Collateral

“Yes….”

–It’s too late tonight, so there’s not much we can do. I’ll take a look tomorrow.

“Okay. Thank you.”

–Right. I’ll contact you tomorrow.

“Yes, understood. Please have a good night.”

–Mm.

With no real outcome, the call ended.

Ju Hayan lowered her phone and slowly pushed herself up.

She pulled out every blanket neatly folded in the wardrobe and spread them across the floor.

Layering the heavy cotton quilt with a thin summer blanket and even a throw, it at least looked somewhat warm.

She put her padded coat back on, didn’t even bother taking off her socks, and crawled into the pile.

“Ugh… it’s cold.”

The blankets, exposed to the chill all day, clung icy against her body.

Still, this lump of cotton was the only thing she could rely on, so she curled herself as tightly as possible.

‘Just for tonight. Tomorrow the landlord said he’d check. It’ll be fine.’

No matter how tightly she wrapped herself, the cold seeped in without mercy.

She pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders.

‘Just get through tonight. Just tonight.’

Breathing in the faint moldy scent of the semi-basement, she finally shut her eyes.

“Ha….”

Then she checked the message that had just arrived and let out a sigh at her own naivety.

“Just tonight” had been nothing more than her wishful thinking.

[Student. I’ve been thinking. We already called a technician yesterday and checked everything.

It’s a bit burdensome to spend money again. You’ll have to handle the water issue yourself. I’ll take a look at the boiler instead.]

In the middle of closing at the café, Ju Hayan reread the message several times.

The landlord she had trusted to fix things now feigned ignorance.

After briefly asking a coworker for a moment, she slipped into the storage room and called him immediately.

–Hello.

“Hello. This is Basement Unit 101. I just received your message.”

–Yes, well, we already had a technician check everything yesterday.

“But then why isn’t there any water in my unit?”

–How would I know? All the other units were checked. Calling a technician again would mean paying twice.

“But if there’s a problem in the apartment, the landlord should handle it.”

–Only if it’s my fault! In winter you’re supposed to leave the water dripping when you go out. Did you do that? If you’d left even a drop running, it wouldn’t have frozen.

“But still… if you tell me to handle it myself, what am I supposed to do?”

–I said I’d check the boiler.

“Then please check the pipes too. That’s why— I admit I should have been more careful. But I’m still a student. I can’t handle this alone. Please help me.”

–Ahem. I can help a little, but I won’t call a technician. I’ll look at the boiler. The frozen pipes are your responsibility.

“No, wait— hello? Hello? Sir!”

As if aware his words lacked justification, the landlord said only what he wished and abruptly hung up.

Ju Hayan stared blankly at the call-ended screen.

She tried calling again, but the connection cut off before even one full ring.

Eventually she slumped onto a box of supplies in the storage room.

“Ah… what do I do.”

There was no solution.

How could she possibly fix frozen pipes herself?

From the landlord’s tone, calling a technician would clearly cost a significant amount.

Yet she knew nothing about repairs.

Even setting that aside—what about tonight?

The previous night, after struggling to fall asleep, she had woken at dawn with her teeth chattering.

She dozed in fragments until morning, and washing had become a problem.

Thankfully, the gas stove still worked, so she boiled bottled water from the fridge and managed to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Even now, her body felt grimy.

She had believed it would be resolved today.

But night was falling again without progress, and she still had to clean someone else’s kitchen.

“Ugh….”

Even while wiping down tables, sighs kept slipping out.

A coworker eventually asked what was wrong, but she forced a smile and brushed it off.

She picked up her scratched-up phone and scrolled through her sparse contact list until she found Lee Jong-hoon’s number.

‘Should I ask to stay just one night?’

She paused, then shook her head and closed the folder.

To ask for help meant explaining why.

What would she say?

That the house he once knew was long gone, replaced by a debt-ridden semi-basement.

That the pipes had frozen and she had nowhere to go.

That her father had run away, leaving her alone.

Even summarized, it felt suffocating.

‘But seriously… how do you fix frozen pipes?’

Her thoughts looped endlessly like a Möbius strip.

As she wiped a table, circling the same problem, the café door chimed.

“Welcome.”

“Yes.”

Only when she lifted her gaze higher did she recognize Shin I-hyeok.

Perhaps because her mind had been elsewhere, his visit felt oddly unfamiliar.

Though by now it should not have been.

He wore a navy suit, tailored to perfection.

Under his unbuttoned jacket was a fitted vest she had never seen before.

Maybe the unfamiliarity came from how sharply dressed he was tonight.

“Long time no see.”

His tone was casual.

She recalled how strangely he had behaved last time under the guise of tending her wound.

The injury had healed quickly, leaving only a faint mark.

But was she supposed to dismiss that ambiguous moment as simple kindness?

“Get in.”

As usual, she locked the café and followed him out after parting from her coworker.

Remembering his hand sliding up her thigh, she hesitated before getting into the passenger seat.

Noticing her pause, Shin I-hyeok stopped mid-step and tilted his chin slightly.

Afraid of seeming overly sensitive, she got into the car without protest.

His gaze flickered toward her.

“Um… could you drop me somewhere other than home tonight?”

By now the car moved toward her place without needing directions.

She leaned forward slightly, unsure whom to ask.

As expected, the answer came from beside her.

“Where?”

“Just… a nearby jjimjilbang.”

“A jjimjilbang?”

She had considered going home first and then searching, but she couldn’t recall any bathhouse nearby with proper facilities.

And wandering outside in this cold wave was not an option.

Since she was already in a car, wasn’t it reasonable to ask?

“Yes. Anywhere is fine. Just wherever you see one along the way….”

“Why there? You have a perfectly good house.”

“Ah, well….”

Because that house is not perfectly good.

Even without the cold snap, there had never been much in it to call “fine.”

Shin I-hyeok stared at her as she faltered.

He seemed prepared to wait until she explained.

“The pipes froze because of the cold. The boiler isn’t working either.”

Admitting her situation felt humiliating.

At least he already knew most of it.

“Hmm.”

He nodded faintly, but seemed lost in thought, resting his chin on his hand against the window frame.

“When pipes freeze, water stops running?”

“Yes. There’s no water. Even the bathroom’s hard to use. And the floor’s freezing because the boiler won’t work.”

Her cheeks flushed as she listed her circumstances like excuses.

“Water and heating.”

“Yes.”

“And because of that, you’re going to a jjimjilbang.”

Why did the conversation feel like it was circling the same point?

She nodded.

“If that’s all it takes.”

He murmured softly, then straightened and spoke toward the driver.

“Let’s go to the house.”

“To the house, sir?”

“Yes.”

Though the order was clear, Team Leader Kim did not turn the wheel immediately.

He only hummed in hesitation.

Shin I-hyeok noticed but did not press further.

He turned to her.

“To your house?”

Ju Hayan blinked in confusion.

She had just explained why she could not go home.

Was she unclear?

As she searched for words, his hand moved toward her.

His left hand stopped before her face, extended as if for a handshake.

Unsure, she leaned forward slightly.

When her cheek touched his open palm, cupped gently like scooping water, his fingers wrapped around it as though planned.

Smiling broadly, he cradled her cheek, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone.

“I should take care of my collateral.”

“…….”

“Hayan. Let’s go home.”

His tone was sweet as honey.

Without fully understanding, she nodded.

“Yes.”

Her voice barely a breath.

His smile deepened.

In the rearview mirror, Team Leader Kim glanced once more, then sighed and turned the wheel.