Protect Ha Yeon (4)
As soon as we got home, Lee Jihye came out to greet me—even though it was my house.
Of course, she didn't actually come inside; she was just pacing around out front...
This feels kinda weird.
It was my first time having a female classmate show up at my empty house with no one around, so there was this awkward tension hanging in the air.
"Future boyfriend! Where have you been?!"
Contrary to my worries, Lee Jihye greeted me with the brightest, sunniest smile.
Well, now wasn't the time to feel those emotions anyway.
"I was securing evidence on my way back."
I shook the phone Jo Youngbin had handed over from my pocket and passed it to her.
"Oho, so the decisive evidence is in here."
"Yeah, let's head inside first."
After punching in the passcode and stepping into the house, Lee Jihye looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.
"Why is the house empty at dinnertime?"
"The family's evacuated to a temporary place because of Ha Yeon. They probably won't come back until everything's over."
"Th-then... right now, in this house, it's just this body and my future boyfriend?"
"You could say that. Come to my room for now."
I headed to my room without a second thought, and Lee Jihye followed with a bit of hesitation, her steps creaking awkwardly.
I couldn't help but be hyper-aware of it.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything weird. We've got more important stuff to handle right now, right?"
At my words,
"R-right."
She looked like her soul might've flown off, but she pulled it together, put on a determined face, and entered the room.
"First things first... we need to screenshot and save every single record on this account. Turns out they can delete the chat history anytime."
"Let me take a look too."
Lee Jihye took the phone and started digging through their conversations, peering into every dirty deed they'd done.
Her expression hardened in real time...
"They... did that to this body's sister-in-law?!"
"Yeah, luckily Ha Yeon told us before they could get any leverage on her."
"I can't forgive them..."
Lee Jihye's hands were trembling.
I knew the situation was serious, but now that she'd peered into the abyss... the shock must've been indescribable.
"First, back it up on the computer. Once we send the evidence to the lawyer, our job's done."
"Got it."
No issues cropped up during the backup.
Maybe Jo Youngbin had handled things well, because the account didn't get locked, and all the records transferred smoothly to the lawyer.
"Phew... now we just hand over this phone."
"And once we do, we can throw all those scum who made my sister-in-law cry behind bars?"
"That'd be ideal, but..."
We probably wouldn't uproot them completely.
In the original story, Baek Haon and Lee Seohwan ended up in juvie because the organization cut off their tails fast.
All the victims were from NP Entertainment, so the company itself got taken down... but the ones behind it stayed hidden.
It was a tightly knit pyramid scheme—burner phones for contact, crypto for payments—impossible to trace.
They never resurfaced in the original after that...
But this wasn't a novel; it was reality. Who knew when they'd threaten us again.
"Here, take it. You can at least deliver it to the lawyer, right?"
"Piece of cake!"
"It's crucial evidence, so don't lose it... Calling the lawyer now would be a hassle anyway."
"He's probably off work by now?"
"Then why'd you come over today..."
Truth be told, I could've handled the backup and transfer alone.
When Lee Jihye said she was coming, I figured she'd bring the lawyer... but that was my arrogant assumption.
She was just here to liven up my lonely space a bit.
"A-hem. Still, it's my duty to confirm we've secured the evidence perfectly."
Lee Jihye averted her gaze, looking a little flustered.
Seemed like she had ulterior motives...
"Whatever. It's all done now, so head home."
I'd just send her packing anyway!
It was late, and we had school tomorrow, so obviously...
"I can't do that."
What?
Lee Jihye pulled her school uniform and pajamas? from her bag and started spouting utter nonsense with shameless confidence.
"My driver's already gone home for the day! I can't go back now!"
"What the hell? Just take a bus or taxi."
"...I can't ride public transport."
"Huh?"
"Trauma... I just can't."
I stared at her in disbelief, but...
Her whole body was trembling faintly—it seemed real.
"Wait... you came here planning to crash overnight from the start?"
"Exactly! I was worried about my sister-in-law, and figured it'd be a chance to get on your good side by sleeping over... but I had no idea no one would be home."
"What about your parents?"
"Already told them I'm sleeping at a friend's and heading back tomorrow!"
She's annoyingly thorough about useless things.
Honestly, I'd love to just kick her out...
But trauma... you don't mess with that lightly.
"Fine, go wash up first and sleep in Ha Yeon's room."
"Huh? We're not sleeping together?!"
"What? You said you came to sleep with Ha Yeon!"
"Tch."
How could grown man and woman share a bed?
We'd been through countless close calls lately, so from the start, I enforced ironclad defenses to avoid any awkward situations.
Different rooms in the same house? That was fine, right?
Lee Jihye grumbled like a kid and headed to the bathroom. Soon, the shower turned on.
Is this really okay...?
As long as Lee Jihye kept today's events to herself, it'd be fine.
"Future boyfriend! Where are the towels?"
"There! Check the shelf!"
Would this shameless girl actually keep the secret...?
"Not there! Bring one over!"
"What the—"
She's as bothersome as Ha Yeon, if not more...
Grumbling openly, I grabbed a fresh towel from the drying rack and approached the door...
Wait... beyond that door... Lee Jihye's buck naked...?
Dangerous thoughts flooded my mind.
"Here's your towel."
"Oh! Thanks!"
Lee Jihye cracked the bathroom door open and reached out for it.
In that instant...
Gasp...
I instinctively whipped my head away.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Just shut the door already..."
I vaguely pointed at the bathroom mirror.
"P-pervert!"
She slammed the door with a shriek that hit three octaves high.
Hmm... her hips are surprisingly great.
Would've been perfect without the steam.
Guess I got my money's worth on the sleepover fee.
Night deepened, and darkness settled over Baek Haon's house.
"Maybe it's the different bed, but I can't sleep..."
Lee Jihye lay in Baek Ha Yeon's bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She wasn't scared or afraid to sleep alone at her age.
It was just... a touch of loneliness creeping in.
"I should sleep, but I can't..."
An hour... two hours passed, but her mind grew sharper instead.
"Guess I'll grab some water and crash."
Lee Jihye really just wanted water and back to bed.
She headed to the living room with truly no other thoughts.
But then...
"Is future boyfriend asleep...?"
At some point, she opened Baek Haon's door to check on him.
"Hmm..."
She perched lightly on the ridiculously spacious bed and examined his face up close.
"He's so handsome, seriously."
No matter how close she brought her face, Baek Haon showed no sign of waking.
He even snorted softly, deep in slumber, emboldening her further.
"Just... lying down for a sec."
Her heart raced faster than before.
Shed never stared at his face this close.
His breath reached her, his heartbeat echoed to her.
Was it because these feelings were so long forgotten?
Or did she want to pour out the loneliness bottled inside?
Lee Jihye whispered so softly it was barely audible.
"I've... had everything since I was little, but there was one thing I never got."
She gently closed her eyes and continued.
"I was kidnapped as a kid...? Took a taxi alone and got dragged somewhere unknown... I was terrified, scared out of my mind, could only think of my parents..."
Her calm voice filled the room.
"But the parents I desperately longed for never came... Just the bodyguards and a bag of money welcomed me back. That's when it started, I think... my craving for affection."
The more she spoke, the more her heart ached.
"There are more stories after that..."
Lee Jihye opened her eyes slightly and gazed at Baek Haon.
He still hadn't noticed her presence...
"Later... if you really become the boyfriend who looks at me, I'll tell you then."
She planted a light kiss on his cheek.
"This is my mark. A seal that I won't let anyone else have you."
Was it her body heat?
Baek Haon's arm unconsciously pulled her in during his sleep.
"Eek?!"
Trapped under his muscular arm, Lee Jihye couldn't escape.
Beep beep beep beep—
The blaring alarm kicked off the day.
Man... mornings I really didn't want to wake up to.
What kind of freaks were these "morning people"? Their brains must be wired wrong, or missing a few screws.
My eyes, still refusing to accept morning, stayed shut as I flailed my arm desperately to silence the alarm...
Squish—
Huh? Squish?
I didn't sleep with any dolls or anything...
This vivid sensation felt so long overdue...
Before opening my eyes, I groped around to figure it out.
Couldn't identify it, so I cracked open my weary eyes...
"Wh-what... what are you doing right now?!"
There was Lee Jihye, face beet red, staring at me.
Oh, so what I'd been touching until now was...
"Gahhhhh!!"
I couldn't process it.
Lee Jihye was supposed to be snoring away in Ha Yeon's room.
Why... why was she lying on my bed?!
"Wh-why are you here...?"
"Last night, future boyfriend wouldn't let go of me on the bed!"
"M-me?!"
She clutched her chest with both hands, face flushed.
No, no—explain it in terms I can understand, please.
"So... you mean... I slept with you... and what I just touched was...?"
"Pervert! Go die!"
The moment she heard me, she bashed my head mercilessly with the pillow nearby and bolted out of the room like a shot...
"Ah! Still dreaming, huh!"
Not fully awake yet, I shrugged it off and went back to sleep.
Of course, trying to forget that vivid sensation was extra effort!
And so, drifting back to dreamland...
"Why didn't the alarm go off again...?"
By then, first period had already started.
"Oh."
Only then did I accept that everything from earlier was real.