I stayed a bit late to finish some reports. It was quite late by the time I headed to the employee parking lot to go home.
Suddenly, a large SUV started honking repeatedly as if it had been waiting for me.
For a moment, I wondered if it was McQueen; he usually drove an SUV because of his height.
‘Or is it the manager? No, the manager left ages ago.’
Feeling puzzled, I approached the driver’s side of the SUV.
Caesar rolled down the window and met my eyes.
I jumped back, startled out of my wits, but he only offered a very faint, relaxed smile.
“You—!”
“I told you we’d be seeing each other soon, didn’t I?”
Perhaps he was on his way back from a commercial shoot; he was wearing light makeup and had his hair tied up.
Even in my shocked state, I reflexively thought his style looked incredible, which made me feel a sudden pang of self-loathing.
‘Am I really this weak to visual stimulation…?’
As I stood there awkwardly, unable to find my words, he leaned forward slightly and pointed toward the passenger seat.
“Want to hop in for a second? Or should I get out?”
That snapped me back to my senses.
“Are you crazy?! If you get out here, you’ll be caught on the parking lot CCTV and every black box around!”
“Then, will you get in for a moment? I just want to talk.”
“That’s… that’s also a bit…”
What if I hop in and there’s someone else hiding in the back seat?
More importantly, if Caesar suddenly started driving, the passenger seat is a difficult spot to escape from.
He could control my movements just by reaching out a hand.
My experience dealing with various stalkers naturally ran a simulation in my head.
‘The passenger seat is dangerous in many ways. …But this is also a chance to return the money.’
After a moment of hesitation, I grabbed the handle of the rear door and opened it.
I figured if I sat directly behind the driver’s seat, I could make a run for it if things went south.
Seeing me get into the back, Caesar muttered, “You don’t need to keep such a distance.”
“I’m comfortable here.”
Despite his comment, Caesar pressed the automatic button to close the door once I was settled.
As soon as it clicked shut, I quietly unlocked my side just in case and asked:
“Why do you keep coming to see me? What do you want?”
The answer didn’t come immediately.
After a brief silence, I spoke up again, my voice sharp and accusing.
“I’m grateful to you for saving my life. But you shouldn’t be stalking me.”
“Stalking?”
“Finding my account when I never gave it to you, sending me money—things like that.”
At that, Caesar checked my expression through the rearview mirror.
I looked back at him boldly through the glass and met his eyes.
“It’s unpleasant. Please stop.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll return the money as well. I don’t have the stomach to keep money that makes me feel uneasy.”
After a moment of silence, the man let out a faint chuckle and picked up a thermal bag from the passenger seat, handing it back to me.
“If you agree to take this, I’ll accept the money you’re returning.”
I reflexively took the bag. It was a habit ingrained in me from frequently helping customers with their luggage.
‘Wait.’
Now that I held it, it was heavier than I expected.
‘What’s in here? I hope it’s not something like a dead animal… I almost fainted when I got something like that back in senior year…’
As I froze, holding the bag awkwardly, Caesar explained calmly.
“I heard from someone named McQueen.”
Caesar pulled out his smartphone and showed me his call log.
There was a record of a 30-minute call with a contact saved as ‘Macaulay McQueen.’
“He told me you’ve been agonizing over a recipe for days.”
…McQueen, you brat!
My face flushed red instantly. Caesar’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“He seemed like a good person. It was obvious he worries about you a lot.”
He took his phone back and searched for something else.
This time, he showed me a screenshot from his gallery.
“And you seem to think I obtained your information through illegal means…”
Looking closely, I realized it was a document sent by a detective.
It contained the personal information I had submitted when I joined the department store.
The sections for ‘Allergies’—shellfish and walnuts—caught my eye.
In truth, I don’t have allergies; I had just written those down as a convenient excuse to avoid things I don’t like eating.
“I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. That wasn’t my original intention.”
“…”
“I needed to provide victim compensation, so I requested a disclosure of the victim’s information from the department store. Given the nature of the incident, the request was approved almost immediately. I heard you signed a consent form when you were hired, so I assumed you would know.”
…To think he obtained the information ‘fair and square’ through legal procedures.
Stunned by the realization, I was speechless. Caesar added in a relaxed tone:
“I also have the perpetrator’s identity, so let me know if you want to file for a restraining order.”
“No…”
“Is the misunderstanding cleared up?”
To think I had slammed him as a stalker without knowing the truth…
My face felt like it was on fire.
With my momentum gone, I answered his question weakly.
“I understand. But you should have explained the situation properly before contacting me. And I told you I don’t need any compensation.”
While I was talking, Caesar unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around to face the back seat.
“I’m thankful you saved me, but I don’t think this attitude is right.”
A pair of silver-shining eyes stared directly at me.
“I’m sorry.”
It was a plain, simple apology.
His expression remained unchanged, so I couldn’t read his emotions, but judging by his actions so far… he was probably genuinely sorry.
I felt suddenly drained.
I let out a sigh and said, “As I’ve told you before, I have no intention of getting involved with a celebrity and making my life difficult.”
“So it’s not that you dislike me.”
“…That comment actually makes me start to dislike you a little.”
A low laugh vibrated in his throat.
The man tilted his lips up ever so slightly and asked:
“Even the food I brought?”
His attitude made it perfectly clear that he intended to exploit the weakness McQueen had revealed.
I wasn’t particularly angry, but to avoid being toyed with, I intentionally crumpled my face as much as possible.
“Who do you think… did you think I’d wag my tail like a dog just for some food?”
Usually, when I acted this tough, people would back off.
However, the man in front of me didn’t seem bothered at all. He even joked back at my angry face.
“I’m the one who wants to wag my tail.”
Flustered by his brazen reply, I watched as Caesar immediately folded the passenger seat and climbed into the back.
He sat down right next to me and spoke.
“Give me just a little sign, and I’m confident I’ll welcome you with a wagging tail.”
As he sat close, his fingertips naturally brushed against mine resting on the seat.
Caesar tapped my fingertips a few times with his own. He looked like someone offering a finger-greeting to an untamed cat.
Then, he gently took my hand and interlaced our fingers.
“If you just give me a little bit of space, like this…”
Red alerts were screaming in my head, but strangely, my body wouldn’t move. It was as if I were under a spell.
While I sat there frozen, his lips touched the back of my hand.
“…I’d give you my heart and soul.”
I’m not usually someone who loses so easily in a battle of nerves.
Strangely, though, Caesar found the cracks in my defenses with ease.
I turned my head to look out the window to hide my bright red face. Caesar let out a low chuckle.
“See.”
He whispered right against my ear, which must have been burning red.
“You don’t hate me.”
Ugh, aaagh! I can’t take this anymore! This is too cringey!
Unable to stand the heated atmosphere, I shook off Caesar’s hand and hurriedly opened the car door.
Caesar grabbed my forearm and said:
“Take the food, at least for the sake of the effort. There’s no one else to eat it if you don’t.”
“…”
“Because of my job, I can’t just eat whatever I want.”
He continued with an argument that he wouldn’t chase me if I left, but I was glowing red from head to toe and couldn’t listen properly.
The only thing I understood was his final sentence:
“Take it. I’m asking you.”
I snatched the thermal bag and practically bolted.
Behind me, as I ran away without even saying goodbye, I could faintly hear Caesar calling out, “Get home safe. I’ll message you the account info later.”
‘That crazy bastard.’
He’s a lunatic, a weirdo, acting all smooth just to tease people…
‘Why on earth is he doing this to me?’
…Why else? To mess with me.
It’s weird for a celebrity to ignore other celebrities and hit on an ordinary person.
‘My face, my wallet—everything is obviously inferior to a celebrity’s. Why would he choose me?’
The fact that he clings to someone who pushes him away saying it’s a burden probably stems from the same reason.
After reaching my conclusion, I irritably yanked open the door to my own car and muttered.
“I must have looked like an easy target because I was spacing out when we first met.”
The car door slammed shut with a heavy thud, matching my annoyance.
“I should just block him again as soon as I return the money…”
Without even taking a breath to calm down, I started the car and sped out of the parking lot.
