[Kartikey – 10:36 PM | His Apartment, Seoul]
The message came just as he was brushing his teeth.
His phone buzzed once.
Then again.
He glanced over, expecting a meme from Jun-ho or a software ticket escalation.
But the sender was Nancy.
Not through HeartSpark. Not through the app.
Her actual number.
Nancy:"Espresso Level 1 cleared. Congrats ☕✨"Nancy: "Also, here's my number. Easier than apps.Want to meet tomorrow evening? I know a quiet spot by the river. Same vibe, fewer joggers."
He stared at it, toothbrush frozen mid-air.
Her number.
His heart did this strange little backflip excitement mixed with hesitation.He spat into the sink and washed his face, taking a slow breath as if to center himself.
Another date.
Another chance to be around her.
He quickly replied.
Kartikey:"I'm in. Quiet is good. Joggers are fast. I'm not."Kartikey:"Just send the pin. I'll be there."
Phone down.
Lights off.
But sleep?That didn't come so easily.
[Nancy – 11:20 PM | Her Apartment]
Nancy set her phone on the nightstand after reading his reply.
She had changed.
Not in the mirror, not in her title. But somewhere deeper. Subtle. Like silk slipping under armor.
"He still has no idea."
She glanced at the folder on her coffee table. It contained a confidential brief — her company, LUXENOVA, had just finalized the acquisition of a 41% stake in ArcTech Corp. Effective next Monday, LUXENOVA would become ArcTech's largest stakeholder.
Kartikey company.
His world.
And soon, without knowing it, he'd be working under her.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
But tonight, none of that mattered.She wanted to see him again. Without titles. Without structure.
Just them. While it still felt simple.
[Next Day – 6:02 PM | Han River Walkway, Again]
The sky was a canvas of soft oranges and dusky purples. The breeze carried the smell of grilled street food from across the park.
Kartikey arrived five minutes early. She was already there.
Leaning against a railing. Hair tied. A paper coffee cup in hand. No makeup. No chauffeur. Just… Nancy.
She turned when she saw him, her smile instant and easy.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," he echoed, unable to stop the grin.
They walked again, this time slower. They didn't talk much at first. They didn't need to. Their silence wasn't heavy. It was shared, like sitting under the same blanket and they were looking at each other face time to time.
They talked about favorite movies. About languages they couldn't pronounce. About which street vendor had the best hotteok.
Then, just as they were passing under the pedestrian bridge, Kartikey's phone buzzed.
[Kartikey – POV | 7:12 PM]
He checked it idly—group notification from the office Slack.
Team Announcement: 🎉Big News!ArcTech has a new major shareholder!The global AI-tech giant LUXENOVA has acquired a 41% stake in our company!More updates during next week's Town Hall.
He stared at the screen.
"LUXENOVA..."The name rang a bell. He'd seen it before on tech blogs. AI research. Defense tech. Billion-dollar patents.
"Wait…" he blinked. "Nancy mentioned she works in tech..."
He glanced sideways at her.
Still walking. Still sipping from her cup. Still smiling like nothing had changed.
"No way," he thought. "Too crazy."
She looked at him and gave a sweet smile.
"You okay?"
"Yeah—uh—just a company update."
"You look like you saw a ghost."
He shrugged. "Feels like one just bought the company I work for."
She laughed. "Maybe it's a friendly ghost."
[Later That Night – 8:23 PM | After Their Walk]
They parted ways at the usual crossroad.
No hug. No kiss. But a soft wave, and a look that lingered too long to be nothing.
Nancy stepped into her car.
Kartikey walked toward the subway.
Their days would start again tomorrow.
But the world had already shifted.
[Next Morning – 7:14 AM | Kartikey's Apartment]
The alarm went off like usual.
Kartikey rolled over, tapped the screen, and sat up.
Ordinary.
Today was ordinary.
Shower. Shave. Dry toast and cold tea.
He slipped into his usual outfit. Same backpack. Same shoes with that small tear near the toe.
The office group chat was still buzzing about LUXENOVA, but he hadn't replied.
"It doesn't affect me," he told himself. "I'm just IT support. Nothing to do with boardrooms and shareholders."
He grabbed his ID badge and stepped out the door.
[7:51 AM | Subway Station, Closed Gate]
A crowd had gathered.
Taped barriers. Loudspeaker announcements.
Something had happened.
He sighed and stepped back, trying to refresh the ride-share apps.
But no taxis were available. Not a single one. He even tried walking out onto the curb to flag one down.
Nothing.
"Seriously?" he muttered. "Today?"
Kartikey didn't take cabs unless absolutely necessary. His budget barely allowed one per month and he'd already used that quota.
He stood there, phone in hand, utterly stranded.
"Guess I'm walking. Forty-five minutes. Perfect."
Then…
A honk.
He looked up.
A car pulled up to the curb. Compact. Classy. Too clean to be a rental.
The window rolled down.
"Need a lift?"
Nancy.
Driving.
Hair open today. Sunglasses on. That same quiet smile.
He blinked. "Wait—what? You drive?"
"I'm full of surprises," she said, unlocking the passenger door.
He slid in.
[Inside the Car – 8:02 AM]
"You looked lost," she said casually.
"I was lost. Subway closed. No taxis. Seoul decided to mess with me."
Nancy chuckled, eyes on the road. "You say it like the city's got a personal grudge."
"At this point? I wouldn't be shocked."
"Good thing I was nearby."
He nodded. "What were you doing here anyway? This neighborhood isn't exactly corporate."
She shrugged. "Had a meeting nearby."
Which was true.
Sort of.
The meeting was five hours from now.
But the lie didn't taste like one.
It tasted like control. Like keeping this moment theirs a little longer.
Because she had made the subway shut down.
Because she had paid every cab driver on two apps to ignore his location.Because she had bought this car last night basic by her standards just for this one moment.
He didn't know any of that.
He just knew that somehow, some way, Nancy kept showing up when it mattered.