* * *

After walking for just under ten minutes, Junhee found himself standing in front of a traditional raised wooden veranda.

His eyes, fixed on the massive wooden beams holding up the roof, trembled with unease.

‘You want me to go… in there?’

So far, the navigation had at least led him along reasonable paths, but stepping up onto the stone foundation and entering that house?

‘That’s straight-up trespassing.’

Junhee had long realized that the navigation wasn’t leading him to the engagement venue.

And yet, like someone being dragged by their hair, he’d followed its directions this far.

‘Something’s off about this.’

The vibrations, as if triggered by a call, and the navigation app that seemed to have been waiting for him to be alone before activating…

It was almost as if it wanted to show him something.

Junhee didn’t think it was the work of a ghost, like something out of a supernatural tale.

He’d never seen or believed in ghosts.

But if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that humans were far scarier than ghosts.

While there was clearly something here, and the navigation had led him this far, he hesitated.

‘They say doing things you normally wouldn’t gets you killed.’

The idea of stepping into a stranger’s home made his skin crawl.

It felt like a death flag straight out of a movie.

Ding!

The notification sound made Junhee flinch.

[↑ Proceed straight.]

[Destination: 8 meters ahead.]

‘This is bad. Forget the destination—I need to turn back right now.’

Regaining his senses, Junhee turned to leave, but just as he was about to retreat—

“…Is this the right place?”

From beyond a corner of the wall came the sound of someone speaking.

The crunch of footsteps on dirt grew closer.

It was too late to turn back.

The only way out was the same way in, and he couldn’t leave without crossing paths with the newcomer.

‘Damn it… This is the worst.’

Panicking, Junhee quickly slipped off his shoes, held them in his hands, and climbed onto the veranda, slipping inside.

The floorboards creaked ominously under his weight as he hurried forward, heart pounding.

Before long, he came upon a thick, latticed sliding door.

It was impossible to see through it, and it was secured with a large padlock.

“Yeah, I’m here… But it’s too dark to see anything.”

The voice was getting closer.

Junhee squeezed into a small attic-like space nearby, hiding himself just in time.

Moments later, a shadow darkened the veranda.

“A door? There’s a door here? Oh, here it is. Found it, but it’s locked. Ugh, seriously…”

The sound of the padlock rattling filled the air.

Junhee held his breath, peering at the man.

Or rather, at Baek Seunggyo.

If the voice he’d heard earlier hadn’t been Baek Seunggyo’s, Junhee might’ve made a different choice.

Maybe he would’ve confessed to being lost and asked for directions, ending this whole farce.

But he hadn’t.

‘What’s Seunggyo doing here?’

There was no reason for him to sneak in here without a purpose.

Junhee hadn’t seen him earlier at the engagement ceremony, but that didn’t mean Seunggyo hadn’t seen him.

At the time, Junhee had been too busy suffering between the feuding Ki cousins.

With a phone pressed to his ear, Seunggyo continued his conversation.

“What? How am I supposed to break this huge thing? You’re frustrated? Babe, think for a second. Who do you think is more frustrated here? If you wanted it done, you should’ve given me some tools!”

Then Seunggyo revealed the name Junhee had feared.

‘Kang Haesung… Kang Haesung’s the one who sent him?’

There was definitely something beyond that tightly shut sliding door.

Something they were after.

Junhee recalled the words exchanged during the tense standoff between Ki Taeryu and Ki Taebeom.

“Ah, Heesung mentioned it, didn’t he? That you’re not just business partners, but this is yours?”

In other words, it implied there was a connection between Ki Taebeom and Kang Heesung.

Just like Taeryu had brought Junhee here, Heesung had also been invited to this place, and somehow, in the midst of it all, Baek Seunggyo had inserted himself into the mix…

“So, what exactly are they looking for?”

Junhee’s legs, bent awkwardly for too long, had almost completely lost sensation by now.

“Hah… If I knew where the key was, would I be sitting here like this? The person who locked it would know, wouldn’t they? Why are you taking it out on me? Sweetheart, I’m doing petty theft in someone else’s house for your sake. Can’t you treat me a little nicer?”

It was clear now—they were definitely trying to steal something.

Baek Seunggyo’s sigh, tinged with frustration, reached all the way up to the attic where Junhee was hiding.

“No matter how I look at it, I still think we should stick to the original plan—just threaten Junhee. Ki Taeryu seems so infatuated with him he’d probably do anything, huh?”

Hearing his name suddenly come out of that man’s mouth, Junhee had to clench his teeth tightly.

If he didn’t, he felt like he might let out the scream rising in his throat at any moment.

“Hah… Sure, I get it. You want to screw over Ki Taeryu. But me… Hello? Sweetheart? Ah, you rude bastard.”

The call seemed to end abruptly, and Baek Seunggyo’s tone shifted to irritation.

The lock on the door rattled harshly.

Junhee’s legs began to tingle, a pins-and-needles sensation creeping up.

He was already dealing with muscle pain after yesterday’s full day of cleaning, and now his knees throbbed from being bent so long.

To suppress the groan threatening to escape, he gripped his bent knees tightly and bit down on his lips.

“Seriously, why are alphas all the same—so arrogant? Whether they’re rich or not. Damn it, why is this lock so thick? Even tools wouldn’t work on this thing…”

Baek Seunggyo muttered to himself, curses peppering his words, and then suddenly fell silent.

Snap.

The sound of a branch breaking echoed from directly beneath Junhee’s feet.

All he had done was shift his weight slightly from one leg to the other.

“What was that? What’s making that sound…?”

Baek Seunggyo’s head snapped toward the dark attic where Junhee was hiding.

Junhee froze like a mannequin, unable to even blink.

Crunch.

Footsteps, cautious and deliberate, began moving closer.

Junhee’s heartbeat thundered louder than the approaching steps.

“What the hell… Could it be a rat?”

Baek Seunggyo’s voice was uneasy, but the steps came closer.

Junhee’s heart felt like it was about to shatter like dry twigs underfoot.

Bzzz—

At that moment, a vibration broke the tension.

“What? Sweetheart, calling back to apologize? You want me to come back to the venue? Fine, I’ll head there now.”

Junhee quietly closed his eyes, as if strangling himself to hold his breath. His eyelashes trembled pitifully.

“Am I a dog or something? Always telling me to come and go…”

Muttering complaints, Baek Seunggyo’s footsteps retreated.

The creak of the floorboards gradually faded into silence, leaving behind an oppressive stillness.

Junhee exhaled the breath he’d been holding, running a trembling hand over his pale face.

“Phew… Thought I was caught.”

Crawling out of the cramped space, Junhee stretched his legs and took a deep breath.

When the phone vibrated, he was sure Baek Seunggyo would find him.

Thankfully, he narrowly escaped being discovered by the petty thief.

“…What the hell is this?”

As his heart rate finally began to settle, his scattered thoughts started to align.

Kang Heesung, Baek Seunggyo, blackmail…

Heesung wanted to ruin Ki Taeryu, and he was biding his time for the perfect moment to strike.

He’d mentioned blackmailing Junhee, but that was absurd.

Taeryu wouldn’t even bat an eye at such a threat.

Regardless, Junhee had to find out what was hidden behind that door.

Standing fully upright, Junhee shifted his weight onto his legs, a sharp jolt of pain shooting up from his soles.

Gritting his teeth, he slowly made his way to the sliding door.

“The lock…”

Just as Baek Seunggyo had complained, it was absurdly thick, and it looked unlike any lock Junhee had seen before.

It seemed to be a special type of lock, and without the key, opening it would be nearly impossible.

Just as Junhee was about to turn away, a cheerful sound came from his pocket.

Ding!

[ ↑ Go straight ]

[ Destination: 4 meters ahead ]

“Damn it, this thing is still…”

The navigation app, as nonsensical as ever, had miraculously stayed silent when Baek Seunggyo was nearby.

It was almost supernatural.

“Unless this thing is actually haunted or something…”

The thought sent chills down Junhee’s spine.

Still, he resolved to follow through now that he’d come this far.

What was odd was that while he’d assumed the destination would be this room, the phone pointed elsewhere.

He decided to follow its instructions and walked a little further.

But the path ended.

The attic he had been hiding in was the limit.

It was just as he thought—either the navigation was broken, or he was under some kind of spell.

[ ↑↑↑↑↑ ]

[ Destination: 2 meters ahead ]

The message updated.

Instead of “go straight,” there were now upward-pointing arrows.

“Up?”

Junhee stared at the screen in disbelief.

Ding! Ding!

As if mocking him, the notification sounded again.

With a resigned sigh, Junhee climbed onto a stone platform.

Above him was a triangular space supporting the roof.

Stretching his arm upward, his fingertips barely brushed against something.

If he were just 5 centimeters taller…

Frustrated, Junhee backed down.

He wasn’t superhuman, but he was resourceful.

“Earlier, there was…”

From the cramped attic, he retrieved a broken branch.

Climbing back up, Junhee swung the branch into the unseen space above.

Something clinked and snagged on the branch’s end.

* * *