The One Who Should Not Have Returned
The oppressive aura was unmistakable, even from a distance. Yeo-won stared fixedly at the stairs and the far side of the room, biting down hard on her lip. Her pupils trembled with unease as she looked at the empty bowl.
Should I get up and run right now?
But she was terrified that any sudden movement might provoke the spirit for no reason. In that brief span of time, countless thoughts swirled through her mind, exploding and reforming over and over.
She cursed her own complacency—how she had grown comfortable in that fleeting peace and forgotten her own situation.
Yeo-won kept turning the problem over in her head until her fist, resting on the table, had gone completely white. Then she held her breath.
The spirit had come up to the second floor.
She focused every ounce of her attention on the presence she could sense, even silencing her own breathing. The malevolent energy crept slowly toward her. She had gripped her hand so tightly that her nails dug into her palm, but that was the least of her concerns right now.
Thump. Thump.
Her heart hammered violently. She was still worrying whether the sound might reach the spirit when she felt it brush past right in front of her.
…It passed. It didn’t notice me.
The relief lasted only a moment. Every fiber of her being screamed to stand up and flee, but she had to hold back. She needed to leave her seat as naturally as possible, as if nothing had happened at all.
Yeo-won steadied her trembling hands and took a small, deep breath. The tension had left her entire body aching. Getting up with the tray in her hands went without incident.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the tray, she walked toward the stairs—quickly, but not so quickly that she looked frantic. That short distance of barely ten steps felt longer and more grueling than any path she had ever walked.
At last the stairs came into view. She was about to descend when someone grabbed her shoulder.
It’s here.
The spot where it touched her burned as if scorched. Her whole body jolted. Convinced everything was ruined, she tried to shake it off and run—only for a bright, clear voice to ring out above her head.
“Senior!”
The familiar voice made Yeo-won twist her upper body to look behind her. There stood a man wearing an innocent smile.
“Fancy meeting you here. Have you been well?”
He flashed his teeth in a cheerful grin. When Yeo-won stared back with a deathly pale face full of suspicion, he pointed both index fingers at himself and spoke in a rush.
“Don’t tell me you forgot me? It’s me! Yoo Jae-young! From Edwin!”
Edwin was the name of the company Yeo-won had worked for. At the mention of Yoo Jae-young, a small sound of realization escaped her.
“Ah.”
She remembered now. He was the new hire who had made her decide to quit. The one the blood-soaked woman had been clinging to. Even though they had been on the same team, they had barely ever faced each other properly, so it had taken her a long time to recall him.
Apparently displeased by her reaction, he pouted and grumbled.
“Wow, isn’t your response a little too lukewarm? I’m the only one acting all excited, and now I feel awkward.”
“…I’m sorry.”
His words barely registered. She answered on reflex while quickly scanning their surroundings. The eerie presence she had felt just moments ago had vanished without a trace.
Had she sensed it wrong? But there was no way she could have mistaken something that grotesque.
“Are you busy? Am I holding you up?”
His question snapped her back to the present, and she looked at him again. He was watching her with the anxious eyes of a puppy who had done something wrong, shoulders slumped. She could no longer see any trace of that horrifying woman on him. This was practically the first time she had looked at his face properly, and he turned out to be surprisingly handsome. Tall, with broad shoulders—he was the kind of man who drew second glances from people passing by.
“No, it’s not that. I was just surprised to see an unexpected face, that’s all.”
Even her half-hearted, businesslike reply made his eyes sparkle with delight as he beamed again.
“Really? Me too. I was so worried when you suddenly quit back then. I heard you weren’t feeling well—how are you now?”
“I’m… fine, I suppose.”
“Are you at another company now? I’m supposed to be out on a site visit, but I didn’t want to go back to the office, so I’m playing hooky. Might as well rest while I can, right?”
His overly friendly chatter made the corners of her mouth twitch with strain. Had he always been this sociable? They hadn’t been close enough for him to act like this, had they?
Why is he coming at me like this?
Overwhelmed by his approach, Yeo-won took an involuntary step back. Yet he kept chattering away without pause, happily sharing stories she hadn’t even asked for.
She was so tense that she could barely register what he was saying.
The only thought in her head was that she wanted to leave this place immediately.
Exhaustion made her rub at her eyes. He should have noticed, but he didn’t stop talking. She studied him carefully once more, yet she couldn’t find even the slightest remnant of what she had seen before.
For a second she even wondered if her own memory had been altered. But how could she forget? The first time she met him, she had fainted on the spot.
When Yeo-won stared at him blankly, Jae-young blushed as if embarrassed and scratched the back of his neck.
“Ah, is there something on my face?”
“Pardon?”
“You were staring so intently…”
He gave an awkward laugh, then suddenly gasped and stepped back. For a moment she worried she had unconsciously told him to keep his distance, but he whispered in a small voice.
“I had meat for lunch—do I smell?”
“…”
“I ate a lot of garlic and green onions. I sprayed Febreze, though.”
Yeo-won frowned. Wondering if he was joking, she looked at him without answering. He wore the most serious expression she had seen on his face all day—still covering his mouth with his hand.
After staring at him in utter disbelief, she finally managed a reply.
“No.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
At her words, he dramatically swept a hand over his chest in exaggerated relief. What kind of person was this? If she stayed quiet, she would get completely swept up in his pace. Yeo-won swallowed a small sigh and opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry, but if there’s nothing else—”
“Whoa! Senior Yeo-won!”
His urgent voice drowned out the rest of her sentence. But compared to what happened next, it was hardly worth mentioning.
“Ugh.”
Jae-young yanked on her arm. The tray she had been holding clattered to the floor. As her body tilted, she reflexively closed her eyes. The sound of breaking dishes rang in her ears, followed by a shrill scream.
“Kyaa! Are you okay?!”
When she opened her eyes again, everything had already gone wrong. Shards of glass from the dishes she had dropped lay scattered across the floor, mixed with a spreading puddle of light brown liquid.
“Senior, are you hurt anywhere?”
At the question from above, she lifted her gaze. Jae-young’s white shirt was tragically soaked in the same light brown color. At the same time, a sickeningly sweet and unpleasant scent filled the air.
Only then did Yeo-won realize what had happened: the person coming up the stairs had been carrying a drink, and Jae-young had taken the hit for her.
“Oh no, what do we do? It’s not too hot, is it? What are we going to do? I’m so sorry.”
Watching the woman stomp her feet in helpless panic, Yeo-won turned to Jae-young with a look of disbelief. He shook his head as he checked on her, then broke into a silly grin.
“I’m just glad you don’t seem to be hurt.”
Yeo-won blinked. Seeing him drenched in latte from his white shirt all the way down to his pants, her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally raised her voice.
“What are you doing?! Hurry up and get into the bathroom to cool it off!”
At her scolding, Jae-young flinched with a dazed expression. Frustrated, Yeo-won grabbed his arm and practically shoved him into the second-floor restroom.
“Run cold water on it for at least three minutes before you come out.”
She slammed the door shut. The fatigue she had been holding back crashed over her all at once. The aftermath of staying up all night hit her like a wave, and she wanted nothing more than to go home—but first she had to clean up the mess. By then, the staff had already begun clearing away the broken glass, while the woman who had spilled the drink watched with a face that looked ready to burst into tears.
Crying about it wouldn’t fix anything.
Yeo-won fetched some paper towels from the women’s restroom, crouched down beside the staff member, and began wiping the floor.
“I’m so sorry. Let me help. I’ll pay for all the broken dishes as well.”
“No, no! There are glass shards—it’s dangerous. I’ll take care of this. Is your companion badly hurt?”
“…I’ll have to check after he cools down. I’m really sorry.”
Despite the staff’s protests, Yeo-won eventually stood up and approached the woman, who was standing there like a criminal. The woman flinched in surprise.
“Are you all right?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you hurt anywhere? I’m sorry for standing near the stairs like that.”
“Ah, I’m fine… but my companion—I asked them to heat the milk more, so it must have been really hot. Hic.”
The woman’s last words were swallowed by a sob. She had spilled an extremely hot drink, and Jae-young had taken almost all of it. It was only natural to be worried. In truth, Yeo-won was worried too. A drink that hot could easily cause burns.
Still, she comforted the crying woman first. Sobbing loudly, the woman handed Yeo-won her business card and apologized repeatedly.
“We were standing in the way too, so there’s no need for you to apologize.”
“Hic, yes, yes. Still… I’m sorry.”
Yeo-won handed the woman the tissues from the table and let out a quiet sigh.
She just wanted to go home.