She cautiously made a guess.

If that was the case, she was sorry, but she didn’t regret at all what happened that day when she directly brought him into her home.

Of course, it was an impulse, but it was a choice she made herself. And although it might have been a coincidence that she chose Seo Hee Won of all people that day, it was clearly the right decision.

Contrary to her expectation that a first-time relationship would hurt, honestly, it felt good.

She had just clung to him because she wanted to be in pain, because she didn’t want to think about anything, but that night, she learned that on the contrary, she could feel so good that she couldn’t think of anything at all.

When she opened her eyes the next morning, he was gone, and on the neatly organized table, there was a simple breakfast prepared for her to eat.

With sleepy eyes, she ate it all without leaving anything behind. At that time, she never imagined that she wouldn’t properly see Seo Hee Won again for several weeks after that.

That means there was nothing big enough to be a problem.

Could it be that he’s the type to never see a woman again after sleeping with her?

After much pondering while driving, the conclusion she reached was quite reasonable.

Considering Seo Hee Won’s style and views on dating that she had observed and come to know, it was a fairly valid deduction.

But as she made that guess, Na Eun felt a bit more disappointed.

It’s not right to ignore me like this just because we slept together once. I thought we were closer than that.

She was deeply upset that their relationship was becoming worse than before, just because they had slept together once.

‘We can hug each other even if we’re not dating.’

‘……’

‘Many other things are possible too.’

Although it was quite a while ago now, Na Eun clearly remembered the words Hee Won had casually said to her with a smile.

She also remembered Hee Won’s appearance one day in the past, sighing with an extremely annoyed face at a woman yelling at him on the street.

She didn’t know the details, but based on the circumstances, she could roughly guess what had happened between Hee Won and that unnamed woman.

So Na Eun didn’t think at all that Seo Hee Won, to whom a one-night stand with a woman was nothing more than a pastime or a game, would attach great meaning to what happened with her.

Is he preemptively drawing a line because he’s worried I might cling to him?

Recalling Seo Hee Won looking down at the woman crying with a hurt expression, Na Eun muttered to herself.

This was also a very reasonable guess.

Someone like Seo Hee Won probably had many partners who clung to him wanting to keep seeing each other even after spending a night together.

She understood if he was concerned that she might become one of them.

If that was the problem, she was confident she could sincerely step up and explain it to him.

She wanted to tell him that she wouldn’t do that, so they should get along well like before.

But things don’t always go as planned. This was also a scenario that could only play out if they met face to face.

To begin with, Hee Won didn’t show himself even when he was nearby, and when she turned on the earpiece, he only engaged in necessary conversations while blocking all personal topics. Na Eun felt an unfamiliar wall in his attitude.

Still, I should try to talk to him well if I get the chance.

Na Eun, who never hesitated to clear up misunderstandings in relationships, thought so as she parked her car in the public parking lot at the bottom of the hill leading to her house.

Her house was located quite high up on the hill, and since she couldn’t park on the steep slope, Na Eun always used the parking lot at the bottom of the hill.

Therefore, to get home, she always had to climb the numerous stairs built up the steep hill. But Na Eun was not at all afraid of that dark and deserted path.

Because for the past 3 years, someone had been keeping her way home safe, so the night road she walked alone was always secure.

Thinking that he would be watching over her from somewhere even today, although out of sight, made her feel reassured.

That’s why, even when she saw a group of about five or six men smoking cigarettes and snickering among themselves at the bottom of the stairs, Na Eun paid no attention and went on her way.

Na Eun knew that the more she approached them, the louder their laughter and the unpleasant sound of their phlegm became, but she considered it trivial.

Because she knew they wouldn’t pose even the slightest threat.

“Hey.”

Na Eun ignored the voice coming from behind her as she climbed about three or four steps.

“Hey!”

There was no doubt that this frivolous call was directed at her, as anyone could see that there was no one on this stairway except her and that group. But Na Eun hoped they would make a wise choice.

Because if they were going to do the ridiculous thing she expected, their future after that would be quite pitiful.

“She’s blatantly ignoring people talking to her.”

As expected, after being ignored a couple of times, one of the men in the group spat out rough swear words.

Soon, the man quickly climbed the stairs toward her, who was walking up the stairs, but unfortunately, he couldn’t lay a finger on Na Eun.

Aah! The man screamed and tumbled down the stairs he had climbed.

Na Eun, who had been silently climbing the stairs without reacting at all to the calls and swearing directed at her, stopped at the man’s scream and looked back.

Hee Won, who had kicked the man down the stairs like trash, was looking down with a bored expression, his hands in his pockets.

Happy to see that utterly emotionless gaze that seemed quite dull, Na Eun completely turned around to look at Hee Won’s back.

“Go inside.”

When Hee Won spoke without even glancing her way, Na Eun hesitated for a moment and then shook her head.

In the past, she would have obediently followed his words, but if she went inside now, she didn’t know when Hee Won would show himself in front of her again.

They might never have a chance to talk like this again.

She couldn’t let go of this small, precious opportunity she had created by risking her safety.

Seeing Na Eun slightly shaking her head while carefully gauging his mood, Hee Won let out a low sigh.

When Seo Hee Won judged someone as an enemy, he was ruthless.

He lacked empathy for others compared to most people, so he was as merciless as he was insensitive to their pain.

After driving away the group of five or six who had picked a fight with what he considered a very lenient measure by his standards, Hee Won turned around with a slightly angry face to look at the girl who had been obediently standing behind him.

He was upset with Yoon Na Eun, who had ignored his advice to go home and ended up making him deal with trash in front of her.

Even though he was so upset and annoyed, he hated himself for showing a bit of mercy in the kicks he gave those bastards earlier because he didn’t want to let her pretty eyes see a rough sight.

Knowing that Hee Won was in a bad mood, Na Eun approached him carefully, gauging his reaction.

“Didn’t you hear me tell you to go home?”

Na Eun needed a moment to adapt, as she had never heard such a cold tone from him except a very long time ago.

She flinched for a moment, then hesitated before speaking.

“I heard you, but I stubbornly insisted because I wanted to talk to you. Sorry.”

“……”

“I thought if I just went inside, I might not get a chance to see you face-to-face and talk like this again.”

We haven’t really had a conversation like this recently.

Hee Won had a complicated look in his eyes at Na Eun’s innocence in openly bringing up the awkward atmosphere between them.

On the other hand, Na Eun blushed, feeling embarrassed now that she actually had Hee Won in front of her and tried to speak.

It was the first proper conversation they had after spending the night together.

As she lowered her head for a moment, feeling unnecessarily shy, Hee Won took a step back.

Na Eun’s eyes widened at the distance that quickly opened up again.

“It’s late. Go inside and rest.”

Let’s talk next time. Even though he said that, Hee Won turned around, not looking like he had any intention of making plans for a ‘next time’.

Na Eun became anxious as she watched Hee Won’s back moving farther and farther away from her with bold strides.

After fidgeting for a bit, she raised her voice.

Hey!

Hee Won’s steps were unhindered as he blatantly ignored the awkward call and kept walking.

Na Eun stared at his back, which felt like a high wall somehow, getting more and more distant, then quickly spoke up.

“We can go back to how we were before, right?”

Hee Won’s fast-paced steps stopped.

Seeing his motionless back, Na Eun tried to muster up courage again.

“We can go back to being exactly the same as before, right?”

Usually, she was quick-witted, but unfortunately, she failed to notice Hee Won’s clenched fists.

He bit his lip, lowering his head with his back turned, his eyes tightly shut.

Yoon Na Eun knows she’s the winner.

He knew that as the loser, he had to endure a bit of humiliation.

But no matter how much it was the winner’s tyranny, Na Eun’s indifference was going beyond the limits of the patience he had tried so hard to maintain.

He finally turned around to face Na Eun.

It was quite a distance, but the voices they conveyed to each other were within earshot.

“Like before?”

Na Eun flinched at the icy cold voice.

“What do you mean like before? What were we?”

“…Just, literally. The way we’ve been getting along until now, like that….”

Like, friends… As she stammered and trailed off after confirming his expression, becoming scared, Hee Won let out a scornful laugh.

Even so, he couldn’t hide the hurt in his eyes.

“You and I slept together.”

Na Eun froze at Hee Won’s sharp voice.

The topic brought up for the first time since that night instantly made things awkward between them again.

Hee Won emphasized it again, facing her who couldn’t say anything.

“You slept with me.”

“……”

“Is that friendship?”

His eyes were already full of hurt as he tilted his head mockingly, but unfortunately, none of it reached Na Eun.

Even though he knew it was ultimately his responsibility, Hee Won was in pain.

He was in pain even though he knew he had no right to be.

“Since when were we ever friends? Were you friends with me?”

Na Eun closed her mouth at Hee Won’s words, openly ridiculing her.

She carefully shifted her eyes, gauging Hee Won’s mood, then spoke cautiously after much contemplation.

“That day… you were comforting me.”

This time, Hee Won closed his mouth.

Wanting to clear up the misunderstanding somehow, Na Eun continued speaking urgently without checking Hee Won’s expression.

“Because I was having such a hard time… you comforted me.”