Chapter – 23
It was another dream with Do I-hyeon in it. He hadn’t appeared in my dreams much lately, so why now?
In that place, he held me. His heart was beating fast, and the warmth of his body wrapped around me.
Little by little, heat seeped into my body that had felt like ice. The warmth was far gentler than I expected, so much so that I felt tears threatening to fall.
To be honest, I was terrified. It felt like this might be the end.
If it really ended like this, then the last image we would have of each other would be of us angry—
faces twisted in irritation.
I didn’t know why, but I hated the thought of that.
When I opened my eyes, instead of a dark, damp-colored ceiling, I saw a clean white one.
“Minha, can you hear me?”
Right beside me was Kim Geon, his eyes glistening with moisture. Thank goodness. I guess I wasn’t dead.
“…What happened?”
“I barely found you collapsed. If I’d been any later, it would’ve been serious.”
“Was it you who helped me?”
“That’s not what matters. How do you feel right now? Is it hard to talk?”
“…Thank you. I keep relying on you these days.”
“Do you know how scared I was?”
A bitter taste spread in my mouth. It felt like something had burst inside—blood, maybe.
The clock across from me showed that evening had already deepened.
With Kim Geon supporting me, I returned home after being discharged. The house was still filled with silence.
“By any chance… does Do I-hyeon know I was hurt?”
“Probably?”
For a fleeting moment, when I first opened my eyes in the hospital, I had thought of Do I-hyeon. The warmth I’d felt—whether it had been a dream or a hallucination—still seemed to linger on my body.
“Minha, focus on your health first. Don’t worry about Seongjin Capital or I-hyeon. I’ll take care of it.”
“…When I need help, you’re the only one who’s there for me. Thank you.”
“What are friends for?”
It was true that Kim Geon’s contradictory sides had been weighing on my mind. I didn’t think he was someone I could completely let my guard down around.
But I couldn’t deny that he had helped me the most when I needed it.
If he hadn’t found me in time, what would have happened to me?
My body felt strange—different from usual—and my eyes kept drooping shut.
I don’t know how much time passed. When even the flow of time stopped mattering, I woke again to the rough dryness in my throat.
Judging by the daylight, it must have been morning. My body still felt heavy, with no sign of recovery.
When I went down to the kitchen to get some water, I noticed a shopping bag from a porridge brand on the table.
Inside was porridge that hadn’t completely cooled yet.
Had Do I-hyeon stopped by?
I checked my phone. There was one message.
—Make sure you eat breakfast when you wake up. Don’t overdo it.
It was from Kim Geon.
He was like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit, but unnecessarily kind.
Because of the shopping bag he had left behind, I was able to smile a little—
despite my despairing universe.
“Oh… Ms. Yoo Minha, you’re here? Ahem.”
The next day, I returned to work with a body that had somewhat recovered.
Lying around would only waste precious time. I’d rather use it productively and end this drama I was living through as soon as possible.
Compared to just two days ago, many things had changed.
First, the security guard named Man who used to stand at Do I-hyeon’s main gate had been replaced.
Second, Seongjin Capital no longer blocked me from coming to work.
And—
“…Um, how are you feeling? You could’ve rested more.”
The team leader’s attitude had strangely changed.
The man who had treated me like I didn’t exist now seemed uneasy around me. It went beyond guilt—there was something extremely unnatural in the air.
“Uh… about sending you to that storage room, I’m sorry. I sometimes forget that it’s not in use.”
It was Assistant Manager Kim, his voice awkward. Right. I’d figured it wasn’t an ordinary storage room.
“Assistant Manager Kim, where’s your head these days? Honestly…”
“It’s fine. You really don’t have to worry so much.”
The stiff atmosphere was more uncomfortable than it needed to be. No matter how sorry they felt, was it enough to make people change this much?
Just then, the team leader, who had been watching me closely, drew everyone’s attention.
“Let me formally reintroduce her. This is Assistant Manager Yoo Minha. She used to work at Oseong Law Firm, so take good care of her. You all know what I mean, right?”
A few weak claps followed.
As I awkwardly smiled and tried to head to my desk, the team leader’s stiff voice stopped me.
“Where are you going?”
“Huh? To my seat…”
“Not there. Come over here. Your seat wasn’t organized yet before—that’s why. You’re not holding a grudge, are you?”
It was a spot with plenty of sunlight, a neat desk and chair.
It was the kind of attitude change you’d see from someone who’d been caught by the collar.
Because of the strange office atmosphere, I didn’t even get a chance to go down to Basement Level 1 again.
They even pushed me out early, exaggerating how I should go home and rest since I wasn’t feeling well.
Honestly, it might have been easier if they’d treated me like a ghost, like on my first day.
Honk—
At the sudden sound of a horn, I turned and saw a familiar black car.
The driver’s window rolled down, revealing Seong Han-gyu’s always intimidating face.
“Ms. Yoo Minha, please get in. I’ll drive you.”
“It’s okay.”
“Please get in.”
“Thank you for the concern, but is Do I-hyeon really okay with me using his car like this?”
“Well, that’s…”
“If he finds out later, he’ll definitely say something. With that personality.”
At that moment, the rear window slowly lowered.
It was unexpected.
“What about my personality?”
At the sudden appearance of Do I-hyeon, I mentally replayed what I had just said. Other than mentioning his personality, I hadn’t let anything else slip, right?
“Let’s continue talking about my personality inside the car.”
Suddenly, I remembered the first day I’d been forced into his car. Arguing here would only waste time.
I climbed into the back seat awkwardly. A heavy, sharp woody scent enveloped me.
Instead of the radio, silence and the soft hum of the engine filled the space.
“Why did you come out?” I asked.
“Do you dislike me coming here that much?”
“You should be worrying about your own condition.”
“How did you know? So you were aware.”
“…You think I heard? Me?”
“Wasn’t it you? You’ve been having Mr. Seong keep an eye on me, haven’t you?”
An uncomfortable silence followed.
If he was going to be this prickly again, why suggest sharing a ride?
From the front seat, I could faintly hear Seong Han-gyu clearing his throat.
After some time, soft music began to play from the radio. I guess even they felt uncomfortable.
A gentle melody singing of love filled the space.
It felt like a scene from a black comedy—playing cheerful music beside someone who felt half-dead.
A song confessing love awkwardly filled the gap between two people who were the furthest from it.
“I don’t think I’ve heard your answer yet. How’s your body?”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t anything serious.”
“I always thought you were unlucky, Ms. Yoo Minha. But I didn’t think it was to this extent.”
“Thank you so much for worrying about someone who got hurt.”
The sharp words flying between us were softened by the gentle lyrics that followed.
“If you’re uncomfortable, just say so.”
“Why are you suddenly being so considerate? That’s more uncomfortable.”
“I don’t want rumors saying my fiancée fell ill and died.”
“Fine then. Just come home.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, startling even me.
When I glanced at him, one of Do I-hyeon’s eyebrows was raised.
“…It’s your house anyway. It’s strange for me to keep staying there alone. That’s all I meant.”
His house was unusually large and empty, as if loneliness and fear had been scattered throughout it.
Sometimes, I even felt like I could see an apparition of myself screaming without a mouth from some dark corner.
So occasionally, when he came in, I felt oddly relieved—as if meeting an enemy on a narrow bridge, yet still glad to see them.
Still, saying it like that made it sound as though I’d been waiting for him to come home. I could feel my face heating up at the unnecessary misunderstanding.
“Understood.”
He began unfastening the top button of his shirt.
“I was planning to do that anyway.”
