#Chapter 6
No matter how well we work together, isn’t it a bit much to be visiting each other’s lodging in the middle of the night?
“Haah… this is insane.”
I-insane?
Drenched from the pouring rain, he wiped away the water trickling down his face and let out a low sigh.
“Is this your room?”
His sharp eyes bore into Yeonwoo’s face.
“Y-yes, it is?”
“When I asked if I could move because my room started leaking and flooding, they told me to come here.”
“Who told you that?”
Yeonwoo tilted her head in confusion.
“The dock logistician.”
The dock logistician was a local handling all the administrative operations in the field.
“Really? Why would Mr. Dock say that? This is my room.”
“…”
He didn’t reply.
He merely swept back his wet hair.
The fatigue clinging to his handsome face was evident.
Feeling it would be rude to leave him standing in the rain, Yeonwoo stepped aside to let him in.
He was a friend of her brother, and she had agreed to take him as her mentor, so her guard was mostly down.
But Sajun didn’t seem interested in coming in. He stood there, letting the rain soak him.
“Come inside.”
“First, if you have a radio, try contacting Mr. Dock.”
“I’ll try, but come in first. Bugs might get in.”
“Try the radio first.”
His voice was low and commanding.
The way he was drawing a line between them made Yeonwoo a little deflated.
“Alright…”
Where had she put the radio?
Muttering curses under his breath, clearly displeased with the situation, she left him by the door and went to find it.
But no matter how many times she tried, there was no response from the radio.
She tried calling with her cell phone too, but Dock didn’t answer.
At night, communication often broke down like this.
Creak.
Opening the half-closed door, Yeonwoo looked up at Sajun.
He turned around to face her.
“Um, he’s not answering the radio. So, just come in for now.”
“…”
“Most of the time, phones don’t work here. And during the rainy season, the signal’s even worse.”
“…”
“So, if you don’t mind, please sleep in my room.”
That was a generous offer, Ryu Yeonwoo.
“…”
Why wasn’t he saying anything?
Did he think she’d bite?
“Um, I’m not some kind of weirdo, okay?”
“I know.”
“Then please come in.”
Yeonwoo spoke curtly and walked inside.
Then, at last, he followed her in with the sound of wet footsteps.
Yeonwoo handed him a clean towel.
He looked down at it silently, then took it.
The way he wiped the rain off his hair, neck, and face looked like something out of a sensual movie.
Her face flushed before she realized it, and she quickly turned away, pretending to look elsewhere.
It wasn’t even her ovulation period—why was she like this?
He was her brother’s friend, so basically like a brother too, right?
She didn’t even flinch when her brothers walked around the house in just their underwear, but this felt… different.
Maybe that’s why she started babbling things she didn’t need to say.
“Um… I don’t just let random men into my room, okay? I’m only doing this because you looked so pitiful standing there all wet like a drowned rat. And also, as a fellow Korean, I felt I should help. It’s not because I have some ulterior motive, alright?”
“…”
He said nothing.
“I really don’t have any weird intentions…”
“…”
Was he not hearing her?
Now that she had said it, she realized—oh no, this is bad.
Ulterior motive. Weird intentions.
Why did she use those words?
When she glanced back, Sajun was smirking faintly with a towel over his head.
“Seems like the princess starts rambling when she’s flustered.”
“I-I do not!”
She denied it immediately.
When she was flustered, not only did she ramble, but she also said all kinds of nonsense.
Whether he knew how nervous she was or not, he looked completely unbothered.
He plopped down onto a wooden stool and stretched his long legs forward, gazing up at her.
But the chair looked way too small for him.
It hadn’t seemed like that when she sat in it.
The silhouette of his muscular thighs, stronger than any athlete’s, was clearly visible.
Wow… Unlike her scrawny second brother, he had an amazing body.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away—it was perfect.
Being in such close quarters with this man, oozing masculinity, made her feel more and more like a pervert.
It must be mating season or something.
Against her will, her eyes kept roaming over his body.
“Leekwon.”
As she was lost in her wicked thoughts, Sajun called out, as if to snap her out of it.
“Y-yes?”
Startled, Yeonwoo quickly turned her gaze to his face.
“Does Leekwon know you’re here?”
“Uh… I-I think he knows I’m in Africa?”
She had left a note, after all.
“So, he doesn’t know exactly where you are?”
“No.”
Of course, if he tried to find her, he could—but so far, he hadn’t.
It had only been a month since she arrived.
“You’re not going to call my brother and tell him, are you?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Sajun’s lips.
“My third brother already knows I’m here.”
“You mean Samkwon?”
“Huh? You know Se-kwon oppa? But it’s Se-kwon, not Sam-kwon.”
“Ah, right. Se-kwon. All your names are so unique, it stuck with me.”
“I see.”
Despite his casual tone, he seemed to know quite a lot about her family.
Yeonwoo licked her lips nervously and slowly sat down on the bed.
She had never imagined her brothers’ influence reached this far, but somehow, with this man, she felt it was okay.
He seemed trustworthy. Like someone who could keep a secret.
“You haven’t contacted Leekwon oppa yet, right?”
So she cautiously probed.
“I haven’t.”
Just as she thought.
“You can keep it a secret, right? I want to stay for the full duration of this mission.”
Yeonwoo folded her hands neatly and asked politely.
Thanks to Se-kwon’s silver tongue, she’d managed to keep the family at bay, but if Leekwon found out, who knows what could happen?
“Fine. But more importantly, I feel like I might pass out right now…”
Sajun pressed his temples, cutting her off.
“Oh! Please, go ahead and sleep.”
God, what was she thinking?
He was clearly here because he was exhausted, and she kept bothering him with requests.
Yeonwoo quickly got up and made the other bed.
Fortunately, it was a two-person room, so there were two beds.
“Can I trust you?”
A low voice brushed past her ears.
“…Huh?”
Yeonwoo tilted her head, not understanding the question.
Then he said, with a cheeky smile:
“It’s my first time sleeping in the same room as a woman.”
“…Ah, I see.”
Yeonwoo gave him a skeptical look, and he added again:
“Really. I’m more flustered than you can imagine.”
Yet, despite that, he sprawled across the bed and stretched his legs out like it was second nature.
Right.
As if someone like him had no experience.
Yeonwoo pouted and glared at him.
He lay down and covered his eyes with one arm, falling silent.
Sigh…
How did I end up sleeping in the same room as my brother’s friend?
Even during puberty, she hadn’t shared a bed with her brothers.
Would she even be able to sleep tonight?
First, let’s turn off the lights.
Yeonwoo quietly climbed into her bed after turning off the light.
In the darkness, Beom Sajun didn’t move a muscle, already fast asleep.
His steady breathing blended with the sound of rain, wrapping the room in a peaceful hush.
Still, maybe because he was her brother’s friend in this unfamiliar land, she felt a strange sense of comfort.
Without realizing it, Yeonwoo soon drifted into a deep sleep.
