Days passed by lifelessly. Eun Seo thought she should start looking for a new place to move, but lacked motivation for everything.

In the meantime, she received another call from the real estate agency.

– The landlord wants to do a safety inspection in advance, is that okay?

It was a call seeking understanding.

Eun Seo snorted to herself, wondering why they needed a safety inspection for a building that was going to be demolished anyway. Honestly, she didn’t want to agree, but also didn’t want to act like a troublesome tenant making unreasonable demands. So she told them to come while she was at work, and they seemed to have done so.

Even when the weekend came, Eun Seo still felt listless. Not wanting to go out to distribute flyers, she was lazing around in the warm ondol floor well into the afternoon when the doorbell suddenly rang.

The old house definitely didn’t have an intercom. Eun Seo slowly got up and went out to the yard.

“Who is it?”

“I’m here as a representative of the landlord.”

When she opened the gate, a man in a black suit handed her a business card from his pocket. It was from the same Daewon Construction as Eun Seo, and stated he was a lawyer from the legal team.

Annoyed that they did a confirmation even after telling her to leave through the real estate agent, Eun Seo couldn’t help but sarcastically retort.

“I’ll make sure to vacate sharp when the contract period ends, so please tell the landlord not to worry.”

However, what came out of the lawyer’s mouth was a bolt from the blue.

“I’m here to inform you that the demolition will start in 2 weeks, so please move out before then.”

Eun Seo couldn’t believe her ears.

“What do you mean? There’s still almost 3 months left in the contract period. You clearly said construction would start after the contract ended.”

“The safety inspection uncovered several serious issues. There are no fire safety facilities, cracks in the bearing walls, and the pillars supporting the roof are aged to the point of potential collapse at any time…”

The lawyer gave a lengthy explanation about the condition of the house, but only one thing stuck in Eun Seo’s mind.

Demolition in 2 weeks.

“Therefore, construction will begin earlier than planned. Please understand this is a preemptive measure out of concern for the tenant’s safety.”

“No, the house is still legally mine until the contract period ends. How can you unilaterally decide to demolish it!”

When Eun Seo mentioned the law, the lawyer adjusted his glasses and said,

“You’re free to file a lawsuit against the landlord if you object.”

His words were polite but the meaning was clear. Go ahead and try suing if you dare. He was blatantly seeing through the fact that Eun Seo wouldn’t have the guts to actually file a lawsuit.

The fact that it was true made Eun Seo feel even more miserable and angry. She didn’t have the courage to sue the CEO of the company she worked at, nor the means to afford legal fees. They say even a worm will turn when stepped on, but even as the other party was openly mocking and trampling on her, Eun Seo was powerless.

“If you agree to the early commencement of construction, there are instructions to negotiate the moving expenses as much as possible in the direction the tenant desires…”

That damned money again. Eun Seo couldn’t hold back and shouted,

“Who said anything about wanting money!”

Beggars can’t be choosers. She had earnestly pleaded with them, exposing all her circumstances, but forget accommodating her, they were accelerating the construction instead!

How could someone be so cruel? After trembling with rage for a moment, Eun Seo went back inside the house. She hastily put on outerwear, grabbed her wallet and rushed back out.

“Ms. Yoon Eun Seo? Where are you going?”

Ignoring the baffled lawyer, Eun Seo left the house and frantically hailed a taxi. She felt like her heart would explode if she didn’t go right now to give this inhumane person a piece of her mind.

It was Saturday but Eun Seo didn’t hesitate. Kwon Seung Joo was known for coming to work even on weekends.

“To Daewon Construction headquarters.”

Inside the taxi, Eun Seo clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms. Anger surged towards both the unspeakably cruel man and her own foolish self for trying to beg sympathy from such a man.

It was the landlord’s prerogative to demolish after the contract period. She had asked to extend it by just a year, but in truth, he had no obligation to agree. If he agreed, she’d be grateful, and if not, it couldn’t be helped.

But evicting her before the contract period even ended was a different story. Telling her to go ahead and sue if she objected – this was nothing short of openly ridiculing someone.

‘Why? What did I ever do?’

No matter how much Eun Seo thought about it, she had done nothing wrong to him. If anything, she had shown him kindness. So she couldn’t understand why he would go out of his way to be so cruel.

Eun Seo recalled the day she first met him 2 years ago.

*

It was also autumn then, a night with light rain falling.

Around 9pm, Eun Seo finished her part-time job and returned home to find a strange man sitting on her front porch.

‘Eun Ho?’

For a moment, her heart fluttered at the thought, but as soon as she saw the man’s face, Eun Seo was quickly disappointed.

The man wearing a black suit, black tie, and a dark colored coat as if he had just come from a funeral looked to be in his late 20s at least. Eun Ho wasn’t even 20 yet.

Realizing the man wasn’t her brother, this time Eun Seo became quite frightened.

She regretted procrastinating on fixing the broken lock on the front gate, making excuses about being busy and it costing money. She had naively thought there was nothing worth stealing anyway.

“…”

The man, who seemed lost in thought, slowly raised his eyes to look at Eun Seo. The moment their gazes met, her heart sank. She was conflicted on whether to scream or call the police when the man slowly rose to his feet.

“I apologize for entering without permission.”

The exceptionally tall man politely bowed towards Eun Seo.

“I’m someone who briefly lived in this house before. I was reminded of old times and stopped by, but the gate was open.”

“…”

“If you’ll allow me, I’ll sit for just a moment and then leave.”

It was already nighttime and this was a house with a woman living alone. She should have refused.

But Eun Seo couldn’t bring herself to say no. Because the man looked so precarious.

How should she put it – he looked like he would crumble any moment if lightly touched. Even though he was clearly tall and well-built, strangely, that’s how he seemed.

Without realizing it, Eun Seo found herself responding to the home invader.

“Then… make yourself comfortable and leave when you’re ready.”

Thank you, the man bowed his head.

‘What have I done?’

Muttering to herself, Eun Seo went to her room.

Peeking through the crack in the door, the man was sitting completely still. Just staring blankly towards the front gate.

Somehow his broad back looked lonely, and Eun Seo wondered if he might be the landlord.

The landlord listed on the old lease contract was a young man based on the resident registration number. About 5-6 years older than Eun Seo. The man sitting outside looked to be exactly that age.

Though Eun Seo didn’t feel a particular threat from the man, just having a stranger in her yard made her uneasy and unable to sleep properly.

In the end, after repeatedly nodding off and waking up, she opened her eyes at 2:30am to her alarm. It was time to go deliver newspapers. The pay wasn’t great, but it was a job she had steadily kept since middle school as she could also distribute flyers to search for her brother at the same time.

The late autumn air after the rain was as cold as midwinter.

‘He must have left by now.’

Thinking this, Eun Seo bundled up in a padded jacket and scarf before going out, only to nearly scream at the sight of a person collapsed on the front porch.

“Ex- excuse me. Are you okay?”

Timidly approaching to ask, instead of a response, the sound of steady breathing could be heard.

“…”

Eun Seo clutched her chest in relief. Ah, he was just sleeping. A faint smell of alcohol made her realize the man was drunk. She hadn’t noticed as it wasn’t apparent on the surface.

But now that she got a closer look, the man was frighteningly handsome. It felt like looking at a TV or movie screen even though he was clearly right in front of her. Because she had never seen someone who looked like this in real life.

Eun Seo had never even flirted, much less dated before. It was the first time seeing a man’s face this up close.

‘His eyelashes are so long.’

A great physique with thick eyebrows, a sharp nose bridge, and a slightly angular jaw. There wasn’t a single part of his features that wasn’t masculine, yet strangely, his overall vibe wasn’t heavy but rather elegant. Perhaps that was why she felt she could keep looking without ever getting tired of it.

“…”

Before she knew it, Eun Seo found herself in a daze staring at the sleeping man’s face, forgetting all about going to deliver newspapers.

The man, who had been completely still, suddenly shifted greatly in his sleep, startling Eun Seo and making her quickly step back. Belatedly realizing her actions, her face flushed red hot.

“…Mmm.”

Even in his sleep, the man groaned and curled up as if cold. Well, that was only natural when sleeping outside on an early autumn morning wearing only a thin coat.

‘What if he freezes to death like this?’

Eun Seo was at a loss. She wanted to at least move him inside the screened-in porch, but there was no way for her to carry a man who looked easily twice her size.

“Excuse me, you’ll catch a cold sleeping out here…”

She timidly tried waking him by shaking his fingertips but the man was unbudging, likely due to being drunk.

Out of options, Eun Seo brought a thick blanket and covered the man’s body with it. Still not feeling reassured with just that, she also brought an electric heater and turned it on for him. Worried his stomach might be upset when he woke up, she even brewed warm honey tea in a thermos and left it.

‘Will he be okay?’

That day, Eun Seo’s mind was filled with thoughts of this nameless man as she delivered the newspapers.

Just what history did he have with their house?

Was he really the landlord?

Why was he staring blankly at the front gate for so long with such a lonesome face…?

When Eun Seo returned home after finishing the morning newspaper delivery, the man was nowhere to be seen, with only the neatly folded blanket and empty thermos remaining.

*

If not for that brief connection from 2 years ago, she wouldn’t be this angry.

Even the goddess of vengeance seemed to be on Eun Seo’s side. The moment she got out of the taxi, as if by a lie, Kwon Seung Joo came into view.

Why was he standing alone on the main road in front of the company building without his secretary? She wondered, before realizing he was looking in the direction a car was coming from. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

Even on the weekend, Seung Joo was wearing a suit with a trench coat and even a necktie. His figure standing alone on the street littered with fallen leaves looked like a scene from an autumn-themed photoshoot.

Of course, the only thought Eun Seo had upon seeing this was that she wanted to strangle him with that necktie.

“Are you even human?”

Approaching and speaking sharply, Seung Joo flinched and turned to look.

“How, how can a person do something like this?”

She had intended to yell at the top of her lungs, but what actually came out was a pathetically trembling voice.

Seung Joo sighed openly as if fed up.

“What is it now?”

“You purposely moved up the construction date!”

Though it was the weekend, this was in front of the company. If anyone saw, it would be the scandal of the century, but right now Eun Seo was in a state of flipped eyes. She had already forgotten the other party was the company CEO. Fire her if he wanted.

Unlike the extremely agitated Eun Seo, the man remained ever composed.

“Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man.”

“…?”

“That’s a quote from Nietzsche. For something hopeless anyway, it’s better to come to terms with it as soon as possible…”

It was the most disgusting thing to see this accomplished man spewing accomplished words with his accomplished face.

“Why do you get to decide that?”

Eun Seo glared straight at his face.

“You were born the eldest son of a chaebol family and entered the company with a director title, so everything in the world must seem so easy. No wonder other people seem ridiculous and foolish after you made it to the CEO position in a mere 4 years.”

Facing a slightly surprised expression, Eun Seo scoffed.

“Someone like you has probably never experienced pain. Never had trouble sleeping from hardship, never wailed while beating your chest.”

“…”

“Let me give you a piece of advice. Someone like you shouldn’t go around giving advice to others.”

She thought this would be insulting enough. When had this man ever been spoken to like this by someone of her status? To him, a tenant and a mere employee like herself must be no different than a bug.

Eun Seo waited for a look of indignation to appear on his perfect face. Even feeling a bit gleeful about it.

However, instead of a retort, Seung Joo’s action was to reach out with both hands and roughly shove Eun Seo. And very hard at that.

Caught off guard, Eun Seo went tumbling onto the pavement.

Now even assault!

Just as Eun Seo’s eyes stung with tears from the absurdity and misery of it all, a shocking scene entered her sight.

The sight of Seung Joo getting hit by a car that came rushing from somewhere.

The moment the large man’s body collided with the vehicle and flew into the air looked like it was in slow motion.