The Officetel and the Fiancée
While riding in Siheon's car, Dayeon recalled the amount of the debt Siheon had said he would repay to Yoon Tak-su instead of his father, and her heart grew heavy.
'5 billion 800 million won, right.'
Even if she turned over every penny in the account, it wouldn't even amount to a tenth or a hundredth of that.
How many part-time jobs would she need to do to repay 5 billion 800 million won?
Dayeon swallowed her sigh and, glancing at Siheon cautiously, opened her mouth.
"Um, Teacher."
"Uh."
"The money the Teacher repaid, I'll repay it bit by bit."
Siheon's head, which had been staring straight ahead, suddenly turned to the side.
"I don't have that much money right now."
Startled by Siheon's reaction, Dayeon hurriedly added.
As if thinking while listening to Dayeon's words, Siheon tapped the steering wheel. A moment later, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, and he nodded as if it made sense.
"Right. 5 billion 800 million. I have to repay it."
Dayeon nodded dejectedly.
"I'm working hard on part-time jobs right now. I could increase one or two more..."
"To repay 5 billion 800 million won with that, how long would it take?"
"..."
Dayeon had nothing to say.
It was as he said. Even if she worked part-time and earned money, it wouldn't even reach half of that amount even after a hundred years.
"So, quit all the part-time jobs you're doing right now."
"Eh?"
Dayeon tilted her head.
"Arguing that to repay the debt, I need to increase part-time jobs?"
"Instead of that, study hard, and later become a doctor and repay it. I'll wait until then."
"Ah..."
"Working and studying like this now, you'll never become a doctor. Do you think being a doctor is easy?"
The voice was strict, but the meaning was gentle. Dayeon felt ashamed and just nodded weakly.
"If I don't become a great doctor, I'll collect interest and take it all. So remember that."
As Siheon spoke, he ruffled Dayeon's hair with one hand.
"Ne..."
The thoughtfulness in his heart was felt. Dayeon bit her lips, feeling choked up, and Siheon glanced at her, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
It wasn't about the money anyway. If he could get rid of those damn part-time jobs that were tiring Dayeon using that as a pretext, it was enough.
"We're here. That place is the high-end officetel where you'll be living from now on."
At Siheon's words, Dayeon looked up. Through the car window, a bright light shone on a luxurious officetel standing tall.
***
"Welcome in."
Siheon said as he entered the entrance. Even though it was the second time, Dayeon hesitantly stepped into the unfamiliar place.
"Excuse me."
With a small voice, she greeted towards the kitchen. Seeing Dayeon, Siheon burst into laughter.
"Whom are you greeting? There's no one there."
"Eh? Last time, there was definitely a noona there. She was tall and had a round face."
Dayeon described her appearance with her hand near her nose. Siheon said "Ah" and pretended to know.
"The housekeeper is gone now. She's already off work."
"Ah. Then, is there no one in this house right now..."
As she was about to say, Dayeon swallowed hard. So, it was just the two of them in this big house.
Thinking that I'm living with the Teacher, my heart started pounding uncontrollably.
'Why is my heart beating so fast. We'll be living together from now on.'
Moreover, I'm now the fiancée of the Teacher.
'Fiancée.'
It was something she had longed for so much. Just those three words made her heart swell with warmth. Siheon said it was just a performance to show to his grandfather.
'But even so, living in the same house every day, seeing each other's faces. Then, won't the Teacher's heart towards me change?'
Why is there such a saying. It's said that love is built up with small things.
Thinking about it, even just coming this far was amazing. When she first met him, he didn't see her as a woman, but now he calls her fiancée.
Of course, it's not the same as saying he likes her.
But, by living together and appealing her feminine charm, maybe someday she could become a real wife with the Teacher.
Moreover,
'I can fulfill Grandfather's wish. I can actually do it.'
He said it can't be done now, but who knows what will happen if we live together.
Just imagining it for a moment, Dayeon's cheeks flushed red.
"Shall I shower first?"
Siheon's voice woke Dayeon from her thoughts. Startled, Dayeon looked at Siheon with wide eyes.
"Eh? Shower?"
"Then why not?"
He asked with a calm face. His eyes were clean, without any lewd feeling.
Seeing that, Dayeon realized that what he intended wasn't the lewd thing she thought. It was literally telling her to wash the dirty body.
"Sh-shower, I mean."
Realizing that she was the only one who had lewd thoughts, Dayeon hurriedly averted her gaze.
Siheon, who had been tilting his head as if her action was unnatural for a moment, pointed to a corner on the first floor.
"The other side is the guest room. There's a bathroom inside, so use that room from now on."
Dayeon nodded in agreement and went to the place Siheon pointed to.
In the room Siheon mentioned, there were a bed, a desk, a table, and a few other furniture. Dayeon looked around the room and found the sliding door that seemed to lead to the bathroom and went inside.
The large mirror, the sink, and the shower booth inside made it look like a hotel.
It had been several days since no one used it, but Dayeon, admiring the housekeeper's diligence and meticulousness, took off her clothes.
After a while, Dayeon came out of the shower booth. The white steam filled the small bathroom, blurring her vision.
After wiping the moisture with a towel and wrapping a large towel around her body, Dayeon stopped her hand at the sound coming from outside the door.
Sss, sa sa sa sa.
A small but clear sound of regular yet somehow urgent movements.
"Teacher?"
The voice echoed off the bathroom walls, but there was no reply. However, the sound from outside didn't stop. A chilling sound of something passing right by the door kept coming in.
This house has only the two of us.
Then, could it be...
'Is it a thief?'
Her heart started beating wildly. The ominous imagination swelled up like reality.
If a thief had hidden in this room thinking no one was there, and was now rummaging through this room.
Then, I can't just leave it like that.
After thinking it over, Dayeon took out the hairdryer and held it in her hand. In the empty bathroom, the only thing that could be used as a weapon was that.
While hesitating, she grabbed the door handle cautiously. Then, with firm resolve, she pushed it sideways forcefully. At that moment,
Clang! A loud noise came from right nearby.
Startled by the loud noise, Dayeon, who had been tense, fell back and screamed loudly.
"Kyaak!!"
The hairdryer, which she had intended to throw at the thief if necessary, fell to the floor with a thud without even being thrown, and soon after, Siheon, hearing Dayeon's scream, burst open the door and ran in.
"Jeong Dayeon? What's wrong?"
"Who, who's there..."
Dayeon closed her eyes tightly and pointed to a corner in the room. It was the place where the loud noise had come from earlier.
Siheon, who had quickly turned his gaze to the place she pointed to with a tense face, let out a voice.
"I came because I heard some noise."
He looked at Dayeon with a dumbfounded expression.
"Because of just that, you made such a fuss?"
"Eh?"
With a hollow voice, Dayeon opened her eyes, which she had been squeezing shut.
Looking out from the corner of her eye, in the corner, something was crying with a whining sound.
It was a robot vacuum cleaner.
"Ah..."
The robot vacuum cleaner, which couldn't escape because the door opened suddenly and got stuck in the gap, was whining in an aggrieved way. Only then did Dayeon's face, which had figured out the situation, turn red.
She made such a fuss over the robot vacuum cleaner going around.
She couldn't lift her face because of the embarrassment. Lowering her head in embarrassment, Siheon approached and extended his hand to her.
"Here. Get up."
The hand extended as if to pull her up. Dayeon, with a sheepish expression, took his hand.
At that moment, when she was trying to stand up with her wobbly legs.
Sss.
The towel wrapped around her body slipped and slid to the floor.
At that moment, the cold air brushed her skin, and Siheon's face, clearly embarrassed, appeared large in front of her.