Peggy's Apartment
"Who am I?"
"Where am I?"
"What am I doing?"
Adam was trapped in a moment of existential crisis.
When his dazed eyes finally refocused, they locked onto a pair of long eyelashes, so close they were almost poking his eyes. Beneath those lashes were bright, mischievous eyes filled with an alluring smirk.
"Holy shit!"
Adam finally snapped back to reality—he was wall slammed...
"What are you staring at?"
"I'm staring at you. So what?"
"Try staring one more time!"
For a brief moment, Adam and Peggy seemed to enter the realm of telepathic communication, just like Lily and Matthew.
"Are you sure?"
"Quit pretending to be innocent. Sure about what? If you really didn't want this, wouldn't you be asking for my birthday to make sure I'm of age? Or just pushing me away outright?"
"June 25th. You're of age."
"Heh! How do you remember so clearly?"
"We're friends."
"You remember all your friends' birthdays?"
"..."
What else was there to say?
Nothing.
No more talking.
Not even with their eyes.
---
Downstairs
Leonard stood below, gazing expectantly at the third floor, waiting for Adam to bring good news.
Half an hour passed.
"No rush, no rush," Leonard muttered to himself.
An hour passed.
"Adam did say he hadn't seen Dr. Peggy Adler in seven years. Catching up, of course, takes time."
Leonard was very understanding.
Two hours passed.
As the crisp autumn wind blew, Leonard started to feel a chill.
"Dr. Peggy Adler needed Adam's help with something. He's probably busy. It's normal for it to take this long… He wouldn't forget that I'm waiting for him, right?"
Three hours passed.
The sun was now at its peak.
Still no sign of Adam.
Leonard, haunted by memories of being forced to play the cello by his mother, Beverly, found his mind replaying classic melodies—all of them tragic and sorrowful.
"Adam must have really forgotten I'm down here waiting... Also, what the hell is he doing up there for so long?"
Leonard pictured Adam's handsome face and Peggy's stunning beauty. His heart grew heavier.
"No way, no way, no way..."
Even as doubt crept in, Leonard remained rooted in place. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave—it was that he couldn't move. His whole body felt drained of energy.
By 2 PM, he had been waiting downstairs for five hours.
Still, no Adam.
Then, he spotted a short-haired girl carrying a large box, walking towards the apartment building.
"Excuse me, is this Dr. Peggy Adler's apartment?"
The short-haired girl scanned the building and noticed Leonard standing downstairs with his glasses. She approached him with a bright smile.
"Yes," Leonard's eyes lit up. "Are you delivering food for Dr. Adler? I can take it up for you!"
"Heh, no need."
The girl shook her head with a smile. "I can handle it myself."
"Oh."
Leonard was a little disappointed as he watched her carry the large box into the building.
---
Apartment 3A
Ding dong.
The short-haired girl rang the doorbell.
"Lisa, you're here."
A moment later, Adam opened the door halfway, leaning against the frame with a smile.
"Boss, here's the food you ordered."
Lisa handed him the large box, her expression slightly odd.
"Thanks, Lisa."
Adam took the food box, which was so large that he had to open the door a bit wider.
"Boss, do you need anything else?"
For a split second, Lisa caught a glimpse of the scene inside—
A girl was sitting at the desk, draped in Adam's jacket, furiously writing on a stack of papers. Her exposed side profile was so breathtaking that, even as a fellow woman, Lisa felt her heart skip a beat.
A beast!
This girl was clearly still a student, even rushing to finish homework for class tomorrow.
And Boss actually had the nerve…!
Could she be Dr. Peggy Adler's younger sister? Or her daughter?
"No, that's all. You can head back now."
Adam shook his head, gave her a quick dismissal, and shut the door.
Lisa, now overflowing with wild and unspeakable assumptions, went downstairs. Seeing Leonard still standing there, she filled in the blanks once more. Her gaze toward him turned sympathetic.
But she wasn't about to lose her cushy, well-paying job by gossiping about her boss's personal life.
Besides, with Adam's looks, status, and wealth—even his age—what he was doing wasn't all that shocking.
Maybe they were actually in love?
Perspective changes everything.
Lisa's initial discomfort faded as her mind twisted the situation into a romanticized version.
She still felt sympathy for Leonard, but now, it had a slightly different flavor.
---
Inside the Apartment
"Peggy, eat something?"
Adam walked over with the food box, speaking gently.
Peggy remained focused, furiously writing, not reacting at all.
Mathematical formulas flowed effortlessly from her pen. The complex calculations didn't even seem to require thought—she was like a human calculator.
"Peggy!"
Adam called her again.
"Don't bother me!"
Peggy didn't even look up, her delicate forehead furrowing slightly in concentration.
Adam immediately felt a pang in his chest. He hated seeing Peggy frown…
Who would have thought he'd ever be like this?
Adam chuckled bitterly, his mind flashing back to earlier events.
Peggy's sudden, soul-piercing questions had left him speechless.
In truth, if he really didn't want it, with his reflexes, there was no way Peggy could have caught him off guard.
He had just… gotten lost in her features.
Against someone as naturally alluring as Peggy, Adam had little resistance.
So he stopped pretending.
After all, she was an adult.
They were both grown-ups. If they felt a spark, acting on it was perfectly reasonable.
And so, Adam went all in.
That's right—he was the Drift King of Mount Akina!
A few hours should've been enough to teach Peggy a lesson.
But then—something completely unexpected happened.
Two hours into the battle, Peggy suddenly shoved him away. Without even acknowledging his frustration, she stumbled to the desk, grabbed a pen, and immediately started scribbling calculations.
She ignored him entirely.
Adam, left speechless, simply got up, draped his coat over her, and went to take a cold shower.
And she had not stopped writing since.
"Did I… inspire her?"
As he called his assistant's assistant, Lisa, to order some iron-rich food, his thoughts spiraled.
Muses inspire artists… Does that make me Adam, the Muse of Genius?
Adam found himself in an unfamiliar, complicated state of emotion.
He knew he shouldn't be feeling this way—it went against his principles, and he was probably just overthinking things.
But still, he let the feeling linger.
Just for a moment.
Watching the scene before him, so picturesque and serene, Adam's lips curled into a faint smile.
---