CPT 4

Episode 4

“First of all, I just wanted to thank you for helping me out at dinner.”

“……”

“Second, there’s a little misunderstanding I want to clear up.”

Yuha stopped walking and turned slightly, gripping the railing to steady herself from the dizziness of the alcohol.

Geoffrey Hester was looking up at her with a strangely calm expression. Yuha’s lips curved — somewhere between a smirk and a polite smile.

“It’s not like I want to get involved with you either. So let’s just agree to stay out of each other’s way as much as possible.”

Just as you told me to disappear from your sight, I’d appreciate it if you disappeared from mine.

He didn’t answer immediately — though he surely understood her meaning.

She had expected him to agree enthusiastically, but his reaction was oddly muted. Not that she cared much.

As she turned to keep climbing the stairs, a short question pinned her in place.

“Why?”

Yuha scratched her head. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she wasn’t quite sure what that “why” was referring to.

Geoffrey clarified:

“Why don’t you want to get involved with me?”

“Well, that’s just how it is. Isn’t that what you want too?”

“I want it so badly it’s suspicious. If this is one of those ‘You’re the first girl who’s ever hit me’ tactics, it’s not going to work on me.”

Wow. For a moment, Yuha was genuinely impressed — though she bit her tongue before blurting out, “You’re seriously something else, huh?”

Instead, she straightened her posture, and just then, the motion-sensor light went out.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

She waved a hand toward the ceiling, bringing the light back on, and faced the troublesome boy head-on.

And perhaps because of that brief flicker of darkness, she noticed details she hadn’t before — the light training clothes he wore, and the thin white wire dangling from his ear to his pocket. So he preferred wired earphones, not wireless ones.

She had to admit it.

Geoffrey Hester was stunning.

The kind of beauty so precise, so finely sculpted, that even arrogance felt justified. Every line, every curve of muscle, every proportion perfect. He wasn’t just handsome — he was beautiful, in a way that no one could deny.

Even Yuha couldn’t.

Her artistic sense was still intact — even after several drinks.

So she pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to focus on anything but what her eyes saw. The lingering taste of ginger ale, the crisp scent of English autumn, the slight sting of the cold air on her cheeks.

Yes, focus on that. Not him.

When she lowered her hand, Geoffrey was still staring, silent, pressing her with his gaze.

“Isn’t the reason simple?”

His gray eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re just… annoying.”

“……”

“What, was that too harsh? Yours was worse, so let’s call it even.”

He didn’t flinch.

Her honest answer seemed to land, and she took it as her cue to end the conversation. Without a backward glance, she resumed climbing the stairs.

By the time she reached the landing between the second and third floors, Geoffrey still hadn’t moved — or at least, she didn’t bother to check.

No need.

Only when she reached the third floor did she hear the faint shuffle of footsteps below, then the quiet sound of a door opening and closing.

So he’d gone into his room too.

Relieved that he hadn’t been frozen in shock by her words, Yuha exhaled lightly and reached for her electronic key.

And that’s when it hit her.

Each floor only had two rooms.

The second floor had Room 201 and 202 — and she remembered the theology student from 201.

Which meant Geoffrey Hester… lived in Room 202.

Yuha glanced down, as if she could see him through the carpet and concrete.

“Oh, great…”

So that guy lived right beneath her.

She couldn’t help but wonder — if she made too much noise, would the temperamental golden-haired narcissist storm upstairs to complain, or would he coldly ignore it?

Not that she was planning to test it.

When she came out of the shower, it was already past midnight.

After carefully applying lotion and cream to her face, Yuha checked the time in Korea and video-called her mother, who picked up right away.

“Hi, sweetheart!”

“Mom, how are you? How’s your head?”

“Better now. Took some Tylenol, so I’m fine.”

Yuha studied her mother’s face carefully through the screen. No sign of weight loss — a good sign.

“And grandma?”

“She hasn’t come by.”

Her mother’s mouth didn’t twist — a telltale sign she wasn’t lying.

After her father’s accident, the relationship with her paternal family had become toxic.

They had refused life support for her brain-dead father, then seized his inheritance and insurance payout for themselves.

“If I’d known your fortunes, I’d have stopped that marriage no matter what!”

“You’re cursed! You devoured my son’s life, you wicked woman!”

Her grandmother used to try to grab her mother by the hair every visit — until one holiday, Yuha snapped.

She’d smashed every dish in the kitchen that day. It had worked.

Her relatives had quieted down after that.

“So, how’s school? Are you settling in? The people are nice? Nothing’s wrong, right?”

Her mother’s worried voice filled the phone.

Yuha hesitated for a beat. No need to make her worry. She’d already handled everything — the drunk student, that guy… all resolved neatly enough.

“Of course everything’s fine. It’s only been a few days.”

“Right. You said you were meeting your seniors today, right? How are they?”

“They’re… nice. Really nice. Don’t worry, Mom. You know me — I’m not the type to just sit there and take it.”

“That’s exactly what worries me.”

“Mom!”

“Kidding, kidding.”

“How about you, Mom? How’s life? Any new boyfriends?”

“That’s something I should be asking you.”

“Because you’re still gorgeous, Mom.”

“Flattery doesn’t work without lip balm, you know.”

Yuha stuck out her tongue playfully, making her mom laugh. But even through the laughter, Yuha could sense the shadow of loss behind her mother’s smile — and it hurt.

“Mom.”

“What?”

“Live a long time, okay? I need to repay you someday.”

“Got it. I’ll expect it.”

Yuha poked her cheeks with her fingers — a little “cute act” — and her mother burst out laughing again.

They chatted about little daily things until almost 1:30 a.m., when Yuha finally ended the call and crawled into bed.

She tucked the blanket under her chin, ready to drift off — when suddenly, realization hit her like a hammer.

“Oh crap.”

She groaned in Korean.

Rubbing her forehead hard didn’t erase the mistake from her mind. It was simple, yet fatal.

“You’re just… annoying.”

That was what she’d told him.

She hadn’t meant it to sound that harsh.

…Honestly, it hadn’t been her intention to be that mean.