Episode 4

“No!!”

Sohee let out a single scream and took a step back from the man. She hurriedly curled her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest, but it was too late; a smile was already tugging at the corners of Gye Wonho’s lips.

Her chest felt like it was on fire, and her insides heated up. She had completely forgotten she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her mind refused to calm down, and her vision blurred as her heart raced wildly.

“Money…!”

Gye Wonho licked his lips, finally taking his eyes off Sohee’s chest.

“What?”

“I’ll get the money. It’s inside, in my bag.”

Sohee turned her back to him and walked quickly, her head bowed, staring at the floor. She worried that he might follow her, but thankfully, she didn’t hear any footsteps behind her.

“Haa…”

Embarrassment surged up to the tips of her ear, her cheeks burning, and her heart pounding. She rubbed her heated cheeks with the back of her cold hand as she walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the cracked mirror.

The thin, white T-shirt with a loose neckline was wet, forming a large, round spot from the water dripping from her hair. The outline of her breasts was visible, and her nipples protruded clearly through the fabric.

Facing him like that for so long…

“I’m crazy.”

Constantly berating herself, Sohee left the bathroom and double-checked that the front door was locked before opening the wardrobe. She put on a bra and a thick cardigan to fully cover her chest, then reached into her bag to pull out the envelope of money, but her hand hesitated. After a brief moment of consideration, she grabbed the lip balm next to it.

She couldn’t help but be bothered by the sight of his dry, chapped lips. After quickly applying the lip balm, she went out to find the man standing next to the door with one hand in his coat pocket.

“Uh…”

Sohee’s eyes widened in surprise as she stopped in her tracks. Hanging from his index finger, next to the laundry basket, was a white bra she had taken out earlier to hang on the clothesline.

Gye Wonho, who must have heard her coming out, didn’t even glance at her. Instead, he was curiously flipping the bra back and forth, watching it sway in the wind. The thin bra strap dangled precariously from his large fingers, fluttering in the breeze.

“What are you…”

As Sohee took a deep breath, the cold air filled her lungs, turning her ears red with embarrassment.

“Give it to me.”

Gye Wonho’s gaze shifted from the bra to Sohee. His black eyes, filled with a lazy indifference, stared intently at her pink-tinged, youthful face.

“Give it to me.”

She repeated, rising on her tiptoes and reaching out for the bra. However, Gye Wonho leisurely leaned back, alternately eyeing the bra cup dangling from his fingers and Sohee’s chest.

“Isn’t this too small to hold those breasts?”

Sohee’s voice grew a bit louder in shock.

“Why are you messing with someone else’s laundry?”

In a fit of embarrassment, she blurted out the retort.

“I was going to hang it for you.”

He replied shamelessly, as if he saw no problem with his actions. Sohee, standing on tiptoe again, stretched out her arm and snatched the bra from his fingers.

“I can hang it myself.”

Sohee said, turning away and heading toward the clothesline at the edge of the rooftop room. Her face was burning red as she secured the bra with a clothespin.

Even though it was in a secluded spot, she worried it might be even more visible hanging on the line. She turned back to gauge his position, only to see him now holding a pair of panties and examining them.

“What are you doing now?”

Sohee’s eyes filled with shame, embarrassment, and a hint of resentment.

Gye Wonho gazed at her steadily, moving his fingers slowly. He began to rub the bottom of the panties with his thumb, almost caressing them.

The moment, though only a few seconds in reality, seemed to stretch on infinitely. A peculiar heat churned within her, as if someone were kneading her insides.

“What are you doing…”

Sohee couldn’t withstand the overt and lingering gaze any longer, bowing her head deeply. The slender nape of her neck, exposed between her beige cardigan, flushed red.

Gye Wonho lowered his gaze from Sohee to the panties in his hand. The delicate fabric, scented faintly of fresh soap, was so narrow that it barely covered his thumb. As he pressed his thumb into it, the damp fabric indented around his finger.

“Hmm.”

He let out a long breath, glancing up and down at Sohee, who stood blankly in a corner of the rooftop. Then he walked over to the clothesline, holding the small panties.

Startled by the sound of his footsteps, Sohee jerked her head up. Gye Wonho, now standing in front of the clothesline, hung the panties between his fingers and shook them out. Then, with swift, precise movements, he took two pink clothespins and neatly pinned the panties on the line, leaving no wrinkles.

His actions were so quick and assured that she had no chance to stop him.

“Why do you keep touching my underwear…”

Sohee’s voice trailed off.

As Sohee’s small murmurs were carried away by the wind, Gye Wonho lightly pulled down the clothesline with his index finger. The laundry he’d hung bounced back with a thump. He watched the bra and panties sway up and down for a while before speaking.

“They’re soaking wet. You can’t just leave them like that.”

He said, his voice full of feigned concern. Sohee clenched her fists. It seemed the more she spoke, the more entangled she became, so she decided to stop arguing.

After all, wasn’t his real objective the money? Once he got it, these annoying games would end.

“I’ll give you this week’s interest.”

She said, her face and neck red with embarrassment as she pulled the envelope of money from her cardigan pocket. Gye Wonho narrowed his eyes.

“There’s something on your lips.”

He said, suddenly reaching out to rub Sohee’s lips with his finger. The clear, slippery balm smeared on his fingertip.

“You put something on, huh, little one?”

Startled, Sohee stepped back, taking a deep breath before stammering an explanation.

“It’s just because my lips were dry! I put on some lip balm…”

Although the lip balm was colorless and scentless, his sharp eyes noticed it. Avoiding his intense black gaze, Sohee held out the envelope of money. The envelope, once crisp, was now crumpled from being held and squeezed too much.

“Here. This is this week’s interest, so take it.”

“You’re avoiding the subject,” he said, laughing as he lazily opened the envelope with one hand. That was all the checking he did, a stark contrast to Kim Jungsik, who would loudly count the bills, licking his fingers as he went.

“What kind of work does a young girl do to earn this much?”

His eyes swept over her thin frame. When Sohee didn’t respond, Gye Wonho shook the envelope impatiently.

“Huh? When an adult asks a question, you should answer, girl.”

Sohee hesitated, but under the man’s persistent tapping on the envelope with his bent index finger, her lips finally parted.

“You don’t need to know that.”

She said, swallowing dryly. The roughness in her throat reminded her of the times Kim Jungsik’s gang had tracked her down at school, work, or wherever she was. Telling this man about her work didn’t seem wise, so she decided to put up a barrier.

Though different in demeanor, Gye Wonho and Kim Jungsik were still part of the same line of work. If she delayed repaying the debt, who knew how he might react?

Memories and past experiences heightened Sohee’s wariness.

“I won’t fall behind on the interest.”

She asserted. She knew the reason he had bought her debt was to extract more from her, possibly waiting for the day she couldn’t pay up.

Kim Jungsik had often threatened to sell her off if she ever missed a payment.

“I’m looking for more work, so I’ll repay the principal soon.”

She continued, despite his silence. By March, there would be more tutoring opportunities with the start of the new school term. Although she was searching for more students, many parents hesitated due to her hearing issues, making it difficult to secure additional classes.

“Anyway, goodbye.”

She said, bowing to him. Just then, something heavy fell from her cardigan pocket with a thud.

“Oh…”

It was her house key bundle, adorned with a cat keychain. Before she could react, Gye Wonho had already picked it up. When she reached out to retrieve it, he ignored her, pressing the round keychain flat between his fingers. The worn and shabby cat figurine looked even more pitiful now.

“Little one.”

“Yes?”

“If I only take the interest, what am I supposed to live on?”

He said, taking an extra key off the ring. As Sohee blinked in confusion, one of the two keys ended up in his grasp.

“I need to have some collateral too, don’t I?”

Tl/N: Gye Wonho calls Sohee “애기야” (aegiya), which directly translates to “baby” or “little one” in Korean. So if you see me jumping between these two words just ignore.