Chapter 15
She opened her door and gestured to the dogs. Immediately, the three of them leaped over the sofa and ran into the room. The dogs confidently jumped onto the bed and lay down, claiming their spots.
“Whether it’s humans or animals, the bed is the best.”
Later, when Hayan is discharged and we have more space, it might be okay to raise a dog. I’m sure the child will like a lovely dog that looks like me.
Thinking about this, Sarin’s face softened.
Before closing the door, she glanced at the untouched first aid kit. Even though she knew it was still there, she checked it once more before closing the door.
The noise outside woke Sarin up again. The three dogs, already awake, sat quietly on the bed, staring at the door.
Bam!
Are they trying to flip the overturned sofa back over? Thinking this, Sarin chuckled. But today, it was less scary because she wasn’t alone. She reached out and petted the head of the closest dog, feeling its warm body temperature.
Sleeping with someone else was so comforting.
If it weren’t for this noise, she would have slept until morning without waking up. She felt a bit disappointed.
Thud. Thump.
Clang.
“Oh… woke up again. I won’t be able to leave the living room tomorrow because of you guys.”
Sarin whispered to the dogs, grateful for not being alone in this room. The outside felt strangely restless and unsettling. She even suspected whether the sound of stepping on glass was not Owen’s bare feet. It wasn’t even her foot, but it made her nervous.
She shook her head, thinking it was because of the thought of having to clean up the bloodstains again.
Thump.
At that moment, the dogs all got up at the sound of something heavy falling.
It wasn’t a loud noise. If she didn’t listen carefully, she wouldn’t have heard it, but the dogs immediately ran to the door and pawed at it. Since it was locked, the handle wouldn’t turn. After a few tries, they turned to look at Sarin.
“If I go out…”
It’s not working.
The dogs looked anxious, so without realizing it, Sarin threw herself out of bed and approached the door. She unlocked it and opened it slightly, and the dogs ran outside. The living room, with only a faint light remaining, was quiet.
She considered closing the door again, but Sarin ended up opening it a bit more. She was worried that the dogs might get hurt because she heard the sound of glass breaking again.
Seeing no signs of anyone, Owen must have gone back to his room. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been this quiet.
The light from the swaying chandelier flickered. The windows in front were covered with rain, making it impossible to see outside.
She couldn’t even guess what time it was or if it was time for dawn.
“Didn’t you hear me say not to come out?”
Kwakwakdong.
Suddenly, the sound of thunder was heard.
It wasn’t something she heard in her head, it was the sound of the storm outside. Sarin jumped in her place. Owen was lying on the marble floor next to the sofa. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, but it was enough to surprise her. The three dogs were now guarding him.
They seemed to sense their owner’s discomfort and stood quietly.
“…I heard it, but the dogs suddenly rushed out.”
She thought something had happened. The dogs, who had been quiet no matter what, had reacted sensitively to a sound of something falling. If a man were to die here, it was obvious that the arrows would be aimed at her.
Owen reached out and touched the largest dog. The way he leaned down and closed his eyes as if in response to his touch looked just like a person.
He was unusually affectionate towards the dogs.
“I hired a dog walker. Thanks for taking care of them in return.”
He was someone who also expressed gratitude.
Sarin tried to gauge when she should go back to her room. Owen’s voice was strange. It was definitely different from usual. Normally, this man wouldn’t be lying on the floor like this, nor would he be the one to mess up the room. She had never seen him in such a disheveled state.
It was unfamiliar to see someone who usually moved as sharply as a sharpened knife acting like this.
It was still raining outside. Shards of glass were visible under the window, as if someone had thrown a glass through it.
“My head hurts, can you find me some painkillers?”
Sarin looked at the first aid kit lying haphazardly in front of Owen’s door. It seemed like he had just kicked it, and the lid was open. The emergency medicine must have been in there, but she had to go over to get it.
As she tried to pass by on the opposite side, Owen chuckled softly.
“I’m not contagious.”
He was a man who didn’t want to catch anything worse than a contagious disease.
When she went to check, she was lucky to find some painkillers in the first aid kit. She handed it to him along with a bottle of cold water she took from the fridge. As he sat, he reached out only with his hand. She also reached out as far as she could, but in the moment she tried to hand it to him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.
“Ow!”
Screaming, Sarin fell over to him, along with the open bottle of water.
The cold water covered Owen’s face and upper body. As Sarin faced him, the empty bottle fell to the floor from her hand, landing on his solid chest.
The two of them looked at each other in silence for a while. Owen slowly opened his mouth with a wet face, still not letting go of Sarin’s hand.
“Trying to wake me up, you crazy bastard?”
“…It was a mistake. Why did you pull me like that?”
Sarin protested in his arms. Owen’s face looked even paler when wet. He still held her hand, looking tired and unable to sleep, with a tired face.
She knew this face well.
Just a few years ago, Sarin had always faced her own reflection in the mirror, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.
“Why are you looking at me like you’re going to suck me dry?”
As he spoke, moisture dripped from his lips down to his ear. Unintentionally, she swallowed the dry saliva as if her throat was parched, just like it was her own dry throat. Owen’s lips, visible up close, drew a lazy arc.
“Because you’re holding onto it.”
She tried to pull her hand away, but he didn’t even flinch.
His eyes were so mesmerizing that his face was handsome and attractive to the point of being dangerous. She admitted that her sister had a thing for men’s faces.
“You’re quite reckless. Why did you come out and bother me like this?”
Being close to him, her upper body was also soaked. Already warmed by Owen’s body heat, she didn’t feel cold. She bit her lip as she straddled him.
“You should have stayed somewhere else.”
There must be more rooms in this hotel than just this one, and it would have been more comfortable for both of them. She couldn’t understand why the man didn’t get it.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Making fun of it, Owen agreed.
Choosing here instead of the villa where he had been stuck every time was impulsive. At this time, he was always sensitive and unnecessary impulses rushed in. He chose to stay as much as possible because it was difficult to think and control rationally.
Boom!
Thunder struck again from behind. Sarin, surprised, leaned closer to Owen. Frowning, he muttered a curse under his breath.
“Damn it.”
My head is about to explode.
Every year was the same. Everything in Eden City appealed to him, but around this time, the rain poured and made him feel even worse. The sound of rain couldn’t penetrate the thick window gaps. However, the thunderstorm imprinted the existence of the pouring transparent rain.
“…My head always hurts when it rains.”
Sarin said so and handed over the painkillers she had been holding onto. Every time she did, he squirmed slightly on his body. When Owen saw the white pill in front of him, he raised his head slightly and put it in his mouth. The moist surface enveloped Sarin’s fingers.
At that chilling sensation, she quickly withdrew her hand.
Ouch.
The sound of him chewing the pill was scary.
“You say you’re scared. But you give me the medicine and worry about me?”
“Just in case I’ll be blamed if you die here.”
After Sarin’s nonchalant words, Owen chuckled briefly and then let go of her hand. He quickly got up, and the way he fell to the side was like a squirrel running away. He was quick for his small size. After getting up, he leaned against the fallen sofa and looked at Sarin on the other side.
Owen slowly brushed back his disheveled hair. Water dripped from his fingers to the floor. Under the low light, it felt like a black beast was crouching, so she made an effort to look away.
The reflection of the light on the window made the raindrops clear.
Owen, who looked at where Sarin turned her eyes with a weary face, pressed his temple because of the persistent headache. The medicine wasn’t working. It seemed that he needed more medicine. The medicine brought by Yuri was already chewed up and gone in the early morning.
Should I ask for something stronger?
Owen’s finger nervously scratched the thick leather of the sofa.
That’s why he locked himself up. Because rational judgment was completely impossible. Clearly, if he went out in this state, there was only one place to go. He would easily get the medicine, ruin his body, and then struggle with withdrawal symptoms.
He got up from his seat to rummage through the first aid kit brought by Sarin for the remaining painkillers.
His gaze, which was directed at the window, suddenly turned to surprise as he looked back at Owen. As he staggered to his feet and walked on the bare floor, the unhealed wound opened under his bare feet, leaving a bloodstain.
Indeed, it was Sarin’s unnecessary meddling that brought the first aid kit.
