"Hyung, over here!"
Chae Yujeong pulled up in her car in front of the station near my house to pick me up.
Calling out to me in the brightest voice I'd ever heard from her, she brought the car to a stop right in front of me. Maybe because the destination was home today, she was dressed casually in a black T-shirt and jeans.
"Why are you so excited?"
As I asked while getting into the passenger seat, Chae Yujeong quickly started driving, as if she was afraid I might run off.
"Of course I'm excited. I thought you were going to refuse in the end. So I'd already given up."
"You even brought up your parents, and now you're saying you gave up?"
Despite my sharp reply, Chae Yujeong smiled brightly.
"It's not like I have a bad relationship or some major conflict with my parents. But my mom's not exactly the affectionate type, so we're not super close like some other families. And she did remarry."
"…You didn't have to share all that in such detail."
"I felt like I might've made you uncomfortable by bringing up my parents earlier."
That was a bit surprising. I had assumed she was a well-loved rich girl who grew up with everything.
Although, thinking she was a rich girl in the first place was just my own assumption.
'And it's not like I accepted the offer for that reason.'
I hadn't made my decision out of sympathy for her family situation. In fact, it was worse—I was using Chae Yujeong to clear up my own suspicions.
The car drove nonstop and reached the apartment complex after about 40 minutes. After parking in the underground garage, I got out of the car with her and asked as we got into the elevator,
"Didn't you say you live alone?"
"Yeah, I do."
I sensed something was off the moment we got on the elevator. And the instant Chae Yujeong opened the front door to her apartment, I realized—
This guy… really was a rich kid.
A spacious entryway and living room came into view. The place was big enough for a family of four, and at a glance, it looked like it had at least three bedrooms.
"You live here alone?"
"Yup."
When I asked again, Chae Yujeong nodded with an innocent expression. She didn't even seem to understand why I kept asking the same thing.
Suddenly, her earlier talk in the car about her parents took on a different meaning. So that's it… I had just heard the real-life version of one of those cold, detached rich family stories you only see in dramas…
"Hyung, why aren't you coming in?"
Lost in thought as I compared this to my own cramped apartment, I snapped back to reality when Chae Yujeong tugged on my wrist.
I let myself be pulled inside, slipped off my sneakers, and entered the living room. Yujeong hurried into the kitchen and came back with a glass of juice.
"Drink this!"
"Uh… okay."
She must've poured it earlier and left it in the fridge just for when I arrived. The way she acted almost reminded me of a puppy bringing a toy to its owner.
As I sipped the orange juice and casually looked around the place, I asked,
"So, where do I start organizing?"
"Huh? Oh, organizing?"
"Yeah. It looks clean at a glance, though."
There was nothing messy or dirty. It felt like the place had just been cleaned moments ago.
When I commented on how tidy it was, Chae Yujeong replied with an embarrassed look.
"I cleaned up a bit before you came."
"…You cleaned up beforehand? Then what did you call me over for?"
"You just need to help organize a few things. This is my room."
Taking the empty glass naturally from my hand, Chae Yujeong led me to the room closest to the living room. The room, with books and trophies on a shelf and a computer in the corner, was filled with a fresh scent.
"Did you spray perfume or air freshener or something?"
"Nope?"
And it still smells like this in a guy's room? That's just as surprising as the fact he lives alone in an apartment.
"You're free to check out the other rooms too. I'll just go wash this cup."
After confirming that Chae Yujeong had left the room, I walked over to the computer that was still on. The desktop was neat, with only a couple of folders, a browser icon, and a Hiore game shortcut.
Before Yujeong returned, I needed to check for any traces of Xenoris. I opened the file search and typed in the English name of the game.
Usually, even if a game is uninstalled, some leftover files remain, and hidden folder settings might be used, so using the search function was the most accurate approach.
'Nothing's coming up.'
I tried various related keywords, but no files showed up. As a last step, I opened the control panel to check the list of installed programs—other than Hiore, there were no other games installed.
'Looks like this is the only computer in the house.'
Since he knew I was coming, there's a chance he deleted everything in advance. But that's just speculation. The fact was, Xenoris wasn't installed on the computer.
"Hyung?"
"…!"
I was staring at the control panel, lost in thought, when I flinched at the sound of Chae Yujeong's voice from behind. I quickly closed the window and turned around to see him standing there with a puzzled look.
'Crap.'
To anyone, it'd look suspicious—and rude. I had instantly become the kind of creepy guy who sneaks into someone's home and secretly digs through their computer.
"Uh, sorry. This is…"
"What are you sorry for? Do you wanna play a game?"
"Huh?"
But Chae Yujeong came over to me with no sign of being offended.
"There's only Hiore installed, so if you want to play something else, we'll have to install it. But it should be pretty fast. Want me to do it?"
"…I came here to help you pack. What would you do while I play a game?"
"I'm happy just watching you play."
"..."
If I booted up Xenoris here, I could check if Yoo Chae was currently logged in. But…
"No thanks."
I just didn't want to go that far. Besides, I already had another plan in mind.
When I looked into Chae Yujeong's eyes—completely free of any unpleasant emotion—I couldn't help but feel guilty, like I'd done something truly wrong. I lightly tapped his shoulder and asked,
"Let's just sort your stuff. Where do I start?"
＊＊＊
The innermost room that Chae Yujeong led me to was the bedroom.
Clothes and personal items were scattered all over the bed, and empty boxes were placed below.
"These are clothes and stuff I'll be using when I move into the dorm. I'm just planning to fill up those two boxes."
"So I just need to pack these clothes? What about the rest?"
"That'll be plenty. The other clothes are in the room across the hall—that's my wardrobe room."
So… he has a dressing room too? Unreal.
"There's not much, so it'll be done quickly. Once we're finished, I'm heading out."
"Huh? Why? Let's eat together before you go! There are a lot of good places to eat around here."
"No."
Just as I casually answered Chae Yujeong's whining and started to walk into the bedroom, a large hand suddenly grabbed my arm.
"Ugh!"
At that exact moment, my foot landed on the lid of one of the boxes on the floor, and I slipped. My legs slid out from under me, and my body tilted backward.
"Hyung…!"
With Yujeong's shout, a loud thud echoed through the room. Still holding me, he had fallen together with me, now looking over me with a pale, panicked expression.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Ugh…"
A sharp pain throbbed from the area around my tailbone where I'd hit the floor hard.
Groaning, I slowly pushed myself up, and Yujeong anxiously held my waist with both hands.
"Does it hurt? Where… Ow!"
I smacked his forehead with a flick of my fingers. Whack! A satisfying snap sounded, followed by Yujeong's startled cry.
"You idiot, why are you always yanking people around like that? Be careful, will you?"
"S-sorry…"
"Good thing there was nothing around us. What if I hit my head on the corner of something?"
As I scolded him firmly so that he wouldn't do something like this again, Yujeong's eyes drooped into a pitiful frown.
"I'm really sorry…"
"My butt hurts like hell thanks to you."
"Y-you got hurt? Let me take a look."
"..."
Is this punk insane…?
I glared at him coldly, and only then did Yujeong seem to realize what he'd just said. His face turned bright red, and he frantically shook his head.
"N-no! I didn't mean I want to look at your butt!"
"Shut up."
"I'm serious! I was just worried! That's all!"
"Then let go of my waist so I can get up."
"…!"
Finally noticing that he was still holding onto my waist, Yujeong trembled as he let go. His face was now flushed red all the way down to his neck.
Seeing him like that made me feel a little sorry for him. Yeah, it was his fault, but… he did seem genuinely startled. Maybe I was too harsh? He might actually cry at this rate.
"Mistakes happen. I'm fine. Just be more careful next time."
"Y-yeah…"
As he stood up with me, Yujeong mumbled while covering half his face with his hand.
"I'm sorry. Please rest for a bit. I-I'll go to the bathroom and find some medicine."
"You don't need to—"
Before I could finish, he turned around and rushed out of the bedroom. I caught a glimpse of his eyes—they looked moist, like he might burst into tears any second.
Now what? Is he seriously going to cry in the bathroom? I clicked my tongue and scratched my head.
I had planned to help with the packing, look for evidence, and leave right after. But things were starting to spiral. Seriously, not a day goes by without something happening. I sighed deeply..
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