Because You're the Only One I Trust
"Huh?"
A slender voice drifted down from the stairs.
"Hmm?"
Just then, her eyes locked right with Park Geon-woo's.
"Aren't you Writer Park Geon? You are, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's correct."
Although her face was hidden behind a cap and a mask, the woman standing on the stairs was clearly out of the ordinary at a single glance.
"Ju Ja-yoon...?"
Han Se-rin recognized her instantly.
"Han Se-rin. So this is where you were at this hour? Nice to see you."
Ju Ja-yoon quickly grabbed her tray with a hamburger and joined them.
"Geez. What are you even doing here?"
Han Se-rin looked thoroughly displeased.
It was because she felt her precious alone time with Park Geon-woo had just been stolen away.
"What do you mean, why? I like hamburgers too. And I'm a regular here, you know."
"Tsk."
Since it was a spot they frequently visited with the other members, Se-rin didn't really have a comeback.
"Hmm. So that's how it is, huh?"
Ju Ja-yoon's eyes narrowed behind the gap of her cap and mask.
She looked back and forth between Park Geon-woo and Han Se-rin.
Soon, a meaningful smile played on her lips.
"Well, I admit it. I did interrupt you guys unintentionally."
"If you know that, would you mind leaving?"
"But these fries are fresh out of the fryer."
"Oh? They're freshly fried? Awesome!"
Se-rin quickly snatched one of Ja-yoon's fries and took a bite.
"So crispy!"
"Crispy, right? My fries? I'll specially allow you to have some."
"Then do you want to swap halves of our burgers, Ju Ja-yoon?"
"Good idea."
Their bickering was short-lived.
Soon, Se-rin and Ja-yoon were amicably sharing the fries and splitting their hamburgers in half.
"Haha."
Geon-woo let out a soft chuckle.
It was always like this when he was with Han Se-rin.
He couldn't help but smile.
"Writer Park Geon, what did you do with our Se-rin today?" Ja-yoon asked.
Geon-woo looked at Se-rin first.
He was silently asking if it was okay to tell her.
Se-rin nodded, and Geon-woo spoke up.
"Se-rin came to a writers' gathering, and we had a great time, Ja-yoon."
"A writers' gathering? You followed him all the way there..." Ja-yoon muttered the last part under her breath.
Then she looked at Se-rin.
At a single glance, Se-rin looked in great condition and high spirits.
"You must have had a blast with Writer Park Geon, huh, Han Se-rin?"
"Yeah. I totally blew off some steam for the first time in a while."
"Going to all the fun places by yourself. You should've taken me too."
Saying so, Ja-yoon turned her gaze to Geon-woo.
"Still, I feel relieved, Writer Park Geon."
"Pardon? Ja-yoon?"
"We trust you because you're Writer Park Geon. If she were with some random guy at this hour, the other members and I wouldn't have let it slide."
For some reason, Ja-yoon felt a bit envious of Se-rin.
Envious of the fact that she had someone comfortable and trustworthy in her life.
To Ja-yoon, Geon-woo truly seemed like a genuinely good person.
"Ah. Is that so?"
Geon-woo simply offered a small smile.
Tap, tap. Meanwhile, Ja-yoon began tapping away on her phone.
"Ju Ja-yoon, who is it?" Se-rin asked, dipping a fry in ketchup.
"Yeon-doo and Ra-hee. They told me to pack some burgers for them if I'm eating."
"Is that so? Then let me pay for those burgers, Ja-yoon," Geon-woo offered.
"You're buying them, Writer Park Geon?"
"Yes. I feel bad for keeping Se-rin out so late into the night, and I'm also grateful for all the help during the last recording."
"Whoa, Han Se-rin. Writer Park Geon is awesome, isn't he?"
Ja-yoon's envious gaze turned back to Se-rin once more.
Consideration, consideration, and more consideration. As she had felt during the recording of I Live Alone, Geon-woo had a unique ability to make people feel at ease.
"Hehe. Right?"
Receiving acknowledgment from her fellow Serazade member and friend, Se-rin's mood soared even higher.
A moment later.
After sending Se-rin and Ja-yoon outside first, Geon-woo ordered and packed the burger sets for the other two members back at the dorm.
"Thank you, have a good night," he said to the staff.
When he stepped outside with the packaged burgers, Se-rin and Ja-yoon were waiting for him.
"Which way is your dorm?"
"It's Building 101, Geon-woo oppa. Over there!"
Se-rin raised her hand and pointed toward one of the apartment buildings.
"Shall we go?"
Geon-woo quickly picked up his pace.
"Huh?"
He paused and looked back.
Se-rin's face looked somewhat gloomy.
"Se-rin, are you tired?"
"I'm not tired at all. I slept well in the taxi and even ate a burger."
"Then why the long face?"
"..."
Instead of answering, Se-rin pouted, sticking her lower lip out.
In truth, she was just sad that they had to say goodbye.
"That's why I told you, who told you to eat your burger so fast?" Ja-yoon teased.
"I was hungry! Besides, Ju Ja-yoon, you were stuffing five fries in your mouth at once!"
"Did I?"
Se-rin and Ja-yoon bickered back and forth.
Watching them, Geon-woo thought that they must share a very special bond.
After walking for about five minutes, the entrance to Building 101 came into view.
"Here you go, Se-rin."
Geon-woo handed over the paper bag filled with burgers.
"Okay. Thank you, Geon-woo oppa. The girls will love it. But... for some reason, I'm still sad to go..."
Perhaps because parting was imminent, Se-rin's pout was even more pronounced than before.
Now, she looked exactly like a cute little duck.
"We promised you'd go inside right after eating the burgers, didn't we? Like I said earlier, you must have a packed schedule since it's the end of the year, Se-rin."
Geon-woo coaxed her, his voice a mix of worry and gentle persuasion.
Even though they had spent nearly half a day together from evening until this ungodly hour, Se-rin still couldn't hide her reluctance to leave.
It would be a lie to say Geon-woo didn't feel the same.
He had enjoyed every single moment with her, and his heart had felt so at peace.
Let's not get greedy, Park Geon-woo.
Still, he felt that today had been more than enough.
"Well... I guess it can't be helped..."
Se-rin couldn't hold onto Geon-woo any longer either.
He had already walked her all the way to the dorm and even shared a burger with her.
"I'll hail a taxi now. Go on up."
"No. I want to watch you get in the taxi before I go."
Standing at the entrance of the building, Geon-woo tried to call a taxi.
However, there was an unexpected hurdle.
Since it was well past three in the morning, not a single taxi was accepting the call.
"Why isn't any taxi picking up?"
Geon-woo was at a loss.
All public transportation had already stopped running for the night.
Unlike Geon-woo, whose expression was gradually stiffening, the corners of Se-rin's mouth began to curl upward.
Another opportunity had presented itself.
"Do you want to come up to our dorm for a bit before you go?"
"What?!"
Geon-woo's eyes widened in shock.
In contrast to the startled Geon-woo, Se-rin was perfectly nonchalant.
"Taxis aren't coming anyway. You can just stay until the first bus or subway runs in the morning, right?"
"Still, it's a girl group's dorm. It's highly inappropriate. Besides, you and the other members need to rest."
*Nudge, nudge.* Se-rin quickly poked Ja-yoon in the ribs.
"Writer Park Geon, don't worry about it. Yeon-doo and Ra-hee said they're curious since they heard you're near the dorm. Want to see?"
Ja-yoon held up her phone, showing their Serazade group chat as proof.
She wasn't lying.
"Please? Come on up. Yes?"
Se-rin was now outright begging.
Geon-woo, who had been smiling all along, let his expression turn a bit serious.
"Se-rin."
"Yes?"
"Before I'm a writer you like, I'm also a man. I understand how you feel, but honestly, I'm worried."
Geon-woo was worried about Se-rin's innocence.
Not everyone in the world was free of selfish or dark motives like he was.
Unlike the dead-serious Geon-woo, dimples popped up on Se-rin's cheeks again.
"Hehe. You're worrying about me right now, aren't you?"
"..."
"Don't worry. I'm Han Se-rin, you know. The Han Se-rin."
"She is indeed the notoriously rude and iron-walled Han Se-rin," Ja-yoon muttered from the side.
"Ju Ja-yoon? I can hear you, you know."
Se-rin glared at her, then turned back to face Geon-woo.
The childlike aura Se-rin had carried from their first meeting until today suddenly shifted.
She had returned to the cold, intelligent, and seemingly flawless Han Se-rin.
It was the Serazade's Han Se-rin that he occasionally saw on television.
"Don't you know I'm only like this because it's you, Geon-woo oppa? I'm not stupid. I can easily tell who is trustworthy and who isn't."
"..."
"So don't worry. Because you're the only one I trust, oppa."
"Se-rin...?"
At Se-rin's confession, Geon-woo's eyes trembled.
Her faith and trust in him were absolute.
"If you're worried about a scandal, you don't have to be. Our dorm's security is the best in the entertainment industry. Sometimes Ra-hee's older brother visits, and Yeon-doo's younger brother comes over too," Ja-yoon added.
In the end, Geon-woo relented.
"Alright. I'll go up for a bit, and then I'll leave on the first train once it's time, Se-rin."
Geon-woo decided he couldn't betray the trust and faith she placed in him.
"Really? Yay! Let's have fun!"
Se-rin immediately reverted to her childlike self.
Geon-woo also flashed a warm smile.
"Aren't you tired, Se-rin?"
"Not at all!"
Se-rin truly looked bursting with energy.
"Han Se-rin is totally in her element," Ja-yoon remarked.
"So you hate it, Ju Ja-yoon? We're going to have a snack party all together for the first time in a while."
"A snack party? Now that's a great idea."
Ja-yoon also seemed excited for some reason.
"Geon-woo oppa! Follow me!"
Se-rin took the lead, her steps light and bouncy.
Whew. My heart is racing.
In contrast to her, Geon-woo couldn't hide his nervousness.
It was only natural.
He was entering a forbidden zone—a girl group's dorm, and not just any group, but Serazade, the top girl group in the country.
But there was something that made him even more nervous than that.
This is where Se-rin lives.
It was the simple fact that this was the place Han Se-rin called home.