She nodded in agreement. "Sure. When are we doing this, though?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

  "Why not today? I mean, I'm not busy st I checked," he replied, standing up and stretg, his arms reag above his head before he rolled his shoulders.

  "Okay. Um, let me go get my purse, though. We'll meet in the hallway at twelve?" she firmed, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  He nodded in response, watg as Yeo Juyeon smiled and stood up, her steps light as she walked out of the room. The faint st of her perfume lingered in the air, a soft floral hat made him exhale a little harder than necessary.

  Travis sighed, running a hand through his hair before finally dragging himself up. He shuffled to his dresser, grabbing a shirt and throwing it on with little care. He koday was going to be a hassle—so much walking, so much moving around. He was already exhausted just thinking about it.

  Then it hit him.

  'Oh. I have a car,' he thought, pausing mid-step as the realizatioled in. A slow smirk crept onto his face as he remembered what he'd borrowed from his sugar mama—a sleek, bck sports car with heated seats and a smooth ride. The irony wasn’t lost on him. He had more mohan her, yet he still let her spoil him.

  'Does that make me a sugar daddy?' His thoughts tinued as he grabbed his keys, shaking his head with a chuckle. Either way, at least he wouldn't have to walk.

  He got dressed quickly, running a hand through his hair before stepping out into the hallway. As soon as he did, his gaze nded on her—waiting patiently, shifting on her feet, her fingers lightly brushing the strap of her purse.

  She looked up at him, eyes bright, and he couldn’t help but smile. Without hesitatioended his hand toward her. There was a brief pause as she stared at it, her lips parting slightly in surprise. Then, a soft blush dusted her cheeks as she reached out, slipping her fingers into his.

  Travis’s smile deepened. Her hand was warm, delicate against his own.

  'Well, I won in life,' he thought, feeling a quiet sense of satisfa settle in his chest. The simple act of holding her hand—of walking beside her like this—felt like a victory he never knew he wanted.

  Nam Juho stepped out of his apartment, adjusting his tie, mentally preparing himself for another long day at work. But the momeurned his head, his world seemed to slow down.

  There they were.

  Walking side by side. Holding hands.

  His chest tightehe weight of disbelief pressing down on him as he froze in pce. His brows furrowed, his hands curling slightly at his sides.

  ‘Are they dating?’ he thought, his mind scrambling for an expnation.

  It didn’t make se shouldn’t make sense. Yet the way they moved together, the way she leaned just a little closer to him—it sent a burniion crawling up his spine, coiling in his stomach like something venomous.

  For a split sed, it felt like he was watg his own girlfriend slip away, stolen by another man right before his eyes.

  'Wait… she’s just a childhood friend. I have Lee Ruri for myself,' he reminded himself, f a breath through his rying to shake the irrational weight pressing against his ribs.

  But the feeling didn’t fade.

  If only he knew.

  Travis and Yeo Juyeon stepped out of the building, the midday sun casting a golden glow over the pavement. As they approached the parking lot, Juyeon's eyes widened in shock when she saw the sleek, bck sports car parked right in front of them. The glossy finish reflected the sky above, the tinted windows giving it an air of mystery.

  "Wait… this is your car?" she asked, turning to him with wide eyes.

  Travis grinned, unlog the doors with a click. "Yeah, why?"

  Juyeon blinked, still staring at the car as if it might disappear. "How the hell did you afford this?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "I thought you said you were broke."

  Travis shrugged, leaning against the hood casually. "My book got me this," he said smoothly, lying through his teeth.

  Juyeon's lips parted slightly before a spark of excitement lit up her expression. "No way…" she whispered in awe, running her fingers over the car's sleek surface. "So if I work hard enough, I make this kind of mooo?"

  He smirked, watg as her admiration for the car turned into sheer motivation. 'If only it were that easy,' he thought, but he wasn’t about to ruin her enthusiasm.

  With that, they both slid inside. Juyeon sank into the leather seat, running her hands over the luxurious interior. Travis, oher hand, adjusted the rearview mirror, revved the engine, and smirked as the car purred beh his fingers.

  As soon as they hit the road, Travis wasted no time putting his so-called "driving skills" to the test.

  The moment they merged into traffic, he sped up, weaving through cars as if they were stationary es on an obstacle course. Juyeo out a startled gasp as he cut between two vehicles with barely an inch to spare.

  "Travis! What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, gripping the door handle so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  He only chuckled, his grip firm oeering wheel. "Rex, I got this," he said, shifting gears smoothly before fl the acceleratain.

  The city blurred around them, buildings fshing past in streaks of color as he swerved effortlessly through the nes, ign the honks and shouts of angry drivers left in his dust. It was as if the rules of the road didn’t apply to him—like he owned every street, every ne, every damn turn.

  Juyeon pressed herself against the seat, her heartbeat rag almost as fast as the car itself. "I swear to God, if I die today, I'm haunting you!"

  Travis just grinned. "Then at least I’ll never be lonely."

  "Could you please slow down a bit!?" Yeo Juyeon begged, gripping her seatbelt like her life depended on it. Her knuckles had turned white, and she ractically pstered against the passenger seat as the world outside blurred past them.

  Travis turoward her, a teasing grin on his lips. "Well, if you say so," he said, easing off the accelerator. The car gradually slowed, and the r etled into a smooth hum.

  Juyeon exhaled sharply, her entire body rexing against the seat. 'I almost died,' she thought, her pulse still rag.

  After a few beats of sileravis g her. "So, where are we headed? I wanted us to pretty much copy everything your character did with their love i in your story," he said, his tone casual, as if they hadn't just defied every traffic w known to man.

  Juyeon blinked, momentarily thrown off before remembering what she had written. "Oh, if that's the case, then our first destination is supposed to be the mall... where we'll watch a movie," she said, smoothing her hair down in an attempt to calm herself.

  Travis nodded. "Alright, then that's where we'll be headed," he said, and before she could even brace herself, he floored the gas pedal again.

  "TRAVIS!" she shrieked as the car shot forward, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

  By the time they arrived at the mall, Juyeon had half a mind tle him for his reckless driving, but her nerves quickly shifted to a different kind of ay when she saw the movie title they were about to watch.

  A pornhwa.

  Not just any pornhwa, but ohat had gained massive popurity for its steamy ses. She had heard about it before, but never in her life did she think she'd be watg it in a theater—let aloh Travis.

  Yet here they were.

  As the lights dimmed and the opening se pyed, she sat stiffly in her seat, her hands csped tightly in her p. But then, without thinking, she found herself gripping Travis's hand instead.

  The s flickered with sensual imagery, the moans of the characters filling the theater, and Juyeon could feel her entire face burn. Her heartbeat was erratic, her palms growing cmmy as she tried her hardest to not react.

  'Why did I agree to this?' she thought in horror, her eyes dartiween the s and her p, as if avoiding direct eye tact with the film would somehow make it less awkward.

  But wheole a g Travis, she was met with a pletely different sight.

  Unlike her, who ractically a blushing mess, Travis sat there unbothered—calm, rexed, watg as if this was just anur film.

  'Is he even human?' she wondered, staring at him lohan necessary. And in doing so, she suddenly started to notice things she hadn’t before.

  The way the dim lighting softehe sharp angles of his jaw. The way his lips twitched ever so slightly, as if he was holding back a smirk. The way his hand, still csped around hers, felt warm and secure.

  Her heart skipped a beat before—

  "Ahhh—!"

  A particurly loud moan from the movie shattered her thoughts, yanking her back to reality.

  'I just want to dig a hole and bury myself in it,' she groaned internally, resisting the urge to pull her hoodie over her face.

  When the movie finally ehey walked out of the theater hand in hand, though Juyeon was sure her palm was soaked with nervous sweat.

  She was certain Travis had noticed, but to her relief, he didn’t ent on it. Instead, he simply looked around the mall and asked, "What now?"

  Juyeon cleared her throat, trying tain some sembnce of normalcy. "Uh… they went to a food stall and ate together while expl the mall iory. So… let’s do that," she said.

  Travis grinned. "Sounds like a pn."

  And with that, they tinued walking—her heart still beating far too fast for her liking.

  TO BE TINUED