YPT 09

Chapter 9

“So, what do you think about our Yeon-ha junior?”

“Our?”

Since when had she become our Yeon-ha?

Jian’s brows furrowed faintly at Jang-hoon’s overly familiar tone. But Jang-hoon didn’t notice—he just kept talking, his grin as easy as ever.

“She’s cute, right? Bright, lively. Her face is pretty enough, she’s sharp, good at talking. Wouldn’t she be fun to date?”

“If you like her that much, why don’t you date her?”

The irritation in Jian’s voice made Jang-hoon chuckle in disbelief.

“Please. As if she’d even look my way. She’s the kind of girl who’s got eyes only for you, Mr. Perfect.”

“So what, you feel sorry for her now?”

That question made Jang-hoon blink.

“Sorry? No! I just feel bad for our Yeon-ha junior, that’s all. She’s hopelessly loyal to you, and you’re acting like a brick wall.”

Of course, the one Jang-hoon really had his eye on was Yeon-ha’s friend, Sena.
If Jian and Yeon-ha ever got together, he’d naturally have more chances to meet Sena, and things might progress from there.
So, yes — he was cheering for Yeon-ha from the sidelines.

But then—

“Who do you think you are?”

“…What?”

“Who the hell are you to feel sorry for Park Yeon-ha? Who is she to you, that you talk like that?”

Jian’s sudden outburst hit like a slap. Jang-hoon stared, speechless.
The guy who never reacted to anything about Yeon-ha had suddenly snapped — out of nowhere.

“Hey, I was just—”

“Forget it.”

Who are you to call her “our Yeon-ha”?
Who are you to call her cute, or pretty, or anything at all?

The words burned in Jian’s throat but never left his lips.
He simply grabbed his books and walked out of the lecture hall, jaw tight.

If he stayed a second longer, he was bound to say something he’d regret.

Not even knowing why he was so angry, Jian walked until he reached the benches outside the Humanities building and dropped onto one, staring up at the sky.

“…Haa.”

He’d snapped at the wrong person, and guilt crept in—but the frustration only grew worse.
All this because of one girl.

What the hell am I doing?

He raked a hand through his hair, temples throbbing.

That’s it. I’m not letting her in my house again. This is getting ridiculous.

He pressed a thumb hard against his temple, exhaling long and deep before dragging himself back to class.

He wasn’t about to skip a lecture because of one infuriating girl — though being late was now inevitable.

A few days later.

When Jian came home that evening, he found a package sitting neatly at his doorstep.
He frowned, picking it up.

He couldn’t recall ordering anything lately. But the address and name were his — every detail correct except for the last four digits of the phone number, which were obscured.

Curious and suspicious, Jian brought it inside and opened the box.

“Oh, for— you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Inside were unmistakably women’s body and hair products.

He didn’t recognize the brand, but the faint scent rising from the box told him everything he needed to know.

A soft floral-powder fragrance — the exact same scent that clung to Yeon-ha wherever she went.

Grinding his teeth, Jian snatched up his phone and searched his contacts until he found Jang-hoon’s name.

The call connected after a few rings.

“Hey—”

“Send me Park Yeon-ha’s number. Now.”

He hung up before Jang-hoon could respond.
Barely a minute later, a message arrived with the number.

Jian memorized it instantly and punched it in. The line rang once before a bright, familiar voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Park Yeon-ha.”

“Oh! Jian senior? Hi!”

Her voice immediately lifted — bright and cheerful.
His, on the other hand, was laced with irritation.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“A little, always. Why?”

Her easy acceptance left him speechless for a beat.
He rubbed his face with one hand, remembering — logic never worked on her.

“This shampoo and body wash — what the hell is this?”

“Ah, so it arrived! It’s mine. Just leave it there.”

“Why the hell did it get delivered to my house, then?”

She sounded completely unbothered, while Jian’s tone grew sharper by the second.

Later that evening, Yeon-ha was walking toward her last tutoring job of the day when she finally realized why he’d called.

The mixture of disbelief and annoyance in his voice had been almost funny — but she glanced at her watch and halted mid-step.

8 p.m.
The lesson would end around eleven.

She could still catch the last bus — but she had a morning café shift at seven.

If I play this right, I might have a reason to stay over again.

The thought alone brightened her voice.

“I’ll explain everything when I get home, okay? I’ll be there around 11:20!”

A deep sigh came from the other end.

“You’re seriously out of your mind.”

“I’ve always been crazy for you, senior. Anyway, I’m starting work now, bye!”

“Wait, what— hey!”

“Oh, I’m saving this number, by the way!”

Before he could say another word, she hung up and quickened her steps, a satisfied smile tugging at her lips.

Hearing his voice — even angry — had somehow made her entire day better.

By 11 p.m., Jian had practically torn his hair out.

He shoved the delivery box aside and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

I said I wouldn’t let her in again, and yet here she comes — saying she’s crazy about me like it’s nothing.

What the hell was he supposed to do with a girl like that?

At exactly 11:20, the doorbell rang.

On the screen, Yeon-ha stood smiling, head tilted slightly. Jian hesitated — considered not opening it — then finally buzzed her in.

She peeked in through the cracked door and grinned when she saw his icy face.

“You’re mad, huh?”

Without answering, Jian turned and walked inside. Yeon-ha followed right behind him like a puppy, chattering as she went.

“No, seriously, I only hung up earlier because my tutoring session was starting. I couldn’t explain properly on the phone — it’s a bit of a long story.”

Still no answer.
He sat down on the wide sofa, legs crossed, and she plopped down beside him, placing her bag on the floor.

“Remember that day I called you? The one where Joo-yeon senior was saying she ‘had ownership’ over you?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Well, that day she told me I smelled like you — same shampoo, same body wash. She suspected something.”

“Suspected?”

His brow twitched.
Suspected what, exactly? That they were dating? Sleeping together?

Sleeping together.

The words alone made Jian run a hand down his face, and Yeon-ha panicked, rushing to clarify.

“No, no! Not like that! She thought I was stalking you or something — buying all the same stuff just to copy you! So I got nervous, that’s all.”

Then, smiling guilelessly, she added,

“So I bought my own set to leave here. That way, I can just use it when I stay over.”

The sheer boldness of her tone made Jian let out a hollow laugh.
Sometimes she made him realize that when you’re too stunned, all you can do is laugh.

Thinking maybe she’d lightened his mood, Yeon-ha tilted her head and asked cautiously,

“By the way… how’d you even get my number?”

“Jang-hoon.”

“Ahh… so our Jang-hoon senior gave it away again, huh.”

She puffed her cheeks.

“I’ll have to scold him tomorrow. Not for giving it to you, of course — that was a great decision — but he can’t just give my number out to anyone!”

Her chirpy tone did nothing to help. Jian’s face darkened again.

That damn word again.

Our Jang-hoon.

Why did that sound so irritating coming from her mouth?

“Park Yeon-ha.”

She froze at the low tone of his voice and turned to look at him. He looked… genuinely annoyed.
Her shoulders instinctively tensed.

“Y-yes?”

“Who do you think you are, calling him our Jang-hoon? Since when are you two so close? What even are you?”

Yeon-ha blinked.

And then, misunderstanding completely, thought to herself:

Oh. He’s mad that I acted close with his friend!

She bowed her head quickly, apologizing in a rush.

“Oh… sorry! I won’t act like we’re close anymore. We’re really not, anyway, so you can relax.”

Now it was Jian’s turn to stare speechlessly.

“Relax? What are you even— forget it. Never mind.”

I should just stop talking.

Every time he talked to her, he ended up tangled in circles.

Deciding it wasn’t worth continuing, Jian stood and started toward his room.

But before he could close the door, Yeon-ha cheerfully darted toward the delivery box, opening it wide.

She started taking out the products with obvious excitement.

To her, the fact that he hadn’t told her not to come again meant everything was fine.

Good. He didn’t say not to come. That means I can still stay.

And with that, she smiled to herself — utterly unaware of how much chaos she’d just stirred.