Chapter 2

I answered cautiously.

“Hello.”

So Yi didn’t seem surprised to see me here. He started chatting as naturally as if we’d met before.

“I often hear my sister mention her best friend. She’s leaving on a business trip tomorrow, so did you come by to spend time with her before she goes?”

I froze.

“Huh?”

He continued, “It’s fine. You two chat. I’ll have to go out in a little while, so I won’t bother you.”

Then he casually went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

As he passed me, I smelled that familiar citrus scent again.

So Ying often said her older brother was terribly lazy.

He didn’t like trying anything new, and had used the same body wash for years.

But instead of calling him lazy, I thought “faithful” suited him better.

“Oh, right.”

So Yi turned and asked his sister,

“Where’s your pet turtle? Where do you keep it? Bring it home today, and I’ll see what it needs.”

So Ying hedged. “My bestie’s easy to take care of. Super easy. You don’t have to worry too much…”

“Turtles have their own needs.”

So Yi objected. “Some turtles need regular baths or they get skin problems…”

“Oh, right. Does your turtle need me to bathe it?”

So Ying: “……”

“Pfft—”

I was sitting on the sofa, and the sip of water I’d just taken sprayed right out of my mouth.

The siblings turned to look at me at the same time.

So Yi’s gaze slowly traveled from me to the suitcase beside the sofa.

A few seconds later, it seemed he understood everything at once.

His expression changed several times. Finally, his face turned bright red, and he pulled So Ying into the room.

5

The siblings whispered to each other in the room for a long time while I sat on the sofa, bouncing my leg like crazy.

Maybe I should just pack up and go home while I still can.

The thought kept circling through my mind.

I was still fretting when the bedroom door opened.

So Yi came out first.

His expression had returned to normal. He looked at me calmly and smiled.

“Welcome. You can stay here without worrying.”

“I’ll try to be mindful and not bother you. If I do anything unconsciously that makes you uncomfortable, tell me anytime.”

So Ying followed him and made an “OK” sign at me.

I forced a smile and thanked So Yi.

I could guess what So Ying had told her brother.

…Eight or nine times out of ten, she’d used moral pressure to force him into it.

That made me feel a little guilty.

After So Yi left, I helped So Ying pack her suitcase.

That night, we shared a bed and talked until one in the morning.

The next morning, So Yi took So Ying to the airport.

When So Ying messaged me that she’d boarded, I heard the keypad lock at the door beep.

So Yi was back.

He opened the door, saw me, and visibly paused for a moment. Then he smiled.

“Good morning.”

I stood in the living room, doing my best to sound natural.

“Good morning.”

It was hard to avoid a little awkwardness when a man and woman who were complete strangers lived under the same roof.

We exchanged a few simple words. My toes felt like they were about to dig a hole right through So Ying’s floor.

After I got to work, my restless heart finally settled enough for me to think things through.

Before this, I’d asked So Ying all sorts of roundabout questions about her brother’s ideal type.

She said the actress he liked was Song Ling.

The gentle, quiet sort of woman.

So I decided that for the next few days, I’d act like a graceful, refined lady.

6

After a week of acting like a refined lady, I declared Plan A a failure.

I’d realized So Yi didn’t seem interested in me at all.

Whenever he saw me, he gave me a polite but distant smile.

As soon as I came home from work, he usually stayed in his room. I could count the times we ran into each other on one hand.

Whether I acted graceful or not, he didn’t seem to care.

I leaned back in my office chair, tilted my head up, and wondered whether I should change strategies. Did I even need to change strategies?

Before I knew it, it was time to leave work.

So Yi had made plans to have dinner with a friend and said he’d be back a little late.

I took my time packing up and rode the subway home.

So Ying’s apartment was in Dongwan, close to the subway station, but a small park lay between them. I had to walk through it to get home.

In winter, it got dark early. When I came out of the station, I noticed something was off about the park.

It was too dark.

An older man passing by told me someone had deliberately broken the park lights and they were being repaired.

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to walk through anyway.

Taking the longer route would add more than ten minutes.

It wasn’t completely dark yet. I could still see the path.

As I neared the exit, I saw a man and a woman standing in the middle of the path. They seemed to be arguing.

Their voices grew louder until they were shouting at each other.

I had no intention of getting involved. I was about to pass by when the man suddenly shoved the woman onto the grass beside the path.

He cursed at her.

“Nothing happened? Then why was that pretty boy texting you in the middle of the night?!”

She yelled, “He’s an intern I supervise! How many times do I have to tell you?”

“I want you to tell me the truth! Are you cheating on me?!”

As he spoke, he grabbed her collar with one hand and slapped her hard across the face with the other.

It happened in a flash. I froze on the spot.

My childhood memories surged back like a tide.

A dark room. My father with that same vicious look…

The woman screamed in terror. Almost without thinking, I turned around, ran back, and shoved the man with all my strength.

Only when I got close did I smell the alcohol on him.

“Fuck!”

The man cursed.

“Which blind idiot wants to meddle in my business?”

I ignored him and checked on the woman.

She was trembling.

In truth, I was shaking even harder than she was.

I stood in front of her and turned to face the man.

“Beating up your girlfriend? Is that all you’re capable of?”

He was furious and started toward me.

I frowned.

“Don’t come any closer! I’ve called the police!”

I pulled the woman to her feet, ready to run with her if I had to.

The man paused, but quickly caught on.

“When did you call them? You think you can fool me?”

He glared at me.

“Every one of you takes me for an idiot!”

Then he rushed over and reached for me.

Before his hand could touch my clothes, someone behind me grabbed my collar and yanked me back, pulling me well away from the man.

Only when my back struck a warm “wall” did I come to my senses.

At the same time, that pleasant, familiar citrus scent filled my nose.

“Police? Yes, we’re in the park opposite Dongwan Apartments.”

So Yi’s voice was low and calm.

“Are you almost here? Good. Please hurry. The assailant may try to attack again.”

I turned around. So Yi had just ended the call.

He frowned at the man. Before he could say anything, the man spun around and ran away.

The phone call had clearly scared him.

I blinked, afraid he’d hear my heart pounding too fast. I straightened up and quietly moved two steps away from him.

“Why are you here?”

So Yi was about to answer when I suddenly remembered something.

“Wait a second. I need to talk to her.”

I turned to the woman, who was still shaken, and rubbed her arm.

“You’re safe now.”

“Go stay at a friend’s place tonight. Don’t go home.”

“If you’re willing, you should report him to the police, too.”

I’d seen So Yi’s phone earlier. He hadn’t actually called the police yet. That call had only been to scare the man.

“You and him…”

I hesitated, unsure how to ask.

The woman understood right away.

“We’re breaking up.”

“I’ll go report him later. Thank you.”

She wiped away her tears and pulled her clothes tight around herself.

After thanking So Yi and me again, she quickly left the dark path and headed toward the bright streetlights.

7

On the way home with So Yi, he answered my earlier question.

“So Ying once mentioned two years ago that you’re afraid of the dark.”

I froze.

So he knew the park lights were broken and had deliberately ended his gathering early to come pick me up…

I lowered my gaze to the ground, watching the shadows of So Yi and me draw close, then part as the light changed…

But my heart was beating faster and faster.

“Thank you,” I said.

So Yi replied, “No need to thank me. It was the right thing to do.”

He was so polite, so courteous, that the little secret hope just starting to bloom in my heart quickly withered away.

We walked home in silence.

The moment we stepped inside, I stopped.

I remembered the refined-lady act I’d been putting on for a week in this house.

Then I remembered how, at the park, I’d cursed a lot and flailed my arms and legs around to intimidate that man…

I turned to look at So Yi.

He’d probably seen it all.

I squeezed my eyes shut and walked stiffly toward my room.

“Your dinner…”

“I’m not hungry. I’m not eating…”

Thump.

I shut the door.

I lay in bed for a long time. At last, I accepted the truth: my image in front of So Yi had completely collapsed.

Forget it, I thought.

I’d stay here quietly for a while, then find an excuse to move out.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone tapped on my door.

So Yi’s voice came from outside.

“Le Qian, I bought some sugar-roasted chestnuts when I came home this afternoon. I think you’ll like them. I left them outside your door.”

Sugar-roasted chestnuts?

I sat bolt upright.

I called toward the door.

“Thank you!”

My stomach chose that moment to growl twice.

After the hallway fell completely silent, I tiptoed over, opened the door a crack, and brought the bag of chestnuts inside.

After a few chestnuts, I felt alive again.

Then I immediately messaged So Ying.

I praised her like crazy. She was so good to me! Not only had she told So Yi I was afraid of the dark, she’d even told him I was a huge fan of sugar-roasted chestnuts!

So Ying replied almost at once.

“Huh? I didn’t tell him.”

“Wait, how does my brother know these things?”

I held my phone and read her message over and over.

I froze.

8

I couldn’t figure it out, no matter how long I thought about it.

I decided to ask him myself.

I hurried to the door and yanked it open, only to bump into So Yi, who was carrying a glass of water from the living room.

The collision made me stagger. And So Yi…

The water spilled all over his chest.

The white shirt over him was soaked in a large patch, clinging to his skin and nearly transparent.

My mind went blank. Without thinking, I raised my hand and patted him twice.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

…And only spread the water around even more.

I froze.

Heat climbed from my neck to the top of my head. I turned bright red like a roast duck and stood there motionless.

So Yi caught my wrist, stopping my hand from doing any more damage.

His palm was warm.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll change.”

So Yi let go of my hand and started unbuttoning his shirt.

During the few minutes he was changing, I tried to wipe the water from the hallway floor.

My brain gradually managed to work again.

Soon, he opened the door and stepped out. I looked up at the sound.

So Yi had changed into a black shirt, which made him look even more distant and cool.

“Why were you in such a hurry just now? Did you need something?”

I heard him ask.

I took a few deep breaths and got straight to the point.

“Yes. I want to ask you a couple of things.”

He paused.

“What is it?”