Chapter 09
Delusional Love
Ji-an had been lying in bed, ready to sleep, when she hurriedly changed clothes and rushed out. She arrived at the police substation in a daze.
She pushed open the glass door with enough force to nearly break it and frantically looked around, her face flushed with anxiety.
“Director!”
Sa-heon’s back came into view. The moment Ji-an saw his broad, neatly squared shoulders beneath his perfectly styled black hair, her racing heart finally seemed to settle back into place.
“You’re here?”
Sa-heon spotted Ji-an and smiled as he set down the porcelain teacup in his hand.
Why was there a porcelain teacup in a police substation?
Ji-an was puzzled for a moment before finally realizing just how strangely peaceful the inside of the station was.
“Are you…… all right?”
“Chief. This is my girlfriend.”
“Director!”
Ji-an’s eyes widened in alarm as she shot him a warning look. He chuckled and corrected himself.
“……No, my secretary, Han Ji-an.”
“Good evening!”
The middle-aged police officer sitting across from Sa-heon stood and greeted her politely. Ji-an hurriedly wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead with the back of her hand and bowed.
“Hello……”
Sa-heon leisurely rose from his seat and asked,
“May we leave now?”
“Ah, yes! Please get home safely!”
Ji-an stared blankly at his broad back as he walked ahead of her.
What on earth was going on?
For someone who had called her in the middle of the night saying he was at the police station, he seemed far too calm.
“There’s a step at your feet, so be careful.”
Sa-heon walked ahead and held the glass door open for her. Still bewildered, Ji-an stepped outside the station, and the cool early-summer night air brushed against her cheeks.
Only then did she finally ask the question she’d been holding back.
“Director, what happened?”
“Chief Secretary Choi took care of it.”
“Already?”
She had come running the moment she’d received his call. Had she really taken that long?
No, if he’d called Chief Secretary Choi, did he honestly need to call her too?
Ji-an rubbed the back of her neck, trailing off with a mixture of confusion and slight resentment.
“Ah, I didn’t know. I just ran over as soon as I got your call……”
“Right. Someone from Vice President Lee Jae-kwon’s side came to my house and left. He must have had something he wanted to take from me.”
“Oh my goodness, really?”
Ji-an covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes widening.
Seeing her innocent reaction, Sa-heon almost smiled. He rubbed his chin and nodded solemnly instead.
“Yes. I almost really died this time. They left the entire house looking like a disaster area.”
He’d add a little exaggeration for good measure.
“That sounds really serious…… Why on earth are they doing this……”
“Still, I don’t think they realized that I’ve lost my memories.”
“That’s a relief, at least.”
Ji-an’s expression darkened as she let out a deep sigh.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Chirrrp, chirrrp.
The insects in the grass filled the silence.
“Well, then…… should I drive you home?”
After the awkward silence, Ji-an took her car keys from her pocket and pressed the button.
The white compact car parked in front of the police substation blinked its lights.
Sa-heon’s eyebrow rose and fell in surprise.
“I didn’t know you had a car.”
“I don’t drive it often. Only when I really need to.”
“Did you really worry that much about me?”
At his teasing question, Ji-an, who had been fanning her T-shirt to cool herself down, froze.
“Th-that goes without saying. You called me in the middle of the night and said you were at a police station. Who wouldn’t be worried?”
“Chief Secretary Choi didn’t seem particularly concerned.”
“Chief Secretary Choi is exceptionally brave.”
“So, in other words, you were worried.”
“Are you getting in or not?”
Ji-an changed the subject and pointed toward the car.
Sa-heon shrugged and followed her.
Click.
The passenger door closed.
Ji-an started the engine and stole a glance at Sa-heon.
With his tall frame and broad shoulders filling the passenger seat, the already tiny car suddenly felt even smaller.
“Your place is……”
Ji-an hid her embarrassment as she secured her phone to the holder, opened the navigation app, and searched for his address.
“You’re telling me to go home right now?”
“What?”
Sa-heon sighed and pressed a hand against his forehead, his brow furrowing as though even imagining it was painful.
“I just told you I nearly died there.”
“Then would you like to go to a hotel? I’ll make a reservation right away.”
“No. What would I be trusting them for? If those bastards found a house with tight security, do you really think they wouldn’t be able to find me at a hotel? They’d probably come running the moment they heard. Hotels are exactly the kind of place anyone can come and go from.”
“Then what are we supposed to……”
“I don’t have anywhere to go. It’s already past midnight.”
“Should I call Chief Secretary Choi?”
“He told me to go straight home and rest once he finished everything. You want me to call him back?”
Isn’t that what you always do?
Ji-an couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud. She simply rolled her eyes around awkwardly.
“I’ll just sleep in your car, Ji-an. It actually seems safer here. The sun rises early these days anyway. What could possibly happen? It’s certainly safer than my house.”
He sank his large body into the passenger seat, loosely pulled the seat belt across himself, and closed his eyes.
In the unbearably awkward silence, Ji-an hesitated before finally parting her lips.
“Th-then…… would you like to come to my place, at least?”
“Sure.”
Sa-heon answered immediately, without even a second of hesitation.
Ji-an reluctantly turned the steering wheel.
Ji-an repeatedly glanced behind her as she entered the door-lock password and opened the front door.
“My place is a little small. But it should be fine for you to stay one night.”
“Excuse me.”
Sa-heon took off his loafers beside the slippers Ji-an had left at the entrance and looked around her tiny home.
A small sink was positioned right beside the entrance, with storage cabinets and a drum washing machine underneath it.
Without even needing to turn his head much, he could see the cozy living room, where a two-person ivory sofa sat in front of a small side table. A half-eaten sandwich sat abandoned on the table.
On the opposite wall was a small television, and beside it was a doorway that appeared to lead to the bedroom.
The entire place was small enough to take in at a glance, yet somehow it felt incredibly cozy.
It was almost as if he’d stepped into the newlywed home of a loving couple living together in a warm, intimate little space.
I need to find a way to stay here.
Sa-heon made up his mind the moment he stepped inside.
“Haa…… The more I think about it, the scarier it gets.”
Sa-heon rubbed his forehead and muttered.
“What?”
“I still can’t believe this situation. I nearly got into danger again immediately after being discharged. My heart’s still pounding.”
“Ah……”
Ji-an looked up at him with an awkward expression.
For someone claiming to be frightened, his face was far too calm.
“You don’t believe it?”
“No…… It’s not that I don’t believe you. I was just wondering if there’s anything that actually scares you, Director.”
“I’m serious. Just thinking about going back to that house already makes me feel overwhelmed.”
He let out a small sigh and sat down on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Ji-an, the actual owner of the house, couldn’t decide whether to sit or stand and simply paced around the living room while stealing glances at him.
When she lived alone, she’d thought of the sofa as the perfect size for lying down.
But with someone as tall as Sa-heon sitting on it, it suddenly looked unbelievably small.
“Don’t worry. I’ll contact the security company tomorrow and have them strengthen the security.”
“I don’t find that very reassuring. I wonder if a security company would really make any difference.”
Watching him sit there comfortably and leisurely survey the place as though it were his own home made Ji-an feel like a bird that had just had its nest stolen by a snake.
Ji-an moistened her lips with her tongue, and Sa-heon’s gaze immediately settled on her.
“Are you hot?”
“What? Ah, just a little.”
“Your face is red.”
Feeling even warmer for no reason, Ji-an fanned her T-shirt and hurriedly changed the subject.
“Director, would you like something to drink?”
“What do you have?”
“Uh……”
The moment Ji-an opened the refrigerator, Sa-heon stood up from his seat. He placed one hand against the refrigerator door and leaned his upper body slightly toward her from behind.
His face was right beside hers.
His high nose, sharp jawline, and the familiar scent that always seemed to surround him felt especially strong tonight.
“Why?”
Their eyes met, and he smiled gently.
Ji-an quickly turned her head away and hurriedly avoided his gaze.
“No, no. I mean, there’s sparkling water and juice……”
“Could you just give me a glass of water?”
“Ah, yes!”
Ji-an quickly poured him a glass of bottled water and handed it over with an awkward smile.
“I don’t really have anything to eat at home.”
“That’s fine. I didn’t come here to eat.”
At least, not anything else.
Sa-heon hid the rest of his thought and smiled with his eyes slightly curved. Ji-an rubbed the back of her neck hesitantly.
Sa-heon paused while drinking his water and asked,
“Did you want to say something?”
“No.”
Tick, tick, tick.
In the silence that settled over the living room, the second hand of the wall clock sounded unusually loud.
Ji-an rubbed the back of her neck again and avoided his gaze before opening the storage cabinet above the sink. She took out a new toothbrush and handed it to him.
“You can use this toothbrush, and as for sleeping……”
Her large eyes shifted toward the bedroom as she swallowed nervously.
Why am I so nervous?
Sa-heon gave a quiet chuckle and answered.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Oh, you will?”
Ji-an’s face visibly brightened. She quickly went into the bedroom, brought out a blanket, placed it on the sofa, and gave him an awkward smile.
“Then, good night.”
“Thank you.”
Click.
Ji-an slipped into her room and closed the door.
Her neck was bright red, though.
Who was going to eat her?
Sa-heon laughed quietly and placed the mug on the side table.
After washing up quickly in the bathroom, Sa-heon lay down on the sofa.
His legs stuck out beyond the end, but it was still just large enough for him to lie down.
When he buried his nose in the sky-blue striped blanket, the soft scent of Ji-an’s body lingered warmly around him.
Whether the faint smile on his lips was a hollow laugh or one of satisfaction was impossible to tell.
Either way, it was a night of deep sleep that had gone exactly according to plan.
