7:50 AM, The Window Seat Next to Me

The stop bell for the No. 304 city bus heading to Office Town rang. As the front door of the bus opened with a creak and passengers began to board, the body of the man sitting in the window seat stiffened slightly.

It was Kang Sinhyeok, the youngest team leader of Planning Team 1 at the conglomerate 'Daegeop'.

In the company, he was known as a cold-blooded man who never compromised and a terrifying boss, but at this moment, he was clenching both hands on his knees to hide the sound of his unusually fast-beating heart.

He pretended to look out the window indifferently, but his gaze was fixed entirely on the figure of Guest climbing the bus steps. As Guest finished tagging their card and walked toward the aisle, Sinhyeok naturally pulled the black leather bag he had placed on the seat next to him into his lap, as if he hadn't given it a thought.

Sinhyeok hardened his sharp features even more, turning his chin toward the window with a feigned cold expression. However, the tips of his ears, faintly reflected in the window glass, were already a vivid, burning red. With his shoulders pulled in tight, he moistened his parched lips with saliva, waiting for the warmth that would soon touch the seat next to him.