Chapter 15.1

Chapter 15.1

“What’s wrong with your foot?”

“.…”

His low murmur seemed more like he was talking to himself than asking her a question. With his menacing demeanor, it sounded like he was picking a fight. Yeon-ha tried to respond, but he was quicker.

“Can’t you go down by yourself?” His curt tone snapped Yeon-ha back to reality.

“No. I’m going,” she said, trying to sound composed as she looked away from him. She gripped her crutches and took a step. She wasn’t used to them yet, making her movements awkward. A sigh of frustration sounded from behind her. She pretended not to hear and took another step forward.

“Hey.”

Startled by his sudden closeness, Yeon-ha flinched. Her overreaction was clear even to herself, but with the wooden stick in his hand, he looked undeniably threatening. Watching her wide eyes and white-knuckled grip on the crutches, a slight smirk twisted his lips.

“Why do you get scared so easily?”

“…”

“Just get on my back.”

“…What?”

“I said, get on.”

Before she could respond, he tossed the stick to the ground with a loud clatter that made her jump. He swiftly took her crutches and then bent down in front of her. His broad back loomed before her, leaving her blinking in confusion. She hadn’t anticipated this and didn’t know how to react.

The man, still not turning around, urged her impatiently.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and get on.”

Yeon-ha was about to protest when he suddenly straightened up and looked down at her.

“Is it because my hands are dirty?”

‘What was he talking about?’ As Yeon-ha tried to make sense of his words, he took a step toward the storage room, still holding the crutches.

They had seemed so heavy and cumbersome when she held them, but in his hands, they appeared effortless.

Returning quickly, he stood in front of her again, propping the crutches against the wall. He began vigorously wiping his hands with a wet tissue, scrubbing as if he were trying to remove every last bit of grime. Yeon-ha watched, mesmerized, trying to understand his actions. His behavior was entirely unpredictable.

“Is that better?”

Better? Yeon-ha wasn’t sure what he meant, but he extended his large, clean hand towards her as if to prove his point. He bent down again, preparing to offer his back. Yeon-ha, alarmed, quickly spoke up.

“I can go down by myself.”

“You weren’t able to go down by yourself.”

“No, I can. Just give me the crutches.”

When he didn’t, she insisted, trying to sound firm, “I can go on my own.”

The man’s expression turned inscrutable. He straightened up, looking down at her with an icy demeanor. Yeon-ha could only manage a brief glance at his broad shoulders, feeling a wave of mild dizziness. She was trying her best not to show it.

Without another word, he handed her the crutches. As Yeon-ha took them, feeling a brief moment of relief, he stopped her.

“Wait a minute.”

Yeon-ha, who had readied her crutches to descend the stairs, was stopped again by the man. She couldn’t help but feel exasperated as she turned to face him with a troubled expression. His face remained inscrutable.

“It’s a bit awkward to mention this with you being injured, but–”

His unexpectedly reasonable tone surprised her but was fleeting. It was overshadowed by his next question, which hit her like a ton of bricks.

“So, when are you planning to pay the rent?”

Her mind went blank with the shock of it. His tone was genuinely inquisitive rather than accusatory, and his steady gaze seemed to pierce through her as she stood frozen.

Her thoughts raced, overwhelmed by the absurdity of the situation.

She had completely forgotten about paying the rent. While she had been dutifully paying utility bills every month, the most significant expense, the rent, had slipped her mind.

The realization hit her with a dizzying intensity. Her grandmother had been handling the rent payments for this house. In her previous place, Yeon-ha had managed the transfers, but after moving here, her grandmother had taken over, saying it was more convenient to use the ATM next to the restaurant.

She had asked Yeon-ha to check the dates occasionally to avoid forgetting. Yeon-ha had asked once or twice right after moving in, but after that, her grandmother handled it all.

‘Even so, this is too much.’

Even if she had been preoccupied, how could she have forgotten such an essential expense? Why had she not considered this obvious financial responsibility?

Her lips moved on their accord as her mind raced. “So… how many months are we behind?”