MFYBS 05

Chapter: 05

At that moment, she remembered the eraser the elderly woman who owned the street food stall had given her yesterday.

“Gasp… Did it really erase it? My connection with Kim Taejun?”

Shocked, she covered her mouth with one hand and couldn’t take a single step.

She stood there blankly for a while, grinning absentmindedly like someone who had lost her mind, before slowly making her way back toward Muyeon’s house.

As she walked along the stone path through the garden, she shook her head.

“No… no. This is a dream… It has to be a dream. There’s no way something like this could happen in real life.”

She simply couldn’t believe it.

Still shaking her head, she suddenly wondered where the eraser from yesterday had gone. Since she was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, Haeru stopped walking and frantically searched her pockets.

There was nothing.

Only a few tiny bits of dirt clung to her fingertips.

She slowly tried to remember where she had left the eraser last night.

Then she let out a sigh.

“…I threw it away.”

She remembered tossing it onto the ground yesterday. Tilting her head, Haeru let out a deep sigh.

“Surely… that eraser wasn’t actually real, was it?”

For a brief moment, she entertained the mysterious possibility before shaking her head again.

“No… no… This is the dream. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

She repeated those words over and over, shaking her head.

Even late into the evening, she still couldn’t accept that everything that had changed was real.

She sat alone in a corner of the garden, which had been transformed into a party venue.

Night had fallen, and the garden glittered with colorful lights while crowds of people mingled everywhere.

Sofas, chairs, and tables were arranged with comfortable spacing between them, and refrigerators stocked with various alcoholic drinks stood throughout the garden.

Everyone simply helped themselves to whatever they wanted to drink while enjoying the music and lively atmosphere.

Sitting on a small red sofa beside a little tree that could barely fit two people, Haeru slammed a beer bottle onto the round table.

Thunk!

Then she let out another long sigh.

She had already lost count of how many bottles she’d emptied. Countless empty beer bottles were scattered around her feet.

After chatting and drinking with her for a while, Muyeon had briefly stepped away, leaving her alone.

Like a car with broken brakes, Haeru drank nonstop.

Since she believed this whole situation was nothing more than a dream, she figured there was no harm in getting completely drunk.

By now, her eyes were already unfocused.

One leg crossed over the other, resting her chin in one hand, she looked utterly pitiful despite the cheerful music surrounding her.

“Ah… I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen…”

When sober, she was cold and sharp.

But when she drank, she became surprisingly cute and full of affection.

“I reeeally~~ hate cheating.”

It seemed she still couldn’t shake off the guilt over the affair.

After all, how could anyone forget something they’d been condemned so harshly for?

She was certain that once she woke up from this dream, reality would be nothing like this dazzling party.

It would be a complete mess.

“I hate affairs too.”

A man approached and sat beside her.

He was tall with the long proportions of a model, pale skin, and thick eyebrows that left a strong impression.

Wondering if she knew him, she blinked several times before leaning closer to examine his face.

Large round eyes.

Moderately full crimson lips.

A tall, elegant nose.

His features were so striking they made her stop and admire them.

It was the kind of face you could never forget after seeing it once.

Which was exactly why she was certain she had never seen him before.

“Who are you?”

“If I tell you my name… will you remember it?”

Haeru looked thoughtful for a moment.

She scrunched up her eyes, puffed out her lips adorably, then vigorously shook her head.

“No. My head’s way too complicated right now. I don’t think I can remember.”

Her honest answer made the man chuckle.

“What’s got your head so complicated?”

Drunk, Haeru carefully cupped a hand around her mouth and leaned close to his ear.

Then she whispered as though sharing a secret.

“It’s… it’s just…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Even drunk, admitting she’d been involved in an affair was unbearably shameful.

She let out a rough breath.

“Hoo…”

When she accidentally blew warm air into his ear, he winced and squeezed one eye shut.

While he was still distracted by the tingling sensation, she spoke in a defeated voice.

“I… sigh… I had an affair.”

His shoulders jerked upward.

Pulling back from her, he tilted his head.

“What?”

Haeru sat up straight again and lowered her head.

“I know it was wrong…

But I didn’t do it on purpose!

I didn’t know!

I was tricked into it!”

She mumbled her explanation over and over.

Soon, a hand gently rested on her back.

“Miss Yoon Haeru.”

“Huh? You know my name?”

“I do.

We know each other.

My name is Lee Kanghoon.”

“We… know each other?”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

He held out his hand toward her.

But no matter how hard she thought about it, Lee Kanghoon wasn’t someone she remembered.

He simply didn’t exist in her memories.

Tilting her head several times, she finally reached out to shake his hand.

But before their hands could touch…

Her entire body suddenly lifted into the air.

Kanghoon looked upward in surprise.

Haeru turned her gaze toward the man carrying her.

A large frame.

A handsome face.

Big puppy-like eyes that demanded attention.

A tall nose with gentle curves.

Crimson lips.

Blinking in surprise, she asked,

“Huh…? Yesterday?!”

It was the man she’d met yesterday.

First at the company.

Then again on the road lined with cherry blossoms.

Normally, if a man she’d only met once or twice picked her up, she would have struggled free or even punched his chest until her feet touched the ground.

But being drunk made her dizzy, sluggish, and too lazy to resist.

Instead…

She found herself wanting to simply lean against his broad chest and fall asleep.

The man frowned.

He looked genuinely angry.

As though he already knew her.

Without taking his eyes off her, he spoke in a deep voice.

“Stop drinking.

You’re drunk.”

It sounded like a warning from someone close to her.

Then he strode away, disappearing before Kanghoon’s eyes.

Still seated, Kanghoon watched them blankly before tilting his head and murmuring,

“Chae Muhyeok… you’ve finally come back.”

Carrying Haeru, Chae Muhyeok entered his bedroom.

Unlike Muyeon’s detached residence, this place was quiet.

He could still hear the faint sounds from outside, but it felt as though an invisible barrier muffled everything before it reached the room.

The distant noises made it seem as though they were in another world.

Muhyeok laid her gently on his bed.

She lay on the white sheets with her eyes closed.

After resting a hand over his chest, Muhyeok slowly turned his head and let out a breath.

“…Ha.”

Staring at the white wallpaper for a moment to calm himself, he looked back down at her before walking to the head of the bed.

He sat beside her quietly.

Another long sigh escaped his lips.

He felt like his heart was about to burst from nervousness.

Meanwhile, she paid him no attention at all and simply slept peacefully.

Watching Haeru sleep with soft little puffs escaping her slightly parted lips, Muhyeok gently brushed the strands of hair away from her face.

If he left them there, she looked like she might end up swallowing them.

Using his thumb and forefinger, he carefully tucked every strand aside.

Just as he finished, her heavy eyelids slowly fluttered open.

“…I’m a filthy woman…”

“What?”

Unable to hear clearly, he frowned and lowered his ear close to her lips.

“I’m… a bad woman.

How could I…

How could I be with a married man?

No matter how stupid someone is…

that’s something you should never do.

Even if I didn’t know…

being with a married man makes me a terrible woman.”

She still had no idea he was Chae Muhyeok.

If she had known, she never would have spoken so openly.

Straightening up again and putting a little distance between them, Muhyeok quietly looked down at her.

After silently meeting her eyes, he gently stroked her hair.

“The scammer is the bad one.

The victim isn’t.”

He comforted her as though he already knew everything.

But she didn’t hear a word.

She was too busy blaming herself.

“I’m an idiot…

A complete fool…

I’m filthy…

I’m really filthy…”

Repeating those words over and over, she burst into tears.

Clenching both fists tightly, she repeatedly struck her own head.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Muhyeok let out a deep sigh.

His eyes tightened with pain.

Grinding his teeth, he couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

A deep crease formed between his brows as he grabbed both of her wrists and leaned over her.

Even then, she kept trying to move her hands, so he planted both arms beside her head, pinning her in place.

“Stop.”

Their eyes met.

He had only been trying to stop her from hurting herself.

But his own eyes trembled.

His heart pounded wildly.

The longer he looked at her face, the more pained his expression became.

Because tears kept gathering in the corners of her eyes.

“…I can’t erase them.

Those eyes full of condemnation…

The way they looked at me like I was some disgusting insect…”

She had pretended to be strong in front of everyone.

But now that she was drunk, her true feelings spilled out.

She was only human.

Being judged and hated hurt her deeply.

A few more tears rolled from the corners of her eyes.

Watching her cry so sorrowfully, Muhyeok frowned even more deeply, staring at her without looking away.

“If that’s the problem…

Then I’ll help you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll make you forget.

I will.”

After saying those words, Muhyeok locked eyes with her.

Then he suddenly leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

Her eyes flew open in shock.

From the moment their lips met, warmth spread through her entire body.

It was hot.

Sweet.

As though he had longed for her with all his heart.

Strangely, the instant they kissed, all the chaotic thoughts in her mind disappeared.

Only the warmth in her chest remained.

Then, suddenly…

A strange memory surfaced.

The scent.

The touch.

The emotions.

For some reason, they all felt incredibly familiar.

Frowning, she slowly opened her eyes and placed both hands against his chest, pushing him away.

“…Haah… Could it be… you?!”