Chapter 8 - Repayment
[ Repayment ]
=== Repayment ===
Just how far did she mean to take this "repayment"?
When it came to Han Cho-yeon, I had absolutely no idea.
It had been the same during our drinks yesterday.
She had clearly been embarrassed, but her attitude had subtly shifted right at the end.
Now, her tone was teasing, and she had become as slippery as a snake.
I really had no clue what had brought this on.
"Ha..."
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
My chat window with Han Cho-yeon was still open.
The last message read:
- Han Cho-yeon: So she says she absolutely has to repay you, haha
I was still trying to figure out how to reply.
Even though we both knew I was the one who deserved the repayment, it felt weird to demand something within this embarrassing roleplay she'd set up.
After a moment's hesitation, I decided it would be best to casually deflect it back to her "friend."
I tapped out a reply.
- Me: Still, I don't think your friend needs to feel so pressured.
- Me: As long as they enjoyed the meal, that's enough.
As soon as I sent it,
there was a brief silence.
'Did that sound too much like a rejection?'
And then—
Ping.
A reply popped up instantly, as if she'd been waiting for it.
- Han Cho-yeon: Oh, come on.
- Han Cho-yeon: But still, that's a bit much.
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: Since she received something,
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: if she just lets it slide,
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: she says her conscience will bother her.
"..."
She was 100% enjoying this.
She was deliberately using her "friend" to toy with me.
My lingering stubbornness flared up, sparking a useless sense of competitiveness.
'Whatever. Screw it.'
After a moment's thought, I typed a slightly provocative reply.
- Me: In that case,
- Me: wouldn't it be better if your friend asked me directly?
I sent it and waited.
Three seconds.
Five seconds.
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: Haha.
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: Ah,
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: that's a bit difficult.
Then, as if she was thinking it over, the chat went quiet for a moment.
Finally.
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: If you're going to play it like that,
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: I won't hold back anymore either.
"...What?"
I blinked, wondering if I had misread it.
Won't hold back?
What exactly was she not going to hold back on?
My fingers froze over the keyboard.
I just stared at the screen, completely forgetting what I was about to type.
Ping.
- Han Cho-yeon: Wait right there.
"...?"
Wait?
For what?
As I stared blankly at the screen, my mind racing with questions—
Click.
A familiar sound echoed from the hallway.
"..."
The sound of a door opening.
And then,
Click.
the sound of a door closing.
I slowly raised my head.
I looked back down at the last message on my screen.
- Han Cho-yeon: Wait right there.
"...Uh."
No way.
The moment that thought crossed my mind—
Knock, knock.
A knock came at the door.
"..."
A brief silence followed.
Then, a voice came from the other side.
"...Are you there?"
Her tone was slightly different from yesterday.
It wasn't that quiet, embarrassed mumble.
She still sounded embarrassed, but strangely composed.
"...Please open the door."
I looked up at the ceiling.
She actually came.
...And I was still in my pajamas.
Knock, knock.
Another knock rang out.
"...Are you not home?"
She definitely knew I was home.
Even though I knew she knew, I held my breath anyway.
'Wait, why am I hiding?'
I let out a dry laugh, feeling ridiculous.
It wasn't like I'd done anything wrong.
Well, trespassing was technically wrong, but I did have her unspoken permission.
After a brief hesitation, I finally walked over and opened it.
Click.
The moment the door swung open, I was face-to-face with her.
It was Han Cho-yeon.
"..."
"..."
Under the fluorescent light of the hallway,
she stood in slippers and comfortable loungewear.
I used every ounce of my willpower to keep my eyes from drifting down toward her massive chest.
"...I came to repay you."
I glanced down. Her hands were empty.
So what on earth was the repayment?
"Ah, so you're the friend?"
Despite being the one who had marched over here, she looked even more nervous than I was.
Deciding to play along with the roleplay that had already run its course, I spoke up.
"...Pfft, yes. I'm that friend."
My shameless response seemed to break the tension. Han Cho-yeon let out a soft chuckle and shot back:
"Just who are you, really?"
she asked, looking up at me.
It sounded less like a genuine question and more like a soft whine.
"My identity?"
"Yes."
"Last time, and today too."
She paused, searching for the right words, before continuing.
"Sneaking into someone else's house just to clean..."
"..."
"And even cooking for them."
"..."
"And then trying to act like it's nothing."
I was speechless. It was true that I'd tried to gloss over it, mostly because the real situation was so hard to explain.
When I didn't say anything, she took another step closer.
"Do you have any idea?"
"About what?"
"Doing things like this... it really drives a person crazy."
"..."
"And then..."
She paused.
"...acting like it's no big deal makes it even worse."
I awkwardly looked away.
"...I didn't really do anything that grand."
"It is special."
Her reply came instantly.
"At least to me."
A brief silence fell between us.
The fluorescent light hummed quietly overhead.
"...So,"
she said, looking up at me again.
"why are you being so nice to me?"
"..."
"Just because we're neighbors?"
"...Well... that's part of it."
"Part of it?"
Han Cho-yeon's eyes narrowed.
"Just because we're neighbors, you break into my apartment and play house?"
"No, that's—"
I started to explain, but stopped.
Anything I said was going to sound incredibly weird.
For a second, I wondered if I should just tell her about the quest.
But as she watched me struggle for words, she suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"See?"
"...See what?"
"You're doing it right now."
She said,
"making me so confused."
She bowed her head slightly, then looked back up.
"...And as for me,"
"Yeah?"
"I don't think I can handle this."
"...Handle what?"
"My heart fluttering like this."
With those words, she took another step forward.
She was right in front of me now.
So close that we would touch if either of us even leaned in.
"I was scared at first."
"...You were?"
"When I came home exhausted from work and saw things had changed, I thought a burglar had broken in."
I flinched.
"But for a break-in, the place was way too clean. It made me wonder if I'd somehow hired a cleaning service. But of course, I hadn't."
"..."
"So I went to a little effort... and recorded it."
"...Recorded it?"
"I saw everything. You cleaning with such a serious expression, and even carefully watering my plants."
She'd seen everything.
No wonder she knew it was me, even though I thought I hadn't left any evidence.
"At first, I was just curious. Who on earth is this guy, and why is the only thing he does after climbing over my wall without permission just cleaning?"
"...Um."
"But as I kept thinking about it... I realized I've never had anyone take care of me like this in my entire life."
"..."
"I was abandoned by my parents when I was young, and I never really had anyone close to me after that. Even after barely scraping by to land a job as a C-class Hunter Researcher, the world just seemed full of hateful people. Everyone who approached me had some shallow, materialistic motive, and it disgusted me. But..."
I could feel her warm breath as she stood close, pouring out her heart and whispering about the painful past she'd endured.
"...a complete stranger suddenly started taking care of me out of nowhere. Secretly, as if telling me to just rest comfortably because I'd had a hard day..."
"...No, that's..."
"And today, you even gave me a buff so powerful I might never see it again in my lifetime."
"..."
"And you didn't even want anything in return."
Would she even believe me if I explained that I only did it to protect my own internal organs, and that the insanely powerful buff was just a single click of a skill?
Well, since her growth was tied to my quest rewards, I technically did do a good deed. There was no need to ruin it by explaining.
"So,"
Han Cho-yeon took a soft breath and whispered,
"take responsibility."
"...What?"
At that moment—
Grab.
She grabbed my wrist.
"...Huh?"
Before I could even panic, she stepped inside and pushed me backward into the apartment.
Click.
The door clicked shut behind her.
"Wh—"
The moment I tried to speak—
Thud.
my back hit the wall.
"..."
"..."
Her breath was incredibly close.
Her face was right in front of mine.
Even though she was flushed red all the way to her ears, her light green eyes refused to look away.
"Why?"
she asked, catching her breath.
"Are you scared now?"
"...It's not that..."
"Then that's a relief,"
she murmured.
And then,
"...I told you earlier,"
she said, leaning in just a fraction closer.
"that I won't hold back anymore."
Her hand lightly gripped the collar of my shirt.
"After making my heart flutter like this..."
"..."
"if you act like it's nothing..."
Her breath hitched for a second.
And then—
"...you get devoured like this.♡"
she whispered, her lips almost touching mine.
And in the next instant—
She pulled me forward sharply, drawing my face down to hers, and our lips collided.
Chu—!
"...Mmph?!"
There was no time to think.
Her lips were far softer and warmer than I could have ever imagined.
A sweet, intoxicating scent—neither alcohol nor perfume—brushed past my nose.
I froze instantly, completely paralyzed.
As if determined not to let this opportunity slip away, she pulled my shirt even tighter.
It was a breathless kiss that felt like it lasted for an eternity.
In reality, only about a minute had passed when—
"...Ha."
She parted her lips slightly to take a shallow breath, pulling back just a fraction.
Our eyes locked.
Her gaze didn't waver in the slightest, making me wonder if this was truly the same woman who had been blushing so furiously just moments ago.
On the contrary—
"...Why?"
With our breaths still mingling, she whispered softly,
"Don't tell me..."
Her fingers lightly toyed with the buttons of my pajamas.
"...you thought I'd stop here?"
"..."
My mind ground to a halt as she suddenly dropped her formal tone.
Meanwhile,
Pop.
one of my pajama buttons slipped open.
"...The repayment,"
she chuckled softly,
"starts now."