For her first night in the new home, her younger sister Jeong-yeon stayed by her side. Yu-yeon slept in the new bed, while Jeong-yeon spread out a quilt on Yu-yeon's bedroom floor to turn in.
Just as she had in the hospital, the younger sister looked after her older sister devotedly.
For a kid who used to be dead to the world once fast asleep—someone you could carry away without her ever noticing—it was amusing how she now acted like a grown-up, setting herself up as the guardian just because her sister was still a patient.
Seeing Yu-yeon giggle, Jeong-yeon asked with a pout.
Watching her sister flare up just like she had two years ago amused Yu-yeon, making her laugh even harder.
Aha-ha-ha… That pleasant laughter cut off abruptly at the mention of the ‘executive director.’
Recalling what had happened in broad daylight set her heart racing all over again.
Thank goodness the lights were out, or her sister would have caught the flush spreading across her entire face.
Yu-yeon brushed it off with a lukewarm tone.
It wasn't just ‘something’; it was a whole constellation of somethings. A veritable meteor shower of somethings…
‘What on earth possessed me? Seriously, what was I thinking?’
Now that it had passed, the sheer mortification made her want to crawl into a hole the moment she remembered it.
She had never encountered a man who pressed in like that without taking a single step back.
Nor had she ever found herself so completely helpless under someone's relentless advance.
Even after Yu-yeon protested at the sudden, undeniable presence between them, the kiss had gone on for a good while longer. Mindful of not touching her since she was so terrified, the man took his time satisfying his greed. Only when Yu-yeon's face was on the verge of exploding did he finally let her go.
‘I'm not an easy woman. It took a whole hundred days just to kiss Do Yong-tae, and here I am kissing this man when we aren't even dating.’
After leaving her utterly exhausted like that, the man had torn open a pastry bag, saying he had bought some delicious bread.
Though she glared, silently daring him to think she would actually eat it, she couldn't resist when the bread hovered right before her lips. Taking that one bite was her mistake.
The bread was so good she ended up devouring the entire bag right then and there. The thought that she had once again proven to be an easy mark vexed her to no end.
Choi Hyeon-myeong had watched her grumble in annoyance for the longest time, as if etching every detail into his retinas, before finally leaving.
The madman she had seen during his relentless pursuit was nowhere to be found; by the time he stepped out the front door, he was the very picture of a gentlemanly executive director. That stark contrast only made Yu-yeon feel all the more wronged.
It had been a lesson in life on multiple fronts, leaving her resolved never to let Choi Hyeon-myeong inside her home again.
Not that she could confide any of this to her sister.
And she couldn't very well lecture her to watch out for men, lest Jeong-yeon catch on.
Yu-yeon simply steered the conversation back to the start and praised her sister.
Her sister had furnished their new home to look almost identical to their old one. Was it out of longing for their father and her sister? Or was she trying to stave off loneliness through familiarity? Whatever the reason, imagining how lost and burdened her sister must have felt while decorating the place made her chest ache with sorrow and guilt.
And how often had she cried, how often had she trembled, falling asleep all by herself in this finished home?
“…”
Though Jeong-yeon answered breezily, Yu-yeon couldn't bring herself to smile.
Into that quiet, Jeong-yeon's gentle voice drifted across the room.
“…”
She had never once told her sister that she pitied her. Yu-yeon was startled that Jeong-yeon knew the very thoughts she had kept buried in her heart. And that realization brought another wave of heartache and guilt.
Her heart burned with quiet ache.
Because her sister was so young, she had always felt sorry for everything she had to endure. She would probably feel that way until the day she died. After all, her little sister would always be younger than her.
Perhaps love naturally carried a touch of pity.
While Yu-yeon was lost in her own sorrow, her sister offered an entirely different perspective.
Yu-yeon couldn't muster a single word in response to her sister's story. Jeong-yeon had grown into such an adult that any clumsy reply felt entirely out of place.
Listening to those astonishing words, Yu-yeon quietly wiped away a tear.
‘So that's how it was. That's how you felt.’
‘How did my little sister turn out so lovely?’
She felt so proud and grateful toward the sister who had grown up so well.
Their first night in the new home was warm and comforting.
The next day.
Scheduled to meet with the police at two, Yu-yeon began getting ready early.
Though she had confidently claimed she could go alone so her sister wouldn't worry about her prior plans, it was, in truth, a bit daunting.
Perhaps she should have asked to meet after building up a bit more stamina.
Besides, the neighborhood where the accident occurred was near her old home. It was also near Lim Da-mi's place, though she had no idea whether Da-mi still lived there.
Unlikely as it was, running into Lim Da-mi strolling through the neighborhood was bound to be uncomfortable.
Muttering blandly to herself, Yu-yeon picked out her clothes.
She had assumed everything was reduced to ashes in the fire, but quite a few of her old clothes remained. Among them, Yu-yeon chose a comfortable T-shirt.
She currently weighed forty-five kilograms. Although she had gained quite a bit of weight compared to when she first woke from the coma, she was still a long way from her original weight. Perhaps her constitution had changed, as putting on weight proved difficult.
Yet there was one place that never failed her. Though to Yu-yeon, that was the real betrayal.
Yu-yeon looked down at her chest and sighed.
‘We agreed to get along. This is foul play.’
She needed to gain weight overall, but considering how fast her bust was growing, she really needed to pump the brakes there. With things so out of proportion, she had no idea what tune she was supposed to dance to.
Reflecting on the brief moment she had spent complaining about her appearance, Yu-yeon finished changing.
It was 1:10 PM. Public transportation would likely still be too strenuous, so taking a taxi seemed best. As soon as she stepped onto the apartment building's ground floor, Yu-yeon opened a taxi-hailing app. But she never got around to typing in the destination.
There was a man parked right in front of the apartment, waiting for her.
It was Choi Hyeon-myeong again.
Recognizing Yu-yeon, Choi Hyeon-myeong strode over with long, sweeping steps and took her hand. Lacking the strength and still short on stamina, Yu-yeon was dragged along helplessly once more.
Without batting an eye, the man opened the passenger door and seated Yu-yeon inside. He even held his arms out as though he would pick her up and plant her in the seat himself if she didn't get in.
Outmatched by his strength, Yu-yeon climbed into the car. Hyeon-myeong closed the passenger door, circled around the front of the hood, and took the driver's seat. It seemed he intended to drive himself again today.
“…”
A faint smile touched the man's lips as he spoke, as if searing the message straight into her eyes.
‘Ah, this man is using his face again.’
Bracing herself before she could fall for it all over again, Yu-yeon cleared her throat and put on an aloof air.
Since she had been planning on taking a cab anyway, having someone far more comfortable than a taxi offer a ride was something to be grateful for, so she didn't put up a fight.
Putting the car in motion, Hyeon-myeong furrowed his brow.
“…”
He let out a sigh, as if finding her answer thoroughly unsatisfactory.
Tacking on Yu-yeon's second identity at the end of his sigh with such brazenness drew an exasperated gasp from her lips as well.
Screeech.
‘Wait, was that actually funny?’
Choi Hyeon-myeong brought the smoothly moving car to a complete halt, leaned over the steering wheel, and started chuckling in earnest. The man's sheer absurdity left Yu-yeon even more flabbergasted.
Yet the truly staggering moment was still to come.
All of a sudden, the man unclicked his seatbelt and pushed himself up. But he didn't open the door to step outside.
Planting a large hand on the center console, he twisted his upper body and came down over Yu-yeon's lips in a single breath.
Sparks flared behind her eyelids.
It happened so swiftly that she couldn't even make a sound. Trapped by the seatbelt, Yu-yeon's body was completely at his mercy. As it turned out, even a seatbelt offered no safety around him.
With nothing to hold onto, Yu-yeon's awkwardly raised hands fluttered in empty air.
Moments later, after that brief indulgence, the man pulled back his lips, his darkened eyes flashing as he gave a slow smile.
“…”