Chapter 19. The Guy Next Door (19)

She erased the name of the man who had become a “nobody” from her life once again.

Lee Dohyun’s name still lingered in unexpected corners of her daily life. Probably because they had spent a long time together. She thought she had deleted him from her memory long ago—until the bank called.

– The savings account you opened back then has long since matured, but the funds haven’t been withdrawn. If you’d like to reinvest, I can walk you through the options.

With a kind voice, the bank employee inadvertently dug into someone else’s breakup. It was a kind of “date account” she and Dohyun had opened together during a temporary bank promotion. It wasn’t much, but they had saved money steadily.

At the time, they’d even joked about buying a house together one day.

– There’s about 50 million won in the account now. That’s just the principal, not including interest.

“That much? That can’t be right…”

– Yes. Lee Dohyun continued to deposit money regularly. But this product has been discontinued, so we recommend closing it.

“That’s not my money. I stopped depositing three years ago. Try contacting Lee Dohyun.”

– Ah… So, you’re giving up your claim to the funds?

“Yes. I don’t need it.”

– Alright, then we’ll reach out to Mr. Lee. Thank you for your time.

Even the bank had his contact info. Meanwhile, the guy who ignored her calls picked up right away for a bank rep.

Thinking of all the sleepless nights she spent obsessing over unanswered messages and missed calls, she nearly let out a string of curses—but she held it in and hung up.

“They must be installing the air conditioner in the basement today.”

Seontae, expertly finishing up a latte, pointed out the window.

Sure enough, workers carrying AC units were headed down into the basement.

“Seontae, can you make three iced Americanos for takeaway?”

“Sure! But why?”

“Since Haeda’s not here, I should take care of it. They’re working in this heat—I’ll bring them something cold.”

“Oh, by the way, boss. Are you and Haeda… like, friends?”

“Yeah. We’re business partners.”

“I see. Some people were wondering if you were siblings.”

“People say that sometimes.”

Honestly, where do these rumors even start? People who spread gossip with no filter are the most annoying. Not that Seontae was one of them—but something about the comment left a slight chill.

‘Don’t be suspicious of a sweet kid…’

With the drinks in hand, Eunkyo slipped out while the café was quiet and headed down to the basement. The drilling was loud, and voices echoed through the space.

Near the entrance, she spotted Lee Jaeheon standing with his arms crossed, leaning casually against the wall.

Despite saying he’d come by to shower, Jaeheon had kept his distance since that day. She only knew he was around from the sounds coming from the studio below—senior year was ending, and summer break was near.

“Um…”

She tapped his shoulder gently. The moment he turned, his face softened.

“Sunbae.”

“I brought some coffee for the guys installing the AC. One of them is for you.”

“Oh… thank you. Hey, guys! Coffee for you!”

With a bright smile, he handed out the drinks. The kind technicians, clearly used to expressing gratitude, thanked her repeatedly.

As the installation resumed, Eunkyo found herself standing next to him, staring blankly into the room. She had nothing particular in mind—no reason to stay—but she didn’t want to leave just yet either.

The fan in front of the worktable spun lazily, blowing out warm air.

“I was actually going to give that fan back to you.”

He looked down at her with a faint smile.

“Oh, you can keep it. If you don’t need it, give it back later. Haeda’s sleeping at my place right now. I’ll get the fan back tonight.”

“The male boss?”

“Yeah. He got drunk and was totally out of it. I told him to sleep until lunch.”

Jaeheon pressed his lips together. If it weren’t for the loud drilling, the silence between them might’ve felt unbearable.

His long lashes fluttered as he blinked slowly, lost in thought. Feeling a bit awkward, Eunkyo muttered a quick “Good luck with the install,” and turned to go.

But just as she reached the stairs, Jaeheon followed and gently grabbed her wrist. She turned in surprise, only to see his usual calm smile back in place.

“There’s something I want to give you. Can you stop by the studio after work?”

“Something for me?”

“Yeah. I made something.”

“You… made it?”

“Mhm.”

There was a subtle strength in his grip. Looking down at his hand holding hers, she eventually nodded.

If it were something he bought, she’d refuse, but if he made it himself, that changed things. Saying she’d see him after work, Eunkyo returned to the café.