Chapter 52.1

Chapter 52.1

“This is… Suho’s?”

The ID tucked inside the wallet belonged to Suho. The birth year printed beneath his name, the face in the small photo—everything matched the Suho she knew.

“Why do I have this…?”

Frowning, Ara tried to piece it together. Then, as if a lightbulb flicked on, she finally realized.

“Did it fall in when we bumped into each other?”

It had been a pretty hard collision, and she’d been distracted at the time, so the details of that moment were fuzzy. But she was certain she hadn’t had the wallet in her bag when she left home this morning. And the only time she’d seen Suho that day was then. It must have accidentally slipped into her bag during the encounter.

He’s not still looking for it, is he? I need to let him know I have it…

“Where’s my phone?”

Ara began rummaging through the mess she’d made earlier until she found it. But as soon as she lit up the screen, an icon blinked in the upper right corner—no signal.

“Right… there’s no reception in here.”

Clicking her tongue in frustration, she sifted through her memory.

No regular electronics work inside this place. Phones, texts, messaging apps, internet—none of it. GPS? Not a chance.

But I got a deposit notification yesterday.

That wasn’t from the actual goblin house.

Then she remembered—there was reception just outside the goblin house, near the Labyrinth Garden.

“I’ll have to head out. If I stay here, I won’t get any calls from him.”

With a groan, Ara pulled herself up, her whole body still sore.

She placed Suho’s wallet in the drawer of the nightstand next to her bed. She planned to send a message and come back to finish cleaning up.

As for Seok-kyung’s gift…

After a brief hesitation, Ara placed the necklace back into its case and set it on the table. Just looking at it still left her feeling unsettled. She wasn’t ready to wear it yet.

“Na Ara. Where are you going?”

As she stepped into the living room, Baekseol, who’d been lazily sprawled across the sofa, perked up her ears and asked.

“Just stepping out to the old house near the Labyrinth Garden for a bit.”

“Why there?”

“I need to send a message, but there’s no reception here. I’ll be quick. Just one text and I’ll be right back.”

Ara kept it brief and stepped out to the front door. Her eyes instinctively searched for her worn-out sneakers, but instead landed on a pair of brand-new, pristine white ones. She paused.

Still, she slid her feet into the unfamiliar shoes. The stiff, untouched texture of the material made her think of things that were no longer present, things she wasn’t ready to let go of.

Start with the right foot.

Like… the sound of Seok-kyung’s voice as he knelt in front of her to help her put them on. Or the way his fingers had brushed gently around her ankles.

She let out a long, heavy sigh.

No one could be more ridiculous. A so-called decent housekeeper, acting like this.

Just as the breath escaped her lips—

“Hey. What’s wrong with you? Don’t tell me—debt collectors?”

Baekseol had followed her to the door, tilting her head, clearly misunderstanding the sigh.

Ara quickly waved her hands.

“No, no. You remember, right? That senior we bumped into at the vegetable stall the day we went to the market?”

“Oh, that human guy?”

“Yeah. I ran into him again at the department store today, and I think one of his things accidentally ended up in my bag. I figured he’s probably looking for it, so I wanted to let him know.”

“Seriously? That’s all?”

Baekseol licked her lips lazily, then turned around.

“Go on then. Don’t take too long.”

Her fluffy tail gave a calm little flick as she padded back toward the living room.

Ara stepped out through the front door and crossed the yard. The honeywort planted neatly beneath the zelkova tree swayed gently in the breeze, as if waving her off.

Even so, she couldn’t smile. To think she could see someone’s face in a simple flower… it really was an illness.

“Crazy. I’m completely out of my mind…”

Muttering under her breath, Ara pushed the heavy iron gate open with all her strength. The moment she stepped through the crack, the world around her warped like a soaked watercolor, the scenery dissolving and reshaping into something new.

The old house was as silent as ever. Not even a single bird passed overhead. Only the soft sound of wind circled the quiet courtyard.

Ara sat down on the wooden veranda and pulled out her phone. This time, the signal icon lit up at the top of the screen. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the number saved as <Suho sunbae> and tapped it.

[Suho sunbae, it’s Ara. I think your wallet might’ve ended up in my bag when we bumped into each other earlier. I just wanted to check in case you were looking for it.]