Chapter 16: Circling Closer to My Heart

Sitting in the passenger seat, Shin Youna stretched out her legs, savoring the spacious comfort of the BMW X6.

After a day filled with running errands and accompanying Xia Xing to the supermarket, she had exhausted much of her energy. Now, reclining in the passenger seat, she finally found a moment of rest.

She adjusted the seat backward just enough so that Xia, who was focused on driving, wouldn’t notice her quietly and intently observing him.

He sat upright behind the wheel, serious and composed, his sharp gaze fixed on the road ahead. His lean fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel.

Beneath his black Kensington-style trench coat was a white shirt that accentuated his muscular lines—a perfect portrait of a dedicated professional hurrying home after work.

If only he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, the image would be flawless.

The feeling was, to use a somewhat cheeky term, somewhat “daddy-like.”

They say people who drive seriously look handsome, and now that saying had taken on a vivid, tangible form.

Her gaze carefully traced down his cheek, but Shin Youna’s attention soon returned to the small bouquet of daisies resting on her lap.

“Mr. Xia, I didn’t expect you to be this meticulous,” she said softly. “Why did you choose these daisies?”

Taking advantage of the red light, Xia Xing glanced sideways at the girl nestled in the passenger seat. Her sincere, passionate eyes were fixed on the daisies.

In the dim evening light, the bouquet seemed to hold not only a fresh beauty but also a mysterious allure.

“Maybe it’s because of their meaning,” she ventured. “They symbolize cherishing a feeling, but not knowing how to start or confess.”

Because he was precisely the type who took relationships seriously but struggled to take initiative.

Even when he did take the initiative, it often caused confusion for others.

Though she knew the daisies weren’t meant for her, Shin Youna tentatively asked, “They’re really beautiful… I’d like to keep a bouquet like this in my car. Could you send me the link later?”

That Model Y with its bare interior definitely needed some decoration.

Xia Xing nodded. “Buying and nurturing a new one takes time. If you like, you can take mine for now.”

“Haha, I won’t be polite then!”

“If you want new flowers later, just message me. It’s no trouble to cultivate another plant—doesn’t take much time.”

Was he inviting her to start chatting on KakaoTalk? And with a long-lasting topic at that.

Before she could ponder further, Shin Youna cupped the bouquet in her hands and realized how well Xia Xing had tended to it.

She was genuinely curious what he looked like when carefully pruning the flowers.

After examining the daisies from every angle in the passenger seat, her arms grew tired.

So she turned her remaining energy to the car’s touchscreen. “Want to listen to some music. Can I connect via CarPlay?”

“I already connected it. You can take over,” Xia replied.

That seemed like a good plan, and Shin Youna took the chance to explore Xia Xing’s taste in music.

Opening the music app, the first song she saw was NMIXX’s “Run for Roses.”

Hmm… skip.

Next, next, next.

Though the songs were ones Shin Youna liked herself, she couldn’t help but feel a little down seeing three NMIXX tracks in a row rather than ITZY’s.

Was ITZY’s streaming performance really that poor?

The fourth song wasn’t by ITZY either, but at least it wasn’t NMIXX—it was an upbeat Chinese song with a lively melody.

Listening to the music, Shin Youna glanced out the window.

In Seoul, a city built on uneven terrain, the streetlights along the road flickered on and off in graceful rises and falls, as if dancing ballet in sync with the rhythm.

In the enclosed space of the car, with the clear, lively song playing and nothing pressing to do, sitting beside this intriguing guy felt as cozy as lying in bed reading comics on a rainy day.

“One step, one step closer to you, circling closer to my heart. Like a shooting star dancing across the night sky.”

“One step, one step holding me tighter, circling closer, more certain. I want to spin with you endlessly.”

Because the song was easy to sing, and as she admired Seoul’s nightscape and the indescribable comfort of the moment, the girl couldn’t help but sing along softly.

“What’s wrong?” Noticing Xia’s gaze shifting toward her, Shin Youna suddenly flustered. “Do I sound bad?”

“Sounds good,” he affirmed.

With his encouragement, her nervousness ebbed like the tide, leaving gentle ripples on the surface.

“Is that all you have to say? You’re really short on compliments.”

His tone was bright and teasing, yet carried a hint of something else.

“There are other things I could say. Want to hear them?”

That guy actually knew how to leave someone hanging.

“No more,” she pouted, looking out the window with a wandering gaze—but surprisingly, her mood was not bad at all.

“Catchy,” Xia said, tilting his face toward her, as if observing through the rearview mirror or wanting her to hear clearly, repeating, “Makes your ears tingle.”

...

Myung Jungnam sat silently behind the wheel, watching her teammate Park Jihyo stagger out of the nightclub’s back door.

Unlike Myung, who wore a sharp little suit, her hair and makeup neat with a hint of allure, Park Jihyo was bundled tightly in all black athletic wear, complete with a baseball cap and face mask.

Her outfit could have easily passed for a thief’s disguise.

As an idol—especially a female idol—being seen at a nightclub invited serious negative publicity, so Jihyo had to cover herself thoroughly.

Glancing at the man slung over Jihyo’s shoulder, Myung’s heart swirled with mixed emotions.

As of today, TWICE’s debut anniversary was nearly eight years. Jihyo had grown from an 18-year-old girl into a 26-year-old young woman. It was only natural she might have thoughts about dating.

In fact, Jihyo had dated Kang Daniel back in 2019–2020.

But from Kang Daniel to Yoon Seongbin... Jihyo seemed to be becoming less and less selective.

Jihyo struggled to haul the nearly 200-pound Seongbin with her right hand while pulling open the car door with her left. After dumping him into the back seat, she nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

“There’s a trash bag here. Keep an eye on him so he doesn’t throw up in my car.”

While reminding the flustered Jihyo in the back seat, Myung glanced into her rearview mirror.

Her car was parked in a narrow, dim alley behind the nightclub, so when headlights suddenly appeared in the mirror, her alertness sharpened instantly.

A black BMW X6 was parked steadily ahead of her. Two familiar figures stepped out of the car.

A spark of amused interest flickered in her cool, distant almond-shaped eyes.