TUW | CHAPTER 11

Chapter 11

Properly Drunk

Her hair had been covering it, so he hadn’t noticed before.

But Lee-yeon’s jawline was delicate, slender.

Her face, fully revealed, looked smaller than even Do-hyun’s hand.

His gaze, which had lingered on her face, slid down to her attire.

It was obvious she had been preparing a meal for the two of them.

Do-hyun studied her quietly, his eyes fixed.

Lee-yeon’s startled eyes sparkled when they met his.

That look, though they’d known each other for years, felt unfamiliar.

Her eyes hadn’t always been this bright, this wide and clear.

The subtle difference had been nagging at Do-hyun lately.

When he looked again at her awkward, almost comical outfit frozen stiff like a stone statue.

A laugh slipped out.

Still, the thought of her carefully cooking and waiting for him didn’t feel bad.

Feeling oddly good, Do-hyun teased her.

It was the first time he had felt such a strange flutter in his chest.

The feeling made him awkward in his own skin, and so, afraid someone might notice, he quickly hid it.

The budae-jjigae she had made tasted every bit as good as its mouthwatering smell.

Before long, empty bottles began to pile up.

This time, his eyes drifted to the clothes she had changed into.

Even at home long sleeves?

In this heat?

He had never once seen her in short sleeves.

Not once had she worn anything truly comfortable, even inside the house.

Well, we hardly run into each other that often, living together like this.

Did she have scars she wanted to hide?

When he casually asked, her answer caught him off guard.

Her voice was steady, but the reason was anything but ordinary.

A so-called uncle, really a wolf in disguise, had once laid hands on her.

At that, something in Do-hyun’s chest roared.

A sudden surge of fury boiled up from deep inside.

Why was he so angry?

Was it some fierce sense of possession?

Even if she was only his wife in name, they were married now.

So, of course, he would feel rage at another man touching his wife.

That explanation seemed reasonable enough.

And yet, a dull ache still pressed against his heart.

“That worthless bastard is a disgrace to all men,” was the calmest response he could muster.

But then came another blow her male friend, too, had confessed feelings for her.

Do-hyun’s brows arched sharply.

Why had he hovered around her like that?

What made her so irresistibly magnetic that even a longtime friend had been harbouring feelings for years?

As he listened, his eyebrows kept twitching and jerking upward.

One man, then another… What next?

Would Seok-sam and even Neoguri be lining up after her too?

“Just try showing up, see what happens.”

Ha… Ahn Do-hyun, what the hell are you even thinking?

Do-hyun slowly unclenched the fist he hadn’t realised he was holding.

He told himself these thoughts were nothing more than drunken ramblings, the kind of nonsense that would vanish by morning.

Maybe it was because Lee-Yeon had shared pieces of her past.

Without meaning to, Do-hyun found himself spilling words he had never once given to anyone.

Secrets he had buried deep, wounds he had sworn never to unearth.

And yet, with her, it somehow felt… safe.

As if telling Lee-yeon wouldn’t destroy him.

Her memorial day is coming soon, he realised, and a chill settled heavy in his eyes.

His mother’s death anniversary was drawing near.

Of course, Lee-yeon had fallen asleep before he could finish speaking.

Now she lay slumped in front of him, utterly defenceless.

What the hell am I supposed to do with her like this?

Frustration tangled in his chest, Do-hyun raked a hand through his hair.

He gave her arm a little poke.

Nothing.

Not even the slightest twitch.

He let out a soft sigh.

Dragging her up to the second floor wasn’t an option, but barging into her bedroom wasn’t exactly something he could do either.

The old Do-hyun wouldn’t have cared.

He would’ve just left her there and gone into his own room.

She’d wake up and find her way back eventually.

But now… her awkward posture on the couch wouldn’t leave his sight.

It bothered him.

“…This is driving me insane.”

He couldn’t offer his own bed, so the only solution was to carry her to the guest room downstairs.

With no other choice, Do-hyun scooped her up.

“…Why are you so light?”

He had assumed, watching her eat with such appetite, that she’d feel heavier.

He had even braced his jaw for it.

But the weight in his arms was barely anything at all.

He loosened his clenched teeth.

All the way to the room, his senses were consumed by her presence.

the curve of her back against one arm,

her slender frame resting across the other.

Every step seemed to magnify the awareness of her body in his arms.

Lowering his head, Do-hyun glanced at her sleeping face.

She was utterly at peace, a calm, unguarded expression softening her features.

The faint scent of her lotion curled around him, teasing at his nose.

Inside the room, he gently laid her down on the bed.

She stirred, shifting this way and that until she found a comfortable position,

Then her lips curved faintly, as if in contentment.

Her oversized hoodie slid to one side,

revealing the delicate line of her neck.

Do-hyun’s gaze froze.

From her slender jawline down to the smooth arc of her throat.

His dark eyes grew deeper, heavier.

“…Properly drunk,” he murmured.

Why can’t I look away?

Yes, he had to be drunk.

Completely drunk.

Or maybe it was just… momentary curiosity.

Do-hyun shook off the wandering thoughts.

He should leave before they tangled further.

He turned to go.

But then his eyes caught on the glasses perched on Lee-yeon’s face.

They looked… uncomfortable.

Should he take them off?

Or leave them?

Why the hell should I care if she’s uncomfortable or not?

And yet, his feet wouldn’t move.

With a quiet sigh, he leaned down and gently slipped the glasses off her face, placing them carefully on the bedside table.

It was the first time he had ever seen her without them.

The dim light spilling faintly through the window cast soft shadows over her.

Her dark lashes stretched long across her cheeks, her nose was straight and refined,

and her lips shifted slightly as she breathed.

Why… does she look beautiful?

Was it just because her eyes were closed?

Was this what people meant when they talked about celebrities looking stunning under perfect lighting?

Lee-yeon, under the faint glow of the window, looked almost unreal.

“…Mmh.”

She stirred, and though there was no danger of being caught, Do-hyun quickly stepped back, closing the door in haste.

He squeezed his eyes shut, as if that could shake away the illusions the alcohol had conjured.

Splashing water on his face was what he needed.

He headed for the bathroom, determined to sober up.

Lee-yeon rubbed her face against the softness of the blanket, frowning as the morning sunlight crept in through the window.

“…Mmh.

What time is it?”

She reached out blindly for her phone.

But then.

What’s with this blanket?

This texture…?

Her furrowed expression eased slowly as she cracked her eyes open.

The room that greeted her was… unfamiliar.

“…What the—?”

Where was she?

Her mind snapped awake.

Last night… hadn’t she been sitting at the table, feeling sorry for young Do-hyun?

Why was everything after that a blur?

What the hell happened?

Panicked, she glanced down at herself.

Thankfully, her wig was still in place, her clothes untouched.

Looking around again, she realised it was the guest room on the first floor.

Did the Vice President carry me here?

No that couldn’t be.

The Do-hyun she knew wasn’t the type of man who would go out of his way to kindly escort a drunk woman to a guest room.

Had she been too drunk to climb the stairs and somehow stumbled in here herself?

On hands and knees, or maybe wobbling on her own two feet?

That had to be it.

There was no other explanation.

Turning her head, her eyes landed on the glasses neatly set on the bedside table.

When… did I take those off?

Lee-yeon shook her head hard, deciding not to dwell on wild guesses.

Anyway, what time was it now?

“Work…?”

She hurried to find her phone, the one she’d been fumbling for earlier.

Her hands searched here and there, but the device refused to appear.

Damn, must’ve left it outside.

Panicked, she shot up from the bed.

She had to find it, and fast.

Wait.

Hold on what state was she in right now?

For a second, she nearly flung the door open, forgetting she was on the first floor, not her usual room upstairs.

Instead, she ducked into the small bathroom attached to the guest room.

The mirror reflected a sight that made her wince.

Her face, after rubbing it endlessly into the blanket, had been wiped clean.

Freckles, moles, makeup, everything was gone.

“If I’d walked out like this…”,She would’ve been caught without a doubt.

Quickly, she slid her glasses back on and smoothed her hair.

But the real problem remained: this room had no tools to redraw what she’d erased.

“Did the Vice President already leave for work?”

She had no idea what time it was.

No idea if Do-hyun was still home.

No idea if she was already late.

“At this rate, I’m the one who’s going to be late…”

Forget it.

Lee-yeon wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, cocooning from head to toe, leaving only her eyes peeking out.

Her gaze darted around, mapping out an escape route.

Dash to the kitchen, grab the phone, then sprint straight upstairs.

Yes.

The “just run for it” plan.

She clenched her eyes shut, whispered a silent prayer that Do-hyun had already left, and flung the door wide open.

She bent her knees, ready to run but froze.

Something moved on the sofa.

Her heart dropped with a thud.

No way…

“Why are you sitting there?

You scared me half to death!”

Lee-yeon spun on her heel, presenting him only her back.

“Why are you bursting out of rooms all of a sudden?

You scared me,” came Do-hyun’s calm, almost amused voice so different from her frantic tone.

How was I supposed to know you’d be sitting right there?

So much for the “just run for it” plan.

Utter failure.

Keeping her back to him, she crab-walked her way toward the kitchen, snagged her phone off the dining table, and scurried toward the stairs.

Great.

Late.

I’ve woken up exactly at the time I should’ve been leaving the house.

The moment Lee-yeon checked her phone, the clock confirmed it.

She was already late.

A slight dizziness lingered, the remnants of alcohol still clouding her head.

“Why the rush?”

Do-hyun’s voice drifted lazily from behind her, still calm, still unbothered.

Wait… why hasn’t he left for work yet?

“If I don’t hurry, I’m going to be late,” she blurted.

“I still have a lot to get ready.”

“With me here, what’s there to worry about?”

…Right.

Which meant.

“So… you’re saying I can take my time getting ready and come down later?”

Her voice brimmed with hope.

“But you’ll have to wait right here until I come back down, okay?”

Her plea rang with quiet desperation.

Instead, his reply came sharp, sidestepping entirely.

“Funny.

Last night you felt awfully heavy.”

Her head almost whipped around at that.

Why does everything he says… connect like this?

“…You carried me?

Vice President, you did that yourself?”

“Mm.

Yeah.”

The confirmation hit harder than she expected.

Heat flared at her earlobes.

The thought of having been in his arms left her embarrassed to her core.

“…Thank you.”

She dipped her head slightly before lifting it again, voice smal

l.

“That’s better.”

Lee-yeon forced an awkward smile and finally turned to leave, eager to escape to the safety of her room and get ready.

But Do-hyun wasn’t finished.

His voice caught her steps mid-stride.

“I’ll make something else for you instead of the stew.

So take your time getting ready, then come down.”

The words carried temptation an invitation to indulge in the rare chance to lean on the lofty Do-hyun without restraint.