Chapter 15

How much time had passed?

A strange stillness hung in the air.

As Yeon-su slowly forced her eyelids open, she jolted awake.

The car wasn’t moving. There was no vibration beneath her.

She looked around.

Dim lights faintly illuminated the space.

Judging by the surroundings, it looked like a garage.

“I must be crazy.”

She muttered under her breath and hurriedly got out of the car.

How could she have fallen asleep in that situation?

The garage shutter had already come down, and deeper inside she spotted another door.

Her phone was dead, the battery completely drained.

She walked over to the door and cautiously turned the knob.

Inside was a staircase, and at the top, a front door.

Just then, it opened, and Do Jin-hyuk appeared.

He was dressed in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants.

“Awake now?”

His voice was lower than usual, perhaps because it was night.

Yeon-su gave an awkward nod. Jin-hyuk spoke again.

“Then come upstairs.”

As the door shut behind him, Yeon-su let out a nervous breath.

Accepting his offer had been the best choice available to her.

But she had actually fallen asleep in his car.

And seeing his casual attire, she realized this wasn’t just any building. It was his home.

When he said he’d arrange a place for her to stay, she thought he meant a small room attached to a storage facility.

‘Wait… by a place to stay, did he mean his house? Don’t tell me tonight…’

They were both young and healthy. Even without any intention, the atmosphere alone could lead to something.

The absurd thought made her heart pound furiously.

Her face burned red. It took her a long time to steady herself enough to climb the stairs.

Jin-hyuk was sitting on the sofa, reading a book.

“Um… where’s my stuff?”

Yeon-su asked cautiously.

“I had it all put in the storage. It would’ve been better if you’d checked it yourself, but you wouldn’t wake up.”

He glanced at her and spoke indifferently.

“Sorry.”

She mumbled, lowering her head.

“Go wash up first. The bathroom’s that way.”

He tilted his chin toward the hallway.

Startled, she lifted her head to look at him.

But his eyes were already back on the book.

The sleeves of his t-shirt revealed solid, sculpted arms. She hadn’t noticed before under his suits, but each small movement showed the flex of toned muscles.

Her heart, which had barely calmed, began to race again.

That shameful thought from the garage came flooding back.

It was ridiculous. The idea of being entangled privately with someone like him.

“I don’t need a shower.”

Yeon-su forced the thought away and answered.

Her voice was unnecessarily firm, brimming with misplaced determination.

At that, Jin-hyuk finally lifted his gaze.

Those deep, jet-black eyes landed squarely on her face.

Her chest thumped wildly under the weight of his calm stare.

After a moment, he spoke.

“I need you to shower. You smell.”

His blunt words crushed her pride in an instant.

She had hauled boxes in sweltering heat, run back and forth to the police, and ended the day bawling in the street.

It didn’t take much imagination to know how bad she smelled.

Face flaming, she turned and hurried to the bathroom.

* * *

Water poured down in a relentless stream.

Standing beneath it, Yeon-su scrubbed off the day’s grime.

The cold spray cleared her head in an instant.

Reality, grim and unrelenting, came rushing back.

The only place she could go now was a goshiwon.

She sighed heavily.

She still had debts left unpaid and monthly interest that wasn’t small.

At least she had a job that gave her a steady paycheck.

Tight as it would be, she could cover the cost of a tiny room.

Her father had already been conned. If her mother found out she too had been scammed…

No, she decided she couldn’t tell her. Not yet.

When she finally stepped out of the shower, a new problem awaited her.

Her clothes were gone.

The outfit she had left outside the bathroom had disappeared completely.

Yeon-su rifled through the drawers in a panic.

But all she found were neatly folded towels and spare toiletries.

She let out a disbelieving laugh.

She felt like the fairy from the tale, stripped of her clothes by the woodcutter.

With no choice, she wrapped a large bath towel tightly around herself.

Thankfully, it was big enough to cover her decently.

“Um… Executive Director?”

Peeking from behind the wall, Yeon-su called out.

She had no idea why he had hidden her clothes, but the only way to get them back was to ask.

Hearing her voice, Jin-hyuk turned his head and froze.

His gaze faltered, his eyes shifting violently.

“W-what are you doing?”

For once, the usually composed Jin-hyuk was stammering.

“I came out, but my clothes are gone.”

After she went into the bathroom, Jin-hyuk had asked the housekeeper to prepare the guestroom.

“Director, I’ve put fresh bedding and pajamas in the guestroom.”

“Thanks. You can leave for the night.”

She must have gathered Yeon-su’s clothes and tossed them in the wash.

Realizing what had happened, Jin-hyuk exhaled sharply.

“At the end of the hall, you’ll find clothes to wear.”

He listened to her footsteps retreat, followed by the sound of a door closing.

Silence fell again.

Jin-hyuk tried to return his attention to his book, but the words swam before his eyes.

Instead, images of her bare shoulders and long, towel-clad legs flashed through his mind.

The damp sheen of her hair, her wide, startled eyes, the way she bit her lip…

Heat rushed up his face.

He stepped out onto the terrace to cool down.

But the night was stiflingly hot. Even after dark, the air was heavy.

The flush in his face refused to fade.

He grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge and drank deeply.

Little by little, his restless pulse settled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yeon-su was facing her own dilemma in the guestroom.

The prepared clothes were men’s loungewear, far too big for her.

She tried them on, but the oversized fit left her practically exposed whenever she bent over.

And without underwear, she couldn’t possibly wear them.

“Don’t tell me he planned this. Is he a pervert?”

His polished exterior didn’t mean anything.

Hadn’t the landlord also looked kind and trustworthy?

The memory soured her mood all over again.

Still, she couldn’t stay wrapped in just a towel.

Rummaging through the drawers, she found a stack of men’s dress shirts.

She slipped one on and buttoned it to the collar.

From a distance, it looked almost like a shirtdress.

The fabric was thick enough that nothing showed through.

But her bare legs still made her feel exposed.

So she put on the oversized pants as well.

She rolled the cuffs again and again, but they still tangled around her feet.

The waistband sagged so badly she had to hold it up with both hands.

Gathering the loose fabric, she stepped out of the room, completely unprepared for who she might run into.
 

To be continued

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