Chapter 3
“Let go.”
Even though he wore a mask, making it impossible to see his face, the sharp glint in the man’s eyes was unmistakable.
“You crazy bastard. Hey, mind your own business!”
Since there was no sign of him releasing her wrist, the man finally strolled leisurely across the street.
As the man, casting a long triangular shadow, strode forward with large, confident steps, Minho felt himself freeze inside.
He was much taller than Minho, with broad, solid shoulders that radiated pressure.
Even though Minho was scared, he couldn’t quite bring himself to let go of Seol-ah’s wrist.
The man stopped in front of them and wordlessly lifted his chin toward Seol-ah.
Understanding the signal—stand behind me—she pulled her wrist free. Minho reluctantly released her and glared at her as she walked over to the man’s side.
With both hands shoved into his pants pockets, the man stepped in close, forcing Minho to retreat a little.
“Wh–what the hell are you butting in for? Who are you?”
“What do I look like to you?”
The man bent slightly, locking eyes with Minho, and asked in a low, steady voice.
The icy, biting cold in his gaze, barely visible beneath the brim of his cap, made Minho avert his eyes.
Straightening his back, the man raised one arm slightly—still with his hands in his pockets.
Seol-ah, catching on again, carefully hooked her hand around the crook of his elbow, lightly linking arms.
“Ha! What the hell is this? If you had a guy, then why did you lead me on?”
“That’s… um…”
Seol-ah darted her eyes between the fuming Minho and this mysterious man who had suddenly appeared.
“I never heard she had a boyfriend. Are you really her boyfriend?… Or not? I mean, she messaged me first with some weird—”
Rustle.
The man pulled out a gummy worm candy from his pocket, chewing carelessly before turning to Seol-ah.
“You know this guy?”
Seol-ah hesitated, then nodded.
“You like him?”
“No!”
“Thinking about it?”
“No way! Absolutely not!”
Her answer was loud and clear, leaving no room for doubt.
The man casually draped his arm over Seol-ah’s shoulders and turned away as if to say, Then there’s no problem.
Minho, still seething, glared at them suspiciously. Something didn’t add up. The Seol-ah he knew would never have messaged him if she already had a guy.
“Hey, what’s going on between you two? Did you do something? Are you like that? Hey! What did you do?”
The man suddenly stopped, his footsteps turning back toward Minho, slow and deliberate.
“What did we do?”
Before Minho could move, the man leaned in and whispered directly into his ear.
“We slept together.”
Pulling back, he gave a small, mocking laugh at Minho’s trembling face. Then he shoved the half-finished bag of gummies into Minho’s shirt pocket.
“You’re shaking. Low blood sugar, maybe. Eat up.”
He gave Minho’s chest a couple of taps as if encouraging him to keep his strength up, then turned back to sling his arm around Seol-ah again.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Huh? Oh… okay.”
Seol-ah glanced once at Minho’s flushed, furious face before letting the man guide her home.
Behind them, Minho’s curses and the heavy stomps of his shoes grew more and more distant.
The relief of escaping danger made Seol-ah exhale a shaky breath—only for her alcohol-soaked blood to suddenly spin her head.
“Ah!”
She nearly tripped over the doorstep, but the man caught her by the waist and lifted her lightly over the threshold.
“Th-thank you so, so much—both earlier and just now—!”
Still wobbly, Seol-ah bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, bracing herself with her toes so she wouldn’t stumble again.
Straightening like a gymnast dismounting from the balance beam, she puffed out her shoulders. But inside, her balance was destroyed, her heart heavy with lingering fear.
If not for this man’s help, tonight could have ended in something far worse.
Bobbing her head again, she spoke earnestly.
“Really, I’m so, so grateful. You’re brave, righteous, and even an incredible actor. I don’t know how I could possibly repay you—”
But before she could finish, the man turned indifferently away.
“Wait.”
As he looked back, Seol-ah rummaged frantically through her bag.
“I can’t just ignore the favor I owe you. I have to give you something…”
“That’s not nec—”
She thrust a can of almonds at him.
“I don’t eat nuts.”
“Ah… but this is a secret… Almonds aren’t actually nuts. They’re stone fruits, like peaches and plums.”
When he gave her a So what? expression, she bit her lip in embarrassment, then dove back into her bag.
Out came: a rice ball, a mammoth-sized bread roll, a cup of instant noodles, pear juice, a hair dryer, a sewing kit, a portable first-aid kit…
Each time she pulled something out, his brows knit tighter, as if silently saying Not interested.
“Maybe this? It’s for sealing leftover bread bags… No? Right, of course not… Then at least let me give you a blessing. May your salary hit a hundred million won, and may you win the housing lottery!”
Her cheeks flushed like stone fruits as she forced a bright smile.
After all, this might be the last kind gesture she would ever receive in this life.
“I’ll never forget your kindness, even if I only have a few hours left. Truly, I won’t. Well then…”
Seol-ah quietly stepped back out of the gate.
“Isn’t this your house?”
“Yes, but I don’t feel like going in yet. I’ll just sit out here for a while.”
She crouched on the curb beside her half-finished soju bottle, gnawing anxiously at her nails.
The man shook his head.
“You really shouldn’t be out here at this hour. I’ve seen you do this before…”
“How do you know? Wait—how do you even know I live here?”
Instead of answering, he pointed to the officetel building across the street.
“One of those units is mine. I can’t help but see.”
During his late-night jogs, he had often spotted her sitting pitifully on the roadside, hugging her knees and wiping away tears.
“You don’t think it’s dangerous for a woman to sit here alone, drinking and crying? Go inside. I don’t want to hear about a body being found in the morning news.”
His stern tone made her obediently leave the bottle behind and rise reluctantly.
“Yes… I’m sorry. I won’t cry out here again…”
She even bowed politely as the gate closed.
But staring at her house under the eerie moonlight, dread filled her eyes once again.
Leaning against the gate, she broke into tears.
Why can’t I just have one man? Just one… Mom, Dad… What do I do?
“What do you mean, what do you do! Think!”
A sudden voice made her jump, looking wildly around. There was no one—maybe a hallucination, maybe not. But the sharp words snapped her back to her senses.
If her parents had still been alive, they would have told her never to give up. To use her head, the one they’d spent so much money educating. Not to waste her life and meet them early in the afterlife.
Yes. Think. There’s still time. I just need an XY chromosome. A husband. A man…!
With a determined face, Seol-ah tapped frantically at her phone.
“A matching app… dating app… Why does it keep crashing? I did the age verification already! Please, just log in! Ugh, not again… damn it… hic…”
Her trembling fingers suddenly froze.
Then, as if struck with a new idea, she rushed back out the gate and scanned the street.
“You looking for this?”
The soju bottle dangled before her eyes.
“Found it!”
It was the same man from before. Seol-ah lit up, hurrying toward him.
“I told you not to drink outside—”
But she shook her head furiously.
“Sorry, but could I borrow your phone? It’s urgent—mine isn’t working right. I just need to download one app.”
He spun his phone in his hand like a basketball, staring down at her with that same authoritative glare.
“Explain.”
Seol-ah’s tear-soaked eyes pleaded with him, shining faintly under the starlight. She let out a weary breath.
“Haa… Want me to tell you another secret?”
“This time what, you’re not even primate?”
“There’s a ghost… in my house.”
Suddenly straightening, she wiped her tears and spoke firmly.
“Yeah. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone, so I’ve just been suffering alone. But since it’s all ending anyway, might as well say it out loud before I die. What do you want to know?”
“…Know? Me? I don’t want to know anything about—”
He looked at her like she was insane, but she went on undeterred.
“You said you needed an explanation, right? Well, I don’t follow any religion. I even eat seaweed soup on exam days. I’ve never believed in superstitions or had silly jinxes. But… they say a ghost is attached to me. A bachelor ghost.”
“…You’re really drunk.”
“They say the only way to get rid of him is to have a husband. But what do I do? I don’t have a man. Nobody likes me. I don’t have a single man I can ask to stay with me. Brave, righteous, an excellent actor… That kind of man doesn’t exist for me. Hehe… sob…”
Dropping her head as if to smash it into the ground, she cried bitterly—then suddenly snapped her head up.
“What time is it?”
Suppressing his irritation, he checked his phone.
“Ten to eleven.”
In her radar, a light blinked wildly.
Brave… righteous… excellent acting skills… a man!
“It’s late, so you should go hom—”
“Excuse me, but… would you sleep with me?”
