Chapter 7: Sauna Plans and Sudden Escapes
The next morning in the penthouse felt like waking up after a battle. Pale morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the white marble look even colder than the night before.
Min-ho stood alone in the kitchen, staring at his tailored shirt draped over a chair. The red wine stain had dried into a deep, dark mark—a permanent monument to the moment the world had stood still before Mr. Kim had crashed into their fate with his stain remover. He could still feel the weight of Clara's fingers on his chest. It was a phantom pain that had kept him awake all night.
When Clara and Lukas came downstairs, the air was instantly electric again. Clara wore her professional mask as if it were glued to her face, avoiding any eye contact with Min-ho. Lukas, despite a murderous hangover, looked like he had just stepped off a photoshoot. His "romance radar" was buzzing louder than the high-tech espresso machine.
Mr. Kim appeared, tablet in hand, looking torn between guilt and business zeal. He cleared his throat and asked Min-ho for a private word in the library.
Lukas seized the moment. He flopped onto the white sofa and patted the seat next to him. "Clara, darling... come here," he whispered. "My head is killing me, but my heart sees everything. That Min-ho... he was looking at you like you're the last bottle of water in the Sahara. And you? You looked like you forgot how to breathe. Explain. Now."
Clara slumped onto the sofa, her facade crumbling. "It's complicated, Lukas. He's the man from the elevator. From back then. He's the 'Panic-Attack-Kiss-Man'."
Lukas's eyes widened so far he winced from his headache. "WHAT?! The Kissing Man? Oh, the house isn't just sparking, it's on fire! This is destiny, Clara! A real-life K-Drama! But why the hide-and-seek? Just tell him you're Ariadne. Sign the contracts, fall in love, and make pretty babies."
Clara buried her face in her hands. "I can't. He's obsessed with the author for the sake of his company. But he loves the woman from the elevator for his heart. If I tell him I'm both, he'll think I manipulated him. He'll think the elevator moment was a calculated move to trap him. He'll hate me, Lukas."
Lukas glanced at Mr. Kim in the other room. "Or he'll love you more because you're a goddess with a pen. But hey, if you mess it up, at least let me take the assistant to Berlin. Did you see how neatly Mr. Kim folded those napkins? That kind of order makes me weak. I'd love to meet him in a sauna—without that stiff tie and that nervous tablet."
Min-ho and Mr. Kim returned. Min-ho ignored Lukas and walked straight to Clara. His aura was so intense the air seemed to grow thick.
"Ji-soo," he began, his voice deep and steady. "I didn't sleep at all. I don't want to talk about contracts or Ariadne anymore. I want to talk about us. Ariadne is just a name on paper. You are the reality."
Clara swallowed hard. The lie felt like a silk rope tightening around her throat. She was about to confess everything when Mr. Kim's tablet let out a hysterical beep.
"Boss! I have a lead!" he cried, thrusting the screen toward Min-ho. "An informant saw Ariadne in a café! He took a photo from behind... she has the same hair color as your assistant! He says they look remarkably alike!"
Panic surged through Clara like liquid ice. She had to get out. Now. "I... I have to travel!" she blurted out, nearly knocking over Lukas's coffee. "Ariadne just emailed me. An encrypted message! She's in Paris! She has writer's block and needs me there immediately. I have to catch the next flight!"
Min-ho narrowed his eyes. "Paris? Right now? Without warning?"
Lukas saw his chance to save Clara—and to put his "sauna plan" with Mr. Kim into action. He stood up, stretching like a cat. "Let her go, Big Boss. When a woman has to save an eccentric author in Paris, you don't stop her. But us? We should relax. How about a trip to a traditional spa? A sauna afternoon? Just the men? Some 'man-talk' and relaxation?"
Lukas gave Mr. Kim a look so full of promise that the poor assistant nearly tripped over his own feet.
Min-ho looked from the frantic Clara to Lukas. He was suspicious, but the prospect of getting Lukas to reveal Ji-soo's true feelings under the influence of heat and steam made him agree.
"Fine," Min-ho said slowly, looking deep into Clara's eyes. "Let's go to the sauna. But I'm warning you, Mr. 'Darling'—if you start crying about plants again, I'll throw you out myself."
Lukas grinned. "Don't worry, Boss. Today, I'll only be crying tears of joy."