.

Taking a step down on the stairs, he asked calmly, “Did you have a nightmare?”

“No… no, no, no!!”

Once my response turned into an outcry, Yeo Dan oppa furrowed his brows even more in wonder. Regardless of his reaction, I waved my hands in the air severely then quickly turned around and fled from the spot.

As soon as I went inside the bathroom on the first floor, I slammed the door and gasped while leaning against it, then I walked toward the mirror and banged my head onto it. Doing it several times, I murmured, “That’s why the characters in TV dramas bang their foreheads onto the wall…”

It didn’t really help me calm down, but for a trash like me, doing this action seemed to be a reasonable punishment. Would this be how prisoners were feeling when they received the punishment they deserved?

‘Uh, it’s my fault to forget our plans for using the bathroom! Thus, what does it matter if more brain cells of mine cease to exist anyway?’ I thought with a sad face while banging my forehead repeatedly onto the mirror.

Although it felt so good to stay with Yeo Dan oppa in the same house since early in the morning, nothing was that delightful other than that. The worst morning ever!

* * *

After washing myself, I flinched at the sight of the living room that came into view as soon as I opened the bathroom door. Yeo Dan oppa was sitting there all of a sudden.

Along with the sounds of birds chirping, I heard a faint noise of people laughing and talking inside the TV show. Yeo Dan oppa soon directed his black eyes onto this side. He flung some greeting words that he missed earlier.

“Good morning. You woke up early.”

“Yeah, it just happened…”

Speaking that way, I touched the towel on my head. Watching me doing that action, Yeo Dan oppa opened his mouth again.

“You’re gonna catch a cold. Go blow dry your hair.”

Thinking for a second, I soon shook my head.

“Um, nope. I think that noise will wake Yeo Ryung up.”

“She has to wake up anyway to have breakfast.”

“We still have time though.”

With that response, I checked the time and found that it was only nine in the morning. I wasn’t sure when Ruda’s family would have breakfast, but if someone came to invite us for the meal, it wouldn’t be late to wake her up around that time.

“And since she had a blast last night, she might be feeling so exhausted,” I added.

The term, ‘blast,’ that I just used referred to the Monopoly we played with none other than Ruda and Lucas.

Yesterday, the two brothers kept saying that money laundering wouldn’t work that way while watching the spy episode of “Infinite Challenge.” Sweating like a pig, I made up a lie that they were talking about Monopoly, which turned out to be the source of trouble.

After my remark, Yeo Ryung suddenly uttered that she wanted to play the classic board game. She then looked up somewhere in this house and really appeared with an old version Monopoly.

We played about five rounds in a row, which I always became the first to go bankrupt while Lucas also seemed to suck at playing money games. Thus, all the rounds turned into a battle between Yeo Ryung and Ruda in the end.

Once it became one in the morning, I began to doze off to sleep, but Yeo Ryung and Ruda were still playing Monopoly until that time; therefore, they might have slept probably after two. In this regard, I understood why Yeo Ryung, the early bird, was in bed until now.

When I dropped that remark, Yeo Dan oppa nodded with a look of agreement. He then suddenly moved his seat to the corner of the couch.

‘Why?’ I wondered thoughtlessly, but after a moment, I realized that there was only one thing he would behave that way since I didn’t dry my hair enough. As soon as I grasped the situation, Yeo Dan oppa said, “Come over here.”

“Huh?”

I became bewildered for a moment. He seldom spoke that way, which sounded like giving an order. His way of talking was usually, ‘Do you want to watch TV?’ something like that. Then I understood why he said to me that way upon his following words.

“Let me dry your hair.”

“No, thanks. I’m good.”

With that response, I stepped back stealthily. It was just a few minutes ago that I banged my forehead onto the mirror while confessing my sins. However, now he was asking me to come sit right beside him. If I tried to do that, either my heart or conscience would explode.

“Come to think of it, I think you’re right. I should go wake her up.”

As I replied with an awkward smile, Yeo Dan perked one side of his brows upwards.

‘Yikes, did he notice something?’ That was when I quickly turned around and tried to go upstairs with that thought in my head. Someone’s big hand overlapped on mine that was holding the stairway handrail. Being frozen on the spot, I soon turned my head creakingly like a broken robot.

Yeo Dan oppa came closely behind me before I even knew. The moment when he told me that he would dry my hair, he had this warm, morning air-like atmosphere in his eyes; however, it was now gone. Looking at the cold, stiffen look on his face, I briefly drew in my breath. Geez, I was about to hiccup.

“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked.

“Uh… I didn’t…”

“Why are you stammering?”

“I… I did… not… sta… mmer…”

Yeo Dan oppa looked at me once again with his cold black eyes. Dropping my gaze at the floor, I began to find a mouse hole that would fit my size.

Somewhere in this world, there would be a big mouse hole that I could go inside and hide. ‘So, don’t give up!’ While I braced myself, a faint sigh reached my ears.

Shuddering with fear, I slowly lifted my head and sneaked a glance. Yeo Dan oppa then flung a question while looking a little loosened up.

“… Hairdryer, do you where it is?”

“Come to think of it… no…”

“Me neither. I didn’t see it anywhere.”

“…”

“Come here.”

Yeo Dan oppa pulled me, who was standing still wordlessly, into his side. Sinking my head on my chest, I followed him with short and quick steps. Once he made me sit on the couch, Yeo Dan oppa began to pat my hair with a towel.

Meanwhile, only silence prevailed in the living room. Although a burst of laughter and music still came from the TV, which had the volume turned down, it couldn’t break the ice at all.

The time seemed to extend endlessly. I had been frozen like a statue when Yeo Dan oppa called me to come here to the couch, but now, I began to breathe comfortably while loosening up my strained shoulders.

Yeo Dan oppa, who was sitting right behind my back, emitted some unfamiliar scent. He would have probably used a different body wash; however, the green, woody, an herby fragrance went along so well with him.

Maybe because Yeo Dan oppa was a person who resembled the fresh morning air. Being always calm and serene, he felt like cold water, but warm sunlight faintly but definitely existed inside him.

That was when I was lost in thought while throwing a glance at the empty kitchen. Suddenly, the hands wrapping my hair got off. I turned my head to look behind me.

“Yeo Dan oppa?”

“This would be enough, right?”

Speaking that way, he put his hands back onto my head then held both ends of the towel and tied it under my chin as if he was wrapping it around my face.

‘Um, hold on… Although we’ve seen everything about each other, this is too…’ I murmured to myself.

Perhaps, my apple hair could be one of the reasons why he liked me; however, this was going too far since I wasn’t the little match girl.

The moment I tried to voice my thoughts out, the look on his face came into my sight, which made me keep my mouth shut. Yeo Dan oppa looked so delighted as he was back then when he first saw my apple hair. As I mentioned earlier, he was always serene like the morning sunlight, who showed fewer mood changes, so it wasn’t easy to see this kind of brightness on his face.

After a moment of consideration, I made a conclusion. Should I just stay like this for a while? Actually, I loved to see the look in his eyes right now. As soon as I had these thoughts in mind, I became startled at his remark and changed my mind.

“You look cute.”

“Oppa, you’re still half asleep…”