Yeo Ri had no idea how she got home.
All she could remember was her intense longing to be held by Hyuk.
She needed a hug.
She wanted to crash into his arms and feel his warmth around her; that familiar, comforting warmth.
But when she arrived, he was nowhere to be found. She teared up, feeling extremely disappointed. Gun was also not around to comfort her, so she could only wallow in her emotions alone.
Yeo Ri wiped away her tears, trying to hide her frustrations. She took out her phone and called Hyuk.
"Oppa, where are you?" She said, making sure that her voice didn't show any of her prior emotions.
"Yeo Ri? Is something wrong?" He asked. He sensed that there was something strange just from the tone of her voice alone. Although she hid it well, it still could not be concealed from Hyuk.
"...It's nothing," she replied. "I just miss you, that's all."
Hyuk's ears reddened. "...I'll be back in an hour or so. Wait just a little bit, okay?"
"Mm. Come back quickly."
"...Yeah."
Hyuk hung up quickly. He didn't want her to notice how much he was affected from her sweet words.
Yeo Ri spent the entire evening trying to move past the incident during lunch. She kept reminding herself not to get her hopes up. No matter what, she couldn't rely on Heo Woo Seung. Even if she was truly his biological daughter, it did not change the fact that she was born from his and her mother's infidelity. She was someone who was not supposed to exist.
Yeo Ri curled up next to the bed, burying her face against her knees, shedding silent tears.
Meanwhile, Hyuk was in the midst of checking out yet another apartment.
"It's rather spacious for a studio apartment, and it's also clean," the landlord says, showing the space to the young man. "There is also hot water and electricity."
The landlord continued to talk, "The previous tenant left some furniture behind, but if you don't want them, you can just throw them out. They're counted as part of the deal."
Hyuk did not react to his words outwardly, but he was actually rather satisfied with the apartment. Out of the ones that he had visited, this one was in the best condition.
Hyuk contemplated for a brief moment before nodding, "I'll take it."
Both the landlord and the realtor exchanged gleeful smiles. "Great! Shall we go back to my office to settle the contract?" The realtor rubbed his hands together happily.
The landlord and Hyuk followed him, ready to sign the contract.
"Will you be living alone?" The landlord questioned.
"No," Hyuk replied briefly.
The landlord waited for him to elaborate, but seeing as the young man was not willing to speak anymore, he gave up. He could only hope that the man wouldn't bring any trouble to his property.
Once the contract was signed, the landlord smiled. "When will you be moving in?"
"As soon as possible," Hyuk says. "Can we move in by tonight or tomorrow?"
"Yes, of course! My wife cleaned up the room just this morning, so you can move in immediately. But there's no beds, though. Of course, if you want, I'll lend you some."
Hyuk nodded, "thank you."
The landlord smiled, thinking that despite his menacing looks, the young man was rather polite. He handed him his business card, "if there's anything you need, you can call my number."
Hyuk was not used to receiving kindness from strangers, so he simply nodded perfunctorily.
Now that the issue of their lodgings is properly settled, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Remembering Yeo Ri's earlier words, he did not tarry any longer. He received the room key from the landlord and immediately drove back to Jin Goo's house.
.
.
.
"Yeo Ri?"
Hyuk entered the house, searching for Yeo Ri. She had not been waiting for him by the entrance as she usually did.
He looked around the living room, but she was also not there. He headed towards the guest room.
Strangely, the lights were off. The room was curtained by darkness and it was only when he switched the lights on that he finally found the girl, curled up by the bed.
Hyuk was startled, but upon noticing that she seemed to be asleep, he calmed down.
He bent down by her side, scooping her in his arms, then placed her on the bed. How could she fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position? He sighed in his heart.
Feeling the change in her position, Yeo Ri fussed slightly. "Mmn," she moaned, her face scrunched.
"Oppa, you're home?" She cracked her eyes open with difficulty for a few seconds before closing them again, still half-asleep.
"Yeah. Did you wait long?" He replied softly. He tucked a few stray strands of her hair behind her ear.
"...Really long," she whined.
"Sorry," he apologised, a slight smile on his face. He rubbed her cheeks which still had a faint trace of tears left. "Have you been crying?"
"..."
Yeo Ri did not answer. He took it that she had fallen asleep again, so he got up, ready to leave.
"Stay with me, Oppa," Yeo Ri quietly says, clutching the hem of his clothes.
Hyuk paused at her actions. "...Okay."
He went back to sit down by her side, watching her as she fell back to sleep.
'Tomorrow, then,' he decided. For now, he wanted to let her rest. They could move out tomorrow.
Hyuk closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he also fell asleep.
A few hours later, Yeo Ri finally woke up.
She turned to her side, feeling the presence of someone else.
'Oppa...' she thought yearningly, staring at the sleeping man. She shifted her body so that she would face his side more comfortably.
He was sitting on the bed, leaning on the headboard. His head rested on the headboard as he napped. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked tired. Even in his sleep, he didn't seem to relax.
Yeo Ri sat up to smoothen the wrinkles between his brows, but after a few times, she gave up. She rested her head on his lap, staring at him from below. Then, she closed her eyes again.