Chapter 12

"Let's take a look around the shopping center together."

".....Yes."

Ho Rang had never once rejected Man Seok's orders. No, he couldn't reject them.

Ten years old. It was far too young an age for a child who had lost his parents to refuse the commands of the grandfather who had become his new guardian. He was consumed by the fear that if he ever disobeyed and was subsequently abandoned by his grandfather, he might fall back into their clutches. Thus, he offered absolute obedience to whatever his grandfather said. If told to be first in his class, he was first. If told to become class president, he became class president.

That was how Ho Rang grew up. Plagued by fear from the tender age of ten, he had endured, driven by the singular desire to survive.

"From here, you can look down over the entire shopping center."

Ho Rang explained various parts of the center to Man Seok, who seemed generally satisfied. Considering that a faint smile even touched his fastidious face, it was a successful endeavor.

"At this rate, there shouldn't be any major issues with the opening."

"I will make sure to quickly rectify any lacking areas."

"Right, you should."

Perhaps because they had meticulously toured such a vast space, time had already flown by. This meant Ho Rang's 'battery' was also gradually draining.

It seemed he would have to send Chairman Baek off, return to the office to wrap up some work, and head straight to Bo Bae’s café. Since he hadn't been able to 'fully charge' yesterday, his remaining battery was low.

Today, he intended to return only after a full charge, no matter what. As the opening day of the shopping center drew near, unexpected situations kept cropping up. He couldn't afford to be anxious about running out of battery every time. He had to get a full charge starting today.

With that thought in mind, he tried to wrap up the meeting with Chairman Baek.

"Now that you've seen everything, shall we head back?"

"Let's have lunch together."

Chairman Baek offered a meal.

"I have work to handle in the afternoon……."

"You will be dining with some important people. Postpone your work."

"....Yes."

Chairman Baek left only that command in a low voice and walked ahead, to which Ho Rang gave a brief reply.

Battery remaining: 49%.

It was a precarious state, but it seemed possible if he hurried.

Ho Rang followed Chairman Baek, praying that the lunch meeting would not drag on.

~~~~

"Hello. Ahem."

Bo Bae answered the phone with a voice that was cracking and dry. Having written late into the night, it hadn’t been long since she had fallen asleep.

—Unnie. The sun is already high in the sky, are you still sleeping?

"Na Yeon? What's up?"

It was a call from Na Yeon, a coworker at the café.

—Unnie, could you swap shifts with me today? I decided to go on a trip with my boyfriend tomorrow.

"Did you guys make up?"

—Hehe. Something like that.

Bo Bae let out a long yawn and sat up. After all that power-struggling over whether to go on the trip or not, it seemed they had finally decided to go.

"So, I take today off and come in tomorrow instead?"

—Yes. I'll let the boss know.

"Alright. Have a fun trip."

—Thanks, Unnie! I'll buy you a meal next time.

"It’s fine. It's no big deal. Just have a passionate trip with your boyfriend."

Bo Bae swapped her day off without much thought. Her daily routine revolved only around the café or her house anyway, and since she usually stayed cooped up writing even on her days off, it wasn't a problem.

"Ugh... should I sleep a bit more?"

Still half-asleep, she was about to crawl back under the covers when....

"Ack, what is this?"

The coffee she had left on her bedside table had spilled. It was soaking not just the blankets, but the pillow as well.

"Oh dear, I fell asleep without cleaning this up. What a mess."

Bo Bae looked out the window. The sky was blue and the sunlight was brilliant. It was a beautiful day.

"The weather is nice. Perfect for doing the bedding laundry."

Without hesitation, she stood up and gathered the blankets. It seemed she wasn't meant to rest today after all. Might as well handle the piled-up laundry and housework.

Holding the bundle of blankets with both hands, Bo Bae headed out.

She did so without realizing that her phone had fallen into a corner under the desk.

~~~~

"Then, please get home safely."

As Ho Rang bowed towards Chairman Baek, who had climbed into the car, the vehicle promptly departed.

Just as the Chairman had said, the meal had been attended by quite a few influential figures. They were all individuals who would be of great help to Ho Rang once the shopping center opened.

Because of this, he hadn't been able to act rashly. He waited until the meal was over, having already instructed Secretary Yoon to have the car ready so he could head straight to Bo Bae the moment things concluded.

"Are you heading home for the day?"

"Handle any urgent matters over the phone."

"HB Cosmetics requested a dinner meeting today. How should I respond?"

Secretary Yoon spoke with a troubled face, but Ho Rang answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Push it back...to breakfast."

"They were very insistent on having dinner."

Secretary Yoon, showing just how desperate the situation was, gripped the car door Ho Rang was trying to close, looking as if he might burst into tears. HB Cosmetics was an essential partner for the shopping center, yet his damn boss seemed to have lost his mind somewhere. It was as if he didn't realize how critical the current situation was.

"Is what they want to do with me business, or a date?"

"Pardon? What do you mean by...?"

"Why do they keep insisting on meeting in the evening? What exactly are they planning to do after dinner?"

Did he have brain surgery instead of heart surgery? Why is he taking the conversation in that direction?

"Tell them I have no time unless it's the morning. Not dinner, not lunch. Tell them only breakfast works. Got it?"

Taking advantage of Secretary Yoon's stunned silence, Ho Rang abruptly sped away.

The remaining battery was a mere 19%. This meant he had no time to discuss trivialities like appointments with HB Cosmetics.

Ho Rang’s head was filled only with the thought of meeting Bo Bae.

14%.

Arriving at the café, Ho Rang headed straight for the counter.

"Welcome!"

Hearing the bright voice greeting him, he felt like he could finally breathe again, or so he thought.

The person welcoming him wasn't Bo Bae. It was another employee who worked with her.

Why wasn't she here? Had she stepped out for a moment? Was she in the restroom? Or had something happened...?

For some reason, the image of that group of drunkards entering Bo Bae’s rooftop building last night flashed through his mind.

"Where is Ms. Na Bo Bae?"

"Bo Bae Unnie? Today is her day off."

At Na Yeon’s cheerful response, the tension left Ho Rang’s body so suddenly that he felt drained. He had spent those brief moments spiraling through every possible worry and regret wondering if something had happened to her, if those drunkards had harmed her, or if that pervert from last night had returned. He reproached himself for not finding her a safer place instead of just staying up all night in front of her house.

All that intense anxiety and regret in such a short time, and it was just her day off?

Feeling completely sapped of energy, Ho Rang called Bo Bae. He held the phone to his ear for a long time, but all he heard was the tedious ringing tone.

"Dammit."

As he muttered a short curse, Na Yeon chimed in unprompted.

"Is Bo Bae Unnie not picking up? She said she was going to spend all day at home writing her manuscript. Maybe she's busy?"

At those words, Ho Rang hurried his steps. It looked like he would have to climb those stairs from yesterday again. Those 'Stairway to Heaven' steps that seemed to touch the sky.

8%.

It felt like his heart was going to burst. A sharp pain hovered around his chest, followed by a sickening throb that felt like his heart was being squeezed. To make matters worse, the warning chime of his smartwatch, flashing its red light, tightened the noose around his heart even further.

"Dammit."

Ho Rang paused for a moment and looked up at the top of the stairs in the distance. Just a little more. Just a little. Why on earth did she live at the peak of a mountain? Even a perfectly healthy person might die of exhaustion trying to climb these stairs.

Clutching one side of his chest, Ho Rang climbed the stairs with every ounce of strength he had left.

He muttered to himself that once he found her, he wasn't going to let Na Bo Bae off easy.

~~~~

Bo Bae filled a large, brick-red rubber basin with water and dissolved some detergent. As bubbles began to pop and rise from the water, she stepped into the basin dressed in short shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. She then began to vigorously stomp on the blanket she had spilled coffee on.

"As I thought, the best way to wash blankets is by treading on them."

One good thing about living in a cramped rooftop room was having a vast yard. Of course, it wasn't covered in lush green grass but green waterproof paint, yet it was the perfect spot for washing blankets.

Since it was her first day off in a long while, she planned to finish the laundry and a deep clean before working on her manuscript. She needed to revise it quickly to have it reviewed, especially since the director’s reaction had been positive.

As she stomped on the blanket while pondering which parts of the manuscript to revise, she suddenly felt a chill. It was that lingering, uncomfortable feeling, like leaving the bathroom without wiping. She felt like she was missing something incredibly important.

"What is it? Why do I feel so uneasy?"

She racked her brain and tried to claw back the memory, but nothing came to mind.

"Did I forget the rent? No, I paid that. Then the maintenance fee? No. I paid the phone bill, and the water and electricity bills are all settled... then what? What did I miss?"

No matter how much she thought about it, nothing seemed to be missing. So why did she feel this way?

After being lost in thought for a long time, Bo Bae finally gave up on trying to remember and shook her head violently.

"It’s just stress from the manuscript. What could I possibly have to feel uneasy about?"

She brushed off the lingering discomfort and put more energy into treading the laundry.

"Wow, it’s summer! Let’s leave quickly, ya-ya-ya, to the sea!"

Bo Bae began to sing, hopping around as if the rubber basin were a swimming pool. Though her reality was a worn-out, shabby rooftop, in her mind, she was at a beautiful resort with the blue sea stretching out before her.

As she sang excitedly, Ho Rang crossed her mind.

"I wonder if he got home okay yesterday."

It weighed on her heart a little that she had scurried into her house last night without even a proper goodbye. But that feeling was brief.

"Anyway, why does he keep playing with my heart like that? It’s not like I’m a head of cabbage he’s debating whether to buy or not."

Thinking of Ho Rang made her stomp on the blanket with renewed force. Thump, thump, thump. Bo Bae put all her strength into her feet as if the blanket were Ho Rang himself.

In the distance, she saw the sun beginning to set. The sunset was staining the blue sky deep red.

"The sun is setting already? It’s really beauti... wait, my foot! What time is it?"

She usually had to provide Ho Rang with a 'charge' by 2 or 3 PM. If she didn't, his heart would discharge and stop. But the sun was setting. Even though the sun stays up late in the summer, it was already going down. The reason she had felt so uneasy was that she had completely forgotten she needed to charge him.

"Oh no, what do I do, what do I do!"

Bo Bae scrambled out of the basin, but her feet were slippery, causing her to wipeout. She scrambled back up immediately. She had to contact Ho Rang right away, to find out where he was and if he was okay.

But the damn soapy water kept getting in her way. She kept slipping and her knees were scraped raw, but she couldn't even feel the pain. Right now, her only concern was Ho Rang’s condition.

While she was fumbling around, covered in soap suds, searching for her phone....

"Na Bo Bae...!"

Someone called her name in a voice that sounded like it was on the verge of death. When Bo Bae turned around, her jaw dropped.

It was Ho Rang. He was clutching his chest with one hand, looking tormented, yet he was walking toward her.

"Baek Ho Rang. Are you okay...?"

The moment Bo Bae tried to ask about his condition, Ho Rang stumbled closer and pulled her into a sudden, tight embrace.

"Why... why are you doing this? Are you alright?"

Without answering, Ho Rang buried his face in Bo Bae’s shoulder, letting out only heavy, ragged breaths.

"Look at me. Are you okay? Don't you need to go to the hospital?"

When Bo Bae tried to pull back to check on him worriedly, Ho Rang held her even tighter and spoke.

"Just let me stay like this for a moment. Just a moment..."