Cunning and Evil

HE WON'T GO

5:00. She woke up 30 minutes before her alarm.

The first thing Seri did when she opened her eyes was to peek at her window to check if the sky stopped pouring rain, and an unconscious sigh left her lips when the sound of the downpour registered in her ears. The Assemblywoman wondered if the world was playing with her, slowly chipping off her restraint and testing her resolve by sending the deadly combination of the rain and Ri Jeong Hyeok.

Her body felt heavy, she noticed, and maybe it was because she was still sick or she was just dreading to open her door to see Ri Jeong Hyeok— or dreading to see the absence of him.

Seri wanted to get her day running so she jumped on her routine, starting with the plan to make coffee for the day.

She noticed it immediately when she stepped into the living room and her kitchen. Her home held no trace of Ri Jeong Hyeok; the cups and bowls on the sink were gone and her coatless rack by the door was a striking reminder that the coat that he left there last night was now nowhere to be found, and Seri wondered if the man in a fitted NABO shirt and Korea University jogging pants was just a dream or a figment of her imagination.

It was really just a choice between her mind playing tricks with her or he had left her alone again.

The traffic must have been tolerable by now. What was she expecting, anyway?

Seri found herself in front of the bedroom beside hers, second-guessing if she should turn the knob in fear that she will find no one there— but when she finally had the courage to do so, the knob turned by itself and opened to reveal a man already in his suit, jolting Seri in surprise. "Damn it, Ri Jeong Hyeok!!!"

"Seri." The man was obviously as taken aback as she was, "What are you doing here?"

If she felt even a tinge of relief, she made sure it didn't reflect on her face by replying nonchalantly. "This is my house."

"I meant here.." His lips upturned into a tight smile that slowly transformed into a smirk, revealing the indentation on his right cheek. "in front of the bedroom I was staying in."

Her knees weakened for a moment but she leaned on the doorframe to toughen up, privy to the knowing gazes of his soulful eyes. She shook her head, a minuscule detail that didn't escape Ri Jeong Hyeok. "Don't you use that face on me, Ri Jeong Hyeok. I was just checking if you cleaned up after yourself."

"Were you expecting me to be gone so soon?" Jeong Hyeok asked as he checked his watch and peeked at the window for good measure. "It's still raining."

A part of her was wondering where the NABO shirt was. Did he stuff it inside his suitcase to take it back? "I took the liberty of using your washer and dryer last night, if you don't mind." Jeong Hyeok quipped, as if he could read her mind.

"I do." She only replied, eliciting a chuckle from the man. He walked past her like he owned the place, giving her a smile so bright it mirrored the sun she hasn't seen for days now.

He was so smug for no reason, that Ri Jeong Hyeok, but in retrospect, Yoon Seri involuntarily sighed in relief that she wasn't left alone again for this morning.

For all her logical reasoning and intelligence, sometimes she couldn't even understand herself.

She followed Ri Jeong Hyeok to the kitchen, watching as he operated her coffee machine with ease. Seri interjected, partly because this is becoming very close to her past memories of him and partly because she didn't want him to leave her with new ones.

The assemblywoman grabbed his hand and gently yanked him away in front of the coffee machine, "Let me do it—". She absolutely had no idea how he maneuvered her hold into him such that he was the one holding her now, but all she knew was that his grip on her was gentle, and it reminded her of the last time he held her like that.