CEB - 9

Chapter 9: Nighttime Visitors

As Min-hyuk stepped out of Kang Hyun’s apartment, Mr. Im was waiting outside. Due to a car accident in his childhood, Min-hyuk had developed a trauma that prevented him from driving. As a result, Mr. Im often stayed late to chauffeur him around.

However, Mr. Im didn’t mind this arrangement. Min-hyuk never called on weekends, and whenever he worked late, Mr. Im’s bank account was generously compensated with overtime pay the following month.

“Sorry for the late hour.”

Min-hyuk had taken a taxi to Hyun’s place but needed Mr. Im to visit Dan-jung. After all, Mr. Im was the only person who knew where she lived.

“No problem.”

Mr. Im opened the car door for Min-hyuk, then quickly hopped into the driver’s seat.

“Did Miss Choi get home safely?”

“Yes, I dropped her off without issue.”

“Good. Then let’s head to Miss Choi’s place.”

“Huh?”

Mr. Im was surprised by the unexpected destination.

“Oh, do you not know where Miss Choi lives?”

“No, sir. She got out at the alleyway entrance last time, mentioning it was an officetel at the end of the street.”

“I see. Let’s go there, then.”

Min-hyuk felt a wave of relief as the headache tormenting him earlier had subsided. Whether it was the medication finally kicking in or his newfound understanding of his feelings, he was eager to see Dan-jung as soon as possible.

After all, he only had eight days left.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

Mr. Im parked near the officetel Dan-jung had mentioned. The late hour meant the alley was quiet, allowing the car to glide through smoothly.

________________________________________

Back at her home, Dan-jung was relieved to have the night shift the next day. It meant avoiding both her colleagues’ harassment and any chance encounters with Min-hyuk.

[Kissing will have to wait until tomorrow.]

“To hell with kissing… He can do it himself!”

Still fuming, Dan-jung gulped down cold water in an attempt to cool her boiling anger.

“Still upset?”

Jin-hee sat across from her, trying to calm her down. With Ha-yeon finally asleep, Jin-hee knew she needed to help Dan-jung relax.

“Would you be okay if you were me? Playing with people’s emotions like that…”

“I heard some chaebols are crazy these days. Looks like your boss is one of them.”

“So… marriage is out of the question, right?”

“Well… I don’t know. You decide. I don’t want to hear later that I ruined your chance to marry into a chaebol family.”

“You brat, why would I say that?”

Just as Dan-jung pouted, the doorbell rang—ding dong .

“Who could it be at this hour? The only person who knows my address is you.”

Glancing at the clock, Dan-jung saw it was past 10 PM, nearing 11. She had never shared her address with anyone, so the unexpected visitor made her uneasy.

“Who is it?”

Checking the intercom screen, Dan-jung found no one outside.

“Must be a prank.”

Before Jin-hee could reassure her, the doorbell rang again—ding dong .

“What do I do? I’m scared.”

“Let me handle this!” Jin-hee snatched the intercom. “Whoever you are, stop messing around! If you keep this up, I’ll call the police!”

For a moment, silence reigned as Dan-jung held her breath, staring at the door.

“Dan-jung, it’s me~.”

The slurred voice of a drunk man startled her. It was Won-soon, the guy she’d broken up with a month ago.

“Do you know him?”

Jin-hee glanced at Dan-jung’s shocked face.

“He’s the guy I recently broke up with.”

“What? That long ago?”

“But I never told him where I live…”

Dan-jung had a strict rule against letting boyfriends into her building—or even knowing her address. This meant Won-soon must have been secretly stalking her.

“Were you following me?”

Chills ran down Dan-jung’s spine as she confronted him through the door.

“Why haven’t you called me? I sent so many texts… Do you know how long I waited for you?”

Won-soon ignored her question, launching into his own grievances. In truth, he’d bombarded her social media with hundreds of messages—apologies, declarations of love, pleas for forgiveness—but Dan-jung had blocked all notifications, leaving her unaware of his attempts.

“You were the one who wanted to break up. Why should I call you?”

“Is that all I am to you?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what you are to me. Now go home. If you come back, I’m calling the police.”

“Sob… sob… sob…”

“Is he crying?”

Ha! Dan-jung couldn’t help but sneer. She’d dealt with many exes before, but none had shown up at her doorstep causing trouble—and crying, no less.

“Did you really date such a loser?”

“Ugh… don’t remind me.”

Jin-hee shook her head in disbelief, prompting a sigh from Dan-jung.

“Dan-jung, I was wrong. Can we start over? I can’t live without you.”

Emotionally charged, Won-soon began pounding on the door. A middle-aged neighbor emerged, scolding him.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you, making noise this late? If you’re going to fight, take it inside! This is ridiculous.”

“Ma’am, could you tell Dan-jung to give me another chance?”

“Tsk… Young people these days…”

Seeing Won-soon wipe his tears with his sleeve, the neighbor gave up, shaking her head as she retreated indoors.

“Hey! Dan-jung! How could you do this to me? Didn’t we love each other? Sob… sob…”

Won-soon resumed banging on the door, waking Ha-yeon, who began crying.

“This isn’t working. I’ll go talk to him.”

“No way! Don’t go out. It’s dangerous these days. Just ignore him.”

“What if he keeps this up all night?”

“Then call the police.”

Jin-hee felt guilty seeing Dan-jung struggle due to Ha-yeon’s cries. Complaints about noise had already been filed against the building because of the baby’s cries, putting Dan-jung in a difficult spot.

But venturing out to meet an ex-boyfriend late at night still felt unsettling.

Bam bam bam. As Jin-hee tried to dissuade her, Won-soon kicked the door again.

“If I don’t return within 30 minutes, call the police.”

“Got it. I’ll watch from the window. Stay close—at the convenience store.”

“Okay.”

Taking a deep breath, Dan-jung opened the door. Having an ex show up at her home was a first, and despite herself, she felt nervous.

“Dan-jung~ I missed you.”

Drunk, Won-soon lunged to hug her, but Dan-jung swiftly stepped back.

“You’re drunk. If you want to talk, sober up and come back tomorrow.”

“No! You won’t see me then.”

“Harassing someone at their home and stalking them is a crime. Do you understand?”

“Sob… Are you really the sweet angel I once knew?”

Won-soon wiped his endless tears with his sleeve.

“Sigh… Let’s get some fresh air.”

Seeing him cry stirred a pang of pity in Dan-jung. Though his stalking was creepy, she felt slightly guilty for not giving him time to process the breakup.

“Here, drink this.”

Downstairs, Dan-jung bought a hangover remedy from the convenience store and handed it to him.

“Thanks. Only you care about me, Dan-jung.”

Won-soon gulped it down in one go.

“When you’re sober, go home. And don’t ever come back.”

As Dan-jung turned to leave, Won-soon grabbed her wrist.

“Can we start over?”

________________________________________

Arriving at Dan-jung’s officetel, Min-hyuk stared at his phone, frustrated that he didn’t know her number.

How pathetic, he thought, not even having the number of the woman he’d proposed to.

“Mr. Im.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know Miss Choi’s phone number?”

“No… Should I find out now?”

“No, just take me home.”

Reluctantly, Min-hyuk decided to see her tomorrow. Visiting her this late felt inappropriate.

“Yes.”

As Mr. Im started the car, he spotted Dan-jung outside—with a strange man beside her.

“Uh… Sir, isn’t that Miss Choi over there?”

“What?”

Lowering the window, Min-hyuk saw Dan-jung standing with someone.

“What should we do?”

Mr. Im hesitated between driving off or turning off the engine.

“Mr. Im, you may leave.”

With that, Min-hyuk stepped out and strode toward Dan-jung. His long strides closed the distance quickly, and soon he stood behind her.

“Miss Choi.”

“?”

Startled by the familiar yet still unfamiliar voice, Dan-jung turned around.

There stood Min-hyuk, his icy gaze piercing through the night.

“Why are you here, President Min?”

Surprised, Dan-jung quickly pulled her wrist free from Won-soon’s grip.

“President Min?”

The title snapped Won-soon out of his drunken haze. Seeing Min-hyuk’s celebrity-like good looks and athletic build, he realized he couldn’t compete.

“I asked Mr. Im to bring me here, but since I didn’t know your number, I was about to leave. Then I saw you.”

“Oh… I see.”

Though Dan-jung wasn’t fond of Won-soon, she wasn’t thrilled to see Min-hyuk either—not after he’d kicked her out earlier. Her expression grew awkward.

Buoyed by her reaction, Won-soon stepped forward, pushing past Dan-jung.

“Who are you? What gives you the right to visit her at this hour?”

Dan-jung smirked at his audacity. Who was he to harass her?

“I’m the man who plans to marry Miss Choi.”

“!”

“!”

Though Min-hyuk hadn’t yet received Dan-jung’s answer, the words slipped out instinctively.

Both Dan-jung and Won-soon’s eyes widened in shock.