The Sound from the Closet

“What?!”

“Hey, Yun-seul. Today's a little—I'm not feeling—”

Beep beep beep—

At the dead line, Tae-kyung shot upright and scrambled for his clothes.

“Min Yun-seul is coming here?”

Sa-ra's mind went blank with panic.

He can't find out yet. Not yet. What do I do?

“Get dressed first. Hurry!”

Tae-kyung shoved a handful of snatched-up clothes into Sa-ra's arms.

“What do we do?! If she's in the elevator now, we're a hundred percent going to run right into her.”

“Then hide.”

“Hide where? This place is the size of a nose hair—there's nowhere to hide!”

They cast around the cramped studio, but the only spot big enough to conceal a person was the built-in wardrobe beside the bed.

“Ugh, no way. I'm not doing it.”

“We don't have a choice. Get in there right now unless you want to be caught.”

“I said no!”

Sa-ra wanted to dig in her heels, but the doorbell chiming at her ear sent her scrambling, folding herself into the narrow wardrobe in a frantic tangle of limbs.

Ding-dong.

Yun-seul pressed the doorbell with a leisurely, unhurried smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

From inside came a commotion, like a war breaking out—crashes and thumps and muffled swearing.

A moment later, Tae-kyung opened the door with sweat beading on his forehead, fidgeting awkwardly with the hem of his T-shirt.

“Oh, hey, Yun-seul. You're here?”

Training pants and a loose T-shirt—there was nothing odd about Tae-kyung's loungewear. But he couldn't hide his flushed face or his ragged, winded breathing.

Yun-seul calmly held out the shopping bag she'd brought.

“I brought this for you. I stopped by that bakery you like.”

“Oh, uh... yeah. Thanks.”

Tae-kyung's eyes went wide as he took the bag—not because of the bread, but because Yun-seul looked so utterly different from usual.

Her hair, always yanked back in a tight ponytail, tumbled in thick waves over her shoulders. Her made-up face was as fresh as spring blossoms. And instead of her usual worn hoodie, she wore a bright, dress-like suit that made her look like she'd stepped out of a magazine.

Were her eyes always this big and clear?

So that's why she always looked stuffy and slow—it was just the shape of her eyebrows.

And her forehead—look how softly rounded it is.

Were her lips always that full? Biting those would feel amazing. How did I never notice?

They'd kissed before, but he couldn't remember what it had even felt like.

All this time he'd used the excuse of protecting her to get away without a single proper kiss—but on a day like today...

“Tae-kyung, why are you staring at me like that?”

“Ah—just surprised. What's with you today? Where have you been?”

“Oh, nowhere special. I wore this to the awards ceremony, and I wanted you to see it. Does it look strange?”

“Huh? No. Not strange at all.”

She should dress like this all the time.

Half-dazed by the transformed Yun-seul, Tae-kyung would have showered her with compliments until his throat went dry—if only Sa-ra weren't there.

Just then, Yun-seul flashed him a sly little smile and stepped inside.

“Can I use your bathroom for a minute?”

“Huh? Oh—of course. Go right ahead.”

He answered with a grin, then cursed himself the instant the words left his mouth and started thinking fast.

The moment she's in the bathroom, I get Sa-ra out of here.

But as if she'd read his mind, Yun-seul paused with her hand on the doorknob and said, with a shy smile,

“I'm just going to wash my hands.”

Ah, damn it!

His plan to smuggle Sa-ra out collapsed on the spot.

And true to her word, Yun-seul rinsed her hands under the running water for exactly three seconds and came straight back out.

This is going to kill me.

A single line of cold sweat trickled down Tae-kyung's spine.

Yun-seul settled onto the living room sofa with a smile. Tae-kyung sat down beside her, outwardly composed, but every nerve in his body was pulled taut.

“Hey, Yun-seul, want to head out? You got all dressed up today—let's go somewhere nice and make it a date.”

“I like your place better. I don't want to go out.”

“Really?”

He needed to send her home the second he possibly could, but Yun-seul—normally so docile and accommodating—was immovable today.

“Tae-kyung, could you get me a nice cold drink?”

“Sure, one second.”

The moment Tae-kyung turned his back toward the sink, Yun-seul's gaze swept the room head-on.

It was a studio officetel, so from the sofa the bed and the built-in wardrobe stood in plain view.

She's probably sealed inside that cramped little closet right now.

Yun-seul had confirmed Sa-ra was here before she even arrived, via a location-tracking app.

A while ago, a memory had surfaced from her past life—of Tae-kyung appearing everywhere she went, of how she'd believed it was destiny. So she'd gone digging through every app littering her old phone.

And there it was: a location tracker, installed without her knowledge.

But that wasn't even the most outrageous part.

The moment she saw those two names sitting brazenly in his friends list alongside his own, she'd been floored by the sheer audacity.

They had once surveilled her every movement—so now it was her turn to return the favor.

Your legs must be falling asleep by now, unnie.

Just picturing Sa-ra, crammed into a contorted pretzel of a position and holding her breath, sent a delicious shiver of triumph rising from the very bottom of Yun-seul's chest.

Meanwhile, Tae-kyung returned with a chilled cup of herbal tea.

“Tae-kyung, this tea is so good.”

“It's even better with the bread you brought.”

“Right? That's what I heard—Sa-ra actually recommended this bakery to me. She said the bread here is amazing.”

“Choke—d-did she? Sa-ra did?”

Startled into a coughing fit, Tae-kyung's face burned crimson.

Yun-seul savored his stricken expression as she slowly set down her cup.

After that, she kept dragging out the time with one vapid, pointless question after another.

There was nothing she wanted less than to sit face-to-face with Woo Tae-kyung's revolting mug for even one more minute—but whenever she thought of Sa-ra drenched in sweat inside that closet, this much tedium was a pleasure to endure.

As the minutes crawled by, Tae-kyung grew visibly more agitated.

She's worried about Min Sa-ra.

But he can't just shove me out the door—not without making it obvious.

Must be driving him insane.

Finally unable to bear it, Tae-kyung threw out a casual excuse.

“Hey, Yun-seul, the truth is I had a company dinner last night. I think that's why—I'm just so tired and run-down today.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Yun-seul deliberately let her face go cold.

At that icy reaction, Tae-kyung swallowed dryly without meaning to.

“Wait—you're not mad, are you?”

“It's not that. It's just... a thought crossed my mind. Are you actually sure you want to marry me, Tae-kyung?”

The mention of marriage made Tae-kyung's stomach plummet.

He was already rattled by her rejection of his proposal—he couldn't afford to lose points with Yun-seul now.

Marrying her is all it is. Living with her? Obviously that's me. All he has to do is tell her he got posted overseas through his company. Keep her sweet, and we never worry about money again for the rest of our lives.

From Tae-kyung's standpoint, the arrangement had no real downside at all.

He'd charmed a naive girl who had no idea her father was a man of staggering wealth, and talked her all the way to an engagement.

He'd thought the finish line was barely steps away, but ever since she'd turned down his proposal, something had felt like it was slipping off track.

Stay sharp. Stay sharp.

Tae-kyung leaned in close and took Yun-seul's hand.

“Where's all this coming from all of a sudden? Of course I want to marry you. You're the only one for me.”

“The way you act says otherwise.”

“That's just because I said I was tired? I only ever want to show you my best, my most perfect self. I didn't want to look worn-out in front of you. I want you to like me, that's all.”

His excuse was so pathetically flimsy that Yun-seul nearly burst out laughing on the spot.

Instead, she fixed him with the face of an innocent girl who loved him more than anything in the world.

“The way you look right now is more than handsome enough for me. Then... I can stay a little longer, can't I?”

Faced with that pure, guileless smile, Tae-kyung couldn't bring himself to tell her to leave.

He was worried sick about Sa-ra in the closet—but right now the priority was devoting himself completely to Yun-seul and winning back her favor.

“Then of course! Stay as long as you want. However long my Yun-seul likes.”

That was what Tae-kyung said.

But things on the other side of the room told a different story.

Thud.

A dull, muffled sound drifted out from the built-in wardrobe, as if something had finally hit its limit.

“Hm? What was that?”

Yun-seul tilted her head and deliberately looked toward the bed.

Tae-kyung jolted and shot to his feet, shouting in a rush.

“Oh! The walls in this building are paper-thin—neighbor noise is terrible here. Something must have fallen in the apartment upstairs.”

“That didn't come from above, though. It came from over there.”

The instant Yun-seul rose from her seat, Tae-kyung blocked her path, floundering.

“What is it? Are you hiding something?”

“No—what could I possibly be hiding?”

Yun-seul brushed past his rigid frame and walked right up to the bed.

“Nothing here. Must have been the unit next door.”

“Oh... you think so?”

And at the exact moment Tae-kyung relaxed, believing her suspicion had dissolved—

her hand closed tight around the wardrobe's handle.

“No, it came from here.”

There wasn't a flicker of hesitation in Yun-seul's wrist as she flung the doors wide open.