TLR 36

Chapter 36 …

Thinking about how Lee Seol had suddenly ended up burdened with a kid to raise made Junhyuk’s blood boil. Honestly, he almost felt like thanking Han Shin-chul for at least setting a one-year time limit.

Junhyuk scrubbed a rough hand over his face.

She’d landed a job, reunited with her younger brother… Deep down, he’d actually liked knowing her situation was improving thanks to him.

But this?

It reminded him of that story where someone wished for £200, only to get it as compensation after their son died.

The Monkey’s Paw. That was exactly the mess he was in right now.

‘Tell Han Shin-chul I’ll cover the child support—he just needs to wire it every month.’ ‘I actually tried making that offer. But he said if that’s the deal, he’ll forgo the 100 million won entirely and won’t send his son over at all.’ ‘What kind of screwed-up mindset is that? Is my lack of kids keeping me from understanding paternal love here?’ ‘The lawyer handling the negotiations told me Han Shin-chul is hyper-fixated on the idea that his ex-wife and daughter might somehow benefit from the money.’ ‘……’

Junhyuk rarely stayed silent unless he was actively avoiding an argument, but he was genuinely at a loss for words.

After a heavy pause, he wrapped up the call by directing someone to Incheon Airport to make sure Jiwan made contact with his guardian safely.

“I feel like good things keep happening ever since I met you, Junhyuk-ssi.”

Where was she suddenly going with this? Junhyuk just stared at Seol in silence.

“I got a job, and I got to see my brother again.”

She looked straight at him with clear, honest eyes and smiled. It wasn’t like that forced smile from a moment ago.

“To be honest, when I first saw you on the street, I thought you looked like the Grim Reaper.” “The Grim Reaper?” “I—I didn’t mean it in a bad way! It’s just… you were so unnaturally handsome that you didn’t feel real……”

Seol’s voice trailed off, her expression turning self-conscious.

Junhyuk raised his right hand from the table, gesturing for her to keep going.

“But it turned out to be the complete opposite. You weren’t a Grim Reaper at all, you were… well, a guardian angel? A lucky charm?” “An angel. A lucky one at that.” “Was that too cheesy?” Seol asked, glancing at him nervously.

Junhyuk nodded.

“Yeah, pretty cheesy.” “It wasn’t terrible, though.” “Well, that’s a relief,” Seol whispered, lowering her gaze.

Junhyuk watched her silently. Even with that faint smile on her face, she looked anxious and sad.

He’d noticed the exact same thing when he first took an interest in her. Her eyes usually looked calm on the surface, but every now and then, they’d flicker with this sad, restless energy.

Even after meeting her ‘lucky angel’ and getting her life on track, Han Seol still wasn’t happy.

So what does that have to do with me?

He couldn’t just brush it off like that. He hated seeing her smile like that.

I mean, even if they were going to split up eventually, wasn’t he allowed to wish her well? Yeah, he wanted Han Seol to be happy. For the rest of her life, if possible.

Now that he’d admitted it to himself, he should have felt a sense of relief. Instead, his heart throbbed with a cold, dull ache.

Even if his wish came true and Han Seol lived a happy life, he wouldn’t be the one beside her.

She’d be happy with another man.

The jealousy hit him so hard it made his stomach turn.

Another guy giving her the happiness he couldn’t give.

It was so deeply humiliating he felt like drowning himself in a puddle.

“Junhyuk-ssi, where were you coming back from, by the way?” “……” “Am I allowed to ask? Why weren’t you home?” “……” “Did you meet someone outside? Uh, even if you did… it wasn’t a woman, right?”

Seol tiptoed around the topic, but she still managed to say everything on her mind.

Junhyuk had actually gone back to his place since Seol said she couldn’t meet this weekend. Lying without a single twitch in his expression, his voice came out flat and dry.

“My younger brother got drunk and hit someone, so I was coming back from the police station.” “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have pried……”

Seol gasped, her voice trailing off in embarrassment. She looked like a squirrel caught red-handed stealing someone else’s acorns.

A quiet chuckle escaped Junhyuk’s lips.

“What time do you have to be home?” “Oh, I’m not sure. I left after watching my mom and brother sleep. I was thinking of buying a blanket and pillow tomorrow when the grocery store opens……”

Her speech slowed down. Taking a breath, she pushed on.

“If it’s alright with you… could I stay the night here?” “Sure.” “Thank you.”

Seol nodded, looking a bit relieved.

Paying off Han Shin-chul to bring Han Jiwan over had been worth it after all. Less than a day had passed, and Han Seol had already lost the place she belonged.

Yet, weirdly enough, he couldn’t bring himself to feel entirely happy about it. Junhyuk just watched her in silence.

“Get some rest. I’m going to wash my hands.” “Okay.”

While Junhyuk went into the bathroom, Seol took a quick look around.

He seemed incredibly meticulous. The bedsheets were tucked in with razor-sharp precision, and there wasn’t a single water spot on the kitchen sink.

So… he makes his bed before going to work. He tucks his worn clothes out of sight after coming home.

And then, without even sitting on the bed once, he went to the police station and came back. That was his story.

“Is that even possible?”

She wasn’t so much doubting him as she was completely stunned, muttering to herself when the bathroom door opened.

“Why are you still standing?” “Huh? Oh, I was just about to sit down.”

Junhyuk opened the built-in closet, rummaged through it for a moment, and held out some clothes.

“Change into these. Sleeping in jeans is going to be uncomfortable.” “Thank you.”

Taking the clothes, Seol headed to the bathroom.

She locked the door and pulled her phone out of her pants pocket. There were no missed calls from Donghee.

Since her roommate slept like a log until morning, she wouldn’t even realize Seol was gone until the sun came up.

If Donghee called looking for her then, Seol planned to just say she’d stepped out early.

Was staying out overnight always this easy? She felt a weird mix of emptiness, a bit of relief, and a whole lot of disappointment.

When she stepped out after changing, Junhyuk was sitting at the dining table. Seol took the seat across from him.

“My T-shirt doesn’t quite work as a dress on you, does it?” “I mean, I could barely pull it off as a dress.” “Ah, so you’re just a hair’s breadth away from an indecent exposure charge.” “Pretty much. Though it might be risky in more conservative areas. Not politically speaking, but places like near a Hanok village.”

As she babbled whatever came to mind out of sheer embarrassment, Junhyuk let out a low laugh.

“The pants were dragging, so I cuffed the hems. Sorry about that. I don’t think it’ll leave a crease, but……”

Junhyuk suddenly reached across the table and grabbed her hand. Seol cut herself off and looked at him.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.” “Huh? Ah……” “You’re gonna lose your hair if you go around apologizing for every little thing.” “……” “Don’t get careless just because you’re young. Live like that, and it’s definitely falling out.” “……Okay.” “I’m switching to casual speech now, so feel free to do the same if you want.” “Oh, sure. I don’t mind if you drop the honorifics, Junhyuk-ssi.” “What about you, then?”

Seol paused for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking up.

“Junhyuk-ssi, how old are you exactly?” “Thirty-three. I don’t know the exact number of days, though.” “In that case, I’ll stick to formal speech.” “I guess that’s not an age gap big enough to make you run away right now.” “It feels just right.” “Not perfect?” “It’s perfect.”

Watching her beam at him, a faint smile tugged at Junhyuk’s lips too.

“Come here.” “Where, exactly…?” “On my lap.” “Oh.”

Seol gave a quick nod and slowly stood up. She walked over to him, but hesitated, not quite daring to sit on his lap.

Junhyuk caught her by the waist and pulled her down onto his thighs. Then, he wrapped his arms around her as if holding and comforting a child.

“Am I heavy?” “I told you, worrying about stuff like that makes your hair fall out.” “That’s an unbeatable argument.”

I can’t even say anything back, Seol muttered under her breath.

Junhyuk let out a soft laugh and pulled her warm body a little closer.

Her scent, which had somehow become his favorite, hit his nose and made the back of his throat feel tight.

He was starting to care about when Han Seol was genuinely smiling and when she was hiding behind a fake one.

Yeah, it was starting. Not a long time ago, but starting today.

“Um, something’s pressing against me.” “That’s not really something I can control.” “I mean… we can do it if you want.” “If you’re only saying yes because I’m letting you stay over, I’ll pass.”

Even though he’d been itching for it again, Junhyuk turned her down without a second of hesitation.

Wrapping his arms tighter around Seol as she squirmed awkwardly, he continued.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’ll take care of it myself.” “I want to, though,” Seol whispered softly.

When a woman says she wants to, showing even a second of hesitation would only embarrass her. Junhyuk immediately scooped her up into his arms and stood up.

He laid her down on the bed and turned off every light in the house.

A bit of light leaked in from the window right next to the bed, but it wasn’t enough to clearly make out shapes.

Unbuttoning his shirt, Junhyuk gazed down at her faint silhouette.

He’d turned off the lights so she’d feel more comfortable, but now he couldn’t see her face properly.

“What kind of face are you making right now?” “Hmm, probably a pretty awkward one.” “Shame I can’t see it.”

Junhyuk tossed his shirt aside and climbed onto the bed.

Brushing the tip of his nose against her cheek, he softly parted his lips over her lower lip. Gently caressing her slightly trembling body, he kissed her slowly—very slowly.