The Ride Home
Shin Yu-won’s apology hung in the air, yet before she could finish bowing, Woo-jin’s large, smooth hand suddenly extended toward her.
What did that mean?
Yu-won tilted her head up, unable to decipher the gesture of that oversized hand. The man—Woo-jin—flicked his wrist once more as if chiding her, then muttered low, “Keys.”
She nodded at once and dug into her shoulder bag.
She had expected nothing less. Spending an entire day glued to this man would have been exhausting even for him. She understood perfectly why he would want the ride home to pass quickly.
She had felt the same during those long commutes to the factory in Hwaseong. The car had been silent for more than an hour each way.
She soon found the key and handed it over. Then she bowed as deeply as possible.
“Please drive carefully. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
A sharp crease appeared between Woo-jin’s brows as he gripped the key.
But Yu-won no longer had the energy to read his mood. She turned away with a light bow.
The man pressed down once on his Adam’s apple, and words she hadn’t expected spilled out.
“Should I give you a ride?”
Yu-won looked up from her phone, which she’d been searching for the nearest bus stop.
Had she misheard? She stared blankly at him, and he sighed as if continuing a thought.
“I meant, I’ll drive.”
Surprised by his unexpected kindness, Yu-won hurriedly held out her hand again.
“No, no. Then I’ll drive.”
But Woo-jin simply turned and walked forward.
“Sir!”
Yu-won could only chase after him. She finally caught up only when they reached the black sedan with corporate plates parked in front.
“Sir.”
She called out again, grabbing the door handle of the driver’s seat.
Woo-jin turned to her, voice carrying more force than before.
“I’ll drive.”
The weight of shame and humiliation from the past few days was enough. She didn’t want to be swayed by him anymore.
Don’t mistake kindness for something else. Don’t keep depending on him endlessly.
“Did you hear my words as an invitation?”
Woo-jin warned her dryly, surrounding her resistance.
She shook her head at once.
But she still couldn’t understand why he insisted on taking her along.
She searched for a reasonable reason, yet none came to mind. Only one thought surfaced: there was no reason he should want her in the car with him.
“Did you hurt your hand?”
“…”
“So I should open the door for you too.”
While Yu-won was still confused, Woo-jin had already turned toward the passenger seat.
A sudden gust of wind carried his scent straight to her nose. He hadn’t sprayed cologne in the middle of the day, yet his scent remained as clear and fresh as morning.
Click.
Woo-jin opened the passenger door and clicked his tongue impatiently.
“Should I carry you?”
“No, no.”
Yu-won hurried over and squeezed into the seat. Woo-jin, who clearly came from a family that prized etiquette, placed a hand on the car body as naturally as possible to keep her head from touching him.
Once she was settled, he shut the door with a heavy thud and immediately climbed into the driver’s seat.
The sight of him behind the wheel felt unfamiliar. He fastened his seatbelt with practiced ease and adjusted the seat position smoothly.
“Seatbelt on.”
Yu-won’s hesitant strap clicked into place. Woo-jin’s long fingers reached for the ignition button.
Endless sandwich-panel factories stretched out beyond the window.
How close the passenger and driver seats truly were. She could even hear his breathing and feel his body heat.
She couldn’t bring herself to look his way, so she stared out the window instead. The burning sunset reflected off the factory roofs, blinding her vision.
Soon a warm heat rose in her lower back. The seat heater must have been on too high. Yet she had no words to protest, so she remained silent.
The tight tension gradually melted away. Naturally, her eyelids grew heavy. The exhaustion of sleeping on a makeshift bed in the hospital for days crashed over her like a tidal wave.
“If you’re tired, just close your eyes.”
As the factories thinned out ahead, Woo-jin finally spoke. Yu-won, whose head had been nodding, jolted awake.
“I’m fine. You’re driving, how could I possibly—”
The moment she straightened her posture, Woo-jin let out a sound like air being let out of a tire.
Was he laughing?
Yu-won told herself he couldn’t be, yet her gaze drifted helplessly toward the driver’s seat.
There was no trace of a smile, but his face had softened in a way that felt strangely gentle. The icy air inside the car had warmed, as if thawed.
“You slept through the whole time.”
“Huh? When… I mean, I don’t—”
“If you don’t remember, then don’t ask.”
A memory flashed through her mind.
The day of the matchmaking with Kang Ji-yoon, director of Sewon Construction. She had slept in the chair. The heater and seat warmer hadn’t been on, yet the car had felt warm and cozy.
But the pounding of her heart calmed the moment she remembered that Woo-jin had gone out on another date.
How close she had come to misreading the situation again. She had only promised herself not to do so a few minutes ago.
She spoke with a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Did you like the woman from your last date?”
“Well…”
“I’m worried about you.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
Woo-jin answered casually and turned on the turn signal. The click-clack sounded like a metronome filling the car.
“I hope you find someone who really suits you this time.”
His words were sincere yet not, and Woo-jin frowned lightly.
“I’m curious why you’re so eager in my matchmaking seat.”
She had wanted it to end. She imagined him in his seat, sitting across from another woman, and burned quietly inside.
She had no choice but to wait for the day when he finally found someone to spend his life with.
“I heard your mother gave you a fat bonus.”
“Ah, the bonus.”
Woo-jin turned the steering wheel and muttered. He changed lanes and increased speed.
“If I get married five times, you’ll be rich, Shin Yu-won.”
“That’s not what I meant— I just—”
“Enough. I heard you loud and clear.”
Yu-won looked at him with a trace of grievance, but Woo-jin no longer glanced her way.
The car grew longer, and tall buildings began rising in the distance.
“Where’s your house?”
Yu-won startled as she reached for the navigation, then shook her head.
“Please drop me at the nearest subway station.”
“Should I tell Chief Choi to look up your file and send it over?”
Yu-won read the sarcasm in his words and raised both hands.
“Please drop me off near Yeonhee Samgeori.”
She worried what he might say if he suspected she lived in a rundown villa. She glanced at him.
But that was all he said. He confirmed the destination, then turned back to his indifferent expression and stared straight ahead.
Yu-won turned away, feeling relief and the sting of something else.
***
Hanseong Department Store Main Branch, First Floor.
The store had been closed for a long time, yet lights still burned brightly inside. The place buzzed with activity.
Today was the first day of construction for Moment’s pop-up store interior. Workers rushed back and forth, dismantling the walls of the previous tenant and building the new structure, while members of the marketing team wrestled with blueprints.
“Not that side—attach it to the left!”
“Are the measurements correct?”
In the midst of the chaotic noise, Team Leader Seo Ju-eun stood out like a sore thumb. She wore steel-toe heels at least ten centimeters tall, a short skirt, and heavy makeup.
Anyone could see she didn’t belong here. Yu-won easily guessed her purpose.
Woo-jin.
Yu-won swallowed her bitter smile and looked away.
She hadn’t expected the CEO himself to come to the site today, but he had announced to the marketing team that he would appear, and that news had surely made Seo Ju-eun even more restless.
Woo-jin arrived at the site only after all his schedules were over. Of course, Yu-won had come along with him.
His mere presence overpowered the noisy atmosphere. The bustling site fell silent in an instant. One of his gestures turned the messy place into a perfectly meshed set of gears, spinning smoothly.
“Watch it!”
Workers carrying heavy structural pieces shouted urgently toward Yu-won.