Chapter 101
EP 9. Redemption Apartment
I was confused.
“Ugh.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
When I pressed a hand to my throbbing forehead and frowned, Dan Seohyuk hurried over with a flustered expression. As he reached out to support my shoulders, I waved my hand to show I was fine.
“I just got a little dizzy.”
“Don’t push yourself. If it gets really hard, tell me. Let’s rest for a bit before moving.”
“I’m okay for now.”
After adding a quick thanks for his concern, I looked at Red.
The eyes that had glared at me while shedding tears of blood were still vividly etched in my mind—but right now, he looked completely innocent, as if he knew nothing.
‘A prophetic dream? Does Millie’s ability include something like this too?’
At first, I wondered if I’d gotten caught up in Dan Seohyuk’s regression.
But if that were the case, Seohyuk would’ve shown some kind of reaction. Instead, he only seemed concerned about my physical condition. His face showed nothing but worry—no shock, no anger.
Which meant that whatever just happened… only I knew about it.
I turned to look at Millie. He was standing where he’d been even before Red arrived.
I wanted to ask him if he knew something. I looked up at him as if seeking an answer, but he wore the same expressionless face as always.
Maybe my head’s gone strange after experiencing too many terrifying things.
‘I’ll try talking to Seohyuk about it later when we’re alone.’
As I let out a sigh, Red walked over and tugged insistently at my pant leg.
[Noona, are you okay?]
[You’ll help me look for my mom, right?]
Originally, I’d refused Red’s suggestion and gone to a café with Dan Seohyuk.
‘And then the building collapsed… Red showing up at that café probably wasn’t just a coincidence.’
If what I saw was a prophetic dream—a warning—then I couldn’t act the same way as before.
While I hesitated, my phone vibrated.
It was Machohae.
“Hold on, I need to take this.”
I said it partly to buy time. Dan Seohyuk and Red nodded at the same time.
I quickly pressed the call button.
—Noona!
“Yeah?”
—Are you outside right now? Not at the dorm?
His voice poured out without pause, so urgent it barely allowed room to breathe.
Startled, I blinked and replied in a dazed voice.
“How did you know?”
—Well, this weird guy here said it felt like something big had happened to you… Whew. You picked up, so I guess you’re fine? Thank goodness. Where are you right now?
A weird guy? What was he talking about?
Tilting my head in confusion, I answered him honestly.
“I’m fine! I just met up with Dan Seohyuk and was about to go to a café.”
—A café? Can I come too? Is this about that bracelet?
Sharp as ever.
Machohae knew very well that I wasn’t the type to go to a café alone with a guy, so he immediately guessed the reason.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and asked Dan Seohyuk.
“Is it okay if Chohae comes too?”
“Sure.”
Dan Seohyuk nodded expressionlessly, as if it were no trouble at all.
—Okay. Then send me the address and I’ll head over!
Maybe he heard Seohyuk’s voice. I told him okay and hung up.
‘Going to the café where the accident happened feels unsettling…’
Should I suggest a different one?
As I hesitated, Dan Seohyuk started walking first. But the direction he headed wasn’t the café we’d originally planned to go to.
“Where are we going? Somewhere other than the café I went to last time?”
“Let’s go to a café nearby. You said Machohae’s coming too.”
It did sound like Machohae was already outside… Maybe Seohyuk thought he was at the dorm and was being considerate?
‘Works for me.’
Dream or not, I felt uneasy, so this was for the best.
As I followed Dan Seohyuk, I shifted my gaze to Red, who was still staring straight at me. Dan Seohyuk followed my gaze and looked down at him too.
“……”
“……”
I couldn’t bring myself to reject Red outright because of how uneasy I felt—but why was Dan Seohyuk suddenly going along with it so easily?
“Why are you staring?”
That was all he said, even as I watched him suspiciously. So cooperative, yet his attitude was still the same.
“It’s just weird. You usually scold me or say I’m hesitating too much… You say stuff like that all the time.”
“…It’s your choice.”
Why was his reaction different this time?
I looked at Dan Seohyuk with uncertainty, then turned my gaze back to Red.
‘If refusing his request is what caused the building to collapse…’
Just in case, I probably shouldn’t cut him off coldly again. But I couldn’t promise to help him so easily either.
“Can I hear the details of your situation first, and then answer?”
[Yeah!]
That alone seemed to satisfy Red. I let out a quiet sigh of relief and headed toward the café again.
Red followed right beside me, trotting along.
[When will you listen? Should I tell you now?]
“Hmm, how about after we go in and sit down?”
[Okay! Let’s hurry.]
[I hope you’ll help me find my mom….]
“…But why me, specifically? I don’t have any special ability or anything.”
[You don’t?]
Red tilted his head, then glanced at Millie walking beside me.
[Doesn’t seem like it, though.]
Ah—so not me, but Millie?
Maybe he wanted help because Millie looked strong. But since Millie wouldn’t cooperate easily even with Dan Seohyuk, a human, he probably wouldn’t help a ghost either—so Red asked me instead, since I was nearby?
‘But Millie wasn’t even visible at Eden Villa.’
Even setting Millie aside, Dan Seohyuk could see him too, yet Red singled me out. Did I just look easy to refuse?
That did make some sense. Dan Seohyuk did have a face that looked cold and unyielding.
“What’s with that look?”
Dan Seohyuk asked, noticing my stare.
“What, can’t I look?”
“It makes me uncomfortable.”
Blunt to the extreme.
I clicked my tongue and turned away. We’d arrived at a neighborhood café not too far from the dorms.
Since it was a place Machohae knew, I told him the café’s name and went inside.
Ding.
“Welcome!”
The cheerful voice of the staff felt oddly out of place compared to us, who were accompanied by two ghosts. To her eyes, she probably only saw two students.
“Please take a look at the menu and order whenever you’re ready.”
“What do you want to drink? I’ll buy.”
I pulled out my wallet first.
‘I get allowance money from my aunt, but Dan Seohyuk…’
He didn’t stay in the dorm and was always wandering outside. Any money he’d saved up would’ve run out quickly.
There had been a line about him staying at his family home without his parents, but I knew all too well how lonely a house felt when you were left alone without family. There wouldn’t be a shred of warmth inside.
‘I should look out for him for a while.’
Dan Seohyuk didn’t seem like the type to admit weakness first. But if I were too obvious about it, he might refuse out of discomfort.
“I’ll pay for mine.”
“No, I’ve gotten a lot of help from you. This is just me saying thanks.”
I stopped him as he reached for his card and added,
“Think of it as skipping a meal and just getting cheap drinks instead. Let me have this, okay?”
“…Then I’ll enjoy it.”
Good. He gave in more easily than I expected.
“What do you want?”
“Iced tea, please. I’ll go to the restroom real quick.”
“Okay, I’ll grab us a seat.”
After ordering an iced tea and a grapefruit ade, I scanned the café interior. I wanted a corner seat where there weren’t many people nearby.
[Noona, here! Here!]
[There aren’t many people here!]
Looks like there were seats further inside.
Red hopped up and down to show where he was. Each time he jumped, his oversized clothes fluttered—and by chance, I caught a glimpse inside the hem.
‘…Huh?’
A bruise?
A bruise on a ghost?
It stood out even more against his unusually pale skin.
I tried hard to keep my expression neutral, though I was flustered.
‘What is that? A bruise from when he was alive that stayed behind?’
It wasn’t like a ghost could get hurt now.
Millie showed no reaction, as if he hadn’t noticed—or maybe he just didn’t care.
For now, I headed to where Red had pointed and saw a large four-person table.
When I sat down, Red naturally took the seat next to me. Between the bruise from earlier and everything else, there were far too many things bothering me, but I pretended nothing was wrong and quietly asked Millie,
“Would you like to sit too, Millie?”
I kept my voice very low, just in case the staff overheard.
Millie shook his head and leaned against the wall.
Ding.
“Welcome!”
Someone else had come in. At the sound of the staff’s voice, I reflexively turned toward the entrance.
Then I froze.
‘That man is…?’
A man wearing a cap, dressed in shorts despite the scar on his leg.
The man from the scene where the building collapsed.
A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat trickled down my back.
