1, 2, 3 → LEE HEESEUNG

Episode 10

『Present, Warehouse Parking Lot』

"I think I found a clue," Heeseung tells her. His voice comes out about as weak as he feels, drained from everything that happened moments ago. The touch they shared only made him feel dizzier. He watches a small bit of worry in her expression disappear in an instant, replaced with the calm, the slightly icy mask she wears around. He finds himself wondering what did that to her, and what she had to hide herself from. Or was it just him? Everyone told him he was too emotional for his own good. Nonetheless, she doesn't say anything. She studies him a bit and exaggerates her breathing, encouraging him to follow the same pattern. After Oxygen starts flowing through his body again she steps closer and a hand beneath each arm, helping him stand. He stabilizes himself against her, knowing his own legs would buckle if he tried to stand on his own. 

"You can't drive like this," she says finally to fill the silence. She sighs and starts walking away. He tries to convey his confusion with expressions. Regardless of whether or not she sees this, she answers his question anyway. "I'll drive you to wherever you need to be, just let me know where." 

It occurs to him after this that he's never seen her car before. So he follows on her heels still trying to steady his breathing. His legs still shake but with each step he takes it becomes less and less apparent. Although she doesn't turn back to watch him, he noticed her adjusting her pacing to match his own. The same questions he'd asked about her moments before replay in his head. He swears to himself that he's even more curious about her than before. However, he also doubts how long this will last. Will she go back to how she was before? A part of him didn't want her to. 

When they reach her car, she opens the passenger door for him and then walks around the front to her side. Heeseung marvels at her professionalism. She'd tucked her car away into a nearby forest area, an abandoned parking lot for some kind of hiking trail. Bushes and shrubs sweep in front of the car and the dark color naturally blends in with the darkness of the nighttime. Heeseung blinks twice to make sure that she's actually entering a car not just walking into the woods just for the hell of it. She opens the door to the passenger side, then crosses the front of the car to take the driver's seat. Heeseung follows her lead to the open car door. 

She opens her phone to a navigation app and tosses it to him. After the both of them buckle she starts the engine and cruises down the street, leaving the warehouse behind them. After a few minutes of Heeseung staring, his puzzled expression matching his feelings, she rolls her eyes. This time it's insulting, and he can see the hint of a smile that twitched for nanoseconds. She nods in his directions and then says, "type in your address." 

"Oh, right," he ducks his head in embarrassment and types it in. The directions appear on the small radio screen. The voice that gives the directions is an Australian man who's voice doesn't sound like the usual, robotic voices that navigation apps have. He tries to use his knowledge of English from his high school classes but the pace of the words throws him off. "You speak English?" 

"I had to learn it when I was younger," she shrugs and then laughs when the navigator says something longer than a simple in 300 feet turn left. She elaborates for him before he can even ask. "My friend recorded it for me." 

"Ah," he says in response. An uncomfortable silence settles over the car daring someone to speak. She doesn't look bothered. Her eyes are focused intently on the road with her attention only on the road in front of her. His gaze darts from the scenery out the window and back to her, taking in the details he hadn't noticed previously. For example, the way her hair falls loosely past her shoulders, cut in a way that frames her face. Or the way all her features pair perfectly together. Once he starts staring it takes all of his willpower to turn away and ignore the burning on his cheeks. So he begins to talk again, to focus on anything but her. "Anyway, I think I found a clue."