I was with Jeong-woo and came here in a hurry."

"Why?"

His question felt cruel. She'd come all this way—couldn't he at least look happy or say something warm? Instead, he was asking why she was here.

"Why did you come?"

He asked again, as if he wouldn't let it go until she answered.

"You said it was an important business trip and that I should know. So I came."

She said it out of spite, even though it wasn't true. He'd managed fine on his own. She'd come to see him, but she didn't want to admit it so easily.

His brow furrowed.

She should have been at her meeting with Jeong-woo at this hour. She'd come, soaked and in a hurry, looking for something—or someone.

It all pointed to one thing. He wanted to know if he was right. That's why he kept pressing her for the reason. But she didn't give in easily. Such a difficult woman.

"Is that all?"

"......"

"Is that really the only reason you broke your plans and came all this way in the rain?"

She bit her lip. Of course it wasn't. He spoke as if he already knew.

"A woman came to the office. The one who wanted me to put her through to you before."

"Su-ah?"

So her name was Su-ah. He looked flustered.

"What did she say? If she said anything weird, just ignore—"

"I don't know if she's Su-ah or not, but she asked me to tell you she's leaving Korea, and that you should live well."

The calm on his face was replaced with urgency. What kind of relationship did they have to make him react like that?

'And tell them I hope they do well.'

She hadn't delivered that last part.

"What kind of relationship did you have with her?"

The question flustered him even more. He'd dodged it before, but now she wanted to know. Things were different now.

"Something you can't talk about?"

He seemed to read her intention and let out a small laugh. She was silently demanding a clear explanation.

"Nothing complicated. We met briefly in the past. Now we're nothing. That's all."

He had nothing to hide, and he didn't want to. If she wanted to know, he was willing to tell her everything.

"Cha Si-hyun, why are you really here?"

He turned the question back on her.

She thought about the past few days—what Driver Choi and Su-ah had said, the hours she'd spent thinking about him, her own feelings. The anxiety that had driven her from Jeong-woo to the airport. She didn't want to hide it anymore.

"I came because I missed you."

"......"

"I missed Kim Hae-joon."

She couldn't tell from his expression what he was thinking. He seemed to be waiting for her to finish.

"The Chairman called me in once. He said the rumors were bad and that I should leave my position. I was scared. What could a mere employee do against the Chairman? I worried I'd get blacklisted and never work as a secretary again. That if I stayed by your side, you'd get targeted too. So I decided to just quit and run away."

She spoke calmly, letting it all out. He listened quietly.

"I couldn't believe it, no matter how much you said you liked me. I thought it was just a passing feeling—you'd get over it. Feelings change easily. Why would someone like you truly care for someone so ordinary? I kept doubting. I thought there was no reason. But now I want to believe. I know you didn't open up easily either."

She paused to catch her breath. His expression was unreadable—neither smiling nor frowning.

"So what's the conclusion?"

"I like you too. I thought about you a lot while you were gone."

"Why did you have to dance around it with so many words?"

He grabbed her wet hair and pulled her closer. Their lips met.

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