Episode 4
***
The first night, which she had spent wide awake, was rendered meaningless—Leandros, finally relaxed, fell asleep like a baby the moment his head hit the pillow. Yeorae only realized this on the second night.
9 a.m. on a sunny morning. Yeorae, drying her wet hair with a towel, sat at the kitchen table and opened her laptop.
She had to go to her part-time job in the afternoon, so she planned to finish her school assignments in the morning. It was a simple research task.
While diligently searching for materials, Yeorae suddenly lowered her laptop screen slightly with a meaningful expression.
The blond, handsome man sitting across from her widened his eyes and smiled.
“……”
From the moment she sat down, he had been like that.
“Do you have something you want to say to me?”
“I was just curious what you were doing.”
“A liberal arts class assignment. I’m learning about Western art. I’m not actually drawing, just learning the theory.”
Currently, she was studying the art history of the Renaissance period. It was a class she had taken out of necessity for credits, but once she started, it turned out to be quite interesting.
“Are you good at drawing?”
“No. I was taught because it’s considered basic etiquette for nobles, but compared to my peers, I seemed to lack talent, so I gave up early. And you?”
“Instead of art, I went to piano lessons. But I quit at Czerny. It’s been so long since I learned that I don’t even remember how to play anymore.”
“I also don’t remember how I used to hold a paintbrush.”
Leandros rested his chin on his hand and smiled gentlemanly.
Even after that, he continued sitting across from her like a puppy, waiting for her.
Judging by the amount of work, it didn’t look like she’d be done anytime soon… As his gaze gradually became burdensome, Yeorae got up and grabbed something from the corner of the room.
“W-What is this?”
“Hold still. I’ll show you—no, let you hear something amazing.”
Sunlight poured in through the window, hot and bright. Behind Yeorae, white dust danced like feathers.
She placed noise-canceling headphones over Leandros’s head.
When she played a song by a British band she liked on her phone, Leandros flinched and grabbed the headphones in surprise.
“W-What is this device? The sound… I-Is this magic?!”
“It’s just a machine that plays music.”
“Huh?”
Leandros furrowed his brows and stared at Yeorae’s lips. Yeorae softly smiled and wrapped her hands around his.
“You have to take these off. Like this.”
The headphones were removed from his head.
“It’s just a machine that plays music.”
His gaze, which had lingered on her lips, slowly traveled upward and met her eyes.
Leandros stared blankly for a while, then suddenly shook off her hand as if pricked by a thorn. He leaned forward on the table and whispered.
“This place really does seem like a magical world I’ve only read about in books. I can even see strange things like… wings.”
“I think the place you came from is closer to a magical world. The way you talk and that extravagant outfit. When I first saw you, really…”
Recalling that moment, Yeorae shook her head as she sat back down.
Leandros frowned.
“What’s wrong with the way I speak?”
“Even older people don’t talk like that here. And also, that ‘noonim’ you said last night was, uh, something else.”
The moment she uttered the word noonim, chills ran down her back.
Seriously, when she first heard that word yesterday…
But strangely, there was no reply.
Wondering what was wrong, Yeorae lowered her laptop screen slightly. Leandros had his lips tightly shut, staring at the edge of the table.
“It’s okay. You can call me whatever you want.”
Feeling a bit sorry, Yeorae added gently while typing on her keyboard.
Leandros remained silent, thinking deeply about something. Then, lowering his long eyelashes, he mumbled.
“Noona.”
…Oh, my god.
A feeling that couldn’t quite be named—yet was clearly intense and piercing—rose up like fire in her chest.
Yeorae covered her face with both hands. Her head was burning, and her ears were heating up fast.
Ugh, what’s wrong with me? Before her face turned any redder, she hurriedly stood up.
But on her way back after opening the window, she tripped over Leandros’s foot.
“Ah…!”
Fortunately, just before her face slammed into the table, Leandros caught her by the waist. Yeorae instinctively grabbed his head.
“A-Are you alright?”
But she was left speechless.
‘W-What is this?’
Yeorae furrowed her brows seriously and ran her fingers through Leandros’s blond hair.
Good heavens, such perfect hair… The silky blond strands, flowing without a single tangle, were like silk.
‘Meanwhile, my hair…’
This time, she touched her own hair.
Even drenched in treatment and essence, her severe curls were beyond help.
“…Is there something on my hair?”
“Whether it’s a movie or a drama, I don’t know where you came from, but one thing’s for sure. You must’ve been the male lead. One deeply beloved by the author.”
Otherwise, even your hair couldn’t be this perfect.
Yeorae gently patted the soft blond hair a little more before pulling away and heading in the opposite direction.
“W-Where are you suddenly going?”
“To show you a movie or something.”
She turned on the TV as she spoke.
“I can’t concentrate with a handsome guy like you staring at me.”
Yeorae turned on the OTT channel and gestured for him to pick something.
But only the sharp wind slipping between buildings could be heard—no answer came.
Yeorae turned to look back at Leandros belatedly.
“……”
His ears and face were bright red, as if about to explode.
***
Since entering college and starting to live alone, Yeorae had never taken a break from part-time jobs.
She even took a year off school just to earn money. It was all a grueling effort for independence.
By the time she finished her part-time job, the sky had already darkened.
When she opened the front door, a warm air wrapped around her face.
Surprised by how quiet the house was, Yeorae soon spotted a large figure on the bed and let out a breath of relief.
Sure enough, Leandros had fallen asleep right there, half-sitting on the bed.
His low, peaceful breathing. The city lights that came in through the slightly open window gently fell on his painting-like face.
“……”
Yeorae carefully sat beside him and brushed his long eyelashes with her fingertips. Then suddenly, a firm hand grabbed her wrist.
As Yeorae gasped, Leandros opened his eyes and quickly let go.
“Sorry. I fell asleep waiting for you.”
His low, resounding voice felt like part of the darkness.
Yeorae quietly lay down beside him. Her worn-out body felt like it was melting like ice cream.
They lay in silence for a while, as if watching the shadows flickering on the ceiling were stars in the night sky.
Then Leandros opened his mouth first.
“But is there a reason why you live alone like this? I was curious but didn’t ask before because I thought it might be rude.”
“Why? Are women living alone rare in your world?”
“In the city, not so much. But by twenty-four, most are married and living with their husbands. Many already have children.”
“It was like that here too, about fifty years ago.”
Yeorae laughed silently, then suddenly frowned.
“Don’t tell me you’re also…?”
“I—I’m not yet. Though, I was engaged once. It was more like a contract made after calculating family benefits, but it didn’t last long and we broke it off.”
“Why?”
“Because there were no deep feelings. I want to marry someone I truly love…”
Yeorae slightly turned her head, then was startled and quickly looked back at the ceiling. Leandros had turned to face her.
His breath brushed against the curve of her ear.
Yeorae suddenly felt the urge to hold his hand and clenched her fists.
“Do you… have someone you love? Or someone you used to love…?”
“No, not really. I liked a few boys back in school, but I’m not sure if that was love. Looking back, it might’ve just been that I wanted to be friends. Then after entering college, the thought of dating disappeared. There weren’t any decent guys around.”
“Really?”
His voice as he asked back was so soft, it sounded like an angel’s whisper.
Yeorae mustered up the courage to glance to the side.
Leandros was smiling at her, and though she didn’t know why, he looked genuinely happy.
“B-Back to the original question, the reason I live alone is first of all, my family home is too far from the university. I can’t spend six hours a day commuting.”
“Mm, that’s true.”
“And also, in my family…”
At that moment, a strong vibration from her phone in her pocket interrupted the conversation.
“Hold on a sec.”
As Yeorae got up, Leandros let out a small sigh for some reason.
‘…What was that?’
Yeorae frowned at the unfamiliar number on the screen. Though it wasn’t saved, she had a feeling she knew who it was.
She hurriedly opened the window and looked down at the street. Then, upon spotting a passerby, she trembled.
‘Why is she here?’
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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