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A week had passed without much incident. Guk was so busy that she barely saw him, and as for Han—well, she’d spent every waking moment by his side.
Han typically slept late into the morning and went out in the afternoons. Since her job was to stick close to him, Hyun-soo accompanied him on his outings.
“I’ll wait here.”
“Why? Let’s go in together.”
“No, I’ll stay here. If anything happens, call me.”
“What could possibly happen? How would you even contact me?”
He had a point, leaving her momentarily speechless.
“Fine. If I don’t come out, check if everything’s okay.”
Han spoke as though he were talking about someone else entirely. Smiling, he closed the car door behind him and waved before disappearing into the club.
Pressing herself against the car window, Hyun-soo watched as the transparent elevator carrying Han ascended the building. He glanced down toward the parking lot as if he knew she was watching him.
Had their eyes met? That might’ve been an overstatement. Shaking off the whimsical thought, Hyun-soo leaned back into her seat. The elevator rose higher, and soon Han disappeared from view.
Hyun-soo checked her watch and sighed softly. She now faced at least three or four hours of sitting idly, waiting. Maybe she should have gone inside with him?
The mere thought sent a shiver through her body. Her mind hadn’t even rejected the idea yet, but her body already rebelled against it.
“I must be crazy to even think about it.”
Rather than mingling with Han’s friends, Hyun-soo preferred to sit rooted in place like a stone Buddha. And for good reason—every time she’d followed him inside, she ended up in awkward, unpleasant situations. Their group operated on a completely different wavelength.
She found their habit of immediately handing her drinks unsettling, not to mention their crude jokes and vulgar banter. They treated her as though she were naive, which only made her more uncomfortable.
How could they assume she wouldn’t understand such things at twenty-nine? She wanted to shout, but the atmosphere often felt like one wrong move would land her center stage performing some circus act. So she endured, time and again.
But the hardest part to bear was how easily Han loosened up when drunk. His friends joked that “this isn’t like him—he must’ve taken something,” but who really knew? Perhaps they were just trying to defend him because of her discomfort.
‘Noona.’
‘Don’t.’
‘Noona...’
‘I said no.’
Leaning heavily on her shoulder, Han’s breath felt hot against her neck. But she never expected him to bury his face directly into her nape right in front of everyone.
His firm nose pressed gently against her skin, followed by the sound of him inhaling deeply. Goosebumps prickled across her flesh.
‘I want to keep smelling you.’
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Hyun-soo pushed him away. His weight, dense like a soaked sponge, finally budged.
When their eyes met afterward, his gaze was clear and steady. Just as Hyun-soo suspected, her assumption had been correct—Han wasn’t drunk at all.
That day marked the last time she followed him inside. Since then, she waited outside with the driver every time.
Hyun-soo fiddled with her phone and turned her attention to the scene outside the window. Men and women dressed to impress streamed into the club, oblivious to those being kicked out left and right due to strict “management.” It seemed this wasn’t your average club—it was a hotspot frequented by wealthy heirs using it as their personal playground. Its reputation preceded it.
To Hyun-soo, however, it was nothing more than a place where people got drunk and lost themselves. She wished Han wouldn’t come here—but wishing wouldn’t change reality. Bitterly, she smiled.
[8:30 PM, Club Replica. Meeting friends. Members include Choi Gi-young (eldest son of Hanshin Construction), Moon Si-joon (youngest of JP Group), and five others.]
Click, send. Hyun-soo quickly texted Guk. By now, this routine had become second nature. Within moments, a reply arrived.
[Go home.]
Hyun-soo blinked slowly at the terse three-word response. Was that all he had to say? After not seeing him for a week...
Guk was so swamped that catching even a glimpse of him was impossible, let alone having a proper conversation. Phone calls were out of the question; updates came solely via text. No matter how detailed her reports, his responses remained brief: “Got it,” “Good work,” “Go home.”
Today was no exception—just those three words again. A wry smile escaped her lips. What exactly was she expecting? How dare she expect anything from him?
“I’m heading home first.”
-Didn’t you say you’d wait?
“It’s 9 PM quitting time.”
-Your brother has money. Get some hefty overtime pay and stay late.
“Now I see—you’re truly heartless, Yoon Han. Fine, hang up.”
-Noona. Hyun-soo Noona.
“What?”
After calling her, Han fell silent.
“Why are you quiet?”
-Shall I come down now?
Hyun-soo hesitated. He’d never said something like this mid-play before.
Snapping out of her daze, she nodded hurriedly and responded.
“Yeah, come down quickly. Let’s go home.”
-Not home. Can we go somewhere else instead?
“Huh...? It’s getting late. Let’s play tomorrow. We’ll be together all day anyway.”
A soft chuckle echoed from the other end.
-Since we’ll be together all day anyway. True enough.
“Hurry up and come down. Let’s go.”
-Fine. I’ll stay and play here. See you tomorrow.
“Han-ah, Yoon Han.”
-Goodbye.
“Hey!”
The line went dead. Hyun-soo stared blankly at her phone. Why did he keep switching moods like this? Was it some kind of rebellion?
“Shall I take you home, Miss Hyun-soo?”
“Yes, please.”
She answered the driver’s question absently.
Had she done something to upset him? She couldn’t recall making any mistakes. Adjusting her seatbelt, Hyun-soo tilted her head in confusion.
The car glided smoothly forward, the scenery outside blurring past. Staring ahead, she glanced back at her phone.
[Go home.]
Tapping the screen, Guk’s message lit up once more.
“...”
Come to think of it, both brothers had a knack for keeping people guessing. First Guk, now Han—they took turns baffling her.
Hyun-soo gazed listlessly ahead, too exhausted to chase after the thoughts swirling in her mind. All she hoped for was that neither of them would suddenly accelerate into overdrive.
---
Late afternoon, a rare moment spent at home. Behind Hyun-soo, engrossed in reading in Han’s room, the bathroom door clicked open and shut. A sweet, damp scent wafted out—Han, freshly showered.
“What are you doing?”
Drying his wet hair with a towel, he approached and asked. Holding up the book she’d been reading, Hyun-soo showed him the cover: Selected Short Stories of Berlin Schultz.
“Looks interesting.”
“Have you read it?”
“Do I look like someone who gets along with texts?”
“Not exactly... Isn’t this your book?”
Hyun-soo’s comment made Han furrow his brow as he lowered the towel. His expression clearly said, “What do you mean?”
“I took it from your bookshelf.”
“Really? Someone must’ve left it. None of my friends read books, so it’s strange.”
“Boasting, are we?”
Still seated comfortably while reading, Hyun-soo straightened her posture slightly. Chuckling, Han plopped onto the bed.
“So, Noona seems pretty close to texts, huh? Talking like someone who loves books.”
“Exactly.”
“What do you mean, ‘exactly’? What kind of answer is that?”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“Are you picking a fight?”
“Not a fight—it’s the truth. Don’t twist my words.”
This time, Han squeezed the towel tightly in his hand, dissatisfaction flickering across his face. Hyun-soo chuckled softly.
“Just joking. My previous job involved working closely with texts, so I’m interested in them. They’re important to me.”
“What kind of job?”
“A writing tutor.”
“Were you a teacher? That explains why you nag so much.”
“You wanna die?”
“You suit it well.”
“Thanks. Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
Laughing, Hyun-soo sank back into the chair, yawning lightly. Her relaxed demeanor made it seem as though she belonged there, utterly at ease.
Propping himself up casually, Han suddenly felt compelled to make an impulsive suggestion.
“Why don’t you just move in here?”
“Huh?”
“We’re practically glued together from morning till night anyway. Why bother commuting? Let’s live together.”
Hyun-soo stared at him, holding the spine of the book she’d been flipping through. Then she burst out laughing.
“Easier said than done.”
“What’s so hard about it?”
“Forget it. Stop saying weird things.”
“How about this reason, then?”
“What now?”
Whatever absurd thing he planned to say next, Hyun-soo braced herself skeptically. Meanwhile, Han wore a confident smirk, convinced his argument held weight.
“Actually, I have plenty of time alone from night until dawn.”
“True.”
“And during that time, I tend to think too much.”
“So?”
“I have way too much idle time to mess around.”
What did he mean? Hyun-soo studied him closely. Shrugging nonchalantly, Han offered a casual smile. Surely not... Did he mean he might harm himself during those hours?
“Are you threatening me?”
“Do you think I am?”
“If not, what else is it? Saying you’ll misbehave if left alone—isn’t that a threat?”
“Call it affection.”
“You’re asking for trouble.”
“Consider it playful tantrums.”
Seriously? Heat rushed to Hyun-soo’s face as she bit her lower lip. He had a knack for leaving her speechless.
While Hyun-soo pondered her response, Han leisurely dried his hair with his hands instead of the towel.
“This won’t do. I’m telling Guk.”
Her ultimate trump card—the only person capable of handling Han—was Guk.
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