181. Dopamine (2)

I never wanted to recall the events of that day again.

To put it simply… it was chaotic.

Even during dinner, they were biting and poking each other; it was a usual mess, and Hinami’s sycophantic attempts to charm Kang Joo-hyuk, as if determined to leave no room for me to intervene, were utterly unbearable to witness.

…Not that I ever intended to get involved in a place like that.

“Ha….”

In that atmosphere, I ate dinner, went to bed early, and managed to return home just before sunrise.

My bed, which hadn’t changed at all, felt incredibly welcoming, and I collapsed onto the covers, almost tearing up.

…Come to think of it, I have a schedule today too.

Kang Joo-hyuk confiscated my weekend.

Even though it’s the off-season, there was so much to do the moment I woke up.

No matter how many years you’ve been doing this, you can’t stop practicing, and even when it’s not an active period, churning out content for fan service is essential.

I have to film my daily life, and during that process, I can’t show any signs of my strained relationship with Hinami, nor can I let anyone know I have worries….

…Ha.

I think the time I spent floating aimlessly in the swimming pool was better.

When the two of them were making noise in the room, the time I secretly went in alone was serene, so it was okay.

Though it certainly wasn’t comfortable.

“…Huh?”

As I was sighing deeply while lying face down on the bed, the sound of the door lock disengaging echoed-tti-tti-tti-and someone walked in with heavy footsteps-jeobeok-jeobeok.

For a moment, I panicked, fearing it might be a thief or a stalker, and tensed up completely. But when I took out my phone to turn on the flashlight, I saw a DM.

…Right, how many people even know my home password?

I tossed my phone, which was in sleep mode, onto the bed and kicked open my bedroom door to greet the uninvited guest politely.

“Why are you here?”

“You left something behind, and I told you to come get it, but you didn’t answer my calls.”

“…Give it to me.”

In his hand were a set of clothes-top and bottom-and my swimsuit.

Well, technically, it wasn’t mine, but Hinami’s, which I had borrowed.

…I guess I should be thankful it wasn’t underwear.

Does it even need to be returned?

The clothes were cheap knock-offs anyway, and the swimsuit wasn’t even mine.

“Stop being so careless and losing things, and actually keep track of your stuff.”

“…Ha. Okay, just give it to me.”

“Here.”

In the dimly lit house, at the only brightly lit entryway, he tossed my clothes at me one by one-hulleong-hulleong. I accepted them as politely as possible.

Without hiding my disgusted expression, I shoved the clothes into the laundry basket and blocked the entryway, crossing my arms.

“…If you’re done, please leave.”

“I’m not done yet.”

“What else is it?”

“Let me crash here for a bit.”

“…What?”

…Another absurd request.

What trick is he trying to pull this time?

What does he want from me, showing up like this on a Monday morning?

“Haeun unnie is asleep, and if I go wake her up now, it’ll be problematic for me. I’m tired of sleeping in the car, so I’ll just sleep on the sofa for a bit.”

“…If that’s the case, why didn’t you just go with Hinami?”

“Then who would give you a ride home?”

“You could have dropped me off first, then taken Hinami home?”

“That won’t do. You know it would look suspicious if I were near Hinami’s place alone with her, right? Although I usually wouldn’t get caught, there’s no need to take unnecessary risks.”

“….”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but his persistence in trying to stick around using such excuses was incredibly irritating.

…It was irritating, yet also frightening.

Kang Joo-hyuk, who barged into my house so naturally, firmly believing I couldn’t lift a finger against him.

“…There are no pillows, so you’ll have to manage.”

Since he was determined to stay, there was no way to kick him out.

He wasn’t insisting on sleeping together, so I decided to tolerate it for now.

…His reason wasn’t entirely unreasonable, either.

If I woke Haeun unnie up at this hour… she’d probably attack Kang Joo-hyuk.

No matter how energetic a man he was, seeing him spend all day rolling around with Hinami yesterday, he must be exhausted.

Even Hinami’s legs were shaky when she got out of the car earlier.

I don’t know how he plans to handle today’s schedule after going that far.

“Ah, do you have a blanket, by any chance?”

“…I’ll give you a blanket, you can use that.”

“Thanks.”

Just as he threw the clothes at me, I tossed the blanket at him and turned sharply, heading back to my room.

Even if I slept now, I’d have to wake up again in two or three hours.

But that’s better than staying awake and reveling in my exhaustion.

Pushing all thoughts of him out of my mind, I closed my eyes and tried to get some much-needed sleep.

Hoping that when I woke up, Kang Joo-hyuk would have miraculously disappeared from the sofa.

**

The alarm didn’t go off.

I must have accidentally turned it off when I disabled sleep mode earlier.

Instead, my phone rang softly.

The caller ID…

It wasn’t Unnie.

It was someone from the agency.

“…Hello?”

“Oh, Jia-ya. Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

The Director’s voice was calmly subdued.

His tone was the same as always, but the time he called was highly suspicious.

I’ll be seeing him at the company soon anyway.

Why call at this hour…?

“Ah, it’s nothing major. There’s a gossip article circulating online, so I wanted to talk to you first.”

“…What?”

“Um… your brother-in-law, you know?”

“…Yes.”

Just as I feared.

The title I feared most came out of the Director’s mouth.

“Ah, it’s nothing serious. Your older sister… she’s been working hard lately, right? So someone dug around and found your brother-in-law too, it seems.”

“…Yes.”

“And they’re spreading baseless rumors on community sites asking if you aren’t involved with him too. The media picked it up and turned it into an article. So, we’re planning to get the article taken down…”

“Excuse me, Director-nim. Don’t they usually get a rebuttal before writing an article…?”

“…That’s just how yellow journalism works.”

…And that too.

The story that I’m involved in the kind of scandal I hate the most.

“…Is there, perhaps, any evidence?”

“Someone dug up your personal information online and wrote a post saying you go to your brother-in-law’s gym. That’s all.”

“I do… go there sometimes, but….”

“Well, that’s normal. You’re future family, after all. So, listen, is your brother-in-law nearby? We need to coordinate with him too. We have to take legal action against the media outlet.”

“…Downstairs.”

Downstairs.

He wasn’t.

…He was sleeping on my sofa.

If he were to wake up right now and look for me in his sleep, that rumor would cease to be a rumor and become the truth.

“He’s downstairs?”

“Yes. If nothing’s wrong, he’s probably with Unnie.”

“…If he doesn’t have any schedules, could you bring him along?”

“Huh? …Ah.”

Just as I was determined to end the call as quickly as possible, the Director’s request to bring him to the company made my mind go blank. At the same time, my bedroom door opened very quietly.

…He walked up to my bed, scratching his head, finger pressed to his lips, and crouched down, nodding his head at me.

“…I’ll ask him. I think it’ll be possible. Probably.”

“Okay. Well, he was a public figure too, after all. It’ll be easier to put a stop to the baseless rumors quickly.”

“…Yes.”

“Anyway, I’m sorry. For calling at this hour.”

“It’s okay. It’s my fault for causing trouble with that kind of article…”

“It’s not your fault. Those trash reporters are the problem.”

After exchanging a few more words with the Director, who cursed so calmly, I ended the call, holding my phone with both hands.

As soon as the connection ended, he stroked the back of his neck, lifted his head, and opened his mouth, which had been tightly shut, towards me.

“…What kind of article came out?”

“…Yes.”

“Did the paparazzi take pictures or something?”

“No. …It seems some reporter just picked up speculations about the gym.”

“…That’s a relief, then.”

He sighed heavily upon hearing there was no evidence and lowered his head, scratching his head again in relief.

…Seeing the man, who had seemed so consumed by pleasure, look so relieved felt incredibly awkward, and I didn’t know how to act.

“Ah, shit. I knew weirdos were digging into my personal info, but I didn’t expect it to involve you.”

“What?”

“There were some bastards among Haeun’s fans who were determined to find me a boyfriend. I wasn’t planning on hiding it, so I didn’t care much. I didn’t expect them to find you and link us. …If it were Hinami, maybe.”

“…The Director-nim said something similar too.”

“I’m sorry.”

His attitude, even apologizing so readily to me, made it even harder to figure out how to respond.

Should I treat him coldly like usual?

Or should I be scared and obedient like when he threatened me?

I awkwardly clasped my hands, which were hovering in the air, and tried to peer at his face, buried between his knees.

I couldn’t even tell if his attitude was genuine or just an act.

“Let’s get cleaned up first. You asked me to come to the company anyway.”

“…Okay.”

But the more I looked at him, holding his forehead and turning his head, speaking with such seriousness…

…The more certain I became that I would never be able to read his true feelings.

Whether that cold expression was due to genuine fear or because he was suppressing his emotions, there was no way for me to know.

“Ha…, shit. It’s troublesome for me too, being somewhat famous. My face and personal details pop up immediately if you search my name.”

As he grumbled to himself into the air, I kept my eyes fixed on him and picked up my phone again, which I had placed on the bed. I casually searched his name on a community forum.

Just as he said, his face, that of a former baseball player who once shone brightly, was scattered everywhere.

…And just like the Director-nim mentioned, a single gossip article was polluting my vision.

‘Seo Jia, Dating Former Famous Baseball Player? Gym Date Exposed….’

…This trashy article.

I’ve been dragged to a pension before, but I’ve never hung out at a gym even once.

Staring intently at the article I wished I could erase with an eraser, I let out a long sigh, just like him, and got out of bed.

As the sunlight streamed in, I rubbed my bleary eyes and pondered how to utterly destroy that media outlet.

“….”

…Then I saw Kang Joo-hyuk’s back as he crouched in the corner of my room, sighing deeply.

And I realized this article was far milder than the reality.

That ‘spending a night with my sister’s boyfriend and a fellow member’s sex friend’ was far more sensational than ‘Dating a former famous baseball player’.