Chapter 109
The breeze continued to push forward like waves, carrying the scent of the sea. Hair, soaked with the reflection of the moonlight, flowed freely in the wind.
A memory from a certain night resurfaced vividly in my mind. Unlike that night, the current situation felt distinct, almost surreal, making me laugh quietly to myself.
I tilted my head back sharply, the shadowed eyes above me becoming clear. Meeting his gaze, I greeted him.
“Hello, habitual offender.”
Yugyeom smiled lazily, his low laughter flowing smoothly like a melody into my ears.
“Oh my.”
Yugyeom reached out, tucking my hair fluttering in the breeze behind my ear. The cold touch of his fingertips made my senses sharpen immediately.
“I seem to have come to the wrong place. I overindulged a bit because I had something on my mind,” he said smoothly, pulling back his hand with a slight tilt of his head.
“Blaming someone else for stealing your heart,” he added, his voice slurring lightly, as if he were truly drunk. I widened my eyes in surprise at his words.
Yugyeom lowered himself to my eye level, his face just inches away from mine.
“My lips were taken as well.”
With that whisper, his breath, infused with the scent of wine, brushed against my skin.
Speechless, I stared at him, and he chuckled deeply.
“I can’t help it. A thirsty person has to dig a well.”
I had been avoiding seeing Yugyeom as much as possible after that garden incident.
But there I was, unable to escape him again.
My heart, despite my intention to resist, still quickened when I saw his messy hair. It was almost instinctual to flee. Yet, I hadn’t been avoiding him for ten days, only for a few moments, and the conversation was over quickly.
However, his comment about taking no responsibility still left a sting.
I smiled bitterly and extended my hand toward him.
“You should fix your bad habit of showing up in unexpected places.”
I grabbed the terrace door and shut it firmly. The loud thud echoed as the door slammed shut, revealing Yugyeom’s face through the glass.
‘Did he really think I’d fall for it again?’
Suddenly, I remembered the intoxicating scent of wine from Ichan’s drunken breath and the realization hit me hard.
‘But Yugyeom doesn’t seem to get drunk?’
The thought was innocent enough until I recalled the look Ichan gave me—mixed with pity and irritation.
‘He can drink as much as he wants, and he won’t get drunk.’
I shook my head slightly, suppressing the laugh bubbling up as I looked at Yugyeom’s flushed, wine-stained eyes.
Perfectly crafted, the smile on his face was so convincing that I couldn’t help but fall for it.
If Ichan hadn’t warned me, I would have been thoroughly ensnared again.
Even after being pushed outside the door, Yugyeom’s expression didn’t falter. He stood there, still smiling.
His eyes, always sleepy and carefree, held a sharpness that pierced through any mask he wore.
There was a flicker of mischief and curiosity hidden beneath that gaze—like a flickering flame.
As he lifted the corner of his mouth, a sense of unease crept over me, and I tightened my grip on the doorknob.
Knock, knock.
Bending slightly to match my eye level, Yugyeom lightly knocked on the door.
“I want to come in. Are you really going to refuse?”
It seemed like he knew I was onto his act.
I smiled faintly, shaking my head firmly.
“No, you can’t come in.”
Tonight, Yugyeom wasn’t getting past that door.
It was a small punishment for his lies—a drop in the bucket compared to the embarrassment I had felt earlier.
Yet, seeing his smile deepen in response to my brief answer, I felt a sense of foreboding creep in.
Before I could even acknowledge it, Yugyeom took a step back from the door.
“Guess it can’t be helped.”
His smile widened as he said that.
The single step away from me made his figure seem distant, as if separated by an impenetrable glass barrier.
Even though he was right in front of me, his presence felt intangible.
Amid this unexpected submissiveness from Yugyeom, I blinked in confusion.
Yugyeom stretched out his hand toward me, but instead of reaching me, his fingertips lightly touched the glass door.
I stared at his pinky finger pressed against the glass, my mind momentarily lost in thought.
“Next time, you’ll let me in, right?”
He was asking for a promise with a gesture of locking fingers.
I let out a soft chuckle, placing my finger gently against his pinky through the glass. The connection was brief, but the weight of the gesture lingered as his large hand cast a shadow over mine.
His enormous hand swallowed my small one entirely.
“Goodnight.”
“…”
“Princess.”
The unfamiliar nickname startled me. A shiver ran down my spine instinctively.
Seeing my reaction, Yugyeom smiled softly. He slowly pulled his hand away from the glass door and stepped back, retreating further away.
His gaze remained fixed on me, a strange emotion stirring deep within.
In the blink of an eye, Yugyeom vanished over the railing.
Before I knew it, I impulsively flung the door open and ran toward the empty spot where he had disappeared. Leaning over the railing, I looked down, but there was nothing—just emptiness.
He must have left on his own.
Even after confirming he was already gone, I couldn’t move from that spot easily. The lingering scent of sweetness that had stayed with me slowly faded with the passing breeze.
“…What is this?”
Only then did I realize the emotion I felt watching Yugyeom vanish.
“Am I—missing him?”
I was the one who refused to open the door. So why?
“I’m crazy, Cha Yeonbyeol. Completely crazy.”
That inexplicable emotion, once acknowledged, intensified uncontrollably. Yugyeom’s absence had started to feel painfully empty.
* * *
The room was filled with an eerie silence upon my return.
Lying down on the bed, sleep refused to come. I aimlessly wandered around the room until I stopped in front of a particular spot.
Something caught my eye—reflections of colors from the stained glass beneath it. Shimmering hues danced across the surface, revealing something hidden amidst the patterns.
Entranced, I approached. Kneeling down, I felt the cold touch of the floor beneath my fingertips. The gap wasn’t noticeable at first, but upon closer inspection, it became evident.
A marble pattern overlapped, making it almost imperceptible until now.
“If you’re going to hide a room, at least tell me what’s inside.”
Following the gap with my finger, I easily traced its shape—a large square.
Such a shape typically indicated a door. No handle, though, hidden away—likely a hidden storage or something similar.
I raised my gaze to search for a switch or mechanism to open it, but the vastness of the floor left me without a clue.
Tomorrow, I could ask Jihoon casually, but my curiosity was already piqued beyond control.
Since sleep wouldn’t come anyway, I made up my mind to uncover this room’s secrets tonight.
“Where are you hiding?”
However, it wasn’t even thirty minutes before I found myself lying flat on the floor.
Even after thoroughly inspecting the floor, examining bookshelves, and touching every detail, nothing responded.
Would I find it before the sun rises?
Frustrated, my grip tightened around the key in my hand.
This key was the only way to unlock the room’s door, or so I had been told.
But was that really true?
My doubts deepened as I stared up at the ceiling.
The room felt off from the start. A criminal organization’s headquarters shouldn’t have stained glass reminiscent of a church or cathedral.
Yet, this room couldn’t be purposeless—it had to serve a hidden purpose.
Especially with the shape of the stained glass…
“Square.”
A perfect square. Could it really be a coincidence?
If the only key leads to this room, and if the reason I’m staying here is tied to whatever lies beyond that door…
A single key for a room suggests a high likelihood of leading to something else—perhaps a passage to another place in case of emergency…
Knock. Knock.
This time, a distinct knock echoed. Clearly coming from the actual door this time.
“Looks like we’re getting more visitors today.”
Nonchalantly, I rose from the floor.
“Who is it?”
After my question, there was a brief silence before a voice responded.
“Cha Yeonbyeol! Open the door quickly!”
There was no doubt now. That urgent voice belonged to Lee Chan.
“Why?”
I still hadn’t opened the door when I asked.
“Something urgent! Open it fast!”
It was past 1 AM. What could be so important at this hour?
The sudden visit made me think—maybe something happened with Utopia. Had Yuhwa died?
“Open the door already!”
The urgency in his repeated pleas made it clear this was serious.
“Is something wrong with Utopia…?”
Before I could finish, I swung the door open.
“…happened?”
The image of the person standing before me slowly formed in my hazy vision. The flickering gaze settled on the pale hand clutching a small, old recorder.
Before I could finish my question, I instinctively grabbed the doorknob to shut the door.
But this time, I wasn’t quick enough.
The door was forcefully pulled, dragging me with it. I lost my grip on the doorknob, and my body was swept forward into a firm embrace.
“Remember?”
A dangerous voice whispered into my ear.
“You promised to let me in next time.”
