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Chapter 6
Inside the taxi heading toward Yoon-ah’s apartment.
Yeong-won sat staring down at Yoon-ah’s resident registration card.
When he had asked the drunken woman for her address, all she could mutter was “Chungcheongnam-do” or something of the sort. With no choice, he had rummaged through her eco-bag and found her wallet.
The registered address was in Dong-ri, Seokcheon-myeon, Gusan City, Chungnam. A place he had never heard of. On the back were two address stickers.
The first was in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul—not far from Yeong-won’s own family home in Dogok-dong. The current address was listed just beneath it.
Flipping the card back, he found himself staring at Yoon-ah’s photo. Taken just as she’d come of age, she was still in a school uniform, smiling brightly with youthful excitement. Without realizing it, the corners of Yeong-won’s lips lifted.
“…Cute.”
He turned his head slightly to glance at Yoon-ah, slumped against the window and asleep without a care in the world. He’d known she had a strong streak, but not quite to this extent.
Lim Do-hyun, a fourth-year who barely participated in department activities, already looked rotten from his face alone. The younger girls didn’t seem to know, but the guys could tell at a glance what sort of bastard he was. Yeong-won had long since pegged him as useless nuclear waste.
He had already been worried about being late because he’d trusted Kim Ki-tae. But when he arrived only to hear that Yoon-ah had gone off alone with Lim Do-hyun, his blood boiled. He dragged Ki-tae out by the collar and split up to search.
All he had to do was think, “If I were a stupid, pathetic beast obsessed with sex, where would I go?” and follow dark alleys. Before long, he heard Yoon-ah’s voice.
Yet the scene before him was nothing like the worst-case scenarios he had panicked over.
Where did she get such boldness, standing tall before a man twice her size with such an unsettling air about him? He knew the answer—
It was the same woman who had faced her ex-husband, lawyer in tow, at the café.
“So you’re really planning to bleed me dry, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I’m dead serious about it. Honestly, thank you for finally making me see things clearly!”
He hadn’t known the full story then, only guessed at it. But one thing was obvious: compared to standing against a man of such social stature, Lim Do-hyun was nothing more than a passing brat.
Watching her cower and suffer would’ve been a thousand—no, a million—times worse. At least she held her ground. And her ability to drink was a surprising bonus.
Though in the end, she was drunk—downing over three bottles of soju with the red caps in just two hours would floor nearly anyone.
When Yoon-ah finally toppled forward, giggling, Yeong-won caught her forehead with his palm and leaned her gently back against the seat. Just then, the taxi arrived at their destination. He carefully shook her shoulder.
“Boss, we’re here.”
“…Huh…? Where…?”
“Your place. You can manage from here, right? I’ll stay in the cab.”
“Aah. Yes, of course…! Yeong-won-ssi… take care…”
She struggled upright, unable to meet his eyes, and waved before pulling the door handle. She made it out safely.
But as she staggered toward the building, she suddenly plopped down on the edge of a flowerbed near the entrance. Her messy hair fell forward as her eco-bag slipped from her hand.
Both Yeong-won and the taxi driver fell silent.
The driver gave him a meaningful look.
“Kid, you really gonna leave her like that?”
“…I’ll get out.”
“Good call. It’s cold out. She’ll freeze her face off sleeping there. Just take her up. I hear you’re her boss anyway.”
“…Right.”
Yeong-won sighed and got out. He had intended to avoid gossip—given the endless rumors about her divorce, the last thing either of them needed was another scandal. But leaving her sprawled in public, drunk senseless, wasn’t an option.
He picked up her fallen eco-bag and leaned down.
“Boss, can you walk?”
Her head lifted slowly, eyes barely opening. When she recognized him, she broke into a dopey grin.
“Yeong-won-ssi… what are you doing at my place…?”
Reeking of soju, speaking nonsense—yet still smiling prettily. A sudden warmth crept through his chest. He dragged a cold hand across his face before answering.
“…This is your place. You need to go up.”
“Still not? No wonder it feels cold… Take care, Yeong-won-ssi…”
And with a polite little bow, she proceeded to climb fully onto the flowerbed and lie down. One arm and one leg dangled off the edge as she fell back asleep.
“….”
At this rate, she really might wake up with a frozen jaw. As he pondered how to wake her, her body began to slip.
“Boss—!”
He lunged instinctively, catching her. Her arm looped naturally around his neck, even half-conscious. She frowned faintly.
“…Cold…”
Then her other arm followed, tightening around him. Pure survival instinct—clinging to warmth.
Yeong-won froze. Except for his older sister, he had never held a woman like this. Certainly not this tightly. Cold sweat pricked his back.
And then she pulled herself even closer.
Somehow regaining composure, he carried her into the building. But once inside, his mind screamed another problem at him.
He was holding her.
Her tiny body was feather-light, fitting neatly against his chest. Her faint, uneven breaths tickled his ear. Her lips hovered close enough to brush his earlobe.
Then, amid those breaths, a whisper:
“Yeong-won-ssi…”
Cold sweat ran down his spine. He stabbed at the elevator button for the 13th floor, hammering the close button again and again. The doors felt impossibly slow.
Before they’d even opened fully, he darted out and hurried to the unit number from her registration card. Then—another wall.
The door lock. He didn’t know the password.
He shook her lightly.
“Boss, what’s the code? How do I open the door?”
“Ah… my head… hurts…”
“Listen, we’re really at your front door. I’ll have to set you down—”
“Don’t shake me…!”
She actually tightened her hold on him, resting her face on his shoulder once more. Her lips edged closer to his ear again, sending his blood rushing south. His jeans strained uncomfortably.
“Card,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
He remembered the door-lock card in her wallet. Squatting down to dig through her bag, her body ended up pressed between his chest and thighs. Softness enveloped him.
“Goddamn it… stay strong, brain…!”
Before his body betrayed him completely, he fumbled out the card and scanned it. Beep. The lock clicked open.
Her apartment was a small studio. The bed sat right against the far wall, plainly visible. Salvation—yet also danger.
Kicking off his sneakers, he adjusted his grip and hurried over, nearly dumping her onto the mattress as his jeans grew tighter. He forced himself to focus.
You can do this. You can.
Carefully, he bent one knee on the bed and lowered her gently, slipping his hands free from beneath her back. He began to ease her arm off his neck.
Then—
“…Grandma… together…”
She mumbled in her sleep. At the same time, her legs tightened around his waist, holding him fast.
