I waited a long time for Lee Minha, who neither showed up at our meeting place nor answered any calls, but she never appeared in the end. Eventually, I stood up and left. I went to the hospital to check Min Yugeon’s room, but even there, Lee Minha was nowhere to be seen.
“You’re looking for Min Yugeon’s mother? No, she didn’t come today either.”
“I see.”
The nurse confirmed her absence, and I stood there, lost in thought.
“…I haven’t been home much lately. Not sure what’s going on.”
Had Min Sanghan checked in at home after saying that? A flicker of regret passed through me—maybe I should have asked him when I ran into him earlier with Sun Woosung.
I quietly greeted Min Yugeon, then exited the hospital and headed to Lee Minha’s house.
Once I arrived, I realized it was late and hesitated over whether to ring the bell. After a moment of indecision, I pressed it, and the faint chime echoed beyond the door.
No signs of movement followed. Only silence lingered.
“……”
A flash of worry passed through me—what if Lee Minha was in trouble? It was nighttime, so maybe she was just asleep… I hovered in uncertainty, toying with my watch, wondering whether to call the Security Force.
“Who’s here at this hour…?!”
The door suddenly burst open. I looked up in surprise. The person who appeared in the doorway wasn’t Lee Minha—it was Min Sanghan.
So he was home.
“Suho?”
“Director.”
I dipped my head slightly. Min Sanghan looked me over with a puzzled expression.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to see your wife. We agreed to meet this evening, but she didn’t show, and I couldn’t reach her.”
“Ah, is that so? Today was the day you were supposed to meet?”
“Yes.”
Min Sanghan looked around, clearly flustered, before his gaze settled back on me.
“Ah… what now? She must’ve completely forgotten. She was already asleep when I got home.”
“……”
I blinked in silence, momentarily speechless.
It was hard to grasp that Lee Minha—who had brought it up so cautiously, nervously gauging my reaction—had simply forgotten.
“Then the reason she hasn’t been going to the hospital lately…?”
“I actually asked about that earlier. Seems she hasn’t been feeling well. Honestly, I don’t think she’s fully recovered even now.”
Min Sanghan shrugged as he spoke.
“She’s been under a lot of stress because of Yugeon, and it wore her down. Made her sick.”
His expression said, Can you blame her?
…So that’s how it was.
I lowered my gaze in silence. If she was too ill to even make a call, then I could understand. I frowned, recalling how gaunt she had looked.
“Understood. Please let her know I hope she gets better soon.”
“Of course.”
Min Sanghan nodded without hesitation.
“Come to think of it, you’ve done a lot for Yugeon and her. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know in advance, Suho.”
“I’m the one who disturbed you at this late hour.”
“Don’t worry about it. I had work to do anyway, so I wasn’t asleep yet.”
Now that he mentioned it, he was still in the same clothes he always wore at the lab—he hadn’t even changed after work.
“Since you’re already here, why don’t you come in for a cup of tea?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’ll feel bad if I just let you go.”
I was taken aback by Min Sanghan’s inviting gesture. No matter how you looked at it, this was far too late at night… I looked at him, slightly unsettled, and shook my head.
“I’m fine. It’s about time I headed home anyway.”
“Suho.”
Suddenly, Min Sanghan looked genuinely hurt.
“Did I do something to upset you?”
“……”
“Earlier at the lab too… I couldn’t help feeling like you were avoiding me.”
I fell silent. He wasn’t wrong, so I had nothing to say.
“If there’s something you want to say to me, I’d rather you come in and say it now.”
As I stood there, still choosing my words, Min Sanghan spoke again.
Instinctively, all the things I had wanted to ask him started rising to the surface.
One way or another, he was my parents’ close friend and Min Yugeon’s father—someone I’d have to face again and again as long as I was alive. Maybe, just as he’d said, it would be better to have an honest talk and clear the air, rather than let my doubts and disappointment toward Min Sanghan fester.
But this wasn’t the right time. And it certainly wasn’t the right place—not when Lee Minha was asleep just beyond the door.
I was about to refuse him once more when—
“Suho-ssi.”
A familiar voice called out. I turned my head and spotted someone I knew well—one of the Security Force officers who often shadowed me. The same one who had doted on me excessively at the hospital.
It struck me as odd. The Security Force had always told me in advance that they wouldn’t appear unless I was returning home. Yet here he was, approaching me out of nowhere.
“Officer?”
“Huh? Who is it?”
Min Sanghan looked between us and asked. The officer stepped up beside me and gave a polite nod toward him.
“I’m Sergeant Kim Hyun-soo with the Security Force, assigned to Suho-ssi’s protection.”
“…Ah, I see.”
“Apologies for interrupting your conversation, but for safety reasons, Suho-ssi needs to return home now. I hope you’ll understand.”
Min Sanghan fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. Then, scowling, he shot a sharp look at the officer. The irritation on his face was impossible to miss.
“What do you mean safety? Suho’s been going about his daily life just fine for days now. And if any of the remaining accomplices had a brain, they wouldn’t dare show their faces again.”
“Perhaps. But we’re just following orders.”
The officer responded casually, seemingly unfazed by Min Sanghan’s rudeness. There was something about his plain, friendly face—it now felt more like a mask than a real expression.
“…Director.”
I stepped slightly in front of the officer, calling Min Sanghan’s attention back to me. Just as I intended, his gaze turned toward me.
“I’ll stop by again sometime when it’s more convenient for you.”
“Wait a moment… Suho!”
“I’ll be going now. Let’s go, Sergeant.”
“Yes, sir.”
I turned away, leaving only a short farewell behind. The officer silently matched my pace.
BANG! A sharp slam of the door behind us made me flinch—it sounded like Min Sanghan had taken his anger out on it. Still, neither the officer nor I looked back. We simply left the building.
The officer, knowing that I hadn’t been taking the train home lately, naturally walked beside me past the platform and down the path.
“You looked uncomfortable, so I thought I’d help.”
I turned my head at the sudden comment. He was still looking ahead as he spoke.
“It seemed like you were uneasy about the invitation.”
“……”
“Did I step in where I shouldn’t have?”
“No.”
I shook my head. I had been planning to refuse on my own, but his intervention had made it far easier to leave without incident. Min Sanghan wouldn’t have been able to argue much with someone who was simply following orders.
“It was a bit awkward. Thank you for helping.”
“Glad to hear it.”
He answered warmly.
“Oh! And for the record, I haven’t been eavesdropping on all your conversations. I’ve done my best to respect your privacy.”
“I know.”
I responded with a faint smile.
We didn’t say much, but just walking alongside someone made my heartbeat feel steady again. I’d been aware that a Security Force member had been tailing me from a distance these past few days, but it was nothing like having someone visible and near. That alone helped push away the unease and creeping dread.
It was laughable, really. I’d been mentally prepared to fight off another ambush at any moment, yet here I was, pathetically comforted by something so small.
With a quiet sigh buried deep inside, I arrived home with the officer. Instinctively, I took a step back. I’d gotten used to him entering the house first to make sure it was clear, in case any of the remaining accomplices had broken in.
The door swung wide open as the officer stepped inside. I stood in the entryway, quietly observing as he checked every corner of the house.
As I watched his footsteps, someone unexpectedly came to mind.
That man—his gait was nearly identical. And his face, eerily similar. The man I hadn’t mentioned to the officer… the unidentified figure who had appeared back then.
“Suho-ssi. Looks like it’s safe. You can come in.”
One part of my mind kept looping the same thought: Could that man have been Ji Chanwoo? But no—that was impossible. Ji Chanwoo was dead. There was no way he’d come back.
Still… why had that man saved Min Yugeon and me?
Why did someone who looked that much like him have to appear…?
“Suho-ssi?”
…Ah.
When I came back to my senses, the officer was right in front of me, quietly watching my face.
“Are you alright? You seem really tired.”
“No, just had something on my mind. Sorry.”
I gave a small shake of my head and glanced at him in gratitude.
“You said I could come in now?”
“Yes.”
With that brief reply, I slipped off my shoes and stepped into the living room. As I moved to see him out, he turned toward the door and walked ahead of me. I saw him off with a parting word.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“……”
For some reason, the officer didn’t respond to my farewell. Instead, he slowly reached out and closed the front door.
Without leaving.
