Don't Do Dangerous Things Alone
It was the hour when the faint light of dawn had only just begun to break beyond the window.
Sihyun forced his body upright in a state little different from having spent the entire night wide awake. Not only had he returned home far later than expected, but the horrific scenes kept replaying in his mind, preventing him from even snatching a proper doze.
“Haa……”
Between the lack of sleep and the crushing fatigue from the violent exertion the night before, Sihyun could not help but scowl. He wanted nothing more than to collapse straight back into bed, yet after the events of yesterday he could not afford to rest from guarding Yuri.
So when he stepped out of the house his feet dragged heavier than usual, though his eyes had grown harder than before. Even in the bright morning after the darkness lifted, enemies whose identities he still did not know might strike at any time, from any direction.
When he reached the front of the officetel, Sihyun halted at an unexpected sight. There was no need to enter the lobby; Yuri was already standing outside the building waiting for him. It was far earlier than usual—what could be going on? And somehow her condition looked anything but ordinary.
Why is she like that…?
Yuri’s expression was always cold, yet today it seemed colder still. No—beyond cold and icy, a frost-like chill clung to her blue eyes. Arms folded, she stared as if she meant to pierce straight through Sihyun alone.
I have a feeling I’m fucked……
An ominous premonition that something had gone seriously wrong wrapped around his entire body. Even so, fleeing was not an option. Sihyun put on his most casual face and offered his usual greeting, not forgetting to lace a touch of provocation into the tone.
“What wind blew you out so early today, Employer?”
But—
“……”
Yuri simply continued to regard him with those same frigid eyes.
“……Employer?”
He called her again, carefully. Could it be that time of the month? Her already fierce features looked even more savage.
“Uh, um, Employer……?”
When he tried once more in a trembling voice, she finally spoke, her tone low and coldly settled.
“Hey.”
“Yes, yep.”
An inexplicable pressure made Sihyun answer tensely without thinking.
“You didn’t visit Mother yesterday.”
No question mark. It was not a question. Yuri was certain he had not gone to see Seojin the previous evening.
“Uh… um… that is……”
He could only hesitate in fluster. Her eyes sharpened further.
“Hey.”
“…Yes. I didn’t go..”
In the end Sihyun hung his head and admitted it. She must have contacted Seojin separately.
“Then where did you go yesterday?”
“Obviously……”
“What the hell were you doing all night!”
“No, what do you mean? I was just a little tired so I went straight home……”
“Shut up.”
He tried to make an excuse, but she cut him off without mercy.
“Which bitch did you play around with!”
Her face twisted hideously, jealousy, betrayal, and some unreadable rage all tangled together. Faced with that expression Sihyun felt terror and absurdity at the same time.
“What the hell kind of bullshit is that!?”
He could not understand why she was suddenly hunting for another woman out of nowhere. Yuri seized his collar and shouted.
“Bullshit my ass! Are you going to talk straight or not? Is it Min Seonye? Or could it be… that crazy bitch Kang Yoona!?”
“Hey, don’t say such scary things! What do you take me for!”
Sihyun flared up in pure injustice and raised his voice. Seonye was one thing, but hearing Yoona’s name made genuine goosebumps rise.
“What do I take you for! Then why are you lying to me? You’ve been weird since yesterday afternoon! Did you think I wouldn’t notice!?”
Her voice climbed higher and higher; her face burned scarlet with fury.
“No, I didn’t particularly lie……”
He tried to protest, but it was useless.
“Shut up! I can tell just by looking at your face! Looks like you didn’t sleep a wink, huh!? How much did you roll around all night with some bitch!?”
“Hey, why is this person acting like this!?”
“What ‘this person’! You bastard!”
“Aaaagh—!”
Yuri grabbed his collar and shook him violently. In that moment her gaze locked onto the faint stain still clinging to the edge of his suit sleeve.
“……!”
Her expression froze cold. She roughly seized his arm and yanked the sleeve toward her.
“Hey, what’s this…?”
A dark, dull, blackish-red blotch. Anyone could see it was blood.
“Uh, um… what could this be? Ahaha……”
Flustered, Sihyun tried to brush it off, but Yuri was not about to let it pass. Sharp eyes raked over his whole body.
“What the hell were you wandering around doing last night!?”
“It’s nothing. Really this is just……”
“You—don’t tell me you got hurt again?”
Anger and anxiety both thickened her voice. She seemed to be remembering the time Dongcheol had put a bullet through his shoulder.
“No, first listen to me a bit… Aagh!”
He tried somehow to explain, but she had no intention of listening.
“Shut up. We’re not going to work today. Follow me right now.”
Yuri simply dragged him by the arm toward her officetel.
Is this woman actually crazy!?
He tried to resist, yet he could not match Yuri when she put her full strength into it. Why was a woman this strong? Bodyguarding her might not even be necessary.
In the end he had no choice but to be hauled inside by her hand.
“Take it off.”
Those were the first words out of Yuri’s mouth the instant the front door closed.
“Yes……?”
Sihyun momentarily doubted his ears. He had not misheard.
“I said take it off!!”
She shouted irritably and lunged to strip off his suit jacket.
No, is this woman really nuts!? What is she doing in broad daylight!
He recoiled in shock and stepped back.
“Do you think I’m Min Seonye or Kang Yoona!?”
Yuri roared. Her huffing face was still red, yet beneath the anger another emotion flickered—worry, or anxiety.
“I’m checking whether you have any wounds! What was that bloodstain from last night! Be honest!”
“No, I didn’t get hurt at all, okay!? This is from yesterday, other……”
“Don’t lie! Looking closely now, even your hair length is weird!”
She caught the tip of his hair as she spoke.
“No, what’s wrong with my hair length!? Do I not even know my own hair length!?”
“This tip! It’s about two millimeters shorter! Like it was cut by something like a knife! Can’t you tell just by looking!?”
“How the hell can you tell just by looking!?”
Sihyun cried out in pure shock. His hair had been lightly grazed by a blade during the fight yesterday. Yet how had she noticed something even he himself had barely registered?
This is seriously creepy……!
He wanted to bolt out of the officetel that very second, but Yuri stood firmly blocking the door.
“Aaaagh—! This is clear sexual harassment—!”
Even at his shout she paid no mind.
“Go ahead and report it—!”
In the end their scuffle exploded into a fierce physical struggle across the living room.
Crash—!
Thud—! Thwack—!
No matter how hard Sihyun flailed, he was no match for Yuri when she charged in earnest. A short while later he lay sprawled on the sofa, upper clothes half stripped, hair a complete mess, gasping for breath. Fortunately no new wounds showed on his smooth torso.
“Huff…! Huff…! This is enough, right! Right!? No injuries! You confirmed it clearly with your eyes, right!?”
He shouted in a voice thick with shame and anger, face burning red. But—
Yuri still had not dropped her suspicious gaze. She carefully scanned his body again.
“I still need a more detailed check……”
“Ah seriously! Stop it already!”
When her hand reached for his pants he bellowed. Only then did she reluctantly clear her throat and look away.
“Ahem ahem.. Fine.. I’ll believe you for now.”
Why did she suddenly look so strangely dejected? Her successive abrupt actions left Sihyun’s head spinning.
“But really… aren’t you going to tell me what happened yesterday?”
Anxiety and worry still filled her face.
“That’s……”
He hesitated. Not only was it hard to know where to begin, but saying the wrong thing would only load her with greater worry. As if that thought had been read, Yuri made a frustrated expression and called him.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t try to do dangerous things alone without saying a word……”
Her voice was full of sincere concern for him. Sihyun answered bluntly.
“That’s.. the same for you, Employer.”
Like smashing Lee Suhyeon’s father’s company without a word of explanation. Or investigating on her own lately without properly telling him anything. Willfulness was not his monopoly.
At his attitude—
“…Haa—! Fine. I lost, I lost.”
Yuri sighed as though she would ask nothing more.
“Anyway, we’re not going to work today.”
“What?”
“I’m not going to do anything weird! Don’t make that face!”
She snapped at his wary eyes.
“Just go into my room and sleep on the bed! Your face looks like you haven’t slept a wink!”
“No, I’m fine… haaam……”
The moment he tried to claim he was not tired, a huge yawn escaped on its own. Whether from the all-night tension or from the scuffle of her forced inspection, exhaustion crashed over him all at once.
“Yeah right, fine! Get in! Shoo!”
“Ack!”
Yuri shoved him hard in the back and forced him into her room. Then the door slammed shut, followed by the unmistakable sound of the lock turning from outside.
“Ah, seriously… this is driving me crazy….”
Trapped inside, Sihyun grumbled in disbelief. Then his gaze fell on the wide, soft-looking bed and irresistible drowsiness rolled in. A faint, pleasant scent seemed to rise from the sheets……
Sihyun collapsed onto the mattress and sank straight into deep sleep.