Sooyaa groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the soft morning light seeping through the curtains. The room looked like a battlefield.
Everything was messed up...
Beside her, Hye-jin lay tangled in the sheets, snoring softly, one false eyelash barely hanging on.
"What the hell happened last night…" Sooyaa muttered, sitting up with effort.
" Aahhh.. My head is about to burst."
She winced, massaging her temples as a pounding headache reminded her of just how wild the night had been.
She looked around for her phone—"dead, of course".
Sighing, she stood up, threw on her coat, and turned to Hye-jin. "I need to go home," she whispered. "Thanks for the chaos, bestie."
Hye-jin stirred slightly but didn't respond beyond a sleepy groan.
Sooyaa slipped out of the apartment and headed downstairs. The moment she stepped out of the building, thunder cracked and heavy rain began to pour.
She stared up at the sky.
"Seriously? No," she muttered, pulling her coat tighter around her.
As she hesitated under the awning, a man approached her, lifting his umbrella over her head.
"You'll get soaked," he said with a kind smile. "Let me drop you home."
Sooyaa shook her head. "It's okay. I can manage."
"The rain's pouring too much," he insisted. "Just until you're safe."."
Before she could answer, another umbrella suddenly pushed between them—firmly moving the stranger's umbrella aside.
A voice, calm yet commanding, echoed through the rain.
"We can manage."
Sooyaa turned toward the new voice—her breath catching.
It was him.
Kim Tae-hyung.
He stood just inches away, tall and composed, his sharp eyes fixed on the stranger. Rain slid down his coat as he covered Sooyaa with his umbrella
.
Tae-hyung glanced at Sooyaa. "Let's go," he said gently. "Sorry I'm late, My lady". ;)
"My lady?"
The stranger blinked, then quickly turned and disappeared into the downpour.
Sooyaa's heart raced as she stood frozen under his umbrella—her mind screaming with questions she couldn't voice.
Sooyaa was just staring at him under the umbrella, caught in the moment.
Kim Tae-hyung tilted his head slightly.
"Ms. Sooyaa."
She blinked rapidly, snapping out of her daze.
"Ah—t-thank you for helping me," she said softly, bowing her head slightly.
"I'll drop you home," the CEO offered, his voice calm but firm.
Sooyaa quickly shook her head. "It's really okay. I… I was just about to call a taxi."
Tae-hyung glanced at the sky. "You won't get a taxi in this heavy rainfall. And the subway is quite far."
She hesitated, eyes on the ground. "Then… just drop me near the subway station?"
He didn't reply, simply opened the car door and gestured for her to get in.
She got into the front seat beside him, carefully adjusting her coat, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
He started the car smoothly, taking a sharp turn with one hand on the wheel. Cool and confident—just like a scene out of a drama.
Sooyaa peeked at him for a second.
"He really does look… cool," she thought shyly.
Then, breaking the silence, Tae-hyung spoke with a teasing tone.
"So… Ice Man, huh?"
Sooyaa blinked. "S-sorry?"
He turned his head slightly toward her. "Last night."
Her heart skipped a beat—and then it hit her.
That moment from last night flashed in her mind—her pointing at him, laughing loudly:
'Look at him! He's like an Ice Man!'
Her face turned pale. I'm dead. I'll never drink like that again. Never....Never ever..
"I-I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I really didn't mean to… I was just—"
Tae-hyung cut her off with a small chuckle. "So you don't remember the rest either?"
She looked down, mortified. "I was drunk… I truly don't remember."
He gave a soft pout in a boyish voice. "Hmm. I'm really hurt."
"Because of this Ice Man… I couldn't even slept properly last night, because No one ever called me something like that before…excluding you"
Then, turning to the window with a faint smile, he said, " you have to compensate for the messed you caused up"
Sooyaa looked at him nervously ."I-I'll pay… how much?"
"Twenty million won," he replied calmly.
She froze. "T-twenty million won…?"
Then again he replied "just kidding "
"Or," he added with a relaxed tone, "just one day."
She looked at him, confused. "O-one day?"
"I've just come back after years. I need to visit a few places… and I want someone who is more familiar with this place."
Without even a second's hesitation, Sooyaa nodded. "okay, deal sealed "
Sooyaa glanced at Tae-hyung from the corner of her eye.
Thought in his mind "You look like an Ice Man… colder than my fridge, she thought, lips pressing into a line."
Then her gaze dropped for a second, and a small pout formed.
Tae-hyung's lips curved into a soft laugh as he turned back to the window, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass.
As they drove through the rain-soaked streets, silence settled between them.
Soon, a subway station appeared up ahead.
Sooyaa gently cleared her throat. "Umm… you can drop me here. The station is just right there."
Kim Tae-hyung didn't even glance at her—or slow down and the station passed them in a blue .
Sooyaa blinked and looked out the window. "It's okay ahh… there's another station ahead. You can drop me there instead."
A few more minutes passed.
Another subway station came into view.
Sooyaa leaned forward slightly, her voice soft. "Ahh, here it is—another one. You can drop me here, sir."
But he drove right past it too.
Sooyaa turned to him, confused. "S-sir… you don't need to take the trouble. I can manage from the station—"
Kim Tae-hyung sighed lightly, then spoke in a calm, slightly amused voice,
"Will you give your address… or do you just want to roam from one station to another?"
Sooyaa's eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"A-ah… I'm sorry," she said, leaning forward and carefully entering her address into the car's navigation system. "Here… it's done."
Tae-hyung gave the screen a glance, then returned his gaze to the road.
"There we go."
With one hand, he smoothly turned the wheel, taking a different road with effortless ease.
Sooyaa couldn't help it—her thoughts slipped again.
"So cool… seriously, why is he always so effortlessly cool?"
She looked away quickly, trying not to let her admiration show too clearly on her face.
After a few minutes of driving in silence, Kim Tae-hyung slowed the car and pulled up in front of a cozy little café on the corner of a quiet street.
Sooyaa looked out the window, confused. "Umm… sir, I think you've stopped at the wrong address. This isn't—"
Before she could finish, Tae-hyung had already stepped out of the car.
He opened the passenger door for her and glanced down. "Come on."
Sooyaa blinked. Did he just ignore me?
She hesitated for a second, then followed him inside.
The café was warm and smelled like freshly ground coffee beans. They both took a seat near the window.
"I'm not really hungry, sir…" Sooyaa said quietly, looking down.
At that exact moment, her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl.
Gurrrrrrr...
Tae-hyung raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You're not hungry, but your stomach is ."
Sooyaa's face turned red.
To steer away from an awkward moment, sooyaa's eyes wandered around the cafe.
Sooyaa glanced around the empty café,
"This coffee shop is always
crowded… Why is it so quiet today?"
Tae-hyung sipped his coffee calmly, then looked up at her with a hint of a smirk.
"I booked the whole place."
Her eyes widened.
"You...what? And when?"
Author's Thoughts – Chapter 4
This chapter was a mix of laughter, chaos, and quiet heartbreak.
I really enjoyed writing the scene where Sooyaa and Hye-jin wake up after that wild night — confused, hungover, and totally out of their element. It gave a moment of lightness before diving back into the emotional storm that is Tae-hyung and Sooyaa's relationship.
The rain scene was one of my favorites to write. There's something poetic about her standing alone in the rain, only to be shielded by the very man who once shattered her heart. When Tae-hyung called her " My lady"… did your heart skip too?
Thank you for reading Chapter 4.
Sometimes, even a single word can bring back a thousand memories — and stir a love that never truly left.