Chapter 54.1

Chapter 54.1

After that day, Ara began seeing Suho from time to time.

Their meetings were brief, usually just a meal or a cup of coffee. Even as the number of visits grew, the conversations between them remained mostly the same.

“I tried that geotjeori recipe you told me about yesterday. It turned out really good. Do you have any other simple dishes I could try?”

In sharing those small, ordinary parts of daily life, Ara found a quiet comfort in the simplicity of a normal human connection.

“Not going to the market today?”

Perhaps because they were able to claim plenty of personal rewards in exchange for helping her get in and out, Cheong-seon and Baekseol had grown fond of Ara’s market trips. At some point, they even started making specific requests for things they wanted her to bring back.

Seasonal fruits, street snacks from the stalls, and ingredients that would become new dishes in the goblin kitchen.

As she busied herself dodging Boss Jang’s men and hauling supplies back to the house, the heat of summer gradually softened. Mornings and evenings had started to cool. After Chuseok (new year), it would likely turn cold in no time.

“I slept fine last night. So why am I still so tired…”

Getting ready for another trip to the market, Ara tapped her stiff shoulders.

Maybe it was the changing weather. Lately, her energy had been dipping for no clear reason. She was eating well and sleeping enough, but her body felt unusually sluggish.

“Na Ara.”

The moment she heard someone call her name, the drowsiness clouding her eyes disappeared in an instant, as if a spell had been broken.

“Kim Seok-kyung?”

Of course, the voice belonged to Seok-kyung. In this house, he was the only one who ever called her like that.

“Didn’t you leave for work early this morning?”

Since the day he had filled her wardrobe from top to bottom with department store finds, Seok-kyung had been busier than ever. He often skipped meals, and they rarely sat down together. At most, once or twice a week.

Ara started preparing light meals for him and left them on the table each night. It was through those small gestures that she checked in on him. The empty plate let her know he had come home safely. It comforted her and worried her at the same time.

Because if she was being honest, this unfamiliar feeling growing inside her would be easier to manage if she saw him as little as possible.

Having that face right in front of her made it hard to stay calm, no matter how hard she tried.

“Why are you back so early? Are you not feeling well?”

So when she found herself face-to-face with Seok-kyung in the middle of the day, Ara felt an odd flutter of nerves.

“That’s what I should be asking.”

He stepped into the kitchen, looking tired, and downed a glass of water. Then he frowned. His shadow loomed large as he crossed the space between them in just a few strides, stopping only when he was close enough to reach her.

“Ara. Are you feeling sick?”

“Me? Do I look sick?”

Ara rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hand, trying to cool the quiet warmth rising beneath her skin.

“I’m fine. I probably just look a little tired because of the changing weather.”

The answer didn’t seem to satisfy him. His handsome brow furrowed into a sharp line and didn’t relax.

With arms crossed, Seok-kyung scanned her from head to toe, his gaze like a blade searching for hidden flaws in a sculpture. It moved up the nape of her neck and crawled to the edge of her hairline.

“Is that new? I’ve never seen it before.”

His eyes landed on the ribbon-shaped hair clip holding back Ara’s hair. Made of black velvet, it was adorned at the center with a shiny gold emblem of a well-known luxury brand.

“Oh, this? It was a gift.”

“A gift?”

Seok-kyung’s neatly drawn eyebrows tilted, clearly displeased.

“Yeah.”

“From who?”

“Suho sunbae.”

The name slipped out, and with it, Seok-kyung’s stare sharpened further.

“He’s a senior from high school. He’s working here now at the local public health center. I see him briefly when I go shopping. A grandma he was treating apparently brought in a whole bunch of these and said to give them to any young women around.”

“Whoever he is, sounds like he’s loaded. A grandmother bringing luxury hair clips as casual gifts?”

Seok-kyung gave a dry laugh, clearly unimpressed. Ara lifted a hand to touch the clip, letting out an awkward chuckle.

“Oh, no. He said they’re all fake. Just cheap knockoffs from the market. You know, the kind that just sort of resemble the real thing?”

“Right. Let’s say that’s true.”

He sighed shortly.

“But why are you wearing it?”

His voice had turned cold, sharper than before. The question sounded like it came from a detective grilling a suspect.

Ara flinched slightly at the harsh tone but tried to act unfazed. She bit her lip and forced herself to stay calm.

Maybe he’s just annoyed because it’s a knockoff. He’s picky about fashion. That must be it.

Trying to reassure herself, she gave the only answer she could.

“It’s not like he could give it to someone else, and I figured it’d just go to waste. I don’t really meet people unless I go to the market anyway. As long as it holds my hair in place, that’s enough for me…”

“Ara.”