Under Dn''s watchful eyes, a slender figure approached from the distance. In a world nketed with white, the red in her hand stood out vividly.


    ra climbed into the car, brushing the snowkes from her hair. She closed the door and casually handed him the sprig of holly she had broken off.


    Dn didn''t immediately ept it. Instead, he examined the lingering snowkes on its leaves.


    ra, thinking he might be bothered by the cold, started to shake off the snow when he asked, "What if this tree belongs to someone?"


    Without a second thought, she replied, "Well, if I picked it for you, then you''re its owner now."


    Dn was about to reach for it, but as her words sank in, his hand clenched involuntarily, the veins on his hand bing prominent.


    Noticing his sudden change in demeanor, ra quickly asked, "What''s wrong?"


    He nodded slightly, took the holly, and with a soft "Thank you," his mood seemed to lighten visibly.


    Relieved, ra moved to the front seat and started the engine, fearing that this unpredictable man might next ask for a snowman. As the car purred to life, she caught a whiff of holly from the back seat.


    "Mr. Dn, do you like holly? It''s quite unique. Most people only notice the white in winter, but who would expect such vivid red underneath, like..." She trailed off, sensing that she was verging on saying something inappropriate. Dn himself was a bit like winter-aloof on the surface, yet surprisingly soft beneath it all.


    "I do like it. No one''s ever given me any before," he said, his tone mellow, yet he seemed a bit more alive.


    ra was relieved she hadn''t brushed him off. He seemed better now, more himself.


    She grinned, pressing the gas pedal. "Aiden''s disappeared somewhere. Once we get a signal, we should call the New York office to send a helicopter. The roads are blocked, and we can''t stay here. You''re still running a fever, and I can''t just leave you like this."


    "Are you worried about me?" he asked, his voice carrying an odd note.


    ra''s smile faltered. Something about Dn felt off. Wasn''t it natural to worry about him? They were in this together, after all—she couldn''t let anything happen to him.


    "Of course, Mr. Dn, you were kind enough to bring me here. I can''t let anything happen to you."


    She suddenly realized that this trip had been for nothing. Hands tightening on the steering wheel, she said, "That ce was just a ruin. If you''d told us earlier, we wouldn''t have let you drag yourself here while sick."


    Dn brought the holly to his nose, smiling slightly. "I didn''t know."


    Caught off guard, ra was momentarily speechless. Sometimes, ignorance isn''t


    a crime. Perhaps Dn had stumbled upon it once and never returned.


    She nced in the rearview mirror, catching his gaze. He looked down at the holly, swaying it lightly, seemingly content. "Is there something you want to say?" he asked.


    ra forced a smile. "I found a pit near the ruins. I once talked about it with my boyfriend. We got trapped there as kids, and some things happened. I think I mentioned giving him holly?" The thought hade too quickly. She wasn''t even sure it was real. She''d have to check with Z when they got back.


    Dn closed his eyes, his Adam''s apple bobbing gently. "Not many people like this flower, so your boyfriend must have good taste."


    ra nced at him, amused. "Mr. Dn, are youplimenting yourself indirectly?"


    Dn''s grip on the holly tightened briefly, almost breaking it before he rxed his hand again.


    Realizing her words might have been misunderstood, ra quickly added, "Because you like this flower too, you and my boyfriend both have good taste."


    Dn lowered his head, his fingers gently touching the petals. "Then you should stay with him."


    ra fell silent, focusing on driving. After several miles, they finally got a phone signal. She had Dn contact the New York office, and they settled in to wait.


    The car was warm, and outside, snow continued to fall. If they weren''t stuck, it would''ve been a beautiful scene.


    The team from New York arrived swiftly, their helicopter touching down within two hours.


    As ra and Dn boarded, she wondered what this trip had been for. She looked down to see the holly slipping from Dn''s grip as the helicopter ascended. In his rush to catch it, he scratched his hand, leaving a red mark.


    Startled, ra grabbed his hand. "You''re burning up with fever. If the flower falls, let it go. Why risk it?"


    But as she spoke, she watched the holly fall, its vivid red stark against the white snow below.


    Dn remained silent, showing no emotion, but ra felt inexplicably guilty, as if his heart had fallen with it.


    She longed to see the happy Dn from the car. Taking a deep breath, she asked the pilot, "I''m sorry, but I left something important in the car. Can wend for a moment?"


    The pilotplied, descending slowly.


    fall.


    ra jumped out, retrieved the holly from the soft, fresh snow, still intact from its


    Climbing back in, she ced it before Dn and smiled. "Mr. Dn, don''t be upset. I know you like it, so I got it back for you."


    Dn pressed his lips together, his eyes lingering on her smiling face before turning away. He epted the holly mechanically, staring out the window in silence.


    ra wasn''t sure which nerve her words had touched, so she chose to stay quiet as well.