< Chapter 21 >

If you have any sense at all, just play along this once.

Haewon looked at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, completely dumbfounded. His blank face said everything about how shocking her words had been.

“Let him go.”

Taking advantage of his frozen state, she reached up and pulled his hand away from the man’s face. It came off easily, like a loose sticker.

“If you crush another guy’s face again, you’re really going to end up in jail this time.”

“What?”

The man stumbled back, glaring warily at Haewon. And just like that, Seok Haewon officially became a man who lived without thinking about tomorrow.

“Let’s go inside. D-darling.”

Clutching his sleeve with her fingers, Seori led him toward the villa entrance.

If it looked like they lived together, maybe that annoying man would finally give up.

To her surprise, Haewon followed quietly, without a word of resistance.

Beep, beep. Click.

As soon as they stepped inside, Seori closed the door and pressed her finger to her lips.

“Shh, wait a second.”

She pressed her ear to the door and stood still for a few minutes. She was worried the man might follow, but there was no sound.

When she finally pulled back, the motion sensor light flicked on with a soft click, filling the narrow entryway with light. Her eyes met Haewon’s as he stared down at her in silence.

“…”

Too close.

Even stepping back a little, she could still feel his presence right in front of her. The entryway was too narrow to hold a man as tall and broad as Seok Haewon without the air tightening around them.

The instant she became aware of his nearness, a voice from the night before echoed in her head.

‘Guess I’ll give your phone back tomorrow.’

So he really came looking for her, just like he said. She couldn’t help but feel a different kind of suspicion now.

“Why are you here?”

A few seconds passed, and he still didn’t answer. His spirit seemed to have left his body entirely from shock.

His unfocused eyes drifted to her hand still clutching the edge of his coat.

When she was a dog, she touched him all the time without hesitation, but now her fingertips felt stiff and unnatural.

Just as she started to pull away, Haewon reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“You brought me in.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then say it.”

“Say what?”

“What you’re hiding.”

Seori stiffened. She couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Hiding? I’m not hiding anything.”

“Why did you meet Otaku Deokmi?”

Thud.

Her heart skipped a beat, but she managed to keep her face calm.

Had he followed her from the café?

How much of that conversation had he overheard?

Questions piled up, but asking them might only make her look guiltier.

All she could do was deflect.

“It’s not Otaku Deokmi, it’s Lim Deokmi.”

“Whatever.”

“There’s nothing suspicious about talking to a classmate.”

He twisted his lips as if he were hearing the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“You?”

So what if her social life was a disaster.

He was right, but she refused to admit it out loud.

“Kim Seori, you’ve been doing things you normally wouldn’t. Lately. Constantly.”

“…”

“Is it because of that guy you said you kissed?”

That again. So that was it. He thought she was talking about someone else. Half irritated and half exasperated, she replied casually.

“I don’t have any stories that would boost your dopamine. It was just drunk talk.”

A bored dopamine addict like him didn’t need any of her attention.

“You sure sound specific for drunk talk.”

“You’d be better off writing one more line of your report than wasting time on weird men like that.”

“Hmm.”

He hummed thoughtfully. Maybe her explanation sounded somewhat believable this time. Seori quickly pressed the advantage.

“If I was the type to get swayed by guys, they wouldn’t have called me a nun back in high school.”

The nickname that had followed her for years slipped right out.

“So you knew about that nickname.”

“Of course I did. People called me Monk Kim behind my back.”

Haewon suddenly buried his face in one hand, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

When he finally looked up again, there was something softer in his expression.

“Then what are you hiding, Miss Monk Kim?”

Her wrist, still caught in his grip, felt hot. Her gaze rose slowly to his face.

Normally, she would’ve been on guard under that kind of questioning. But right now, she wasn’t.

Maybe because the line between how she saw him as Haewon and how she saw him as a dog was starting to blur.

“If I tell you…”

She knew she shouldn’t. It was obvious he was only curious, nothing more.

But still, her lips moved on their own.

“Would you be willing to get involved?”

He didn’t answer right away. The silence stretched, awkward and heavy, until suddenly he leaned down, closing the distance between them.

“Maybe I already am, considering what we are.”

His mouth curved into a mischievous smile.

“Darling.”

Darling.

The word hit her like a lightning strike. Her scalp prickled, and her heart skipped. The small entryway felt suffocating, filled with his familiar scent.

She was about to push him away when her gaze caught on the paper bag sitting near the door.

It was the one she had packed with the clothes he’d worn when she turned human again.

She had kept it ready, thinking she might have a chance to return it unnoticed.

‘Why did I have to be so diligent?’

Her teeth dug into her lip. She swallowed her regret and subtly shifted her body to block his view of the bag.

“Enough joking around. Let’s talk later.”

“Fine by me.”

His casual tone came from behind her.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief, until a shadow fell across her.

The weight of him leaned close from behind, and his voice brushed against her ear.

“If you show me what you’re hiding…”

Chills ran down her spine.

She reflexively snatched up the paper bag and hugged it to her chest. She couldn’t let him see it. Not this.

“It’s personal.”

Haewon straightened up slowly, his voice teasing.

“If that’s what you claim, you should work on hiding the panic on your face.”

“It’s none of your business, so just— ah!”

In the cramped space, she lost her balance. Her heel caught the door frame, and her body tilted backward.

Thud.

The sound was loud, but the pain never came.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Haewon’s face hovering above hers. His arm was braced under her head and neck, the other on the floor, softening the fall.

“Are you—”

“My arm’s about to fall off. You’re heavy.”

At least he was talking. That was a good sign.

Relieved, she lifted her head but froze when their eyes met.

His dark gaze blinked once, slow and heavy.

His arm was still cradling her head, and every place their bodies touched felt too hot, too solid. Even though she was technically on top of him, she couldn’t move a single muscle.

“…”

Her stiff reflection stared back at her from his dark eyes.

The only sound was the shallow rhythm of their breathing. Her toes curled unconsciously.

Then a soft rustle broke the silence.

‘Oh no.’

She suddenly remembered the paper bag in her arms and hugged it tighter, curling her body protectively around it.

Haewon let out a low sigh, something between exasperation and amusement.

“Now’s not the time to worry about that.”

The arm supporting her head disappeared, and her back hit the floor with a dull thump. His hand reached out toward her.

Flinching, she hunched her shoulders as his large hands cupped her cheeks, pressing gently until her lips puckered like a goldfish.

“I’m not taking it.”

He said it so casually before getting up and walking off. His movements were quicker than usual, almost abrupt.

Creak.

Through the door crack, she caught a glimpse of his half-lidded, unreadable expression before the door shut with a thud.

Left alone, Seori lay flat on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She had been sure he would take the bag from her, but he’d just left halfway through, as if he’d lost interest.

Her arms slowly relaxed. The bag slipped from her hands and hit the floor, spilling the clothes inside.

He hadn’t found out.

Relief came and went, followed by a faint dizziness twisting in her stomach. The same queasy feeling that always came before she changed back.

She had to move, had to get somewhere safe. But her body wouldn’t listen. Her cheeks, where his hands had touched, still burned like fire.

‘Why…’

Why had she been so desperate to protect that bag?

What was she so afraid of?

Was it because if he found out, he might throw her out of the house?

Or…

Her eyes flicked between the scattered clothes and the door where Haewon had just left.

“…”

Or was it because she was afraid that once he knew the truth, he might end up hating her even more?