* * *
He slipped off the seat and knelt on the floor in front of the sofa.
Someone who had never kneeled before anyone now did so willingly before me.
Yet, there was not a hint of humiliation or shame in his demeanor.
His long eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes curved softly. He looked at me as though I were something precious.
If we were to classify this moment by the social classes of old times, I would merely be a well-maintained ornament, while this man kneeling before me would be the son of a reigning king.
Even when he knelt, his noble grace and elegance did not vanish.
A strange sense of fulfillment bubbled up inside me.
The one standing high above shrank down only in front of me, sometimes shielding me from the endless swamp lying before us.
How would I even describe this relationship?
Just calling it a simple superior-subordinate work relationship felt lacking.
But admitting there were feelings involved seemed too ambiguous.
Acknowledging emotions was the simplest and most brutal way to define a relationship.
Between friends, there’s friendship. Between colleagues, there’s camaraderie. Between lovers, there’s love.
But the connection between Doha and me didn’t fit any of those.
Nor should it.
Acknowledging feelings meant accepting that there would eventually be an end.
“Kiss me. That’ll make it all better.”
His expression, eyes crinkling sweetly, overflowed with affection.
There were no unnecessary embellishments to deceive; only his sincere truth.
His voice carried a resonance that reached deep inside my chest, the warmth of his touch gently easing my heart.
When I was a child, I used to have dreams like that.
The hope that my mother would return, and our family of three would walk back to our spacious apartment, hand in hand.
But hope only exists because it doesn’t come true.
In the end, all that was left for me were the suffocating debts and harsh words about being parentless that clung to every breath I took.
My mother’s disappearance, my father’s death, the days spent in a one-room flat.
Feeling miserable didn’t matter as much as simply surviving.
I know the expiration date of emotions.
I learned that from the mother who abandoned my father and from the father who left me behind.
Like the few girls in school who confessed to me but backed off and eventually ran far away after learning I was an orphan.
Emotions have depth, and most people act out of self-interest.
Therefore, every relationship has a deadline, and a future where nothing remains was inevitable.
I would always end up alone. Every feeling and human connection had an end.
I couldn’t afford to receive affection without cost.
My life had been too harsh to fully trust anyone.
And yet, I could sense the warmth in your heart.
So gentle that even reaching out to touch it felt daunting.
“Doha.”
Giving up came before everything in my upbringing.
If a new chocolate bar cost 500 won and a cheaper coin chocolate was only 100 won, of course, I’d choose the 100-won one.
Life demanded I pick what I knew over what I didn’t and choose safety over risk.
While my peers played at amusement parks, went to movies, ate at trendy places, or hung out at internet cafes, I could only watch.
Worrying about this month’s living expenses and sometimes sneaking into shelters for a night when necessary.
Even though I was a minor who should’ve gone to an orphanage, I desperately fought against it.
My life left no room for new choices. I had to take the ordinary path and live an ordinary tomorrow.
So this ambiguous relationship with Doha was a new flavor, an adventure I’d never dared to have.
I knew I shouldn’t indulge, yet part of me wanted more, and sometimes that fear gripped my throat.
The future looked like a swamp, murky and unavoidable.
Taking hits from bastards like Kim Jungha, doing things I’d never normally do — it was all because of this uncertainty.
‘Maybe I could use what happened with Kim Jungha somehow, but for now… well…’
Tracing his face with my eyes, I smiled faintly and leaned in.
I stopped just short of touching his lips, whispering softly.
“I’ll go fetch the lip balm now. And for the record, I’ve never heard of kisses healing lip wounds.”
Our lips brushed slightly from how close I spoke, and Doha let out a sigh, collapsing onto my thigh and wrapping his arms around my waist.
He looked up.
He resembled a drenched puppy, pitiful yet endearing, his lashes fluttering like delicate wings, his gemstone-like eyes utterly captivating.
“You always leave, even though I can never get enough of you.”
Doha’s pout twisted ever so slightly, making him look like a needy child, and I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
Glancing at my watch, I brushed his hair lightly and added,
“Fortunately, it’s only 4 PM. I’ll finish up quickly and come back.”
“You could have someone fetch your luggage. No need for you to go yourself, Yul.”
Instead of responding, I pressed my palm against his lips, gently pushing them away.
Enough with the nonsense.
“Is this really all your stuff?”
I had lived in that house for five years, yet all I had amounted to just a 26-inch suitcase. It seemed almost absurd, but at the same time, it made sense.
When I first moved into Cha Chiyeon’s place, all the essential furniture was already there.
My belongings consisted mostly of clothes, suppressants, and stomach medicine.
Even then, the suitcase was only full because clothes take up a lot of space.
Chiyeon handed me the suitcase and crouched down in front of the apartment entrance, looking utterly miserable. He seemed genuinely apologetic.
“I’m so sorry, Yul-ah.”
“You told me from the beginning that it wasn’t even your house. It belongs to your parents anyway. I’m the one who should be grateful for staying there for so long at such a low cost. By the way, what about your business? It’s been sold out for a while, hasn’t it?”
When I asked with concern, Chiyeon flinched noticeably before offering a clumsy smile.
Whenever she reacted like that, it meant there was something unpleasant she wasn’t telling me.
Was my question that difficult to answer?
I thought about it for a moment, but no answer came to mind.
“The factory burned down, so we’re in the middle of rebuilding. We probably won’t be able to sell anything this year. So… what happened with your modeling gig? Where are you staying now?”
The factory burned down?
She said it so casually that I didn’t even know how to react.
My mouth moved silently before I awkwardly smiled.
If anyone had been shocked by everything from the house to the factory, it would’ve been Chiyeon.
I didn’t want to add to her burden by blurting out something careless.
“It’s a bit complicated… For now, I’m temporarily staying at the CEO’s place, and the modeling contract… I canceled it. They said I don’t need to return the money, but I plan to pay it back eventually. It feels wrong to keep it when I didn’t even do anything.”
“If it were me, I’d say ‘thank you’ and pocket every last bit.”
Stretching her legs out in front, Chiyeon looked at me like I was incomprehensible.
And she was probably right. From a normal perspective, my actions seemed absurd.
If someone gives you something for free, you take it.
Why would you think about giving it back?
“There’s no such thing as a free gift in this world, Chiyeon.”
“But that was a closed contract.”
“In the end, everything’s a debt.”
I shrugged, tilting my suitcase slightly as I smiled at him.
We had been roommates for a long time, and she was the only person I could truly call a friend.
Still, now that we were parting ways, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of loss.
“When I get my own place later, let’s live together again. We can rent a two-bedroom and split the cost.”
“…I don’t think that’s likely to happen.”
“Why not?”
“No, I mean… there’s no way I’ll be moving out of there anytime soon… never mind. Anyway, Yul-ah, thanks for everything. Thanks to you, I played the role of a noble and even swept the auction house.”
I had no idea how that was thanks to me, but Chiyeon kept insisting on it as she said her goodbyes.
I left with an inexplicable feeling of unease hanging over me.
My phone kept vibrating strangely.
After getting off the taxi near Hannam-dong, I walked leisurely up the long hill, checking the messages.
An unknown number.
I scrolled through the text and clicked my tongue.
I didn’t even need to guess who it was.
I wasn’t surprised or curious about how they had gotten my number.
It was practically public information.
After using the same number for eight years and handing out countless business cards, this was the result.
I should really consider getting separate numbers for work and personal life.
[0101408xxx1] – You piece of shit, I’m going to kill you and Yoon Sanghye. I’ll fucking slit all your throats, you fucking bastard. 3:34 PM
[0101408xxx1] – You’re fucking dead, your company, and that bitch Yoon Sanghye too. Just wait, I’ll kill all of you. 3:47 PM
[0101408xxx1] – I’m going to kill you.
[0101408xxx1] – Don’t think of running, I’ll kill all of you. Just you wait. 4:32 PM
[0101408xxx1] – You bastard, I’ll get your family and Yoon Sanghye’s family too. Cut their throats, just you wait.
[0101408xxx1] – You fucking scam artist, you dirty snake. Does your company even know what you’ve been up to? I’m coming to your company. 4:49 PM
[0101408xxx1] – Pay me the alimony, you bastard. Do you even know what that is?
[0101408xxx1] – You ruined my marriage, you asshole. If only you were gone! 4:51 PM
Scrolling through, I understood why Ms. Yoon had changed her number.
If I was getting messages this vile, she must have gotten worse.
It didn’t hurt me much, so I brushed most of it off, except the part where he demanded money—that part I couldn’t ignore.
* * *
Good
Thanks
Thanks for the ch
thanks