The air inside *The Willow House* was thick with the scent of steeping roasted barley and rain-dampened pine. Outside the sliding paper screen, autumn leaves drifted lazily into the stone courtyard.
Lu Sheng poured a thin stream of golden tea into Ji-won’s cup with practiced, steady grace. "I ordered the hallabong plum infusion," Lu Sheng said softly, setting the iron teapot down on the trivet. "Your mother mentioned you prefer citrus notes in the afternoon."
Ji-won reached for the cup, his fingers almost brushing Lu Sheng’s warm knuckles. "You're spending a dangerous amount of time taking advice from my mother."
A dark, rare glimmer of amusement flashed in Lu Sheng’s eyes. "She is the only person in Seoul who holds your schedule—and my patience—in the palm of her hand. I would be a terrible strategist if I ignored her counsel."
Before Ji-won could respond, his phone vibrated against the low wooden table.
It wasn't a standard text ringtone. It was a high-pitched, frantic series of electronic chirps—the custom alert tone Ji-won had set for Do-hyun.
Ji-won picked up the phone.
**Do-hyun:** *JI-WONNIE! EMERGENCY!*
**Do-hyun:** *I was thinking about Lee Soo-jin and Park Hyun-woo! They are hyper-competitive academic sociopaths who got 99.4% on the midterm!*
**Do-hyun:** *WHAT IF THEY ARE MAKING YOU DO ALL THE SLIDE DESIGNS?! WHAT IF THEY ARE INTELLECTUALLY BULLYING MY BABY BROTHER?!*
**Do-hyun:** *I am currently five minutes away in the sports car with high-protein smoothies and a legal notice regarding group-project labor exploitation! WHICH CAFÉ ARE YOU AT?!*
Ji-won’s heart gave a sudden, violent thud against his ribs. He stared at the screen in horror.
"Is everything alright?" Lu Sheng asked, his sharp brow furrowing as he noticed Ji-won’s color instantly drain.
"My brother," Ji-won whispered, his thumb flying across the keyboard. "Do-hyun is coming to the West Gate right now. He thinks my classmates are... exploiting my labor for an academic presentation."
Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow, entirely unfazed. "Should I have my driver block the intersection?"
"No! If Do-hyun sees a corporate security blockade, he’ll call Min-jun, and Min-jun will mobilize the entire Kang Shipping private guard within ninety seconds!" Ji-won stood up quickly, his satchel strap slipping over his shoulder. "He's going to check every café along the main lane."
Lu Sheng looked at Ji-won, then down at the unfinished tea, and then at the quiet courtyard beyond the sliding paper screen. Slowly, a dark, dangerously clever smirk curved the corner of his lips.
"He's checking the cafés," Lu Sheng murmured, standing up in one fluid, imposing motion. He reached for his dark overcoat, tossing a stack of bills onto the wooden table without looking. "This is a traditional tea house with a rear garden exit that leads to the antique book lane."
Ji-won blinked. "You know the back exit?"
"I bought the property three years ago as a private retreat," Lu Sheng said smoothly, sliding the paper screen open to reveal a narrow stone pathway hidden behind a thick bamboo fence. "Walk with me."
They slipped into the cool afternoon air just as the front bell of *The Willow House* chimed softly in the distance, followed by Do-hyun’s loud, dramatic voice echoing into the front lobby: *"Excuse me! Have you seen two terrifyingly studious seniors holding a sweet, innocent boy hostage over trade policy matrices?!"*
Ji-won let out a muffled, breathless gasp of laughter, clapping his hand over his mouth as Lu Sheng caught his elbow, guiding him swiftly down the mossy stone steps and out through a wooden gate into the narrow antique district alleyway.
The alley was quiet, shaded by overhangs of red maple and yellow ginkgo leaves. The roar of Do-hyun’s sports car engine echoed faintly from two streets over, searching frantically near the university gate.
Ji-won leaned his back against the cool brick wall of an old print shop, catching his breath as his chest rose and fell. His face was flushed, his heart pounding not from fear, but from the dizzying, ridiculous thrill of the escape.
Lu Sheng stood barely a foot away, his tall frame blocking the cool wind, his dark eyes locked onto Ji-won’s face with an intensity that made the surrounding alley completely melt away.
"That was... too close," Ji-won panted softly, looking up into Lu Sheng's face.
"It was," Lu Sheng agreed, his voice a low, velvety whisper in the quiet alley. He reached out, his long fingers gently catching a falling golden leaf that had landed in Ji-won’s dark hair, his thumb brushing against Ji-won's temple. "Though I admit... I quite enjoyed being your accomplice."
Ji-won’s breath caught in his throat. The touch was light, fleeting, yet it sent a sharp, intoxicating heat trailing straight down his spine. He looked at Lu Sheng—not the terrifying billionaire of his past, but a man who had just run through a garden alley with him to dodge an overprotective brother.
Ji-won’s phone buzzed in his hand with another text from Do-hyun: *Falses alarm! Mr. Park said you were at the bookstore lane! Bringing smoothies there!*
Ji-won looked down at the text, then back up at Lu Sheng, a quiet, brilliant smile breaking across his face.
"I have to go before he actually finds me," Ji-won murmured softly.
"I know," Lu Sheng said, stepping back just enough to give him space, though his dark eyes remained fixed on Ji-won's with an unyielding promise. "Next Saturday, Ji-won-ah. Somewhere your brother won't suspect."
"Next Saturday," Ji-won agreed, stepping out toward the main street with his satchel in hand, his heart racing wild, free, and completely unbothered under the autumn sky.