The Door Was Already Open

“It’s cold.”

It was only ten o’clock, but most of the offices were already closed, leaving the street dark.

Walking alone down a road where only the occasional car passed by was nicer than expected.

The warmth from the heater had not fully left her body yet, so breathing in the cold air felt refreshing.

For a moment, Ju Hayan considered walking like this to get some fresh air.

She soon shook her head and turned her steps toward the bus stop.

Even by bus, it took twenty minutes.

Walking would easily take over an hour.

The weather was not good enough for that kind of adventure.

She could not shake the thought that she was being needlessly sentimental.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

She bowed slightly to the driver as she boarded the bus heading home.

The bus was quiet.

Ju Hayan took a window seat above the wheel and curled her body, drawing her knees up.

Out of habit, she took out her phone and checked it.

There was one message from Lee Jonghun.

It was a complaint about how she had ignored the invitation to hang out and gone to work anyway.

Someone as social as Lee Jonghun would have had fun whether Ju Hayan was there or not.

He was just being dramatic.

She let out a faint smile and replied that they could meet before lunch tomorrow.

After that, she checked her messages and call log.

There was nothing else.

She fiddled with her phone a bit longer, then slipped it into her pocket.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

As the bus swayed, her head resting against the window kept bumping into the glass.

She was tired.

Ju Hayan closed her heavy eyes.

School in the morning.

Work at night.

It would be a lie to say she was not exhausted.

The one saving grace was that all of this happened after the CSAT was over.

If it had been even two weeks earlier, she would have been helplessly shaken by her circumstances.

Maybe that was some kind of consideration.

The thought was so ridiculous she let out a hollow laugh.

Abandoning your child and running away was not consideration.

No matter how pitiful her situation was, it was not something she should excuse.

Beep—

When the mix of cold air seeping through the window and warm heater air made her mind drowsy, Ju Hayan got off the bus.

She headed down the narrow path behind the bus stop.

As she climbed the alley lined with clustered old villas, she looked up at the sky.

It was pitch-black, not a single star in sight.

She exhaled slowly, pretending the breath was cigarette smoke.

She walked past the streetlights that glowed faint orange at intervals.

“Snff, khh.”

Sniffling as the cold stung her nose, Ju Hayan ran into the villa right in front of her.

It was just a glass door, but it was enough to block the wind from the alley.

She turned her head absentmindedly and noticed another building’s mailbox stuffed with thick envelopes.

Utility bills and phone statements came to mind.

She forced the thoughts away.

She would cover it with the money she had saved for tuition.

She could make it up with next month’s paycheck.

For the past few days, the light bulb at the villa entrance had been out.

Even when people passed by, it stayed dark.

Feeling her way through the pitch-black space to go down the stairs felt dangerous.

It felt like her own situation.

Ju Hayan stepped carefully with every move.

Click.

She opened the front door with the keys that had been jingling in her pocket the whole time.

Her shoulders sagged with exhaustion.

It was not truly her home.

Still, familiar space brought a sense of relief.

Maybe it was not the house itself.

Maybe it was the relief of having made it through the day safely.

She wanted to collapse and sleep right there in the entryway.

Her body already bent toward the floor in her mind.

She had set the boiler to away mode before leaving in the morning.

Even if it was cold, it would be bearable.

Just as she slipped off her shoes and stepped into the room, about to collapse, she froze.

Warmth seeped through her socks.

“Uh?”

The floor was warm enough to feel hot.

Had she forgotten to set the boiler to away mode?

She replayed the morning in her head.

That could not be it.

“It’s warm….”

Her movements slowed with unease.

The flickering entryway light, which had not been serviced in ages, turned on late.

Ju Hayan lifted her head.

The one-room studio was so poorly divided that even a small light exposed everything.

“…?”

The light easily penetrated the interior.

The bathroom door to the right.

The empty kitchen.

The messy room she had not cleaned that morning.

And something like a human figure at its center.

“Ah!”

Startled, Ju Hayan stepped back.

Cold seeped into her feet.

She instinctively looked down.

Beside her foot, back near the entryway, was a pair of black dress shoes she had never seen before.

They gleamed oddly, too noticeable to have missed even in the dark.

Ju Hayan swallowed hard.

Someone was inside the house.

Inside.

Her heart slammed so hard it hurt her ribs.

“Dad?”

She called out the most likely possibility.

She immediately realized it was not her father.

The clothes visible in the dim light were unfamiliar.

A coat that reached the floor.

Crisp trousers.

Veined hands resting over them.

Ju Hayan suddenly remembered someone she had met recently.

“Kid.”

“Why are you home so late?”

As the shadow leaned forward, his face finally entered the light.

His sharp features stood out even under the orange glow.

Shadows fell beneath his brows, obscuring his eyes.

She could still tell he was looking at her.

Their eyes met in the darkness.

The intruder in her empty home, Shin I-hyeok, was smiling again.

“…Hello.”

“Hey.”

His voice was rough, as if he had not spoken in a while.

She could not tell how long he had been here.

While her mind raced to understand the situation, the entry sensor light suddenly turned off.

Startled, Ju Hayan rushed inside and turned on the light.

In the sudden brightness, Shin I-hyeok pressed near his brow as if the light hurt his eyes.

His gaze returned to Ju Hayan.

The stiffness around his eyes eased slightly.

“What are you.”

“A snowman?”

Caught off guard, Ju Hayan patted the bulky padding she was wearing.

Winter cold was harsh.

It was worse for someone without a secure environment.

She had layered clothes purely for warmth.

Her body looked larger than it was.

“I thought you weren’t coming back.”

“I wondered if you wanted to play hide-and-seek with me.”

“…How did you get in?”

There was nothing clever to say to his joke.

She asked what she wanted to know.

Her frightened voice kept shrinking.

Her exhaustion vanished.

Only tension remained, stiffening her back.

“How would I get in.”

“I just opened the door and came in.”

Shin I-hyeok leaned back lazily.

There was no sofa.

He was simply resting his back against the dresser.

It was enough to show his attitude.

He had said he would come back.

She had not gone a day without thinking about it.

She never expected to meet him like this.

The villa door used a key.

Unless he had a spare—

Seeing Ju Hayan frozen in place, Shin I-hyeok spoke.

“Why are you standing there.”

She could not find an answer.

As she stayed silent, watching him cautiously, Shin I-hyeok narrowed his eyes.

“I said it was to check the collateral.”

“As long as you don’t run, I have no intention of touching you.”

“It must be tiring to be scared of every little thing.”

“…….”

“I even told you in advance.”

“What’s so scary.”

“Do you have some kind of plan?”

As he tilted his head, Ju Hayan shook hers urgently.

Her hand tightened around her bag strap.

“I get it.”

“Our first meeting was like that.”

“But let’s get used to each other.”

“…….”

“You should answer.”

“Kid.”

Shin I-hyeok spoke slowly and clearly, as if making sure she understood.

It was not especially gentle.

Still, it sounded like consideration.

Ju Hayan’s eyes widened in a different kind of surprise.

Their eyes met when he lifted his head.

Only then did she nod belatedly.

Shin I-hyeok, who had looked stern the whole time, let out a small laugh.

“Good.”

“Come in.”

At his slight nod, Ju Hayan moved sluggishly.

It felt awkward to stay frozen after hearing that.

The immediate threat of running had eased.

Her wariness toward him had not.

She glanced at him again and stepped toward the wardrobe.

Enduring the awkwardness, she took off her outerwear.

She removed her thin padding.

Her hoodie.

Her uncomfortable school blazer.

She lifted her head.

Shin I-hyeok’s gaze was fixed on her chest.

“Ju Hayan.”

He read the name tag on her vest and repeated it.

“Yes.”

She waited, thinking he might have something to say.

There was no response.

As she changed clothes, he stayed in the same position, watching her.

Whenever their eyes met, he smiled faintly.

Only when Ju Hayan turned her back after removing her outerwear did Shin I-hyeok speak.

“Have you seen Ju Gilwoo recently?”

“What?”

“I was wondering if he stopped by.”

No one wanted her father to come home more than Ju Hayan.

She shook her head immediately.

“No.”

“Not as far as I know.”

“If it’s because I said ‘Dad’ earlier…”

“He’s the only one with a key.”

“I didn’t think it could be someone else.”

Even though Shin I-hyeok had one now too.

At this rate, the house key would become public property.

After hearing her answer, Shin I-hyeok seemed to think for a moment.

He nodded.

It must have sounded plausible.

Maybe he had just asked out of formality.

Setting that aside, he changed the subject.

“Are you always this late getting home?”

“I waited quite a while.”

She had nothing to say this time.

“I’m sorry….”

“Did you eat.”

“What?”

“Food.”

“I asked if you ate.”

“Ah.”

“No.”

It was an unexpected question.

She checked if she had heard him right.

She shook her head.

She had made herself a drink at the café.

That was not a meal.

Seeing her shrink, Shin I-hyeok nodded and pulled a paper bag closer.

The black bag had large Chinese characters printed on it.