Do You Know Him?
"Oh, someone you know?"
At the woman's question, Eunha found herself blurting out a hesitant reply without thinking.
"Why? Can't be?"
"N-no, it's not that..."
Eunha trailed off, turning her head to the side.
We live near each other, and the only guy I know is Oppa Yuhyun...
Her mind insisted it couldn't be, but...
...What if Oppa Yuhyun is that masked guy?
Eunha stole a glance at the woman in front of her. It was obvious at a glance—she harbored a massive grudge against the masked man. They said a woman's resentment could bring frost in the fifth lunar month; who knew what harm she might do to Oppa Yuhyun?
Of course, all this assumed Oppa Yuhyun really was the masked man.
Yeah, no way Oppa Yuhyun would do something like that.
There was no way. From what Eunha had seen, he was absolutely not the type. And as for her own situation... He only saw her as a little sister he'd known forever—never once as a woman.
If he'd ever seen her that way, something would have happened last night while they were drinking and eating chicken.
"Why? What's the problem?"
The woman pressed Eunha again. Eunha quickly shook her head and spoke up.
"N-no! Let's go, quick!"
Shouting that, Eunha stood from her seat and hurried out of the coffee shop with the woman. From there, they headed to the villa where the studio apartments were.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"Where's the guy?"
"Second floor."
"Room number?"
"201."
"Let's go."
Having learned the address of Yuhyun's studio apartment, the woman strode up the stairs without hesitation. Once at the door, she pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
"......"
No sound came from inside, despite the bell.
"Not home?"
Tilting her head, the woman clenched her fist and knocked on the door three times.
Thud thud thud!
"......"
No response, even after the hard knocks.
"Guess he's not here," Eunha ventured cautiously.
The woman let out a thoughtful hum, then turned to Eunha.
"Call him."
"Huh?"
"We need to meet him first, right?"
"B-but..."
"Don't have his number?"
"No, I do..."
"Then call him already."
Under the woman's insistent prodding, Eunha hemmed and hawed.
Is it okay to call him out of the blue like this?
Besides, the intent behind the call was far from pure. She was calling to confirm if Yuhyun was the masked man, after all.
...Will he get mad?
As she dithered in conflict, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from afar.
"Huh? Eunha?"
Turning toward the voice, there stood Oppa Yuhyun.
Climbing the stairs, I spotted Eunha standing in front of my door.
"Huh? Eunha?"
I raised my right hand in a casual wave. Her face lit up with a bright smile, her lips flapping excitedly.
"Hi!"
Her voice rang pleasantly in my ears—lively and just the right pitch.
I walked slowly toward her, smiling.
"You're the guy in 201?"
That's when a woman stepped forward. A beauty in a black office outfit.
Yu Seoyeon?
I froze for a second, caught off guard.
...Why?
My toes tingled. Feeling my fingertips chill, I clenched and unclenched my fists to shake off the tension.
"Yeah? And you are?"
"......"
She glared at me, eyes narrowing like a predator eyeing prey. Just standing there facing her sent chills down my spine.
But separately from that, Yu Seoyeon standing before me was stunningly beautiful. Her long lashes—unusual for an East Asian—were honestly gorgeous. A classic Western beauty. And that black office look hugged her alluring figure perfectly. Her curves dipped and swelled in all the right places; she wouldn't look out of place next to any magazine model.
I calmed my pounding heart and met her gaze.
"Who are you?"
I asked again. For a split second, her dark eyes sparkled.
"You know."
"Dunno. First time seeing you."
"Gonna play dumb to the end?"
With her dogged persistence, I decided to seek help from Eunha.
"Eunha, this lady... you know her?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
Eunha's face flushed bright red as she answered my question, for some reason.
"You brought her?"
"O-Oppa... well, um..."
Her uncharacteristic fumbling reminded me of the first time I'd met her in the Training Room.
No way...
My mind grew complicated.
...Was that first Eunha really her?
I repeated to myself that it couldn't be, but the guilt toward Eunha only swelled like a tidal wave.
What do I do?
I swallowed dryly and glanced between Eunha and Seoyeon. At that moment, Seoyeon closed in on me.
"Hand over your smartphone."
"What the—"
"Got something to check. Just for a sec."
She held out her hand.
Shit...
The sight of her pale, delicate hand made me grimace involuntarily. But I quickly schooled my expression.
"...Hurry up and hand it over."
Unfortunately, Yu Seoyeon had caught that split-second slip. She looked even smugger, wiggling her fingers expectantly.
Should I apologize?
If I dropped to my knees and begged forgiveness right now, maybe it'd blow over nicely? With luck, just a slap.
...No, with Seoyeon's personality, it wouldn't end that simply.
Biting my lip, I fiddled with the phone in my pocket.
Run?
If I bolted now, Seoyeon in her heels wouldn't catch me easily.
...No, she'd wait all night if she had to.
Plus, running would be as good as confessing guilt.
Train her?
It was the most plausible option, but could I access the Manager App and pull Yu Seoyeon into the Training Room without getting caught? With all the notifications popping up, it'd take at least 20 seconds.
"Hand it over!"
Suddenly, Yu Seoyeon lunged at me.
"Ugh!"
I lost my balance and fell flat on my ass in the hallway. Seoyeon, who'd charged at me, ended up tumbling into my arms.
"Here it is, huh?"
"H-hey!"
But Yu Seoyeon ignored our tangled bodies, groping from my chest pocket down to my pants pockets.
"...Are you insane?"
I yelled at her near-sexual-harassment behavior, but she kept hunting for my smartphone without a care. And soon enough, she found it.
"Unlock it!"
"Hey, you..."
"Unlock it now! What, scared?"
Her eyes, looking down at me as she shouted, brimmed with certainty.