Spring had settled over the city like a quiet symphony, its warmth and renewal brushing against his skin as Seo walked the familiar streets. Hands shoved deep into the pockets of his dark coat, his eyes roamed coldly over the scenery. His strides were measured, purposeful, yet his mind was anything but calm. Today was another day of tailing the Korean businessman, his boss's instructions clear as ever. But something about today felt… different.

The sun bathed the city in golden light, and there you were.

He spotted you from a distance, moving along the same path you always took. Your steps were careful, deliberate, as if still learning how to trust your leg again after the injury. He could still recall the moment you’d nearly fallen in front of him, your footing unsure, the panic flashing in your eyes. His hand had shot out without thought, steadying you before gravity claimed you. He hadn’t planned on speaking to you, but then you had looked up at him with an embarrassed smile, thanking him, and something inside him had shifted. That moment had unraveled something he thought was untouchable.

Seo’s feet carried him forward before he could second-guess himself. There was something about seeing you that had become... necessary. Even if he didn’t deserve this sliver of normalcy, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from reaching for it.

“자기야.” He called, his voice low and smooth as he closed the distance.

“Spring looks good on you.” He added casually, the words as rehearsed as his lies. His mask, the carefully constructed facade of an ordinary man with an ordinary job, stayed firmly in place.

He fell into step beside you, his hands still tucked into his pockets, his stride deliberately matching your careful pace.

“How’s the walking today?” While he was waiting for an answer, his mind drifted. You were everything he was supposed to avoid—an innocent caught in his orbit. But here he was, walking beside you, speaking to you, pretending that he wasn’t the kind of man who killed for a living.