By Zephyria “What is this?”
Noona frowned, looking at the small puppy Lee-eum was holding. The white puppy in Lee-eum’s arms was docile and not shy. It was the dog that Kim Deok-soo, whom he had arrested for habitual gambling during the day, and his mistress had been raising. They asked him to take it to the shelter because there was no one to take care of it.
“Just for a day… I’m on duty, so I’ll take it tomorrow.”
“Have you made it your hobby to pick things up off the street these days?”
Even as he explained the situation, Noona looked displeased. She usually granted Lee-eum’s requests, but she didn’t like animals. So he had thought about leaving it with Hyung, but they were both working, so there was no one to look after it during the day.
Just then, his brother-in-law came out of the room, spotted Lee-eum, and approached him happily.
“Lee-eum, you’re here? Oh, a puppy. How cute.”
As his brother-in-law reached out to hold it, Noona hissed and warned him with her hand. Her brother-in-law flinched, and Lee-eum smiled awkwardly. Noona looked at the puppy disapprovingly and asked.
“It doesn’t have any diseases, does it?”
“Probably…?”
“Just for a day. Take it to the shelter right away.”
“Okay. I’ll take it after work.”
As soon as he put the puppy down, it seemed to sense something and trotted over to his brother-in-law, not Noona, wagging its tail. When his brother-in-law tried to hold it, Noona told him not to.
“I’m sorry, Hyung. Please take care of it just until tomorrow.”
“No, it’s okay with me. The puppy is cute. What’s its name?”
“I don’t know. It was at the suspect’s house.”
“It’s a Yorkshire Terrier. It looks like the one I raised when I was little.”
Honey dripped from his brother-in-law’s eyes as he looked at the puppy. The reason he had left it with Noona and not Hyung was also because of his brother-in-law. He had always liked animals, was a very affectionate person, and as a freelancer, he spent a lot of time at home.
“Have you had dinner?”
“I had a good meal. I’m going to break into a house tonight.”
Noona sighed and patted Lee-eum on the shoulder. “Be careful. Okay? Don’t rush into dangerous situations. Okay?” Lee-eum nodded with a smile, having heard the same thing every time. “Okay.”
Then he went down to the first floor and headed straight home. He had to go to the mountain tonight, and he needed thick long sleeves to move through the bushes. He had worn short sleeves without knowing any better before and suffered from poison ivy for a long time.
As Lee-eum got out of the elevator, he spotted a shopping bag hanging on the doorknob as he was about to enter his house. He carefully opened it and found a sirutteok rice cake. What is this? He quickly rummaged inside and found a note.
[I’m your new neighbor. Do you like rice cakes? I do. Let’s be friends.]
What is this nonsense?
Lee-eum frowned and looked back at the house across the hall. When did they move in? He tilted his head and went inside, but he couldn’t shake the feeling about the handwriting on the note. He sat down in the kitchen and examined it closely, and it looked familiar. Lee-eum found the memo Choi Won-joon had left behind and compared the two.
“……”
There are many people with similar handwriting, but this is practically the same person. A newlywed couple was supposed to live across the hall…. He grabbed a long-sleeved shirt and went outside, cautiously approaching the house across the hall. He put his ear to the door and held his breath, but he couldn’t hear anything.
Is Choi Won-joon playing a prank on me? He pressed his ear closer, and the lock clicked open. Before he could dodge, the door swung open, and Lee-eum hit his head.
Ugh…! He clutched his head and crouched down, seeing white sneakers in front of him. Of course. There’s no way Choi Won-joon would have moved in. I was worried for nothing. Lee-eum’s face instantly hardened as he smiled and looked up.
Choi Won-joon was looking down at him with a smile, dressed in workout clothes.
“Are you okay? Let’s see, is your head cracked?”
He quickly shook off his hand as he reached out to touch him and stepped back. Lee-eum looked Choi Won-joon up and down with an incredulous expression. Seeing him in workout clothes after only seeing him in a suit every day was unfamiliar, and with his hair down, he looked like Young-shik. No, that’s not the point right now.
“What is this, really…?”
“Huh?”
“Did you move in…?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to.”
Lee-eum shuddered with a look of disgust.
“Are you really a stalker? Are you now moving in next door?”
At Lee-eum’s extreme reaction, Won-joon leaned against the door with a nonchalant expression and crossed his arms.
“Detective Kim. You’re seriously misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? You moved in front of my house, what misunderstanding?”
“You got a call from the real estate agent the other day, right?”
Lee-eum didn’t answer. In fact, he had suddenly received a call from the real estate agent the other day, asking if he was thinking of selling his house and offering a generous price. It was completely unexpected, so he had flatly refused and hadn’t thought about it since because of work. So that was related to Choi Won-joon….
“I could only sleep when I went to Detective Kim’s house, so I went to see a fortune teller. They said this place is a perfect match for me. They said it would cure my insomnia, so that’s why I came. Detective Kim said he wouldn’t sell his house, so I came to the house right in front. Do you understand?”
It sounds like bullshit, but it’s quite convincing. Lee-eum was speechless and couldn’t answer, and Won-joon nonchalantly passed him, went to the elevator, and pressed the button.
Lee-eum couldn’t argue any further and remained silent. The elevator opened, and Choi Won-joon got in first, pressing the button and waiting.
“Get in, aren’t you going out?”
He smiled kindly, but the elevator felt eerie like the mouth of a monster. He reluctantly got in and went down to the basement, and as soon as the doors opened, he ran out as if escaping. As he walked to his car, Choi Won-joon followed him from behind. He looked and saw that he had parked right next to Lee-eum’s car.
Of all the cars, he had to park his expensive one there.
Worried that he might scratch it, he gestured for him to get in first, and Won-joon took out some documents from the back seat of the driver’s side and closed the door. Lee-eum silently opened the driver’s side door and started the engine. He saw Choi Won-joon walking towards the exit with the documents.
What… was it really because of that?
Feeling awkward, he muttered to himself and drove out of the parking lot, passing by Choi Won-joon as their paths crossed. Lee-eum hesitated for a moment, then stopped the car and called out to Choi Won-joon.
“President Choi.”
Won-joon turned around, and Lee-eum parted his lips.
“Why did you call me and just stare? You’re making my heart flutter.”
Lee-eum couldn’t react to the joke.
“About that video… why did you do that?”
“What?”
“Why did you upload it?”
Frankly, there was nothing to gain for Choi Won-joon by spreading it. Rather, it would only become more difficult if it was revealed later that it was Choi Won-joon. He was a successful member of the National Assembly, no less. Choi Won-joon must know that it’s not good to be at odds with such a person.
“Ah, so you’re wondering why I spread the video without any compensation?”
“……”
“Is that right?”
“Yes….”
Choi Won-joon came closer, grabbed the top of the window with his hand, and leaned in. “Come here. I’ll tell you.” Seeing him gesturing and smiling, he was probably going to say something nonsense again. He didn’t want to hear it and hurriedly tried to close the window, but he suddenly stuck his arm inside.
Gasp, startled, he lowered the window again, and Choi Won-joon pushed his head inside the window and grabbed the back of Lee-eum’s head, pulling him in. He swallowed his lips in an instant and broke away with a smack. Lee-eum was flustered by the sudden event and could only stare at Choi Won-joon with wide eyes.
Choi Won-joon smacked his lips with a regretful look and smiled.
“Let’s consider this as compensation.”
“……”
“You’re not freaking out today? Did you like the kiss that much?”
Lee-eum belatedly trembled his lips. He briefly considered getting out and beating him up, but his face flushed with heat. Was it because he was so angry that even his ears felt hot? While he was having such foolish thoughts, Choi Won-joon waved his hand lightly.
“Be careful on your way. I’m going in to sleep now, you whore.”
Lee-eum flinched. Did I really say that? Even if I hate someone, I can’t condone such expressions.
“Did I really call President Choi… a whore?”
“Yeah. I was really hurt.”
At the word “hurt,” he forgot about the kiss from earlier and felt sorry.
“I apologize… I shouldn’t say such things carelessly….”
Choi Won-joon stared intently at Lee-eum. His expression was more serious than usual, so Lee-eum thought that he was really hurt. Well, anyone would be upset to hear such a thing. Even Choi Won-joon.
“Are you serious?”
Lee-eum nodded at Won-joon’s question.
“Yes….”
“Then give it to me once.”
“……”
At the unexpected words, Won-joon reached out and touched Lee-eum’s lips as he frowned. “Or you can suck it for me with this. It’s too small to fit all the way in.” As he tried to put his finger in his mouth, he slapped it away and swung his fist, but Choi Won-joon dodged it like a ghost and smiled mischievously.
Lee-eum gritted his teeth, spat out curses, and drove off. Looking in the rearview mirror, he saw Choi Won-joon waving leisurely. He couldn’t see it, but he was definitely still smiling.