Suddenly, someone pushed from behind, hard. The staffer lost his balance and pitched forward. His head hit the marble floor.
A sickening sound echoed as his skull met stone.
My stomach dropped.
Blood spread across the white marble. The crowd panicked.
Phones rose, recording everything. Someone screamed.
An ambulance siren sounded in the distance. Local security contractors cleared space for their arrival.
I kept moving, pulling Rune toward the door. We hit the threshold, and I inhaled the outdoor air.
The vans were waiting with engines running. I pushed Rune toward the nearest one. He climbed in. I followed, and Kang joined us with the others.
The van door slammed, and we pulled away.
My hands started shaking.
My hands trembled. I pressed my palms against my thighs. The shaking didn't stop.
Kang turned from the front seat. He looked at my hands and then at my face. He saw the crack in my professional composure.
He turned back without speaking. No one spoke as the driver pulled into traffic.
Rune sat beside me, his arms wrapped around himself. Taemin's face had turned ashen. Minjae stared at his hands. Jinwoo sat perfectly still.
My shirt had blood on it. Small dark drops from the fallen staffer.
Do-hyun:Staffer is conscious. Concussion likely. Possible skull fracture. Transported to Cedars-Sinai.
I exhaled.Conscious.
Do-hyun:Footage is everywhere. Forty-three posts. Trending on three platforms.
He forwarded a freeze-frame from a phone video
It was a look of panic on Rune's face, with my hand on his neck. The angle made it look intimate and possessive.
Caption:Who is this security guy and why is he always touching Rune???
Three thousand likes. Six hundred comments. Four minutes old.
Beside me, Rune stared out the window, his shoulders rigid. I reached out and touched his hand.
I pressed my palm over his knuckles. Steady pressure.
Rune's hand turned under mine, palm to palm. His fingers curled inward slightly.
We stayed like that. Connected. In full view of everyone.
Taemin saw it first. He said nothing. He returned to looking out of his window.
Minjae noticed next. He raised his head to look at me, and then he turned toward Jinwoo.
Jinwoo was already watching. He leaned forward and said something quietly in Korean to Kang.
They all saw it. No one said anything.
