2.1

Woof, woof!  

The sound of Chapssal barking woke her up when the sun was already high in the sky.  

“Chapssal…”  

She sluggishly moved to the edge of the bed, picked up Chapssal, and lay back down with him. Hugging and petting the soft, fluffy puppy while lazing around made her feel like she was in heaven.  

Though she had fallen asleep late due to insomnia the night before, she slept in and woke up feeling refreshed.  

As she groped around the sheets to find her phone, she noticed there was a message from Hyunho.  

Hyunho  

Yebom, I put the groceries from the early morning delivery into the fridge.  

Hyunho  

Eat whatever you feel like.

Hyunho  

I already fed Chapssal breakfast.  

It was a group chat with her, Hyunho, and Juhan.  

Even during the busy morning rush as he prepared for work, Hyunho’s meticulous nature ensured that both Yebom and Chapssal were taken care of. Looking at the screenshot of the order details he sent, she decided to have lunch with the new cheese, olive ciabatta, and fruits that had arrived.  

She replied briefly with an “Okay” and added an emoji of someone devouring food.  

“Chapssal!”  

Why did she naturally speak in a baby voice when talking to her dog?  

After rolling around in bed for a while, she finally got up—only to notice something strange.  

“…What?”  

On the nightstand beside the bed, there it was—a d*ldo.  

More than anything, what shocked her was that it wasn’t just any d*ldo; it was neatly placed on a handkerchief she had never seen before.  

Her heart sank. Her mind went blank, and chills ran down her spine.  

No, it couldn’t be.  

She desperately tried to recall the events of the previous night.  

Late at night, after chatting with Hyunho in the living room while hugging, she had returned to her room. She had tossed and turned, unable to sleep.  

Then, unable to resist, she had taken out her d*ldo for the first time since moving into this house to help herself fall asleep. She had been in a semi-conscious state, so her memory of the night was foggy, but she was certain she had used it. That would explain why the d*ldo was out.  

“Could it be…?”  

Did Hyunho see me pleasuring herself?  

Since Hyunho had stayed up late studying, it was possible he had been awake. Maybe he had come into her room to check if she was sleeping well. Or perhaps, hearing her sounds, he had come to see what was going on.  

If he hadn’t witnessed it, there was no way to explain the presence of the handkerchief.  

“No way…”  

With trembling hands, she picked up the d*ldo and examined the handkerchief. The expensive brand logo embroidered on it made it clear that it belonged to Hyunho.  

What’s more, the d*ldo was spotless.  

Usually, when she used it before bed, she would leave cleaning it for the next day, so traces of her fluids would remain. But now, its surface was as clean as new.  

Had Hyunho cleaned it before placing it there?  

Had he washed the d*ldo I had carelessly left behind?  

“Ahhh!”  

She let out a distressed scream, startling Chapssal, who was lying next to her. While reflexively petting his fur to calm him, her face twisted in mortification.  

She must have been out of her mind. No, it was an unconscious habit, which made it even scarier.  

Living alone for so long, she had grown used to freely indulging in her private habits. She especially enjoyed doing it in a hazy, half-asleep state. Last night, she had given in to that habit, completely forgetting that she now lived with two other people.  

“Oh no…”  

She quickly checked her phone again. Neither of them had read her reply yet, likely because they were both at work. She reread the earlier messages from Hyunho.  

They were just ordinary messages about meals.  

There was no mention of her self-pleasure or any awkward undertone, but that didn’t mean she could relax. Knowing Hyunho’s personality, he wouldn’t directly bring up something like that.  

She had no idea how she would face him that evening.  

Should I pretend nothing had happened? Could I even pull that off?  

She spent the entire day feeling tormented and uncomfortable.  

While she wanted to deny reality, the evidence pointed to the fact that Hyunho had seen her pleasuring herself and had even handled the d*ldo.  

As the time for Hyunho’s return from work approached, she grew increasingly anxious, unsure of what to do. In the end, she decided to leave the house.  

“Chapssal, I’ll be back soon.”  

Since moving into this house, she had rarely gone out, partly because the house was so comfortable and partly because of the stalker issue. But today, she stepped out for the first time in a while. It was just to a café ten minutes away, but it felt like an escape. She planned to spend the evening there and return later. 

“……”  

Sitting in the corner of the spacious café, she scanned her surroundings.  

Wearing a baseball cap that partially covered her face, she worried that the stalker might recognize her. Although she hadn’t seen him since their encounter in front of her previous apartment, and there had been no way for him to find her new address, she couldn’t shake the fear.  

Once she confirmed the man wasn’t there, she began working.  

As she became absorbed in her drawing, her phone rang. It was a call from Juhan.  

He must have noticed her absence after returning home from work. After hesitating for a moment, she answered the call. The person she wanted to avoid was Hyunho, not Juhan.  

“Where are you?”  

As expected, he started by asking for her location.  

“I’m at a nearby café. Are you off work?”  

“Yeah. Which café?”  

She obediently gave him the exact location.  

“I’ll come over.”  

Before she could say anything, he hung up.  

In less than ten minutes, Juhan appeared. His tall stature and strikingly handsome features drew the attention of everyone around as he strode toward her. Still in his suit, he must have come straight from work without changing. He looked dashing and sophisticated, a refreshing change from the casual, shirtless look she had grown used to seeing.  

“Why did you come out?”  

He sat down in front of her and asked, making her feel slightly sheepish. Anyone would think she never left the house.  

“I just wanted some fresh air… and to work at the café.”  

She gestured to her tablet with the pen she was holding.  

“It’s dangerous outside. That stalker hasn’t been following you, right?”  

Juhan scanned the café with his sharp eyes, just as she had done earlier.  

“No stalker. There’s no way he knows I moved to this neighborhood.”  

Though it was only temporary, it was essentially like moving. There was no way the stalker could have found her new address.  

She repeated to herself that everything would be fine to calm her nerves.  

“Still, don’t stay outside alone.”  

After finishing his sweep of the area, he took a sip of her drink and grimaced.  

“Ugh, it’s too sweet.”  

“Don’t you need dinner? I’m planning to stay here and work before heading back later.”  

“What about you?”  

“I’ll just grab something here. A sandwich or a salad.”  

“That’s not a proper meal. It’s dinner—you should eat something substantial. Oh, your phone’s ringing.”  

To her dismay, it was a call from Hyunho. He must have returned home and realized she wasn’t there.  

A sense of impending doom washed over her as memories of the previous night flashed through her mind. Her heart raced as she wondered what to do.  

She couldn’t ignore the call in front of Juhan. Panicking internally, she handed her phone to him.  

“You answer it.”

Juhan, though slightly puzzled, raised an eyebrow but answered the call without further comment.  

“It’s me.”  

– ……  

“She’s with me right now. At a café nearby.”  

– ……  

“Yeah, let’s eat outside and then head back. Come to the café.”  

Oh my god, Juhan had called Hyunho over to their location. She wanted to urgently tell him not to, but she feared it would make her avoidance too obvious. If he asked why she was avoiding Hyunho, she wouldn’t have an answer.  

“He’s coming here. What do you want to eat?”  

“Uh, why don’t you two eat together? I’m not really hungry…”  

“Meals are meant to be eaten at the right time, whether you’re hungry or not.”  

His folksy tone made her feel like she was talking to an elder. Having been raised by an older aunt during his school years due to his parents’ busy schedules, Juhan often came across this way.  

“I really don’t want to eat…”  

“I can’t even see your face.”  

Perhaps because her face was hidden by her baseball cap, Juhan cupped her cheeks to make her look at him. His intense gaze made her feel guilty and flustered.  

“W-Why…?”  

“What if your chubby cheeks disappear because you’re not eating properly?”  

“I wouldn’t mind if they slimmed down a bit.”  

Her round cheeks, which were plump compared to her body, were a source of insecurity.  

“No way.”  

He firmly rejected the idea, pinching and stretching her cheeks as he spoke.  

“Why are they so soft?”  

His faint smile as he touched her cheeks made her pout. She didn’t particularly like people touching her face, but since he looked so dashing today, she let it slide. 

Damn him for looking so good in that suit.  

“Guys.”  

Even though she had expected it, she still jumped in surprise when Hyunho arrived. Awkwardly, she waved at him before instinctively pulling her cap down to hide her face.  

“Let’s go eat.”  

Juhan stood up without hesitation, clearing the tray of her drink.  

“Yebom, why did you come out?”  

It seemed she had spent too much time at home lately. He asked the same question Juhan had, and she gave the same answer.  

“Just wanted some fresh air. Sometimes it’s nice to work at a café.”  

“I see. What do you feel like eating for dinner?”  

“Hmm…”  

Sensing that it was time to leave, she internally sighed and packed her bag.  

“How about that restaurant we went to last time? You said the mushroom cream pasta there was good.”  

“Sure, sounds good.”  

Thankfully, Hyunho acted completely normal, as if nothing had happened. She tried to act just as nonchalant, behaving as naturally as possible. Still, under her cap, she kept sneaking glances at his expression.