A cap pressed down over long, well-textured hair, a tight-fitting top, a casually worn crop jacket, and elastic skinny jeans with boots.

It was the optimal outfit, ready to flee at any moment.

Though monotonous in all-black attire, it stood out, perhaps due to the good proportions. The white skin contrasting with the black made it even more noticeable.

Eun Jae alternately looked at the high-rise building in front of her and the address written on paper, then let out a deep sigh.

“Really, do you just come when someone tells you to?”

It was a step taken after much deliberation. She couldn’t sleep a wink due to worry.

They say good-looking people are even scarier.

Above all, what made her more anxious was his excessive kindness.

A new phone, and for the first time in her life, a fancy hotel with a course meal.

Yet, the reason she came this far was singular.

It was true that she had avoided danger thanks to him. The words she said about repaying the favor weren’t just lip service. It was all sincere.

If those people had caught me that day, what would have happened to me by now?

“Ah, it’s horrifying just to think about it.”

Eun Jae shook her head vigorously, shuddering at the mere thought.

She had adamantly refused his offer to send a driver and agreed on taxi fare, but she took the bus.

The 50,000 won bill she received from him yesterday felt crumpled in her pocket.

Eun Jae stood for a long time in front of the high-end residential-office complex that looked quite expensive at a glance, then slowly moved her feet towards the entrance with a determined look in her eyes.

The tightly secured complex required leaving an ID and registering as a visitor.

After registering as a visitor, she continued to hesitate in front of the elevator. Meanwhile, she kept looking around, wary of her surroundings.

Lost in thought, she let two elevators that had come down to the lobby pass by.

‘Ji Eun Jae, don’t you think it’s a bit much to come to the house of a man you’ve only seen once, no, twice?’

In the moment her thoughts were interrupted, when the doors of the third elevator opened, she quickly moved her feet.

To hell with it, that was exactly how she felt.

She pressed the button for the 31st floor, heading to his apartment, and took a deep breath.

Even in the elevator where only the mechanical sound was barely audible, Eun Jae’s internal conflict continued.

It’s a secure place, what are you worried about?

“He’s a doctor from the surgery department at Yeonlim Hospital.”

No. Should I just turn back now?

“What are you going to confirm at his house?”

Right, in such a confined space!

“What a pervert.”

It seemed like she should cancel today’s appointment and suggest talking outside again later.

She quickly erased the button she had pressed and pressed the 1st floor button. However, the elevator didn’t stop and kept going up.

As Eun Jae took out her phone from her jacket pocket and composed a text message to send to him, the elevator that had been endlessly ascending finally reached the 31st floor, the top floor of this building and where he lived.

Eun Jae, who had no intention of getting off, was writing the text to send to him with her right hand while reaching out her left hand towards the door close button.

That’s when it happened.

Before the door could close, a large hand blocked the elevator door.

Eun Jae, wondering who was trying to get on, slowly moved her gaze following that hand.

She almost fainted in surprise when she saw the man’s face at the end of it.

A man in a white dress shirt and black slacks was standing blocking the door with a cold smile.

“Ah! You scared me! I was startled!”

“Aren’t you getting off? Where were you trying to go?”

Eun Jae, startled, took a step back into the corner of the elevator.

“I thought you might have changed your mind again and run away since you weren’t coming up.”

“……”

“It’s your specialty, after all, Ji Eun Jae.”

Sun Woo gestured to Eun Jae, who was standing like a statue stuck to the corner of the elevator.

“Let’s get off for now, don’t inconvenience the other residents.”

Eun Jae, who had been blinking inside, only then gave a short answer and slipped out of the elevator.

The corridor had a blue carpet, which made it feel very soft under her feet.

As the elevator doors closed, a suffocating silence fell in the dim surroundings.

He stood with one leg relaxed, looking down at Eun Jae who was standing there alone with her head tilted slightly.

“Good thing I came out to greet you.”

The man raised one corner of his mouth and smiled gently, as if he had foreseen everything that had happened.

A drop of water fell from his wet hair. That droplet smoothly flowed down his smooth neck into the shirt unbuttoned just below his collarbone.

“Let’s go in.”

His drowsy eyes, wet hair, and white silk dress shirt with unbuttoned buttons swayed with every small movement, glittering in the darkness.

Perhaps that’s why his words to me seemed to be interpreted differently from their intent. That invitation to go in felt very erotic.

No sooner had he finished speaking than he turned around and walked slowly, as if guiding. Eun Jae called out to him, intending to stop him as she followed behind.

“Excuse me!”

“I can hear the sound of Ji Eun Jae’s brain working from here.”

He continued speaking without looking back once, then stopped not far away.

“I hope you’re not thinking of running away.”

Because I’ll find you no matter what.

His unspoken words seemed to echo in her ears.

As he held the card key to the front door, a cheerful melody rang out in the quiet corridor.

“I didn’t come here thoughtlessly. I gave my friend detailed information about this address, told them to report if anything happens. Do you think I’d come here alone without that kind of insurance?”

Her skin was so white that everything showed.

What’s the use of displaying all your emotions like that?

She looked quite cute with a face like a frightened cat, spitting out sharp words.

Stopping in front of the open door, he smoothed his furrowed brow and asked.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I mean! Don’t think about doing anything reckless!”

A snicker escaped between his teeth, as if he found it absurd. His brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. His head, which had been facing the front door all along, turned towards Eun Jae.

“What kind of reckless act?”

“Well, um… you know…”

He quietly watched Eun Jae as she rolled her eyes, seemingly unable to find the right words.

Sun Woo tilted his head slightly and put his hands in his pockets, as if finding it absurd.

“Sorry, but you’re not my type.”

What? Why do I feel offended?

Looking at him with a somewhat displeased expression, he firmly continued.

“So there’s no reason for me to do the reckless things you’re thinking of.”

“Come on, what do you think I was thinking?”

Sun Woo laughed silently as he looked at her reddened cheeks. Sun Woo opened the front door again, which had locked as time passed. Then he wedged his body between the door and the entrance.

“It’s a bad habit to judge someone before you’ve even experienced them.”

“I’m not judging, I’m being cautious. You can’t just blindly trust a stranger and do whatever they say, right?”

Without answering, he stroked his chin while looking at Eun Jae, then after seeming to ponder for a moment, he nodded slightly as if agreeing.

“Then wait here for a moment, let’s go to the cafe on the first floor.”

The man easily changes the location, agreeing with Eun Jae’s words.

Just as she was thinking ‘What’s this about’, he stepped into the entrance and then, as if something had occurred to him, he leaned out and asked.

“Coincidentally, that loan shark’s office is nearby. Is such an open space okay?”

“……”

“The person who agreed to repay the favor keeps trying to run away, so I might have to reconsider too.”

After delivering those warning-laden words, his smiling face flashed through the slowly closing door.

Only then did Eun Jae hurriedly move towards the front door of the man’s apartment.

“Ah, no. Let’s talk inside.”

“Now you’re scared again, I see.”

“Well, you said I’m not your type.”

“If you insist.”

He raised his eyebrows and gestured through the wide open door as if inviting her in, and Eun Jae’s throat swallowed a dry gulp.

Eun Jae’s eyes widened as she entered the man’s apartment.

On the walls of the endless white-toned corridor, there were large, beautiful frames hung as if in a gallery.

Although she was wearing socks, her feet felt cold due to the pristine white polishing tile floor that seemed like it wouldn’t have a speck of dust.

The man walking ahead suddenly stopped, and with his head tilted slightly to the side, he asked.

“Are your feet cold?”

“A little?”

The man quietly looked down at Eun Jae’s toes wiggling inside her socks, then pointed with his finger at the beige slippers he was wearing.

“As you can see, I’m barefoot, and this is the only pair of slippers.”

What’s this, why ask if you’re not going to give them to me.

“You’re the first guest to come to this house, so I didn’t think that far ahead.”

Despite his words, he didn’t look particularly sorry as he started walking again.

Her feet were just a little cold, she wasn’t really bothered by it, but he unnecessarily asked and irritated her.

After about ten steps with his wide stride, a dazzling living room came into view.

It was a living room with three sides made of floor-to-ceiling windows, centered around a cream-colored leather sofa with a face-to-face structure.

Ridiculously, while looking at that beautiful scene, she briefly thought, ‘Surely he’s not expecting me to clean this alone? Did he call me here to personally show me the house I’ll be cleaning from now on?’

Sunlight from the midday sun shattered onto the living room floor through the windows with billowing white chiffon curtains drawn wide open.

As she stood there for a moment, lost in thought, there was a ‘snap’ sound of his two fingers colliding from behind.

“Ji Eun Jae, this way.”

When she turned her head, a kitchen matching the size of the living room came into view.

A chandelier so similar to the one in that hotel yesterday that it could have been taken from there was illuminating the gleaming dining table.

Eun Jae slowly approached the table and sat down in the chair opposite the man, absently touching the tip of her nose.

On the Statuario marble dining table with dynamic patterns, a crystal goblet intricately carved was half-filled with water. Beneath it lay a square pill the size of a fingernail.

What’s this, surely he’s not trying to make me take it?

What’s he planning to do after making me take it?

“Wh-what is it that you want to ch-check?”

Even though she tried to avert her gaze, her eyes kept being drawn to the pill. Her throat kept getting dry and words wouldn’t come out properly.

‘Get a grip, Ji Eun Jae.’

Looking at Eun Jae stumbling over her words, he let out a soft snort and then suddenly stretched out his palm towards her.

“Give me your hand.”

“I won’t take that, I won’t take it.”

“What are you talking about?”

Eun Jae shook her head and hid her hands behind her back, and the man slightly furrowed his brow.

“That! I said I won’t take it.”

When Eun Jae pointed at the pill with her chin, the man snorted.

“Who said I’m giving it to you? What do you think this is?”

“……”

“You have a habit of making unnecessary assumptions.”

Ignoring the flustered Eun Jae, the man’s palm shook again.

Why is he asking for my hand? This is weird, he really seems like a pervert.

“What are you thinking now?”

“I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“Not thinking? You’re looking at me like I’m a pervert.”

“No, really.”

You know, so why ask?

At this point, it seemed like he was using mind-reading. The man seemed to be seeing right through her mind since earlier.

“No, if you suddenly ask for my hand out of nowhere, what am I supposed to do? You should explain a reason I can understand and then ask!”

Even if you explain and ask, I might not give it to you.

The man who had been sharply observing Eun Jae let out a short breath and withdrew his hand. He leaned back in his chair, moving his body backwards.

“For over 20 years, not once has anyone touched my body.”

“……”

“No, they couldn’t touch me. And yet, you touched me and I felt nothing. That’s impossible for me.”

Eun Jae reacted sharply to the word ‘touched’, not understanding the rest of what he said.

“When did I touch you? Are you talking about that time when I covered your mouth?”

No, that wasn’t touching, it was because you kept talking loudly, I covered it to keep you quiet so we wouldn’t be discovered. Eun Jae continued to add words, expressing her resentment from that day.

His hand stretched out towards Eun Jae again.

“I want to check.”

Whether it’s just because of the medicine or,

“If you’re special.”