"Are you okay?" he hurried down to the manager and ignored the stares of others. He actually just slid down the stairs on his ass. But still, something might have happened when he was turning around, trying to save his face.
"I think I need to go to a hospital," he said, his voice shaky, an expression of shock visible on his face.
"Should I call an ambulance?" Lucy asked, suddenly distressed. But the manager grabbed her hand and shook his head.
"We still need to go to the TV station and continue with the team. I will try to walk it off," he said, and Lucy winced. Hwa and the company representative hurried to the manager and helped him to stand up with Lucy.
"I think we need to call an ambulance…" the manager said once he tried to get up, but he couldn't step on his leg and when he sat back on his butt, he howled in pain. Lucy took the phone, and she totally forgot what to call.
"Give it to me," Hwa said and gently took her phone from her. He left him in the car. He dialed the medical emergency and explained what they needed. His manager couldn't even walk without crying out in pain.
"Will you get him to the recording? I will tell Junghoon to take care of him there before we find another temporary assistant manager," the manager asked, looking at the company representative, who shook his head.
"I can't. There are two more meetings. I'm actually already late to one of them." Lucy winced hearing it. Yup, she only made problems again. The three of them looked at her simultaneously.
"Can you drive?" Hwa suddenly asked. Lucy nodded, feeling back, but there she started shaking her hands.
"Why don't you go by yourself?" Lucy asked, trying to escape, but the manager shook his head.
"He doesn't have a license," he said, and Lucy wanted to groan. But it was her fault she should take responsibility.
"I don't know where it is…" she tried one last time, but Hwa came to his own help.
"GPS is in the car." The manager looked at his watch and froze. The ambulance still wasn't here, but he needed to get Hwa to the station immediately or they would pay a fine.
"I will wait with him here. You need to go immediately." Lucy was hesitant to go. It was too much responsibility. What if something happened to Hwa? Then it would be her fault.
But Hwa had helped her get up, took the keys that were given to him and her arm, and led her down the stairs and to the back door. He put on his cap and mask and looked around.
After he carefully assessed that they were there alone and they could go find the car, he let her go and ran there. Lucy stopped and sighed. She had no other choice than to help them. It was her fault.
Lucy looked at the ground and saw it was okay to walk on it barefoot. She took off her high heels so she wouldn't make a noise and could run quicker. And ran. Seonghwa was staring at her, stunned when she arrived at the car.
"Why is it still locked?" she asked, grabbing the keys from his hands and opening the car. She pressed the button to open the back door and threw her heels on the side.
Lucy pondered for a while about what would be worse, whether to drive with high heels or barefoot, but she agreed that barefoot was safer. Her heel got stuck once in the pedal… Yeah, barefoot was safer.
"Here you go," Hwa was giving her something from the back seat and when she turned around she was surprised to find out they were slippers.
"Thanks," she said and accepted them. Lucy quickly put them on and started driving. It took her a while to figure out this was automatic and not manual, so she was happy as hell.
Not that Lucy didn't know how to drive a manual, but she wasn't so sure she could feel the clutch in the slippers. So the manual was a lot better.
Interestingly, the drive was eventless. It took a while to get to the TV station and Hwa was napping in the back. So Lucy could be calm and focused on driving.
"Why are you so calm? I know you listen to Kpop. You should fangirl that you have met me." Lucy jerked herself and looked in the rearview mirror just to meet Hwa's curious eyes.
"I know. I might fangirl if you were Haku. But given the situation, business work, then you are just another client to me." Lucy answered truthfully.
"So it's like that? I'm a normal person? Not even a handsome man for you?" Lucy frowned. What was going on? What was his goal? Make her commit an intentional car accident with the intention of killing him? Those questions were just plain weird.
"Of course you are handsome. But that changes nothing. You are just a normal person, like everyone else I worked with…" she tried to answer as carefully as she could. Maybe she would need to work with him in the future and she shouldn't make an enemy out of him.
"To the left, the security will ask what we are doing here and maybe they would like to see me. It's a rear entrance." Lucy did as he said and parked where he pointed. Confused about what to do now, she looked back. And almost poked her own eyes with Hwa's fingers.
He had his hand reached out, waiting for something. Lucy frowned. But then, as if a lightbulb lit up above her head, she took down the slippers and placed them in his hands. But that wasn't it…
"What are you doing? I want the keys," he said and put the slippers away. Lucy chuckled and put on her heels and grabbed her purse. She put the keys in his hand and went out of the car.
"Follow me," Hwa said as soon as he got out of the car and locked it. Lucy, not knowing how to get outside or everywhere, followed him. But before they went anywhere, he turned around.
"I have only one, so you take it," Hwa said and took out a mask. Lucy was dumbfounded. He used that one before. And she wasn't sure it was hygienic. Definitely wasn't, but at the same time, she didn't want her face to be the next target of fans.
Lucy put on the mask and when Hwa turned around, she grabbed his cap and fit her hair underneath it.
"It's like a lighthouse beaming in the dark. I don't want to be seen with you," she said when he stared at her questioningly. Hwa just shook his head and walked to the station. They were both greeting everyone they met. And to Lucy, it was surprising that no one questioned him or her.
They arrived in the changing room, and Lucy knew she had fallen into a trap. He wasn't showing her the way outside. And she should have realized that in the elevator.