A massive movie poster loomed over the cinema's entrance, its grotesque imagery so terrifying it would make anyone's hair stand on end. Yet this monstrous artwork only drew more people in, their feet moving toward the theater rather than away from it. ~~.~~

Song Jia was in a cheerful mood, buying another bucket of popcorn before entering the screening room and strolling into the cinema with her usual bright smile.

The black screen cast an eerie shadow as horror scenes intensified with every passing moment. Qian Fen felt a sharp pain in his arm - Song Jia's previously excited fingers were now gripping his bicep like white-knuckled vices.

A monstrous face suddenly exploded across the silver screen, triggering a cacophony of shrieks that instantly froze the air. Even hardened men found their hair standing on end in unison.

Qian Fen's training hadn't just focused on technical skills and psychology lessons from his gunmaster. The brutal visual conditioning sessions designed to maintain perfect stability under any circumstances were far more grueling than this cinematic horror show.

He placed a hand on Song Jia's back, gently patting her with a mix of comfort and bemused exasperation. A four-star combatant - possibly even five-star level - reduced to a shivering mess by a horror movie?

Soon he noticed the tremors had ceased entirely. Her heartbeat and breathing returned to normal rhythms yet she remained glued against his chest like it was the last vestige of safety in an apocalyptic world. When the film's second half began, Song Jia spent those remaining minutes pressed against Qian Fen's torso until they emerged into the night air.

Her flushed cheeks revealed no trace of lingering fear as she pouted with renewed indignation: "You deliberately chose such a scary movie to spite me, didn't you? Though I suppose it was satisfying watching your calm composure through all that."

Qian Fen chuckled at her typical theatrics. He'd anticipated the coming line just as surely as he had every other predictable quirk of Song Jia's behavior pattern.

"But now you must take me shopping for compensation," she declared.

"Of course," Qian Fen conceded, recognizing the logic in her demand. Even hardened men had screamed during that final act - the theater's warning about heart conditions suddenly made perfect sense.

As they wandered through Seoul's bustling night market, Qian Fen observed Song Jia navigating the maze with practiced ease. This wasn't mere familiarity - she'd clearly planned this encounter down to its last detail, from her meticulously chosen outfit to memorizing these very streets.

The crowded street was lined with makeshift stalls hawking everything from household goods to delicate trinkets. The moment they entered, Song Jia's eyes glittered with the same universal light of female determination that could reduce even multi-millionaires to weeping heaps on the pavement.

"Does this look nice?"

"It looks nice."

"How about this one?"

"That's nice too."

Despite her refined taste in jewelry and perfect fit for every piece, Song Jia made no move toward purchase. Qian Fen quickly recognized the pattern - each time she paused to admire something, it was another calculated exercise in financial restraint that only a true daughter of privilege could master so effortlessly.

"This one's special," she finally declared, holding up an elaborately crafted silver pendant under the neon lights. The reflection danced across her face as Qian Fen found himself momentarily stunned by its beauty. "What do you think?"

"Very nice."

"As I thought..." She paused mid-sentence when their eyes met, then abruptly dropped the necklace like it was suddenly flawed in some imperceptible way. "Not bad... but the craftsmanship could be improved. Let's see what else we can find..."

The vendor, captivated by her beauty, barely registered her words as she moved on. Qian Fen followed, now understanding - 350 dollars for a street market trinket was absurdly overpriced even in this tourist trap. Song Jia had been testing his judgment again through subtle acts of fiscal prudence.

"Let me check the restroom at McDonald's," Qian Fen announced when they reached another stall. "Wait here."

"Be quick," she smiled, already beginning to hum a tune as if nothing had happened earlier that night. "Don't forget your bodyguard duties with all these people around."

He wove through the crowd and returned just in time for Song Jia to present him with a delicate silver bracelet priced at three dollars - an exact midpoint between the most expensive and cheapest items on this particular stall, another masterclass in budget-conscious consumerism.

"I'll buy it," Qian Fen said, reaching into his pocket before she could protest.

"Thank you," Song Jia beamed as the chain glimmered against her pale skin. The light caught between jewelry and flesh like liquid moonlight as she turned her wrist to admire it.

The street's two-hour shopping expedition ended in silence, broken only by the distant chime of a clock tower marking ten strikes. "Time really flies," Song Jia murmured, leaning against Qian Fen with an affectionate weight that required no further explanation.

"Indeed."

"You need to be well-rested for mission work tomorrow."

"Of course."

"So I can't selfishly keep you..." Her voice trailed off as she lifted her chin. "Though tonight was... satisfactory."

"I'll walk you back to your hotel," Qian Fen offered.

"Good," Song Jia accepted without hesitation, relocking their arms as they continued down the desolate street.

"A quick question," Qian Fen said suddenly.

"What is it?"

He produced a silver chain from his pocket - not the one they had just discarded for being too expensive, but another with identical craftsmanship and design. "I thought about getting you something when I arrived in Hanju... Here."

Song Jia's eyes widened as if seeing the necklace for the first time rather than merely passing by it earlier. This wasn't just fine jewelry - this was her favorite piece among all the thousands of baubles she'd received over the years, including those priced at tens of thousands that failed to elicit so much as a flicker of emotion from the woman who had reached Lin Liqiang's legendary status of emotional neutrality when it came to luxury goods.

The realization struck her with such force she felt momentarily breathless - he hadn't forgotten despite the price, and worse still, he'd secretly gone back and purchased it for her regardless!

Qian Fen coughed awkwardly at the sudden shift in atmosphere as Song Jia stared at him with a sweetness so intense it defied description. "Shall I put it on you?" he asked when she showed no sign of movement despite her usual assertive posture dissolving into something far more vulnerable.

"Y-yes please..." The once-commanding voice now trembled like wind chimes as the queenly demeanor gave way to a rare, girlish fragility.

His gunner's hands had never shaken through hundreds of high-stress operations yet they faltered now with every attempt to fasten the clasp behind her neck. The distance between them narrowed imperceptibly until Song Jia took an involuntary step forward that turned their intimate moment into something charged and unspoken.

Click.

The chain secured itself around her throat just as Qian Fen's arms tightened instinctively, his breath catching at how the moonlight refracted through the necklace against her skin. He bent closer without realizing it until his lips were mere centimeters from hers - a motion driven purely by some primal force beyond reason or strategy.

Song Jia felt her heartbeat hammering in her chest like a trapped bird as he moved impossibly close, his warm breath brushing across her cheek with an intensity that made every nerve end tingle. Her mind was already blanking against its will when their lips finally met - first gently, then more firmly as the kiss deepened into something electric and inevitable.

Her hands pressed against his chest in a silent question she never voiced aloud while his arms tightened around her waist until they were both breathless from the contact. The kiss broke only to rebegin moments later as if neither could bear even an inch of separation, their first kisses evolving from hesitant exploration into something raw and instinctual as tongues entwined in that primal dance all lovers eventually share.

"Seems you're not entirely composed either," Song Jia murmured finally when the kiss subsided for good this time. She leaned against him as they walked, her usual authoritative tone now softened by the glow of stolen affection.

"Perhaps Lin Liqiang's influence is stronger than I realized," Qian Fen muttered, shaking his head at the absurdity of what had just occurred. "First time being this... impulsive."

Song Jia laughed softly, raising a small fist in playful warning. "Only for me from now on - otherwise..." She didn't need to finish as Qian Fen pressed another kiss to her forehead without a word, his actions already speaking louder than any vow could express.

The night air carried the scent of distant street food and possibility as their shadows merged into one fluid silhouette under Seoul's neon glow.