Chapter 74
“Are you okay?”
It was still night outside, and although it looked similar, the room I was in wasn’t the one I recognized. I brushed aside my disheveled hair and looked around constantly.
“Cha Yeonbyeol!”
“…Huh?”
“Are you okay?”
“Doshiyu?”
Doshiyu’s face was pale with concern. I blinked my eyes, not understanding. It still felt like I was in a dream.
“Are you trying to recognize me? Is there anything wrong or hurting?”
“Um, no. But where is this?”
“Where is this? It’s my room.”
“Why am I in your room?”
As I asked while pulling off the thick blankets, Doshiyu’s face turned even paler.
“Why? Because you were collapsed in the rooftop garden!”
“…Huh?”
Even hearing it, I couldn’t immediately understand.
I rolled my eyes and recalled my last memory. I had a nightmare, went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air, and met Chan there.
But why was I collapsed?
“I collapsed there alone?”
“Yeah. Angel found you while searching for you. Do you know how surprised he was? Why did you go there? Were you alone?”
The questions poured in, giving me a headache. I couldn’t understand why I was collapsed there… And it seemed odd to say I was with Ichane.
“I remember going up there because I felt suffocated, but I don’t remember why I collapsed.”
“Really? Wasn’t there anything unusual?”
“I don’t think so…?”
“It doesn’t make sense. Let’s go to the hospital. Oh, first, I’ll call Angel.”
Doshiyu turned away with a serious expression.
“Wait.”
I reached out and grabbed him.
“Did you stay by my side the whole time?”
“Huh? Who else would be here?”
‘Yeah. It’s a dream.’
Was it just a dream after all? A dream within a dream? Something like that?
“Do you have anything to say?”
“No. Go ahead. But I really am okay.”
“It’s not okay at all! Just stay still here.”
Doshiyu left the room with determination. About three minutes after he left, I got up from the bed.
I was planning to go outside, but my head throbbed for a moment. I sat back down again.
“Ugh.”
My head hurt.
But this, no matter how you look at it…
“…Did I really break that wine yesterday?”
It made sense that there were gaps in my memory.
I gave up on going out and lay back on the bed.
The bedding was soft and clean, with the sweet fruity scent typical of Doshiyu.
A warm and comfortable atmosphere.
But my mind wasn’t at ease.
Memories came back one by one through my dizzy mind. It was very vivid, just before I put the alcohol in my mouth.
“Why did I…?”
Without sorting out my thoughts, I blurted out what was on my mind. Raw words that hadn’t been filtered out of my mind.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about the future.
Well, even if Yugyeom didn’t hear it himself and Chan didn’t seem likely to tell Yugyeom what I said. He might not remember it at all.
In fact, a corner of my heart felt relieved.
It felt like the breath that had always been stuck inside me was slightly released.
“I’m here!”
At that moment, the door opened and Doshiyu came in. The comfortable and warm atmosphere disappeared in an instant.
I remained lying on the bed, blinking my eyes.
“Get up. We need to check if there’s anything wrong.”
Doshiyu grabbed my arm and pulled it straight. As I was forced to sit up, I collapsed back onto the bed.
“I’m fine…”
“Is there anything like a bottle of alcohol?”
“I don’t think there was anything like that.”
“Did Cha Yeonbyeol…?”
Doshiyu squinted his eyes. He stared at me suspiciously, his eyes full of doubt.
“I don’t think so.”
He made a decisive decision and shook his head vigorously.
“What does that mean?”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, but then I met eyes with Angel, who walked out from behind Doshiyu. His eyes were dark under his eyes. His complexion wasn’t good today.
After sighing deeply, he walked towards me.
“I told you not to get hurt.”
Angel sat down next to me and touched my forehead. His rough palm felt cool.
“I’m not hurt.”
I said bluntly.
“If it had been any later, you might have been.”
Angel retorted sharply to my answer. His momentum was sharp, so I didn’t retort and just closed my mouth.
He handed me a yellow pill along with water.
“Really, I’m not in pain…”
“It’s a vitamin.”
“Lemon flavor?”
“It tastes bad, so swallow it without chewing.”
“I don’t want to eat it.” I tried to cover myself with the blanket and avoid it, but I failed.
Because of Angel’s urging with a cold face, I ended up swallowing the vitamin with tears in my eyes.
“Why don’t you carry a gun with you?”
Angel held out an empty cup and handed me my gun. It seemed he had brought it with him as soon as we entered the hotel room.
“It’s not like we’re going far, why do we need a gun?”
“Miss, you’re not an ordinary tourist.”
His face, which should have been gentle, looked stern. Eventually, I raised both hands above my head.
“Alright. I get it. I was wrong, so stop nagging.”
I snatched the gun from Angel and placed it under the pillow before lying down on the bed. Doshiyu lifted the blinds he had been covering the window with and moved around.
“Angel is right about everything. You’re too reckless.”
The dim morning light streamed in through the large window.
I never thought I would meet Ichane there.
Except for the VIPs with guaranteed identities, entry was restricted to that place. I thought nothing would happen.
Next time, I should never carry a gun again, as I might meet someone I really shouldn’t.
“Were you alone on the rooftop?”
Even if Ichane had a dog-like personality, I didn’t think he would leave a drunk woman behind. Was he not in his right mind either?
“I was surprised to find you alone there, so I hurriedly picked you up. Who were you with?”
Without much thought, I smiled and replied.
“Who would I be with? There’s no one I know other than you.”
It felt a bit strange to say I was with Chan.
I turned to lie on my side. Doshiyu, who had raised the blinds all the way up, sat down next to my head.
“Will I sleep better in my own bed?”
His cold fingers brushed against my hair. I hesitated for a moment.
I didn’t want to sleep alone because I might have nightmares, but I didn’t feel like sleeping in Doshiyu’s bed either.
Since it was almost morning, maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. I shook my head, trying to get up, but my vision flipped again.
“No, sleep here. Don’t sleep in weird places again.”
Doshiyu teasingly laughed and gently pushed me back into the proper sleeping position, covering me with the blanket.
“I’m scared of where I might end up next time.”
“Are you going to get up?”
As I tried to get up again, Doshiyu pressed my shoulder firmly.
“Jeez, sing me a lullaby, would you?”
Doshiyu dodged my fist lightly and got up from the bed. Frustrated, I threw a pillow at him as he left, but the door closed before the pillow reached him.
I pulled the blanket that Doshiyu had tucked me in with and turned to lie on my side. The room was brighter than when I first woke up. The light pouring in through the window filled the room.
“It’s too bright.”
I couldn’t sleep because it was too bright. Eventually, I got off the bed to lower the blinds.
As I approached the window to lower the blinds, I noticed something on the bedside table.
A rectangular piece of red paper. The intense color caught my eye.
“A business card?”
The front of the business card had the name of the gallery I visited last time and Doshiyu’s name written on it.
I’ve never seen a business card this bright red before. Was it made to look artistic for the gallery owner?
I decided to ask about it later and tucked it into my pocket.
* * *
“It’s boring.”
I loudly put down the mug on the table.
I didn’t expect to be unable to sleep, but when I got up, it was already past three o’clock.
In fact, I had no plans to leave my room for the remaining two days. The room where all dangers were blocked. Safe and sound, how nice.
When I opened the door, thinking about what to do to pass the time in my room…
“I finally got up!”
Doshiyu, who had set himself up from head to toe, was waiting for me. I was eventually dragged out by Doshiyu, who whined about wanting to go out and play until I was sick of it.
“It’s boring.”
I said again, swallowing the vanilla ice cream that was prettily shaped on top of a cone in one bite.
The ice cream melted smoothly in my mouth. The excessive coldness and sweetness made my head dizzy.
The café on the first floor of the hotel, lined with luxury shops, was crowded to the point where it was difficult to find a seat. There were people speaking various languages, making it chaotic.
“You said you didn’t like the casino. You also don’t like shopping.”
Doshiyu pretended to clap his hands at my ice cream, which had been torn apart in just three bites, and laughed playfully.
His cheerful face was annoying.
I brushed away the crumbs from my hands after finishing the ice cream in just three bites.
“Did you come to watch?”
I checked my face with my phone camera. There was some ice cream on the corner of my lips.
“It’s already the second day. If the winner from yesterday wins again today, it’s over…”
As I reached for a tissue to wipe it off, a hand suddenly reached out and touched the corner of my mouth.
With smooth fingers and no calluses, the hand pressed against my lips and brushed past them.
Doshiyu stared at me intently, licking his fingers.
“You’re more important than that.”
