Bae Juhyun, completely unguarded, was almost cheating in her existence.
Fortunately, Liu Xin'an wasn't the kind of jerk who took advantage of others, and after pushing the girl's shoulders twice without receiving any response from her, he felt somewhat headache.
"I'll go call your friend to take you home."
Liu Xin'an whispered, but Bae Juhyun didn't respond.
Since there was no response, it was taken as a tacit agreement. Liu Xin'an got up, stepped out of his house, and arrived at Bae Juhyun's doorstep.
After ringing the doorbell and waiting for a while, it was almost two in the morning by now, which was usually deep into everyone's sleep time.
Although Kang Seulgi and the others were artists, their biological clocks were no different from ordinary people when it came to rest.
Naturally, the girls in Bae Juhyun's house, sound asleep, didn't hear the doorbell.
After waiting in vain for a response, Liu Xin'an reluctantly walked back home.
Actually, the real awkwardness wasn't so much taking Bae Juhyun in but rather the fact that he lived alone... there wasn't even the option of a guest room.
There were rooms, but an empty room was certainly no place for someone to stay.
Looking at Bae Juhyun, who was sleeping sweetly on the sofa, Liu Xin'an couldn't stop his headache.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have given her alcohol. She couldn't handle it yet still tried to show off... honestly loved to pretend.
With no other choice, Liu Xin'an approached the sofa again, lifted the sleeping Bae Juhyun from behind, and began by helping the girl put on her jacket.
He decided that tonight he would generously give up his bedroom. As for himself... he had no choice but to lie on the sofa.
Although Bae Juhyun was sound asleep, fortunately, her slender physique made things easier.
With years of fitness experience, Liu Xin'an easily lifted her in his arms.
Bae Juhyun, who had lost consciousness, rested her head weakly against his chest; her playful bun loosened, a bewitching scent wafted from her flowing black hair, causing Liu Xin'an's face to turn red.
If it were anyone less determined, they might have made a principled mistake.
Fortunately, Liu Xin'an was extremely disciplined and managed to control his desires.
Never underestimate a fitness enthusiast's self-control.
"Please don't throw up, if you do, I'll be devastated."
He had only one set of sheets, and if Bae Juhyun indeed threw up, he wouldn't even have a spare to change into.
Washing sheets was also a troublesome matter, and if possible, he hoped Bae Juhyun would just sleep soundly tonight.
Considering it was just two cans of beer...
To be defeated by two cans of beer, this girl's alcohol tolerance was really terrible.
Watching Bae Juhyun unconsciously clutch his everyday blanket to her chest while lying on the bed, Liu Xin'an helplessly rubbed his forehead, closed the bedroom door again, and returned to the living room.
The mess on the table still awaited his cleanup, and the movie wasn't even finished yet!
———
Just as Liu Xin'an complained, two cans of beer certainly wouldn't knock a person out completely.
Mainly because Bae Juhyun felt very comfortable staying at Liu Xin'an's place, and also watching her favorite movie, a few coincidences stacked up thus allowing the already drowsy Bae Juhyun to fall asleep smoothly.
Bae Juhyun slept surprisingly sweetly until waking up, she lazily clutched the blanket, unwilling to open her eyes.
However, soon enough, an unusual sensation on her body made her feel something wasn't quite right.
The girl suddenly opened her eyes, stared in daze at the unfamiliar ceiling and completely strange room which left her in stunned silence.
Then, a sharp scream ensued, making Liu Xin'an, who was lying on the living room sofa, unconsciously open his eyes.
The piercing scream quickly woke him up, and he soon realized that it was the girl who had stayed over last night who had woken up.
He rose from the sofa and walked toward the bedroom, gently knocking on the door.
The knock also brought Bae Juhyun back to her senses. She instinctively felt around her body, only to discover that none of her clothes were missing.
The discomfort she felt earlier was more about the unease of sleeping in her clothes rather than any physical discomfort.
This put Bae Juhyun somewhat at ease.
"Who is it?"
Her alarmed voice reached Liu Xin'an outside the door.
"Are you awake?"
"Liu Xin'an?"
"Yes, after you drank those two cans, you passed out. If you can't handle your alcohol, you really shouldn't drink."
Liu Xin'an was also not pleased; this girl had taken over his bed and made such an odd scream, as if he had done something strange.
In all honesty, he hadn't done anything, and his living room was even equipped with surveillance, so if needed, he could even show Bae Juhyun the footage.
Knowing that she hadn't been taken advantage of, and that there was no loss, Bae Juhyun awkwardly pursed her lips. She instinctively searched for her phone on the bedside, but failing to find it, had no choice but to get up from the bed, quickly tidy up her somewhat disheveled hair, and then, covering her face, she let out a feeble voice.
"You can come in..."
"May I come in?"
"Yes."
The bedroom door opened, and Liu Xin'an appeared at the doorway.
He looked no different from the night before, still with the handsome face and sturdy build, even his hair wasn't awry from sleep.
Seeing Bae Juhyun covering her face and unwilling to let go, Liu Xin'an laughed.
"Did you sleep well?"
"...I'm really sorry for the trouble!"
Regardless, falling asleep in someone else's home was rude.
"It's okay, as long as you didn't throw up."
With her lips tightly pursed, Bae Juhyun doubted she could throw up from just two cans of beer. But considering the trouble she had caused Liu Xin'an, she decided not to dwell on it.
"What time is it now?"
"Around ten o'clock, I guess."
"It's already ten?!"
Bae Juhyun's eyes widened—a realization of the time meant... her group of younger sisters at home probably had already woken up.
At that moment, her previously foggy brain began working rapidly as she recalled her siblings' schedules for the day and finally, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Except for her, everyone had jobs to attend to today, so they likely weren't at her house right now.
She just hoped the girls hadn't noticed her absence...
"Hmm, do you have things to do?"
"Uh... not exactly."
Strictly speaking, she was supposed to return to the practice studio to rehearse the dance for an upcoming family concert in a month and a half.
But that certainly wasn't to be discussed now; going home was the priority.
"That... how did I end up here?"
She remembered she should have been on the couch before falling asleep, so how had she ended up in someone else's bed?
Liu Xin'an spread his hands, "I carried you here. It'd be strange to let you sleep on the sofa—I couldn't do such a thing."
His words were met with an incredulous look from Bae Juhyun.
The doubt in her eyes as she peeked through her fingers prompted Liu Xin'an to raise his hands in self-defense, "Don't get the wrong idea, there are cameras installed in my living room. I wouldn't take advantage of someone in that way; you can check the footage if you don't believe me."
Well, he had kindly given up his bed for her, and here she was, suspecting him with strange thoughts.
Embarrassing! Both embarrassing and impolite!
"Really, thank you," Bae Juhyun lamented, rubbing her own long hair vigorously, turning her still somewhat smooth black hair into a tangled mess.
Liu Xin'an chuckled lightly and turned to leave the bedroom, only to appear again shortly after.
Unlike before, this time Liu Xin'an was holding a glass of water.
"Here, drink some water." He noticed her throat was a bit dry.
Bae Juhyun nodded but still covered her face.
You've got to be joking, her makeup was completely ruined after a nap.
She was in a state completely unfit to meet anyone.
"Could you step outside for a moment?"
"Sure, don't forget to drink the water."
"Mhm, thank you."
"No big deal."
———
What's it like to walk out of a man's house with your face covered?
If you had asked Bae Juhyun the day before, you would have likely received a clueless response.
But now, Bae Juhyun could answer very clearly.
Embarrassing, damn embarrassing.
She had never been so embarrassed in her life.
Especially because she was covering her face, she almost walked into a cabinet in Liu Xin'an's house.
Had Liu Xin'an not quickly pulled her back from behind, her hand would have endured yet another wound.
Bae Juhyun hurried back home, changed her clothes, washed her face, and brushed her teeth.
Her sisters had left her house as she had predicted.
Considerate as always, they had tidied up the trash before leaving and left a note on the dining table that essentially read everyone was busy and asked her to take care of herself and call if needed.
The lack of suspicious messages from her sisters on her phone also confirmed that her sneaking out last night had not been detected.
After freshening up and changing into new clothes, the girl, charming and with perfect makeup as if ready for a show, once again knocked on Liu Xin'an's door.
After a while, Liu Xin'an, yawning, answered the door.
"Um… did you forget something?"
"I'd like to take you out for lunch as a way to apologize for my rudeness yesterday."
Inviting him to lunch was secondary; more importantly, she wanted to dispel the embarrassing image of 'Bae Juhyun from this morning' from his mind.
That's why she had painstakingly applied her perfect TV-show-ready makeup.
Unfortunately, Liu Xin'an, who was still sleepy, barely had his eyes open.
His mind was cloudy, hardly caring about Bae Juhyun's current appearance.
He was also utterly uninterested in lunch.
"Ah, no worries, no need, I don't plan on having lunch."
"At least let me take care of dinner then…"
"Do what you think is best; I'm heading back to sleep if there's nothing else."
"Eh?"
"Bam!"
Bae Juhyun's eyes were wide open, her plump lips slightly parted, her face a picture of disbelief.
She...
Bae Juhyun...
Had the door slammed on her?!