Chapter 2: Please Ruin My Life

The next morning, my peaceful haven had turned into a battlefield.  

“W-What did I do last night?”  

I leaned against the wall, panting, the rough texture of the wallpaper prickling my skin. 

My skull throbbed as if it might split open. 

No matter how hard I tried to piece together last night’s memories, the conclusion was always the same.  

“…I slept with Joo Eunha?”  

A catastrophic mistake.  

Who could’ve predicted she’d pull out a pill like that?  

I glanced at the wall clock.  

“I need to clean this up, fast.”  

It was 4 a.m.  

The roosters hadn’t even stirred, but sleep had fled from me entirely.  

I didn’t know what kind of drug Eunha had slipped me, but it wasn’t anything good. 

The fact that my memory was a blur was bad enough, but when I came to, I was entangled with an unconscious Eunha.  

I’m the worst kind of human.  

I looked down at Eunha, sprawled across my cramped single bed, snoring softly.  

“Mmm, ahjussi…”  

“Y-Yeah, I’m right here.”  

I answered awkwardly. 

She pushed the blanket aside and fixed her gaze on me, steady and unyielding.  

“This isn’t a dream, right?”  

Eunha rubbed her face like a cat stretching after a nap. 

They say even a crow’s black feathers are charming when it’s yours—and she wasn’t just charming. 

Her beauty was a force of nature.  

“Alcohol really is the best medicine,” she said with a sly grin. “They say it opens the heart.”  

“You were drinking last night, weren’t you?”  

“Yes.”  

“Let’s be clear about this.”  

Eunha nodded promptly at my question.  

“Hard liquor, too. I missed you so much, ahjussi. I’ve been waiting my whole life… and last night, I felt so lonely. So I called the surveillance team.”  

She narrowed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.  

“You’re too considerate of others, oppa. That’s your flaw. But thanks to that, I knew if I sent a photo pretending to be blackmailed, you’d open the door without hesitation.”  

“Open the door? If I hadn’t—”  

“That wasn’t even a question. When your little sister is in danger, your instinct is to act immediately.”  

Cutting me off, Eunha flashed a cunning smile. 

Then, with her hands clasped behind her back, she approached me like a fox stalking its prey.  

We moved like dancers in a ballroom, each step calculated.  

One wrong move, and someone’s life would be ruined… a dance of temptation.  

Eunha, her fingers interlocked, asked with innocent curiosity, “It’ll be hard to face Chairman Joo after this, won’t it?”  

Her words made her smirk.  

“Chairman Joo? He’s dead. Well, half-dead. Seongpoong went through a massive restructuring. The CEO and CFO didn’t survive it either.”  

I let out the breath I’d been holding.  

The reality sank in: Seongpoong, South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate, and I’d just shared a bed with its most prominent heir.  

As cold sweat beaded on my forehead, Eunha wrapped her arms around me tightly. 

Her slow, heavy embrace pressed against me.  

“S-Stop it.”  

Her face turned cold, mocking.  

“No way. I begged you not to leave, but you walked away so coldly. I’m not losing you again.”  

Kiss. 

Her familiar scent, warm and intoxicating, filled my senses. 

Her soft hair brushed against my chest, its texture impossibly delicate.  

I’ll admit, if this were a romantic comedy, this would be the highlight.  

But for me, it was a thriller.  

As Eunha hummed a cheerful tune, I sidled away like a crab scooting along the shore.  

Big movements might provoke her, so I propped my arms on the dining table for now.  

I needed a plan.  

The first thing that came to mind was a question.  

Why would Eunha want a guy like me?  

I had no clue. I knew I wasn’t the sharpest when it came to reading people, but I usually caught the basics.  

What I felt for Eunha was paternal affection, nothing more.  

“Your eyes say you’re about to apologize,” she said. “No need. Honestly, I’m grateful. It felt good, didn’t it?”  

I covered my face with my hands. 

Grabbing her arm, I led her to the living room. 

How long would it take to clean up this mess? 

As we stepped into the room, Eunha asked in a bored tone, “Got any underwear?”  

“U-Underwear?”  

I turned to her.  

Right—she’d shown up here naked under that coat. 

My head pounded. 

It was still dark outside, the air chilly.  

I couldn’t leave her like that, so I sat her on the sofa and fetched a blanket and one of my old dress shirts from the closet—a high-end one, perfect for keeping her warm.  

“This should do, oppa,” she said, taking the shirt.  

She slowly buttoned it up, but my large frame meant the sleeves hung loosely, flapping around her arms. 

I shuffled awkwardly toward the front door.  

“I’ll be right back.”  

“Where are you going?”  

“To buy underwear.”  

I darted out before she could respond, glancing around nervously to ensure no one saw me.  

No suspicious cars in sight. 

I rushed to a 24-hour convenience store ten minutes away and bought some underwear.  

Panting, I returned home to find Eunha standing at the door, arms crossed, eyeing me sharply. 

I handed her the underwear, and she stood with poised elegance, slipping on the bra and panties with deliberate care.  

Watching her, she caught my gaze and smiled leisurely.  

“Why are you staring? You used to bathe me without blinking. By the way, I’ll send a cleaner later. This place is a mess.”  

She was right—the apartment was a disaster, unfit for anyone’s eyes.  

Eunha approached, studying my troubled expression. 

Then, with an enigmatic smile, she tickled under my chin.  

“No need to feel guilty, ahjussi. This is what I wanted.”  

I averted my gaze.  

This was far from moral. 

Guilt made it hard to keep my expression in check—I wanted to run to the bathroom and retch.  

“Ahjussi?”  

Eunha reached out, brushing my bangs aside with a gentle sweep.  

“Look up. Ugh, should we settle on a proper title?”  

I stayed in a daze until she went to wash up.  

***

A cold morning breeze accompanied us as I led Eunha to my café for breakfast.  

“This neighborhood’s nice. Lots of kids around. I like kids. Do you get many at the café?”  

“There’s an elementary, middle, and high school nearby, plus a tutoring district. Just past that alley, you hit the main road where the café is.”  

Eunha slid her hoodie’s zipper down slightly.  

“It’s quiet. Perfect for just the two of us.”  

“Keep your behavior in check,” I warned.  

She grinned mischievously.  

“Nope. I already investigated everything.”  

“How much?”  

“Six months’ worth?”  

No doubt about it—she’d done her homework.  

Eunha knew the area with uncanny precision, like she’d been here more than once or twice. 

As she rambled about old memories, I pressed down on the brim of her baseball cap. 

If it came off and someone recognized her, we’d be in trouble.  

“Keep your hat on.”  

“Mmm, it smells like you, ahjussi. I like it.”  

“Lower your voice, kid. Reporters are probably crawling around.”  

A few minutes later, we passed through the alley and reached the café.  

Its glass facade gleamed in the early light. I climbed the external stairs to the entrance.  

“Turn around,” I said, pointing at Eunha.  

“Don’t need to. Hmph.”  

I unlocked the door out of her sight.  

Beep. Beep-beep. Beep. 

Ding!  

With a heavy heart, I ushered Eunha inside. 

Once I confirmed she was in, I closed the door and drew every curtain. 

The café became a near-sealed chamber, and I flicked on the lights with a sharp click.  

“Come on in.”  

Eunha was already seated at the best spot in the house.  

“Wow, it’s spacious. A place like this at thirty? You’re living the dream, ahjussi.”  

Spacious, sure. 

I’d gone into debt to build it. 

The rent was brutal. 

Only someone like Eunha, South Korea’s darling, could afford to rent out my café for a day and act this carefree.  

I headed toward the “Staff Only” door.  

“I’ll whip something up.”  

In the kitchen, I started cooking quickly. 

The open layout let Eunha watch me intently as I worked.  

I plated the food and served it to her.  

Slurp. 

Eunha took a sip of the milk tea I’d brewed.  

“What’s this?”  

She pointed at the two plates on the table.  

Eating on an empty stomach isn’t good, so I’d made a sweet cake and a fork sandwich.  

“Aha.”  

Eunha smiled at me, and for a moment, it felt like we were on a blind date. 

If I were in my right mind, I wouldn’t have entertained the thought—but I wasn’t.  

After a few words, we got to the point.  

“Shall we do a little background check?” she asked. 

“You haven’t been dating while I was gone, have you?”  

“Nope,” I said, shaking my head.  

I’d been too busy with life.  

“When I get into work, I go all in. I’ve always wanted to open a place like this. Keeps me busy.”  

“But you’re open to it, right?”  

I’d never dated in my life.  

More accurately, I’d turned down every chance. I didn’t want the responsibility of a relationship. 

The only hands I’d ever held were my mother’s and Eunha’s.  

Seeing my expression, Eunha’s lips curled upward, as if she’d expected as much.  

“What’s your type?”  

“…I’d rather not say. Especially not to you.”  

If I told her, “I like women with small chests,” she’d probably invent a chest-shrinking drug just to show up at my door.  

Her interrogation continued.  

“Are you seeing anyone?”  

“I said no.”  

She tilted her head, skeptical, as if I were lying.  

“Really?”  

“Really.”  

“Oppa, I’d appreciate some honesty. I’m not exactly patient. Who’s the woman? I came here because of her.”  

“Who?”  

Me, seeing a woman?  

What nonsense.  

“There was this woman—way less pretty than me. You smiled at her, oppa. Even if it was fake, it made my blood boil every time I saw it.”  

She was talking about a customer?  

Fair enough.  

Eunha rattled off details like a machine gun.  

“Gajian. Medical intern at Kukdae University, third year. Majoring in surgery, born in Suncheon. Loves tteokbokki, mara-tang, and coffee—sweet coffee. Likes men, especially handsome ones. Steals other people’s men, uses them, then spits them out. Hates cats due to allergies—”  

“Hold on, hold on!”  

I stopped her.  

“Did you have Manager Park run a background check?”  

What was this, a detective agency?  

This was the kind of operation Seongpoong’s elite strategy team would handle. 

Eunha glared at me sharply.  

“I’m not done. I know you wouldn’t mess around with some lowlife like her! But I came to confirm it myself yesterday.”  

Chomp. 

She bit into the sandwich with a loud crunch.  

Pretty or not, Eunha had no shortage of suitors vying for her hand.  

She was a famous influencer, practically an idol known to every South Korean.  

“You’re thinking weird things again,” she said. “Just answer me right here, right now.”  

She slid her phone toward me covertly. It was a video—of her slipping me the pill and what followed.  

“W-What the…”  

“Surprised? This is Seongpoong’s patented secret CCTV in action.”  

She called it CCTV, but it was a hidden camera!  

I didn’t know how she’d installed a camera in my home, but the footage was undeniable.  

It was real.  

Her surveillance team must’ve set it up. 

I’d grown dull, it seemed. I could only fidget, unable to look at the screen properly.  

A man and a woman, bare as the day they were born, entangled in passion. 

And one of them was me.  

The other was Eunha, South Korea’s flawless daughter.  

Thud, thud, thud… squelch—splatter.  

“Ugh… ahjussi, not there…”  

I glared at Eunha. 

She smirked, her lips twitching. 

What was she planning to do with this footage?  

“You’ve got ten minutes to change my mind,” she said.  

She tapped the screen with her index finger and slid it toward me.  

[Your selected video has been scheduled for upload to 14 designated sites.]  

[Title: “My Beloved Savior♥”]  

“This is insane!”  

A curse slipped out. 

I didn’t want to swear in front of her, but the situation warranted it.  

She’d uploaded the video to major platforms.  

“My life is about to be ruined. Shall we begin?”