“Yewon..” Eunbi exhaled nervously. Both of them remained in her car, staring off at the increasing crowd that filled the night market. Saying Eunbi was nervous was an understatement. Though she always hid it to herself, being surrounded by so many strangers worried her. “I don’t know about this. Can we go somewhere else?”

Yewon glanced over at her boss, taking in the way her stature weakened. Working with Eunbi for the past few months, this new image of her superior surprised her. Yewon was used to her demands, wants, and on time needs. What made the situation different now?

“Well,” the assistant pursed her lips. “I feel like this is a great way for you to get comfortable with the public. Plus you’re with me, Miss Hwang. I’m not going to ditch you. You are my ride after all.”

The younger woman tried to ease Eunbi’s worry with a small joke, but it didn’t work. She was still frozen in the driver’s seat, anxiously overlooking the continuous crowd. 

“Alright,” Yewon continued. “How about we spend fifteen minutes here, and if you still don’t like it, we can leave. Deal?”

Eunbi grasped her steering wheel tightly. She wanted to drive away from the commotion, but somehow, she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Yewon. The last thing she wanted was to appear weak in front of her assistant. “Alright,” she nodded. “It’s a deal.”

Both stepped out of her car, quickly locking the vehicle with the automated remote. Yewon took longer strides due to excitement, but was suddenly yanked back to her boss’s side. 

“What’re you doing?!” Eunbi panicked, her grip on the other’s forearm tight. “You said you weren’t going to leave me!”

“I’m not!” Yewon furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “I’m right here, boss. I’m not going anywhere.”

Her words calmed Eunbi’s nerves yet sped up the pace of her heart at the same time. A pink tinge rose to her cheeks and slipped her hand from Yewon’s forearm back to her side. 

“Sorry,” Eunbi cleared , gently rubbing the back of her neck. “Let’s go?”

Eunbi followed behind Yewon closely. Yewon swore she could feel her boss’s breath against her neck, but she didn’t mind. The environment was completely new to her and she wanted to make her feel comfortable as possible. 

As they continued walking, the crowd got bigger and even tighter. Personal space was out of the question at this point and because of fear, Eunbi grabbed a hold of Yewon’s hand. Yewon reached back now, making sure that Eunbi could reach her properly. Soft squeezes were exchanged every now and then to reassure her boss that they were okay and that she was looking out for her. 

“Here we are,” Yewon smiled, picking a food stall that had open seating. “This is my favorite place to eat.”

“What is all this?” Eunbi questioned, her nose slightly scrunched up at the smell and sight. Before her were rice cakes bathing in a red pepper sauce, blood sausages steaming in the open air, and rice rolls with imitation crab being made fresh per order. “I’ve never seen this before.”

“You’re joking!” Yewon laughed, settling down on one of the red plastic stools. “You’ve lived in Seoul and you’ve never had any of th