Ch. 20
Borrowed Youth (Part 2)
By the time the sun started dipping low, Selene had officially tried every game in the amusement park. From shooting booths to Mini basketball, then Ring toss. And she also tried the famous Carousel. Even that weird fishing game with the magnetic rods.
She wasn't sure if she was chasing joy or just her second childhood but either way, it worked. Her hands were full of random prizes: a tiny plush bear, a neon keychain, and a paper crown that a little girl had insisted she wear after "Miss Pretty" won the balloon pop game.
"Honestly," she muttered, biting into a stick of cotton candy,
"I make such a convincing teenager. If transmigration gave awards, I'd win best actress."
Her phone was silent which, in itself, was suspicious.
She checked her pockets.
Nothing.
"Oh right," she realized, blinking. "I left it at home."
A pause.
Then she grinned.
"No calls. No texts. No lectures from Mother about something or Father about my 'future responsibilities."
She stretched her arms wide dramatically.
"Freedom looks so good on me."
She slumped onto a nearby bench, kicking off her shoes slightly and sighing with deep satisfaction.
"I should do this more often," she said, mouth full of cotton candy.
"Hide my phone and pretend I was kidnapped. Wait— no, that's probably too dramatic."
When the sky finally shifted from gold to pink, she stood and dusted herself off.
"Alright, time to go home," she announced cheerfully.
Then stopped.
"...Right. Home?"
She blinked once, then twice.
The world around her suddenly felt bigger streets stretching farther than she remembered, crowds moving in directions that didn't look familiar.
Her confident smile faltered.
"Oh, come on. How hard can this be?" she muttered, adjusting her bag.
"I've survived corporate takeovers. I can survive... walking."
But the more she walked, the more the streets blurred into one another cafés, boutiques, and intersections that definitely didn't exist in Seoul.
"Okay, maybe I can't."
She groaned softly, hands on her hips.
"Note to self: transmigration doesn't include Google Maps."
Still, she refused to panic.
Instead, she straightened her shoulders, flipped her hair, and said firmly to no one in particular.
"When in doubt, act confident. People never question a lost rich girl who looks like she knows what she's doing."
So she walked.
Calmly. Elegantly.
Totally lost but looking fabulous.
Cars passed, lights flickered on, and somewhere in the distance, the hum of the city felt alive unfamiliar, but exciting.
Yuna chuckled under her breath.
"At least I'm not crying in a boardroom this time. I call that, progress."
The streets glowed with the fading light of dusk, painting everything in shades of gold and violet. Selene clutched her bag tighter, still holding the prizes in her arms and squint at the unfamiliar street signs.
"So much for trusting my gut," she muttered under her breath.
"Congratulations, Yuna lost in your own city. Perfect."
She turned another corner, only to realize she'd walked past the same café for the third time.
Ugh! Perfect.
Just perfect.
I'm lost!
Then, the soft hum of an engine broke her momentum. A sleek black car slowed beside her, windows rolling down.
And there she saw him.
Jaxen.
His hair slightly tousled, shirt sleeves rolled up, one hand on the wheel he looked effortlessly composed, the type of man who could sell calm itself.
"Selene?" His deep voice carried that same polite edge she remembered from dinner.
"What are you doing walking around here alone?"
She blinked, forcing a casual shrug.
"Sightseeing."
"At night?" His lips curved into a small smirk.
"In a neighborhood you clearly don't recognize?"
"Maybe, I like adventure."
"Or maybe you're lost," he said smoothly.
"Get in. I'll take you home."
Selene's instincts screamed no.
Because if her memory of "Love's Illusion" served her right, she reminded herself that Jaxen Montclair was someone she needed to watch out for.
With caution!
"No, thank you," she said firmly, stepping back.
"Strangers and dark cars don't exactly scream safe."
Jaxen chuckled, resting his arm on the window.
"I think our families dining together last night makes us slightly less than strangers."
"Still not enough," she replied quickly, crossing her arms.
He tilted his head, amused.
"You're a hard one to convince, Miss Valen."
"You don't have to convince me, Mr. Montclair."
For a moment, silence settled between them—the kind that buzzed with tension and curiosity. Then Jaxen's grin deepened, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Alright then. I'll just follow behind to make sure the adventurer Selene, doesn't get lost again."
Her jaw dropped.
"You're what? No, I'm not lost—"
But he was already driving slowly beside her, headlights cutting through the dark, that infuriatingly calm smile still in place. Jaxen's car rolled along the curb, keeping pace with Selene's stubborn march down the sidewalk.
She refused to look at him.
He, on the other hand, looked way too entertained by her determination to ignore him.
"Are you planning to walk until sunrise?" he called out lightly through the open window.
"Maybe," she said flatly.
"Interesting plan. Should I take notes?"
Selene glared at him, then looked away again.
"Don't you have work things to do? Like running a company instead of stalking a lost girl?"
He only smiled, his tone infuriatingly calm.
"Ah, so you admit it. You're really lost? Well, Selene.. consider it my community service."
Before she could fire back, a sudden blare of sirens startled them both. A patrol car pulled up behind Jaxen's, red-and-blue lights flashing.
"Sir! Pull over!" one of the officers called through a megaphone.
Selene froze.
"Oh, no," she muttered. "You've got to be kidding me."
Jaxen raised both hands slightly, looking amused rather than alarmed. He obediently parked the car and stepped out, his composure as smooth as ever.
"Good evening, officers," he greeted politely, tone crisp and low.
"We received a report of a suspicious vehicle following a young woman," one officer said.
"Is this true?"
Selene's eyes widened.
"Wait, no! It's not like that well, technically it is, but—" she stammered.
Jaxen didn't even flinch.
"My apologies," he said calmly.
"I was ensuring she got home safely. She, however, declined my offer."
One officer raised a brow.
"Miss, do you know him?"
Selene sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Jaxen glanced at her, clearly holding back laughter.
"Unfortunately? That's harsh."
The officer exhaled, trying not to smile.
"So... you two having a fight or something?"
Selene's jaw dropped. "What— no!"
But the officer nodded knowingly, turning to Jaxen.
"She told you to leave her alone, huh? Man, you gotta listen when your girlfriend says no."
Jaxen blinked once, then gave the faintest amused smile.
"Ah. I see how this looks."
"Girlfriend?!" Selene spluttered, her face heating up.
"We are not—"
"Miss, it's alright," the other officer interrupted with a grin.
"Lovers' quarrel happens all the time. Just... maybe don't have it in the middle of the road next time, yeah?"
Jaxen chuckled under his breath, completely calm.
"Noted, officer. I'll make sure our next argument is in private."
Selene looked like she might combust.
"There will not be a next argument!"
The officers exchanged amused glances, clearly entertained.
"Right, right. Have a good evening, lovebirds."
As the patrol car finally drove off, Selene spun toward Jaxen, fuming.
"Lovebirds?! You just let them—ugh!"
He shrugged, far too relaxed for her liking.
"I didn't want to argue with the law. Besides, we made quite the impression."
"An impression of a crazy couple, maybe!" she snapped.
"At least they didn't arrest me."
Selene groaned, running a hand down her face.
"That is humiliating."
In my 28 years of my life, I had never been humiliated like this!
"Now, do I get to drive you home without being arrested, or are you planning to get lost again?"
She opened her mouth to retort but the sharp sting in her ankle made her wince.
"Ouch—damn it."
"You're hurt." Jaxen's brow furrowed immediately.
"No, I'm fine—"
But her next step made her stumble, and he caught her effortlessly, one arm around her waist.
"Fine, huh?" His voice was soft but teasing.
"Looks like you're out of options, Miss Valen."
Selene groaned, glaring at him but too tired to fight.
"Fine. But you're not allowed to talk the whole ride."
"Deal," he said with a grin, helping her into the car.
As the car door shut and the city lights blurred past the window, Selene sighed, finally leaning back.
What a day.
Lost, accused of being in a lovers' spat and now sitting beside the man who might just ruin the rest of her sanity. Jaxen glanced at her from the driver's seat, that faint, unreadable smirk still there.
And Selene couldn't help but think that fate really had a twisted sense of humor.