Chapter 10. The Odds of These Two Working Out
The man who’d been a puddle of mortification just moments ago was now a wall of heat pressed flush against me.
Okay, deep breaths. What exactly am I supposed to do here…?
In the oppressive dark of the house, the only grace note of light came from the sensor above the entrance, a soft pool illuminating just our heads. We were trapped in a bubble of unfamiliar breaths, far too close. Then, with a soft click, the sensor died, plunging us into blackness and ratcheting the tension up so high it felt like the roof might lift off.
A heavy silence settled, thick and breathless, stretching for an eternity that was probably only a minute.
Eun Woogyung leaned in, patient as a predator, waiting. Just as I braced myself, a quiet gasp escaped me, a startled flutter that was enough to trigger the sensor light back on.
Squinting against the sudden brightness, he frowned slightly. I clutched my chest, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, and finally dared to look up at him.
At first, he was terrifying, a looming shadow in the dim light. But the longer I stared, the less he felt like a predator and more like a giant, sleek cat, all coiled power but with eyes that seemed to silently plead for a gentle hand.
Before I could even think, my hand lifted on its own accord and—
Pat pat.
“???”
His eyes, wide with utter confusion, blinked down at me. I just kept gently patting his lowered head.
I hadn’t expected it to be so… soft. His hair, raven black, felt surprisingly smooth and comforting under my palm. I couldn’t stop touching it.
For a good ten seconds, the man who had been a bundle of intensely wound-up energy was simply… subdued. He just blinked at me.
“…What are you… doing…?” he finally stammered out, his voice thick with bewilderment. I brushed a stray strand of hair aside gently before pulling my hand away.
“…You just looked like you needed… something,” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks warm.
“…Ah…”
Coming back to himself, Eun Woogyung swallowed hard, the sound loud in the quiet space. The wildness of his impulse – pinning me against the wall like that, seemed to hit him all at once.
He shuffled back awkwardly, creating a blessed distance between us. I gulped, finally able to draw a full breath into lungs that had forgotten how.
I really thought I was about to be devoured.
– Beep
…????
We stood there, two statues of awkwardness, trying to regain some semblance of calm, when the door lock suddenly chirped.
– Beep beep beep beep… Beep beep-beep-beep
!!!!!!!
– Thud! Crash crash crash!
“Ah…!”
Startled by the sudden, early arrival of Hakyung, I reacted purely on instinct. Still awkwardly caught in the space near Eun Woogyung, I shoved him away with a burst of strength I didn’t know I possessed.
I didn’t just push him; I launched the man.
“Gasp… A-are you okay?!” I yelped, scrambling back.
– Clunk!
“?????”
And then, as Hakyung swung the door open and stepped inside, she was greeted by a scene that screamed suspicious louder than a siren.
Eun Woogyung was sprawled dramatically on the floor inside the entryway, still wearing his shoes. I stood frozen by the shoe cabinet, staring at him with wide eyes.
“…What are you two doing?” Hakyung asked, her voice flat with disbelief.
“Huh?” I managed, trying for a strained smile. “We just got home too…!”
Eun Woogyung remained a picture of flustered chaos on the floor.
“…Oppa, why are you on the floor like that?”
“…I tripped on… the step…” he mumbled, his voice muffled.
“Huh?”
“…I tripped over the edge. Right here.” He gestured vaguely at the empty space in front of him.
“?????” Hakyung’s face was a masterpiece of Are you f**ing serious?
Realizing how utterly ridiculous this looked, I kicked off my shoes in a hurry and rushed over to him.
“Are you okay?” I asked, kneeling down.
“…It hurts…” he whined, sounding genuinely pitiful.
“Oh no…”
“?????” Hakyung’s expression became even more cartoonishly shocked.
And then, the man pouted. Like he was about to cry. The face he made was so genuinely heartbroken that I felt a pang of actual guilt. Meanwhile, Hakyung looked like every feature on her face had inflated three times its size in sheer disbelief.
Did he just whine that he’s hurt…? Like that?
“Oh no… Come on, get up…” I shot him a look of apologetic panic, trying to convey Get it together! Your sister is right there!
He, however, seemed to completely ignore the panic radiating off me and Hakyung’s faces. He casually kicked off his shoes, tossing them aside, then, with a soft, utterly charming smile, extended both arms towards me.
“Help me up.”
“?????” My eyes widened even further. My expression must have screamed— Your sister is RIGHT there!
Eun Woogyung grinned, a clear sign he understood exactly what he was doing. Then, just as casually, he stood up on his own, brushed himself off, and sauntered off towards his room like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
“….”
I stared blankly at his closed door, lost in the sheer absurdity of the last five minutes. I didn’t even notice Hakyung glaring at me until she poked me sharply in the side.
“…Hey.”
“Huh?”
“What did you do today?”
“…Bought clothes…”
“And?”
“…Ate gelato…”
“…And?”
“Dropped our stuff off, went out again… grabbed a beer…”
“…And?”
“Then came back.”
“…..” Hakyung glared at Eun Woogyung’s door for another moment, then reached out and pinched my cheek hard.
“Watch out for that wolf bastard,” she warned, her voice low and serious.
“…!!!”
How was I supposed to tell her that after just two weeks of living here, I was starting to… like her brother?
After a quick shower, I came out to find Hakyung sprawled on the living room sofa, nursing a can of beer.
“Want one?” she offered.
I nodded, pulled a can from the fridge, and sank onto the sofa beside her.
“What are your plans tomorrow?” she asked, taking a slow sip.
“Ah…”
We’re going to a restaurant… alone.
I couldn’t exactly blurt that out. I just shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.
– Click
Right then, Eun Woogyung emerged from his room, dressed in pajamas, looking freshly showered and impossibly clean. Hakyung’s eyes narrowed instantly.
“Hey, come here.”
“…Why?” he replied dryly, walking past us to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water and tilted his head back, gulping it down.
I stared, my jaw practically hitting the floor. The way his throat worked as he drank, the sharp, defined line of his neck… it was utterly mesmerizing. A sudden, fierce urge to reach out and touch that spot surged through me.
– Gulp
“He’s drinking the water,” Hakyung’s voice cut through my daze, sharp and knowing. “Why are you the one swallowing?”
I flushed crimson, shifting violently on the sofa. Hakyung, now thoroughly enlightened, leaned back with her beer, a long, suffering sigh escaping her lips.
Then she jabbed my side with her elbow again. “So. Tomorrow?”
“Ah, tomorrow…” I fumbled for an answer, my mind a blank.
“We’re going out to eat something good.”
The voice wasn’t mine. It was Eun Woogyung, answering smoothly from where he stood.
“!!!!!” Hakyung’s eyes bulged out of her head. “You two????”
Eun Woogyung simply nodded, taking another swig of water.
“What about me????” she demanded, her voice rising.
At her sharp question, he glanced briefly at me. I felt like a deer caught in headlights, paralyzed by the sudden exposure and the sheer awkwardness of the situation. Seeing my distress, he gave a soft, almost imperceptible laugh.
“You can come too,” he added casually, as if it were an afterthought.
“…Oh. I thought…” Hakyung trailed off, clearly suspicious but momentarily placated.
He grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and, instead of going back to his room or sitting somewhere else, sat down right next to me on the sofa.
“..!!!”
Just his presence beside me was enough to make me tense up all over again. He smelled fresh and clean, like soap and shampoo, his hair still fluffy from the shower. My mind, entirely unbidden, immediately wondered— I wonder if I smell nice too…
Seeing me fidget so obviously, Eun Woogyung suddenly seemed to feel a flicker of guilt about what had happened earlier in the entryway.
Maybe it was too much… too fast, he thought, his gaze resting on my flushed face.
With a quiet sigh, he sipped his beer, making a mental note. This princess-like girl… I should take things slowly. Gently.
“Want to eat beef again tomorrow?” he asked, his voice low.
The question made me visibly jump. I fumbled for the beer can I’d barely touched, needing something to do with my hands.
He lightly grabbed my can, stopping me. “What’s your limit?”
“!!!!!”
The soft brush of his hand against mine, the lazy, lingering gaze that met mine—it sent my heart into a frantic stutter more effectively than the question itself. Even the tiny beauty mark under his eye was suddenly driving me crazy.
My face is on fire. I’m definitely red now… I cursed my traitorous skin. I hate how easily I flush…
“…Two draft beers…?” I managed to squeak out.
“Haha,” he chuckled, a soft, shy sound that was unexpectedly sweet. “But earlier, you looked drunk after half a glass.”
Watching the entire interaction unfold, Hakyung’s mouth fell further and further open.
She knew her brother was popular. With his undeniable looks and height, he’d been scouted by entertainment companies even as a kid.
But he’d always been too busy being the responsible older brother, raising her, to ever date seriously. He did meet women here and there, casual encounters, but he never had a real, grounded, serious relationship.
So, yeah—she was worried.
Because his casual, seemingly unserious approach to love wasn’t something she could just shrug off. And Go Eunwoo…
During college, there was that time Eunwoo had called Hakyung, sobbing hysterically from a motel bathroom, scared out of her mind. Her boyfriend at the time hadn’t done anything wrong; he’d been perfectly patient, respectful of her boundaries.
Still, Eunwoo had never been able to go past a certain point. She just… froze. She couldn’t.
She was 29 now, and still had no experience.
Was she a virgin? No, not technically. Not in the traditional sense.
Was she waiting for marriage? Nope, that wasn’t it either.
She’d had boyfriends—plenty of them, even. But somehow, she always got scared, always pulled back, and never went all the way.
So the odds of these two being compatible?
In Hakyung’s mind, they were close to zero.
“Earlier, I just…” I started to protest about the beer.
“Stop drinking. We’re hanging out again tomorrow.” Eun Woogyung gently took the can from my hand, his touch soft but firm, and set it down on the coffee table. My face was already beet red, but I nodded quickly, shifting again, feeling like a scolded child.
Then, in a move that was anything but subtle, Eun Woogyung turned his attention to Hakyung—his little sister, yes, but more importantly, Go Eunwoo’s best friend, who had been glued to his side, watching his every move, all night.
“Hakyung.”
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you going to bed?”
“…..”
It wasn’t even remotely subtle.
He basically said— Get lost. I want to be alone with her.
To be Continued
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