Chapter 13 (Part 1)

After finishing their meal through room service,  

In-ah looked at the room service table being taken out and mumbled,  

“It’s a bit disappointing that it’s all cold now…….”  

“Whose fault do you think it is that it got cold?”  

Jinwon flashed a mischievous smile.  

Feeling a bit guilty, In-ah pouted her lips and barely managed to say,  

“Sorry.”  

Jinwon suddenly stood up and headed toward the bathroom. Shortly after, the sound of water pouring into the bathtub could be heard.  

What? He’s taking a bath now? Without any warning?  

Well, asking something like, ‘Do you want to go first?’ would be too weird and awkward anyway.  

While In-ah was lost in her thoughts, Jinwon had already approached her.  

“In-ah.”  

“Huh?”  

Snapping out of her thoughts, In-ah looked up at Jinwon with a dreamy expression. Her face was full of anticipation, wondering what Jinwon would say next.  

“I filled the bathtub with water.”  

What does he mean by that? Is he asking me to bathe together or something?  

Anyone looking at In-ah twisting her body at this moment could easily guess what was going through her mind.  

A dark, mischievous thought, as if something with horns was coiled up inside her.  

Jinwon, suppressing the laughter that was about to escape, spoke as calmly as he could.  

“Don’t worry. I’ll bathe after you.”  

“Wh-who’s worried?”  

It wasn’t worry—it was anticipation. Anticipation that had just burst like a bubble.  

“Then I’ll go first!”  

Embarrassed, In-ah dashed into the bathroom.  

After finishing her shower, In-ah stared at the bathrobe hanging in the bathroom, deep in thought.  

Should I wear underwear under this? Or not?  

Wouldn’t it be too shocking if I don’t?  

Imagining any possible scenarios, no matter how unlikely, In-ah became unusually serious.  

Having made her decision, In-ah donned the bathrobe and cautiously stepped out of the bathroom.  

With a carefully crafted, charming expression, she entered the living room, only to feel completely deflated, like a balloon losing air.  

Jinwon had fallen asleep on the sofa.  

He fell asleep already? While I was showering? How could he fall asleep?  

Fuming, In-ah clenched her fists and stomped toward Jinwon, intending to lightly bop his head.  

But then, she froze with her fist suspended in mid-air.  

Geez, why does he look so angelic?  

As if a filter had been placed over her eyes, the sight before her was pure and beautiful.  

The next moment, In-ah did what any normal person would do in such a situation.  

She stared at Jinwon’s sleeping face as if mesmerized and unconsciously reached out toward his face.  

“Water’s dripping.”  

Jinwon spoke with his eyes still closed. A droplet of water from In-ah’s hair had fallen onto his face.  

“Eek!”  

Startled, In-ah leaned back and wobbled.  

At that moment, Jinwon opened his eyes and, alarmed, grabbed her by the waist, pulling her toward him.  

Thanks to Jinwon’s quick reflexes, In-ah avoided hitting her head on the living room floor and instead landed on the sofa.  

It all happened in the blink of an eye.  

Dazed, In-ah lay on the sofa, blinking in confusion, only to find Jinwon directly above her, their eyes meeting.  

Jinwon was leaning over her, his hands braced on either side of her head, looking down at her.  

That’s when Jinwon’s eyes began to dart around wildly.  

The problem was In-ah’s bathrobe.  

When Jinwon had grabbed her, the tie around the bathrobe had come undone.  

In that fleeting moment, Jinwon had seen it.  

The pale skin hidden beneath the bathrobe. And something familiar…  

The first time he had encountered it, he had been struck by its dazzling impact. That very thing…  

Black with pink lace, dazzling enough to make his eyes spin.  

Fortunately—or unfortunately—Jinwon didn’t see it in detail.  

Because In-ah, utterly shocked, had shoved him away with surprising strength.  

“You saw it, didn’t you? You saw it! You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”  

With her bathrobe tightly secured, In-ah bombarded Jinwon without giving him a chance to respond.  

“Well, that is, um…”  

Equally flustered, Jinwon couldn’t come up with a proper answer.  

Still glaring at him, In-ah began to explain, as though trying to organize the situation.  

“This is so unfair, no matter how you look at it.”  

“What is?”  

“Let’s make this fair.”  

In-ah continued to speak in a way Jinwon couldn’t comprehend.  

“How?”  

“What do you mean, how? You saw me, so I should get to see you.”  

Jinwon stared at In-ah with wide eyes, as if doubting his ears.  

Seeing this, In-ah suddenly urged him.  

“Hurry up!”  

“What do you mean, hurry up?”  

While Jinwon was trying to wrap his head around this, In-ah added,  

“Show me your abs.”  

“What?”  

Jinwon was so taken aback that he almost laughed.  

“Come on, show me your abs.”  

“I don’t have abs.”  

“Don’t lie. With those collarbones, there’s no way you don’t have abs.”  

Jinwon was utterly baffled by In-ah’s nonsensical comment.  

“Seriously?”  

“Look, let’s just settle this quickly with abs. Come on, let’s get it over with.”  

“Get it over with?”  

As In-ah wiggled her fingers, urging him confidently, Jinwon could only laugh in disbelief.  

While Jinwon chuckled in exasperation, In-ah suddenly lunged at him.  

Caught off guard, Jinwon fell backward onto the sofa.  

Startled by her own actions, In-ah quickly asked,  

“Sorry! Are you hurt? You’re not hurt, right?”  

Before Jinwon could answer, In-ah had already grabbed the hem of his shirt. Alarmed, Jinwon held onto his shirt to stop her.  

“Are you trying to tear this too?”  

In-ah flinched.  

This was Jinwon’s last shirt in Jeju.  

Reluctantly, In-ah let go of his shirt.  

Jinwon chuckled softly.  

“You’ve always been like this.”  

“Like what?”  

“Back in college, you liked my abs more than me.”  

Flustered, In-ah avoided his gaze.  

“Well, it’s not that I liked your abs more. I liked you, who happened to have abs.”  

“So you’re not denying it.”  

Embarrassed, In-ah let out a sheepish laugh.  

“Come here.”  

Jinwon, sitting on the sofa, pulled In-ah toward him, wrapping his arms around her from behind.  

In-ah, nestled in his embrace, smiled bashfully.  

Jinwon hugged her tightly, pressing her back against his chest.  

And just like that, In-ah could feel the abs she had been so eager to see.  

As her senses awakened, In-ah’s face broke into a satisfied smile.  

But then, startled, she quickly pulled away from Jinwon.  

“What’s wrong?”  

Jinwon looked at her, puzzled, but In-ah couldn’t explain.  

It wasn’t just the abs she had felt—that was the problem.  

“I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed.”  

Suddenly feigning a yawn, In-ah turned and headed to her room.  

“See you in the morning, oppa.”  

She quickly shut the door behind her.  

Leaning against the closed door, In-ah clutched her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.  

Seo In-ah, what are you doing? You even prepared matching underwear for this? What’s wrong with you?  

Still, it was too embarrassing to continue.  

Fanning her flushed face with her hands, In-ah tried to cool herself down.  

***  

Haejeong, munching on the tangerine chocolates In-ah had brought from Jeju, looked at her with a disapproving expression.  

“You’re definitely not normal. What on earth did you even do in Jeju?”  

In-ah responded with a sullen expression.  

“You only went to see the ocean once?”  

Under Haejeong’s persistent questioning, In-ah reluctantly nodded.  

“So you spent the rest of the time just at the hotel? And nothing happened?”  

In-ah glanced at Haejeong and nodded even more slowly than before.  

Though she didn’t know why Haejeong was angry, it was clear that Haejeong was quite upset.  

“Does that even make sense? Is there something wrong with Jinwon oppa?”  

“No, it’s not like that.”  

In-ah hurriedly defended Jinwon and then spoke while looking in the mirror.  

“I’ve gained weight. I should go on a diet and then travel again.”  

Haejeong stared at In-ah with her mouth agape, as if in disbelief.  

Oblivious to Haejeong’s gaze, In-ah continued mumbling while checking her reflection in the mirror.  

“I should also change my hairstyle. Haejeong, do you think I should get my eyebrows tattooed? When I go bare-faced, my face feels so defenseless.”  

Suddenly, Haejeong clapped her hands.  

“I get it.”  

“Get what?”  

“Why nothing happened in those three days and two nights.”  

Haejeong threw a cushion at In-ah as she spoke.  

“Seriously, do you want to be like this? What did Jinwon oppa do to deserve this?”  

The cushion hit In-ah’s face, and she awkwardly brushed her hair back with an embarrassed expression.