Chapter 92 - Her Request

Sunye was trying to make dinner when her doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock. It was 10 PM at night. Who would visit her at that time?

She opened the door to find SD panting outside. He looked as if he had run a mile. The guy did not even change his clothes. He was wearing a brown robe over his t-shirt and pajamas along with a slipper. 

"What-" Sunye began but SD cut her off.

"That selfie pose, as stiff as it was, still worked," he said breathlessly as he barged into her house. Sunye simply sighed and stepped aside. Apparently, they had developed a habit of entering each other's houses like those were free properties.

He sat on the edge of the couch, crossing his legs like a king and said, "You have my full attention. Now say what you want to say."

Sunye peered at him. "So you were ignoring my texts?" she demanded. 

"Technically, I read them but never replied," he stated. "I wasn't ignoring your texts. I merely chose not to reply right away."

"And yet, you turn up when I sent a selfie?"

"Since you were that desperate, I couldn't say no," SD smugly shrugged. All of Sunye's earlier nervousness and embarrassment evaporated, replaced with the usual irritation and urge to kill him. 

"Anyway," she said, controlling her temper. "I just wanted you to know that what Jonghyun said in the car was out of line. I wanted to tell you about his confession-"

"And how you dumped his ass," SD commented.

"And how I dumped his ass," Sunye repeated

"Rejected him and crushed his heart," SD added. 

"That too," Sunye agreed. "But I said no. I wanted to tell you about this but when I went to your house that night, I got distracted and then drunk. Then I fell asleep. When I woke up next morning, you were gone. So I never got the chance to tell you anything."

"Okay," SD said.

"And then the case hearing distracted me," Sunye rambled on. "And-"

She paused and frowned. "Okay?" she echoed, finally registering his reply. "That's it? Just an okay?"

"Yeah," SD shrugged. "It's okay. The guy confessed to you and you rejected. Big deal. Happens a lot to other people."

"No, it's not that," Sunye said. "Someone confessed to me and you're okay with it?"

SD merely shrugged. Sunye blinked in surprise but did not comment. She felt a little awkward at his casual response. Is this the same guy who fawned over me every second? She wondered. Why is he so casual about this?

She was lost in her own thoughts. SD gazed at her, confused by what she was thinking. Sometimes even he could not read her which made the game even more interesting for him. At that moment, she was clearly disturbed by something and he was having a hard time guessing her thoughts.

Then he sniffed something in the air.

"Uhhh," he began. "Ms. Han."

Sunye was still lost in her thoughts, unaware of what he was saying. 

"Han Sunye," he poked her forehead. Sunye was startled when he lightly touched her.

"Your dinner is burning," he pointed towards the kitchen. Sunye was momentarily confused before the smell of smoke hit her.

"Shit!" she yelped and ran towards the kitchen. The ramen she had put on the stove was completely burnt.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed. "This is all ruined…"

SD, who had crept up behind her, made a 'tch' noise. "You even burnt instant ramen," he remarked. "Daughter of a chef and yet, doesn't know how to cook. Speaking of dinner, I forgot about Orea! Do you have your phone? I need to text her."

Sunye threw him a dirty glare before returning to her poor ramen.

"It's on the counter," she scowled. SD picked it up and texted his protege.

"Use my credit card to buy yourself a meal," he wrote. "Number is…"

He sent her his card details and PIN so that she would be able to buy herself a good meal although he suspected that she would max out his card buying idol merchandise. Meanwhile, Sunye's stomach growled loudly, making her feel even more embarrassed. 

"Did you eat anything all day?" SD frowned. "Or did you regress to your habit of not eating at all when you're working on a case."

"I was fine all throughout the case," she mumbled. "I forgot to eat when you didn't reply to my texts."

SD pretended not to have heard her but he was taken aback by her words. Han Sunye was never this talkative. She must have been seriously hurt by his silence all day.

Sunye was still staring blankly at her burnt food, debating whether to eat it anyway but SD had other plans. He grabbed her wrist and led her towards the exit.

"H-Hey!" she protested. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you out for dinner," he said, still pulling her wrist. 

"Wait!" She exclaimed. "I'm still in my pajamas! I can't go out like this."

She pointed to her light green t-shirt and black pajamas which she had donned. 

"So?" SD asked. "So am I. It'll be fun. Like a pajama date."

"But my wallet!"

"I have mine," he replied. "I always keep it in my pockets for emergencies."

"But-"

SD did not give her a chance to finish. He kept a firm grip on her, pulling her with him much to her chagrin. No amount of protest would stop him as he dragged her out of the apartment. Sunye was red in the face when they stepped on the street. 

Even though it was past ten o'clock at night, there were still many people on the road. She was embarrassed to be seen holding hands with a man while in her pajamas. Some people stared at the strange couple who were walking by. SD shrugged off all their stares while his hand still did not let go of hers but Sunye was hiding behind his large frame, trying to avoid the looks people threw at them.

"This is so weird," she muttered.

"Why do you care?" SD asked. "It's not like you're gonna meet any of these people."

"Still," she said. "Don't move too much! Let me hide behind you!"

SD sighed and slowed down his pace to let her hide behind him. Sunye held on to the helm of his robe, trying to hide her face as they gradually walked towards a convenience store at the corner. 

"You can come out now," he told her. "This place is empty."

Sunye hesitated before stepping out of her hiding place. 

He was right. The store was empty sans for the cashier. There were no customers at that moment, so she was able to relax a bit. SD casually strode towards the instant foods' section and picked up a couple of ramen boxes, bibimbap rolls, rice cake and instant takoyaki. He handed them to the cashier along with the cash.

"We'll eat them here," he said. 

The cashier thanked him and put the food in the oven to heat them up while SD motioned Sunye towards a couple of seats located next to a large window. When Sunye hesitated, he simply said, "Forget about it. No one cares about what you're wearing."

"Easy for you to say," she muttered. But she hesitantly took a seat, turning away from the window. SD joined her a couple of minutes later with the food. He had bought a lot of rolls for her because he knew that she had probably starved herself all day because of how tense she was.

"All warmed up," he declared, placing the food in front of her. He picked up the ramen cup and offered it to Sunye who immediately dove into it.

"Wow, you were starving," he noted as Sunye gulped the entire ramen in two bites.

"And whose fault is it?" she muttered. She put down the chopsticks and faced him.

"If you weren't affected by what Jonghyun said, then why didn't you reply to my texts?" she demanded.

She waited for him to reply but the infuriating man was deliberately chewing his food in a slow motion.

"Who said I was okay with it?" he asked, still focusing on the food. "I simply said I was okay with you rejecting him."

Sunye pursed her lips, unsure of what to say to this cryptic message. Sometimes he was an open book whilst other times he was shrouded with mystery. Who was SD exactly?

"Stop thinking about me, Sunye," SD said slyly, guessing her thoughts. "If you're that curious to know me, I'll tell you about myself then. I prefer handcuffs and whips in bed but only if you'll be willing to wear a-"

Sunye threw a tissue paper at him which he playfully dodged. SD snickered and continued to eat his ramen. She sighed and fiddled with her chopsticks. Her mind was still boggled by the thoughts she had all day. She was in a dilemma whether to finally confront this strange relationship they have or whether to let things stay like this.

"SD…" she hesitantly began. "You...you only work when you're paid right?"

"Yeah," SD said nonchalantly. "No payment, no work."

"Will you do me a favor then?" she asked, finally getting the courage to get her thoughts in order. If this worked, maybe she would know what her true feelings were.

SD studied her carefully. Sunye was fidgeting in nervousness as if she was afraid of asking the next question.

"What's the payment?" he asked, feeling suspicious. "And what do you want me to do?"

"I…" 

Sunye took a deep breath and faced him. "I want you to spend one day with me," she ordered. "Just one day."