While sitting in the lobby of his hotel, Kang Jin-Ho aimlessly stared outside.

I’m... in a daze?

Was this a state of relaxation or boredom? He wasn’t sure how to explain his current state, but one thing was for certain; he couldn’t remember the last time he just sat still and thought about nothing at all.

Sitting here like this helped Kang Jin-Ho with finally appreciating what Lee Hyeon-Su had said, the one about this being the right time for a break. After being in the crisis management mindset for so long, it seemed he had grown too used to it. He must’ve begun believing that being in such a state was the new normal for him.

However, human beings needed to rest, something even Kang Jin-Ho understood.

One’s body and mind might somehow endure if one forced themselves beyond their limit. However, the consequences of such an action would be considerable.

To maintain a good physical and mental condition as long as possible, one must take regular breaks and find ways to de-stress.

Yeah, I know all that, but...

A sizable chasm existed between knowing it in his head and putting that knowledge into practice. Despite knowing he must rest, Kang Jin-Ho just couldn’t. Whenever he tried to kick back and relax, anxiety would start creeping into his heart, forcing him to do something, anything, to keep himself occupied.

The reason for Kang Jin-Ho’s hectic schedule wasn’t his surroundings trying to drive him into a corner. No, he was merely trying to put out the fires he had started in the first place!

Maybe I should travel a lot more from now on.

Kang Jin-Ho realized that merely giving himself some breathing space was enough to distance his mind from all the work and anxiety.

“There you are! Have you been waiting long?”

Choi Yeon-Ha rushed outside the elevator and asked Kang Jin-Ho while making a slightly apologetic face.

He gently smiled back at her. “No, I haven’t. It’s fine.”

“Sorry. I just couldn’t get my makeup right today for some reason.”

“It’s not a problem. You’re not even late, anyway.”

While saying that, Kang Jin-Ho sneaked a glance at his watch. Choi Yeon-Ha was only five minutes late. Indeed, that was not a problem at all.

Besides, Kang Jin-Ho was in no position to reprimand someone for being tardy, anyway!

Choi Yeon-Ha enthusiastically pumped her fist. “Okay, let’s get going!”

“Yes, let’s.”

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely got up, and after locking arms with Choi Yeon-Ha, the two of them emerged from the hotel lobby.

While walking outside, he glanced at her. “By the way... Is this okay?”

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Aren’t we, you know? Too close?”

“Who cares? It’s fine. We’re in America, after all.”

“Still...”

“It’ll be fine. Surely the paparazzo couldn’t have followed us this far, right?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s sharp glare quickly scanned their surroundings when Choi Yeon-Ha said that. Soon, he nodded in satisfaction.

A young man and woman emerging from a hotel while locking arms shouldn’t be a strange sight in any other circumstances, but that story would change if the woman in question was none other than Choi Yeon-Ha. That would be a wonderful topic for tabloid gossip, after all!

Choi Yeon-Ha grinned. “If I mind such things all the time, I’ll never get a chance to relax and have fun, Mister Jin-Ho. So, let’s just forget about everything today and let our hair down for a change.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yes, you have a point.”

“I mean, how long has it been since it’s just the two of us? And who can tell when we will get another day like this? We should go all out while we can.”

Kang Jin-Ho smiled sheepishly. He wasn’t dumb enough to miss a slight hint of resentment in her voice just then. It seemed he had grown enough as a person to even notice such things.

“I’ll try to free up more time to hang out with you in the future,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Sure, sure. Sure thing. You’re being sincere with that lie, aren’t you?”

“...”

Just before Kang Jin-Ho could awkwardly smile and reply to her, someone suddenly blocked the two’s path and grinned brightly.

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow at the man blocking his view. “What now?”

The man, Lee Hyeon-Su, cheerily asked, “Keuh-euh~! Are you going on a date, sir?”

“I said, what now?”

Lee Hyeon-Su wagged his finger. “What do you mean what, sir? I’m here to guide you around, of course.”

Kang Jin-Ho and Choi Yeon-Ha simultaneously asked back.

“Why?”

“What do you think you’re doing, Chief Lee?”

Choi Yeon-Ha even glared at Lee Hyeon-Su, hints of killing intent bubbling in her glare. Less than one second after she said it’d be only the two of them hanging out for the day, an “impurity” dared to stick his head where it didn’t belong! And this impurity was so slippery that not even purifiers could filter him out!

Despite the sharp glare, though, Lee Hyeon-Su remained nonchalant. Triumphant, even!

He alternated his gaze between Kang Jin-Ho and Choi Yeon-Ha while smirking deeply.

“You two are going on a date, yes?”

Kang Jin-Ho sourly asked, “So what? What’s that got to do with anything?”

“And I’m guessing you’ll be going to your destination in a taxi?”

“...?”

“That sounds like a mighty fine idea, sir. Going somewhere in a taxi. Yes, very good. However, what about when you’re ready to come back here?”

“...!”

“I wanted to prepare a car for you, but sir... You don’t have an international driver’s license, do you? Haaaah, isn’t this so troublesome? I wanted to enjoy my vacation, you see? And take care of some stuff on the side, too. But now I don’t have a choice but to act as your chauffeur today.”

Choi Yeon-Ha frowned slightly while glancing at Kang Jin-Ho.

Has he always been a stalker?

Kang Jin-Ho glanced back at her with a grimace.

Well, you could say that...

Choi Yeon-Ha shuddered. Aaaargh, that’s so creepy!

The two of them stared back at Lee Hyeon-Su with weirded-out expressions.

Lee Hyeon-Su pursed his lips while theatrically shrugging away. “Well, I won’t stop you if you insist on going by yourselves. You have other options like tour buses and stuff, after all. It’s just that...”

That was when an odious smirk floated up on his face.

“I can guarantee you that half of the passengers on that bus will be Koreans.”

“...”

“If you don’t mind live broadcasting your romantic date to every Korean on the planet, please go ahead, sir, ma’am. I guess the Korean social media sites will have a festival today...”

“Urgh....”

“Y-you... eeeek!”

Maybe this was Lee Hyeon-Su’s way of showing his consideration. Unfortunately, not many people in this world could irritate the living hell out of others by showing their consideration like him!

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted loudly. “Chief Lee?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Do you mind if I punch you in the face just once?”

“Ahahaha~, how could you say something so mean and hurtful, ma’am? I’m genuinely trying to...”

Before Lee Hyeon-Su could finish, however...!

Vroom, vrooooom!

Along with bassy engine notes, two vehicles glided into the hotel’s driveway. One was a somewhat familiar black sedan, while the other one was an equally black limousine.

“...Eh?”

Lee Hyeon-Su opened his eyes wide while staring at the limousine. As for Kang Jin-Ho, he furrowed his brow after remembering his experience back in China.

His frown was directed at Lee Hyeon-Su next. “...Again?”

“N-no, sir. This wasn’t me. I’m innocent!”

He was guilty of hiring a limousine back in China, but not this time! Besides, Lee Hyeon-Su only did that to complete the whole “prodigal son from a wealthy family” cosplay, which was no longer necessary.

“I swear to you, sir. I didn’t hire a limo! The car I rented is parked over there.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed softly. Just as he thought that they might have dodged a bullet here, the passenger side door of the black sedan opened, and a rather familiar face stepped outside.

“Good to see you again, Assembly Master,” said Willie Reese.

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho squeezed his eyes shut before groaning again. Choi Yeon-Ha noticed Kang Jin-Ho’s expression and immediately figured out, more or less, what happened here.

Even she groaned loudly. “Why is going on a date so difficult for us?”

The beaming Willie Reese walked over to Kang Jin-Ho’s group.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply. “And why are you here?”

“We thought you two were planning a romantic day out, so we wanted to assist you in some way. Ah, hello there, Miss Yeon-Ha Choi. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Willie Reese. Just call me Willie.”

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at Kang Jin-Ho. “What did he say?”

The frowning Kang Jin-Ho translated what the American said.

She cocked an eyebrow. “...? Do you know who I am?”

Willie Reese nodded. “Of course! How could I not recognize one of the most famous actors in Korea?”

“Please be honest.”

“...My apologies. We learned about you because of Mister Kang.”

“Tsk. What a letdown.”

She got her hopes up, thinking that maybe Americans’ awareness of her had gone up a bit. But that hope got shot down rather quickly.

Kang Jin-Ho stared straight into Willie Reese’s eyes. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

Willie Reese grinned like a good-natured uncle. “Would you like to know the best way to enjoy the sights and sounds of our fine country?”

“...Do tell.”

“It’s having a local show you around.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho faltered slightly. Oh, uh... I didn’t think about that.

He certainly didn’t expect that kind of answer, either!

“As such, we’ve prepared a guide for you, sir. Please consider it as our heartfelt attempt to improve your experience in our country, even if it’s only by a little. Of course, being hospitable toward an important guest shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone with common sense.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled hollowly. “I have legs. And we can easily rent a car for ourselves.”

“Of course, sir. However, you will have to queue like everyone else, regardless of which tourist attraction you go to. That’s why we’re here. We’re like your free pass, redeemable on all things you can imagine.”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes subtly quaked when she recognized the term “free pass” just then.

It wasn’t only her, though, because Lee Hyeon-Su visibly flinched when he heard the same term, too!

Choi Yeon-Ha urgently asked, “Free pass for everywhere?”

“Yes, ma’am. Personally, I would recommend a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon and a round trip to this city’s most famous theme park. Of course, we can also accommodate you if you wish to visit elsewhere.”

Willie Reese looked behind him and at the black sedan. That was when the driver wound his window down, then placed a distinctive red siren on the roof.[1]

“...We can even make traffic jams disappear, too.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho stared weirdly at Willie Reese in silence.

Whether it was in Europe or China... Kang Jin-Ho had been involved in negotiations with rather powerful individuals. But the Americans had to be the first group to behave this way.

Lee Hyeon-Su pouted unhappily. “Hang on a minute! Are you even supposed to abuse your authority like this?! I thought America was the land of the free!”

“Hahaha! Now that was funny, Mister Lee. Isn’t it obvious for me to utilize the authority vested in me for the sake of our national interest? If you think it’s still a problem, we shouldn’t empty our runways whenever important state guests visit our country, then. Of course, no one criticizes our government for doing such things.”

“Urgh...!”

When Lee Hyeon-Su groaned in defeat, Willie Reese took a step closer and whispered quietly to Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su.

“Our people found a contingent of paparazzi camping out in front of your hotel since early this morning. They were either fresh arrivals from Korea or reporters dispatched from the branch offices in the city. Don’t worry, we’ve arrested them all.”

“...”

“Unfortunately, we can’t restrict civilians from using their phones. However, we will still do our utmost best to block any attempts to publish the details of your stay in our country. Please think of it as our way of showing consideration to you.”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but chuckle powerlessly. “Sure. A consideration, nothing more. Is that it?”

“Yes, sir. If we take it even further, it might morph into a... a condition, after all. A consideration that won’t pressure you even after you accept it. Now that is a perfectly sensible line we should stick to, isn’t it?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. “What do you think?”

“Mm...” Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow while asking Willie Reese. “You are not going to follow us around during the date, are you?”

“No, ma’am. We recognize how important privacy is during such a thing. There’s the proper etiquette to consider, as well. We wouldn’t want to displease you two for no reason.”

“Hmm, is that so?” Choi Yeon-Ha muttered while staring pointedly at a certain someone, her head cocked at an angle. “That’s nice, isn’t it? At least you’re not like a certain someone I know.”

Lee Hyeon-Su tried to protest. “Wait? What did I do to...”

“We will take up on your offer,” Choi Yeon-Ha smiled brightly and nodded at Willie Reese while ignoring the aggrieved Lee Hyeon-Su. “As long as we can get away from this stalker dude, I’ll be happy. And not standing in queues sounds like a major plus, too.”

“A wise choice, ma’am. Then, this way.”

Willie Reese took the lead and walked toward the waiting limousine. He smartly opened the rear door, then grinned at his guests.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d prefer as your drinks. I hope you’re happy with a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal. It’s a 1982 vintage.”[2]

Choi Yeon-Ha turned her head to look at Kang Jin-Ho. “What is he talking about?”

“Not sure. Probably a famous drink or something?”

Willie Reese noticed the confusion on the faces of the Korean couple. “It’s, uh... It’s a nice bottle of sparkling wine.”

He suddenly realized that one’s level of preparedness would only mean something if the other party could recognize it.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head slightly. “Do you have cola, though?”

“C-cola? We... O-of course, we can always get you as much cola as you want, sir! We’ll prepare it right now.”

“Sure. Get me the red one.”

“It’ll be done, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in satisfaction before climbing inside the limousine along with Choi Yeon-Ha.

He took in the spacious interior. “Isn’t this much bigger than the other limousine?”

Choi Yeon-Ha playfully smirked. “Why is everything in this country so super-sized? It’s kinda troublesome.”

Willie Reese cautiously closed the door, his face caked in cold sweat. He turned around, only to come face-to-face with Lee Hyeon-Su, who was making an expression of a grumpy kid whose toys got taken away from him.

“How dare you do this!”

Willie Reese replied without much concern. “We’re merely trying our best, Mister Lee.”

“Urgh...!” Lee Hyeon-Su roughly scratched his head. “Sure, you did good this time, but I gotta warn you, this ain’t going to be easy for you. Chaperoning those two won’t be a stroll in the park.”

Willie Reese smiled and repeated himself. “We’re merely trying our best.”

Lee Hyeon-Su cocked an eyebrow while looking straight into the American’s eyes. “What about me, though?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I mean, how about a movie ticket or something...?”

Willie Reese stared weirdly at Lee Hyeon-Su before turning around to enter the waiting sedan. He unhesitantly told the driver, “Let’s go.”

Now left alone by the hotel’s entrance, Lee Hyeon-Su groaned deeply and muttered forlornly.

“Gee whiz. Now that’s cold.”

The two black vehicles left Lee Hyeon-Su behind and unhesitantly drove off.

1. What the... Is this the 80s cop show or something? Who does that, when the government-issue cars come equipped with special LEDs from the factory already? LOL ☜

2. Yes, it’s a real sparkling wine. A bottle of it can cost anywhere between hundreds to well over several thousand dollars. ☜