When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 31

The night air was crisp, a soft breeze brushing against my skin as I stepped out of the reunion hall. The once-lively venue was now quieting down, with groups of people scattering in different directions, saying their final goodbyes.

Seok Kyung and Ha Ya had already left, waving at me as they hopped into a taxi together. "Text us when you get home!" Ha Ya had shouted before they disappeared down the road.

I sighed, tucking my hair behind my ear as I pulled out my phone to book a taxi. The app loaded sluggishly, the signal flickering in and out.

"Great," I muttered, glancing up at the nearly deserted street. A few cars passed by, but none of them were taxis.

Just as I was debating whether to start walking to the main road, a sleek black car pulled up beside me.

The window rolled down, revealing Tae Sung behind the wheel, his usual calm expression softened by a small smile.

"Need a ride?" he asked casually.

I blinked, caught off guard. "Oh, no. I have a taxi."

He glanced around, then back at me. "Do you?"

I hesitated, looking down at my phone again. The app still refused to load properly.

"It's late," he said. "And I’m heading in the same direction. Just get in."

I hesitated for a moment longer, debating my options. Standing here waiting for a taxi that might not even come or accepting a ride from Tae Sung?

With a small sigh, I pulled the door open and slid into the passenger seat. "Thanks," I mumbled, clicking the seatbelt in place.

"No problem," he said, effortlessly steering the car back onto the road.

A silence settled between us, but it wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. The hum of the engine and the soft glow of the streetlights passing by filled the quiet.

"Did you have fun tonight?" he asked after a moment.

I let out a small laugh. "If you consider being interrogated about my entire life ‘fun,’ then sure."

He smirked. "That bad?"

"You were there," I pointed out. "They were relentless."

He chuckled. "True. But it was entertaining."

"For you, maybe," I muttered, leaning my head back against the seat.

Tae Sung stole a quick glance at me. "It’s been a while since you met up with old classmates, hasn’t it?"

"More like I never really had classmates I kept in touch with," I admitted. "I barely made friends in my own department."

He hummed in understanding. "Yeah, you were always busy. Every time I saw you back then, you had your nose buried in a book."

I turned to him. "Wait—you noticed me back then?"

Tae Sung gave me a side glance, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Of course. You were hard to miss."

I scoffed. "I was practically invisible."

He smiled. "Not to me."

Something about the way he said it made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. I cleared my throat. "Well, I was just trying to survive university. No time for socializing."

"I figured." He paused, then added, "But you seemed happier tonight."

I raised a brow. "Happier?"

He nodded. "Even with all the teasing, you were smiling a lot."