Chapter 8
Alice Enters the House of Silence
A white luxury car entered the highway.
Yeonhee kept glancing at Jihan’s skillful driving. The space between his thick eyebrows was slightly furrowed, as if he were deeply lost in thought.
He’s really focused on driving.
Instead of speaking to him, she looked out the window at the scenery rushing by.
Come to think of it, she had never been to the sea before, nor had she ever really traveled anywhere.
Beyond the road stretched wide green fields lined with trees. Yellow flowers and red flowers bloomed here and there, making it feel as though she had stepped into a watercolor painting.
Was there really a place like this in our country?
Looking at scenery she had never seen before made her feel as though she had fallen through a rabbit hole into Wonderland.
Then Mr. Yun Jihan must be the White Rabbit.
And I’m Alice, following the White Rabbit into Wonderland.
A faint smile appeared on Yeonhee’s lips.
She had met Jihan three times already, and every single time he had been wearing the same gray suit with a matching vest. Because of that, she had secretly thought he looked just like the White Rabbit with his pocket watch.
“By the way… is ‘The King’s Ears Are Donkey Ears’ doing well?”
Jihan suddenly spoke, startling Yeonhee out of her thoughts.
“What ears?”
She looked at him in confusion.
Then a memory flashed through her mind.
“…Why bury your secret here?”
“Well… carrying a secret in your heart is harder than people think. There are things you can’t tell your friends or even your family, right? People come here to bury those secrets.”
“…Like saying, ‘The king’s ears are donkey ears,’ or something…”
It was the first day Jihan had visited Damcheongwon.
She remembered laughing because he had mentioned the title of a fairy tale with such a serious face.
“Hehe… Please call it Damcheongwon. It’s only closed for today. But why do you ask?”
“I figured it must be exhausting… listening to people’s secrets all day. Isn’t it hard?”
It is.
I started this because I wanted to understand love… but it’s becoming too much.
The more people leave their secrets behind… the heavier my own secret becomes.
There were so many things she wanted to say.
Instead, she quietly pressed the scar on her wrist with her fingers, unaware that Jihan’s eyes had drifted toward it.
“…It’s nothing.”
Changing the subject, Yeonhee looked out the window again.
Not long ago they had been passing through bright green fields, but now the atmosphere had completely changed.
Is it going to rain?
It was only four in the afternoon, yet the sky darkened rapidly.
Before long, raindrops began tapping against the windshield.
Tap… Tap… Patter…
Soon the rain poured down violently, making it difficult to see the road ahead.
Then thunder and lightning began crashing through the sky as though it were breaking apart.
“This won’t do.”
Jihan glanced at Yeonhee with concern.
She looked just as worried.
“We’d better stop somewhere nearby until the rain lets up.”
“Where? All I’ve seen are trees and mountains. I didn’t notice any cafés or anything.”
“If we take the road on the right, we’ll reach town. I know a place nearby. We can wait there until the rain eases.”
Keeping both hands firmly on the steering wheel, Jihan stared through the curtain of rain on the windshield.
He had never imagined that he would bring Yeonhee there.
It’ll be fine.
We’re only staying for a little while.
The car turned onto the road to the right.
It was heading toward the house where Jihan had spent more than half of his twenty-nine years living in silence.
Whoosh—
Even after the car stopped in front of the large mansion, the rain showed no sign of stopping.
The moment they parked, both of them ran through the downpour into the house.
Standing by the front door, they shook the rain from their clothes and hair.
Only then did an awkward silence settle between them.
“This belongs to someone I know. Because of unavoidable circumstances…”
He paused briefly.
“It’s empty now, so please make yourself comfortable.”
Yeonhee nodded slightly and stepped inside.
Creak…
The wooden floor groaned beneath her feet.
Jihan entered first, felt along the wall, and flipped the light switch.
The living room immediately filled with warm light.
“It’s been empty for a long time, so it’ll probably be cold. I’ll turn on the heater. Please make yourself comfortable.”
Standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room, Yeonhee looked around.
The floor-to-ceiling window showed a gloomy sky outside.
Rain slammed against the glass, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Just as Jihan had said, the house felt cold.
Or perhaps it was simply the gloomy weather.
Either way, a chilly air lingered throughout the room.
Unconsciously wrapping her arms around herself, Yeonhee wandered around the living room.
Then Jihan suddenly appeared again.
“I’ve turned the heater on. It should warm up soon.”
He smiled lightly.
“Would you like some tea while we wait?”
Still looking worriedly out the window, Yeonhee turned and nodded.
“There should be something in the kitchen if we look.”
After the tall Jihan disappeared into the kitchen, the living room somehow felt even emptier.
Yeonhee carefully sat down on the sofa and quietly observed the room.
Most of the house was built from wood.
The furniture was wooden as well.
Perhaps because of that, Yeonhee—with her sky-blue blouse and white skirt—looked even more like a stranger who didn’t belong there.
Since we couldn’t go to the beach…
Is our ‘date’ over just like this?
Throughout the day, Jihan had treated her exactly the way a boyfriend would.
He had come to Damcheongwon to pick her up.
He had opened the car door for her.
He had taken her to a nice restaurant.
He had looked after her with quiet kindness.
And yet…
Something felt missing.
Something very important.
Looking at her rain-soaked reflection in the window, Yeonhee slowly walked toward the glass.
Darkness seemed to rise up, ready to swallow her whole.
The closer she got, the louder the rain sounded, as though hundreds of stones were striking the window.
Ah…
That’s what’s missing.
The louder the rain became, the faster her heart raced.
Just then—
Creeeak…
The wooden floor let out another eerie groan.
Startled, she spun around with a sharp intake of breath.
“Ah… I’m sorry if I startled you. I called your name, but you didn’t answer.”
Jihan stopped a short distance away.
His light gray trousers and vest had turned dark from the rain.
Rolling up the sleeves of his soaked shirt, he spoke calmly.
“The rain is coming down too heavily. The roads will be terribly congested even if we leave now.”
He held out a set of clothes.
“You should change first. I searched around the house for something that might fit you, though… I haven’t been here in ten years, so I’m not entirely sure…”
His businesslike explanation suddenly came to a halt.
Her wet hair.
Her flushed cheeks.
Her small lips.
The blouse rising and falling gently with each breath.
Everything came into view at once.
She had somehow walked right up to him.
“…What are you doing?”
“You promised you’d teach me about love.”
Yeonhee stepped closer.
Jihan instinctively stepped back.
Even so, they remained close enough to hear each other’s heartbeat.
As Yeonhee brushed her damp hair behind her ear, the sweet scent of pomegranate drifted toward him.
What kind of shampoo does she use?
…What am I thinking?
Closing his eyes tightly for a brief moment, Jihan deliberately looked past her toward the rain-covered window.
Outside, there wasn’t a single streetlight.
Only endless darkness.
“I told you… only for one day.”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“If it’s only one day… then I really want to know what true love is.”
Her light brown eyes sparkled with determination and innocent curiosity.
Still refusing to meet her gaze, Jihan murmured,
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“For example…”
Before he could respond—
Yeonhee rose onto her tiptoes.
She gently pressed her lips against his.
Just a quick kiss.
Like stamping a seal.
Looking up at him with shining eyes, she smiled.
“…What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
His ears had already turned bright red.
Suppressing his emotions, he spoke in a restrained voice.
Did I do something wrong?
She had never seen him show any obvious emotion before.
Seeing that he seemed upset frightened her.
“Don’t people who love each other… usually do things like this?”
As she answered, she unconsciously took one step backward.
Then another.
Creak… Creak…
The wooden floor protested beneath her feet.
“Do you really want to know?”
This time, Jihan advanced one step each time she retreated.
His dark eyes were unusually serious beneath his damp hair.
“K-know what?”
Her leg suddenly bumped into something.
She lost her balance and sat down.
It was the armrest of the leather sofa.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
“If you’re angry… I’m sorr—”
She barely managed to whisper the apology before freezing.
Jihan had come so close that she instinctively leaned backward onto the sofa.
In doing so, she gave him the perfect excuse to brace himself over her.
His thick eyebrows.
His dark eyes staring straight into hers.
His sharply defined nose.
It was the first time she had ever seen his face from so close.
Her gaze slowly traveled downward.
Finally stopping at his lips.
Then Jihan whispered in a low voice,
“I asked if you wanted to know.”
His eyes never left hers.
“What true love is.”
“W-wait…”
She tried to answer.
But he gave her no chance.
His lips claimed hers without hesitation.
As though the fate of the entire world depended on her lips alone.
Each time she gasped for breath, his soft lips found hers again, refusing to leave even the smallest space between them.
Their rain-soaked clothes had long since stopped serving any purpose.
Through the thin, wet fabric, they could clearly feel each other’s warmth.
At first Yeonhee had been startled.
But before long she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and accepted his kiss completely.
Their kiss deepened until even her trembling eyelashes fluttered.
The countless questions filling her mind disappeared into endless darkness.
She wanted only one thing—
To become more deeply entangled with him.
To be held even more tightly.
At last…
Their lips slowly separated.
Her light brown eyes immediately searched for his lips again.
More…
Please…
Though her silent plea was almost visible, Jihan paid it no mind.
He had been worried about the awkward position she was lying in all along.
Carefully wrapping an arm around her waist, he helped her sit up.
Naturally, she ended up clinging to his neck.
For someone with Jihan’s strong build, her weight was effortless.
Leaning back against the sofa, he settled her onto his lap.
Then he kissed her once more.
The house had gone years without heating.
It should have been freezing.
Yet wherever their skin touched burned with warmth.
Like someone standing at the edge of a cliff, Yeonhee gripped his broad shoulders tightly with both hands.
As though only his lips could keep her from falling.
While the warmth passed between them, Jihan slowly undid the buttons of her rain-soaked blouse, one by one.
From the moment their lips first met, she had been unable to think clearly.
Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole…
She simply surrendered herself to the endless descent.
The damp air filling the house.
The warmth between their bodies.
The softness of his lips.
Everything blurred her senses.
At this moment…
Nothing else mattered.
Not the fact that he hated love.
Nor the fact that Yeonhee could not feel love at all.
