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Chapter 15
How much time had passed?
A deep, quiet stillness filled the air.
Yeonsu slowly lifted her eyelids and gasped in surprise. The car was completely still—no vibrations, nothing.
She looked around. A dim light faintly illuminated the surroundings. It appeared to be a garage.
“Am I losing my mind?”
Muttering to herself, Yeonsu quickly got out of the car.
How could she have possibly fallen asleep in such a situation?
The shutter for the garage was already down, and there seemed to be another door inside. Her phone had run out of battery and was dead.
She approached the door and gently turned the handle. Inside, a staircase led to a front door. At that moment, the door opened, and Jinhyuk appeared. He was wearing a thin T-shirt and training pants.
“You’re awake now?”
His voice carried an unusually low tone, perhaps due to the night. Yeonsu awkwardly nodded, and Jinhyuk spoke again:
“Then come upstairs.”
As the door closed behind them, Yeonsu exhaled in startled surprise. Accepting Jinhyuk’s offer was probably the best option she had.
But she had fallen asleep in the car… and judging by his attire, this was his home.
‘When he said he would prepare a place to sleep, did he mean I’d stay at his house tonight…?’
She was a healthy adult woman. Even without ulterior motives, just being in the same space could cause trouble. Her heart raced as absurd thoughts flashed through her mind. It took a long time for Yeonsu to calm herself enough to go upstairs.
Jinhyuk sat slightly slouched on the sofa, reading a book.
“Where should I put my luggage?”
“I put it all in the storage. I hoped you’d check for anything missing yourself, but you didn’t wake up.”
Yeonsu whispered a quiet apology, bowing her head.
“Wash up first. The bathroom is that way.”
He gestured with his chin. Yeonsu looked at him in surprise, but Jinhyuk’s gaze was already back on the book. The muscles under his short sleeves were noticeable now that he moved. Her heart began to race again as her eyes lingered on his solid, toned arms.
“I don’t need to wash.”
She forcefully pushed the thought away, her voice firm and resolute. Jinhyuk lifted his gaze from the book, his unusually dark eyes fixed on her. Her heart pounded uncontrollably under his quiet stare.
“Actually, I’m not okay. You smell a bit.”
His blunt remark made Yeonsu shrink inside. After hauling moving boxes and running to the police, then collapsing in tears on the street, she couldn’t imagine how bad she smelled. Embarrassed, she quickly turned toward the bathroom.
Water poured down relentlessly.
Yeonsu stood under the stream, washing away the dust of the day. The cold water shocked her awake. The harsh reality, made easier to forget by Jinhyuk’s presence, came crashing back. She realized the only place she could go now was a boarding house.
A long sigh escaped her lips.
Unsettled debts and interest loomed, but at least she had a steady paycheck. She could manage the cost of the boarding house.
If her mother found out she’d been scammed too, after her father’s fraud…
Yeonsu decided to keep this from her mother for the time being.
After washing, a new problem appeared: the clothes she had left outside the bathroom were gone.
She opened all the drawers, but only neatly folded towels and spare toiletries remained. She couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity, feeling like the fairy in the “Fairy and the Woodcutter” story. She wrapped herself tightly in a large bath towel.
“Executive…”
Half-hidden behind the wall, she called out to Jinhyuk. His usually indifferent gaze froze, and his eyes shook slightly.
“W-what are you doing?”
Even the composed, calm Jinhyuk stammered.
“I came out of the bathroom, and my clothes are gone.”
After she went in, Jinhyuk had asked the housekeeper to prepare the guest room and organize clothes.
“Executive, the guest room is ready with bedding and pajamas.”
“Thank you.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Unbeknownst to anyone, the housekeeper had placed all of Yeonsu’s clothes in the washing machine. When Jinhyuk realized what had happened, he exhaled in surprise.
“Go to the last room down the hallway. There are clothes you can change into.”
Yeonsu’s footsteps receded, and soon the sound of a door opening and closing echoed. The living room fell silent once more. Jinhyuk returned to his book, though his eyes couldn’t focus. Instead, images of Yeonsu’s exposed shoulder and long legs beneath the towel flashed in his mind.
The damp hair, wide startled eyes, and lips softly bitten—his face heated at the memory.
He moved to the terrace to cool down, still sweltering despite the late hour. Pulling soda from the fridge, he drank deeply, gradually calming his racing thoughts.
Meanwhile, Yeonsu was in the guest room, troubled.
The prepared clothes were oversized men’s loungewear. Just looking at them, she could tell. She tried them on, but they were so large that bending over exposed everything. With no underwear, they were impossible to wear.
“Could it be that the executive did this on purpose? Pervert?”
She reminded herself that appearances could be deceiving. Even kind-looking landlords could be conmen. Still, she needed to figure out a way to go out properly.
Thankfully, the drawer in the guest room contained neatly folded shirts. She buttoned one to the neck, making it look like a shirt dress. Thick enough not to be see-through, she paired it with oversized pants, folding the hems multiple times, though they still dragged and caught with every step.
Adjusting her pants, she stepped out the door, unaware of who she might encounter outside.
