Chapter 3

Jaegyeom pitched a tent the moment he opened his eyes. It was because of Kim Yeo-hee, who had appeared in his dream. He felt pathetic wasting time jerking off first thing in the morning, but there was no helping it. He pulled his sweatpants halfway down and pushed aside his underwear. His c*ck, swollen with blood, was already leaking fluid.

“…Ah, f*ck.”

It wasn’t like anything special had happened in the dream; they had just held hands and walked together. But even that was enough to leave him in this sorry state.

Forgetting all about having been rejected by Yeo-hee the night before, Jaegyeom enthusiastically worked his d*ck. The rigid sh*ft felt incredibly stimulating even with just a simple stroke. Leaning back against the headboard, he pictured Kim Yeo-hee’s face.

As he slowly rubbed the thickened head of his gl*ns with his palm, he felt tension running all the way down to his toes. That wasn’t enough, so he grabbed his c*ck firmly with both hands. Like squeezing a popsicle, he pressed down hard, letting out a groan that rose to the top of his throat.

Right across the hall was Kim Yeo-hee’s room. In all honesty, he wanted to barge in there right this moment. Yeo-hee slept heavily in the mornings, so he imagined flipping her over on the bed and pushing his c*ck straight inside her. He wanted to grab her milky-white br*asts, knead them roughly, and suck her n*pples until they might almost fall off.

Since Yeo-hee always took off her bra before sleeping, he figured he could just slip his head under her T-shirt. All he’d have to do was lift up that damn T-shirt, and her pale flesh would surely jiggle right in front of his eyes. Imagining the sight made the blood-filled sh*ft twitch violently.

Thinking of Yeo-hee’s n*ked body, Jaegyeom rubbed his thumb quickly over the tip of his gl*ns. Sticky fluid soaked his palm, and dark veins stood out on his lower abdomen.

“Ha, hoo… hh.”

Late at night, if they happened to run into each other in the kitchen, Kim Yeo-hee would glance nervously at him, then cross her arms to hide her chest. After that, she’d scurry away on her tiny feet. Whether she assumed he didn’t notice or not… who knew? She was so naïve. It amazed him that she would walk around without a bra in a house where someone who liked her also lived.

The sh*ft, bulging with veins, wobbled under its own weight. Gripping the base of his c*ck with one hand, Jaegyeom moved the other hand quickly over it. Imagining a half-asleep Kim Yeo-hee while he thrust into her made his throat bob.

Without even thinking, Jaegyeom clamped his white T-shirt between his teeth. If Kim Yeo-hee saw him like this, she’d definitely freak out and run away. *Gross, pervert. What do you think you’re doing to me?* Just picturing that scolding look on her face made it impossible for him to stop.

The longer this one-sided love went on, the more his s*xual desire for Yeo-hee raged out of control. Realistically, he wasn’t in love with her just so they could hold hands while sleeping, so his urges were only natural.

He wanted to suck those unusually red lips until they were swollen. He wanted to set his teeth against her round, pale br*asts and leave them in a mess. He’d already lost count of how many times he’d rubbed his c*ck with the underwear she’d taken off. His feelings kept getting deeper, but there was never any response—this was like a slow torture.

“…Haah.”

Picturing her refined face, Jaegyeom finally came, hard. It was pathetic, and he felt like an idiot. Overcome by a sense of futility and self-disgust, he sighed heavily and reached for the wet wipes on his bedside table to clean up. Even then, his c*ck was still stiff and standing up, which annoyed him so much that he gave it a punch with his fist—despite it having done nothing wrong.

Should I just give up? Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tired. Part of me wanted to just hand her over to Baek Hyeon-oh and let the two of them fight and make up however they wanted. Maybe if I saw her dating some other guy, it would help me sort out these awful feelings.

‘Baek Hyeon-oh. Kim Yeo-hee. Baek Hyeon-oh. Kim Yeo-hee.’  After pulling up my pants, I pictured the two of them together. If we’re talking about looks alone, they actually seemed well-matched. A handsome boy and a pretty girl, necking and kissing—who could complain?

“…Damn it! Ugh.”

But there wasn’t even a scrap of peace in my mind. Just the thought of them together made me jealous. I already regretted making that bet yesterday. Still, I was indeed curious about what lay behind Kim Yeo-hee’s mysterious heart.

I wanted to ask her outright: ‘Do you hate me? Or do you just hate men in general?’ If I did that, maybe she’d answer, ‘I just hate you, obviously.’ That was what I feared, and that’s why I’d never managed to ask.

I kept hoping she hated every guy on the planet—that she hated not only me but that bastard Baek Hyeon-oh as well. I prayed for that over and over.

While I was clutching my head in frustration, a familiar voice came from beyond the door.

“Lee Jaegyeom. Come down and eat.”

It was Kim Yeo-hee. The moment I heard her soft voice, my heart pounded in my chest. Damn it, they say when unrequited love goes too far, it becomes an illness. It felt like those words were meant for me.

Lunch started well after noon, and it was silent and still. Listening to the sound of dishes being washed behind me, I forced myself to swallow the bland porridge. It tasted like crap.

“Does it taste bad? Did you make this?”  

“Yeah.”  

“You really can’t cook. Everything Madam makes is delicious, but anything you make is… so-so.”  

Yeo-hee, who’d been taking over the dishwashing Madam had left behind, turned her head to glare at Jaegyeom.  

“Just shut up and eat.”  

“How am I supposed to eat with my mouth shut?”  

*Sigh.* Sometimes he was just like an uncooperative grade-school kid. She wondered why she was going to the trouble of cooking porridge for a guy who’d been out sleeping with another woman. Anger flared up in her chest. Jaegyeom, who was oblivious to her feelings, was now drinking straight from the bowl of porridge.  

He said it tasted bad, he criticized her cooking, and yet here he was finishing it off so diligently—it made her heart melt in a strange, tender way. She hated herself for being so easily moved by something so trivial.  

“Where’s Madam?”  

“She went with the driver to drop off winter clothes at the dry cleaner’s.”  

Yeo-hee’s mother had come to work in this house as a housekeeper when Yeo-hee was in her third year of high school. Naturally, Yeo-hee came along. That’s how she met Jaegyeom. She almost recalled their unforgettable first meeting but then decided not to think about it.  

“Oh, right. Starting next week, my friend’s going to be staying here for a bit.”  

“A friend? What do—”  

“He’ll just be here for three months.”

Three months. Jaegyeom forced himself to say the words he didn’t want to, replaying in his mind what Baek Hyeon-oh had told him last night.

[”Help me get close to her.”] 

[“What? What are you talking about?”]

[“You have to let me meet her. That’s the only way I can seduce her, right?”]

When Baek Hyeon-oh started making his move in earnest, it made Jaegyeom feel a bit uneasy. A guy with plenty of money probably wasn’t that crazy about cars—he just seemed really bored. Jaegyeom knew he was the type to date married women or woo girls who already had boyfriends, but he never imagined he’d go after some unknown friend’s unrequited love interest so aggressively. He was as elegantly insane as his good looks suggested.

‘Is this really okay?’ Jaegyeom’s thoughts were all over the place. He let out a small sigh, and Yeo-hee, noticing his mood, spoke up carefully.

“This is your house, so… do what you want. I’m always on the second floor anyway, so it doesn’t really matter to me.”

“Still, it’s gonna be uncomfortable for you.”

He added an unnecessary comment and took a sidelong glance at Yeo-hee. Even early in the morning, she looked unbelievably pretty without any fluctuation in her appearance—a talent if there ever was one. Yeo-hee, unaware that he was staring at her face, was busy wiping down the damp dishes.

“He’s the one who’ll probably feel more uncomfortable than I will. I’m just living here as a freeloader…”

“Ah, whatever. Just make sure you avoid him properly.”

At that, Yeo-hee’s hand, which had been diligently wiping a plate, froze. ‘Avoid him…?’ She couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but she felt a twinge of disappointment.

Jaegyeom had probably said it without much thought, but every time he threw out comments like that, it reminded her that she was basically living off this household. Since she was even getting her tuition from Jaegyeom’s parents, calling it freeloading wasn’t entirely off the mark.

Ever since she moved into this house, Yeo-hee had gotten into the habit of walking on her tiptoes. It had become second nature now—that was what it was like to always be on guard. Every little detail—her steps, her breathing—she had to pay attention to. Hiding her reddened eyes, she pretended nothing was wrong and kept washing the dishes.

Just then, a large shadow fell behind her. She caught a familiar scent and felt warm body heat. She didn’t have to turn around to know it was Jaegyeom. He was the only one who made her tense up just by standing there.

A white bowl was dropped into the empty sink with a clatter. Seeing it so cleanly emptied—without even a single grain of rice left—made her feel as though she herself had just eaten. Without realizing it, Yeo-hee’s lips curved into a small smile.

“…You finished it all.”

“Have you ever seen me leave anything you make?”

*Thump, thump.* That was how Jaegyeom always was. He shook her heart until she couldn’t help but like him. Worried that he might hear her own pounding heartbeat, Yeo-hee instinctively stepped away from Jaegyeom, who had come closer without her noticing.

“I’m going.”

Jaegyeom bit his lip as he watched the sudden distance between them with regret, then left the kitchen. ‘There’s no need to avoid me that much. It’s not like I actually did anything to her. Damn it, that girl can be so mean.’

Even so, Jaegyeom stopped and turned around to take one last look at Yeo-hee’s back. She was holding a dish, standing there absentmindedly, looking so damn lovable it made him sick.

‘What the hell is going on in that head of hers?’ He was sure it wasn’t him. The thought made his mood plummet again.

That morning, he’d been so into her he’d pleasured himself, and now he felt completely deflated just because Yeo-hee had taken a single step away from him. His heart was burning in this unasked-for one-sided love. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like some kind of disease.

***

It was late afternoon when a sudden downpour began. Yeo-hee, who had been lying in bed studying her major textbook, jumped up in a hurry. She quickly shoved her feet into the slippers on the floor and rushed down the stairs from the second floor.

“Ah, his clothes are going to get soaked…”

She was anxious about Jaegyeom’s hockey uniform getting wet. His hockey uniform was so thick and large that it always took forever to dry, and tomorrow was the day of his practice match. She wanted to at least make sure he could wear something clean and dry, even if that was all she could do for him.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really her job. She had just been helping out in her mother’s place, and at some point, it became her task. Doing laundry—hanging it out and bringing it in—wasn’t exactly back-breaking labor, and she felt that at least by doing this, she was somewhat earning the tuition money she was receiving. Gradually, it just became her responsibility by default.

Laundry was more involved and bothersome than people might think. Even so, she enjoyed leaving her mark on Jaegyeom’s clothes—she liked it so much that she ended up taking the job on fully.

She grabbed the laundry basket near the front door and dashed out into the garden where the rain was now falling. The hockey uniform, already damp and heavy, was almost too much for one person to handle. Straining, Yeo-hee pulled it down. She quickly stuffed it into the basket, then started collecting the towels and other items hanging on the line.

As the raindrops grew thicker, her sense of urgency grew with them. She reached up to the clothesline, which was slightly above her eye level, and pulled it down as she moved frantically.

Just as she was tugging down a long white blanket, something slid into view behind it—a dark silhouette. Surprised by the sudden appearance, Yeo-hee unconsciously held her breath. Beneath a black umbrella stood a face she had never seen before.

“Hello.”

*Patter, patter.* Even the sound of raindrops tapping on the umbrella seemed to fade away, eclipsed by the deep greeting of the handsome stranger.