WWBU - 43

Even after attempting to take a detour, the trio found that the road was blocked due to landslides and falling rocks caused by the torrential rain. They had no choice but to turn the car around.

“We’re completely trapped.”

“Right...”

As Hyun-soo had predicted, the three of them were now stuck in Damyeong with nowhere to go.

“Let’s find accommodations first. If we sleep in the car like this, we’ll all catch colds.”

Han, who had been scrolling through his phone app, brought up the topic of lodging. Guk and Hyun-soo, catching each other’s eyes in the rearview mirror, didn’t object. It was clear that sleeping in the car would indeed lead to colds.

“Most hotels are fully booked... I don’t want to stay at a motel. What about you, unni?”

“Me? What about me?”

“Does it matter where we stay?”

“Yeah, as long as I can wash up and rest...”

“What about you, hyung?”

Han raised his head from his phone and looked at Guk, who was leaning on the car window with his chin resting on his hand. Guk slowly straightened himself and started the car again.

“There’s no need to look for accommodations. I have a place we can go to.”

“A place to go? Where?”

“I just remembered now.”

Guk, who had been slouching, sat upright and restarted the engine. As the car smoothly began moving, Han, puzzled, pressed Guk for an answer.

“Where is it? Is there really a place for us in Damyeong...?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Oh, right. There is a place. I just remembered too.”

“I forgot about it for a while since we hadn’t been there in so long.”

“Wow. So this is how we finally put it to use.”

While Hyun-soo blinked in confusion at the brothers’ cryptic conversation, she began to feel a chill creeping over her drenched body.

“There’s a villa here in Damyeong under both my and hyung’s names.”

“A villa?”

“It’s not big, just a small one. We bought it years ago thinking it might come in handy someday, and now here we are.”

Ah. They were heading to Guk and Han’s villa. It seemed like a better option than a hotel or motel.

“The villa caretaker manages it regularly, so the condition should be fine.”

Hyun-soo nodded at Guk’s explanation.

“Hyung, how long will it take?”

“About 40 minutes.”

“If you’re tired, unni, take a nap. It’ll take about 40 minutes.”

At Han’s suggestion, Hyun-soo sank into the car seat. Her wet body made the cold leather squeak beneath her. At this rate, catching a cold seemed inevitable.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Hyun-soo blankly stared out the window. The downpour obscured everything, but it provided the perfect excuse to shut off her thoughts.

After a short while, Hyun-soo dozed off. More than 40 minutes passed, and the car came to a stop in front of a wooden building—the brothers’ villa.

The three of them quickly got out of the car and rushed inside. Thanks to the caretaker, who lived nearby and had hurried over upon receiving their call, they were able to enter without difficulty.

True to Guk’s words, the interior was comfortable and tidy. The only issue was the lack of food and suitable clothes, which the caretaker offered to resolve. Since he could travel between the villa and his home in the nearby village, he promised to bring food and clothing. Fortunately, his college-aged son and daughter meant they could easily provide clothes for everyone. It was a stroke of luck.

“If you need anything else, feel free to call anytime. I’m always available.”

“Thank you.”

“Rest well.”

“Be careful on your way back.”

After the caretaker left, the three of them were alone. The sound of rain tapping against the wooden structure tickled their ears.

“Let’s change our clothes first.”

At Han’s suggestion, Guk and Hyun-soo turned to look. Han, who had received the clothes from the caretaker, handed them out to the two and gestured toward the second floor.

“How about we all use the second floor? The first-floor room is spacious, but there’s no bed, so it wouldn’t be comfortable for spending the night.”

Though his words were directed at both, Han’s eyes were fixed on Hyun-soo. Essentially, he was asking for her opinion more than Guk’s. Realizing this, Guk also refrained from answering and instead glanced at Hyun-soo first. She flinched when she noticed both brothers staring at her.

“Uh, I’m fine with that.”

Caught off guard, Hyun-soo nodded. She had already decided to follow their lead, so she had no objections.

“I thought so. Hyung, you’ll use the second floor too, right?”

“...”

“Hyung?”

When Guk didn’t respond, Han turned to see him already ascending the stairs. His profile, brushing his damp hair back with one hand, was strikingly handsome yet somehow sensitive.

“Why didn’t you say anything? After changing, bring your wet clothes out. I’ll hang them by the fireplace to dry.”

Whether Guk heard Han’s words or not, he lightly waved a hand as he entered the room at the top of the stairs. The door clicked shut, leaving only the sound of rain filling the silence.

“Let’s head upstairs too. We’ll catch colds if we stay like this.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Let’s go.”

“Come on.”

Thanks to Han stepping aside to let her pass, Hyun-soo went up the stairs first. Each creak of the wooden steps under her feet made her tread cautiously.

“Remember, after changing, bring your wet clothes out. They’ll dry faster by the fireplace.”

“Got it.”

“Don’t rush. Take your time and come out later.”

“Okay. Thanks. You take your time too.”

“I will, unni.”

With a small study in the center, the brothers took the two rooms on the left, while Hyun-soo used the single room on the right.

After exchanging smiles with Han, Hyun-soo entered her room first.

Click. As the door closed, the surroundings grew quiet. Though the pouring rain outside prevented complete silence, the closed windows made the weather’s chaos feel distant.

Drip, drip. Water streamed down her body, forming droplets that fell to the floor. Feeling a chill, Hyun-soo hurried her movements.

The cozy room contained a single bed, a tea table with a chair, and a drawer unit that could double as a wardrobe.

Hyun-soo placed the clothes she had received from the caretaker on the table and began taking off her dress. This time, the buttons were in the front, making it easy to remove on her own.

Her rain-soaked dress looked even darker and gloomier than usual. Clinging damply to her skin, it felt like a ghost from the past, urging her to shed it quickly.

After removing her dress and camisole, Hyun-soo hesitated about whether to take off her remaining underwear. It felt awkward to strip completely, but leaving it on risked soaking her dry clothes. Caught between the two options, she eventually decided to leave her bottom layer on and removed only her bra, hanging it with her camisole in the room.

She then began changing into the fresh set of clothes. Her slim figure meant the oversized boxy T-shirt, comfortable shorts, and light cardigan fit her perfectly.

Satisfied with her outfit, Hyun-soo picked up her wet dress.

“Are you coming down?”

“Yeah.”

Descending to the first floor, she found Han rising from a rocking chair where he had been resting. Smiling, he approached and extended his hand, prompting Hyun-soo to naturally hand over her wet clothes.

Guk was tending to the fire in the fireplace. Thanks to his efforts, the flames roared, crackling and popping with embers.

After observing the fire for a moment, Guk hung the fire tongs back on their stand and turned around. In that instant, his and Hyun-soo’s gazes met briefly before parting.

The wet dress Han had taken was hung on a hanger and suspended near the edges of the fireplace. Though it swayed precariously, as if it might fall at any moment, Guk and Han’s clothes were similarly hung, so Hyun-soo decided to leave it be. There wasn’t much else they could do.

With nothing else to do, the three of them gradually gathered around the fireplace. First, Hyun-soo sat on a thick cushion in the center of the carpet. Guk settled into the rocking chair to her right, and finally, Han plopped onto a beanbag to her left.

“...Are you okay?”

Hyun-soo quietly asked Han in a low voice. Knowing how much he disliked fire, she was concerned about whether he was comfortable with the roaring flames. Initially confused, Han realized her concern and chuckled softly.

“Am I really going to be scared of a fire this size? Then I wouldn’t even be able to boil water for ramen. I’m fine.”

His joking tone eased some of Hyun-soo’s worry. She had feared triggering another trauma episode like last time, but thankfully, he seemed fine. Still, she couldn’t shake off her unease entirely—there was someone else who couldn’t be free from the concept of “fire.”

“...”

“...”

Hyun-soo turned to look at Guk. His profile, resting his chin on his hand, exuded a sharp yet languid air as his eyes opened and closed slowly.

Should she ask him if he was okay? But for some reason, it was harder to voice the question to him than it had been to Han.

“Um...”

“How about having a drink?”

Interrupting Hyun-soo’s hesitant attempt, Han spoke up. Dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and white sweatpants, he sprawled lazily on the navy-blue beanbag like a polar bear stretching.

“Suddenly, why drinks?”

“To warm up a bit. Besides, there’s nothing else to do. What do you think?”

After Hyun-soo’s inquiry, Han turned to Guk for his opinion. Leaning back in the rocking chair, Guk slowly responded.

“Not a bad idea.”

“I knew you’d agree.”

Pleased, Han sprang up swiftly. Hyun-soo, clutching a cushion, followed his movements with her eyes.

“But do we even have alcohol? Earlier, you said there wasn’t much here...”

“Are you seriously worried about that? Do you think we’d be out of alcohol?”

“But the fridge was empty.”

“Just wait. I’ll bring something right up.”

Winking teasingly, Han vanished in the direction of the kitchen, though exactly where he went remained unclear.