133. Fear (3)

While sitting quietly drinking coffee in unnie’s room, a call came from the Director-nim.

“Hello, Director-nim.”

-Yeah, Jia-ssi. Are you alone right now?

“…I’m at unnie’s place.”

-Okay, good job. Don’t even think about going anywhere. That bastard isn’t home right now.

The situation is… more serious than I thought.

The Manager wasn’t at his own home.

Was he running away, afraid of being caught?

Or maybe he slipped out to get revenge on me?

-I’m sorry. I should have just reported it right then.

“No. I consented to it too….”

-For now, you have a history of counseling, there’s the can with sleeping pills, and plenty of witnesses. If you report it now, you should be able to prove the crime.

“…Will I get jail time?”

-You’ll have to trust the legal team for that. In my opinion… it probably will. For this level of offense.

However, I could tell that this matter could no longer be swept under the rug as if it never happened.

Now it was a matter of personal safety.

Since the Manager had already gone to the level of madness, there was no other answer but to block him with the law.

…Perhaps many things would become public knowledge in the process.

It can’t be helped.

-Anyway, absolutely do not come outside. Stay put. I’ll handle the lawsuits and things like that.

“…Yes.”

After carefully listening to the Director-nim’s earnest requests, I hung up the phone.

…Even if, by some slim chance, the Manager were to break in here, I’ll be okay as long as I stay inside the house.

It’s the same even if it’s my room upstairs instead of here.

I’ve never told anyone the door lock’s password, and I changed it again after that incident.

What worried me instead was Hinami.

She’s naive by nature, maybe he’d go after her to threaten me…

“…I need to call her.”

As soon as the thought occurred, I tried to call her immediately. But even though I called several times, she didn’t pick up at all.

No way.

Already?

That can’t be right.

Wiping away the cold sweat that had just dried, I checked Twitter just in case the Manager had posted something. After confirming nothing was posted, I checked Hinami’s Instagram too, but there was no update at all.

As I came out into the living room, wringing my hands anxiously.

“Uh, yeah. See you tomorrow. Since Haeun wasn’t here today….”

From beyond the room door. I heard Kang Joo-hyuk’s voice, chatting with someone who wasn’t unnie. Judging by the conversation, it must be Hinami.

My tension eased slightly at the fact that there was no problem, and I plopped down on the sofa, but just then, seeing the phone ring, I picked it up again. The caller was… naturally, Hinami, whom I had just hung up on.

-What the heck, Jia-ssi?

“Hinami, where are you right now?”

-I’m home~?

“…I’m telling you, the Manager is missing from his own home right now, so absolutely do not go outside and don’t open the door for anyone.”

-…Suddenly?

“Ask the Director-nim for the details. …I’m hanging up.”

-Ah, wait, Jia-ssi….

I conveyed only the main point and hung up immediately.

…The reason is nothing much. It’s just that because my tension completely eased, my energy wasn’t okay enough to properly explain the incident. Maybe because I sweated so much, my head was spinning.

Holding my forehead, I collapsed onto the sofa and closed my eyes.

…Ha.

Is it fortunate that I at least came down here?

Even if the worst situation were to happen.

That man could at least serve as an alarm bell… won’t he?

**

“Hah….”

Suddenly, I felt a chill and woke up startled. It was already dark outside. Being this dark in midsummer meant it was already around 7-8 PM. Even though I slept in the afternoon, I had been sleeping for quite a long time. To moisten my dried-out lips, I threw off the covers, got out of bed, and opened the door.

“…?”

…The bed.

Why am I sleeping in the bed?

I definitely fell asleep on the sofa…

“Did you sleep well?”

“…What is it?”

As I opened the door and came out, Kang Joo-hyuk, with a bored face, was lying sprawled on the sofa, watching TV blankly. His clothes were similar to what he wore during the day, but only the color had changed. His hair, which looked a little messy, was also roughly tidied up. This man, emitting an unpleasantly fragrant scent.

“…Why did you move me to that bed without saying anything?”

“…Then, if you’re lying sprawled out occupying all three sections of the sofa, aren’t you going to move? I need to watch TV too.”

His brazen attitude, moving me without permission after picking me up, annoyed me a little, but not enough to make me want to get angry. Regardless, I was the one who slept sprawled on the sofa. I headed to the kitchen with my lips tightly shut, saying nothing, and moistened my dry lips with water first.

“Just eat. I ordered it.”

“….”

I half-ignored him, spitting out words so blunt they were practically insensitive. I saw the salmon poke bowl on the dining table, took a spoon without a word, and sat down. With the echoing sounds of the TV-swish, bang. Whoosh, click-as background music. I took out my phone, which was left in my pocket, and checked the Manager’s tweet first.

I want to die

…It was terminal. Seeing him post a sunset photo and write that, I didn’t know the exact illness, but I was certain there was a problem with his head. Thinking that place might be near our house made my stomach churn again. “If this continues, someone might really get stabbed, right?” Even if it’s not me, an innocent someone.

“….”

Whether he knew my feelings or not, Kang Joo-hyuk was alternating between looking at the TV and his phone without a word. Looking closely, he also had wireless earphones plugged into only one ear. At least for now, I was surprised at myself for feeling more reassured with that man here than not, so I let out a small sigh and picked up my spoon, putting dinner in my mouth.

…Should I stay here at least for today?

Even though unnie isn’t here… he doesn’t seem like he’d particularly touch me. If you asked who was more dangerous between the Manager and Kang Joo-hyuk at this point, it was definitely the Manager, without question. Even so, this atmosphere right now was definitely not comfortable.

“…Ah, damn it. Clean it up yourself after you eat. I’m going in.”

“….”

As if proving my thoughts, he, who was lying down with a bored expression, scratched his head vigorously and went back to his room without even looking at me. Honestly, because the atmosphere was so stifling it almost made me sick, I felt his disappearing from my sight was his own form of consideration.

“…If that man hadn’t touched Hinami, I wouldn’t have thought much of him.” Of course, when I first saw him, I tried to kick him out… but back then, someone who seemed to have an unstable income meeting unnie seemed too suspicious. “If he were just an ordinary gym owner, I wouldn’t have cared at all whether he dated unnie or not.”

“…Haa.”

“I still don’t know why someone who likes unnie so much would insistently lay a hand on Hinami too.” Of course, a man’s thoughts are unknowable, no matter how much I worry. The Manager is the same. “Even if he stalks me creepily like that, I’d hate him more, not like him. There’s no way I’d like him.” “Why on earth is he doing that to me?” “Did he seriously think there was a possibility?” “A man’s obsession whom I don’t even like is just disgusting.”

“This isn’t just about the Manager.” “For example, if Kang Joo-hyuk showed that kind of obsession towards me….”

“….”

“…I almost threw up the salmon I was eating.” That imagination was several times creepier than the Manager. “As for the Manager, it’s something that can be solved by simply throwing him in jail, but.” “I felt like Kang Joo-hyuk would somehow gaslight me and turn me into unnie.” Imagining myself brainwashed by him, acting cute like unnie, filming that kind of video like Hinami, and trembling all over-it seriously makes me nauseous.

Rummaging through the fridge, I took a sip of the Zero Coke that happened to be there for my churning stomach. After slowly chewing the remaining rice thoroughly, I finished cleaning up and gently sat down on the sofa where he had been lying until just now. “…The sofa, unnecessarily warm with his unpleasant lingering heat.” As I shifted my hips as far towards the corner as possible, the leather finally cooled down, allowing me to sit comfortably. While sipping the leftover Coke from earlier, I watched the TV he had turned on. I didn’t know earlier because I only heard the sound, but the channel that was on was a baseball channel. It was already the bottom of the 9th inning, 2 outs. The batter’s side… was my dad’s team. The last batter swung and missed weakly, ending the game. A 11-8 defeat. Looking at the final scoreboard, I finally understood why he had been displeased. They gave up 4 runs in the 8th inning and got overturned.

“….”

“…I thought that man hated my dad’s team.” Still, maybe because he played for a few years, he has mixed feelings? Or maybe he’s cheering because he knew some teammates? “Maybe he feels miserable for not being able to be part of it himself, but….” “Probably not, right?” “The Kang Joo-hyuk I’ve experienced would probably prefer this current life much more than life as a baseball player.”

I turned off the TV after the baseball game ended, made the bright living room dark, and went into the bathroom. In that place that looked just like my house, as I naturally tried to brush my teeth. I only realized this wasn’t my house after seeing three toothbrushes stuck in the holder. After searching every nook and cranny starting from the towel cabinet, unable to find it at all, I came out of the bathroom and headed towards his room.

“What.”

“Where’s the toothbrush?”

“….”

He responded immediately to two knocks, opened the door, walked out silently, and rummaged through a drawer. Then, he took out a purple toothbrush from inside, tore open the packaging, handed it to me, and went straight back into his room.

“…What the…?”

“…His indifferent appearance towards me was slightly unpleasant.” The person who had shown malice towards me to that extent all this time. “Just for today, he’s showing annoyance so obviously; honestly, it’s a bit awkward.” Of course, that attitude is better than usual, but…. “I don’t know why he’s acting like that.” “…Is he slightly upset because unnie is staying out?” “He’s a strange person, really.” “Anyway, unnie wouldn’t go even if she told him not to.”

“….”

I brushed my teeth with the toothbrush I received from him, washed my face lightly, then went back to the room and borrowed unnie’s cosmetics. “Anyway, when we were on good terms, she gave me a lot of cosmetic gifts, so she probably wouldn’t say anything if I borrowed a little.”

With my face cleaned up like that, I lay down on the bed again, nodding off drowsily. Sleep wouldn’t come at all, but I was drifting off.

“Juhyeok-ah….”

Ttiririring.

As the sound of the door lock unlocking was heard, the owner of the room stepped into the entrance hall. It was fortunate that I didn’t have to spend the night alone with Kang Joo-hyuk…. At the same time as that thought. Realizing that I hadn’t contacted unnie at all today.

“…I became slightly scared.”

That man, who seemed bothered by everything all day. “I felt he probably wouldn’t mention this matter.”