My Idol

Chapter 6

For a heartbeat neither moved. His hands stayed resting lightly at her elbows — firm, steady, warm — and she stayed close, her palms pressed instinctively to his chest, feeling the solid, steady beat beneath her fingers. He didn’t pull away, didn’t rush to set her back like she was something fragile — just held her there, quiet and calm, his gaze searching hers.

“I really am so sorry,” she said again, quieter this time, stepping back just a little — but his hands lingered a moment longer before falling gently to his sides. “I was miles away, not looking where I was going. That was clumsy of me.”

A faint, soft smile touched his mouth — the kind that reached his eyes, brightening them from within. “Don’t be. And for the record — you didn’t even make me stumble. You’re not nearly as heavy as you think.”

Anna huffed a quiet, self-conscious laugh, brushing a stray golden wave behind her ear. “That’s very kind of you — but I still practically cannonballed into you. Are you sure I didn’t bruise you?”

Ace tilted his head slightly, his gaze warm and steady. “Positive. Besides… it’s nice to see you again. So soon.”

Something in his tone made her breath catch. She straightened, smoothing her blazer, suddenly very aware of how close they’d been. “Likewise. I was just heading back to my office — Jiwoo showed me around, we had lunch.”

“Jiwoo’s good people,” he said, nodding slowly. “The best. She’ll look out for you.” He paused, then added, quieter, “Everyone else… they can be a lot. Fast to decide things. But you — you’re different. You don’t rush.”

Anna studied him, curious. “You notice that?”

“I notice a lot of things,” Ace said simply. There was no flirtation, no charm laid on thick — just quiet honesty. “You listen before you speak. You watch. Like you’re still deciding what’s safe. I know that look.”

Her heart gave a small, strange lurch. No one had put it quite like that — not so directly, not so easily. She folded her arms loosely, guard up but not hard. “I suppose… I like to be sure. Before I let people in.”

Ace nodded, as if he understood perfectly. “Me too. Takes time, doesn’t it? To know someone isn’t just there for what you can give them.”

The corridor was quiet around them, soft light spilling from the windows at the end. It felt like something hung in the air — gentle, unspoken, familiar. He shifted his weight, broad shoulders relaxed, but he didn’t step away.

“Well…” Anna said, breaking the quiet, “I should actually get to my desk this time. Properly. Without crashing into anyone.”

He smiled again — softer this time, warmer. “I’ll be around. If you need anything — or if you need someone to walk into next time — you know where to find me.”

She laughed, a real one, bright and easy. “I’ll try not to make a habit of it. But… thank you, Ace. For catching me.”

“Anytime,” he said quietly.

He lingered just a moment longer, then gave a small, respectful nod and continued down the corridor — glancing back once, just briefly, before turning the corner. Anna stood there a second longer, pressing a hand to her chest where her heart was still beating fast, before walking to her door and letting herself in.

She leaned back against it, breathless for no good reason, and thought: He knows exactly what it’s like. To wait. To be careful.

By the time Anna finished sending the last email and locked her office door, daylight had faded to a soft grey, and the sky had turned heavy and dark. She walked down the stairs and through the lobby toward the glass fronted doors — and pulled up short.

Rain was sheeting down hard, drumming against the pavement, the wind sending it swirling in grey sheets across the road. She didn’t have an umbrella. She hadn’t arranged a car, either.

She headed straight to reception. Soo-jin looked up with a warm smile as she approached.

“Is the company car ready yet, please?” Anna asked, hopeful. “I was told it’d be allocated to me from today.”

Soo-jin’s smile softened, apologetic. “Ah — I’m so sorry, Anna. The paperwork and vehicle registration only just cleared this afternoon. It’ll be fully ready for you to pick up...tomorrow, straight after work. Until then… we can book a private driver for you, of course, but there’s quite a backlog right now. It might be forty-five minutes, maybe longer.”

Anna nodded, trying not to sigh. “I see. Thank you anyway — I’ll sort something.”

She walked back to the doors, pulling out her phone and opening her ride app — only to see the same story: long wait times, prices doubled, every driver busy.

She was just about to tap ‘confirm’ on a driver who would take fifty minutes to arrive when a shadow fell gently over her — and the rain drumming right beside her stopped.

She turned her head.

Ace stood there, holding a large black umbrella tilted perfectly to cover her. Rain glistened on his hair and the shoulders of his jacket, but he’d angled it so not a drop touched her. He was close — warm, steady, that quiet calm radiating from him — his silver-grey eyes soft as he met hers.

“Busan rain doesn’t do gentle,” he said, his voice low and easy above the storm. “And you looked like you might be standing here all night.”