Chapter 4: No Regrets
Chapter 4: No Regrets
The first thing I did after getting home from work was collect the laundry I'd hung out to dry the night before.
'Dried nicely.'
Thanks to the blazing sun today, the clothes were crisp and dry. As I gathered them, I noticed something missing.
'...? Why is there an empty spot?'
One pair of underwear was gone.
'No way I forgot to hang it.'
My laundry routine was set in stone. On workdays: a dress shirt, a T-shirt, underwear, one sock, and occasionally pants. On weekends, the load was even lighter.
If I hadn't hung up the underwear yesterday, I definitely would've noticed.
'Did it blow away?'
I glanced around the rooftop. A quick scan didn't reveal anything, so I started searching more thoroughly.
Under the wooden bench, in the corners of the rooftop, even peering over at the neighboring building—nothing.
'Where the hell did it go?'
Just then—
"What're you doing?"
I turned toward the voice. Ha-rin was standing there holding something—probably doenjang jjigae. On her way up, the landlady must've asked if she wanted some stew.
"My underwear's missing."
"W-What underwear?!"
"The pair I hung up. It's gone. I'm looking for it."
"Maybe it flew away? It was really windy earlier."
That was the most plausible explanation, but it didn't add up.
"Just the underwear? Everything else is still here."
If the wind was strong enough to blow away underwear, the rest of the laundry would've been a mess too.
"It's lighter, so maybe just that flew off. Come eat the stew."
"Hold on."
"If you don't come now, I'll take it back."
Unable to resist her threat, I grabbed a bowl of rice from inside and sat down on the bench. The rich smell of the stew hit me immediately, making my mouth water.
"Thanks for the meal."
"I didn't make it, but enjoy."
I took a spoonful. Perfect, as always. The kind of flavor that makes you nod without thinking.
"This is amazing. Seriously."
"It's pretty great."
'She didn't take it, right?'
[Ju Ha-rin]
[Scent Fetish | Tickling]
A sudden suspicion crept in.
'The cameras would've caught her if she did.'
Still, I couldn't shake the weird feeling.
'I'll check the footage later.'
The recording would show exactly what happened to the underwear.
"Haah... That hit the spot."
The bowl was empty in no time. My growling stomach was finally satisfied.
"You really cleaned that out."
"Because it was that good."
"Mom's cooking is no joke."
"Yeah."
I got up, collected the dishes, and quickly washed them before returning.
"Nice weather. Wanna grab a beer?"
"Nah. If you wanna drink, find someone else."
"Ah, got it. Old man."
The sly curl of her lips made me uneasy.
"What'd you get?"
"You're gonna have another happy time all by yourself—Ow!"
I flicked her forehead—harder than usual.
"Cut the weird talk. Shouldn't you head back down?"
"Since you're so eager to get rid of me, I'll go down just this once."
"Thanks. Tell your mom the stew was delicious."
"Sure, ah—"
Ha-rin gave me that sly look again, lips quirking up.
"Don't overdo it. Your bones'll melt."
"Hey."
"Hehe."
Before I could grab her, she bolted down the stairs.
'How does she even know that joke?'
Weird. With Ha-rin gone, the rooftop fell quiet again. I stood up.
'Time to check.'
I went inside, sat at my computer, and pulled up the CCTV feed. The monitor showed the current rooftop view.
'Where's the playback again?'
I'd only skimmed the manual the other day, so my memory was fuzzy. Too lazy to dig it out, I fumbled around until I found the recordings.
'Click here? No, here? Ah, got it.'
After some trial and error, I pulled up the morning footage. I hit play.
'Eight hours? No way I'm watching all that.'
I'd just skip to when the underwear disappeared. I fast-forwarded to lunchtime.
'Still there.'
Then to 3 PM.
"Gone now."
A few more adjustments narrowed it down. As I watched, my brow furrowed. Someone was sitting on the bench. I recognized them instantly—the silhouette was unmistakable, and the HD footage left no doubt.
'Ju Ha-rin...'
I sped it up. She sat there for a while, then glanced at the laundry rack. The underwear fluttered in the wind. She walked over.
'Is she putting it back?'
She stood in front of the rack, hesitated, then made her move—grabbing the underwear and heading for the stairs.
I kept watching, half-expecting her to return, but no such luck.
'...Does she see me as a man?'
If she just saw me as a neighborhood oppa, she wouldn't have taken the underwear. I'd had my suspicions since that drunken incident, especially with how often she came around.
'What do I even do about this?'
My head spun. If she'd just had some weird fetish, I could've ignored it. But stealing crossed a line.
'Tell her mom?'
That was the first option, but not a good one. It'd crush Ha-rin's pride.
'Better to talk to her alone.'
Just then, the screen lit up with a notification.
[Ju Ha-rin]
[Old man]
[What're you doing?]
[Not checking your phone? Must be having another happy time.]
She had no idea what I'd just found, yet she kept teasing me.
'Let's see how she reacts.'
Found the underwear.
Silence. She must've been scrambling. Of course—she was the one who took it, and now I knew.
After showering, I stepped out.
"♬♪♬"
"Something good happen? You're humming."
"Just in a good mood."
Mom, who'd been watching TV, gave me a curious look. I shook the dampness from my hair and headed to my room.
'Thank god she didn't suspect anything.'
When I realized I'd forgotten to put the underwear back, I thought my world was ending.
'Then again, how would she know?'
Unless she was psychic, no one would. I flopped onto my bed, reached under it, and rummaged around.
'Then this is mine now, right?'
I found it instantly. Pulling it out, I held up the underwear—his underwear. I brushed off any dust and brought it to my nose.
The scent of fabric softener mixed with his smell. I crossed my legs.
'Should I text him?'
I didn't hesitate long. Mom was in the living room, so I couldn't do anything else right now anyway.
[Dae-hoon Oppa]
Old man
What're you doing?
Not checking your phone? Must be having another happy time.
Pushing his buttons was too fun. The read receipt disappeared. Then—his reply.
Found the underwear.
"...Huh?"
Is this what they mean when they say your brain stops? I glanced at the underwear beside me. No way he found it—it's right here.
'It's with me!'
I scrambled for a response. What could I say to play it off?
How?
To be exact, I found the underwear thief.
I froze.
[Image attached]
The moment I saw the photo, my heart dropped.
It was a CCTV still—a top-down view of the laundry rack. And there I was, standing in front of it, holding his underwear.
"Ah..."
Come up. Now. We need to talk.
No room for refusal. Even if I wanted to say no, I couldn't. He didn't say it outright, but the threat was clear—if I didn't go up, he'd tell Mom.
"I'm going out for a bit."
"Where?"
"Friend's place."
I slipped out and climbed the stairs. My steps, light earlier, now felt heavy.
'I'm gonna get scolded.'
If it were just a scolding, I'd take it. Losing him would be a hundred times worse. I reached the rooftop.
The first thing I saw was the camera mounted under the eaves.
'How did I miss that? It's right there!'
I knew why. I never expected CCTV. So I never looked up.
Like a lamb to slaughter, I approached his door.
'Guess I ring it.'
The doorbell I usually pressed with excitement now felt terrifying. Slowly, I reached out and pressed it.
Ding-dong.
A few seconds later, the door opened. There he was—holding a can of beer.
The sharp scent of alcohol hit me.
"You're here? Come in."
'He doesn't even drink much...'
A guy who gets tipsy off one beer was drinking—because of me.
"Sit."
"Okay..."
Could I refuse in this atmosphere? No. He cracked open another can—must've finished the first one already.
"Want one?"
"Just one..."
I couldn't stay sober through this. I took the beer and gulped it down. The strong carbonation made me wince, but my dry throat needed it.
He drank in silence. I kept my head down.
"Hah... You know what you did wrong, right?"
"...Yeah."
How could I not?
"Look... Curiosity's one thing. I won't lecture you. You already know."
"..."
"Ha-rin."
"...Yeah."
"Don't come up here for a month."
"...?"
That was too much. He was an office worker; I was a student. The rooftop was our only meeting spot. A month without it meant a month without seeing him.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but a warm buzz settled in my head.
"What if I say no?"
"Huh?"
"What'll you do if I refuse?"
I stood and walked toward him.
"You—"
"Words don't matter..."
I stumbled. Almost fell. But he caught me.
"Hey, watch it."
His arms were warm. Just like always.
'You started this.'
"You tempted me first."
"How?"
"Your smell. It's so good."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and inhaled deeply. His scent, sharp with alcohol but undeniably him. At the same time, something firm pressed against me.
I knew instinctively—he was hard.
"Ha-rin, wait—"
"Why pull away? You're turned on too."
I touched it. Hard as stone.
"Don't regret this later. Say it. With words."
"I won't regret it."
I looked straight into his eyes.
"I said I won't."
"Even if we go further...?"
No subject was needed. We both knew what he meant.
His lips came into view—shinier than usual. My hesitation vanished.
Mwah.
"Mm... Idiot."
"Come here."
He pulled me into his arms and carried me to the bed. I pressed my nose against his neck and breathed in.
'So strong.'
I could never get enough.
'Oppa's smell...'