Chapter 17

Waking up in the morning, Ho Rang checked his smartwatch first. As he expected, the battery was fully charged to 100%. Although it had been fully charged after he kissed Bo Bae yesterday, normally it would have drained by several dozen percent by now.

Ho Rang pulled back the curtains and looked towards Bo Bae’s container. The thought of her being nearby made his anxiety vanish. As long as she stayed within a 10m radius, he would no longer have to tremble in fear of his battery running out.

I should have done this sooner. Then, I wouldn't have wasted my time going back and forth to the café.

"Good morning, indeed."

For the first time in a long while, Ho Rang welcomed a truly refreshing morning.

After getting ready for work and heading outside, Ho Rang ran into Bo Bae as she was coming out of the container.

"Are you off to work?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I’m heading out too. They asked me to come in a bit early today because a group reservation was made."

She usually started in the afternoon and finished in the evening, but she had received a call asking her to come in early today. That was why she was getting ready earlier than usual.

"About the café."

Ho Rang paused for a moment as if weighing his words, then spoke again.

"Why don't you quit?"

"Why?"

"I'll make sure you don't have to worry about making a living while you're staying here. So..."

"Mr. Baek Ho Rang."

Ho Rang, who was about to continue, shut his mouth and looked at her as she called his name in a chillingly low voice. Seeing the sharp angle of her eyes, she seemed angry.

"Aren't you overstepping a bit too much?"

"..."

"I asked you to show me the 'romance flex' of a chaebol. I didn't ask for charity. Is it funny to see a thirty-year-old working part-time at a café? Why are you telling me what to do with my job?"

Bo Bae spoke in the most rational tone possible without raising her voice. She was offended, but she didn't want to start the morning shouting.

As she looked up at Ho Rang with clear, defiant eyes, he let out a low sigh and spoke with a softened expression.

"I apologize if I offended you. That wasn't my intention. I’m not the type of person to judge a job based on how much it pays or its status."

Bo Bae nodded at the words that followed his blunt apology. Based on what she knew of him, he didn't seem like the type to care about the prestige of a job, though he probably would have had something to say if she were just idling around.

Then what was his intention in telling me to quit the café?

"It's not charity. And it’s definitely not out of pity. You know me, right? My motto is 'give and take,' and I live by the rule that nothing in this world is free."

He wasn't wrong. Since their first meeting, he had been a man who calculated everything through the lens of 'give and take.'

"But I’d like you to quit the café."

"Why?"

Bo Bae asked, her tone slightly more relaxed than before.

"Since you've decided to stay in this house anyway, I thought it would be better for you to focus entirely on finishing your manuscript while you're here."

"...!"

"I’m firm on 'give and take,' but I’m also firm on wrapping up what I've started cleanly. I don't want you to be unable to write because you're spending too much time at the café."

Realizing his true intent, Bo Bae looked at him with a slightly apologetic face. If she had known this was what he meant, she wouldn't have snapped like that. She had misunderstood him, blinded by her own insecurities.

"In any case, I need to be 'charged,' and isn't your goal to finish your manuscript through me?"

Uncharacteristically, his tone was quite kind, which only made her feel more guilty.

"Think it over and decide."

Ho Rang spoke simply and got into his car.

Watching him drive away, Bo Bae felt her face flush for some reason. She felt grateful, sorry, and embarrassed all at once.

In truth, while she worked at the café out of necessity, she desperately wanted to quit. Thinking up ideas and writing was enough to fill her day, so adding a part-time job naturally left her short on time. She only kept at it because not working meant she couldn't afford to live.

However, he had already given her a place a hundred times better than her rooftop room. Receiving living expenses on top of that felt shameless.

"This is a tough choice..."

Bo Bae decided to go to work first and think about it there. She also made a mental note to apologize to Ho Rang, regardless of her decision.

As Bo Bae left the gate and walked down the long alley toward the bus stop, a man approached Ho Rang’s house. Wearing a hard hat with the words 'Safety First' written on it, the man stood before the gate and pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong, ding-dong...

The clear sound of the bell echoed through the quiet neighborhood, but there was no one in the empty house to answer.

"Is this house empty too?"

The man, seemingly having no choice, pulled a piece of paper out of his bag and taped it to the gate.

[Notice: A power outage is scheduled for today due to repairs on an aged transformer. We ask for your understanding and advise you to prepare in advance. Food in the refrigerator may spoil...]

The man who posted the notice moved on to the next house.

Some time passed. The notice began to flutter in the breeze. Then, as a strong gust of wind blew, the barely-attached paper fell off helplessly and vanished with the wind.

~~~~

Returning home after her part-time job, Bo Bae collapsed onto her bed. So many customers had flooded in that she had been on her feet all day making coffee, grinding ice, and clearing tables, without even a chance to go to the bathroom.

"I'm so exhausted."

Her body felt so drained that she didn't even have the strength to sit up. She knew she had to write at least a few lines before sleeping, though.

"Can I really write like this?"

It seemed Ho Rang was right. Working at the café took so much out of her that she didn't even have the energy to tap on the keyboard. Why did she have to pick such a busy place to work? Letting out a deep sigh, Bo Bae drifted off to sleep before she knew it.

How much time had passed? When she opened her eyes, the surroundings were already pitch black.

"Ah, I'm hungry."

As soon as she woke up, hunger hit her, and she headed toward the small mini-kitchen. Come to think of it, she had skipped breakfast and had only managed a single cup of coffee while working frantically at the café.

"What? There’s nothing here."

The cupboards held only drinks like coffee and tea bags. There was nothing to satisfy her hunger. Now that she looked, there were no cooking utensils, gas stove, or induction cooktop. There was only an electric kettle sitting lonely, meant for making drinks.

Bo Bae pulled back the curtain and looked toward Ho Rang’s house. Seeing the lights on, it seemed he had returned from work.

"I should go to Baek Ho Rang’s house and get something to eat."

After showering and changing into comfortable clothes, Bo Bae headed towards the main house.

She stood before the front door, but there was no doorbell here. It seemed that once someone rang the bell at the main gate and was let in, this door was a free pass. After debating what to do, Bo Bae knocked. That conservative 'Confucian boy' would probably hate it if a woman entered without knocking.

"Mr. Baek Ho Rang. I’m coming in, okay?"

She called out while knocking, but no sound came from inside.

"Mr. Baek Ho Rang. I’m coming in. I definitely told you I was coming in!"

After shouting loudly, Bo Bae opened the door and stepped inside. The house was silent, wrapped in stillness.

"Is he sleeping?"

She turned her gaze to the clock on the wall. The hands were just passing 8 o'clock. It was too early for him to be asleep.

Determining that Ho Rang wasn't on the first floor, Bo Bae looked at the stairs leading to the second floor. His room was likely up there...

"Should I go up?"

After a moment of hesitation, Bo Bae placed her foot on the stairs. After climbing a few steps, she strained her ears towards the second floor. A faint sound of running water reached her.

"He's in the shower?"

Bo Bae went back down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. Since it was this time of night, Ho Rang probably hadn't eaten dinner yet either, so she thought she would prepare a meal for them to share.

"I wonder what’s in the house."

Curious about what the wealthy ate, Bo Bae opened the refrigerator door with high expectations.

"Oh, come on. What is this?"

She hadn't expected a feast, but she thought there would be at least some decent side dishes. However, the fridge was practically empty. There were only a few bottles of plain water, sparkling water, and some kimchi.

"How does he survive on this?"

Bo Bae shook her head and closed the refrigerator door. But at that moment...

"What? Why did the lights go out?"

The surroundings suddenly plunged into darkness as the lights died.

Startled, Bo Bae fumbled around and tried to turn the lights back on. She flicked the switch back and forth, but the power wouldn't return.

"Is it a blackout?"

Approaching the window awkwardly, Bo Bae looked outside. She could see that not only her container but also the neighbor’s house and even the streetlights were all dark. It seemed the entire neighborhood had lost power.

"Ah, I should have brought my phone."

There wasn't a single flicker of light, and the house was so dark that she couldn't see an inch in front of her.

"What should I do?"

Just as she was debating whether to wait for the power to return or crawl back to the container to get her phone.

"Ack!"

Ho Rang’s scream was followed by the loud thud of someone falling.

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

Startled, Bo Bae jumped up and cautiously made her way towards the stairs. Standing at the base, she shouted again.

"Mr. Baek Ho Rang, what happened?"

"Who’s there? Na Bo Bae?"

"It’s me. What happened?"

"I fell. Why did the lights suddenly go out?"

"I think it's a blackout. Are you all right?"

"I fell. I think I twisted my foot."

"Can you walk?"

When Bo Bae asked, she heard Ho Rang’s voice attempting to move, but it was followed by another groan of pain.

"You can't walk?"

"No. I can't. I think I sprained my ankle..."

"Wait just a second. I'll bring an ice pack."

Bo Bae fumbled her way back to the kitchen, opened the freezer in the dark, and stuffed some ice into a Ziploc bag. A few cubes fell to the floor, but she didn't have time to care. Her only thought was getting the ice pack to Ho Rang.

"Wait a little longer. I'm coming up now."

Just as she said that and was about to head to the second floor...

"W-Wait!"

Ho Rang’s voice called out.

"What is it?"

"The thing is..."

Worried that something was wrong, Bo Bae pricked up her ears. She heard Ho Rang’s flustered voice.

"Right now... I'm not wearing anything."