Saturday passed quickly.
I woke up late in the afternoon, ate, and spent the entire day lazing around. Adult or minor, weekends were truly the best. Doing absolutely nothing while sprawled out in a house this luxurious made everything feel absurdly comfortable.
Of course, no calls or messages came from Yoo Si-eon or Lee Soo-hyeon all Saturday. The same went for Han Tae-ryeong. Since I did not interact with anyone, Tae-ryeong and Quest 3 gradually slipped from my mind. Even Min Yu-un, who usually chattered at me while I watched TV, did not bring him up.
Then the final day of the weekend arrived. Sunday’s sun set, night came, and a notification appeared.
Quest 4: Invite Han Tae-ryeong to your house. (0/1)
★ TIP: A useful tip for the lonely you! ★
Don’t miss the opportunity that comes your way!
The moment I woke up to the glowing system window hovering before my eyes, I pressed a hand to my forehead.
Not apologize to him. Not become friends with him. Invite him to my house.
And not Yoo Si-eon or Lee Soo-hyeon, either, but Han Tae-ryeong specifically.
It seemed the system was trying to force me into triggering some kind of event with all three men. Just when I was starting to get closer to Yoo Si-eon and Lee Soo-hyeon, it kept dragging Han Tae-ryeong back into the picture.
It’s not like I’m avoiding him for no reason.
His resentment and accusations were even harsher than Yoo Si-eon’s, even though he was not the direct victim. No matter what Min Yu-un said, no matter what proof he offered, Han Tae-ryeong would never believe him. Facing him was not going to be easy.
On top of that, the last time we met, he had mentioned that my eye color had changed. I did not know what had caused it, but I definitely did not want to get caught over something so trivial.
The memory surfaced again.
That large hand shielding my head despite his obvious dislike. That slightly irritated yet calm gaze.
I washed my face to wake myself up, then looked at myself—at Min Yu-un—in the mirror.
He was pretty, with delicate features. I opened my eyes wide and rolled them around, checking every angle. No matter how I looked, all I could see was a deep black. The only other color was the white of my eyes.
[How are you going to call Han Tae-ryeong?]
I had only just woken up, yet exhaustion was already settling in.
“Good question.”
I mumbled the words while rubbing my face with both hands.
Should I just send him a message and see if it worked? Honestly, that seemed much more effective than wasting effort and time on other methods. If I simply sent him the address without any explanation, curiosity might be enough to make him come.
“Min Yu-un, do you have Han Tae-ryeong’s number?”
[It’s saved on my phone. Why do you need his number?]
“If you liked him that much, you should’ve been nice to him from the start.”
[Hey, what?!]
“Nothing.”
I unlocked the phone, found Han Tae-ryeong’s number, and opened a message window. My fingers tapped lightly against the screen as I thought it over.
It did not take long.
I shared the address from the map app, then immediately turned off the screen.
Whether he replied or not, I would be anxious either way. There was no comfortable outcome waiting for me if Han Tae-ryeong actually showed up.
Leaving the bathroom, I flopped onto the sofa and closed my eyes. I had no intention of sleeping; I simply wanted to rest.
How much time passed as my consciousness drifted?
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, jolting me upright.
No way.
They said the moment you thought no way was exactly when it happened.
[What? Han Tae-ryeong’s already here?]
I was going to have to face Han Tae-ryeong already.
Ding-dong.
The sound rang through the house once more.
Forcing my unwilling legs to move, I made my way to the front door and took a deep breath. Then I opened it.
The person on the other side was exactly who I expected.
“Min Yu-un.”
Han Tae-ryeong’s red eyes reflected me.
After a brief pause, I spoke cautiously.
“You came quickly.”
“I live right across from you.”
“I see.”
Unlike Yoo Si-eon and Lee Soo-hyeon, Han Tae-ryeong lived nearby.
“So why did you call me?”
His gaze darkened.
I met his stare with a neutral expression and stepped aside.
“Come in first.”
“Why?”
I could hardly tell him it was to clear a quest.
I stayed silent, trying to come up with a reason. Han Tae-ryeong stared at me for a long moment before finally stepping inside.
Ding.
As expected, the pleasant system alert rang in my ears.
Quest 4: Invite Han Tae-ryeong to your house. (1/1)
★ TIP: A useful tip for the lonely you! ★
Don’t miss the opportunity that comes your way!
Quest 4 has been cleared!
The system window disappeared without a trace.
“Min Yu-un.”
“Ah.”
My gaze, which had been drifting through empty air, snapped back to Han Tae-ryeong.
The quest is cleared, but…
“You’re not thinking of leaving already, are you?”
“Fuck, what…?”
The sudden sharpness in his voice made me clamp my mouth shut. I shook my head and stepped aside.
“Go to the living room. I’ll bring you something to drink.”
Fortunately, Han Tae-ryeong did not curse again. He did not say he did not need anything, did not demand that I get to the point, and did not ask why I had called him in the first place.
He simply took off his shoes and walked silently into the living room.
I stared after him, surprised.
[What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?]
I wanted to ask the same thing.
Shaking off the unanswerable question, I opened the refrigerator. A large bottle of orange juice caught my eye. I poured some into a cup and added ice.
Holding the cup carefully in both hands, I headed toward the living room, where Han Tae-ryeong was waiting.
“Han Tae-ryeong, do you like orange juice?”
I had already poured it, but I asked just in case. Han Tae-ryeong did not bother answering and simply reached out.
I extended my arm to hand him the cup.
And then—
Clatter.
The cup tipped over and hit the floor with a sharp crack.
Thank god I had used a plastic cup.
But the cup not breaking was not the problem. The real problem was somewhere else.
Frozen in place, I stared dumbly at Han Tae-ryeong. He lowered his gaze to himself. His shirt and pants were soaked with orange juice. The white T-shirt, now stained with blotches of orange, somehow suited him.
“Ah, um.”
I forced my trembling lips to move.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“It’s fine. I’m the idiot for expecting anything else around you.”
[Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!]
Unlike Min Yu-un, who immediately threw a fit, I could not bring myself to deny Han Tae-ryeong’s words. Considering all the trouble Min Yu-un had caused, he was not entirely wrong.
Han Tae-ryeong tugged at his soaked shirt. Drops of juice fell onto the already wet floor.
“I can’t go home like this.”
Han Tae-ryeong turned his unreadable gaze on me. I could not tell whether he was angry or simply resigned. While I hesitated, unable to come up with a response, he spoke again.
“You have a washing machine, right? Wash my clothes for me.”
Then, without the slightest hesitation, Han Tae-ryeong casually pulled off his white T-shirt.
“I’m going to take a quick shower.”
As his languid gaze settled on me, I stood there with my mouth hanging open, unable even to blink. My eyes trembled violently. I had never expected to see Han Tae-ryeong’s bare upper body like this—especially when, just moments ago, I could barely even meet his eyes.
A sudden wave of heat rushed over me, burning all the way up to my face. I did not even need to check. I was definitely bright red.
I puffed out my cheeks and exhaled hard. Then I abruptly turned my head away and spun around. I could feel his gaze boring into my back.
What kind of guy just strips in front of someone so casually?
[Hahaha!!]
Min Yu-un’s laughter rang in my ears, blatantly mocking me.
“Min Yu-un?”
“Hic!”
I even hiccuped.
I was beyond flustered. My shoulders kept twitching on their own as I buried my face in my hands. It was not simply that I was unused to seeing skin. I had absolutely no idea how to handle this situation.
“Hey, Min Yu-un.”
Han Tae-ryeong grabbed my shoulder.
“You okay?”
His grip was not rough, but it was firm enough that I had no choice but to turn back toward him.
And with that, my completely red face was exposed in full.
His gaze lingered on me, making it even harder to pull myself together.