W. 5pm
26
“Take care on your way home. Text me when you get home.”
The woman who sent Seokjin off immediately took off her shoes and turned on the light as soon as she entered the house. The familiar smell of a studio apartment. The quiet air that marked the end of the day. The moment she passed the front door and stepped inside, a strange sensation passed through the soles of her feet. The floor was cold. And wet. The woman froze in place.Uh... This isn't right...?
I lowered my head and saw a thin layer of water on the floor. At first, I thought I'd spilled some water. But as I took another step, the water spread to my ankles. Only then did my gaze turn to the bathroom.
Drip. A very small, persistent sound of water.
The moment she opened the door, the situation suddenly became clear. Water was leaking from the pipe under the sink. The worst-case scenario Yeoju had imagined when she first entered the studio apartment was now in reality. The bathroom floor was already soaking wet, and the water was slowly spreading across the threshold and into the room. Yeoju stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then quickly grabbed a towel and threw it on the floor. But the water showed no sign of stopping.
“Ah… what is this… really...”
It's ruined.
The words left my mouth, but my mind went blank. I reached out to turn off the valve, but the floor was slippery and I couldn't get my strength to work. I threw in a few more towels, but it was only a temporary solution. Yeoju quickly realized this wasn't a problem that could be solved tonight.
The heroine stood in front of the bathroom door, motionless for a moment. The water continued to soak the floor at a steady pace, and the towel was doing its job, at least keeping the leak under control. However, as the cold sensation of the water already flowing against her ankles became more apparent, reality began to creep in. She had to accept that this wasn't a fleeting incident, that it wasn't a problem that could be resolved immediately.
I picked up my phone, put it down, and picked it up again. I searched for the technician's number, then paused. I knew there were few people coming at this hour. It wasn't a villa or an apartment... it was an old studio apartment with no management office. I remembered the time I'd had trouble with water pressure, and the landlord had to call someone in person. Yeoju let out a small sigh.
Finally, I tapped the landlord's name on my contact list. I paused for a moment on the call button, then switched to the message window.
Hello sir. Sorry for the late hour. I just noticed a leak in the pipe under my bathroom sink. I temporarily blocked it with a towel and a rag, but it leaked more than I expected, and the floor is a mess. I don't think it can be fixed today, so I think I'll have to call a technician tomorrow.
After sending the message, my body suddenly felt weak. More than the uncertainty of when I'd receive a reply, the feeling of helplessness weighed heavily on me. Yeoju glanced back at the bathroom, then around the room. The water that had spread across the floor was already slowly creeping up to the bed.
It was impossible to sleep here tonight.
As that thought settled in my head, another worry immediately followed: where should I sleep?
Yeoju sat down on the edge of the bed, then stood up again when she saw the wet floor. Several friends' houses came to mind, but it felt awkward to contact them at this late hour. It would just be too much to explain. She considered searching for motels or other lodging, but her eyes were immediately drawn to her soaked pants and shoes. She smiled for no reason. She really didn't know the day would end like this.
Just then, the phone screen came back on. There was still no reply from the landlord. Instead, the name of the man who had brought me here earlier remained on the screen.Seokjin
Get some rest, lady.
Was it a text message sent after arriving home? Yeoju briefly glanced at the name. The voice she'd heard in the alley earlier and the expression asking for understanding, even if it was sensitive, overlapped naturally.I shouldn't bother youThe thought crossed my mind again. But this time, a different sentence followed it.
Still, this isn't a situation I can handle alone, is it? Still...
Yeoju clutched her phone tightly. It seemed more important to whom she could tell about this situation than to decide where to sleep. The sound of running water from the bathroom still rang in her ears. She muttered to herself, "Let's think about it a little longer," and squeezed her eyes shut, picked up her phone, and sent a text.
Are you home now?
Not yet. We're almost there, why?
The heroine wrote a long sentence. She erased and rewrote it several times. In the end, she left only the most truthful words.
that is... I don't think I can sleep well here tonight. The water is leaking and the house is flooded.
After sending it, her heart sank. What if he didn't respond right away? Was it a needless burden? Yeoju stood there, unable to put her phone down. But contrary to her worries, Seokjin's reply arrived sooner than expected.
Are you hurt anywhere?
Isn't it slippery?
I'm not hurt.
Stay right there.
I'll go back.
The heroine froze at the sight of that sentence. It wasn't something she hadn't expected, but now that it was right before her eyes, the reality hit her. When we parted ways in the alley earlier, she'd clearly thought it was over for the day. But she hadn't expected the situation to unfold this way, leading her to call him again.Ah.. I feel sorry for contacting you for no reason..The heroine, thinking that, reconsidered her situation. But she stopped herself before saying she was okay. She was already in a state of disarray. Ultimately, she wrote honestly.
If I come now, I'll be late. I feel like I'm causing you unnecessary trouble. I'm sorry.
The reply was short and decisive.
It's time, so I have to go further. I'll go quickly. Wait.
Yeoju looked down at her phone and let out a sigh. Why was she so decisive? Her tone left no room for apology. Yeoju glanced briefly back at the bathroom. The sound of the water was the same, and the house was still a mess. Only then did she admit it. She needed someone's help today.
The heroine replied slowly.
Then be careful. Put on your shoes and come in. The floor is wet and slippery.
Only after sending the message did the tension in my shoulders ease a little. Nothing was resolved yet. The water was still leaking, and I had no place to sleep. Yet, strangely, breathing felt easier than before. Yeoju rolled up her wet pants and tidied up her towel once more. There would be some time before she heard footsteps.
But this time the wait didn't feel that long.
Because I knew someone would come into this house soon.
27
A moment later, when cautious footsteps were heard from the front door, Yeoju was already standing at the door. As soon as he opened the door, Seokjin's gaze entered before the cold night air. His eyes scanned the house in one glance: the floor, the direction of the bathroom, the wet towels. When Yeoju told him to put on his shoes and come in, he remained silent, staring inside.
“You handled it well.”
“Yes. Very hard with a towel.”
Instead of answering, Seokjin rolled up his sleeves. He walked to the bathroom first and opened the door, and Yeoju stood behind him, watching him peer inside. Seokjin bent down to check the plumbing, turning on the flashlight on his phone to illuminate the area below. The water was still falling at the same rate, showing no intention of stopping.
As soon as Seokjin closed the bathroom door, he pulled out his phone. The gesture of checking the screen was so familiar that it finally dawned on Yeoju what kind of world he lived in. His movements weren't those of a man pondering. They were the movements of someone checking, deciding, and then executing.
"I need to call the driver. I'll call him tomorrow morning..."
The female protagonist didn't finish her sentence. Seokjin was already connecting the call. The other person picked up before it even rang once. Seokjin glanced toward the bathroom and briefly explained the situation: the plumbing under the sink, the leak, the studio apartment, the middle of the night. The speech was short and emotionless. Instead, he added calmly at the end.
“Someone who can do it right now.”
A brief silence. The heroine couldn't hear the other person's response, but she could easily guess from the unchanging expression on Seokjin's face.
“It doesn’t matter what the cost is, double or triple.”
At those words, the female protagonist's eyes widened.
“Mr. Seokjin—”
The call ended quickly. Seokjin said, putting down his phone.
“One knight set off. About 30 minutes.”
The heroine was momentarily speechless. More bewildered than the speed with which the situation was resolved was the way it was handled so casually.
“No… You don’t have to go this far. Seriously. I already contacted the landlord…”
“I’m doing this because I want to. Because I like you.”
It was such an incredibly affectionate remark. "Hmm, is this a plot twist?" Yeo-ju paused, about to retort. For some reason, I feel like a child in front of this man. He's clearly two years older than me...
28
Seokjin briefly observed Yeoju's expression, then averted his gaze. He didn't add anything. Instead, he tiptoed the wet towel toward the bathroom, then, remembering the rain shower earlier, he picked up the umbrella he'd set up by the front door. His movements were swift, as if he'd decided there was no reason to stay inside any longer.
After a while, the doorbell rang.
This time, it wasn't once, but twice. At regular intervals. It was a signal that he wasn't in a hurry, but he wasn't going to wait either. As the female protagonist opened the door, she saw the driver in overalls, and Namjoon standing behind him. Namjoon glanced inside, and his face seemed to have grasped the situation.
“It’s leaking more than I thought.”
Seokjin nodded briefly at the article's words.
“If you need to replace any parts, do it right away.”
Namjoon turned his head toward Yeoju. Instead of asking if she was okay, he simply checked with his eyes. Only when she nodded slightly did he raise the corners of his mouth.
“I’ll take care of the cleanup here. Until the knight is finished.”
"Yes? It's okay. I'll be there. Sorry. It's so late."
"No. The meeting's over, and I was just nearby. I have time left."
Despite his words, Namjoon was already rolling up his sleeves. The sight of him briefly exchanging words with the driver and then heading toward the bathroom felt familiar. Yeoju, watching the scene, felt even more apologetic. Meanwhile, Seokjin picked up Yeoju's coat. After checking that the dry side wasn't wet, he carefully handed it to her.
“Let’s go out.”
“Can I leave you like this? What about Namjoon?”
“You don’t have to worry about it”
The words were strangely firm. The female protagonist didn't ask any more questions. She put on her coat and left the front door. Before the door closed, Namjoon poked his head out and spoke.
"I'll contact you through Seokjin when it's over. I don't think I can stay here for a while."
“Ah.. I guess so?”
“Yes. You can go for now and come back later to pack your bags.”
Instead of answering, the female lead nodded slightly. As if hearing the answer, Namjoon closed the door and spoke to the knight.
+ Sample of Yeoju House
You can think of it as something like this.