Chapter 21. Lee Jaeheon (1)
When Eunkyo returned home with Lee Jaeheon, she placed the rabbit he’d given her on top of a stack of her books while he was in the shower.
The object matched the book cover surprisingly well—cream, blue, and green swirled together abstractly, resembling waves. It felt as if Jaeheon might have actually seen her books before, as if the wave on the cover had been lifted and molded into the rabbit’s heart.
Maybe that’s why it made her feel strange.
She found herself grinning, chest fluttering with a ticklish warmth.
As she absentmindedly stroked the smooth surface of the rabbit, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Slumping onto the couch, she pulled it out to check the message.
It was from Kim Haeda. Along with a picture of high-grade Korean beef, he had sent five different messenger profiles of men. He added a short message:
「Pick one.」
Typical Haeda—taking even the most offhand comment seriously. The guys he’d sent were all undeniably good-looking.
It was a very friend-like thing to do. So Haeda.
But there was a problem: each and every one of those five men had something about them that reminded her of Lee Dohyun. Maybe Haeda thought Dohyun was her only type.
And honestly, after how long she’d struggled and wandered after their breakup, she probably gave him that impression herself.
So in the end, it was like digging her own grave.
「Pick one.」
At the pushy message, Eunkyo replied, telling him to wait.
“Who are they? These guys.”
She didn’t even hear him come in. A familiar shampoo scent—her own, no less—drifted over her shoulder with the warm dampness of steam. Wearing a black shirt and dark pants, Lee Jaeheon leaned against the back of the couch, towel in hand.
“Ah.”
As he bent down, he grabbed the hand holding her phone. That strange sense of pressure he gave off sometimes—unexpected and intense—froze her in place.
“I asked you. Who are they?”
“I was thinking of getting set up with someone. Can you let go? Sometimes, you’re really rude, you know.”
Only then did he release her wrist. He gently rubbed the now-reddened skin with his thumb before tossing the towel aside and stepping over the couch.
“Did it hurt?”
“Is that the issue? You don’t just grab someone’s phone like that—”
“I saw it by accident. But I didn’t expect that from you. I thought you weren’t into relationships.”
Even with a loose shirt, his presence felt overwhelming. They used the same shampoo—yet somehow, on him, it smelled different.
“What’s wrong with dating? It doesn’t have to be serious. I can just casually see someone.”
As she fidgeted with her phone, embarrassed, he studied her expression like he didn’t quite understand. He leaned lazily against the couch with one arm.
“That’s not dating. That’s FWB, isn’t it?”
Her brain blanked. Even though she was a writer—someone who prided herself on having a broader vocabulary than most—this term hit her like a foreign language.
“FWB? What’s that?”
“Friend With Benefit. You know, a fucking buddy?”
Her mind buzzed, like she’d been punched in the head. Stunned, she let out a disbelieving laugh and stood, walking toward the kitchen. But Jaeheon’s voice followed her from the couch, lazy and calm.
“If you call a hookup ‘dating,’ I think the word itself would feel a little insulted.”
“Extreme thinking is bad for your mental health. A lot of people do it these days. They say sexual compatibility is more important than emotional connection, and they sleep together first to decide.”
“Are you really that lonely?”
She had just taken out a pot to cook some ramen but stopped as the water began to pour. Her grip loosened.
“Am I lonely?”
The words slipped out like a murmur. Her expression dimmed.
It pissed her off a little. He was the one who’d made her want to date again—yet now he was saying things like this.
“Yeah. I guess I am lonely.”
She set the pot on the induction stove and turned the heat up. The soft hum of the appliance buzzed in the silence between them.
Jaeheon stood.
“So that’s why you seduced me. Told me to come over and shower.”
Eunkyo, now pulling out two packs of ramen, frowned hard.
“Me?”
“You know what kind of guy I am.”
“And?”
“You know I’m not what I seem. So why are you so nice to me? Did you… see that day?”
His tone and expression shifted. Approaching her, he trapped her between his arms. Her back stiffened, and a chill ran up her neck.
“I like you, sunbae. I fell for you at first sight.”
The words brushed her ear, low and smooth—but twisted with a teasing tone, like a performance. No sincerity.
“If we had met on a blind date, we probably would’ve already slept together.”
“I wouldn’t go on a blind date with you.”
Her tone had turned sharp, irritation and discomfort unmistakable. But Jaeheon only laughed, lowering his face close to her neck.
“Then should we just keep it casual?”