Isabelle's heart skipped a beat, taking her aback, and she blinked. But that surprise turned into something distasteful as she frowned, halting in her steps.
"I can handle my own hair, thank you."
Elias blinked once, as if realizing what he'd done, and he stopped walking as well.
He didn't even realize what he had done.
"My apologies. Force of habit." He claimed and her brows furrowed.
"Habit?" she frowned, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I mean… taking care of what I consider valuable," he said with a calm tone that somehow had a way of pricking her skin.
They just signed the contract but he was already acting like a different person. His cold and indifferent demeanour was still there but there was something else... Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Was it because her found her more trustworthy after exposing his secret than he was beginning to act like they had something together?
If so then she wished to keep her distance.
The last thing she wanted was him acting as if they were friends.
"You really need to stop saying things that can be misunderstood, Mister Yoon," she said as she began walking again, and he followed.
"Perhaps," he murmured. "But I rarely speak by mistake."
She stopped. What was that supposed to mean?
They finally reached the car. He walked ahead to open the passenger door, but Isabelle didn't get in immediately. She studied him, noticing how his features softened slightly outside the usual rigid and unreadable coldness he carried on his face.
It made her wonder.
"That brooch... is it the reason why you always act this… composed?" she suddenly asked, crossing her arms and letting out her frustration. "I feel like you should at least have a melting point."
She was frustrated that, unlike her, who had to pretend to be calm all the time and not let her guard down, lest she show her true character, he had it easy.
His brooch suppressed any form of excitement and made him emotionally numb, to the point that he could act like an indifferent and cold boss for as long as he wanted to without breaking out of character.
"And if that's the point, I wonder..." She spoke, her eyes lingering on the rim of his glasses and then down to his jawline. 'Does he have a single normal personality?'
Well, she did not want to think too much about his personality, given that he likely had a bunch, as she had seen before. And she could only see them once he took off the brooch and was flustered or agitated.
'Ah, it's none of my business, but I just get annoyed at the thought,' she felt and shook her head. "Never mind." She said and got into the car, giving him no room to explain before dismissing it all.
Though Isabelle had dismissed it, she failed to understand that she had already sent forth her concern towards Elias.
So, how could he not address it?
He stared at her, not closing the door yet and she turned to him.
"What?"
"Are you curious?"
"Not anymore."
"Then, did you get your answer?"
She paused.
Of course, she didn't get her answer, but she didn't want to bother herself with it either.
It's not like she needed to understand him better for their cooperation to be a success.
But if he planned to explain either way, she guessed it wasn't so bad either.
After all, she wasn't the one spilling all her secrets, so she wasn't on the losing end.
"No, I did not." She answered, subtly clutching her bag.
Elias's eyes drifted to her single grip and then back to her face.
"I'll get in the car." He simply said and shut her door before walking around to get in the driver's seat. "Please put on your seatbelt."
Please?
Isabelle felt he was being polite, despite the hard tone he used in speaking.
She did it regardless, but while she was trying to pull it down, it felt like the seatbelt was stuck. She tugged at it, scowling as if it felt embarrassing.
What would he think?
That she didn't know how to handle seatbelts?
"Need some help?" Elias asked but she shook her head.
"No, thank you. I've got this." But she couldn't seem to tug it down.
When was the last time she got into a car and had to put her seatbelt on?
She's been taking the bus, subway, and cabs for a long time, so she had forgotten about it a little.
Surely, it would slide down easily if she tugged softly, but it still didn't work.
'This is embarrassing,' she thought, noticing how Elias' gaze did not leave her.
"Are you sure?" Elias asked and she sighed, giving up.
"It's stuck." She said and Elias, staring at the side of her face, realized she couldn't bring herself to ask for help or look at him in this situation.
It was a bit... Cute?
He didn't know if to call a grown woman struggling to pull down her seatbelt cute but it almost made him want to smile.
And the thing is... He's never had the urge to smile whenever he had his brooch on.
This... Was new.
"I'll help you." He said, taking off his own seatbelt and leaning in to help with hers.
His body barely brushed against hers and his hand landed on her shoulder, as if trying to keep her steady.
For a moment, Isabelle forgot how to breathe. Why? Because the scent of his cologne was getting to her head.
She had smelled it from afar before.
The smooth, expensive mix of amber and cedarwood, which made him seem unapproachable, was so close to her nose right now. Not that it was suffocating, but rather, it was quite addictive to sniff in.
What cologne did he use, exactly? She wondered but she could not open her mouth to speak of this.
Instead, she shut her eyes, feeling his grip on her shoulder, and clenched her bag.
Elias glanced at Isabelle through the corner of his eyes as he tried to fasten her seatbelt.
And once again, he wondered if it was all right to consider a fully grown woman nearing her 30s to be... cute.
It was interesting.