Chapter 15 (Part 5)

Jinwon headed straight home and had been calling someone in front of his officetel.  

Looking up at the lit window of In-ah’s apartment, he repeatedly tried to reach her, but she wasn’t answering.  

Jinwon’s expression darkened as he lowered his head.  

“Mr. Romeo, are you crying by any chance?”  

Startled, he looked up to see In-ah peering down at his face.  

Still in a daze, Jinwon stared at her blankly as In-ah patted his shoulder and spoke in a comforting tone.  

“Have you tried saying, ‘Open the window, my love~’? What’s with the tears? Maybe Juliet just stepped out for a bit.”

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”  

Unlike Jinwon, who didn’t play along, In-ah seemed completely immersed in the roleplay.  

“Maybe Juliet left her phone at home and went out. Broaden your perspective a little. Aha!”  

Suddenly, as if something had come to her, In-ah’s eyes widened.  

“Broaden my perspective!”  

Snapping her fingers in excitement, In-ah looked at Jinwon in amazement.  

“What is it?” 

Jinwon asked, curious.  

“You really are different, Team Leader. You inspire me no matter where or when.”  

In-ah looked at Jinwon as if he were fascinating. Seeing this, a smile spread across Jinwon’s face.  

“Oh, did I just inspire Juliet? I’m deeply honored.”  

Jinwon spread his arms and bowed dramatically, fully embracing the roleplay.  

In-ah patted Jinwon’s bowed head and said,  

“Yes, you’ve done well. I shall personally… Oh, wait, that’s not it. Romeo! What is that in your hand?”  

Holding up the bag in his hand, Jinwon presented it to In-ah like a gift.  

“This is a present for you.”  

With a satisfied expression, In-ah accepted the bag and opened it. Then, she let out a laugh of disbelief.  

“Do you think I’m a ghost who died from eating macarons?”  

“What? What are you talking about?” 

Jinwon asked, confused by her sudden remark.  

Looking at him seriously, In-ah questioned him.  

“Of all the things I like, is this the only thing you know—macarons?”  

Flustered, Jinwon replied with an indignant expression.  

“It’s your favorite.”  

“No, it’s not.”  

“It’s not? Then what’s your favorite?”  

As if she had been waiting for this question, In-ah jumped up and hugged Jinwon tightly.  

“You!”  

Jinwon blushed at In-ah’s sudden display of affection. His lips twitched uncontrollably, as if they had a mind of their own.  

Just then, In-ah abruptly pulled away from Jinwon.  

Disappointed, Jinwon asked, 

“Why?”  

In-ah gestured with her eyes toward the people passing by.  

Realizing the situation, Jinwon slid his hand into hers and gently held it.  

The two walked hand in hand to the elevator, standing behind the others.  

Jinwon lifted their clasped hands and kissed the back of In-ah’s hand.  

In-ah smiled shyly and turned her head, her gaze stopping at the mailboxes.  

A large envelope in Jinwon’s mailbox caught her attention.  

Noticing her gaze, Jinwon retrieved the envelope.  

“There’s no sender.”

He said.  

When In-ah asked curiously, Jinwon opened the envelope without much thought.  

But as soon as he read the contents, his face hardened.  

He quickly stuffed the envelope into his pocket.  

“Stop right there!”  

In-ah, her expression serious, reached out to stop him.  

Caught off guard, Jinwon froze and looked at her.  

Looking up at him, In-ah demanded,  

“If you put that in your pocket and go home, I’ll never know what it is. How do you think I’ll feel if I go home without knowing?”  

Jinwon didn’t respond immediately, waiting for her to continue.  

“I’ll stay up all night wondering what it was. So, hand it over and give me back my sleep.”  

Though her reasoning seemed illogical, Jinwon found himself agreeing with her.  

Without a word, he handed her the envelope.  

With a tense expression, In-ah opened it.  

Inside was a letter with neatly printed words in small font:  

[I love you, Jinwon. So you must only have me. Remember, betrayal means death.] 

A threatening letter, written so neatly.  

Even as she read it, In-ah couldn’t believe it. She read it over and over again.  

After all, when one thinks of a stalker’s threatening letter, it’s usually scrawled messily, perhaps even with a few drops of blood on it.  

Crumpling the letter, In-ah spoke with determination.  

“We need to catch whoever did this. Let’s go!”  

Biting her trembling lip firmly, she grabbed Jinwon’s hand and led him away.  

Reviewing the CCTV footage, they identified the person who had placed the threatening letter in the mailbox.  

However, the individual was wearing a black hoodie, a cap, and a mask, making it impossible to discern their face.  

Turning to Jinwon, In-ah asked, 

“Do you have any idea who it might be?”  

Jinwon shook his head.  

Unable to find any leads from the CCTV, the two headed home.  

In the elevator, In-ah held Jinwon’s hand and said,  

“For now, don’t go anywhere alone. Stay by my side.”  

Jinwon smiled, prompting In-ah to retort.  

“What, don’t you trust me?”  

Despite her words, In-ah couldn’t suppress her worry.  

When they reached her door, In-ah stood still. Jinwon’s calm voice broke the silence.  

“Go inside now. Don’t worry about me. I’m good at fighting. And I’m a man. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”  

When In-ah didn’t respond, Jinwon forced a smile.  

“So stop worrying and get some sleep. Don’t waste your rest over nothing.”  

He patted her shoulder and turned to leave.  

But In-ah didn’t let go of his hand.  

“Why?”  

“Oppa, stay at my place. I really think your apartment is too dangerous right now.”  

Jinwon tucked her hair behind her ear, as if to soothe her anxiety.  

In-ah tried to persuade him.  

“With a direct threat like this, what if something happens while you’re asleep?”  

“Alright, then. Let’s do that.”  

Huh? So easily?  

In-ah was so surprised that she froze for a moment.  

“What?”  

“Nothing.”  

Still holding his hand tightly, In-ah opened the door and led him inside.  

***

In-ah was hiding behind the curtains, intently watching the view outside.  

Jinwon, who had been observing her with concern, spoke up.  

“Are you going to stay like that? Hurry up and wash up, then get some sleep.”  

Without taking her eyes off the window, In-ah responded absentmindedly.  

“Yeah. You go first, Oppa.”  

The moment the words left her mouth, In-ah bit her lips.  

What did I just say?  

Realizing what she had blurted out, In-ah felt her earlobes instantly flush with heat.  

Unbeknownst to her, Jinwon wasn’t faring much better.  

He was fiddling with an apple on the dining table, moving a plate here and there, putting on an entire show as if he were his own audience.  

Then, for no particular reason, the apple in his hand slipped and fell to the floor.  

As it rolled away, Jinwon bent over and scurried after it.  

He stopped abruptly when the apple came to rest at In-ah’s feet.  

Remaining crouched, Jinwon held the apple in his hand but didn’t get up.  

When In-ah looked down, she saw Jinwon staring intently at her bare feet.  

“Why?”  

Puzzled, In-ah asked the crouching Jinwon.  

“In-ah, how are even your feet this pretty?”  

“What?”  

In-ah couldn’t believe her ears.  

This was Lee Jinwon, someone who was notoriously stingy with affection and allergic to compliments.  

What did he just say?  

While In-ah was still processing, Jinwon reached out toward her feet.  

Startled, she quickly pulled her foot back and retreated a few steps.  

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden~?”  

But Jinwon moved closer to her feet again, muttering.  

“Come on, just let me touch them once. Please?”  

Dodging his hand, In-ah waved him off with exaggerated gestures.  

“What are you saying~? Go away.”  

Despite her reaction, Jinwon seemed genuinely curious.  

“Why does it feel like I’ve never touched your feet before? Come here for a second.”  

“Ugh, go away. That’s gross~.”  

Jinwon suddenly froze. With a shocked expression, he asked,  

“What? Gross?”  

Realizing her slip, In-ah raised one hand in surrender.  

“I take it back! I take back calling it gross!”  

By then, Jinwon had already grabbed her foot. She had fallen into his trap.  

Sitting on the sofa, In-ah reluctantly let Jinwon hold her foot.  

Jinwon cradled her small foot as if it were a precious treasure, examining it closely.  

“Wow, it’s so pretty.”  

Hearing Jinwon’s natural compliment, In-ah scoffed in disbelief.  

“Do you know how ridiculous you are, Oppa?”  

“Me? Why?”  

Crossing her arms, In-ah began to rant.  

“You’ve never once called my face pretty, but you’re calling my feet pretty? What, am I supposed to be jealous of my own feet now?”  

Jinwon’s face lit up with laughter at her complaint.  

“You’re beautiful, In-ah. Your face is beautiful too.”  

“Hmph! Whatever.”  

Turning her body away in mock annoyance, In-ah pouted.  

Jinwon gently cupped her cheeks with both hands, making her look at him. He gazed into her eyes and whispered slowly.  

“In-ah, you’re the most beautiful person in the world. You’re the only one who doesn’t know it.”  

In-ah tried to control her expression, but her lips betrayed her by curling upward uncontrollably.  

“Shall we shower together?”  

The cheesy remark instantly wiped the smile off In-ah’s face.  

She glared at Jinwon and smacked his chest.  

“Where did you even learn to say things like that! Are you saying this kind of stuff everywhere you go?”  

Jinwon rubbed his chest as if it hurt and replied weakly.  

“No, I don’t.”  

Still pouting, In-ah shot him a side-eye.  

“Hurry up and wash. From now on, we can’t let our guard down for even a moment.”  

Jinwon found her determined expression irresistibly adorable.  

Before he knew it, he was leaning toward her. But just as his lips were about to reach her, In-ah blocked him with her hand.  

“Hold it! You’re in my house, so you have to follow my rules.”  

Disappointed, Jinwon watched as In-ah walked back to the window.  

Standing by the window, In-ah turned her gaze outside again.  

“Shin-hye… You’ve done your duty as a friend.”  

She didn’t turn her head, but she focused on Jinwon’s voice.  

“Thank you for understanding, In-ah. And I promise, you won’t have to worry about her anymore.”  

With that, Jinwon headed to the bathroom.  

As she stared out the window, a smile gradually spread across In-ah’s face.  

But then, something caught her eye, and she quickly ducked behind the curtain.  

Peeking out cautiously, she checked again.  

Someone was standing in front of the officetel, looking up toward In-ah’s apartment.  

The figure was wearing a black hoodie.  

It wasn’t clear whether the person was looking at her apartment or another one.  

Nor could she tell if the person was male or female.