CH 26

When I opened my eyes again after blacking out for a while, I was walking in the hallway as I held onto Jang Yoonsung for support. Jang Yoonsung stood in front of the door as he grabbed my waist firmly. I kept trying to check the number in the key card in Jang Yoonsung’s hand. My vision was shaking so I recognized that there  was only one key card after a long time and I grumbled.

“You said we would be using separate rooms.”

“But you’re not okay.”

“Me? I’m totally okay, though.”

“How many fingers are there?”

Jang Yoonsung opened his fingers and asked. I squinted and counted the fingers. Why did he have so many fingers? Eventually, I stammered and counted it properly and there was only two?

“Four…No, two!”

“What’s my name?”

“Jang Yoonsung!”

I answered triumphantly. I thought he would be disappointed again because I guessed correctly but he smiled, having a strange look on his face and asked again.

“What’s your name?”

“Ha–”

Jang Yoonsung opened his eyes wide and urged the next syllable by saying, “Ha…”. I went on with a muffled voice.

“Ha–Han Jiyoung!”

When I saw Jang Yoonsung being disappointed, I laughed as if it were funny. You idiot, I told you I’m not drunk.

“Seeing how you can’t remember your own name, you’re drunk for sure.”

Jang Yoonsung opened the door, saying so in a slightly serious voice. I grabbed the drawer handle and sat down. I was stubborn without even remembering why I should be. In the end, Jang Yoonsung explained that there are two rooms inside so I followed him obediently.

“No, sleep here.”

He helped me lay down on the bed. During the scuffle, I pulled my hood and tightened the string under my face, Twice, three times even.

“You can’t touch me when I am asleep.”

“Why? Why can’t I?”

Jang Yoonsung jokingly asked me why he wasn’t allowed to, even though he had no intention to do so. Being bothered by the pouring drowsiness, I answered roughly and swung my arms.

“It’ll be a big problem. I am a very scary person, you know. Especially when I am asleep…”

Very, very scary. I dug into my blankets, muttering threats which would not work anyway. Just like that, I fell asleep. That was all I could remember.

Fortunately, the hangover was not severe because of how expensive the drink was but it was a morning full of doubts. I was staring at the unfamiliar ceiling and blamed how rash I was.

I should not have been so unconscious in front of Jang Yoonsung. I was not confident in facing reality so I lied still in bed and pretended to be asleep. Actually, I didn’t have to be. Jang Yoonsung was nowhere to be seen.

But it made me even more anxious. I hoped that Jang Yoonsung would appear soon as usual. Even after a long time, Jang Yoonsung didn’t even show up for a millisecond and it made me feel even more anxious.

Eventually, I couldn’t hold out any longer and I got out of bed. My reflection in the mirror was a mess but fortunately, thanks to the hood, it didn’t seem much of a problem. Wherever I looked, there was no trace of Jang Yoonsung.

That’s right. Jang Yoonsung can be like that. I entered the bathroom with a sigh of relief.

Even if I couldn’t do anything about my wrinkled clothes or wigs right away, I felt refreshed after washing my face and body. Looking in the mirror, I checked my appearance for a long time and carefully left the bathroom.

Outside the bathroom, there was a space that could be called a living room with a sofa and a table. Jang Yoonsung was sitting there with a tired look on his face.

“Hey…”

As a result of recalling last night’s memories, I concluded that I was not caught but that didn’t mean I was completely relieved. As I was scared and talked to him, tip-toeing around the subject, Jang Yoonsung who was absent minded, looked up.

“You woke up?”

Jang Yoonsung asked, rubbing his face with dry hands. His voice was tired too.

“Hm.”

“How do you feel?”

“Okay.”

Jang Yoonsung’s expression didn’t seem to be good, perhaps because of the hangover even though he wasn’t drunk. Perhaps that was why I felt a strange sense of incompatibility. It felt like I was taking a step away. We ended breakfast with room service and until room service was over, I tried to figure him out.

“Are you okay? Can you drive?”

As we left the hotel, I touched Jang Yoonsung’s arm in anxiety and asked. Jang Yoonsung shrugged my hand off and said briefly.

“I’m okay.”

It wasn’t just my imagination. Overnight there was a clear change in Jang Yoonsung’s attitude. A slightly impassive look and a cutting edge. At the same time, unfamiliar feelings rose within me. I was disappointed.

On the way to the villa, Jang Yoonsung didn’t say a word, unlike how he was when we headed for Seoul. I was just the only one who tried to break the awkwardness.

The weather is really nice today, right? Look at the sky. It’s really blue. That’s right, the hotel there was really nice too. The food is good too, the alcohol too…The drinks were expensive, right? Oh, did I say thank you? Thanks to you, I went home and even ate a lot of delicious food…I’ll buy you something really delicious next time.

I couldn’t say, “What’s wrong with you?” and feeling left out, I quieted down.

What was the matter, was I caught? If I was caught, why was he taking me back to the villa?  Was he going to tell Chairman Jang everything?

A sudden chill swept my throat. Still, he was being too sweet to me even if I was caught. He asked me if my stomach was okay and had breakfast with me.

I glanced at jang Yoonsung’s face while driving and lowered my head again. Didn’t he like strong women? Did I look like a loser that much? Or was it because I refused his second kiss? Was it because I didn’t say my real name? What was wrong with him?

It was unfair for no reason even though I was the one in the wrong from the start. If he was going to turn out like that, he should have not been nice to me from the beginning. He sounded like a good person. A good person who was as cold as ice.

We arrived in front of the villa while I was blaming him. When we were departing from the villa last time, the person who opened the door for me and fastened my seat belt was the first person to leave the car alone. The way Jang Yoonsung headed for the villa was scary. He was like a bomb that was about to explode. I quickly got out of the car and called out to him.

“Hey!”

He pretended not to hear me even though he did.

The voice I finally raised after mulling on various topics on the way, was trembling.

Only then did Jang Yoonsung look back and come towards me again. It was the first time when his gaze which stayed a level higher than me was intimidating.

He bowed slightly to face me. Angry eyes were staring at me. I was afraid that my sin would be written on my eyes so I turned my head away and opened my mouth.

“No, tell me what you’re angry about…Mmph.”

However, even before I could finish my sentence properly, Jang Yoonsung’s lips covered my mouth. Surprised, I pursed my lips yet his tongue came in. It wasn’t as soft and cautious as the kiss yesterday.

The invading tongue stirred in my mouth so much that I couldn’t breathe properly. Everytime I tried to breathe, he pushed harder. I grabbed onto Jang Yoonsung’s body to push him away but I was so scared that I could only clasp on his clothes. He might have thought if he kissed me like that, I might let him off with whatever reason he was angry with.

Jang Yoonsung parted away from me when the question, “Why?” came to my mind. Only then could I breath, and take in the air I lacked.

“Why…”

The word I was going to say came out of Jang Yoonsung’s mouth first. Jang Yoonsung continued to say as I wiped the saliva off my lips with the back of my hand.

“Why didn’t you push me away>”

“What?”

Who was the one who kissed me without consent? On such a subject, Jang Yoonsung still asked with a fierce look and an angry voice.

“I guess this is also one of your roles.”

It sounded sarcastic. I couldn’t answer anything.

Jang Yoonsung closed his eyes and opened them. As if the whole instance was painful, his eyes looked scarred. When it was my turn to say anything, I couldn’t utter a single word that easily.

Jang Yoonsung turned around and headed for the villa without waiting for me to choose a word. I didn’t even dare to chase after him and stayed still.

A chilly wind blew in the garden. The sound of dry grass which smelled of autumn. It was lonely and bitter.