Chapter 25
“…Your house?”
“Yeah, my house.”
Woo-kyung pointed a firm finger at the door next door.
“I moved in today. And look, it’s right next door?”
“Huh?”
“Talk about a coincidence.”
Woo-kyung shrugged his shoulders lightly.
“Besides, didn Yoo I-yeon tell me before to move closer to the law firm? I didn’t know I’d end up this close.”
“I never said that.”
I-yeon retorted firmly, but her face was growing redder.
“Then that’s even better, isn’t it? If it wasn’t intentional, just a coincidence.”
“Cha Woo-kyung, you didn’t come here on purpose, did you?”
“Of course not.”
Woo-kyung winked nonchalantly.
“The real estate agent introduced me to this place, and it turns out my neighbor is you. Small world, huh?”
I-yeon was speechless and closed her lips.
“But why did you ring the bell?”
As Woo-kyung slowly approached, I-yeon instinctively took a step back.
“Ah, that.”
“Can I hear the reason?”
“The grandfather who manages the villa said… that the new resident threw out the recyclables incorrectly.”
“So you came to check in person?”
Woo-kyung burst out laughing.
“Yoo I-yeon, you’re so diligent.”
“That’s not it.”
“If it were me, I would have just pretended not to know.”
I-yeon looked up at Woo-kyung with an embarrassed face.
“Coming to see who the neighbor is without even knowing… seems just like your style, Yoo I-yeon.”
“So, did you throw out the recyclables incorrectly, Cha Woo-kyung?”
“It could be, or it couldn’t be.”
He raised his eyebrows playfully.
“Want to check for yourself?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Really? I feel wronged. I’ll show you the evidence myself. I even finished organizing it.”
“That’s not necessary.”
I-yeon frantically waved her hands.
“Why?”
“Because it’s unnecessary.”
I-yeon averted her gaze, tightly clutching the bag in her hand.
Woo-kyung chuckled.
“Then, I look forward to getting along, neighbor.”
I-yeon blankly stared at him in a daze.
“And on days you work late, feel free to come over for a meal sometimes.”
“Cha Woo-kyung, that’s a bit…”
“It’s fine. I’m a pretty good cook too.”
Woo-kyung smirked cheekily.
His gaze slowly traveled down to I-yeon’s face.
For a moment, it felt hard to breathe.
“I should get going now.”
I-yeon quickly turned around and hurriedly went inside her apartment.
As soon as the door closed, I-yeon leaned against the hallway wall and let out a sigh.
Her heart was pounding as if it had stopped.
“…This is driving me crazy.”
Of all people, for Cha Woo-kyung to move in next door… it was an unbelievable situation.
Placing the grocery bag in the kitchen, I-yeon took a deep breath.
‘Right, it must just be a coincidence. A simple coincidence.’
Even as she tried to console herself, the doubt wouldn’t easily subside.
Why here, of all places?
There are plenty of other neighborhoods near the law firm.
“It’s fine. Nothing major will happen.”
I-yeon muttered softly and began putting away her purchases.
***
After finishing putting everything away, I-yeon’s gaze naturally drifted towards the wall shared with the next-door unit.
When she first moved into this villa, I-yeon had been quite satisfied.
The price was reasonable, the location was good, and she liked the quiet surroundings.
I-yeon liked that it was a perfectly adequate space to unwind after a tiring day.
But now it was different.
The wall she always saw felt unusually thin, and every slight sound made her heart flutter.
She never knew that being separated by just a single partition wall could be so nerve-wracking.
“Ugh, I shouldn’t pay it any mind.”
After spending a rather late hour, I-yeon finally headed to the bathroom.
As the warm water from the showerhead streamed down her rounded shoulders, the built-up tension eased a little.
But just then, the sound of water came from the other side of the wall.
I-yeon’s body stiffened instantly.
She knew the walls were thin in this old villa, but she’d never heard sounds this clearly before.
“…No way.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, but the image in her head wouldn’t fade.
The line of his shoulders as he casually pulled up his wet shirt, the movement of firm muscles blurring in the steam.
“Ah, seriously, why am I like this.”
I-yeon shook her head vigorously, turned off the coolly pouring water, and washed her hair.
“He’s just a neighbor. We’re not anything to each other.”
Her face in the mirror was flushed more than usual.
Before her thoughts could spiral into worse imaginings, I-yeon hurriedly finished washing and left the bathroom.
After quickly turning off the lights and returning to her bedroom, I-yeon collapsed onto the bed, leaving only the stand lamp on.
But even though the room was quiet, the subtle noises from beyond the wall grated on her nerves.
Finding sleep harder to come by than expected, she absentmindedly picked up her phone. The moment she saw the name on the screen, her fingers froze.
It was Woo-kyung.
“…Why now?”
After hesitating for a moment, she finally pressed the call button.
“…Hello?”
– You’re still awake.
The familiar low voice reached her ears.
“Why did you call?”
– Just because. Thought I’d hear your voice before bed.
“…At this hour?”
– That’s why I’m calling.
A short breath was followed by a low laugh.
– Were you just showering?
I-yeon’s heart plummeted in an instant.
“…Excuse me?”
– I heard water sounds.
‘Don’t tell me… he wasn’t listening, was he?’
I-yeon steadied her breath and answered as calmly as possible.
“I wonder. Why do you ask?”
– It reminded me of the past.
“…The past?”
– Yeah. That time you secretly came into the bathroom, remember?
I-yeon’s hand unconsciously gripped the phone tighter.
“Why are you bringing that up now?”
– Because for me, that’s not the past. It still feels like the present.
For a moment, she was speechless.
I-yeon forced herself to inhale.
But even that didn’t come easily.
Her chest beat uncomfortably.
Something felt tangled and out of place.
“…Cha Woo-kyung, please don’t say things like that.”
– Things like that? So what kind of words are okay?
I-yeon couldn’t rashly answer.
The more she tried to speak, the faster her heart seemed to beat.
It felt as vivid as the reality just beyond the single wall.
“…I’m really going to hang up now.”
– Okay. But I-yeon.
Woo-kyung’s voice settled calmly.
– You, looking startled back then, were just as pretty as you are now.
“……”
– What’s wrong. Your face is red again, isn’t it?
“It’s not red.”
– You’re lying.
“It’s really not.”
– I can tell even over the phone.
Woo-kyung’s hearty laughter echoed from the other end of the receiver.
“Cha Woo-kyung, I’m hanging up.”
– Okay. Sleep well, I-yeon.
*Click.* After the call ended, all that remained was the pounding of her heart.
“…This is seriously going to cause insomnia.”
Even with her eyes closed, his voice lingered at the edges of her ears, and I-yeon ultimately couldn’t fall asleep until dawn broke.
***
I-yeon had barely gotten any proper sleep.
She had tossed and turned all night, only managing to doze off briefly near dawn.
Burying her face in the shower stream, she tried to shake off the voice that had haunted her ears all night.
Drying her hair roughly with a towel, I-yeon glared at her reflection in the mirror.
“Today, act like nothing’s wrong. Exactly, like a colleague.”
Muttering to herself as if casting a spell, she neatly dressed in a blouse and pants, throwing on a thin jacket.
As she was about to leave her apartment, soft sunlight streamed through the villa windows.
Holding onto her bag strap, I-yeon stood in front of the elevator.
Just as she was taking a long breath to steady herself, the door opened and the sound of familiar dress shoes reached her.
“Yoo I-yeon.”
At the familiar voice, I-yeon’s shoulders stiffened instantly.
There, in a ray of sunlight at the entrance, stood Cha Woo-kyung.
His smoothly ironed shirt, neat tie, the relaxed gesture of adjusting his wristwatch.
Every aspect of his impeccably put-together appearance seemed more composed than ever.
“Good morning.”
I-yeon greeted him with the most neutral expression she could muster.
“Did you sleep well?”
I-yeon’s heart immediately began to race.
‘How could I have slept well? I barely slept a wink because of you.’
Muttering internally, I-yeon forced a polite smile.
“Thanks to you.”
“Really? That’s good.”
Woo-kyung chuckled softly and leaned slightly against the stair railing.
His relaxed posture was getting on her nerves.
“For me, maybe because it was the first night after moving, I slept a bit restlessly.”
“That can happen.”
I-yeon deliberately averted her gaze.
“But, you know.”
Woo-kyung tilted his head slightly and looked at I-yeon.
“I left my car at the office, so…”
I-yeon looked up at him indifferently.
“Pardon?”
“Yoo I-yeon.”
He called her name clearly.
“Can I get a ride to work with you?”
At those words, I-yeon’s expression hardened instantly.
Her fingertips trembled slightly.
Although the answer ‘No’ swirled in her head, the words wouldn’t easily leave her lips.
