Because of it, Hari, who had been meeting his gaze so steadily just moments before, now found she couldn’t hold it for long. The sharp, watchful eyes looking quietly back at her were too much. A strange dizziness came over her.

“I look forward to working with you as well. I’m Manager Choi Jungwook.”

Jungwook extended his hand next, and Jisang’s hand moved to meet his. Minsu watched the exchange with a satisfied look and turned to Hari.

“I thought you might find the bodyguard arrangement uncomfortable, so I’m glad you’re taking it more calmly than expected.”

It had felt uncomfortable at first, but the moment Hari learned the bodyguard was Cha Jisang, discomfort was the last thing on her mind. She was grateful. It was thanks to this particular perk that she was able to see him again.

“Uncomfortable? Not at all. I’m grateful, honestly. Please pass along my thanks to the CEO as well. I’ve only been with this company a week and already being treated like a princess. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Of course we should treat you like a princess. Ms. Yoo Hari is our CEO’s most treasured artist.”

Hari caught that and let a small frown cross her face.

“Why would I be?”

“Pardon?”

“The CEO and I have never even met. So why would he treasure me?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure myself……”

Minsu was visibly flustered, but Hari pressed on.

“If the reason he’s being so good to me is because he wants something inappropriate from me…… I will absolutely not tolerate that.”

Jungwook immediately clamped a hand over her mouth and stepped in to smooth things over.

“Oh my. Our Hari said something she shouldn’t have. Please take it lightly. Our Hari has some trauma, she’s a little sensitive.”

Fortunately, Minsu nodded as though he understood.

“Please don’t misunderstand. Our CEO is not that kind of person.”

“Is that so?”

Hari’s skeptical look prompted Minsu to practically shout, his voice ringing through the entire reception room.

“Yes. Our CEO is an extremely gentlemanly and dignified person. The finest man in the world, I’d say. The only men I’ve seen who could match him were in the military. Ahahaha!”

The exaggerated delivery made the atmosphere awkward in an instant. Was there a security camera somewhere? It was baffling why he was flattering a CEO who wasn’t even in the room, but Hari chalked it up to the nature of office life and let it go.

Jungwook checked his watch and began wrapping things up.

“Mr. Kim. Are we alright to head out? We have a ChaVita commercial shoot today.”

“Of course. Our legal team is doing everything they can, so please proceed with your schedule safely alongside the bodyguard.”

“Yes. Very reassuring. Then we’ll be off.”

After saying their goodbyes, the three of them walked together down the VIP corridor. Hari’s gaze kept drifting sideways toward Jisang, but he walked on in silence, eyes straight ahead.

Only one person had been added, yet the elevator felt cramped. She had the odd sensation of the air thickening around her.

The elevator reached the basement quickly, and the moment the doors opened, Jungwook stamped his foot as if he’d just remembered something.

“Oh. Idiot. I left the script they gave me behind.”

He held the door open button with one hand and used the other to press the car remote and start the engine.

“Go ahead and get in. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

“Bodyguard, could you hold onto this for a moment?”

Jungwook handed the car key to Jisang and stepped back into the elevator.

An awkward current drifted between the two left behind. Hari, wanting to escape it, quickened her steps toward the car.

But Jisang, who had been following behind, suddenly picked up his pace.

“Ms. Yoo Hari.”

Before she could even turn at the sound of his low voice, Jisang was already beside her, one arm pulling her shoulder into his side, shielding her.

“Ah—”

His scent enveloped her, and Hari instinctively held her breath.

“Breathe.”

“What? Oh……”

A beat later, Hari understood why her bodyguard had moved to protect her.

“What the……”

The words written in red on the car window made the curse slip out before she could stop it.

‘Retire. Before I kill you.’

Last night it had been red spray paint, and now it was red lipstick. The lipstick had dragged and clumped in places, looking disturbingly like dried blood.

Imagining the person who had pressed that lipstick down with deliberate force, pouring their genuine desire to cause Yoo Hari suffering into every stroke of those words, made her stomach turn. She pressed her palm flat against her left chest to push down the nausea rising in her throat.

Jisang swept his gaze around them, and once he confirmed no one was immediately visible, he pulled a flashlight from his inside pocket and dropped flat to the ground. He swept the light carefully along the underside of the car, checking every angle, then walked a full circle around it before coming back quickly and pulling Hari close again.

Still holding her, he made a phone call.

“It’s me. The perpetrator has been in the underground parking garage, so secure all CCTV footage and dashcam recordings from nearby vehicles. And today’s shoot, cancel……”

Hari reached out and grabbed his hand before he could finish.

“Don’t cancel it.”

His eyes sharpened at that.

“The set is safe. There’s no reason to cancel.”

Honestly, Hari was frightened. Every part of her wanted to hide somewhere safe right now.

But if she did, the effort of dozens of people who had prepared for today would come to nothing. They could reschedule, yes, but that meant everyone who had given up a day for her would have to give up another. She didn’t want to cause that kind of trouble to people working so hard for her sake, not over something like this.

“Please. I don’t want to let anyone down.”

“You haven’t changed. Still reckless.”

He frowned deeply, looking at her the way you might look at a foolish child. His tone was dripping with exasperation, but Hari didn’t back down.

“You protected me back then too, so you can protect me now. Nothing will happen.”

Just then she spotted Jungwook making his way back from across the lot. Hari grew frantic. Jisang still said nothing, watching her quietly.

“What do I do. Jungwook can’t see this.”

If Jungwook saw it, he would cancel the shoot without question. Hari scrambled through her bag for wet wipes. But the more urgent the situation, the more invisible the obvious becomes.

“Haah.”

Jisang let out a long breath, reached out, and stopped her frantic hands by closing his fingers around her wrist. Then, without a word, he pulled back his own sleeve and wiped the car window with it.

The jacket sleeve was smeared with red, but he didn’t seem to care. Hari was the one who was horrified.

“What are you doing!”

Flustered, she grabbed his wrist and scrubbed at the stained sleeve with her own hand. The more she rubbed, the more the smear spread, and her face burned right along with it.

Jisang caught her wrist in return.

“It’s fine.”

He could have just said so, but instead he stopped her by taking her hand, and Hari’s face went even redder. She mumbled.

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

Jisang gave a faint smile, released her hand, and brushed off his own sleeve.

“No need.”

A thoroughly gracious refusal.

“Oh, why aren’t you in the car yet.”

Jungwook came jogging over, none the wiser, and pulled the car door open. Hari cleared her throat for no reason, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. Jisang helped her in first and followed.

“Ha. The bodyguard’s presence is quite something.”

The car pulled away to the sound of Jungwook’s idle joke.

Hari, her nerves still not fully settled, chewed at her thumbnail and fell into thought. Jisang leaned close and asked quietly.

“Are you really alright.”

“I have to be.”

Hari buried her unease as though it had never existed. The habit of not letting her own emotions bleed onto the people working for her had long since hardened into instinct.

“You seem a little inflexible.”

Jisang blinked slowly. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a long breath, as though frustrated.

“Is that so?”

Hari smiled wryly and reached up to untie the worn handkerchief from her bag handle. Then she carefully took hold of the wrist he’d been rubbing and held it still. She wrapped the handkerchief around his stained sleeve and tied it, then looked up with a quiet smile.

“I’m finally returning this.”

It was the worn, faded handkerchief she had treasured so carefully.

The handkerchief belonging to the man who had become her salvation, which she had carried with her every day with the hope of someday giving it back.

“Yoo Hari and Manager Choi Jungwook.”

Jungwook held out his ID, and the security guard checked it and opened the gate. The strict prohibition on outside visitors inside the studio was a small comfort to Hari.

Stretching her arms above her head, Hari stepped out of the car and headed to the waiting room.

The commercial she would be filming today was for ChaVita, the undisputed number one energy supplement on the market.

The shoot was divided into three segments based on the concept: a forest hike, a cherry blossom picnic, and a gym treadmill run.

“There we go! Oh, you’re gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.”

The director kept up a steady stream of praise to draw a natural smile from his actress, and the set had a wonderfully warm atmosphere because of it.