Me and Sieun were dropped off by the bus, and I couldn't shake the feeling that another group of them was following us. He walked me to my door, then headed home himself. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with a text from him: "I'm home."
Relief washed over me, but it was quickly followed by another message: "Stay home. Don't go outside unnecessarily." I sent him a thumbs-up, already feeling the unease creeping back in.
After taking a shower, I busied myself cleaning the couch, trying to push the whole situation out of my mind. But just as I started to relax, I heard a loud banging on the door. My heart raced instantly.
His jaw clenched, and for a moment, he just stared at me, his eyes darker than I'd ever seen them. "You're seriously going to stand there and pretend like nothing happened?" His voice was cold, controlled.
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words hitting me. "I... what do you mean?"
"The fight." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, his tone sharp. "You think I wouldn't find out? You took on two guys-armed guys-and didn't think to tell me?"
I shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. "It wasn't that big of a deal, I handled it..."
His eyes flashed, and he took a step closer, looming over me. "Handled it? You call this handling it?" He grabbed my arm gently, but his grip was firm as he pointed to the faint cut from earlier. "You could've been hurt worse. Do you even realize how reckless that was?"
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't come out. He was right, but I hated how overprotective he was being. "Sieun, I'm fine. I didn't want to worry you."
His expression didn't soften. If anything, he looked more frustrated. "That's not the point. You could've gotten yourself killed." His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper, but it was cold, laced with anger. "You don't get to decide when I get worried."
I stared at him, speechless, as the tension in the room thickened. The silence felt suffocating. He didn't move, his gaze locked onto mine, making it impossible to look away.
"I'm not just going to stand by and watch you throw yourself into danger like that," he muttered, his voice rough. "I don't care how capable you think you are. Next time, you tell me."
The protective edge in his words sent a shiver down my spine, but the iciness in his tone left me speechless.
"I promise I won’t keep things to myself anymore, okay? But I'm not a kid; I can handle stuff like this," I said.
"I'm not questioning your ability, but please, just let me know if something like this happens again, alright?" he replied, his voice firm yet caring. I nodded in agreement.
"Wait, did you tell Sooho?" I asked, suddenly filled with dread.
"Yeah, why—"
"Oh, hell no!" I interrupted, running my hand through my hair in frustration. "That idiot's going to kill me."
"Why would he—" Sieun began, but before he could finish, the doorbell rang, followed by a loud yell. "Yaa, Kang Eunji! Get your ass out here right now!"
